Wutan City, the Xiao Clan.
The atmosphere in the Xiao Clan's main hall was somewhat heavy.
Xiao Zhan gripped the armrest tightly, his tone grave. "The Jia Lie Family found a first-tier alchemist somewhere. The Rejuvenation Powder he makes is considerably more effective than the healing medicine we sell. The Xiao Family Market has lost a large amount of foot traffic, and many merchants are thinking of leaving. Some have even slipped away already.
"At this rate, our Xiao Clan will go bankrupt within three months!
"Elders, do you have any solutions?"
The Xiao Clan's three elders exchanged glances, all keeping their mouths shut and looking perfectly composed.
The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat oppressive. Xiao Zhan slapped the armrest. "Are you three thinking of leaving the Xiao Clan?"
Only then did the First Elder speak with a trace of mockery. "Clan Leader, the entire burden of our Xiao Clan rests on your shoulders alone. Why bother asking our opinions?"
The Second Elder echoed him. "Exactly. You're the clan leader, so you have the final say. Don't ask us to make plans now, only to have your third son teach us a lesson afterward!"
The Third Elder snorted coldly. "Clan Leader, I say, since our Xiao Clan depends entirely on you, why don't you charge into the Jia Lie Family alone and slaughter that first-tier alchemist? Then every problem will unravel like bamboo splitting beneath a blade."
Listening to their barbed mockery, Xiao Zhan understood that they had sensed the danger of losing power and were now banding together to resist.
Their prerequisite for considering the Xiao Clan's interests was that they themselves had to hold power within it. Otherwise, they would rather see the Xiao Clan fall into ruin!
Once he understood this, Xiao Zhan's expression turned ugly.
"If you three elders can't contribute, step down from your positions before it's too late!
"Stop occupying those seats without doing anything, drawing your pay like corpses!"
The voice came from the hall's entrance, as blunt and mocking as ever.
At the sound of that voice, the First Elder's body trembled.
He looked toward the entrance and saw that handsome yet intensely aggressive face. His heart pounded. "Xiao Ce!"
Xiao Ce replied, "First Elder, you're out of confinement?
"If you ask me, you should simply step down and yield your position to someone capable. The Xiao Clan has plenty of capable people!"
The First Elder gritted his teeth in anger. "Xiao Ce, you were the one who said the entire Xiao Clan rested on your father's shoulders. Since that's the case, why come bothering us now?"
Xiao Ce nodded. "That's right. I said that, and I still think so."
With that, he swept a hand over the Storage Ring on his finger, and a jade bottle fell into his palm.
"A first-tier medicinal pill, the Body-Recovery Pill. It can heal internal and external injuries, and its effects far surpass that so-called Rejuvenation Powder." Xiao Ce stepped forward and handed the jade bottle to his father, Xiao Zhan.
Xiao Zhan opened the jade bottle, and a medicinal fragrance immediately spread.
Xiao Zhan's eyes lit up as he asked Xiao Ce, "Ce, may we test it?"
Xiao Ce nodded.
Xiao Zhan immediately summoned a servant and had him take the pill away for testing.
The test was soon finished. In barely a dozen minutes, the servant returned and said excitedly, "Clan Leader, that Body-Recovery Pill is at least fifty percent more effective than Rejuvenation Powder!"
"Fifty percent?! It's actually that effective!" Xiao Zhan rose excitedly.
Now it was the First Elder's turn to look displeased. He looked at Xiao Ce and asked, "Which alchemist made this pill? How much would it cost to invite this alchemist here? If it takes too many gold coins, the clan can't afford it."
Xiao Ce snorted coldly. "That isn't something you need to worry about, First Elder.
"I was fortunate enough to encounter some opportunities. I made this Body-Recovery Pill myself!"
"What!" Xiao Zhan was shocked.
"How is that possible!" The First Elder slammed the table and sprang to his feet, utterly disbelieving.
"You became an alchemist? Heh." The Second Elder shook his head slightly, keeping his disdain to himself.
"We haven't seen you for two months, and you've become an alchemist? That's simply impossible!" The Third Elder's face was filled with disbelief.
Xiao Ce did not dislike displaying his prowess before others, but he did not want to do that now.
He could refine medicine on the spot, reveal his identity as a third-tier alchemist, and slap all three elders hard in the face.
But... there was no need.
He had no need to prove himself, no desire to prove himself, and nothing but disdain for proving himself.
Because he was stronger!
Xiao Ce clenched his fist and hurled a punch toward the three elders. His physique, comparable to that of a sixth-tier Magical Beast, erupted with terrifying power.
Whoosh!
The wind from his fist roared like a tiger. Its force whipped up a gale, sending all three elders flying along with their tables and chairs, smashing them hard against the hall's wall.
The First Elder clutched his chest, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. He stared at Xiao Ce in utter shock. "How can you be so strong!"
Xiao Ce answered coldly, "Elders, find a time to resign from your positions. Considering that you've at least toiled for the clan, even if you've accomplished nothing, you can still enjoy your remaining years in peace. I also have no interest in targeting the younger clan brothers and sisters of the branch families.
"But if you three don't want to leave with your dignity intact, I don't mind taking action myself!
"Even if it earns me some criticism."
The ruthlessness in Xiao Ce's eyes did not look feigned. The three elders silently cursed him as a madman, but they were truly frightened.
Just that one punch had not even actually struck their bodies. The wind from it alone had sent them flying.
They were somewhat self-serving, but they were certainly not stupid.
With such an enormous gap in strength, they had no right to bargain at all.
Ultimately, here on the Dou Qi Continent, where the strong reigned supreme, ten thousand words and a hundred arguments were less effective than actually throwing a punch like that.
Force could not solve every problem, but it could certainly solve most of them!
"Xiao Ce... you're formidable. We admit defeat. I hope you keep your promise." The First Elder braced himself and stood, his eyes full of helplessness.
Schemes? Mockery? Before overwhelming strength, none of it meant anything.
He had lost this struggle for power. What an unjust defeat!
As the three elders left, Xiao Ce turned to Xiao Zhan and bowed respectfully. "Father, you know I'm not someone who likes to spout nonsense. I absolutely did refine the Body-Recovery Pill myself.
"I became an alchemist through a chance opportunity. I won't go into the details, Father."
Xiao Zhan froze, and only after a long while did he accept it.
His son had returned with greater strength. Not only could he easily defeat the three elders, but he had also become an alchemist, helping him take direct control of all the Xiao Clan's affairs.
"I understand, Ce." Xiao Zhan nodded, somewhat dazed.
Next, Xiao Ce spoke briefly with Xiao Zhan, saying they could talk privately in the study later, before leaving the hall.
Back at his residence, Xiao Ce was tidying his room when he heard someone knock on his courtyard gate.
He opened the gate. Xiao Yan stood outside.
Despite two months apart, there was no distance between the brothers. Both wore smiles, and Xiao Ce was nothing like the cold, unapproachable figure he had been before the three elders.
The two brothers briefly discussed their respective progress over the past two months.
Xiao Ce merely said he had improved his cultivation a little too and learned a few minor skills.
Xiao Yan said that he had broken through two stages in succession from the eighth stage of Dou Qi to become a Dou Zhe. He had advanced so quickly because he had taken Qi Gathering Powder. As for where it had come from, Xiao Yan merely smiled and said it was a secret.
Xiao Ce did not pry, though his understanding was as clear as a polished mirror.
After they had talked for a while, Xiao Yan suddenly asked Xiao Ce somewhat hesitantly, "Third Brother, suppose you had two cultivation methods in front of you.
"One is low yellow tier, but it can continually evolve by devouring divine wonders like Heavenly Flames.
"The other is low earth tier. Its starting rank is high, but its ceiling is fixed.
"Which one do you think I should cultivate?"
Before you continue