When Xiao Yan returned to the pavilion, he found Xiao Xuan waiting for him in the main hall. Upon meeting, Xiao Yan naturally recounted his Council of Elders that night, and the latter nodded slightly in response.
"Obstruction...?"
Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, Xiao Xuan nodded slightly, then chuckled softly and slowly said to Xiao Yan:
"If there are any people in this clan who still harbor resentment towards us, aside from the others, there are only three. You need to be especially careful with them."
"Who?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan immediately frowned. The fact that Xiao Xuan had specifically mentioned these three people meant that their status within the Xiao Clan was probably extraordinary.
"The three heads of the cabinet, Xiao Qian, Xiao Jinghong, and Xiao Dingtian, lead the cabinet. Their status in the clan is unmatched except by the clan leader and the ten elders. They personally plan and organize the clan meeting. They are quite concerned about you and me. If we are unable to attend the clan meeting, it must be their doing."
"If that's the case, then wouldn't our desire to participate in the clan meeting be...?"
"There's no need to worry too much. Now that the Origin Return Mantra is complete, as long as I can break through to the Yuan Zong within six months, the pressure on the three of them will naturally be much less. At that time, with the support of the clan leader and the Grand Elder, they won't be able to be too powerful."
Before Xiao Yan could finish speaking, Xiao Xuan chuckled reassuringly.
However, Xiao Xuan's words did not make Xiao Yan feel relieved; on the contrary, they made him feel even more pressure.
While the former made it sound easy, their prerequisite for participating in the clan gathering was that Xiao Xuan had to break through his cultivation level within half a year. Given his current condition, how long it would take to break through to the Origin Yuan Zong was an unknown number. If the methods were too extreme, even if he managed to break through to the Yuan Zong, it would likely have an irreversible impact on Xiao Xuan's cultivation. The difficulty involved was self-evident.
"Then who are these ten elders?"
Coming to his senses, Xiao Yan turned his attention back to Xiao Xuan's earlier words.
"The Ten Elders are composed of previous cabinet elders, with the First Elder at the head. Of the remaining members, you've only met the Third Elder, Xiao Mingyuan."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was slightly surprised, not expecting that Xiao Mingyuan had this identity within the Xiao Clan.
"However, although the ten elders are above the cabinet elders, they each act independently and do not concern themselves with clan affairs. Naturally, they will not interfere in clan meetings. If the third elder had not been connected to you and me, he would not have been able to intervene. The first elder is biased towards the clan leader. But these alone are still not enough."
Xiao Xuan slowly shook his head. He naturally understood Xiao Yan's meaning, but as things stand now, they could only rely on themselves. Any outside help could become a reason for the elders to criticize them.
Xiao Yan frowned, his mind racing. So, it was inevitable that Xiao Xuan would break through to the Yuan Zong within half a year; otherwise, they might miss out on the clan gathering!
Compared to the former, Xiao Xuan appeared much calmer. Seeing the slightly solemn expression on Xiao Yan's face, he smiled slightly and changed the subject:
"Don't worry, there's still some time before the clan gathering, there's still plenty of time. Let's put this matter aside for now. Before that, obtaining the Fire God's Wrath from the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion is the most important thing."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded emphatically; he was quite tempted by the Fire God's Wrath as well.
At that very moment, Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat, as if he had thought of something. His eyes narrowed slowly, and he pondered:
" Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion... as the Xiao Clan's library, it must contain quite a few pill formulas, right?"
"Hehe, it's more than just a lot. Looking at the three major clans, the number of high-level pill formulas possessed by the Xiao Clan is probably comparable to, or even greater than, the combined number of the other two clans. As long as it's a pill formula below the eighth rank, if my Xiao Clan doesn't have it, they won't have it either."
Xiao Xuan smiled faintly.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was slightly surprised by the Xiao Clan's extensive collection, but a thought also stirred within him: if this was the case, then perhaps he wouldn't have to worry about the pill formulas he needed.
The next day.
On a wide road, Xiao Yan strolled leisurely, occasionally glancing back into the distance. Above the street, he could see a vast expanse of scattered pavilions, with endless mountains and forests surrounding the entire Xiao Clan. Although they were far apart, Xiao Yan could clearly see some huge stone towers emerging from the mountains and forests, standing in mysterious positions. It wasn't hard to guess that they must be some kind of grand formation.
Meanwhile, the Xiao Clan members who were passing by on both sides of the road were also looking at this figure who had recently caused a commotion in the clan. Their faces were full of curiosity, and some even had hostility in their eyes.
Judging from this, it seems that not only the clan elders are rejecting him, but even ordinary members of the Xiao Clan are affected.
Feeling the strange gazes around him, Xiao Yan shrugged helplessly. He had no time to ponder the mysteries of the stone tower anymore. He immediately changed his footing and used the Heavenly Severing Steps Annihilation Step. In the blink of an eye, his figure transformed into a streak of black light. Before the Xiao Clan disciples on both sides of the street could recover, he had already disappeared at the end of the street.
A moment later, after Xiao Yan had traversed the streets until the surroundings became increasingly empty, a huge pavilion appeared directly in front of him.
On the open ground, surrounded by nothingness, a massive pavilion stood majestically. Xiao Yan looked up at the magnificent pavilion before him and couldn't help but shake his head in amazement.
Above the plaque of the huge pavilion are three ancient-looking characters: " Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion ". The plaque is entirely black, yet it subtly reflects specks of gold, revealing a mysterious aura of vicissitudes and Old Gu.
Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion, one of the most important places in the Xiao Clan, carries the Old Gu heritage of the Xiao Clan for countless generations and is a place that every member of the Xiao Clan yearns for.
However, as the most important place for the Xiao Clan, the defense here seems too weak. At least from Xiao Yan's perspective at this moment, there is no one guarding the Heaven-Nurturing Pavilion. Even the door, which has many signs of wear and tear, looks somewhat loose and seems like it might fall down at any moment.
Standing straight in front of the door, Xiao Yan hesitated for a while before bowing respectfully to the pavilion in front of him, taking a deep breath, and then taking a step to the door, intending to push it open.
And at that very moment...
"Stop right there! This is the sacred ground of the Xiao Clan; how dare an outsider like you interfere!"