(Don't worry, he won't cuckold himself. The plot will explain it later, so no spoilers.)
Listening to the voice outside the room, Xiao Yan was panicking.
Wait, how had he ended up in the Battle Through the Heavens World?
Xiao Yan couldn't help recalling how space had shattered just now. It seemed to be... the Soul Division Martial Soul!
Xiao Yan remembered that he had transmigrated here because the Soul Division Martial Soul had fused into the body of the Battle Through the Heavens Xiao Yan.
"This is his body, which means..."
Xiao Yan's pupils suddenly contracted. "He transmigrated to the Douluo World?"
That meant the Soul Division Martial Soul seemed capable, to some extent, of letting the two versions of himself... transmigrate into each other's worlds?
At that thought, a towering wave surged through Xiao Yan's heart.
The Soul Division Martial Soul's abilities seemed to far exceed Xiao Yan's expectations.
Fortunately, they had shared with each other in that space every year since childhood, so he had mastered all the Xiao Clan's Dou Techniques except those Xiao Yan had learned in the past year.
And now that the other Xiao Yan had transmigrated to the Douluo World, he could see whether he could solve the problem of the Dou Qi gradually disappearing from his body.
"Bone Spirit Cold Flame, appear!"
Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened, and his Martial Soul appeared in his hand, making him breathe a sigh of relief.
Whatever the case, he could at least still use the Martial Soul within him. It was just that the Soul Division Martial Soul... seemed to retain traces of its fusion with him.
Could it be that he and the Battle Through the Heavens Xiao Yan could transmigrate into each other's worlds because the Soul Division Martial Soul maintained the connection?
"Brother Xiao Yan, are you still in there?"
The girl outside spoke in a sweet, soft voice. Her shadow blocked the light coming through the crack in the door, as though urging Xiao Yan on:
"You've stood me up several times already. If you break your promise again today, Xun'er will never speak to you again."
Outside the door, Xun'er folded her arms across her chest, a trace of complaint in her voice.
"Ah, coming, coming! Just a moment."
Xiao Yan took a deep breath. Since he was here, he had to play Xiao Yan's part for him and make absolutely sure he didn't give himself away. They could switch back the next time they transmigrated.
"Creak~"
As the door opened, a girl in a long purple dress stood before it. Her jet-black hair spilled down her back, and a gentle smile graced her lovely face.
Unfortunately, the present Xiao Yan had no desire to admire her beauty. After all, Xun'er was only a few years old.
What he was thinking about now was how to get through the situation before him as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, the Xiao Yans of the two worlds had communicated before. At the very least, he knew that his counterpart in the Battle Through the Heavens World was supposed to be the Xiao Clan's brightest star.
"Uh... let's go, Xun... Xun'er..."
Xiao Yan braced himself and spoke. He followed half a step behind Xun'er, committing the scenery around him to memory for fear of taking a wrong turn.
Along the way, everyone they encountered looked at Xiao Yan with excitement:
"Young Master Xiao Yan, good morning! Going shopping with Miss Xun'er again?"
"Young Master Xiao Yan, you're truly the pride of our Xiao Clan, hahaha..."
Every Xiao clansman they encountered offered him praise, but Xiao Yan's expression gradually darkened from its initial caution and excitement.
His head was lowered slightly, so no one noticed.
Though he didn't know why the Soul Division Martial Soul had remained fused with him for so long, it was precisely because of that that he could feel several scorching, jealous gazes on him.
Though they spoke the most flattering words, their true feelings could not escape the Soul Division Martial Soul's perception.
"How... laughable..."
Xiao Yan finally understood why the other Xiao Yan had looked so desolate when they met, after discovering that his Dou Qi Vortex had vanished.
All that respect was built solely on the talent he possessed.
If his talent disappeared, who would still care about him?
In silence, Xiao Yan walked out of the Xiao Clan's gates with Xun'er.
"Brother Xiao Yan, what's wrong with you today?"
Once they were outside the Xiao Clan, Xun'er bent forward slightly in front of Xiao Yan, rested her hands on her knees, and looked up at him questioningly.
"It's nothing. I probably just cultivated too late last night, so I'm a little tired."
Xiao Yan answered casually, without voicing the feelings in his heart.
"Come on. Since I promised you, let's have a good look around today."
Xiao Yan raised his eyes, gazing at the world before him, so utterly different from the Douluo Continent, and headed toward the marketplace with Xun'er.
Wutan City was bustling, and the Xiao Clan was one of its three great powers, now further bolstered by the name of its genius, Xiao Yan.
As a result, the Xiao Clan's marketplace did the best business of them all.
The Jia Lie Family Clan and the Ao Ba Family watched with envy, but they simply couldn't compete with the Xiao Clan.
There was nothing they could do. The Xiao Clan had produced a genius in Xiao Yan, a ten-year-old Dou Zhe, something unheard of in the entire history of Wutan City.
Likewise, Xiao Yan's talent had prompted cooperation between the Ao Ba Family and the Jia Lie Family.
After all, they knew full well that if they allowed Xiao Yan to continue growing, then with his talent, once he reached the level of a Dou Ling or even a Dou Wang, the entire Wutan City would belong to the Xiao Clan.
"Look, isn't that Xiao Yan?"
Hidden agents of the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Family spotted Xiao Yan and Xun'er leaving the Xiao Clan and immediately went back to report.
Ordinarily, Xiao Yan cultivated within the Xiao Clan, leaving them no chance to target him.
Now that he had left the Xiao Clan, this was naturally their best chance to deal with him.
"Brother Xiao Yan, I heard the eastern marketplace recently received a new batch of goods. Let's go take a look."
Xun'er walked ahead, a hint of excitement in her voice.
With Xun'er leading the way, Xiao Yan soon arrived with her at the eastern marketplace.
"Come take a look! Freshly hunted first-rank magical beast Magic Cores, and the herbs that grew alongside them! Going cheap..."
"First-grade Blood Coagulation Pills! Essential medicine for anyone heading out to train. They can save your life in a pinch! Going cheap!"
The cries of vendors rang through the marketplace, attracting Xiao Yan's attention.
Xun'er, on the other hand, had her attention on the sparkling objects that looked beautiful at a glance.
Xiao Yan watched Xun'er. She was a little girl after all, and couldn't escape the usual tastes.
"Shopkeeper, how much for this jade hairpin? I, Jia Lie Rong, want it!"
Just as Xun'er was examining the exquisite jade hairpin at the stall, a shrill voice suddenly rang out beside her.
A girl in a long blue dress then appeared in Xiao Yan's field of vision. Without another word, she reached out and snatched the jade hairpin from Xun'er's hand.
A cold gleam flashed in Xun'er's eyes as she looked up and stared at Jia Lie Rong.
"Cousin, she actually dares glare at me! Hurry and gouge this bitch's eyes out for me. I want to soak them in a chamber pot."
Under Xun'er's stare, Jia Lie Rong immediately reached back and tugged at a somewhat frail-looking boy of thirteen or fourteen behind her.
The boy looked thirteen or fourteen, but his face was pale and bloodless, and his eye sockets were deeply sunken, like a puppet whose body had been hollowed out by wine and women.
When her tug drew no response, Jia Lie Rong looked back and saw that her cousin was staring blankly at Xun'er, his tiny eyes full of greed. He even licked his cracked lips.
"Jia Lie Qi!"
A vicious look flashed in Jia Lie Rong's eyes. She was jealous of Xun'er's talent and beauty, which everyone admired, and also hated that the good-for-nothing Jia Lie Qi was her fiancé.
The furious shout snapped Jia Lie Qi back to his senses. He coughed, but before he could speak, Xiao Yan interrupted him.
"Where did this wild dog come from? It didn't frighten you, did it, Xun'er?"
Xiao Yan stretched out a hand to shield Xun'er behind him and looked at Jia Lie Rong, a trace of mockery in his eyes:
"It's not your fault you were born looking like a good-for-nothing, but coming out and frightening people when you look like that is your fault."