Xiao Family Back Mountain—
He stood in the shadow of a massive rock, the eerie-white Qi flames swirling around him slowly receding and dissipating.
He raised his right hand and gently pulled back the black hood that had concealed his face.
Moonlight, like clear flowing water, poured down, illuminating a young and handsome face—it was none other than Xiao Qing!
However, the Xiao Qing of this moment was completely different from his usual self; his medium-length hair had turned an icy, pale white, like snow that never melts throughout the year.
In those deep eyes, the usual jet-black was gone, replaced by two wisps of icy-white flames burning within, filled with a cold and majestic radiance.
The aura faintly emanating from his body carried an ancient and powerful feeling, as if he had experienced the vicissitudes of life, creating an extremely sharp contrast with his youthful appearance.
Indeed, the “Senior Alchemist” who had appeared so unfathomable before Xiao Zhan was actually Xiao Qing, whose body was temporarily being controlled by Yao Lao’s Soul Power!
The possession method Yao Lao had used was the Soul-possession technique jokingly referred to in the original work as the “Heaven Rank Dou Skill—Ghost Possession!”
Now, Yao Lao’s task was complete, and his Soul Power was slowly receding, returning control of the body to its master, Xiao Qing.
The icy, pale-white hair was recovering to its jet-black color at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the eerie-white flames dancing in his eyes gradually extinguished, turning back into clear, black pupils.
The heart-palpitating, powerful pressure around him dissipated, and the aura belonging to Xiao Qing’s own Dou Master level re-emerged.
Although the control of the body had been primarily in Yao Lao’s hands, as the true owner of this body, Xiao Qing’s Soul had clearly perceived everything throughout the entire process.
Xiao Qing experienced, more clearly and intuitively than ever before, just how vast and terrifying the power residing within his body—and temporarily drawn out—truly was!
It was an absolute sense of power, as if he could command the energy of heaven and earth with a mere gesture, and cause mountains and rivers to collapse with a wave of his sleeve!
Every inch of flesh and blood, every meridian was surging with unimaginably immense energy, and his Soul perception had been amplified to an incredible degree; it seemed that with a single thought, he could observe every movement within a radius of nearly a hundred miles.
That strength surpassed all verbal description and had been deeply imprinted into the depths of Xiao Qing’s Soul.
“Is this… the power belonging to the Peak Dou Huang level?” Xiao Qing slowly clenched his fist, feeling the slight sense of emptiness brought about by the dissipation of the power within his body, but there was no disappointment in his eyes; instead, they erupted with an incomparably burning radiance.
“As expected… truly terrifying!”
This brief experience was like a mysterious key that not only allowed Xiao Qing to open a door to another world but also gave him a glimpse of the scenery at even greater heights.
This, far from making Xiao Qing feel even the slightest bit of frustration, instead completely ignited the desire and ambition within his heart to become stronger!
“I believe this day will come soon!” Xiao Qing looked at his palm, his gaze as firm as iron, with a voice shouting in his heart, “With my peerless talent, coupled with Teacher’s guidance, I believe it won’t be long before I, Xiao Qing, will truly possess this level of power!
Or even… stronger!”
Having just shed the outer shell of a powerhouse, Xiao Qing’s gaze was sharper than ever, filled with infinite anticipation for the future and high-spirited fighting will.
Tonight’s experience was like a spark falling into the dry firewood Xiao Qing had long prepared, destined to ignite a blazing inferno.
Half a month later—
Half a month passed in a flash, and the entire Xiao Family was permeated with a positive atmosphere of Cultivation.
The Family Dou Technique Pavilion was once again opened to the young disciples who had not yet Cultivated any Dou Techniques.
Although most of the collections within were Yellow Rank Elementary and Intermediate Dou Techniques.
But for these young boys and girls, most of whom were still at the Dou Zhi Qi stage, it was already a great favor and a precious resource.
Even for those disciples who had just stepped into the Dou Practitioner Realm, mastering a Yellow Rank Dou Technique could allow their actual combat ability to achieve a qualitative leap.
After all, compared to fighting with bare hands, relying solely on one’s own martial arts skills, or recklessly throwing Dou Qi around, mastering a Dou Technique to condense more powerful strength would result in a difference in power that could not be mentioned in the same breath.
On the Family’s Martial Arts Square, Xiao Zhan was walking slowly, a smile on his face that hadn’t been seen in a long time; the gloomy haze that had accumulated between his brows in the past had long since been swept away.
“Greetings, Clan Chief!”
“Hello, Clan Chief!”
“Clan Chief, have you finished your seclusion?”
Groups of Xiao Family disciples passed by Xiao Zhan, respectfully greeting him one after another, their tones filled with heartfelt respect.
In these past few days, Xiao Zhan had been in a very good mood, so he nodded repeatedly in response to these youths, and his gaze swept gently over the future hopes of the Family present.
The current Xiao Zhan was in high spirits with a ruddy complexion; compared to a month ago, the anxious, haggard Clan Chief who couldn’t sleep at night seemed like a completely different person.
All of this change stemmed from that mysterious “gift” from that night!
The very next noon after Xiao Zhan received the Medicinal Pill, he couldn’t wait to give that Three-Pattern gu yuan pill to his wife, Yan Qian, to take.
The effect of this Medicinal Pill was better than he could have imagined!
It not only quickly replenished the life Origin Qi she had lost over the years but also gradually healed some minor lingering ailments she had suffered from when giving birth to Xiao Yan, thanks to the gentle medicinal power.
Even more surprisingly, Yan Qian’s pale cheeks had regained a rosy, lustrous glow, and she seemed to have become several years younger, her energy and spirit appearing extremely abundant. This story is hosted at novelping(.)com.
This unexpected “rejuvenating” effect left Yan Qian herself both surprised and delighted; she marveled at it repeatedly and was endlessly curious about the source of the Medicinal Pill.
Although Xiao Zhan was extremely grateful to Xiao Qing and his teacher in his heart, for the sake of secrecy, he had no choice but to fabricate a well-intentioned lie…
He told Yan Qian that he had used some old connections left behind by his father, Xiao Lin, and paid a huge price to purchase it from a reclusive Alchemist.
Yan Qian did not suspect anything; she merely held her husband’s hand, tears in her eyes, filled with relief and happiness.
As for Xiao Zhan himself, after properly arranging the Family affairs, he immediately announced his seclusion.
The place Xiao Zhan chose for his seclusion was extremely secret, where no one would disturb him.
In the secret chamber, Xiao Zhan took the Purple Heart Breakthrough Pill and the Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill in sequence.
The Medicinal Pill melted upon entering his mouth, and the thick, gentle medicinal power surged like a rushing river, helping Xiao Zhan achieve consecutive Breakthroughs with almost no resistance, his cultivation soaring all the way to the Peak Great Dou Master level!
While feeling the unprecedentedly powerful strength within his body, Xiao Zhan did not hesitate in the slightest; striking while the iron was hot, he took out the even more precious Spirit Cleansing Pill.
This pill lived up to its name; after taking it, it not only brought a massive amount of pure energy but also a magical power of marrow-cleansing and bone-forging that circulated through his entire body, completely clearing away the last of the blockages and Impurities in Xiao Zhan’s Meridians.
Driven by that overwhelming medicinal power, the barrier to the Dou Ling Realm, which had trapped countless Great Dou Masters for their entire lives, was easily punctured like a piece of window paper!
He had successfully Advanced to the Dou Ling Realm!
In just half a month of seclusion, Xiao Zhan had leaped from a five-star Great Dou Master to become a true one-star Dou Ling powerhouse!
Such a leap could be called a miracle!
However, after leaving seclusion, Xiao Zhan was not overwhelmed by the immense power.
Xiao Zhan knew deeply that a five-star Great Dou Master directly rushing to the Dou Ling Realm in half a month was too shocking; once spread, it would inevitably bring endless prying and trouble to the Xiao Family.
Therefore, Xiao Zhan tried his best to restrain his aura, relying on the advantage of having just promoted to the Dou Ling Realm and having more precise control over his own power, hiding most of the Dou Ling-level fluctuations, and only revealing a cultivation level around a six-star Great Dou Master.
In this way, the results of Xiao Zhan’s “seclusion” appeared much more “reasonable”—a Breakthrough from a five-star Great Dou Master to a six-star.
Although it was still considered rapid progress, it was within the understandable range and would not be too eye-catching.
At this moment, walking within the Family, feeling the surging Dou Ling-level Dou Qi within his body, looking at the vibrant faces of his clansmen, and seeing his beloved wife becoming healthier day by day, Xiao Zhan’s heart was filled with confidence and anticipation for the future.
The Xiao Family was developing in a better direction, and the turning point for all of this stemmed from that youth in the back mountain who might be Cultivating diligently at this very moment.