Xiao Family’s Back Mountain— A mysterious figure draped in a large black robe appeared beneath a mountain cliff.
He stood in the shadow of a massive rock, the forest-white Qi flames surrounding him slowly receding and dissipating.
He raised his right hand and gently pulled down the black hood that concealed his appearance.
The moonlight, like a stream of clear water, poured down and illuminated a young and handsome face; this person was indeed Xiao Qing!
However, the current Xiao Qing was completely different from his usual self.
His medium-length hair had turned an icy pale white, like snow that never melted throughout the year.
Those deep eyes were no longer their usual pitch black but were burning with two wisps of icy white flames, filled with a gaze of indifference and majesty.
Faintly, the aura he emitted carried an ancientness and power that had weathered many vicissitudes, forming an extremely strong contrast with Xiao Qing’s youthful appearance.
Indeed, the “Alchemist Senior” who had appeared unfathomable before Xiao Zhan just now was Xiao Qing, whose body was temporarily dominated by Yao Lao’s Soul power!
The possession method Yao Lao used was the Soul possession technique jokingly referred to in the original work as the “Heaven Rank Dou Skill—Ghost Possession!” At this moment, Yao Lao’s task was complete.
His Soul power was gradually and slowly receding, returning control of the body to its owner, Xiao Qing.
Those icy pale white strands of hair were returning to jet black at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the forest-white flames dancing in his eyes gradually extinguished, turning back into clear black pupils.
The heart-palpitatingly powerful pressure around him also 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 just now, as the true owner of this body, Xiao Qing’s Soul had clearly perceived everything throughout the process.
Xiao Qing experienced more clearly and intuitively than ever before just how vast and terrifying that power residing in his body, which had been temporarily drawn out, truly was!
It was a sense of absolute power that felt as if he could mobilize the energy of heaven and earth with a simple gesture and cause mountains and rivers to collapse with a wave of his sleeve!
In every inch of flesh and every Meridian, unimaginably majestic energy surged.
His Soul perception was amplified to an incredible degree; it seemed that with a single thought, he could detect every movement within a radius of nearly a hundred miles.
That kind of strength transcended verbal description and had already been deeply engraved 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 by the dissipation of the power within his body, but his eyes held no disappointment.
Instead, they erupted with an incredibly burning light.
‘As expected…
it is terrifyingly formidable!’ This brief experience was like a wondrous key that not only allowed Xiao Qing to open a door to another world but also granted him a glimpse of the scenery at a higher Peak.
Rather than making Xiao Qing feel even a hint of frustration, it instead completely ignited the desire and ambition in his heart to become stronger!
‘I believe this day will come soon!’ Xiao Qing looked at his palm, his gaze firm as iron, while a voice in his heart shouted, ‘With my peerless talent and Teacher’s guidance, I believe it won’t be long before I, Xiao Qing, truly possess power of this level!
Or even…
stronger!’ Under the night sky, the youth stood tall.
Having just shed the mantle of an expert, Xiao Qing’s gaze was sharper than ever, filled with infinite expectation for the future and high fighting spirit.
Tonight’s experience was like a spark falling into the dry wood Xiao Qing had already prepared; it was bound to ignite a soaring flame.
Half a month later— Half a month passed in a flash, and the Xiao Family was permeated with a positive atmosphere of Cultivation.
The Family’s Dou Technique Pavilion was once again open to the young disciples who had not yet practiced Dou Techniques.
Although most of the collection consisted of Yellow Rank Elementary and Intermediate Dou Techniques, for these youths who were mostly 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 give their actual combat ability a qualitative leap.
After all, compared to fighting barehanded or relying solely on one’s martial arts techniques and recklessly throwing Dou Qi around, the power gained by mastering a Dou Technique to condense even stronger force was incomparable.
On the Family’s martial arts square, Xiao Zhan was walking slowly.
A smile that hadn’t been seen for a long time was on his face, and the gloom that used to accumulate between his brows had long since been swept away.
“Greetings, Clan Chief!” “Hello, Clan Chief!” “Clan Chief, you’ve come out of seclusion?” Groups of three to five Xiao Family disciples passed by Xiao Zhan, respectfully greeting him one after another, their tones carrying heartfelt respect.
Over these few days, Xiao Zhan had been in a very good mood.
He nodded repeatedly in response to these youths, his gaze warmly scanning these future hopes of the Family present on the field.
At this moment, Xiao Zhan was radiant and healthy.
Compared to a month ago, the anxious and haggard Clan Chief who couldn’t sleep at night seemed like a completely different person.
All of these changes stemmed from the mysterious “gift” that night!
At noon on the day after Xiao Zhan received the Medicinal Pills, he couldn’t wait to give that Three-Pattern Solid Yuan Pill to his wife, Yan Qian, to consume.
The effect of this Medicinal Pill was better than imagined!
Not only did it quickly make up for the life Origin Qi she had lost over many years, but the gentle medicinal power also gradually healed some subtle hidden ailments she had suffered from since giving birth to Xiao Yan.
Even more surprisingly, Yan Qian’s pale cheeks regained their rosy luster, and she seemed several years younger, her spirit appearing very abundant.
This unexpected “rejuvenation” effect left Yan Qian herself both surprised and delighted.
She marveled at it repeatedly, incredibly curious about the source of the Medicinal Pill.
Although Xiao Zhan felt immense gratitude toward Xiao Qing and his teacher, for the sake of secrecy, he had to concoct a well-intentioned lie…
He told Yan Qian that he had used some old connections left by his father, Xiao Lin, and paid a huge price to purchase it from a reclusive Alchemist.
Yan Qian did not doubt him.
She simply held her husband’s hand, her eyes filled with tears of 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 and free from disturbance.
In the secret room, Xiao Zhan took the Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill and the Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill in sequence.
The pills melted upon entering his mouth.
The thick yet 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.
Striking while the iron was hot, he took out that even more precious Spirit Cleansing Pill.
This pill truly lived up to its name.
After taking it, it not only brought a massive amount of pure energy but also a miraculous force of marrow-cleansing and bone-refining that flowed through his entire body, completely clearing the last few blockages and Impurities in Xiao Zhan’s Meridians.
Driven by that vast medicinal power, the Dou Ling barrier that had trapped countless Great Dou Masters for their entire lives was easily punctured like window paper!
He successfully Advanced to Dou Ling!
In a short half-month of seclusion, Xiao Zhan had actually leaped from a five-star Great Dou Master to become a true one-star Dou Ling expert!
Such a leap could be called a miracle!
However, after coming out of seclusion, Xiao Zhan was not lightheaded from the immense power.
Xiao Zhan knew well that a five-star Great Dou Master jumping directly to Dou Ling in half a month was too shocking.
Once word got out, it would inevitably draw endless prying and trouble to the Xiao Family.
Therefore, Xiao Zhan did his best to restrain his aura.
Relying on the advantage of his more refined control over his power after just reaching Dou Ling, he hid the vast majority of his Dou Ling-level fluctuations, only revealing a cultivation around a six-star Great Dou Master.
In this way, the results of Xiao Zhan’s “seclusion” appeared much more “reasonable”—breaking through from a five-star Great Dou Master to a six-star.
Although it was still considered rapid progress, it was within an understandable range and wouldn’t be too eye-catching.
At this moment, walking through the Family, feeling the Dou Ling-level Dou Qi surging within him, seeing the vibrant faces of the clansmen, and seeing his beloved wife’s health improving daily, Xiao Zhan’s heart was filled with confidence and expectation for the future.
The Xiao Family was developing in a better direction, and the turning point for all of this originated from that youth in the back mountain who might be Cultivating hard at this moment.