Northwestern Region of the Dou Qi Continent, Jia Ma Empire, Wu Tan City, Xiao Clan
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Xiao Bai, come out!"
"I know you're in there! Don't hide and pretend you're not home!"
A black-robed youth stood at the entrance of a small courtyard, pounding on the door and shouting.
Creak.
The door swung open, and the black-robed youth instinctively took several steps back, warily eyeing the entrance.
A young man emerged, his features refined and calm, clad in a snow-white robe. He held a scroll in his hands, exuding a gentle and scholarly air, with a faint smile playing on his lips.
That familiar face, that familiar smile, and those deep, dark eyes that held no trace of warmth made the black-robed youth's heart skip a beat. This guy… the last two times he looked at me with those eyes, I got beaten black and blue.
"Brother Xiao Yan, long time no see!"
"Oh? A Two-Star Dou Zhe already? No wonder you're so bold—your voice is louder than usual!"
Xiao Bai leaned lazily against the doorframe, sizing up the cautious black-robed youth a few steps away.
His gaze subtly flicked to the black ring on Xiao Yan's finger, a trace of doubt stirring in his mind. Could something have happened to the old man in the ring? This guy's already a Two-Star Dou Zhe—why hasn't the ring started draining him yet?
Xiao Yan bristled at Xiao Bai's nonchalant demeanor and mocking tone. Fury surged within him, drowning out his earlier unease.
Scared? To hell with that! Today, I'll take him down!
A Two-Star Dou Zhe losing to someone stuck at the Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi? Impossible!
Today, he'd show this guy what true terror looked like!
"Enough talk! Take this—Rock-Splitting Fist!"
Imagining the satisfaction of pummeling this infuriating guy into a swollen mess, Xiao Yan felt a thrill of excitement. He charged forward eagerly.
Xiao Bai watched the incoming fist with a slight shake of his head. Only when the fist was nearly upon him did he leisurely raise a hand, catching Xiao Yan's wrist in a firm grip.
The fist hovered mere inches from Xiao Bai's face, but those inches felt like an uncrossable chasm. No matter how much strength Xiao Yan poured in, he couldn't advance a fraction further.
Xiao Bai shifted slightly, pulling Xiao Yan forward and off-balance. With a casual lift of his leg, he delivered a side kick that sent Xiao Yan flying.
Setting the scroll on a nearby stone lion, Xiao Bai unhurriedly adjusted his sleeves.
He strolled toward Xiao Yan, who was scrambling to his feet, and with a swift kick, knocked him back down. Straddling him, Xiao Bai rained punches.
"For yelling at my doorstep!"
"For banging on my door!"
"For sneaking peeks at the female clansmen bathing! Die, you pervert!"
Not long ago, Xiao Yu had chased Xiao Yan through the clan with a sword, causing a massive uproar. Xiao Bai had heard the rumors.
"Xiao Bai, Xiao Yan, what are you doing?"
A voice tinged with authority rang out behind him. Xiao Bai paused his assault, rising from Xiao Yan and smoothing his disheveled robe. Turning, he clasped his hands respectfully.
"Xiao Bai greets the Clan Leader!"
Xiao Zhan nodded at the youth before him.
"What's going on here?"
"Nothing much. Just having some fun with Brother Xiao Yan."
"Fun?"
Xiao Zhan's lips twitched as he glanced at Xiao Yan, who was clambering up with a bruised and swollen face. Seeing only superficial injuries, he didn't press further.
As both a father and the clan leader, Xiao Zhan knew that while the white-robed youth was an adopted son of a Xiao clansman, he was still family. And with Xun Er's protection, who in the Xiao Clan would dare bully him?
At the thought of Xiao Xun Er's mysterious background, a flicker of apprehension crossed Xiao Zhan's eyes.
"Xiao Bai, though you haven't broken through in three years, the elders and I have high hopes for you. You and Xiao Yan are the future of our Xiao Clan. You must support each other, understand?"
Xiao Bai slung an arm around Xiao Yan, who had just gotten up, and nodded to Xiao Zhan.
"I understand, Clan Leader. Rest assured, Brother Yan is my dearest friend, my brother!"
Xiao Yan rolled his eyes. A brother you beat like this? He squirmed slightly, but the arm on his shoulder felt like an iron clamp, unyielding.
"Well done!"
Xiao Zhan nodded approvingly, his smile warm as he looked Xiao Bai over.
"You may not have reached Dou Zhe, but your physical training rivals one. You've forged your own path!"
"The Clan Leader flatters me. At best, I can match a Dou Zhe, but it's a dead end. Brother Xiao Yan, though—an eleven-year-old Dou Zhe! With the bearing of a dragon or phoenix, he'll shoulder the revival of our clan. His future is boundless, a true blessing for the Xiao Clan!"
Xiao Zhan's smile widened at the praise for his son. He clapped Xiao Bai's shoulder.
"Haha, Xiao Bai, you're only thirteen. Don't sell yourself short. I believe you'll break through!"
"Alright, you youngsters spend some time together. Yan'er, learn from your Brother Bai and stop causing trouble all day!"
With that, Xiao Zhan turned and left.
Once Xiao Zhan was gone, Xiao Yan stared at Xiao Bai, his face expressionless.
"Show's over. Can you let go now?"
Xiao Bai released him, and Xiao Yan, feeling as if he'd escaped a predator's grip, leaped aside and spat venomously, "Hypocrite! Wait till I reach Dou Shi. I'll teach you a lesson, hmph!"
He punctuated it with a haughty snort.
Xiao Bai stared, speechless. Maybe I should just finish him off now.
How shameless could someone be? A Dou Shi bullying someone at the Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi? Where's the honor in that?
But then he reconsidered. It'll take this guy at least five years to reach Dou Shi. He dropped the idea.
In his past life, Xiao Bai had admired Xiao Yan while reading the original story—a man who repaid kindness and stood firm, unlike some protagonists. But now, sharing the same world with this unpolished, pre-hardship Xiao Yan, Xiao Bai found him grating.
As for Xiao Yan's ring, Xiao Bai had no designs on it. His thunder attribute meant the ring's greatest opportunity was useless to him.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched every time he met Xiao Yan, a faint, elusive sensation. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination.
The last two times he'd beaten Xiao Yan, though, he'd distinctly felt eyes observing him.
Whether it was the old man in the ring doing it deliberately or Xiao Bai's own soul being unusually perceptive, he couldn't tell.
Closing his eyes, Xiao Bai calmed his restless emotions. His consciousness sank into his sea of awareness, sensing the ancient talisman floating there.
In his past life, he'd suffered from chaotic dreams that ruined his sleep. Countless medicines failed, so he turned to mysticism, visiting a Taoist temple.
The old priest, after hearing his plight, stroked his beard calmly and claimed a single talisman could fix it.
The Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Talisman—placed by the bed, it would ward off immortals and demons, repel all evil, and work without fail.
Skeptical but desperate, Xiao Bai gritted his teeth and spent 2000 yuan on the rustic talisman. Eagerly, he placed it by his bed and lay down to test it.
The talisman worked. Too well. Xiao Bai could've wept.
The dreams stopped, but reality shifted.
He awoke on the Dou Qi Continent, in the body of a five-year-old, with the talisman still with him, now hovering in his sea of awareness.
Since bringing him here, the talisman had been mostly dormant. Only when he reached the Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi at ten did it release five differently colored thunderbolts into his five organs. Since then, it had remained silent.
And Xiao Bai's cultivation had stalled at the Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi for three years.