Unable to bear the pressure, Xiao Mei greeted him, breaking the tense air.
"Mm." Xiao Jian nodded slightly and walked past without another word.
Snapping out of her daze, Xiao Mei saw her friends staring at his retreating figure. Biting her lip, she decided to follow.
The path led straight to the Dou Techniques Hall.
Xiao Jian had never approached this direction before,
and he rarely appeared in the courtyard due to family duties. His sudden visit certainly signaled something.
Turning a corner, he entered the hall.
The Dou Techniques Hall was divided into East and West wings.
The East stored family techniques, while the West contained a large training area.
Today, few people were present, and the atmosphere was quiet.
Xiao Jian bypassed the first-row bookshelves in the East, heading straight to the back.
The front-row techniques were low-level and not worth his time.
Frankly, the Xiao family had very few high-level techniques.
Even the third row only contained a handful of Advanced Yellow Rank skills, fewer than the first and second rows.
It was a meager collection, to say the least.
Shaking his head, Xiao Jian's eyes scanned the shelves and picked up a green scroll. Unfurling it, he read:
Advanced Yellow Rank: Wind Eagle Kick.
???
Xiao Jian froze, recognizing the name. This… this felt like home.
At that moment, his decision was made. Though it was likely a coincidence, finding this technique felt like fate.
He didn't need to look any further. He would master this technique.
A faint smile appeared on Xiao Jian's normally calm face.
"Cousin Xiao Jian… you're… going to learn a Dou Technique?" Xiao Mei asked, curious.
Xiao Jian turned, noticing many family members' eyes fixed on him.
Feeling the many curious eyes around him, Xiao Jian didn't bother to explain.
Ignoring Xiao Mei at his side, he carried the scroll straight to the Dou Techniques Hall administrator.
"Hey! Cousin Xiao Jian!"
Xiao Mei hurried to follow.
Although most young members of the clan still viewed Xiao Jian as a useless boy, Xiao Mei knew better.
Even though he couldn't cultivate Dou Qi yet, he was far from a failure.
A fifteen-year-old capable of elevating a mid-tier marketplace to a high-tier one...such talent was enough to earn a place among the elders,
even if he couldn't inherit the clan leadership.
Xiao Mei had only realized this in the past two years, which explained her growing admiration for him.
"Busy?" Xiao Jian asked, frowning slightly as he turned toward her.
"I… I've seen the Dou Technique you're holding. It's extremely difficult to train—requires at least Stage Eight Dou Qi.
No one in the clan has mastered it yet," Xiao Mei said quietly, lowering her gaze under his piercing stare.
"Thanks, but borrowing a technique is my own business.
I understand the clan rules. Any scroll in the Dou Techniques Hall is mine to borrow. Whether I can master it is my concern.
Just because others need Stage Eight Dou Qi doesn't mean I can't attempt it."
Xiao Jian's words were calm yet authoritative as he handed the scroll to the administrator for registration.
The administrator didn't dare refuse. Xiao Jian's standing in the clan far exceeded his own, and Xiao Jian had made his point clear.
With a respectful expression, the administrator returned the scroll after completing the registration.
"Thanks," Xiao Jian said, nodding, and then walked straight out.
He followed the stone path back to his room, ready to study the "Wind Eagle Kick," a technique said to be extremely difficult.
Xiao Mei froze, speechless from his earlier words.
Only after a long pause did she realize she had forgotten to ask:
Could Xiao Jian actually cultivate Dou Qi now?
Judging by his demeanor, he must have already manifested Dou Qi…
But that technique, requiring Stage Eight Dou Qi, was not meant for someone who had only just started.
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