Morning, Xiao Bai's Courtyard, Wu Tan City, Xiao Clan
Xiao Bai sat cross-legged on his bed, slowly opening his eyes. A fleeting glimmer of five-colored light flashed within them.
"Five years… It's finally complete!"
Two years had passed since Xiao Yan came to challenge him. Now fifteen, Xiao Bai had been in this world for a full decade.
When he first transmigrated, his adoptive parents in this body had already passed away.
Realizing what world he'd landed in, he began cultivating. At ten, he reached the Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi, shocking the Xiao Clan. The elders saw in him the potential of a Dou Wang, believing that with proper nurturing, he could restore the clan to the glory of the old patriarch's days.
But years passed, and his cultivation remained stagnant. The clan's hopes faded.
Their attention shifted to another rising star—Xiao Yan. Like Xiao Bai, he reached the Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi at ten and broke through to Dou Zhe at eleven, reigniting the clan's aspirations.
Xiao Bai's name faded into obscurity, rarely mentioned.
He didn't mind. He knew his own situation. After reaching the Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi, he couldn't form a Qi cyclone in his dantian.
Instead, his body began absorbing vast amounts of Five Elements Dou Qi. These energies didn't flow to his dantian but nourished his five organs: Wood to the liver, Fire to the heart, Earth to the spleen, Metal to the lungs, and Water to the kidneys.
The Five Elements Dou Qi fortified his organs, strengthening his physique far beyond his cultivation level. To mask this anomaly, he deliberately studied a neglected Huang-Class Low-Grade body-refining technique from the Xiao Clan's library.
This was why he could effortlessly overpower Xiao Yan, a Two-Star Dou Zhe.
At the Dou Zhe stage, Dou Qi couldn't be projected outward. Fights relied on physical techniques and fists, and body cultivators thrived in such close-quarters combat.
Today marked five years since Xiao Bai reached the Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi. His five organs had fully absorbed the Five Elements Dou Qi. Now, he felt confident he could face anyone below Dou Shi with his physique alone.
Standing, he stretched his limbs, pleased with his body's strength.
"Next, I'll try breaking through again. This time, that damned talisman shouldn't hold me back, right?"
Xiao Bai harbored a grudge against the talisman. In his past life, he had a car, a house, and a budding career, only to be yanked into this familiar yet alien world without warning.
Thankfully, he'd landed in the Xiao Clan, a relatively safe haven. If he'd ended up in a perilous place, he might've been done for.
He could adapt to being here. He had no strong ties in his past life, and a journey in a new world wasn't the worst fate. But the talisman is suppressing his cultivation? That was infuriating. Without its interference, he might already be nearing Da Dou Shi by now.
Walking to a cabinet, he retrieved a small box and set it on his desk. Unlocking it, he revealed a bright yellow silk lining holding two white jade bottles.
Staring at the bottles, Xiao Bai's mind conjured an image of a girl—graceful as a green lotus, aloof and elegant, yet endlessly talkative in his presence.
Staring at the bottles, Xiao Bai's mind conjured the image of a girl—graceful as a green lotus, aloof and elegant to others, yet endlessly talkative around him.
Xiao Bai gege, ignore what they say. I believe you'll reclaim your former glory!
Xiao Bai gege, this is Qi-Gathering Powder. It helps break through to Dou Zhe. Take it. If one dose isn't enough, use two. If two fail, try three. If it still doesn't work, I'll get more. No refusing!
Xiao Bai gege, don't worry. You'll definitely succeed!
Xiao Bai gege, if you don't break through, it's fine. Trust Xun'er. I'll find a way to help you!
Sigh.
He exhaled softly. That girl might be young, but her methods were formidable, wielding charm with effortless mastery. Xiao Bai felt he'd never escape her grasp.
In the original story, he'd found Xiao Xun Er too perfect, almost unreal. But after years together, he saw her devotion was genuine. She poured her heart into him, withholding only her mysterious origins. No one could resist such a girl.
This was why Xiao Yan's three challenges didn't truly anger him. They were just annoying. Without Xiao Yan, Xiao Bai might not have earned her unwavering loyalty.
He recalled the second year after his transmigration, when he was seven.
That day, he'd broken through to the Fourth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi in the back mountains and returned late. Passing a courtyard, he spotted a small figure sneaking toward a window.
With a loud shout, he startled the figure, who tumbled from the sill. The commotion roused the courtyard's occupant, who opened the door.
Xiao Bai recognized her—Xiao Xun Er, who had recently joined the clan. Then, glancing at the figure sprawled on the ground, he confirmed it: Xiao Yan.
Xiao Xun Er stood at the doorway, her gaze cool. She looked from Xiao Bai, standing nearby, to Xiao Yan, scrambling up beneath the window, then at the open window itself. Realization dawned, and her eyes shifted as she regarded Xiao Yan—part thief, part pervert.
Xiao Yan rose, catching her strange look. His face paled, then flushed red, spreading to his ears and neck. He tried to speak but couldn't, shooting Xiao Bai a resentful glance before fleeing.
For years after, Xiao Yan didn't bother him. Xiao Bai thought he'd forgotten the incident. But when Xiao Yan reached the Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi at ten, he came charging to challenge him.
He left bruised and battered, muttering complaints.
"No honor! Bullying a fresh Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi! Wait till I'm a Dou Zhe, then I'll get you!"
Xiao Bai was stunned. This is Xiao Yan? Was he a transmigrator too? He seemed mature at times, yet his antics in the clan were those of a reckless kid.
Immature? Hardly. The gall to say he'd fight a Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi after becoming a Dou Zhe showed a shamelessness devoid of youthful pride.
A year later, Xiao Yan, now a Dou Zhe, challenged him again. Once more, he left battered, cursing as he went.
Counting the time Xiao Bai kicked him flying two years ago, that made three defeats.
Sometimes, Xiao Bai admired the guy. Worthy of a destined protagonist—resilient, stubborn, unyielding. A stable heart, indeed.
But Xiao Yan wasn't the spirited youth of two years ago. Shortly after his third challenge, rumors of the Xiao Clan's genius falling spread like wildfire. His cultivation plummeted from Two-Star Dou Zhe to the Third Stage of Dou Zhi Qi.
Xiao Bai shook his head. Transmigrator, chosen one, and cheat-level artifact? Compared to him, I'm just missing a protagonist's halo. Better focus on myself.
Pushing aside his thoughts, he grabbed the jade bottles and headed out. A storage ring? None. Even in the ancient Xiao Clan, only the clan leader and great elder had them. How could an orphan like Xiao Bai afford one?
He was heading to the back mountains to attempt a breakthrough. He had a feeling this time might succeed.
Attempting it here risked the talisman causing a spectacle, exposing him. The Xiao Clan currently housed two shady figures—one draining vitality, the other spying in secret. Truly the Dou Qi Continent's version of cunning and chaos.