"Are you Xiao Yan?"
In the grand hall of the Xiao family estate, Victor and Medusa sat in the seats of honor.
Meanwhile, Xiao Zhan, the clan patriarch, and a group of elders occupied the seats along both sides of the hall.
Standing in the center, facing them all, was a handsome young man with jet-black hair.
"Answering the senior, this junior is indeed Xiao Yan."
Xiao Yan clasped his fists and bowed respectfully to Victor, who sat in the position of authority. His demeanor was cautious and measured.
Before entering the hall, his father had briefed him on the situation.
The two people seated before him were Dou Zong powerhouses!
Such terrifying beings were among the most formidable existences in the entire Jia Ma Empire!
Facing experts of this caliber, he naturally didn't dare show any negligence.
Victor looked Xiao Yan up and down, then gave an approving nod.
Not bad. Worthy of being a fellow countryman from Earth.
The young man had a handsome appearance, an extraordinary bearing, and a tenacious gleam in his eyes.
A sunny, handsome young man, much more pleasing to the eye than that double-standard god from next door.
However, when these two fellow villagers met, there was no tearful reunion scene.
At that moment, Victor noticed a secretive gaze falling upon him.
He turned his head to follow the line of sight, only to catch a black shadow flash past in the distance outside the window.
Was that person just now... Belle Lumine?
Judging from the aura emanating from the figure, the person had to be at the Dou Huang realm.
At this moment in Wutan City, aside from Medusa, Belle Lumine was the only other Dou Huang present.
With that thought settled, Victor withdrew his attention and turned back to Xiao Yan.
"Xiao Yan, how old are you now?"
"Answering the senior, I am fourteen years and eight months old this year."
Fourteen years and eight months?
In other words, it would take several more months before his cultivation stagnation issue would be resolved and Yao Chen would awaken.
It seemed he'd arrived earlier than expected.
But that was fine.
"Xiao Yan, I have a way to solve the problem of your stagnant cultivation."
"My Xiao family is willing to give everything, I beg you to help my son!"
Before Xiao Yan could speak, Xiao Zhan knelt beside him.
Of course, he understood there was no free lunch in the world.
The visitor had traveled all this way to help his son resolve his cultivation problem. There had to be conditions attached.
But it didn't matter.
To allow his youngest son to resume his cultivation, he would willingly walk through fire and water!
Seeing this, several elders opened their mouths as if wanting to say something.
But in the end, they remained silent.
"Father..."
When Xiao Yan saw that his father was willing to kneel for his sake, he was deeply moved.
"Get up."
Victor raised his hand and waved it outward. An invisible force lifted Xiao Zhan to his feet.
"Xiao Yan, I can help you. I can even give you a Foundation Establishment Pill, which will allow you to return to your former peak in a short time without any side effects!"
"But I need to take that ring off your neck."
After saying this, Victor's gaze fell on the ring hanging from Xiao Yan's neck.
Unfortunately, the ring showed no reaction whatsoever, not even a trace of fluctuation.
It seemed Yao Chen had not fully awakened yet.
"My ring?"
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone's eyes turned to the ring around Xiao Yan's neck.
When Xiao Zhan saw it, he couldn't help but show a look of nostalgia on his face.
"Father."
What was surprising was that even though Xiao Yan urgently needed to solve his cultivation problem, after hearing the conditions Victor gave, he didn't immediately agree. Instead, he looked to his father, Xiao Zhan.
Xiao Zhan naturally understood what his son meant.
After thinking for a moment, he nodded. "Promise him, son."
Although it was a valuable relic left by his deceased wife, compared with his son's future, a keepsake was nothing.
Though Xiao Yan felt reluctant when he heard this, he still removed the ring from the necklace around his neck.
After Victor took the ring, he fulfilled his promise and handed a Foundation Establishment Pill to Xiao Yan.
"You can take it now and see if it works."
Xiao Yan, who had long been unable to contain himself, naturally followed Victor's advice and immediately threw the Foundation Establishment Pill into his mouth.
The pill melted instantly, quickly transforming into medicinal power that flowed through his meridians.
In an instant, the dantian that hadn't increased its Dou Qi for many years began absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth like a black hole, transforming it into fighting spirit.
Seeing this, Xiao Zhan stood up quickly, watching the scene with excitement.
A few minutes later, Xiao Yan jumped from a third-stage Dou Qi waste to a seven-star Dou Qi genius!
"Oh? It seems the effect of the Foundation Establishment Pill is better than I thought."
Victor had originally thought that a Foundation Establishment Pill could only allow Xiao Yan to return to his peak state.
But he never imagined it would grant him a few extra stars on top of that.
"I'm finally not a waste anymore! Hahahaha..."
Feeling the extremely abundant fighting spirit in his body, Xiao Yan roared excitedly toward the sky.
Thud!
"Thank you for your kindness in giving me a new life! Xiao Yan will never forget this favor!"
Xiao Yan knelt and kowtowed to Victor.
His forehead struck the floor, making a crisp sound.
Victor waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. It's just a transaction."
Xiao Yan thought he had made a profit.
But if he knew that the ring contained an opportunity for him to become a Dou Di, he'd probably faint crying in the bathroom.
"Patriarch Xiao, now that this matter is over, we will take our leave."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhan immediately tried to persuade them to stay. "Seniors, why don't you sit for a while longer? I've already asked the kitchen to prepare the best food and wine for you both!"
Victor shook his head and declined the offer.
"No need. Time is limited, and I have some matters to attend to."
"Very well, then."
Finally, with everyone watching, Victor took Medusa and left the Xiao family compound.
At the same time, on the other side of the estate...
A woman in a purple dress sat quietly in the courtyard. Her cool and calm temperament was like someone from a painting, exuding an otherworldly grace.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a man in a black robe appeared behind the woman.
"Miss, I've returned."
The woman's red lips parted slightly. "Did you get any useful information?"
The man shook his head. "Forgive me, Miss. I am incompetent, I was discovered by the other party."
The woman's expression changed when she heard this.
"You were discovered? Is the other party really only at the Dou Zong level?"
Even though Belle Lumine was only at the peak of Dou Huang, he possessed an extremely rare dark attribute Dou Qi. As long as he concealed his aura, even Dou Zong experts would find it difficult to detect him!
"I suspect the opponent is very likely above Dou Zun!"
"As for that woman, she should only be at the peak of Dou Huang. And if I'm not mistaken, she is also the queen of the snake tribe in the Tagore Desert, Medusa!"
Although Medusa had used special means to transform her snake tail into legs, it couldn't escape his perception.
Belle Lumine had recognized Medusa's true identity at a glance.
"Actually above Dou Zun..." The woman frowned her delicate eyebrows.
"I never thought that such a person of this level would appear in this small border town."
"Miss, do you need me to tell the clan to send stronger guards?"
"Not for now. The other party doesn't seem to be coming for us. Let's wait and see before we do anything."