In the morning, as the sunlight spilled into the room, Xiao Hai stirred awake from where he had been lying on the floor. Rubbing his eyes, he slowly sat up. But the moment his senses cleared, his expression froze — his eyes widened in shock as he hurriedly checked his body for wounds.
To his astonishment, there wasn't a single trace of injury. In fact, his body felt lighter, refreshed, almost as if he had just soaked in a hot spring and enjoyed the best sleep of his life.
Yet what startled him even more was the strange sensation within. Deep inside his body, he could feel the presence of something foreign — an object that clearly did not belong to him. At the same time, streams of unfamiliar information surfaced in his mind, as though they had been etched there.
Xiao Hai clenched his fists, his heart pounding. He couldn't tell if this was a blessing or a curse, but one thing was certain — it was the black bead.
Realizing there was no point panicking, he forced himself to calm down. Crossing his legs on the floor, Xiao Hai closed his eyes and began to carefully sort through the information about the Black Bead that now resided in his mind.
But just as he sat down and closed his eyes, his awareness suddenly sank inward. His consciousness dove deep into his own body and, before he realized it, he was standing within his dantian.
Xiao Hai's jaw dropped in disbelief, his mouth hanging open. Before him spun a palm-sized whirlpool of Dou Qi, radiating with a faint yet undeniable power.
From what he knew, the ability to view one's inner world was an auxiliary skill only obtained upon reaching the Dou Zhe stage. And now, not only could he see within himself, but the evidence of his breakthrough was swirling right before his very eyes.
He had already become a Dou Zhe.
After taking several deep breaths, Xiao Hai forced himself to calm down and slowly withdrew his mind from the dantian. Sitting quietly for a moment, he realized that everything could only be attributed to the Black Bead.
He had no choice but to carefully analyze the information related to it.
Closing his eyes once more, Xiao Hai focused on the mysterious flow of knowledge within his mind. Almost immediately, a dull headache began to throb in his temples. But he didn't care. Compared to the value of this information, such pain was nothing more than a small price.
Bit by bit, the fragments of knowledge pieced themselves together until he had fully grasped the truth.
When the last strand of information settled, Xiao Hai's lips curled into a smirk.
Opening his eyes, that smirk deepened into a broad smile. His chest tightened with the urge to burst into laughter, but he clenched his teeth and forced it down. Now was not the time to laugh.
"Hah… the gain this time is immeasurable. Who would have thought I'd find something like this in a small town?" Xiao Hai muttered to himself, unable to contain his joy.
The reason for his excitement lay in the Black Bead—or more accurately, the Devouring Pearl. That was its true name, an artifact from ancient times.
At first glance, its primary function was similar to a storage ring. However, the Devouring Pearl possessed far greater capabilities. Unlike ordinary storage treasures, it could melt and seep into the user's body, concealing its existence completely.
But that was only the beginning. The pearl could also devour light and refine it into spiritual liquid—a miraculous essence that greatly accelerated cultivation.
Just these two abilities alone made it a supreme artifact.
In fact, the reason for Xiao Hai's sudden breakthrough was precisely because, after fusing into his body, the pearl had unconsciously released a portion of the spiritual liquid it had been storing. With its aid, his cultivation surged past the bottleneck, propelling him directly into the Dou Zhe realm.
Just as Xiao Hai was preparing to test the storage capacity of the Devouring Pearl, a familiar voice came from outside the room.
"Hai'er, wake up. Come, breakfast is ready. After breakfast, you also have to attend the clan meeting. The Clan Leader specially told me to inform you," his mother, Xiao Qing, called gently. She had already risen early, finished her chores, and prepared the morning meal.
"Okay, I'm coming, Mother," Xiao Hai replied with a smile. For now, he set aside the matter of the Devouring Pearl. There would be plenty of time to explore its mysteries later.
Today was no ordinary day. The clan meeting was bound to change Xiao Yan's fate, and Xiao Hai was determined to witness it with his own eyes.
After washing his face and rinsing his mouth, Xiao Hai sat down at the table, where his mother had already set out breakfast. She took the seat opposite him, watching quietly as he began to eat.
"Mother, will you also attend the clan meeting?" he asked between bites.
"No," Xiao Qing shook her head softly. "I won't be going. You should attend, Hai'er. And remember—show respect to your elders. After all, they have sacrificed much for the clan."
Xiao Hai lowered his chopsticks slightly, his eyes dimming. It wasn't that he didn't respect the elders—by blood, many of them were like grandfathers to him. But when he recalled how they had schemed and even turned against their own clan leader, Xiao Zhan, just for the sake of personal gain… whatever respect he once held for them vanished, leaving only disgust. To him, they were no better than dung.
After finishing his breakfast, Xiao Hai prepared to attend the clan meeting. Bidding his mother farewell, he stepped out of the courtyard. There was no rush in his steps; instead, he walked leisurely, enjoying the soft breeze and the warm morning sunlight.
Just before reaching the clan's meeting hall, he caught sight of Xiao Yan heading in the same direction.
An idea flashed through his mind, and Xiao Hai raised his hand to wave. Xiao Yan noticed the gesture, paused for a moment, then quickened his pace until he caught up.
"Good morning, Xiao Yan-ge," Xiao Hai greeted warmly, addressing him as elder brother. After all, the bond between them wasn't just by clan ties. Their fathers had shared a close friendship, and Xiao Yan had even been present at the time of Xiao Hai's birth.
"Oh, it's Xiao Hai. What are you doing here?" Xiao Yan asked in mild surprise.
"I'm on my way to attend the clan meeting," Xiao Hai replied with a smile. "Uncle told my mother to remind me to be there. By the way, have you had breakfast yet?"
Xiao Yan scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh. "Uh… no. I didn't eat this morning."
"That's no good," Xiao Hai said, shaking his head. "How about this—after the clan meeting, come to my house. We'll eat together. The meeting will probably drag on for a while anyway."
Xiao Yan hesitated only for a moment before nodding. "Alright."
After making their little arrangement, the two of them walked side by side into the clan meeting hall. Neither of them realized that this seemingly ordinary gathering would mark the beginning of great change.
From this moment onward, their lives would no longer follow the same path.