Xiao Family
Lou King woke up. Yesterday, when he returned to the Xiao Family residence, evening was already falling. After saying goodbye to Xiao Yu, he headed back to his room and quickly fell asleep due to exhaustion.
"Next Day, 7:00 AM"
Waking up in the morning, he felt refreshed; all of yesterday's fatigue had vanished. After stretching, he sat up on the bed. "System," he thought to himself. Immediately, the status panel appeared before him:
Status Panel
[ Ding!... ]
Host: Lou King
Age: 19
Cultivation Level: Seven-Star Dou Zhe
Secret Techniques: > * Necromancer (Summoning: 1, Archive: 2)
Undead Flame
Ice Source Annihilator
Technique: Ice Crystal
System Space: Tree Guard Bloodline Pill, Death Scythe: Soul Eater
Soul Points: 0
Lou King withdrew the "Tree Guard Bloodline Pill" from the system space. The pill was a vibrant green, emitting a distinct fragrance of fresh wood. Without a moment's hesitation, he swallowed it.
For a second, there was absolute silence. Then, a storm of ancient, profound energy erupted from within his body. It wasn't a burning sensation like fire; instead, it felt as if the roots of a primordial tree were spreading through his veins, anchoring his soul firmly to the earth.
A deep transformation began to take hold. Lou King's skin, already toughened by the System, took on a faint, metallic luster reminiscent of the indestructible bark of a centuries-old tree. His muscles became denser, surging with an unbreakable strength. Suddenly, his senses sharpened—he could hear the rustling of leaves miles away and feel every vibration deep within the ground.
Feeling the Qi circulate through his body, he noticed his cultivation level climbing. It surged from a Seven-Star Dou Zhe to a Nine-Star Dou Zhe. Seeing this progress, a satisfied smile played on his lips.
Lou King immediately began practicing the "Ice Source Annihilator" technique. The temperature inside the room plummeted to 0°C as he began to condense that frigid energy into his body. The concentration of energy within him continued to swell.
As time passed, the energy reinforced his bones, veins, and muscles, making them exponentially stronger. By 9:00 AM—two hours later—Lou King opened his eyes. He was exhilarated; in one single, powerful burst, he had broken through the bottleneck and reached the level of a One-Star Dou Shi.
Lou King stood up and walked toward the Xiao family backyard. As he arrived, he overheard several boys and girls gossiping. They were discussing how he and Xiao Yu were seen together yesterday, with Xiao Yu holding his hand like a couple. While some were surprised or even envious, they couldn't do anything about it, as Lou King and Xiao Yu were already engaged—making such closeness perfectly normal.
"Did you hear?" one of them whispered. "People from the Yun Lan Sect have arrived in Wu Tan City. They stayed at a hotel last night and came to our Xiao family residence today. I don't know why they're here, but they've been with the Elders for half an hour already. Even the geniuses of the new generation are there."
Hearing this, Lou King smiled to himself. He knew exactly why the Yun Lan Sect was here: they had come to break the engagement between Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran. "Well, let's go join the fun," he thought. He walked through the crowd and headed toward the main hall.
"Inside the Xiao Family Hall"
When Lou King reached the gate, he found the massive hall packed with people. At the front, Xiao Zhan sat alongside three expressionless elders. These were the Clan Elders, whose status was equal to that of the Clan Leader himself.
To the left sat the rest of the clan's elders. Though they lacked the absolute power of the main elders, their voices carried significant weight. Beside them stood the most talented youths of the clan.
On the opposite side sat three strangers. Lou King's gaze immediately shifted toward them. Among them was an elderly man dressed in moon-white robes. Although he wore a smile, his small eyes scanned the room with a sharp, calculating intensity. Lou King's eyes dropped to the old man's chest, where a silver moon was embroidered alongside seven glittering stars.
"A Seven-Star Da Dou Shi!" Lou King thought, a smirk appearing on his face. This man was even more powerful than the Xiao Family Master—higher by two full stars. In this world, anyone who reached the rank of Da Dou Shi was an influential figure, sought after by every major organization.
Next to the elder sat a young couple, also dressed in moon-white robes. The young man appeared to be around twenty years old, with a handsome face and an athletic build—the ideal man for any young lady. Most importantly, five golden stars shone on his chest: a Five-Star Dou Zhe. To reach such a level by age twenty was a clear sign of extraordinary talent.
Because of his looks and strength, he was the center of attention for many girls in the clan; even Xiao Mei stole glances at him. However, the young man ignored the attention. His entire focus was fixed on the young girl sitting beside him...
The girl appeared to be around the same age as Xiao Yan, which caught Lou King's attention. Her beauty far surpassed Xiao Mei's—in fact, she was on an entirely different level. In the entire clan, perhaps only Xiao Yu or Xiao Xun'er could rival her. It was no wonder the boys of the Xiao clan were so easily distracted by outsiders.
She wore delicate jade earrings that shimmered beautifully. With every slight movement, the jade pieces clinked together with a melodic sound, adding a royal and elegant grace to her presence. On her chest, three golden stars glittered.
"A Three-Star Dou Zhe. Unless she used some special method to boost her level, this girl is undoubtedly a remarkable genius," Lou King noted silently.
"Family Master, Elders!" Lou King stepped forward, greeting Xiao Zhan and the three elders with respectful formality.
"Haha, Lou King! What brings you here? Come, take a seat." Upon seeing Lou King, Xiao Zhan paused his conversation with the guests and nodded, signaling for him to join them.
With a faint smile, Lou King ignored the bored and disdainful glares from the two clan elders and looked for a place to sit. However, he was surprised to find that there were no empty chairs left in the hall.
As he looked around, he saw Xiao Yan, Xiao Mei, Xiao Yu, and Xiao Xun'er seated nearby. Seeing Lou King, they all stood up to offer their greetings. Xiao Yu walked straight toward him and grabbed his hand. "Lou King, come sit with me," she said, inviting him to sit beside her.
Seeing Xiao Yu hold Lou King's hand, everyone was stunned, though they remained silent. Xiao Xun'er, however, felt a sharp pang of sadness and emptiness watching them, though she could do nothing but watch.
As Lou King took his seat next to Xiao Yu, all eyes were on him—until a voice cut through the room.
"Clan Leader Xiao Zhan, I have come here today on a matter of great importance."
Everyone turned toward the elderly man sitting in the guest chairs. They all knew the Yun Lan Sect wouldn't visit Wu Tan City without a significant reason. Both Lou King and Xiao Zhan had a strong suspicion of what was coming next.
Ahem." The white robed elder cleared his throat and stood up. Putting his hands together, he smiled: "Clan leader Xiao Zhan. The reason we came here for today is because we would like your help for something."
"Of course, Ge Ye, if you have any problems just let me know. If I can help you solve it, then I definitely wouldn't dare say no." To the visiting elder, Xiao Zhan did not refuse but since he did not know what the request was, he did not make any promises either.
"Hehe, Leader Xiao, do you know her?" Ge Ye smiled lightly and pointed to the girl next to him.
"Umm… I'm sorry, this girl is…" Xiao Zhan looked over the girl and awkwardly shook his head.
When Nalan Yanran became Yun Jun's student, she was only 8. After studying in the Faction of Misty Clouds for 5 years, she had changed quite a lot. Before she was only a child but now she is a blooming teenager!
"Huh…Her name is Nalan Yanran."
"Uncle Xiao, I haven't come to pay my respect in a long time. It's my fault that you don't recognize me." Nalan Yanran sweetly said.
"Hehe, Yanran, I heard that you've become a student under Yun Jun. At the time, I thought that it was just a baseless rumour, but now I realize that it's actually true. What incredible talent you must have…" Xiao Zhan complimented.
"It was just good luck…" Smiling lightly, Nalan Yanran began to feel uncomfortable and lightly tugged Ge Ye's robe with her hand under the table.
"Hehe, Leader Xiao, the request that I have relates to Yanran. In addition, this was assigned by our faction leader…" Ge Ye kept his smile but when he mentioned the faction leader, he subconsciously lessened his smile and his face grew serious.
Like Ge Ye, Xiao Zhan stopped smiling. The faction leader of the Faction of Misty Clouds was one of the most important people in the entire Jia Ma Empire. Xiao Zhan, who was a small clan leader, wouldn't dare to provoke her. But with her power, what would she need Xiao Clan to help with? Ge Ye did say that it was related to Yanran, is it that?
A wandering thought crossed Xiao Zhan's mind causing the edge of his mouth to twitch slightly and his firm hand to start trembling, thankfully his hands were covered by his long sleeves. Taking care to push down the thought, Xiao Zhan shakily asked: "Mister Ge Ye, please do tell me what is the faction's request?"
"Errr…" Ge Ye hesitated but he thought about how much the faction leader adored Yanran and thus, he clenched his teeth: "Leader Xiao, you know how strict the rules are in the faction. In addition, faction leader views Yanran very highly, in fact, faction leader is expecting Yanran to be the next faction leader. However, due to a special rule, future faction leaders cannot have a relation with another male before they become the official faction leader…"
Taking a breath, Ge Ye continued: "When our faction leader asked Yanran about it, she realized that Yanran and the Xiao Clan had a marriage proposal, therefore, faction leader asks for Leader Xiao to… to cancel this marriage."
"KA!" The jade cup in Xiao Zhan's hands turned into a fine mist in an instant.
please follow!
and share!
like!
comment!
🙏🥺🥺🙏