"Alright, let's end it here," Xiao Yan said calmly. "You two can leave. I'll arrange for someone else to guard this place."
His tone left no room for argument.
Bai Yu felt a trace of disappointment, but when he realized that the punishment was already extremely light, he immediately grabbed his companion and fled without hesitation.
"Thank you for your forgiveness, young master!"
His voice echoed from afar. He ran so fast that he disappeared in the blink of an eye—truly living up to the saying you could hear his voice, but not see him.
Xiao Tian turned around and bowed slightly.
"Thank you for helping me, young master."
Xiao Yan waved his hand, signaling that there was no need for formalities. He then checked
Xiao Tian's injuries once more, finally relaxing when he confirmed that there were no lingering problems.
"Come on," Xiao Yan said, patting Xiao Tian on the shoulder. "You don't need to clean the training ground today. I'll have someone else take care of it. Walk with me for a bit."
Xiao Tian's heart leapt with joy.
Xiao Yan had not yet lost his Dou Qi, but that time was approaching. If he could establish a good relationship now, he would gain a powerful ally in the future.
"Thank you very much, young master," Xiao Tian said with a smile.
Xiao Yan found his reaction amusing. Xiao Tian had just suffered a beating, yet he had already cast aside his gloom—it was quite rare.
What Xiao Yan didn't know was that Xiao Tian was burning with anger inside. He had never expected to be beaten so badly on his very first day in the Dou Qi Continent.
Xiao Tian was destined to walk the path of a protagonist—how could he accept being bullied like this?
The only thing he wanted now was strength.
Strength enough that no one in the Xiao family would dare touch him again.
Xiao Tian followed Xiao Yan into the training ground.
Many disciples immediately greeted Xiao Yan when they saw him. He was the undisputed genius of the Xiao family, and everyone treated him with respect. After all, if Xiao Yan became a powerful figure in the future, they would have something to boast about—claiming they had trained alongside him.
As for Xiao Tian, who walked beside Xiao Yan, he also benefited from Xiao Yan's presence. Although no one greeted him directly, some still nodded politely.
Xiao Tian came to clean the training ground every day, but the disciples were usually too focused on cultivation to notice him. As a result, very few people recognized him at all.
He understood that this borrowed prestige was temporary. Once Xiao Yan lost his Dou Qi and fell from grace, people like Bai Yu would surely appear again.
Suddenly, Xiao Yan spoke.
"Xiao Tian, you're at the third stage of Dou Qi, right? I didn't expect a Qi cultivator to be hiding among the Xiao family's servants."
He paused, then continued, "You shouldn't keep cleaning the training ground. You should focus on cultivation."
The two stopped walking.
Xiao Tian fell silent for a moment.
His identity was already fixed. He had no money, no resources, and no proper residence—only an abandoned storage room. If he stopped working, he wouldn't even have a place to stay.
"Young master," Xiao Tian said helplessly, "I'm just a servant. Cultivation is something I can only dream of. I don't have the resources or time to pursue it."
He said this deliberately, testing whether Xiao Yan would help him.
Xiao Yan laughed.
"What's wrong with being a servant?" he said. "In this world, identity means nothing. Only strength matters. As long as you're strong enough, people will respect you—no matter who you are."
This was the Dou Qi Continent.
Only the strong were revered.
Xiao Tian looked at Xiao Yan and felt a strange resonance. They both knew—whether in this world or the previous one—power and resources were everything.
"Your perspective is still too narrow," Xiao Yan said after a moment. "From now on, follow me. I'll explain things to your leader."
Xiao Yan walked forward slowly.
Xiao Tian stared at his back, feeling a strange sadness.
Was this really the same boy who would soon endure three years of ridicule?
"Why are you still standing there?" Xiao Yan called out. "We share the same surname, Xiao. If I can give you a meal, I won't treat you poorly."
Xiao Tian raised his head.
His lips moved, and he spoke firmly.
"We don't just share the same surname. We come from the same world."
Xiao Yan froze.
The smile on his face slowly vanished as he turned back in disbelief.
"What did you say?"
"I said," Xiao Tian repeated calmly, "we're both from Earth. We don't belong to this world."
Xiao Yan stared at him, trying to see through the boy before him.
Then, his eyes reddened.
His hands lifted, hovering uncertainly in midair.
Xiao Tian shook his head, stepped forward, and pulled Xiao Yan into an embrace.
The two boys hugged tightly in the middle of the training ground.
The surrounding disciples gasped.
"Isn't that the servant who cleans the training ground? Why is he hugging the young master?"
"Yeah, I recognize him now!"
"I heard he beat up Xiao Shi. I didn't expect a servant to hide his strength so well."
"Xiao Shi's only at the second stage of Dou Qi… so this servant must be at least the third or fourth stage!"
Whispers spread rapidly.
But neither Xiao Tian nor Xiao Yan cared.
This secret—coming from the same world—was too important.
They didn't know what kind of chaos would erupt if it were revealed.
And so, they chose silence.