Approaching the heavy gate, a dozen or so guards with cold faces were blocking the entrance. In the corner, an emotionless elder sat in a chair, pen and thick ledger in hand. At that moment, a line of clan members were queuing before him, each one pulling out the Dou Qi techniques they had found for the elder to record. Afterward, they would squeeze through the narrow gap, under the scrutiny of the cold-eyed guards. This was a standard procedure for exiting the Dou Qi Pavilion. Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan had been informed of it beforehand, so they weren’t surprised. The Dou Qi techniques within the pavilion were the result of generations of arduous collection by the clan. These techniques were the foundation upon which the Xiao family stood in Wu Tan City, so the clan had extremely strict protective measures in place. The materials used to inscribe the techniques, made from a special ink bamboo, came in two forms: parent and child. The parent piece was only palm-sized, but the child could spread over dozens of meters. As long as the clan leader held the parent, any technique that left its monitoring range would be detected. The monitoring range of the parent ink bamboo covered the entire Xiao family residence. Therefore, if these techniques were taken outside the Xiao family, they would be detected. Of course, nothing was absolute; some powerful individuals could forcibly cut off this detection. But at such a high level, who would bother to snatch a Yellow Rank technique?
After waiting for a while, it was finally Xiao Yan’s turn. He stepped forward, pulled out the technique scroll, and handed it to the elder.
The elder accepted the dark red scroll from Xiao Yan, looked at him for a moment, and muttered to himself, “The defensive barrier of ‘Refining Fire’ seems to have the strength of nine segments of Dou Qi. How did this little guy get it? He really has some background.”
After recording the technique, the elder returned it to Xiao Yan and reminded him, “I’m sure you know the rules. The technique cannot be taken out of the clan; otherwise, there will be severe punishment! Return the Dou Qi technique after a year, undamaged.”
Xiao Yan nodded casually, then moved to the side and leaned against the door, waiting for Xuner’s registration.
Xuner smiled lightly at Xiao Yan, extended her snow-white wrist, and handed over her technique.
Seeing Xuner standing before him, the usually expressionless elder surprisingly showed a slightly respectful smile. He took the scroll with both hands and quickly registered it.
Standing to the side, watching the elder’s change in attitude, Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed. His fingers, curling habitually, indicated that the elder, who managed the Dou Qi Pavilion, a restricted area, must hold a position in the clan no lower than that of the three elders.
Xiao Yan had heard of the elder’s reputation in the clan, the cold-faced Xiao Han. This old man would never give anyone, even his own father, any face. His cold, stiff face was like frozen muscle.
Yet, this cold-faced elder, who didn’t even respect the clan leader, was being so respectful to Xuner. This piqued Xiao Yan’s curiosity about Xuner’s identity once again.
Rubbing his nose, recalling Xuner’s silence whenever she mentioned her identity, Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly. Looking up at Xuner, who was walking toward him with a smile, he shrugged, and the two squeezed through the door together.
Stepping out of the crowded gate, Xiao Yan took a deep breath of fresh air. The air inside the Dou Qi Pavilion was far too stifling.
“How was it, Yan?” Seeing Xiao Yan and Xuner emerge, a figure slowly approached, looking at the gate, and asked with a low laugh.
Turning to look at his smiling father, Xiao Yan nodded, revealing a section of the dark red scroll from his sleeve. “It’s done.”
Seeing the dark red color, Xiao Zhan finally breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes crinkling with a smile. “As long as it’s in your hands, that’s good.”
The father and son exchanged a triumphant laugh.
Xiao Zhan clapped Xiao Yan on the shoulder with his broad hand and said, “Now that you have the technique, you can truly start practicing Dou Qi once you become a Dou Shi.”
Xiao Yan nodded, his hand touching the scroll in his sleeve, his eyes narrowing as he whispered to himself, “I wonder what makes the teacher’s technique so special? A technique that can evolve… does it really exist?”
“Stranger than Heaven Rank…”
Recalling the arrogant words of Pharmacist Elder, Xiao Yan shook his head with a wry smile. The most advanced technique he had seen so far was the Xuan Rank high-level technique Xuner had shown him. To be honest, he had struggled for a moment when he refused it, as such a high-level technique was rare.
Rubbing his forehead, he suddenly regretted refusing Xuner’s kindness. But now that the words were out, he couldn’t bring himself to ask again. So, he could only pray that the Pharmacist Elder wasn’t just fooling around, or else he’d lose face.
“Hmph, Xuan Rank high-level, what’s so precious about it? Even though that little girl has a special background, her collection of techniques is still far from mine,” the Pharmacist Elder’s voice suddenly rang in his mind.
“Finally out…” Hearing the voice, Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, a smug smile spreading across his lips. All this talk was to get the old man to say something reassuring.
“Heh, you sly fox, you tricked me…” The Pharmacist Elder, noticing Xiao Yan’s thoughts, sighed and said, “Little guy, just focus on your training. Don’t worry about the technique. You won’t be embarrassed. Your future achievements won’t be any less than that little girl next to you. Her family isn’t anything special, anyway.”
Somewhat disappointed with the vagueness of the last sentence, Xiao Yan still smiled and nodded. With the guarantee, the issue of face was resolved. Now, he could focus on becoming a Dou Shi. Only then would he be qualified to explore the vast world and… find Nalan Yanran, whom he thought of day and night.
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