She suspected that Xiao Bai had obtained some kind of special inheritance, which thrilled her.
Originally, even if Xiao Bai's cultivation remained low in the future, she had already resolved to shield him from the wind and rain. But what woman wouldn't want her future husband to be a powerhouse renowned throughout the world?
However, she wouldn't tell anyone about this. If Xiao Bai truly possessed an inheritance from the Upper Realm, once exposed, not even she would be able to protect him.
"Alright, Elder Ling, you may leave. From now on, I don't want to hear a single bad word about Xiao Bai!" Xiao Xun'er said coldly.
"Yes, Miss. Ling Ying will take his leave!" Ling Ying let out a sigh of relief, silently deciding that as long as Xiao Bai didn't go too far in the future, he would just turn a blind eye.
After Ling Ying left, Xiao Xun'er lowered her head and looked at the simple letter on the table. She reached out to gently touch the handwriting on it and murmured softly, "Xiao Bai gege..."
However, as if recalling something, a strange look flickered in her eyes, and she let out a scoffing laugh.
"Heh... Four heroines, huh? I'd like to see who the other three are."
When Xiao Bai was telling his story today, he had mentioned several female protagonists. He had discreetly observed her reaction, thinking she wouldn't notice?
She was only pretending to be oblivious, not actually clueless.
"Childhood sweetheart Huo Ling'er, silent companion Yun Xi, the talents of Yue Chan and Qing Yi... Xun'er has all of these; I can be all of them. Yet, having me isn't enough? Does he also want to imitate those imperial emperors with their three wives and four concubines?"
Xiao Xun'er rubbed her temples with her delicate fingers and sighed.
"What a heartless and flirtatious bad brother!"
---
When Xiao Bai woke up, it was already mid-morning the next day.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting golden specks of light on the floor.
Stretching lazily, Xiao Bai felt at ease. With his concerns finally settled, he had slept soundly—the most restful night since he had transmigrated ten years ago.
After washing up, he brewed a pot of tea and sat at the table, contemplating his future cultivation plans. Suddenly, he heard knocking at the courtyard door.
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Xiao Bai gege, are you awake?"
Hearing that crisp voice, he immediately knew who it was.
"This girl came so early? Could it be that she still wants to hear the rest of yesterday's story?"
He found it strange—given Xun'er's personality, even if she wanted to hear more, she wouldn't be this impatient.
Opening the courtyard gate, he saw the young girl standing there elegantly. The moment she spotted him, she waved and smiled.
"Good morning, Xiao Bai gege! I didn't disturb you, did I?"
Xiao Bai gazed at her warmly and replied, "If it's you, Xun'er, it's never a disturbance. Come in."
Hearing his words, Xiao Xun'er's brows curved into a smile as she followed him inside.
Once inside, she sat down at the table while Xiao Bai poured her a cup of freshly brewed tea. With a playful tone, he asked, "Did you come so early to continue hearing the story?"
Instead of answering, Xiao Xun'er simply gave him a mysterious smile. Then, with a light wave of her jade-like hand, a scroll appeared on the table.
The scroll was black, with faintly visible intricate silver patterns along its edges, clearly not an ordinary item.
Seeing the scroll appear, Xiao Bai's eyes flickered with thought. Is this girl bringing me a cultivation technique?
Although he had a guess, he still pretended to be puzzled and asked, "Xun'er, this is...?"
"This is a Di Class Low-Rank cultivation technique, 'Thunder Spirit Art.' Since you just broke through to Dou Practitioner, you'll need a technique to continue your cultivation. You have a lightning attribute, but the Xiao Clan doesn't have any outstanding lightning-based techniques. Coincidentally, I happen to have one. What a coincidence, don't you think?"
Xiao Xun'er spoke in a cheerful and innocent tone.
Xiao Bai felt speechless and secretly rolled his eyes. Would it also be a 'coincidence' if I had gold, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, or darkness attributes?
If he didn't already know this girl's true identity, he might have actually been fooled.
Picking up the scroll, he unrolled it—not to cultivate it, but to use it as a reference to gauge the rank of his 'Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Canon.'
In the Xiao Clan, unless one had undergone testing to confirm their breakthrough to Dou Practitioner, they were not allowed to enter the Cultivation Technique Pavilion to select a technique.
The Dou Technique Pavilion, however, was accessible at any time. The Huang Class Low-Rank Body Refinement Technique Xiao Bai had been using as a cover was obtained from there—likely due to its low rank, the Cultivation Technique Pavilion didn't even bother with it.
So, strictly speaking, this was Xiao Bai's first time encountering a proper cultivation technique since arriving in this world.
Carefully reading through the Thunder Spirit Art in his hands, Xiao Bai fell into deep thought, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the table.
Through comparison, he was now certain that his Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Canon was far superior to this Di Class Low-Rank Thunder Spirit Art—so much so that the two couldn't even be placed on the same level.
The Thunder Spirit Art had the distinct characteristics of Dou Qi Continent, focusing purely on accumulating Dou Qi while offering unique control over lightning.
The Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Canon, on the other hand, felt more like a Daoist cultivation technique from his previous life, emphasizing the unity of essence, energy, and spirit.
Although its advancement system currently aligned with that of Dou Qi Continent, Xiao Bai speculated that this was a modification made by the Talisman Edict to adapt to this world's rules—likely a heavy downgrade, maybe even several.
Otherwise, this technique wouldn't even be cultivable here on Dou Qi Continent, as it would require a higher-level energy—Spiritual Energy.
It was just like the Flame Mantra. If not for the existence of Heavenly Flames, it would have only been a Huang Class Low-Rank Technique in a lower plane, unable to evolve at all.
Looking at it this way, Heavenly Flames must contain a fundamental source of Fire Laws, while Dou Qi itself was merely a decomposed form of the fundamental laws of Dou Qi Continent—several levels lower in energy intensity.
Thus, the Flame Mantra could only evolve by devouring a source of laws, not just Dou Qi.
Xiao Bai reasoned that while he didn't know the exact rank of his Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Canon, its capabilities shouldn't be inferior to the original protagonist Xiao Yan—especially with his Talisman Edict as an additional advantage.
Of course, "possession by a ghost" was an exception—just like those Daoist God Invocation Rituals, it didn't really count.
With this in mind, Xiao Bai closed the scroll and handed it back to Xun'er.
"Xiao Bai gege, are you dissatisfied with this technique?" Seeing him return the scroll after only a brief look, Xiao Xun'er asked softly.
Xiao Bai shook his head, winked at her, and smiled.
"The technique is excellent, but I already have one that suits me better. Don't overthink it, little girl!"
A flash of understanding passed through Xiao Xun'er's eyes—just as she had suspected, Xiao Bai had his own fortuitous encounter. So, she did not press further.
"What about battle techniques, then? I have a few here—would Xiao Bai gege like to take a look?"
After silently putting away the technique scroll, Xiao Xun'er pretended to suddenly recall something, lightly brushing her finger across her lips as she smiled playfully.
Xiao Bai watched her performance in silence. Though he found it amusing, he also felt a deep warmth in his heart.
In this strange yet familiar world, this girl was the only one who truly cared for him.
Reaching out to ruffle Xun'er's hair, he felt the smooth silkiness of her strands. Smiling, he said,
"Since I don't have a suitable battle technique yet, I'll have to thank you in advance, Xun'er!"