Xiao Xun'er smiled sweetly and said, "Xiao Bai gege, there's no need to be so polite with me!"
One thing she liked about Xiao Bai was that he never questioned where these things came from. She still remembered the first time she gave him Qi Gathering Powder—she had been afraid he would ask about it and had prepared several excuses.
To her surprise, Xiao Bai hadn't asked at all. If he needed something, he accepted it; if he didn't, he would simply tell her. This made her feel completely at ease around him—there was no need to worry about hiding things.
And it was the same for Xiao Bai—if he didn't say anything, she wouldn't ask. It was an unspoken understanding between them.
Xiao Xun'er lightly brushed her finger over her ring, and four scrolls appeared on the table.
Xiao Bai looked at them, casually picking up one to examine it.
[Lightning Flash Step], a High-Xuan Class Dou Technique, focused on movement. It required opening two meridians in the legs and was driven by lightning energy, allowing the user to move like a flash of lightning—ideal for short-distance dashes and maneuvering in battle.
After finishing, he picked up another scroll.
[Thunderclap Palm], a High-Xuan Class Dou Technique, focused on offense. It required opening one meridian in each hand, compressing lightning-attribute Dou Qi into the palms, and unleashing attacks as swift as rolling thunder, capable of delivering a fatal strike.
Xiao Bai continued reading through the remaining scrolls before finally selecting Lightning Flash Step and Thunderclap Palm.
After making his choice, he returned the other two scrolls to Xun'er.
"Xiao Bai gege, you're only taking these two? Why not just take them all? They're useless to me anyway!" Xun'er had intended to give him everything, but he unexpectedly returned two.
"Biting off more than I can chew won't do me any good. These two are enough." Xiao Bai shook his head.
Seeing his resolve, Xun'er didn't insist and simply put away the remaining scrolls.
Xiao Bai glanced at the beautiful girl in front of him, resting her chin on her hands as she smiled at him. Sensing her cultivation level, he chuckled:
"Dou Zhi Qi Stage Eight… Looks like our Xun'er is about to break through!"
"Mm, I just broke through not long ago. But I still need some time before reaching Dou Practitioner. Xun'er's talent isn't as great as Xiao Bai gege's—after all, you reached Stage Nine at just ten years old!"
Her eyes shimmered with admiration as she spoke.
Xiao Bai's breath caught. If he didn't know she meant well, he might have thought she was mocking him.
Talent? Other than that little dragon girl from Jia Nan Academy, who in this entire continent could compare to her? Even with all his advantages, he wasn't confident he could catch up to her before reaching Dou Saint.
Hurriedly changing the subject, he asked gently,
"Has your body been hurting lately?"
A hint of concern crossed his face. He had personally witnessed the excruciating pain this girl endured from childhood—burned from within by Heavenly Flames. Refining such flames was no easy feat. Even with her father Gu Yuan's seal protecting her, it could only ensure her survival—it couldn't completely erase the pain. After all, this was the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame, ranked fourth among Heavenly Flames.
"I'm barely feeling any pain now, so you don't have to worry, Xiao Bai gege!" Xun'er shook her head with a soft smile, her lips curving slightly as she noticed the concern in his eyes.
"That's good to hear."
"Oh, right, Xiao Bai gege… can you promise Xun'er one thing?" Her expression suddenly turned serious as she grasped his hand.
"Not just one thing—even if it's a hundred or a thousand, as long as it's something I can do, I'll do it for you." Xiao Bai gently squeezed her delicate hand, his tone affectionate.
Xiao Xun'er's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained solemn as she said,
"Promise Xun'er… that you'll never tell anyone about yesterday's story, okay?"
"Yesterday's story?"
Xiao Bai frowned slightly, confused. The only thing he had talked about yesterday was Perfect World. Why was she suddenly so insistent that he not mention it to anyone?
He had added some of his own twists to the story, but it shouldn't have been enough to make her react this seriously. Xun'er wasn't the type to overreact.
Thinking back carefully, Xiao Bai suddenly realized something.
Yesterday, when he had reached the Supreme (Sovereign) part of the story, Xun'er had interrupted him. At the time, he hadn't thought much of it…
Could it be that Xun'er knew something more?
After all, this world also had Supremes (Sovereigns). Considering her origins as a member of an Dou Di Clan, it wouldn't be surprising if her family had records about the Great Thousand World. The real question was—how much did she know?
The original novel never mentioned such details, but it only covered the protagonist's journey—it wasn't an encyclopedia of the Dou Qi Continent.
It seemed he needed to be more cautious in the future. Just because he knew the story didn't mean he had everything under control. If he got complacent, he would sooner or later pay the price.
"Alright, I promise you—I won't tell anyone this story again." Xiao Bai agreed seriously. Now that he understood the implications, he realized Xun'er was making this request for his own good.
Hearing his promise, Xun'er finally felt at ease. Since childhood, this boy had always been true to his word—once he promised something, he would see it through.
"Xiao Bai gege, please don't blame me for meddling… The waters of the Dou Qi Continent run far too deep. If things really are as I suspect… even I might not be able to protect you when the time comes." Xun'er gazed at the young man before her, her heart whispering in silent worry.
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Six Months Later
Back Mountain of the Xiao Clan – Inside a Cave
Xiao Bai sat cross-legged atop a massive boulder, his expression calm. A powerful Nine-Star Dou Practitioner aura radiated from his body.
His physical body pulsed with immense vitality, far stronger than it had been half a year ago. He felt that, even without using Dou Qi, he could defeat the Wang Elder from before with a single punch.
"The progress of refining my body with Daoist Righteous Thunder of Yi Wood is slowing down. It's about time to break through to Dou Master." Xiao Bai murmured.
For the past six months, he had trained without a single day of rest—
Mornings were spent cultivating battle techniques. Afternoons were dedicated to tempering his body using Yi Wood Thunder. Nights were reserved for Dou Qi cultivation and soul refinement.
Both of his Dou techniques—[Lightning Flash Step] and [Thunderclap Palm]—had been fully mastered, their power exceptional.
His Dou Qi had reached the peak of Nine-Star Dou Practitioner just two months after his last breakthrough. If he hadn't been deliberately strengthening his body to better accommodate a new Thunder Seed, he would have broken through to Dou Master long ago.
As for soul cultivation, ever since that strange breakthrough he had experienced months ago, his progress had slowed considerably. However, that was only in comparison to his mysterious one-night advancement. In reality, every time he cultivated the The Heavenly Heart Perception Chapter, he could sense subtle improvements in his Soul Energy.
Over the past six months, he had trained in the The Heavenly Heart Perception Chapter daily. Yet, he never again experienced that strange dreamlike state where he suddenly advanced. Instead, the technique felt similar to soul cultivation methods in the original novel, slowly absorbing traces of spiritual energy from the world to refine his soul.
However, there was one key difference—
As he cultivated, he would occasionally feel a profound sensation of merging with heaven and earth—an indescribable, mysterious state. It was somewhat akin to the "oneness with nature" concept from his previous life.
It was an abstract feeling, something beyond words—too elusive to grasp.
He had no idea what practical use it had, and sometimes he even wondered if it was just a hallucination caused by overtraining.
Even now, Xiao Bai still believed that his previous breakthrough had simply been the result of "sleeping through it"—he had no memory of what had occurred in that void-like space. To him, that strange advancement felt more like a beginner's bonus from the technique rather than something truly extraordinary.