The next day, in the early morning.
Xiao Bai sat cross-legged on his bed, opened his eyes, and exhaled a turbid breath, concluding a night of cultivation.
After getting up and washing up, Xiao Bai prepared to head to the Xiao family's reception hall.
Today was the day Nalan Yanran would visit, and Xiao Bai had been waiting for this moment for months.
Ever since Xun'er had given him those pills, an idea had begun to form in his mind: Could he become an alchemist now?
Alchemists were a prestigious profession on the Dou Qi Continent. They could refine natural treasures into various miraculous pills, capable of boosting cultivation or healing injuries...
To become an alchemist, three conditions were necessary: fire and wood Dou Qi attributes, a fire seed, and strong soul perception.
People who naturally possessed both fire and wood attributes in their soul were extremely rare, appearing in only one out of tens of millions on the Dou Qi Continent.
Such a person would need to cultivate fire-based techniques to produce a fire seed.
However, this alone wasn't enough. They would also need outstanding soul perception abilities.
Due to these conditions, alchemists held a unique and powerful position—one that could surpass even Dou Cultivators.
Originally, Xiao Bai didn't have much interest in the alchemist profession after learning that his Dou Qi attribute was thunder
But now, things were different. He had the possibility of becoming an alchemist.
He had the wood attribute, as the Yi Wood Righteous Thunder contained the essence of the wood element.
He had the fire seed, with the Bing Fire Yang Thunder, which also contained the essence of fire.
As for soul perception, he wasn't worried at all. His current soul perception ability was on par with a six-tier alchemist, or even stronger.
With both fire and wood attributes, coupled with his powerful soul, in theory, it should work. But both fire and wood were not independent; they were attributes attached to thunder.
He wasn't sure if adding the thunder attribute would prevent him from refining pills, and that uncertainty made him hesitant.
Therefore, he had to intervene in today's events. He needed the inheritance of Yao Lao, an eighth-tier alchemist.
Originally, he had planned to just observe the drama of the broken engagement, but after forming this idea, he had been quietly planning this while refining Bing Fire Yang Thunder.
Today was the best opportunity. If everything went smoothly, he could achieve his goal and also earn a favor in the process.
When Xiao Bai arrived at the reception hall, he saw that it was already filled with people. At the head of the room sat the Xiao family's patriarch, Xiao Zhan, along with four elders.
On the left side of the hall sat the influential elders of the Xiao family, with the more outstanding younger generation seated behind them.
On the right side sat three people: an old man and two young people, a man and a woman.
The old man wore a moon-white robe and looked spirited. On his sleeve was embroidered a small colorful sword—the emblem of the Yunlan Sect.
On his chest was a silver crescent moon surrounded by seven golden stars, marking him as a seven-star Da Dou Shi.
This was the first time Xiao Bai had seen something like this, and he found it a bit ridiculous. Who would openly display their strength on their chest like that?
If the cautious and scheming people from his previous life saw this, they'd be thrilled.
Beside the old man sat the two young people, also dressed in the same moon-white robes.
The young man appeared to be around twenty years old. In terms of appearance, based on Xiao Bai's daily mirror-gazing and refined aesthetic sense, he could only be described as average. However, some of the younger girls in the Xiao family seemed quite enamored, not just with his looks but also with the five stars on his chest—a five-star Dou Zhe.
As for the young woman, she was undoubtedly Nalan Yanran. Her beauty was striking, with a cold and elegant demeanor, and three stars on her chest. However, the pride in her eyes was almost overflowing.
In the Jia Ma Empire, she certainly had the right to be proud. She was the granddaughter of one of the three great families, the Nalan family, and also the beloved disciple of the Sect Master of the Yun Lan Sect. She could practically walk sideways across the Jia Ma Empire.
While Xiao Bai was sizing up the group, he suddenly felt someone tugging at his sleeve.
Turning his head, he saw it was none other than Xun'er, the little lass.
She pulled him to a corner and sat him down, then looked at him with a playful smirk.
"Brother Xiao Bai, is that girl pretty?"
Xiao Bai furrowed his brows and pondered seriously before answering earnestly, "Hmm~, well-defined features, fair skin, a cold and elegant demeanor, a slim waist, long legs..."
As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Xun'er beside him, noticing her expression growing darker by the second.
Xiao Bai continued listing a slew of praises until it seemed the little girl was about to lose her temper. Then, with a sudden shift in tone, he added,
"...But she doesn't hold a candle to my Xun'er!"
Xun'er's face instantly brightened, her lips curling into a smile as she shot him a coquettish glare.
At first, seeing Xiao Bai's serious expression and hearing his endless compliments, she thought he really had taken a liking to that girl. Turns out, he was just teasing her.
As the two chatted and laughed, Xiao Yan's figure appeared in the hall.
The scene unfolded just as it had in the original plot. Xiao Zhan invited Xiao Yan to take a seat, but when Xiao Yan looked around, he realized no seat had been reserved for him at the front.
Today was his moment to shine—he couldn't very well sit in a corner, could he? That would only invite ridicule.
Xiao Bai watched this scene coldly and shook his head inwardly.
He couldn't stand the behavior of these elders.
In Xiao Bai's mind, no matter what conflicts or rivalries existed among clan members, they should at least present a united front in front of outsiders—even if it was just for show.
Humiliating one of their own in front of outsiders only made the entire Xiao Clan a laughingstock. The loss of face wasn't just Xiao Yan's—it was the entire clan's.
Once one of the Ancient Eight Clans, and arguably the strongest among them during Xiao Xuan's time, the Xiao Clan had now fallen to such a state. It was clear there was a reason for their decline.
If not for the emergence of a chosen one like Xiao Yan, a family like this wouldn't just fail to rise again—it might not even exist a few decades later.
Seated at the head of the hall, Xiao Zhan only now noticed his son's awkward predicament and grew furious.
These old fools were deliberately trying to make a laughingstock of his son—and by extension, him—in front of outsiders. What good did that do them?
"Xiao Yan, come over here!"
A low voice rang out in the hall, and the crowd's eyes turned toward the corner where Xiao Bai sat.
A few elders wanted to say something, but when they saw Xiao Xun'er sitting beside him, they immediately clamped their mouths shut.
Seeing that someone had finally come to his rescue, Xiao Yan let out a sigh of relief and walked over to sit beside Xiao Bai, whispering, "Thanks, Bai-ge."
Xiao Bai nodded slightly but said nothing more.
What followed was the scene where Ge Ye, the elder from Yunlan Sect, proposed the annulment of the engagement, enraging Xiao Zhan and leading to the Three Year Agreement between Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan.
Then, provoked by Nalan Yanran's haughty words, Xiao Yan, filled with grief and indignation, shouted the famous line:
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—do not bully the young for being poor!"
After writing a letter of divorce, he stormed out.
Seeing Xiao Yan leave, Xiao Bai knew it was time for him to act. If he waited too long, that old man would show up.
If he waited until Yao Lao took Xiao Yan as his disciple, things could still be done, but it would be far more troublesome.
And he—hated trouble.
He stood up, stretched lazily, and walked out at a leisurely pace.
"Brother Xiao Bai, where are you going?"
Xun'er, seeing Xiao Bai about to leave, asked curiously.
"To the back mountain," Xiao Bai replied without turning around, waving his hand dismissively.
"Wait for me, I'll go with you!"