Ignoring the sinister gaze lingering at his back, Xiao Yan cradled the bundle of scrolls as he went to the entrance hall's attendant to have them registered, and only then strolled slowly out of the Dou Technique Hall, talking and laughing softly with Xun'er all the while.
"Little bastard, just you wait. Once you're cast out of the clan, I'll have all the time in the world to deal with you! Shorn of the clan head's protection, you're less than nothing!" Watching the receding silhouette, Xiao Ning gnashed his teeth in loathing. Clenching his jaw, he struck out with his backhand and smashed his palm into the bookshelf at his side, leaving a shallow handprint impressed into the wood.
Emerging from the Dou Technique Hall, Xiao Yan first accompanied the eager, spirited Xun'er on a stroll up the rear mountain for the better part of an afternoon. Only when the daylight began to dim did he finally return to his own little dwelling.
Back in his room, he closed the door tightly, and his shoulders at once slumped. He laid the scrolls down upon the table, picked up a teacup, and drained it in a single gulp, wryly chuckling with a lingering sense of fright: "That girl — she really does know how to walk."
"That little lass... her origins seem far from ordinary." A hoarse voice suddenly rang out within the room.
Lifting his eyes listlessly, Xiao Yan peered at the figure who had materialized in the room like a ghost — none other than Yao Lao. He curled his lip and asked lazily, "Does Master know where she's from?"
"Hehe, I suppose I know a little..." Yao Lao narrowed his eyes and chuckled to himself. Seeing the curious gaze Xiao Yan leveled at him, however, he abruptly fell silent. "Don't you ask either. For you to know now would do you no good, so it's better you don't pry. All I can say is, that little lass's background is quite formidable."
Xiao Yan rolled his eyes and could only flick Yao Lao a resentful middle finger.
"You went all the way to fetch this trash? Afraid you've got too much energy to burn?" Yao Lao came to the table and carelessly flipped through the bundle of scrolls, speaking in astonishment.
"Trash?" The corners of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched, and he let out a feeble groan. "Right now, I don't know a single Dou Technique besides my Suction Palm. All these years I only buried my head in bitter cultivation of Dou Qi, and never once learned a technique. The clan only keeps these Yellow-rank techniques freely available to study. If I don't learn them, what am I supposed to use to pit myself against others at the coming-of-age ceremony?"
"Tsk. You just want to coax a technique out of me, don't you..." Eyeing Xiao Yan with an aged glare, the shrewd Yao Lao saw straight through his intent.
Found out for what he was trying to do, Xiao Yan showed no embarrassment at all. He merely shrugged and fixed Yao Lao with an eager, imploring gaze.
"What's so impressive about a Dou Technique? Once you learn the art of alchemy in the days ahead, high-grade techniques will simply be delivered to your doorstep by those fighting over the chance." Yao Lao said with a faint smile, paying no heed at all to Xiao Yan's aggrieved little face.
"But I need a high-grade technique right now, Master!" Xiao Yan said gloomily.
Seeing the dismal look on Xiao Yan's face, Yao Lao laughed heartily twice, shook his head, and only then said with mock seriousness, "Fine, then. Who told me I've taken such a pitiable disciple on? So that you don't end up beaten to a cripple, I suppose I'll teach you a little something."
At these words, Xiao Yan's spirits soared. He was deeply curious what rank of technique this mysterious master of his could really conjure up.
"That Suction Palm of yours is a Xuan-rank technique to be sure, but it's something of an overblown reputation. With your strength still weak, I'll first teach you a Xuan-rank technique famed for its offensive power. It makes no great demands — with the fifth stage of Dou Qi, you ought to be able to unleash at least some of its might." Yao Lao smiled.
"A Xuan-rank of what grade?" Hearing that it was a Xuan-rank technique, Xiao Yan's eyes lit up, and he licked his lips as he hurriedly asked.
"High-grade, I'd say. I remember back in the day this technique was something a man knelt and wept begging me to accept. But I never took much interest in the thing — had it not been that his pestering had worn me to the point of distraction, I wouldn't even have agreed to help him refine a medicinal pill." Yao Lao said carelessly, as lightly and airily as though he were speaking of some bit of rubbish on the ground.
"High-grade Xuan-rank? Begging you on his knees to accept it?" Several black lines drooped down over Xiao Yan's head. He felt rather wounded in his very heart. The highest technique that the clan held up as its ancestral treasure was, after all, nothing more than a Xuan-rank mid-grade. Yet with one careless word from Yao Lao's mouth, that figure jumped to high-grade... This stark contrast was enough to make Xiao Yan feel utterly bewildered, half ready to laugh and half ready to cry.
"Close your eyes and still your mind. I shall transmit it to you." Making the casual order, Yao Lao raised a finger and gently touched the center of Xiao Yan's forehead.
A faint ache shot through his head, and all at once Xiao Yan sensed a flood of information surging into his brain. The sudden influx made his whole head feel as though it were swelling.
"Eight Pole Collapse: Xuan-rank high-grade Dou Technique, a close-quarters attack technique, famed for its tremendous offensive power. When trained to its fullest, the attack conceals eight layers of force within, and when those eight layers converge, its might rivals an Earth-rank low-grade technique!"
His mind slowly clearing, Xiao Yan savored the rough sketch of knowledge within the information. A long while later, he drew a soft breath of cold air. A technique whose offensive power could rival an Earth-rank low-grade? Between the Xuan rank and the Earth rank on the Dou Continent — whether for cultivation methods or for Dou Techniques — the gulf between them was like the gap between heaven and earth, utterly beyond comparison. And yet here was this Eight Pole Collapse, merely a Xuan-rank high-grade technique, boldly claiming that in offensive power it could stand level with the Earth rank — how could this fail to shake Xiao Yan to his very core?
Swallowing hard, Xiao Yan's eyes went a little glassy. If he truly mastered this technique, then even with merely his own four stages of Dou Qi, he could probably send that arrogant Xiao Ning sprawling with his teeth knocked loose...
"Don't be so stunned. Though the Eight Pole Collapse makes no great demands on Dou Qi, it places a very heavy demand on the strength of your body. This is a technique of close-quarters, flesh-and-blood combat. Looking at that scrawny frame of yours — skin and bones, nothing but arms like twigs — if you force it out, the first thing to snap will be your own muscles, not your opponent's." Yao Lao's flat words fell like a bucket of cold water, dousing Xiao Yan's excitement completely.
"Then how do I improve my body's strength?" After a brief silence, Xiao Yan asked urgently.
"Dou Qi is the finest energy for tempering the body. As your Dou Qi grows stronger, so too will your body. Of course, if you want to do it faster, then you'll need some form of external stimulation." Yao Lao's eyes narrowed, and within his aged gaze there seemed to lurk some ill intent.
"What kind of external stimulation?" Gazing at the beaming, smiling Yao Lao, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a chill creep over his whole body.
"By getting beaten!" Yao Lao burst into sinister laughter as Xiao Yan's small face stiffened.