Upon the bed, the boy sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his hands set before him in a strange, ritual seal. His chest rose and fell gently, each breath forming a perfect cycle. With every circulation, faint white streams of air slipped in through his nose and mouth, sinking into his body to warm his bones and flesh.
As he cultivated with closed eyes, the ancient black ring upon his finger once again glowed eerily faint—then fell silent.
"Hah…" Letting out a slow breath of stale qi, the boy's eyes snapped open. A wisp of pale light flickered across his dark pupils: the raw Dou Qi just absorbed, not yet fully refined.
"The Dou Qi I worked so hard to cultivate is disappearing again. I—damn it all!" Probing his body with a calm mind, the boy's face twisted in sudden fury, and he cursed in a sharp, shrill voice.
His fists clenched until the knuckles went white. After a long moment, he smiled bitterly and shook his head, climbing wearily out of bed. He stretched his numb ankles and thighs—with only three stages of Dou Power, he was in no position to ignore fatigue.
As he loosened up simply within the room, a hoarse voice drifted in from outside: "Third Young Master, the clan head summons you to the main hall!"
Third Young Master—Xiao Yan was the third in the house, with two elder brothers above him. They had long since gone out into the world to train, returning only at year's end, if at all. All in all, both brothers treated Xiao Yan, their closest younger sibling, quite well.
"Oh." Answering idly, Xiao Yan changed his clothes and stepped out of the room. Smiling at the grey-robed old man waiting outside, he said, "Let's go, Steward Mo."
Gazing at the boy's youthful face, the grey-robed old man nodded kindly. In that instant of turning, a faint, barely noticeable glint of pity passed through his murky old eyes. *Ah, with the Third Young Master's former talent, he should have become an outstanding Dou Warrior long ago. A pity…*
Following the old steward through the rear courtyard, they stopped at last before the solemn guest hall. Xiao Yan knocked respectfully, then pushed the door open gently.
The hall was spacious, and its occupants numerous. Seated at the uppermost tier were Xiao Zhan and three old men with impassive faces—the clan's elders, whose authority was in no way lesser than the clan head's.
Below the four sat the senior members of the clan, those with voice and no small strength. At their side stood some of the younger generation who had distinguished themselves in the clan.
On the other side sat three strangers—surely the honored guests Xiao Zhan had spoken of the night before.
Xiao Yan ran a puzzled gaze over the three. Among them was an old man in a moon-white robe, his face wreathed in smiles and full of vigor. His narrow eyes occasionally flickered with keen light. Xiao Yan's glance drifted downward and came to rest on the old man's chest—where his heart lurched. Embroidered across the breast of the robe was a curved silver crescent, and around it were arrayed seven glittering golden stars.
"A seven-star Grand Dou Master! This old man is actually a seven-star Grand Dou Master? His appearance truly belies his power!" Xiao Yan was deeply astonished. This old fellow stood two stars higher than even his own father.
To become a Grand Dou Master was no small thing—such figures were at least renowned powerful masters of their regions, the sort any force would covet. No wonder Xiao Yan was startled to see a fighter of this rank suddenly before him.
Beside the old man sat a young man and woman, wearing the same moon-white robes. The man was around twenty, his handsome features and upright bearing exuding charm. Most telling, of course, were the five golden stars embroidered upon his chest—the mark of his power: a five-star Dou Warrior!
To have attained the rank of five-star Dou Warrior at around twenty showed that this young man's cultivation talent was no ordinary thing.
With a handsome face and no mean strength, this fellow had cast a spell over the clan's more naive girls—and even Xiao Mei, seated not far away, let her bright eyes drift toward him with a glint of eager light.
The girl might send him loving glances, but they seemed to hold no appeal for the young man. At the moment, all his attention was fixed upon the beautiful maiden beside him.
This maiden was about Xiao Yan's age, and to his surprise, she was even more beautiful than Xiao Mei. Within the clan, only Xiao Xun'er, pure as a lotus, could rival her. No wonder the young man looked down on the clan's painted daisies.
Fragile green jade ornaments hung from her tender earlobes, swaying with a crisp, delicate clink that hinted at a certain breeding.
Elsewhere, upon her budding young breast, three golden stars were embroidered.
"A three-star Dou Warrior. This girl…" Xiao Yan mused silently in his heart. "If she had no outside help to spur her on, then truly. Look at that elegant air—'taint nothing like the girls of this small clan. If those three are our honored guests, then this clan—" The thought broke off, incomplete.
Seated beside him, Xiao Xun'er alone, in that long flash of a glance, held the secret of his meddling.
At a certain flicker in the ring upon his finger, no one noticed a thing.