Stepping through the dark doorway, the light dimmed slightly. Soft luminescence spilled from the Fire Pearls set into the surrounding walls, casting the spacious pavilion in a deep, hushed glow.
Within the hall, several broad corridors branched out before him, each marked at its entrance by a towering character signifying the elemental nature it housed. Xiao Yan's gaze swept across them before settling on the Fire Corridor to the left. He touched his nose and glanced sideways, only to find Xun'er's delicate face flushed a faint, shy crimson.
He blinked. "Xun'er, what's wrong?"
The sudden sound of his voice startled her. The blush deepened for an instant, then slowly faded. She wrinkled her nose at him, a faint pout in her voice. "Nothing. Hurry up and find your technique."
Puzzled, Xiao Yan scratched his head and pointed toward the Fire Corridor. "Let's go."
Xun'er nodded with a casual air, though a trace of lingering color still graced her cheeks, lending her an even more captivating charm.
Xiao Yan stole a sidelong glance at her lovely face and felt his heart give an unwelcome leap. He quickly straightened his gaze and took the lead.
...
As they entered the Fire Corridor, five smaller paths opened up. Faint silhouettes of other clan members could still be seen moving within them.
"Third path of the Fire Corridor." Xiao Yan led Xun'er straight into the third tunnel without hesitation.
Inside, the corridor took on a different character altogether. Along both sides, heavy wooden doors painted a deep fire-red stood at regular intervals. Every door stood open now, and behind each one shimmered a faint crimson barrier of light.
The red barrier was a defensive measure — and also the final test for the young clan members. To claim the technique within, one had to shatter the barrier by force.
Several clan members were already inside the corridor. Their faces flushed red with effort, they hammered at the crimson shields with everything they had. Occasionally, the crack of a broken barrier echoed through the passage, accompanied by whoops of triumph. Each time that happened, the others still struggling could not help showing their envy.
Xiao Yan and Xun'er strolled leisurely through the corridor, watching the clan members hard at work on either side with idle interest.
Rounding another corner, Xiao Yan glanced at the number on a nearby door: thirty-seven.
He touched his nose and smiled, then walked briskly forward until he stopped before a door marked forty-three. "This should be it," he said with a light chuckle.
A dozen or so clan members still lingered in this stretch of the corridor. When they saw Xiao Yan halt before Room Forty-Three, a ripple of surprise passed through them. That particular chamber housed the strongest barrier on this entire path — many promising clan members had tried and failed to break through it.
Xiao Yan ignored the astonished looks around him. Slowly, he raised his palm and placed it against the barrier.
"Xiao Yan-gege, doesn't Xiao Shu-shu's arrangement count as using his position for personal advantage?" Xun'er's beautiful eyes sparkled with mischief as she leaned in, her voice teasingly low.
He tested the barrier's density, then turned back with a mock glare. "Little girl, you'd best pretend you saw nothing and heard nothing — or else..."
Her laughter rippled out, soft and musical. She scrunched up her delicate features in a show of girlish pique, a display so enchanting that several nearby clan members found themselves momentarily frozen mid-attack, staring blankly.
Xiao Yan chuckled and stepped back, spreading his feet slightly. His hands clenched slowly into fists. His eyes half-closed, the faint Dou Qi within him began to circulate along its prescribed pathways, gathering momentum.
Xun'er leaned lazily against the wall, her graceful curves perfectly outlined by her fitted attire — a vision impossible to ignore. Her autumn-water eyes remained fixed on Xiao Yan as he prepared to strike, and within their depths, a faint golden flame danced with playful light.
"Ha!" His eyes snapped open. He stomped hard on the stone floor, his body whipping into a sharp, unnatural spin. Facing away from the barrier, he drove his right elbow backward with a piercing whistle of displaced air, the blow crashing into the crimson shield with devastating force.
"Eight Pole Collapse!"
A cold shout thundered in his mind as his fist slammed into the barrier. Immediately, ripples radiated outward from the point of impact like waves spreading across a still pond, expanding with furious speed.
"Break!" Xiao Yan's face was taut with concentration. The crimson barrier, under the stunned gaze of a dozen onlookers, shattered like glass — exploding into countless fragments.
He exhaled slowly. His arm trembled once, the fabric of his sleeve snapping and cracking before gradually going limp.
Beside him, Xun'er regarded the shattered remains of the barrier and clapped her hands lightly. A small, pleased smile curved her lips. "Impressive technique. The striking power is remarkable."
Xiao Yan rolled his neck and stretched his arms. "It's passable, I suppose."
The dozen clan members within earshot felt a collective pang of suffocation. Passable? Such a monstrous technique, and he called it passable? Was he trying to crush them?
"Well then, let's go inside and see what technique awaits." He tilted his chin toward the door, which now showed faint cracks from the impact, and stepped through first.
The room beyond was brighter. It was not large — in its center stood a stone pedestal, and upon it rested a single dark-red scroll.
Xiao Yan walked forward and picked it up with interest. He turned it over to read the inscription on the back. "Yellow-grade high-level cultivation technique: Forging Blaze."
"Not bad at all. That's one of the finest fire-attribute techniques in the clan." Xun'er's voice came from behind him, warm with amusement. "It seems Xiao Shu-shu really did put considerable thought into this for you."
Xiao Yan nodded with a smile, a quiet warmth settling in his chest.
Then a slender, pale hand reached around from behind and took the scroll from his grasp. Xun'er tilted her head slightly, turning the scroll idly in her fingers. "Xiao Yan-gege, you may find higher-grade techniques later, but in the early stages of cultivating Dou Qi, the better the technique, the greater the benefit down the road. A Yellow-grade high-level technique... is a bit low."
Xiao Yan smiled faintly and gave a slight nod.
Xun'er's fine brows drew together at his calm expression. She sighed softly, then flicked her fingers — and a scroll of ancient, flame-jade hue appeared in her hand.
"This is a Mysterious-grade high-level fire-attribute technique: Flame Mastery Art!"
She stroked the scroll gently. "Don't refuse it because of pride, Xiao Yan-gege. I know you're not the sort of person who clings to empty notions of honor. A higher-grade technique will serve you well in the future, so..."
Looking at her holding one scroll in each hand, Xiao Yan smiled ruefully and shook his head. He reached out and patted her head affectionately, then took back the Yellow-grade technique from her fingers. Xun'er's luminous eyes glistened with a hint of hurt as she watched him do so.
"Xiao Yan-gege..." Her lower lip trembled, her eyes brimming with unshed tears — a picture of tender vulnerability.
He laughed softly. "Thank you, Xun'er. It isn't a matter of pride that I decline."
He leaned close to her delicate ear and whispered, "I can find a better technique on my own."