Back Mountain.
At the summit of the back mountain, Hun Xiu was sitting cross-legged. As he absorbed the Dou Qi of heaven and earth, each breath he took caused waves of terrifying energy to surge around him.
Dou Qi from all directions surged toward him, forming a storm centered on his body—like a howling vortex, it roared like a tornado.
In the distance, Gu Yuan and the Soul Heavenly Emperor (Hun Tiandi) stood silently, observing the scene. Even someone as knowledgeable as Gu Yuan couldn't help but be startled by the vast amount of heavenly energy Hun Xiu was absorbing.
He clicked his tongue in amazement and murmured, "He's merely at the Dou Huang level, yet he can absorb this much heavenly Dou Qi? That's terrifying."
With his experience, a mere Dou Huang shouldn't have even registered as worth noting. But Hun Xiu's absorption rate of the ambient Dou Qi rivaled that of a Dou Zong. It was simply too shocking.
"I wonder what his actual strength is?"
Standing beside him, Hun Tiandi chuckled and said calmly, "In a few days, it'll be time for the clan's Grand Tournament. If you want to know how strong he is, won't that be the perfect opportunity?"
Gu Yuan glanced at Hun Tiandi with curiosity. "Is there anyone in the younger generation of your clan who can withstand even one of his attacks?"
The reason Gu Yuan had brought Gu Xun'er to the Soul Clan this time was twofold. First, to let Xun'er meet her so-called "fiancé," and then use that connection to obtain the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Jade from the Xiao Clan.
Second, he knew the Soul Clan's Grand Tournament was coming up. This was a perfect excuse to see how the younger generation of the Soul Clan was faring—how strong their geniuses were.
Of course, he knew a single clan tournament wouldn't fully reveal the Soul Clan's true foundation. But it would still give him a glimpse into their future prospects.
Hun Tiandi gave a light smile and replied, "Among our younger generation, there are several geniuses who've already reached the Dou Huang level."
"Oh?" Gu Yuan's brows lifted slightly. "Has the younger generation of the Soul Clan really grown so strong?"
While a Dou Huang was nothing more than an ant to them—easily crushed with a flick of the finger—it was a different story when such strength came from a child. That would make the person a true prodigy.
To achieve such a level at such a young age… give them a few more years and they might truly defy the heavens—if they didn't die young, of course.
He chuckled coldly at the thought.
Hun Tiandi simply smiled without speaking further. Indeed, several in the Soul Clan's younger generation had reached the Dou Huang level, and Hun Xiu had a large part to play in that.
Naturally, Hun Tiandi himself played a role too.
Hun Xiu, as a cultivator, stood apart from the rest. His progress was terrifying. He had never needed any of the clan's cultivation resources or rare treasures. He achieved his current strength just by absorbing ambient Dou Qi from nature.
Since Hun Xiu didn't use the clan's resources, Hun Tiandi redistributed them to other promising youths in the clan.
These youths didn't disappoint. Especially Hun Feng, Hun Yu, and Hun Huan'er—they performed impressively.
By using the resources originally meant for Hun Xiu, Hun Feng had already become a five-star Dou Huang.
He was only nine years old. A nine-year-old five-star Dou Huang was enough to earn a place in the rankings among ancient clans.
Hun Yu was slightly behind at four-star Dou Huang, but still outstanding.
Hun Huan'er was the weakest, currently at two-star Dou Huang.
Compared to them, Hun Xiu had only reached one-star Dou Huang, even though he was older and hadn't received any cultivation resources.
And yet… strangely enough…
Hun Xiu's Dou Qi absorption rate was several times greater than all three of them combined.
Despite being at a lower level, he absorbed far more energy. This left Hun Tiandi quite baffled.
He was certain that Hun Feng, Hun Yu, and Hun Huan'er all had extremely solid foundations at each stage of their growth—even though they used numerous rare treasures, they never suffered from unstable cultivation.
He couldn't understand it.
All he could do was attribute it to Hun Xiu's Super Divine-Grade Bloodline.
After all, only one person with such a bloodline had ever been recorded in the entire Dou Qi continent's history—and even then, there was no detailed documentation.
As for what miraculous abilities such a bloodline contained, they were still observing.
"Hmm?"
While cultivating, Hun Xiu suddenly sensed something approaching.
He could clearly feel the thing's breathing.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
A pair of large, round eyes stared back at him, and a chubby little face was just inches from his own, nearly pressing into his cheek.
"Xun'er…"
Seeing what was in front of him, Hun Xiu immediately ceased his hand seals. The swirling Dou Qi around him dissipated into calm.
Looking at the girl, he asked, "Why are you here?"
He was a little surprised. He could tell the little girl hadn't started cultivating yet.
And yet… she had casually approached through the storm of Dou Qi without a scratch. She had somehow made it all the way to the summit of the back mountain.
That puzzled him.
Normally, Hun San would be hiding in the shadows nearby, only appearing in emergencies. But right now, it was just him and this little girl.
How had she gotten here?
Possibly…
Hun Xiu turned his gaze toward the clan estate. If she had made it this far, it was likely either his father's doing—or his future father-in-law's.
The little girl plopped herself into Hun Xiu's lap. Staring out at the desolate landscape below, she puffed her cheeks and said, "Brother Xiu'er, do you… really hate Xun'er that much?"
Hun Xiu: "…"
"Why would you think that?" he asked, a little dazed at first, then gently smiled.
Hate her?
Not at all. In the past, maybe he disliked the idea of "Gu Xun'er"—but that was when he didn't know the truth.
Now that he knew Gu Xun'er was none other than the little girl Gu Xun, how could he dislike her? If anything, he felt a strange excitement.
She pouted, clearly unhappy. "Then… can Brother Xiu'er play with Xun'er?"
"Hm?"
Hun Xiu looked at the girl and raised her up in the air, smiling, "So you want me to play with you, huh?"
"Uh-huh!" she nodded enthusiastically, her big eyes sparkling. "Brother Xiu'er, be my horsey! Let Xun'er ride you, okay?"
Hun Xiu: "…"