Chapter One Fainted

  It took Xiaozhan three whole days to make up for the damage that sword energy had done to his dream space. However, although he had repaired it, his spiritual power had also dropped from eighth rank to seventh rank, and it would likely take some time to recover to its original state.

  Thinking of that terrifying sword, Xiao Zhan let out a stifled sigh. He had finally found a sword manual, but it was sealed with a restriction spell, allowing him to only look at it but not touch it. This was just too frustrating.

  He gathered his emotions, left the bedroom and appeared alone in the courtyard, starting to practice the "Gathering Star Fist". It was already deep at night, with stars shining brightly and a captivating moonlight, making it the best time to practice this fist technique. After one round of practicing the fist technique, Xiao Zhan felt refreshed and wonderful all over his body. Although he hadn't opened any acupoints yet, he was very satisfied, after all, he was only five years old this year, and there were still many days ahead.

  After practicing several times again, Xiao Zhan put away his fist and stood up. He called out to Xiaomi in a great mood: "Xiaomi, are you there?"

  "Hehe! Xiao Mi is here at your service, what can I help you with?"

  Xiao Zhan curiously asked: "Do you know about the division of martial artist levels in this world?"

  Xiao Mi smiled and said: "As the master's personal Xiao Mi, it is natural to understand such common sense. The martial artists in this world are divided into five realms: Postnatal, Prenatal, Transformation, Nirvana, and Breaking Calamity. Each realm is further divided into nine heavens, and every time one advances a level, their cultivation will undergo earth-shaking changes."

  Xiao Zhan thought for a moment and said: "Then what level of martial artist am I now?"

  Xiao Mi comforted: "The master's cultivation has just begun, and naturally, it doesn't count as any level. However, the master doesn't need to be discouraged. As long as you practice 'Dream' to the second chapter, your cultivation speed will increase exponentially."

  It would take ten years to reach the second article. Xiao Zhan flipped his eyes and said, "How is the boundary of the later days divided?"

  Xiao Mi replied, "The ranking of martial artists is divided according to the strength of their power, with the unit of measurement being Jing. Each Jing is equivalent to 100 kilograms, and as long as one reaches ten Jing, the master can become a post-heavenly first-class martial artist."

  Xiao Zhan lost his voice and said: "My god! Isn't 10 crystals equivalent to 1000 catties?"

  "Exactly! It's 1000 jin. From now on, every time you upgrade to a higher realm, your power will increase by 10 jing. By the time you reach the ninth realm of the Post-Heavenly stage, it will be equivalent to 90 jing. And once you reach the Pre-Heavenly stage, the difference in power will be even greater, with each realm having a difference of 100 jing."

  Xiao Zhan's tongue slipped and he said: "My big brother is now in the sixth heaven of the post-heaven, so his physical strength shouldn't be 6,000 catties?"

  "The master misunderstood, this power is not just referring to physical strength, but the sum of true energy and physical strength. The master's older brother's actual physical strength was only a few hundred catties, far from reaching 6,000 catties."

  Xiao Zhan lowered his head and took a look at his weak and small body, and immediately felt very discouraged. A thousand catties? Afraid that even ten catties would be very strenuous. This path of martial arts is really not easy to walk, just one heavy heaven and you need 1000 catties of strength, when can I achieve it?

  It seems that Xiao Zhan's mood was low, and Little Honey hurriedly comforted him: "Master, don't be discouraged. The 'Gathering Star Fist' you're cultivating is quite extraordinary. As long as one acupoint is opened, the power will increase by ten times. Think about it, if Master can open 1,000 acupoints, how great the power will be?"

  Xiao Zhan's eyes lit up at once and he said: "Opening one acupoint can increase the power of ten crystals?"

  Xiao Mi giggled and said: "It's got to be filled up."

  Xiao Zhan's hands and feet began to dance with excitement, it turned out that opening a single acupoint could increase his power by ten crystals, so reaching the first heaven in a short period of time shouldn't be too difficult. Thinking about this, Xiao Zhan was filled with energy, he eagerly started practicing "Ji Xing Quan", looking at him with such enthusiasm, it's likely that he wants to practice until dawn.

  Xiao Zhan's enthusiasm was high, Xiao Mi no longer spoke, she just silently gazed at everything in the ring.

  The next day, early morning.

  Xiao Zhan, who had been practicing for half the night, was pulled out of bed by Xiao Jian at dawn. After washing up, he reluctantly followed Xiao Jian out of the house. This couldn't be blamed on others, as it was he himself who had asked his elder brother to supervise his fist practice recently, and now he not only didn't resist practicing fists but also became exceptionally enthusiastic about it.

  Xiao Jian looked at Xiao Zhan, who was listless and dispirited, and said with a serious tone: "Younger brother, you can't practice boxing with this kind of mentality. It's only been over ten days now, without perseverance and endurance, one cannot master the fist method."

  Xiao Zhan's eyes widened in shock, but as he walked, he looked puzzled and said, "Big brother, the martial arts training ground is over there."

  Xiao Jian's matter-of-course tone: "Of course I know, but we're not practicing boxing today."

  Almost made Xiao Zhan spit blood, he said angrily: "If you're not going to practice boxing, then why did you wake me up so early?"

  As for Xiao Zhan's anger, Xiao Jian completely ignored it and said excitedly: "Do you know, today is our Third Uncle's big wedding day. I heard that the bride is a great beauty. Since we have nothing better to do, I'll take you to see."

  Xiao Zhan said in a bad mood: "What does his marriage have to do with me?"

  "How can there be no relationship, do you know? This is already Third Uncle's fourth wife, and each one of them is a stunning beauty, a ravishing young lady from a wealthy family. Tsk tsk, this is truly a model for our generation!"

  Xiao Zhan could only stare at him in silence for a moment.

  Today, the entire Xiao Fu is bustling with activity. The courtyard is filled with luxurious carriages, and many nobles from the Imperial City have arrived. The guards are extremely strict today, with sentries stationed everywhere to prevent any unexpected incidents.

  In the inner courtyard, Xiao Zhan was pulled by his elder brother towards a group of people. They were a group of young masters and misses from the Xiao Manor. One of them, a robust and rough-looking youth with a tiger-like back and bear-like waist, shouted to the elder brother from afar: "A'jian over here!"

  Xiao Jian walked up and punched his opponent in the chest, then laughed loudly: "Ah Hu, I didn't miss anything exciting, did I?"

  A rough-looking young man grinned and said: "It's still early. Ah! A Jian, is this the younger brother you were talking about?"

  At this time, Xiao Jian patted Xiao Zhan's shoulder and said: "What are you still dazed about? Hurry up and call Brother Hu."

  Xiao Zhan rolled his eyes and said with a friendly face, "Tiger Brother!"

  A rough and hearty young man laughed and said: "My name is Xiao Hu, I am a collateral descendant of the Xiao family."

  After finishing, Xiao Hu introduced Xiao Zhan one by one to his companions beside him. These were all collateral descendants of the Xiao family. Before long, everyone gathered together and started chatting, naturally about this marriage.

  Listening to their conversation, Xiao Zhan shook his head beside them. After a while, he decided to take a walk alone and appreciate the scenery of the Xiao family. Just as he walked to a corner, Xiao Zhan met a handsome man with a hasty expression head-on, and it felt like hitting a wall, and he was knocked out on the spot.

  "Ah!"

  A loud cry of pain, Xiao Zhan directly sat on the ground with a thud, his already weak body contorted in agony. Looking at the culprit before him, he gritted his teeth in hatred.

  This is a man with an exceptionally handsome face, but there is a hint of gloominess between his eyebrows. Looking at Xiao Zhan who was staring at him with a fierce gaze on the ground, he said with concern: "Oh! Little brother didn't hurt you, did he? Hmm? You're Big Brother's second son Xiao Zhan, right? Uncle even held you in his arms back then."

  Xiao Zhan's face was guarded as he said, "Who are you? I've never seen you before."

  The gloomy man pulled Xiao Zhan up and smiled slightly: "I am your father's fifth brother, you can call me Fifth Uncle."

  After he finished speaking, he looked at Xiao Zhan up and down, his eyes making Xiao Zhan feel very strange, as if he was looking at someone who shared the same illness, giving him a chill in his heart.

  He shook his head, and the gloomy man who called himself Wu Shu touched Xiao Zhan's head, with a face full of envy, saying: "Little guy, you're much luckier than me. You have parents who love you, an older brother who cares about you, cherish them well."

  He shook his head again and turned away with a sigh, leaving Xiao Zhan with a bewildered expression.

  "Second brother! Hurry up! The bride is here!"

  At this time, Da Ge Xiao Jian's calling voice came from afar, Xiao Zhan had to gather his emotions and stop thinking about the strange and gloomy man just now.

  The entire welcoming procession was very grand, showing off the Xiao family's demeanor as a prominent aristocratic family. Xiao Jian and his group stood at the periphery for half a day without catching a glimpse of the bride, all with looks of disappointment on their faces. Just as they were about to follow the crowd inside, they were stopped by someone blocking their way. The person who blocked their path was none other than the second steward of the Xiao family, his gaze sweeping over the group with an expression full of disdain.

  "This is not a place you can come to, ladies and gentlemen, please leave."

  But as soon as he finished speaking, he smiled obsequiously and bowed to Xiao Ce, who had just walked past him, saying: "Young Master, please enter!"

  "What do you mean? Why can he go in?"

  Xiao Hu's face changed, and he shouted at the butler, immediately his companions around him also joined in.

  Xiao Ce had a band-aid on the bridge of his nose at this time, looking extremely strange. His cold eyes stared straight at Xiao Jian, and the killing intent in his eyes flashed and disappeared. In the end, he just hummed and left without saying anything.

  Er Gou Jia escorted Xiao Ce away, then turned his head to look at the crowd that was still shouting, and said disdainfully: "You are just a group of collateral descendants, and you are not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Young Master Ce."

  After hearing his words, the group of people glared at him with anger, staring fiercely at him with a menacing attitude. Xiao Zhan, on the other hand, shook his head secretly, thinking that this dog slave dared to be so arrogant, truly not knowing life or death.

  Suddenly, Xiao Zhan's eyes lit up and he exclaimed excitedly: "Dad! Mom! The child is here!"

  Only to see Zhan Wan'er and her husband Xiao Bie Li, who had just returned not long ago, walking towards this side. In fact, the two had already seen Xiao Zhan, seeing him so excited, the two exchanged a smile and quickened their pace to walk over.

  "What are you doing here, boy?"

  The speaker was Xiao Zhan's father, Xiao Bie Li. He wore a purple brocade robe, looking exceptionally majestic and handsome, with a face that was unmatched in beauty, and his smile was full of affection.

  Xiao Zhan laughed happily and said: "Look at the bride."

  Xiao Jian stepped forward with a bright smile and said: "Father, mother is well."

  Zhan Wan'er let out a cold snort and said with a straight face, "You're not bringing your brother out to fight again, are you?"

  Xiao Jian hastily smiled and said: "How could that be? This time, I've brought my younger brother to meet the bride."

  Zhan Wan'er glared at him for a moment, then looked at Xiao Zhan with a warm and gentle gaze: "Xiao Zhan, why don't you go in? What are you doing standing there?"

  Xiao Zhan looked wronged and pulled at the hem of Zhan Wan'er's clothes, saying: "Mother, that guy is blocking Xiao Er, saying he doesn't deserve to go in."

  "What?!"

  Xiao's face sank, and he coldly stared at the second housekeeper, his voice gloomy: "You dog slave, dare to say my son is not worthy!"

  "Master, I... how dare I, this... didn't you see?"

  Er Gou Jia looked at Xiao Bie Li and Zhan Wan Er with a murderous aura, and was so scared that his whole body trembled.

  Damn it! How did he not notice that these two young masters were here? In the Xiao family, you can't afford to offend the eldest young master and the eldest young madam. At that time, even the master of the house won't be able to protect you. Three days ago, Ce Young Master and Mu Young Master were severely scolded by the master of the house just because they offended these two young masters. And he's just a servant, isn't this looking for death?

  For such a dog slave, Xiao Bie Li was too lazy to bother with him. He looked at the group of younger generation in front of the door and smiled: "Let's go, follow me, and see who dares to stop you."

  Two household servants hastily accompanied the smile, sending a group of people in. When they disappeared from view, he touched his forehead and secretly congratulated himself. Fortunately, he didn't do anything excessive just now, otherwise, he would have been beheaded by Young Mistress. As an old servant of the Xiao family, he naturally knew about the heroic deeds of Zhan Wan'er back then. A slave like him could be killed with one sword, and no one would speak up for him.

  Although this was the fourth wife of Xiao's third son, due to the importance of this marriage, the wedding was exceptionally grand and many nobles from the Jade Capital were invited. Seeing today's splendor, both families were overjoyed.

  However, in the place where the Xiao family members were, there was one person who had a gloomy face.

  "One bow to heaven and earth... Two bows to the ancestors... Husband and wife bow to each other!"

  Looking at the couple bowing to each other in the arena, a cold smile spread across his face. Third brother! Why do you have to compete with me for everything? Don't blame your younger brother for being ruthless.

  If Xiao Zhan were here, he would recognize that this person was the fifth uncle who had knocked him down - Xiao Qi.

  Night falls quickly, Xiao Fu hangs lanterns and decorations, the whole wedding banquet enters a new stage, important figures from both families gather together to celebrate this important moment.

  At this time, in a remote house of the Xiao family, the lights were shining brightly. A man wearing a skull mask stood by the window, gazing at the dark night sky, and a faintly discernible chill filled the entire room.

  "Come on in!"

  A cold voice suddenly rang out.

  With a soft creak, the tightly closed door slowly opened, and a handsome young man with an evil aura emanating from his entire body stepped in. He bowed to the skull-masked man by the window and said, "Disciple Xiao Qi pays his respects to Master."

  The skull-masked man turned around, and under the mask, his eyes flashed with a strange light. Looking at his apprentice in front of him, he seemed to be gloating, yet also seemed to be mocking, his tone was exceptionally disgusting.

  "How does it feel to see your beloved woman become your third brother's wife?"

  Xiao's eyes flashed with a wicked aura, his originally handsome face twisted in an instant, and a surge of anger filled his chest. He saw that he clenched his fists, his whole body trembling with rage, staring at the skull-masked man in front of him, he didn't say anything, but anyone could see that he was already on the verge of exploding.

  "Ahahahaha! Very good, very good! Anger! That's it, that's it. The more negative emotions you have, the higher your success rate will be. Hahahaha! Think about it, your elder sister who never loved you, on her wedding night she'll dedicate everything to you. Her soul will even be with you forever, no one can separate you two, what a blissful thing ahahahaha!"

  Xiao's hands clenched into fists, his eyes flashing with a fierce and crazy light.

  "Haha! Go! Your master will clear all obstacles for you."