The thread of dense, fire Dou Qi from Clan Leader Xiao Zhan snaked downward, passing smoothly through the impossibly wide, reinforced meridians of the youth. It dove deeper into the dark expanse of Yoriichi's internal body, finally reaching the gateway of the Dantian.
Xiao Zhan, maintaining his focus, carefully pushed his perception through the threshold. As a 5-Star Da Dou Shi, he had inspected the internal foundations of hundreds of youths. He expected to find the standard and solid foundation of a newly advanced 1-Star Dou Zhe: perhaps a high spinning cloud of gaseous energy.
The moment his perception entered Yoriichi's Dantian, Xiao Zhan's mental projection nearly recoiled.
It was not a sluggish cloud. It was a roaring, hyper-compressed engine.
The milky-white cyclone was spinning at a terrifying, breakneck velocity, generating a gravitational pull that felt unnervingly heavy. The sheer density of the gaseous Dou Qi was absurd; it was packed so tightly that it bordered on the verge of liquefaction—a state usually reserved for cultivators approaching the Dou Shi realm, not a boy who had just broken through hours ago.
'Heavens above... his foundation isn't just solid; it's monolithic,' Xiao Zhan thought, his awe deepening.
He carefully maneuvered his earthy Dou Qi closer to the cyclone to identify its elemental affinity. As he drew near, the intense centrifugal force of the vortex threatened to strip his probing energy away. He observed the aura. It was a blinding, pristine milky-white. Absolute neutrality. There was no trace of the faint, greenish hue of the Wood attribute that Xiao Ning used to possess.
'Attribute-less. Completely scrubbed clean,' Xiao Zhan analyzed. 'But how?'
He pushed his perception just a fraction of an inch closer to the core of the vortex.
Suddenly, his earthy Dou Qi registered a sharp, stinging sensation, like touching a red-hot branding iron. Xiao Zhan focused his Inner Vision entirely on the center of the spinning white storm.
There, buried deep within the blinding white fog, were sparks.
They were incredibly faint, sparse, and few in number—like microscopic, glowing threads woven into the fabric of the cyclone. But their color was unmistakable. They were a brilliant, burning gold.
And they radiated an ancient, primordial heat that felt distinctly different from ordinary fire. It didn't feel like the destructive, wild flame of a magical beast; it felt pure, authoritative, and utterly absolute.
Xiao Zhan was thoroughly stunned. He lingered for another full minute, observing the golden threads to ensure they weren't remnants of an internal injury or a hidden poison. They were not. They were a fundamental, symbiotic part of the boy's mutated Dou Qi.
Having confirmed his suspicions, Xiao Zhan simultaneously cut his Dou Qi flow and smoothly withdrew his hand from Yoriichi's shoulder.
The heavy, oppressive silence in the Grand Assembly Hall broke.
Seeing the Clan Leader step back without a single flare of aggressive Dou Qi, First Elder Xiao Lu exhaled a long, heavy breath. The killing intent that had been secretly boiling in his veins immediately dissipated, his shoulders dropping in relief.
Beside him, Xiao Yu let out a quiet sigh, her hands finally releasing their death grip on her skirt. There was no unpredictable sabotage; there was no dangerous situation.
Xiao Zhan did not speak immediately. He wore a deeply contemplative expression, his thick brows knitted together as he turned his back on Yoriichi and walked slowly up the short flight of stairs toward his central throne.
The elders exchanged bewildered, curious glances. What had the Patriarch seen that left a seasoned Da Dou Shi at a complete loss for words?
Xiao Zhan sat down heavily in his armchair, resting his elbows on the cracked armrests and steepling his fingers. Yoriichi remained standing in the exact center of the jade floor, his posture flawless, waiting with the infinite patience of a stone statue.
Finally, Xiao Zhan opened his mouth. His voice was loud enough to carry to every corner of the hall.
"It seems," Xiao Zhan began, choosing his words with immense care, "that mysteriously, or perhaps unpredictably, your previous Wood attribute has completely vanished."
A collective gasp echoed through the hall. Cultivators did not simply lose their innate attributes. It was tied to their very soul and biology. To have it scrubbed clean was unheard of.
"Your Dou Qi cyclone," Xiao Zhan continued, his lion-like eyes locking onto Yoriichi, "is currently radiating a pure, attribute-less white aura. However... buried within the core of that cyclone, there are distinct golden sparks. Threads of an entirely different nature."
This time, the elders couldn't contain themselves. They broke into fervent, hushed whispers. Even First Elder Xiao Lu leaned forward, his eyes wide with shock. Golden Dou Qi? In the vast annals of the Dou Qi Continent, golden energy was exceedingly rare. It was the stuff of legends, often associated with heavenly phenomena or ancient, lost bloodlines.
Xiao Zhan coughed loudly, a sharp sound that instantly silenced the murmuring elders.
"As you all know," Xiao Zhan stated, his tone firm, "Xiao Ning has proven himself to be a monstrous talent. His cultivation speed over the past month defies logic, and I can personally verify that his Dou Cyclone is terrifyingly dense. His foundation is flawless. As for this strange golden attribute..."
The Patriarch paused, tapping his index finger against his lips.
"I cannot be entirely certain. It could be a manifestation of the extremely rare Gold/Metal attribute, which grants unparalleled offensive cutting power. Or, judging by the latent heat I sensed, it could be a mutation of extreme Pure Yang fire. But currently, the vast majority of your cyclone remains white. I do not know what it will evolve into once you practice a Qi Method."
He looked directly at Yoriichi's stoic, unreadable face.
"Xiao Ning, when you enter the Dou Ji Pavilion, you may choose any Pure Yang or Gold attribute Dou Qi Method. Our Xiao Clan has a few High Yellow-Class scrolls of these affinities that might suit this strange mutation."
Xiao Zhan paused again, his expression softening from that of a rigid Patriarch to a wise, experienced senior.
"But ultimately, it all depends on you," Xiao Zhan admitted, a rare moment of vulnerability for a Clan Leader.
"I cannot sit here and claim I know everything about the heavens and the earth. I can only offer suggestions that might be good or bad for your unique path. You must observe your own internal energy. When you stand before those ancient scrolls, choose the one that resonates with your heart and your instincts. But choose wisely. A Qi Method is a lifelong companion."
Yoriichi stood quietly, his crimson eyes analyzing the Clan Leader's words.