A pale-faced young man in luxurious clothes pushed through the crowd, his eyes burning with lust as they locked onto Xiao Xun'er.
"Ah—!"
Before he could utter another word, a figure flashed forward. A palm struck out, and the young man screamed as he was sent flying like a broken kite. His lackeys rushed to catch him, but none succeeded — he crashed heavily onto the ground.
"Oh? Isn't this Young Master Gale Ao?" Xiao Tian walked to Xiao Xun'er's side with a faint smile. "Aren't you also a Dou Practitioner? How could you not even withstand a single blow from me? Did you waste all your Dou Qi on women's bellies and turn it soft?"
"Xiao Tian!" Gale Ao scrambled to his feet, face twisted in rage. He pointed furiously. "Don't think that just because you've become a Dou Practitioner, you can act arrogant! Be careful, or you'll end up like your useless younger brother — your Dou Qi might start disappearing after reaching this realm!"
"You don't need to worry about me," Xiao Tian replied calmly. "You should worry about yourself right now."
Gale Ao's face turned gloomy. He clenched his fists until they cracked. Seeing their young master's ugly expression, his subordinates smartly spread out and surrounded Xiao Tian and Xiao Xun'er with malicious intent.
"Protect yourself," Xiao Tian said softly to Xun'er.
He snapped his fingers.
Whoosh—!
Silver light shot out like lightning. In an instant, Gale Ao and all his lackeys collapsed to the ground, howling in agony. Their souls felt as if they had been pierced by countless needles — the pain was unbearable. Even Gale Ao, a one-star Dou Practitioner, was no match for Xiao Tian's abnormal strength and was taken down in a single strike.
At that moment, a loud shout came from the crowd:
"Who dares cause trouble in the Xiao Family's market?!"
Uncle Payne hurried over with a group of guards. Seeing Xiao Tian standing calmly while a group of people writhed on the ground, he quickly approached.
"Third Young Master, what happened?"
"Nothing serious. Someone tried to harass a young lady in our Xiao Family market. I just taught him a small lesson," Xiao Tian replied with a smile. "Uncle Payne, please have someone 'send' them back to the Gale Family's territory so they don't disturb everyone's business."
Payne nodded and immediately ordered his men to carry the howling group away. As they lifted Gale Ao, Xiao Tian tossed over a jade stick and a money bag.
"If Gale Ao causes trouble again, use this dog-beating stick to teach him a harsh lesson. As for these one hundred gold coins — treat everyone to drinks and food."
Payne caught both items with a grin.
Xiao Tian took Xun'er's hand, ready to leave. But his gaze suddenly landed on a rather handsome young man in the distance. The man's eyes occasionally flashed with lewdness as his hand reached shamelessly into the clothes of a nearby maid, completely ignoring the people around him.
Xiao Tian narrowed his eyes. Liu Xi… the alchemist from the original story who had ill intentions toward Xun'er. Why is he appearing here now?
Butterfly effect, perhaps. It didn't matter — he would deal with this hidden threat when the time came.
Xun'er noticed Xiao Tian staring and asked softly, "What's wrong, Tian Ge?"
"Nothing, just looking around casually," he replied with a gentle smile.
After the disturbance, neither of them felt like continuing to shop. They returned straight to the Xiao Family compound.
Before reaching Xun'er's courtyard, a delicate women's bracelet appeared in Xiao Tian's hand — created from illusion power turned real through the Dream God Art.
Xiao Xun'er's eyes widened as she stared at the beautiful bracelet.
Xiao Tian waved it teasingly in front of the dazed girl. "Do you still want it? If not, I'll take it back."
Xun'er immediately reached out and snatched it. Realizing how eager she looked, her face turned slightly red. She took a deep breath, then gracefully slipped the bracelet onto her fair, delicate wrist.
"Thank you, Tian Ge," she said sweetly.
Xiao Tian gently pinched her slightly flushed cheek. "This bracelet has a calming and focusing effect. Wearing it regularly will benefit your cultivation. Alright, go back now and cultivate well. Strive to break through to Dou Practitioner as soon as possible."
Startled by the intimate gesture, the young lady fled like a frightened rabbit, her voice breaking cutely. "Then… I'll go back first…"
Watching her retreating figure, Xiao Tian smiled softly. He passed by Xiao Yan's small courtyard and noticed his brother had already returned — probably busy cultivating the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid with Yao Lao.
Later that night, after everyone had gone to rest, Xiao Tian headed toward the back mountain. This place, the birthplace of Xiao Yan's rise in the original story, felt special to him. His intuition told him that checking in here would yield excellent rewards.
Arriving at the quiet summit, he carefully sensed his surroundings. After confirming no one else was around, he spoke inwardly:
"System, grant me all my remaining rewards!"
"Ding! All wishes have been fulfilled. Rewards are now integrating…"
A surge of power erupted within Xiao Tian's body.
The Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Flame, and Infant Fallen Heart Flame appeared as three tiny, distinct infant flames. They merged with his body separately — one by one — settling peacefully in different parts of his Qi cyclone and soul without interfering with each other.
Three supreme soul artifacts materialized in his mini realm that was merged with his body: the Soul Burning Zither, Soul Piercing Needle, and Soul Stealing Flute.
The Heaven Breaking Ancestral Sword , Heaven Devouring Cauldron, and World Piercing Needle floated within his Mini Realm.
The World Piercing Needle fused into his spatial awareness.
His personal Mini Realm opened like a complete miniature Dou Qi Continent, vast and full of potential, growing stronger as he did.
Finally, the Eternal Dreamweaver Soul Body resonated perfectly with his physique, while the system also granted him the experience and knowledge of a Rank 9 Golden Tier Alchemist.
"Ding! Host, the three flames have already merged with you. You do not need to refine them manually. However, you cannot fully use the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame yet — it is the real Pure Lotus Demonic Flame of the Dou Qi Continent, but the system has sealed most of its power. You must reach at least the Dou Sheng realm to control it completely, and a Dou Huang Body guard summoning card appeared, and one Dou Zong Body Guard summoning card.
I suggest you collect all parts of the Pure Lotus Demonic Flame map for a clearer understanding of this flame.
All ten wishes have been fulfilled. Host, take care of yourself. Bye~"
Xiao Tian stood on the mountain peak, feeling the boundless power surging through his veins. Three distinct Heavenly Flames burned quietly inside him. His soul had become nearly indestructible, and a brand-new world existed within his body.
A confident smile appeared on his face.
"The Dreamweaver Emperor's path… truly begins now."