"A Dou God's descendant, bearer of the perfect bloodline, a Dou Saint before thirty, the only daughter of a nine-star Dou Saint…"
Cold sweat formed down Yun Yun's back, and even her soul shivered.
She didn't know why someone like Gu Xun'er had moved into the Xiao Clan ten years ago.
But with such a connection, as long as the Xiao Clan could make Xun'er show even the slightest displeasure, they'd have enough leverage to erase the Misty Cloud Sect from existence.
She'd actually considered going to the Xiao Clan to kill Xiao Ting in order to silence him. Even without the journal copies, that thought alone was already courting death.
The same realization hit Queen Medusa as well.
In almost an instant, her attitude toward Xiao Ting changed.
"With someone like Gu Xun'er behind him, Xiao Ting can only be befriended—never offended."
Little Fairy Doctor and Qing Lin were just as shocked, though for them it was only shock.
In terms of birth alone, they and Gu Xun'er were as different as cloud and mud.
[On the surface, the reason the Gu Clan sent Xun'er to the Xiao Clan was to seize the Tou She Ancient God's Jade in the Xiao Clan's possession.]
"Whew." Xun'er breathed out a long sigh of relief.
That word "surface" alone proved that Xiao Ting had no misunderstanding of her.
[My evaluation of that reason is that it's foolish, and it further proves that Tian Can Tuo Dou is just a writer who understands nothing about Battle Through the Heavens.]
[In the Battle Qi Continent, strength is paramount. While most regions aren't as extreme as the Black-Corner Region—where might makes right and the weak are devoured—they still abide by a core of strength, merely veiled by rules and institutions that maintain superficial peace.]
[The Xiao Clan, for a thousand years, was also an Ancient Clan—back then there were eight, and among them the Xiao Clan was acknowledged as the strongest, thanks to their ancestor Xiao Xuan, who neared Dou God and was recognized as the mightiest among the Dou God clans. Yet even he could not escape the fate of the Dou God bloodlines dwindling, which triggered a chain of events that followed.]
[Now, the Xiao Clan is scattered across the continent, and their once noble bloodline has thinned further. As for the branch of the mainline in Wu Tan City that holds a piece of the Tou She Ancient God's Jade, their strongest person is but a Dou Grandmaster.]
[If the Gu Clan wanted something from the Xiao Clan, they would have ten thousand ways to secure it without moving personally. They certainly would not debase their clan leader's daughter to steal such a thing. That would be too far beneath them.]
[The secret of the Tou She Ancient God's Jade requires all eight pieces to be gathered before it can be unlocked. Having one or two pieces makes no difference.]
[If the Gu Clan forcibly seized the Xiao Clan's jade, they would put themselves under fire from all sides, giving the Hun Clan an opening to condemn them.]
[Moreover, the Gu Clan and the Xiao Clan are on friendly terms, and such an act would stain the Gu Clan's reputation.]
[There is only benefit and no drawback to leaving that jade with the Xiao Clan.]
[The Gu Clan would only do otherwise if they were controlled by the Hun Clan.]
Xun'er: Brother Xiao Ting is absolutely right.
My coming to the Xiao Clan carried no ill intent whatsoever!
[The Novel never says it outright, but in my view, Xun'er's move to the Xiao Clan was simply Clan Leader Gu Yuan's way of protecting her.]
[The Ancient Clans value bloodline tremendously, and the internal competition within the Gu Clan is intense. Among the young generation's elites, one must break through to Dou Venerate before the age of thirty.]
[At three years old, a child like Xun'er would have been implanted with a seed of the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame, which burns away impurities in the blood and builds a foundation for the perfect bloodline.]
[But for the next ten years, she would not be allowed to cultivate, making her more powerless than an ordinary child.]
[The Gu Clan's environment is hardly suitable for such a childhood.]
[Clan Leader Gu Yuan arranged for her to grow up in the Xiao Clan purely so that she could have a relaxed, happy childhood.]
"Exactly right. Brother Xiao Ting is truly clever."
Xun'er cupped her flushed cheeks in both hands, her smile sweet enough to shame the moon and close the flowers, her big eyes almost speaking.
If Xiao Ting could understand all this, then he would never misunderstand her reasons for coming to the Xiao Clan, nor let that hurt their bond.
Yet in the very next moment, her smile froze. Panic flashed across her eyes and her delicate hands clenched slightly.
[In the novel, Tian Can Tuo Dou even wrote a scene where Cousin sneaks into Xun'er's room as a child to help her temper her meridians with Battle Qi, thereby winning her admiration and much future help on his path of growth.]
[But in reality, this is completely impossible. Xun'er came to the Xiao Clan for a happy childhood, not to be exiled to hardship.]
[Her body definitely harbors life-saving methods left by Clan Leader Gu Yuan, with Dou Emperor, Dou Ancestor, or even Dou Venerate hidden protectors in the shadows.]
[There is no way Cousin, even at a few years old, could slip into her room and touch her.]
[Indeed, that is the case. When I was five, Cousin and I entered Xun'er's room together and were immediately knocked unconscious by a mysterious expert and tossed out.]
[Reality cannot be as melodramatic as the novel. It lacks logic.]
"Whew…" Xun'er exhaled fiercely.
As long as Brother Xiao Ting saw it that way, all was well.
He must not let the nonsense Tian Can Tuo Dou wrote cloud his view.
[In the story, Cousin's reason for entering Xun'er's room was to test the existence of Battle Qi and because he thought she was in pain from being tormented by cold qi.]
[But with the mind of an adult inside him, he couldn't possibly overlook how special Xun'er's identity was. I'm sure he harbored a bit of a probing motive.]
[Hardest hit in that farce was me. As his little tail following him everywhere, and having never got along with Xun'er since childhood, I naturally clashed with her countless times in little spats among the Xiao juniors because of her presence.]
[Yet in the end, that worked out well for me. Clan Leader Gu Yuan could never have imagined that a variable like myself would appear in the Xiao Clan, becoming a squabbling partner and childhood friend to Xun'er and growing up side by side with her.]
[Nor could he have imagined that Xun'er would be utterly single-minded and stubborn. Once she sets her heart on something, not even a Dou God can change it.]
[Once Xun'er sets her heart on me, whether or not I'm willing, I have no choice but to eat this bowl of soft rice.]
"Pfft—"
Xun'er couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter, her smile radiant and charming.
"Brother Xiao Ting is right. This bowl of soft rice that is Xun'er—you're going to eat it whether you want to or not."
"If you have the ability, then everything will fall into place naturally. Xun'er will simply wait for you."
"If you don't, then Xun'er will have to become the strongest in the Gu Clan instead."
"At that point, for the man I want—no one under the heavens will be allowed to stand in my way!"
Very few people in this world could stir Xun'er's heart. Thus, anyone who could stir her heart was someone she had to possess.
Simultaneously, a realization dawned in the hearts of Yun Yun, Little Fairy Doctor, Medusa, and Qing Lin.
Judging from the Novel's structure, Xun'er was highly likely to be the female lead—perhaps even the only female lead.
That Tian Can Tuo Dou was very likely a young man who had never truly had a woman of his own, who liked daydreaming and had little experience with life's major trials.
Otherwise, how could he have cooked up something as absurdly unnatural as: "The number-one goddess of the continent falls in love with the fallen genius from a declining clan who became a waste"?
On the other hand, something like Xun'er and Xiao Ting going from squabbling childhood playmates to sharing mutual affection—
And Xun'er, due to her temperament, pressing forward with a dominant young lady's forced love—
That was quite believable.
[As for me, my mouth isn't as stone-hard as Queen Medusa's. Doctors always recommend that I only eat soft rice.]
[If someone insists on feeding me soft rice, how could I possibly refuse?]
[Next, I'll go cook for Xun'er.]
…
With that, Xiao Ting laid down his brush.
After carefully going over his text a few times to make sure there were no issues, he uploaded and recorded it.
Every line—be it analysis or evaluation, understanding or judgment—came from his sincere and subjective yet also clear-eyed, objective thoughts.
If he'd posted this in his previous world, it would definitely have resonated with countless people.
The real Battle Through the Heavens would never be as simplistic as the novel.
From now on, he would use his eyes and heart to see, and with care and fidelity document everything he witnessed.
"Mm?"
Suddenly, Xiao Ting perceived a new line of information appear in his mind, followed by a flood of image fragments.
"A blessing from the plane itself?"
Once he understood what was happening, one corner of Xiao Ting's mouth twitched.
"So the Great Dao Journal's blessings are this slapdash?"
…