Chapter 117: An Unsolvable Problem

"Uncle, is there no other way?" After a long silence, Xiao Zhan raised his head and said with some bitterness; he truly did not want to use this method.

"You should be clear about it...!" Xiao Han sighed.

Xiao Zhan nodded, his heart full of helplessness; if there really were any other way, this problem would not have been delayed for so many years.

For a time, the two fell into silence. Finally...

"Fine, then let Yan'er be a 'waste' for a few years!" Xiao Zhan said with difficulty.

What the Xiao Clan needs right now is not so-called Dou Zong or Dou Venerate experts, but Dou Saints, or even high-level Dou Saints, who can truly suppress the foundation.

If Xiao Yan stays in the clan and follows the established routine, perhaps he will only be a Peak Dou Venerate for the rest of his life. That legendary realm will forever be out of his reach.

Since others in the Xiao Clan can spare no effort to sacrifice their lives for the rise of the clan, why should he, Xiao Zhan, not dare to sacrifice one son with exceptional talent?

Moreover, as long as Yan'er is not crushed by this burden, then... in the future, he will have the qualifications to fight in the Central Plains on behalf of the Xiao Clan.

"Rest assured, don't be so pessimistic; you must trust that kid, Xiao Yan," Xiao Han consoled.

"But Uncle, what if that Soul Body wants to harm Yan'er?" Xiao Zhan asked worriedly; he was not just being alarmist.

If that Heavenly Soul truly wanted to possess Xiao Yan, the latter would likely be unable to stop it. Furthermore, in Xiao Zhan's view, that Soul Body draining Xiao Yan's Dou Qi was already a tremendous injury to him.

"No need to worry. Do you think possession is such a simple matter?" Xiao Han was noncommittal; on one hand, he knew the identity of Yao Lao.

On the other hand, possession is not an easy task. Not to mention that Yao Lao's soul is currently extremely weak, to the point where he has to drain the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan's body just to maintain his existence.

Xiao Yan's soul is inherently stronger than others by a significant margin; if one were to force a possession, the most likely outcome after success would be a frail soul that simply perishes.

Everyone would be finished together!

Furthermore, there is a compatibility between the physical body and the soul. Once the disparity between the two is too great, the physical body will instinctively reject the foreign soul; the best result would be that one's strength never makes any progress for the rest of their life.

Just for the sake of a so-called genius body, one would have to gamble away their entire life—what fool would be willing to do that?

"Besides, we only need to let little Yanzi sink for five years at most, and that will be enough," Xiao Han said with a smile in the corners of his eyes.

"Five years?" Xiao Zhan exclaimed, "Uncle, isn't this time too long?" He had originally thought that a year or two would be about right; once these five years pass, the best period for cultivation will have almost gone by!

"There is no problem," Xiao Han's tone remained unchanged. "This is just the worst-case scenario; we can still afford to wait five years. At that time, little Yanzi will only be seventeen; I still have the confidence to let him reach the Fighting Emperor level in a short period."

"If that Soul Body still doesn't know what's good for him, I will personally take action to finish him off."

"Then... let everything be as Uncle says!" Taking a deep breath, Xiao Zhan said solemnly.

Indeed, they have plenty of methods to make people improve rapidly, but they had never used them on the younger generation of the Xiao Clan to prevent forcing the shoots to grow.

But when it truly reaches that point, using them occasionally is fine; as long as the goal is achieved, everything is worth it.

"Father, has a solution been found for the problem with my body?" As soon as Xiao Zhan returned, Xiao Yan came before him impatiently and asked nervously.

Regarding the problem of his Dou Qi suddenly disappearing, Xiao Yan was the victim; just thinking about the possibility of truly becoming a "waste" in the future was simply despairing!

"Yan'er... Father will continue to think of ways," Xiao Zhan said in a low voice, the implication naturally being that there were none.

It must be said that Xiao Zhan's acting was quite powerful, perfectly portraying the self-reproach, guilt, and sorrow of an old father.

And Xiao Yan did not doubt him, only feeling even more dejected. Although it was hard to accept, he did not forget to comfort Xiao Zhan: "Don't worry, Father, I will not give up."

Watching Xiao Yan's dejected figure return to his room, Xiao Zhan felt a pang of pain in his heart and muttered to himself: "Yan'er, you must not blame your father!"

On the other side, Xun Er was also feeling a massive headache over this problem of Xiao Yan's; even she had never heard of such a bizarre situation.

Just as Xun Er was anxiously pacing in her room, a black figure appeared before her: "Young Miss!"

The person who arrived was none other than Ling Ying.

"Old Ling, how is it? Have Uncle Xiao and the others thought of a way?" Xun Er asked anxiously, her words completely devoid of her usual elegance; when it concerned Xiao Yan, even with Xun Er's temperament, she could not remain calm.

She had even sent Ling Ying out early to gather information. It was impossible for the gathering of the Xiao Clan's many high-level members to discuss the mystery of Xiao Yan's disappearing Dou Qi to be hidden from her.

Now she could only pin her hopes on the strength of the Xiao Clan; she thought... with the Xiao Clan's many experts, they should be able to figure out the reason for Brother Xiao Yan's Dou Qi disappearance, right?

Xun Er thought this to herself, while her eyes never left Ling Ying, waiting for his answer.

However... she was disappointed in the end!

"Young Miss, Clan Leader Xiao Zhan and the others seem to have found no reason at all..." Ling Ying said with distress. He knew what kind of blow this answer would deal to the girl before him.

Sure enough...

After hearing Ling Ying's words, Xun Er seemed to lose all the strength in her body, collapsing softly into her seat, while murmuring: "How could this be?..."

Regarding Xiao Yan's problem, Xun Er was perhaps the person who cared the most, aside from the former himself.

As early as a few years ago, when a certain little brat snuck into Xun Er's room, the seed of that affection had already been buried, and over these years, it had gradually sprouted... and grown.

If not for this, how could she, a proud daughter of heaven from an Ancient Race, be willing to follow behind Xiao Yan like a little tail, pretending to be silly every day?

And Xiao Yan's talent had also given Xun Er great confidence. To have become a Great Dou Master at only twelve years old—even in the Ancient Clan, which possesses the Dou Di Bloodline, he would be enough to be called a genius, let alone in this Xiao Clan whose bloodline has already dried up. With such talent, how many in the world could compare?

In Xun Er's view, as long as her Brother Xiao Yan continued to maintain his talent, he would eventually become a top expert, be able to gain the recognition of the Ancient Clan, and thus break the shackles of status between them.

But...

All of these dreams, along with Xiao Yan's suddenly disappearing Dou Qi, all turned into smoke and clouds.

Not knowing how much time had passed, the look in Xun Er's eyes suddenly became firm: "It won't happen; Brother Xiao Yan will not just become a waste like this. He will definitely stand up again!"