Chapter 314: Exchange

"The Xiao Clan as it is now isn't exactly good, but the situation isn't considered bad."

Xiao Ding continued, "The current Xiao Clan still has several Dou Sheng powerhouses."

This sentence caused Xiao Xuan and Xiao Yan to widen their eyes simultaneously; the former was pleasantly surprised, while the latter was astonished.

Xiao Yan interrupted, "Big Brother, are you saying the Xiao Clan has other Dou Sheng besides Father?"

Xiao Ding nodded and said casually, "They are just low-level Dou Sheng, nothing to make a fuss about."

A smile touched the corner of Xiao Xuan's mouth, "Dou Sheng is already extremely good; there is no need to belittle yourselves."

Are Dou Sheng strong?

By the standards of Xiao Xuan's original vision, he would not have looked upon ordinary Dou Sheng at all; only those at the Seven-Star level or above were worth his slight attention.

But times have changed; the Xiao Clan has declined to this point, the Dou Di Bloodline has been discarded, and the overall talent of the clansmen would definitely show a cliff-like drop, not to mention the lack of various resources.

To be able to cultivate to Dou Sheng in such an environment truly made Xiao Xuan extremely pleasantly surprised. Although these few Dou Sheng are not comparable to the Ancient Race, they can already become a powerful force in the Central Plains.

Xiao Ding continued, "In reality, the true foundation of our Xiao Clan is not these few Dou Sheng powerhouses, but rather..."

The attention of both Xiao Xuan and the other was piqued.

"Our Xiao Clan's Ancestor!"

"That Ancestor who possessed me?"

"That junior named Xiao Han?"

Xiao Yan and Xiao Xuan spoke respectively, realization dawning on their faces.

"Not bad, a Five-Star Dou Sheng is indeed enough to suppress the foundation of a clan." Xiao Xuan nodded in agreement. A Five-Star Dou Sheng is an absolute powerhouse in any Ancient Race, and furthermore, the Ancient Race has a rule that those above Five-Star do not take action; in this way, it can indeed protect the peace of the Xiao Clan.

Yet he had not expected Xiao Ding to smile and shake his head, "The Ancestor is not a Five-Star Dou Sheng; would the Ancestor like to make a bold guess?"

He turned his gaze toward Xiao Xuan, a playful light flickering in his eyes.

And Xiao Xuan did not feel repulsed by this; the stronger the Xiao Clan's strength, the more gratified he felt.

Furthermore, having been bound in the Heavenly Tomb for many years and enduring endless loneliness, Xiao Xuan enjoyed this time spent with his juniors.

He became interested as well, his tone slightly surprised as he speculated, "Not five stars, could it be that he has already reached above seven stars?"

Xiao Xuan considered this answer to be very bold; even in the Xiao Clan of the past, there were only four or five Seven-Star Dou Sheng. To be able to cultivate to this step, even for a genius, required a thousand years of time, let alone in the current destitute state.

And Xiao Yan was already stunned, secretly marveling, "No wonder Father said at the time that being protected by the Ancestor meant one could run rampant in the Central Plains."

A Seven-Star Dou Sheng—in Xiao Yan's impression, apart from the Ancient Race, it seemed no other forces existed; wouldn't that just mean being able to walk sideways in the Central Plains!

However, Xiao Ding still shook his head.

"Then... six stars?" Xiao Xuan thought it was too high and felt a bit disappointed, yet he could understand. Less than a thousand years, a Six-Star Dou Sheng, that was already very good; it was just his own expectations that were too high.

Xiao Ding finally gave up on being mysterious and said with a smile, "Then I will have to disappoint the Ancestor; the current Ancestor is already at the Nine-Star cultivation level!"

As his voice fell, Xiao Ding only felt a silence descend upon the scene. Looking at the two, Xiao Xuan was frozen solid, and Xiao Yan was even worse, his mouth open wide enough to fit an egg.

After a long while, Xiao Xuan spoke with a trembling tone, unsure, "Is it truly... nine stars?"

At this moment, Xiao Xuan thought he was in a dream and was unwilling to wake from it.

And Xiao Ding confirmed it repeatedly, "Reporting to the Ancestor, the Ancestor is indeed Nine-Star without a doubt."

"Haha~" "Hahaha~" "Hahahaha~"

"Nine stars!" "It is actually nine stars! My Xiao Clan shall flourish!"

Unable to help himself, Xiao Xuan laughed like a madman.

Regarding Xiao Xuan's loss of composure, no one showed any strangeness; there was more of a sense of being moved. The most fundamental reason that allowed Xiao Xuan to endure the endless pain of loneliness was his concern for the Xiao Clan.

Back then, Xiao Xuan had staked everything on a single throw but failed to advance to Dou Di. While he himself was severely injured, it also caused the strength of the Xiao Clan's powerhouses to drop at different levels, thereby inviting a massive attack from the Soul Clan, leading to their destruction.

All of this was counted by Xiao Xuan as his own responsibility. Every time he thought that the Xiao Clan might have disappeared into the long river of history because of his own willful actions back then, a strong sense of guilt and sorrow would well up in Xiao Xuan's heart.

The long-term suppression was released all at once upon hearing such good news, causing the latter to discard all the demeanor of a powerhouse at this moment.

"Apologies, I lost my composure for a moment." After returning to normal, Xiao Xuan said calmly. Even with his cultivation, he could not help but feel a bit embarrassed to have lost so much face in front of his descendants.

Changing the subject, Xiao Xuan said, "You came just in time; some things I left for the Xiao Clan will not go to waste."

"Hm?" Both Xiao Ding and Xiao Yan were confused, but they saw Xiao Xuan remove the barrier and walk slowly to the side of the pool.

Xun'er, who had been isolated outside, stepped forward. Although she had some misgivings about what had just happened, she also understood that as a member of the Ancient Clan, it was indeed not appropriate for her to know the secrets of the Xiao Clan.

Therefore, she shook her head gently at the apologetic gaze cast by Xiao Yan, indicating her understanding.

Suppressing the discomfort in her heart, Xun'er's beautiful eyes looked curiously at Xiao Xuan's actions.

It was seen that as Xiao Xuan formed hand seals, the originally clear pool water began to churn, replaced by a blood-red color.

"This is..." The few were puzzled.

Xiao Xuan explained with a smile, "These are a trace of the Dou Di Bloodline I preserved back then, leaving a little hope for the descendants of the Xiao Clan."

"This is all I can do."

Looking at Xiao Xuan, who seemed to have found relief, the eyes of Xiao Yan and the other turned slightly red. Regarding the sacrifices of this Ancestor, no one could remain indifferent.

Before the two could speak, Xiao Xuan continued, "Which of you two will inherit this Dou Di Bloodline?"

The Dou Di Bloodline is a stroke of fortune, but Xiao Xuan did not arbitrarily decide the ownership of this Xiao Clan bloodline, instead leaving it for the two to decide.

Hearing this, the two were stunned for a moment, then began to defer to each other.

"Big Brother, your strength is greater and you can exert more effect; this Dou Di Bloodline should be given to you!"

"Third Brother, that is not right." Xiao Ding retorted, "Precisely because your strength is not weaker than mine, you should be the one to absorb this Dou Di Bloodline; do not let down the Ancestor's good intentions."

"........."

Just like that, Xiao Xuan and Xun'er watched the two pushing the responsibility back and forth with surprise.

"These two little fellows really have a good relationship!" A faint smile appeared in Xiao Xuan's eyes.

With his discernment, he could naturally tell that both of their actions came from the heart and were not in any way a pretense.

And the attraction of the Dou Di Bloodline is known to all; to be able to defer to each other in the face of such temptation, the affection shown by the two was quite approved of by Xiao Xuan. At the very least, the things he had gone to such lengths to preserve would not be obtained by cold-hearted people.

Xun'er also revealed a gentle smile; it was precisely like this that she had spent over ten unforgettable years in the Xiao Clan back then.

However, everything would have a result. In the end, under a series of verbal offensives from Xiao Ding, Xiao Yan was defeated and accepted the Dou Di Bloodline.

That unwilling appearance made Xiao Xuan feel both amused and exasperated; could such a precious Dou Di Bloodline actually be shunned?

And after experiencing a brush with death, Xiao Yan finally began to accept the inheritance of the Dou Di Bloodline.

At the same time, Xiao Xuan was also asking Xiao Ding some questions.

"Can you tell me about the special aspects of this little fellow, Xiao Yan?"

Xiao Xuan had discovered the anomalies in Xiao Yan long ago; he was a Nine-Star Dou Sheng Ancestor who had personally set up protective measures, yet Xiao Yan knew nothing of the Xiao Clan's secret history.

The contradiction between the two made Xiao Xuan keenly perceive the former's extraordinary nature, and Xiao Ding was clearly one of those in the know.

Regarding this, Xiao Ding gave an answer that was unexpected by everyone.