Chapter 81: Xun Er's Shock

On one side, Xiao Zhan and Xiao Han were discussing the future development of the Xiao Clan, while on the other, a group of people who had suddenly appeared in the Xiao Clan gave a certain hidden "illegal resident" a surprise.

Feeling the chill radiating from the dagger pressed against his neck, Ling Ying felt that his luck had been rather poor lately, as the cultivation method that had always been infallible when facing those of the same rank had actually failed him today.

"A dark-attribute cultivation method?" Ling Ying remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the figure holding the dagger.

The opponent was extremely ordinary; if placed in a crowd, he would have almost no presence, but this strength... was clearly not something that could be called ordinary.

"Which faction sent you? Don't give me any nonsense about factions in the Northwest Continent; there are no such high-level cultivation methods here," the person opposite said as such.

Ling Ying's cultivation method had extremely strong concealment properties; if he hadn't run into a peer, he wouldn't have been caught red-handed so easily.

"Your Excellency must be from the Xiao Clan. Please rest assured, I have no ill intentions toward the Xiao Clan."

Ling Ying was now terrified that if the other party were the least bit careless, he would "die before his mission could succeed," so he hurriedly explained.

"I know you have no ill intentions, otherwise you wouldn't be alive right now. Do you think the experts in the clan and the Clan Leader are just sitting around doing nothing?"

The person opposite just sneered and said dismissively.

"Then could Your Excellency please put this dagger away first?" Ling Ying said cautiously.

"Xiao Clan, Xiao Wuye." The person opposite moved the dagger away, toyed with it in his palm for a moment, and then put it away.

"I am Ling Ying, responsible for the guard duties of my young miss." Ling Ying did not hide anything and revealed everything.

"Young miss?" Xiao Wuye muttered, but said nothing more; since the Clan Leader hadn't said much about it, he naturally wouldn't go digging for the truth.

His attack on Ling Ying just now was merely a subconscious reaction born from seeing a skilled opponent, coupled with the fact that the latter's identity was unfamiliar.

"Mind your own behavior and don't run around the Xiao Clan," Xiao Wuye warned again before leaving.

"Sigh, what is all this!" Watching the figure disappear without a sound, Ling Ying let out a long sigh. Life was getting harder and harder every day. He was from a major clan background, after all; couldn't they leave him a little dignity?

……

"Old Ling, where did you go just now?" Xun Er no longer had the obedient and lovely demeanor she showed in front of Xiao Yan, but instead possessed a calmness and maturity that did not match her age.

On her usually gentle little face, there was a hint of dissatisfaction; Ling Ying had appeared a bit slowly today.

"Sigh, Miss, this old servant was discovered again this time." Ling Ying knelt on one knee, gave a bitter smile, and said with some frustration.

"Hmm? Didn't Uncle Xiao let you off?" Clearly, the incident where Ling Ying was rooted out by Xiao Zhan had not been kept from Xun Er.

"This time it was another member of the Xiao Clan who practices a similar cultivation method to mine." Hearing this, Ling Ying felt even more bitter; should he ask the clan for instructions to send someone stronger?

Otherwise, what kind of situation was it to be caught every few days?

"Is it the group that just returned to the Xiao Clan today?" Xun Er caught a scent of something unusual and asked.

"It should be," Ling Ying replied, "After all, I am familiar with the auras of the permanent members of the Xiao Clan, and this one was quite unfamiliar."

"How is that person's strength?" Xun Er's expression was somewhat grave.

"It should be comparable to mine, but he caught me off guard with a surprise attack, which is how he was able to subdue me." Ling Ying felt it was necessary to salvage his image in the young miss's heart.

"Is the Xiao Clan's strength this great?" Xun Er had caught a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg of the Xiao Clan's strength hidden beneath the surface.

"Well, Miss, the Xiao Clan's strength shouldn't be very high, right?" Although Xiao Wuye had defeated him, it was only a sneak attack; that didn't prove anything. As for being caught by Xiao Zhan, was it really so unbelievable for a Dou Huang to be discovered by a Dou Zun?

Shouldn't the Xiao Clan only have that one Dou Zun expert? Even in the Central Plains, their strength was very average, let alone compared to them.

"Think about the cultivation method you practice." Xun Er did not say much, merely offering a reminder.

Ling Ying was stunned for a moment, then suddenly gasped; his cultivation method was an Earth-tier Intermediate one! Not only was he proficient in concealment, but his perception was also not weak.

With similar cultivation levels, that person was actually able to discover and subdue him in one move. Before this, he hadn't sensed anything at all, which meant that the cultivation method and Dou Technique that person practiced were definitely not inferior to his own.

And this was just a Xiao Clan member he happened to run into; if the cultivation methods they practiced were this high-level, what about those at higher levels?

It wasn't that Ling Ying was bragging, but although the Ancient Clan was a major clan with countless cultivation methods and Dou Techniques, there were truly not many that exceeded his in grade.

His cultivation method's attribute was niche, and its rarity was fully comparable to an Earth Tier High Grade; if it hadn't been personally bestowed by the Clan Leader, he would never have been able to learn such a high-level cultivation method in his entire life.

And the Ancient Clan was large with many members, leading to a situation where there were more monks than gruel. Unless your bloodline concentration was high enough, your talent was powerful, you had backing, and your contributions were outstanding, where would you get high-level cultivation methods to practice?

"This shouldn't be; the Xiao Clan has been in decline for a long time, how could they have so many high-level cultivation methods?" Suddenly, the image of the Xiao Clan became mysterious in the minds of both Xun Er and Ling Ying.

In fact, this was just a beautiful accident; although Xiao Han had provided the Xiao Clan with many high-level cultivation methods, there was only one Earth-tier Intermediate one for a niche category like the shadow system.

And Xiao Wuye's cultivation method originated from an adventure in ruins, where he had accidentally obtained the inheritance of a Dou Zun expert who was proficient in assassination.

It was just that, clearly, no one was there to answer their questions at this moment.

"Old Ling, have you investigated the strength of those people in the Xiao Clan today?" Finally, Xun Er decided not to dwell on this issue and continued to ask.

"No," Ling Ying was filled with shame; he had actually failed this mission, truly failing the expectations of the Clan Leader!

"Their strength is very high, I didn't dare to get too close. And..."

He had still been caught.

"I can only sense that the strength and combat experience of this group of Xiao Clan members who recently returned far exceed those of the group stationed at the Xiao Clan; the baleful aura on them is very heavy, they have definitely experienced major battles.

There seem to be a few Peak Dou Zong among them." Thinking of the few terrifying auras he had vaguely sensed, he figured those people were not far from being Dou Zun.

"Peak Dou Zong!?" Xun Er's voice changed noticeably; this Xiao Clan, which was rumored to have already declined, seemed to still have some trump cards.

"However, Brother Xiao Yan doesn't seem to know about this yet, does he?" Xun Er suddenly covered her mouth and chuckled. At this moment, Xun Er suddenly remembered a conversation she had with the little boy Xiao Yan; at that time, Xiao Yan's answer seemed quite cute.

"Brother Xiao Yan, do you know your uncle's strength?" Xun Er asked with a "curious" look on her face.

"Father?" Xiao Yan found it strange that Xun Er would ask such a question, and he knew nothing about it.

After all, he had never seen Xiao Zhan make a move, nor were there any similar rumors, but he still answered based on his guess, "He should be a Dou Wang expert, right?"

What truly innocent children they were!

It wasn't just Xiao Yan; through long-term contact with the group of children in the Xiao Clan, Xun Er discovered that they were completely unaware of the strength of their elders.

Xiao Yan's answer was already considered quite bold; others, even the Great Elder's grandson Xiao Ning, only thought his grandfather was a mere ordinary Dou Ling.

It seemed that the elders of the entire Xiao Clan had collectively blocked relevant information from the younger generation.