"A four-star Dou Ling, with a soul at the early stages of the Heavenly State... Heh, but what use is it? It cannot bring Xiao Wu back."
Xiao Lin sat by his wife's coffin, his face devoid of the joy one might expect after gaining such transcendent power. Instead, it was etched with a profound, lingering sorrow.
Her death was his greatest knot. Xiao Wu had been a commoner, frail from birth, and the constant anxiety for his safety during the war had depleted her remaining strength. She had died from complications during labor, unable to hold on long enough to see him return.
Even with his awakened Suhui (Innate Wisdom), Xiao Lin was consumed by guilt. If I hadn't gone to war... if I had stayed by her side, perhaps she would still be here.
He stayed by her side for days, neither eating nor drinking, lost in a silent vigil of grief. It wasn't until the current Clan Head, Xiao Dongcheng, arrived carrying a newborn baby that Xiao Lin finally stirred. It was the son he hadn't yet dared to look at.
"Xiao Lin," Xiao Dongcheng said, his voice heavy with concern. "You are the future head of the Xiao Clan. I know your heart is broken, but the dead cannot return. We, the living, still have duties to fulfill. Are you going to abandon your own son?"
At first, Xiao Lin didn't react. But when the word "son" reached his ears, a faint spark finally flickered in his hollow eyes.
"My... my son? Xiao Zhan?"
His voice was rasping and dry. Had it not been for the Dou Qi sustaining his body, his hunger strike would have claimed him already. He knew the name because they had chosen it together before he left: If it is a boy, let him be named Xiao Zhan.
Xiao Dongcheng hurried to place the infant in his arms. As Xiao Lin's trembling hands cradled the small, warm life—a child who shared his features—the withered garden of his heart finally felt a drop of rain.
Xiao Dongcheng was right. A child who had lost his mother at birth could not afford to lose his father too. For his son, he had to stand up.
"I understand, Clan Head," Xiao Lin said, his voice gaining a shred of resolve. "I will pull myself together."
In the months that followed, Xiao Lin personally handled the funeral rites and went into a period of quiet reflection. The Emperor, sensing his grief, granted him an extended leave from military duties.
During this time, the pieces of his "Innate Wisdom" finally clicked into place.
When he first realized he lived in the Jia Ma Empire, he suspected he was in the world of Doupo (Battle Through the Heavens). But it wasn't until he looked at his son, Xiao Zhan, that the terrifying truth hit him.
I am Xiao Lin. The "Background Ancestor."
In the original story, Xiao Lin was a mere footnote—the man who led the Xiao Clan to the capital and set up the arranged marriage for his grandson, Xiao Yan. He was supposed to die from injuries sustained in a fight with an enemy ten years before the main story even began. By the time the "Flame Emperor" started his journey, Xiao Lin was just a yellowed grave.
The thought sent a chill through his bones. But then, he remembered his "cheat code."
He had awakened a Heavenly State (Tian Realm) Soul.
In this era, a Heavenly State soul was an anomaly. Even many Dou Shengs (Dou Saints) never reached such a spiritual height. Combined with his four-star Dou Ling cultivation, his combat prowess was now terrifying. He could stand his ground against a mid-to-low-level Dou Zong (Dou Ancestor) without breaking a sweat.
My goal now is to survive until the finale, Xiao Lin mused in his courtyard. I'll hold onto the thighs of my grandson, the future Flame Emperor, and follow him to the Great Thousand World.
However, to live that long, he needed to be more than just "strong." He needed to be "overpowered."
As he tested his current cultivation, he realized his biggest obstacle: his Qi Method.
"Starlight Record... a low-level XuanTier method. Even if I train at night to boost its efficiency to mid-level, it's too common," Xiao Lin sighed. "With this, my limit is the Dou Huang or Dou Wang realm."
In the Northwest Continent, a Dou Huang was a king. Currently, the Yun Lan Sect and the Imperial family each only had one. But Xiao Lin knew the future threats—the Hall of Souls, the ancient clans. A Dou Huang was an ant to them.
He needed a higher Qi Method. But where? The Imperial family and Yun Lan Sect only guarded High-Level Xuan Tier methods, which they wouldn't give away, and even those were "trash" compared to what he needed.
"There is only one choice," Xiao Lin whispered, his eyes flashing with the light of his Heavenly State soul.
"If there is no path, I will carve one. I will use this soul to deduce and create my own Qi Method."
With a Heavenly State soul as his foundation, he wasn't just a cultivator anymore. He was a Creator. He didn't just want a Xuan Tier or Earth Tier method—he wanted something perfectly suited for the Xiao bloodline.