A pale-faced young man in luxurious robes shoved his way through the crowd in the Xiao Family market. His eyes burned with undisguised lust as they locked onto Xiao Xun'er's graceful figure.
"Well, well. What do we have here..."
WHAM!
The words never finished leaving his mouth. A figure flashed forward like a phantom, and a simple palm strike landed squarely on the young man's chest. He screamed as he was hurled backward like a broken kite. His lackeys scrambled to catch him and failed miserably, collapsing in a tangled heap beneath their master's weight.
"Oh? Isn't this Young Master Gale Ao?"
Xiao Tian strolled to Xun'er's side, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. He looked down at the crumpled figure with mock curiosity, his eyes cold despite his pleasant expression.
"You're a Dou Zhe too, aren't you? How could you not withstand even a single blow from me?" The smile sharpened into something dangerous. "Did you pour all your Dou Qi into women's bellies and go soft?"
"Xiao Tian!"
Gale Ao scrambled to his feet, his face twisted with fury and humiliation. He jabbed a trembling finger at his attacker. "Don't think you can act so arrogantly just because you've become a Dou Zhe! Be careful, or you'll end up like your useless younger brother. Your Dou Qi might start vanishing once you reach this realm!"
The smile vanished from Xiao Tian's face.
For a long moment he said nothing. The temperature around him seemed to drop. The crowd, which had been whispering excitedly a moment earlier, fell into uneasy silence, and the nearest spectators instinctively stepped back from the pressure that thickened the air.
"You don't need to worry about me," Xiao Tian said at last, his voice dangerously calm. "Worry about yourself."
Gale Ao's expression turned ugly. He clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked. Seeing their master's murderous look, his lackeys spread out and surrounded Xiao Tian and Xun'er with clear malice.
"Stay behind me," Xiao Tian murmured to Xun'er.
He snapped his fingers.
WHOOSH!
A yellow light shot out like lightning, flaring so brilliantly that the onlookers were momentarily blinded. In the span of a single breath, Gale Ao and every one of his lackeys collapsed to the ground, howling. It felt as though their souls were being pierced by countless invisible needles, a pain that bypassed the flesh and burrowed into the very core of their being.
Even Gale Ao, a one-star Dou Zhe, was no match for Xiao Tian's abnormal strength. He writhed on the ground among his subordinates, tears streaming down his contorted face.
"Who dares cause trouble in the Xiao Family's market?!"
The shout rang out from the edge of the crowd. Uncle Payne hurried over with a squad of guards, his expression stern. When he saw Xiao Tian standing calmly while a group of men squirmed helplessly at his feet, he slowed his steps.
"Third Young Master, what happened here?"
"Nothing serious." The warm, disarming smile returned to Xiao Tian's face. "Someone tried to harass a young lady in our market, so I taught him a small lesson." He gestured toward the groaning figures with casual indifference. "Uncle Payne, please have someone 'escort' them back to Gale Family territory so they don't disturb everyone's business."
Payne nodded and motioned for the guards to lift the howling group. As they hauled Gale Ao upright, Xiao Tian tossed over a jade stick and a heavy money bag.
"If Gale Ao causes trouble again, use this dog-beating stick to teach him a proper lesson." His eyes glinted with dark amusement. "And the hundred gold coins are for drinks and food for the men. Consider it compensation for the disturbance."
Payne caught both with a broad grin, plainly delighted by his young master's generosity and foresight.
Xiao Tian took Xun'er's hand, ready to leave, but as he turned, his gaze caught on a handsome young man at the edge of the crowd. The man's eyes flickered with lewdness, and his hand shamelessly slid into the clothes of a passing maid, ignoring the disgusted stares around him.
Xiao Tian narrowed his eyes.
Liu Xi. The alchemist from the original story who had designs on Xun'er. Why is he here, now?
A butterfly effect, perhaps. His appearance in the Xiao Family market was unexpected, but not yet alarming. Xiao Tian filed the information away. He would deal with this hidden threat when the time was right.
"What's wrong, Tian Ge?" Xun'er asked softly, noticing his lingering stare.
"Nothing." He turned back to her with a gentle smile. "Just looking around."
After the disturbance, neither of them felt like shopping any longer. They returned directly to the Xiao Family compound, walking in comfortable silence along the winding paths through the estate's well-kept gardens.
Just before they reached Xun'er's courtyard, a delicate bracelet appeared in Xiao Tian's hand. It was woven from the power of Illusion, and its surface shimmered with a light that shifted and danced like captured starlight.
Xun'er's eyes widened, her usual composure forgotten.
Xiao Tian dangled it teasingly in front of the dazed girl, watching her eyes follow it like a cat tracking a hanging string. "Do you still want it? If not, I'll take it back."
Xun'er snatched it from his fingers with surprising speed. Realizing how eager she had looked, her face flushed a delicate pink. She took a steadying breath, tried to recover her poise, and slipped the bracelet onto her fair wrist, where it settled as if it had always belonged there.
"Thank you, Tian Ge," she said sweetly, her voice soft with sincere gratitude.
Xiao Tian lightly pinched her flushed cheek, his touch lingering a moment longer than strictly necessary. "It calms the mind and helps you focus. Wear it often and it will benefit your cultivation. Now go back and cultivate well. Try to break through to Dou Zhe as soon as you can."
Startled by the intimate gesture, the young lady fled like a frightened rabbit, her voice cracking adorably as she called over her shoulder. "Then... I'll go back first!"
He watched her slip into the shadows of her courtyard, smiling to himself. As he passed Xiao Yan's small courtyard, he noticed that his younger brother had already returned, most likely busy refining the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid with Yao Lao.
Good. Everything is proceeding as it should.
---
Late that night, after the compound had fallen silent and everyone had retired, Xiao Tian slipped out through a side gate and climbed toward the back mountain.
This place, where Xiao Yan's meteoric rise had begun in the original story, carried a special weight for him. His intuition whispered that checking in here would bring excellent rewards. And the mountain's isolation made it perfect for what he was about to do. No prying eyes, no curious ears. Only the stars and the wind would witness his transformation.
At the quiet summit he closed his eyes and extended his spiritual sense in every direction. Only when he had confirmed that no one was within several kilometers did he speak, inwardly:
System. Grant me all my remaining rewards.
A familiar chime echoed through his consciousness.
Ding! All wishes confirmed. Rewards are now being integrated...
The first to arrive was the Boundless Heaven Realm .
The system's voice was calm and clear as it explained. "The Boundless Heaven Realm is not part of the Dou Qi Continent. It lies outside it, a brand-new world born within you, much like a miniature Great Thousand World. Because its host is a native of the Dou Qi Continent, its environment mirrors the continent's. It is small now, but it will grow larger and more solid with each passing day, and in time it will give birth to rules of its own."
The air in front of Xiao Tian rippled, and a doorway of soft light opened and closed at his will.
"For now, the Realm still follows the laws of the Dou Qi Continent, so the host may open its gate anywhere. Once it matures and develops its own laws, it will break free of the continent's rules and will have a fixed entrance."
Xiao Tian nodded slowly. A world that grows with me.
Then the Life Spirit Flame came, followed by the Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning and the Black Demon Lightning . They tore through his meridians like twin serpents of destruction before settling into different parts of his Qi cyclone and his soul. The Black Demon Lightning coiled around the Nine-Colored Lightning already in his body, the two energies recognizing each other as kin of the same elemental lineage.
"The Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning has been placed in the Boundless Heaven Realm beside a Void Lightning Pool. The system has enhanced its power. In approximately ten years it will give birth to a spirit, and when that spirit awakens, it will stand at the Nine-Star Dou Sheng level."
Xiao Tian's breath caught. A Nine-Star Dou Sheng...
That was power enough to shake the foundations of the continent. Even the Hall of Souls and the ancient clans would think twice before challenging such a being.
"The Black Demon Lightning and the Nine-Colored Lightning have fused within your body. You may wield both at once without conflict."
Then the five supreme treasures appeared.
The Heaven Slaying Ancestral Sword materialized before him, the first sword of the Primordial Universe, the progenitor of all blades, born of Punishment and Destruction themselves. Merely looking at it made Xiao Tian's soul tremble with primal terror.
This is not a weapon. This is annihilation given form.
The system's voice, usually so warm, turned solemn. "This sword cannot remain on the Dou Qi Continent. Its presence alone would unravel the fabric of the world. It has been sealed deep beneath the Boundless Heaven Realm. Do not summon it unless you face utter catastrophe. Used recklessly, it could destroy even the Great Thousand World."
Xiao Tian nodded, understanding the gravity of the warning. Some powers were too great to touch. Knowing the sword was there, waiting, was reassurance enough. It vanished into its seal, but he could still feel its presence, a distant weight at the back of his mind.
A faint purple light sank into his right palm, leaving a small pearl-shaped mark that glowed softly before fading into his skin. Knowledge flooded his mind, and an immense gate appeared and fused with his soul.
The Primordial Poison Pearl, and the Heaven and Earth Gate.
Next, a pitch-black cauldron descended and sank into his dantian.
Finally came another sword: the Immortal Slaying Sword, accompanied by the Immortal Slaying Sword Scripture. "This sword is also extraordinarily powerful," the system said. "Its full might is sealed, so that you may carry it in daily life. It will be released gradually as your cultivation rises. Treat it well, and it will serve you faithfully."
The sword faded from view, but Xiao Tian felt it resting in the depths of his soul, patient and eternal.
The system began rattling off the rest of the rewards in rapid succession.
"The Divine-Grade Bloodline of the Xiao Clan. Innate Heaven-Defying Comprehension. The Ancient Heaven Phoenix Wings, with five drops of its essence blood, and a mysterious Monster Egg. Supplies of Nine Nether Yellow Springs Water, the Nightmare Heavenly Fog, the Nightmare Breaking Talisman, and the Heaven Refining Formation of the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint. One million Sound Transmission Stones. One million pieces of shape-shifting Cloud Dream Immortal Gold. One hundred bottles of Physique Pills. The Myriad Soul Banner, which captures souls, and the Soul Stealing Flute, which controls them."
"In addition," the system said, "the system shall now grant you two of the highest-tier treasures of the Dou Qi Continent, and place them safely within your Primordial Poison Pearl. The first is Emperor-tier soul essence. When you break through to the peak of the Heavenly Perfection soul stage, it will allow you to break through directly to the Emperor-tier soul. The second is origin qi. It is for breaking through to Dou Di—it removes the need to rely on any external object for that final step. Both are the highest tier the Dou Qi Continent can produce, and they are now stored within your Primordial Poison Pearl."
Xiao Tian's breath caught in his chest.
"For your safety, one Dou Huang Bodyguard Summoning Card and one Dou Zong Bodyguard Summoning Card have been provided. Use them wisely."
Then came something that stopped his heart.
Emperor-tier soul essence.
His soul was his greatest weapon—the foundation of his alchemy, his perception, his control over fire, his very ability to sense danger before it struck. But the soul, like Dou Qi, had its limits. The Heavenly Perfection stage was the ceiling for most soul cultivators in the world. Beyond that lay the Emperor tier, a realm so rare that only a handful in the continent's entire history had ever touched it.
And now the key to that threshold was in his hands.
If I can break through to the Emperor-tier soul… no one below the peak of the continent could threaten me in the realm of the soul.
Then his thoughts turned to the second treasure, and his heart pounded even harder.
Origin qi.
For breaking through to Dou Di.
Dou Di. The pinnacle. The end of the road that every cultivator on the Dou Qi Continent dreamed of and almost none ever reached. For a thousand years, no one had become a Dou Di. The last one, the Ancient Emperor Tuoshe, had vanished into legend, leaving behind only his tomb and his legacy.
The reason no one had ascended was simple: to break through to Dou Di, one could not simply cultivate harder. One needed a catalyst—a force of origin so pure that it touched the very foundation of the world. Emperors of old had spent their entire lives searching for that catalyst.
And now, sealed within his Primordial Poison Pearl, was enough origin qi to forge an emperor.
Xiao Tian's lips parted, and a slow, disbelieving laugh escaped him.
"I thought… I thought I would have to scramble for fragments of Tuoshe's legacy, to fight the ancient clans and the Hall of Souls for scraps of Emperor Pill resources." He shook his head. "And now the system just… hands me the final key?"
"The system transfers all memories and Dou Techniques of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint, along with his blood essence and soul essence, stored within the high-grade Yellow Spring Ring."
A ring settled onto his finger.
"The system also grants the complete inheritance of a Nine-Grade Golden Tier Alchemist, along with the Purple Abyss Cauldron and the Myriad Life Gourd, filled with rare herbs, pill formulas, and finished pills. The host is officially recognized as this Alchemist's sole disciple."
Xiao Tian swayed, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information. His soul felt stretched to its limit, forced to absorb centuries of accumulated wisdom in a matter of seconds.
The Purple Abyss Cauldron, third on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking. Once a strange purple stone, it became a cauldron after absorbing thousands of years of sun and moon essence.
"And as you wished," the system continued, "the Chaos Saint Cauldron, the most powerful divine cauldron of the Great Thousand World, now rests within your Primordial Poison Pearl."
Its tone grew serious, signaling a shift.
"Regarding the Burning Heaven Spiritual Fire : it is currently the most powerful divine flame of the Great Thousand World. After Xiao Yan becomes Flame Emperor there, it will fall to second place. Its power will remain at the Emperor Flame's level, but it will lack the Emperor Flame's authority to command other flames. That is its only weakness.
"You are already its recognized master. However, it is a true Divine Flame bound to the structural matrix of the Great Thousand World. Forcibly extracting it from the Volcanic Continent at this stage would trigger a catastrophic spatial collapse and draw severe backlash from that world's sovereign powers."
Xiao Tian nodded. He had expected this obstacle.
"So the flame remains anchored where it is, awaiting your arrival. Because your soul blueprint has already been acknowledged as its master, its boundless origin will return to you willingly when you approach it in person."
Then it is a matter of patience.
"The system keeps its promises. To ensure your dominance on the Dou Qi Continent, it has created a new flame by merging the Void Devouring Flame with the Purifying Lotus Demonic Flame: the Pure Lotus Devouring Flame ."
A black-and-white flame flickered to life in his palm, twin colors twisting around each other without ever mixing.
"It has no fixed shape, but when it is unleashed, an illusory lotus of black and white blooms around it. It possesses every ability of both parent flames and far greater potential. Even in the Great Thousand World, it could rank among the top five. But the Dou Qi Continent cannot support two flames in the top three, so you cannot use it here. You may use it freely within the Boundless Heaven Realm, and you may grant its seed flame to others so that they can wield it on the continent."
The flame hovered, small and bright.
"It is newly created and in its nascent form, with only the power of a Dou Zong. To help it evolve, the system has raised a volcanic mountain inside your Realm, rich in fire energy. In about ten years, the flame will break through to an Eight-Star Dou Sheng and give birth to the spirit of a Heavenly Flame. Within that same volcano, a new flame has been born: the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame. And the system found another new Bone Chilling Flame on the Northern Ice Plane, and the system gave that flame to you. Now these two new flames are yours.
"Host, the flames, the lightning, and the Divine Water have already merged with you. There is no need to refine them manually."
"A flame user must unite with their flame through their Qi method. Though you now hold many Heavenly Flames, the Life Spirit Flame will serve as your primary one. The Pure Lotus Devouring Flame, the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, and the Bone Chilling Flame remain fused within your dantian."
Xiao Tian felt the Life Spirit Flame stir within him. It had already fused with the Yellow Spring Demonic Scripture, becoming the stable core of his Qi method, a foundation on which everything else would be built.
"The system has also granted three Mysterious Gifts. They will open only when you reach the Tian Xuan Continent. One is already at work, and in time, the host will understand each gift as it reveals itself."
There was a pause. When the voice returned, it was softer, almost tender.
"All rewards have been successfully granted. All ten wishes are fulfilled. Host, take care of yourself. Goodbye~"
The chime faded.
Xiao Tian stood alone on the mountain peak. Boundless power surged through his dantian, and his soul felt nearly indestructible. A whole new world now existed inside his body, waiting to grow.
A confident smile spread across his face as he looked up at the stars.
"The path of the Boundless Heaven Emperor... truly begins now."