In the Xiao Clan Village, inside Xiao Tianxiong's home...
"Ye'er!" Xiao Tianxiong beamed, his face glowing with pride. At the Marriage Selection Assembly, Xiao Ye had single-handedly dominated his peers, winning immense honor for their village. The spectacle of Shi Zhan and Wu Lion fighting over Xiao Ye as a potential son-in-law only added to his delight. Finally, our village has a true prodigy.
"I want to ask," Xiao Tianxiong began curiously, "how did you suddenly breakthrough to the Posterior Heaven Realm?"
Xiao Ye's eyes flickered. He'd prepared this answer long before returning: A dream. During his three-month coma, he'd "trained" in his sleep. It was the safest explanation—no one could question a dream. The existence of the Time Tower was an absolute secret.
"A dream?" Xiao Tianxiong blinked, baffled. After a long pause, he sighed. "The True Spirit Continent is vast and strange. I won't pry further."
"But…" Xiao Tianxiong hesitated, then bowed deeply. "I owe you an apology for giving the Jiaoshe Blood to Xiao Teng."
Relieved that the topic was dropped, Xiao Ye relaxed. "No need, Grandpa. If I hadn't used it, the blood's energy would've faded anyway. I'd have broken through regardless."
Xiao Tianxiong laughed heartily, his worries melting away. This boy isn't just talented—he's wise beyond his years.
"Since you've entered the Posterior Heaven Realm, come. I'll take you to the Clan's Technique Repository. From now on, all its scrolls are yours."
Xiao Ye's heart raced. Posterior Heaven techniques! With his current cultivation, the basic Fierce Tiger Fist felt inadequate. A warrior's power depended on matching techniques.
The Repository
The "repository" was a simple stone house, guarded day and night.
"Elder!" The guard saluted as Xiao Tianxiong entered.
Inside, shelves lined with scrolls glowed faintly in the dim light. Xiao Tianxiong picked five scrolls, placing them on the table. "These are Posterior Heaven techniques. Any one of them can carry you to the External Cultivation Realm."
Xiao Ye flipped through them:
Dripwater Skill: Cultivates Qi through five meridians, steady as flowing water.
Mang Niu Strength: Uses six meridians, explosive power.
...
Harmony Origin Skill: Uses nine meridians, yielding unyielding Qi.
"Why do the techniques require different numbers of meridians?" Xiao Ye asked.
"The more meridians you use, the purer the Qi," Xiao Tianxiong explained. "But harder to master."
Xiao Ye nodded. Like rivers—more channels mean more capacity, but demand more water.
"Master the Nine-Meridian Harmony Origin Skill, and you'll stand atop our village," Xiao Tianxiong urged. "But it's grueling. Start with Mang Niu Strength."
Xiao Ye picked up Harmony Origin Skill instead. "I'll try this."
"Foolhardy!" Xiao Tianxiong snapped. "You'll waste years!"
But Xiao Ye's resolve was unshakable.
The Battle Technique
In a hidden compartment, Xiao Tianxiong retrieved a yellowed scroll: First-Rank Technique: Great Splitting Palm.
Requirement: Eight Meridians Cultivation.
Only Harmony Origin Skill met this—and Xiao Ye had chosen it.
"May this forgotten technique find its master in you," Xiao Tianxiong said solemnly.
Back home, Xiao Ye locked himself in his room. Dream Training? He smirked, recalling Xiao Tianxiong's confusion.
Opening Harmony Origin Skill, he memorized the meridian pathways. Then, sitting cross-legged, he activated the Time Tower's mark.
Time Tower, First Floor
"Begin!"
Xiao Ye guided his Qi into the first meridian. Crack! It sealed.
Second. Third. Fourth…
By the ninth meridian, his Qi felt thread-thin. It's exhausting, he thought. But the reward? Unmatched power.
He began the Qi cycle. Round and round, each loop amplifying his strength.
Xiao Clan Village, Xiao Ba's Home
SMASH!
Xiao Ba's fist shattered a table. "All my efforts for Xiao Teng… yet that waste's son surpasses him!"
His eyes glinted. "The Blood Wolf Gang will crush him. Xiao Clan Village will be mine!"
Two hours later, he stood before the Blood Wolf Gang's stronghold—a jagged peak dubbed Ox Horn Mountain.
"Agreed," growled Liu Er, the gang's second-in-command. "But if Xiao Ye survives, you'll regret this."