Xiao Ning smiled and said, "Speaking of which, it's truly remarkable that you waited three years to ask me, Xiao Yanzi!"
"hey-hey!"
Xiao Yan touched his nose and smiled awkwardly, saying, "Before, when my fighting spirit regressed, even if I knew, what good would it do? Asking would be pointless and only cause more trouble."
"Brother Ning, do you mean Xun'er is from the Xiao clan, one of the eight ancient clans? Then why is she hiding in our Xiao family? Is it like those TV dramas where the parents are killed and the person is hiding from their enemies?"
Recalling the ancient eight clans that Xiao Ning mentioned, including one called the Xiao clan, Xiao Yan also thought of the melodramatic soap operas he had watched on Blue Star in his previous life.
Therefore, he subconsciously assumed that Xiao Xun'er was the fallen young lady from a prominent family who was now hiding in the Xiao family to avoid her enemies.
He even imagined an 80-episode TV series.
Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Xiao Ning chuckled, knowing that he had misunderstood. He waved his hand and said, "You're overthinking it. There aren't that many melodramatic plots!"
"Your little lover, Xiao Xun'er, has quite an impressive background. She was born into an ancient clan, hence her original name, Gu Xun'er. She is the daughter of Gu Yuan, the clan chief, and a true lady of a prominent family!"
"Gu Yuan, the patriarch of the Ancient Clan, is a late-stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng, almost at the pinnacle of the human realm. Apart from Dou Di, he is virtually invincible! Furthermore, he has carved out a space in the Eastern Region of the Central Continent that is comparable in size to the Northwest Region, which is the Ancient Clan's current residence, the Ancient Realm."
"Besides Gu Yuan, the Gu Clan also has three Supreme Elders with the cultivation of Eight-Star Dou Sheng, five Elders with the cultivation of Five-Star Dou Sheng, and a bunch of other Low-Star Dou Sheng. As for those below Dou Sheng, I don't need to say more."
"Looking across the entire Dou Qi Continent, when it comes to the number of Dou Sheng realm experts, perhaps only the Soul Clan can rival them."
Xiao Ning lowered his head and took a sip of tea, his expression calm and composed.
Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat, and his throat bobbed.
In this world, there are those who cultivate their battle qi to the pinnacle, a level that can rival heaven and earth; that level is called Battle Emperor.
Apart from Dou Di, Dou Sheng realm experts are already the pinnacle of human strength.
Now that he suddenly learns that Xiao Xun'er has such a group of top-tier human power behind her, how could Xiao Yan not be shocked?
He said bitterly, "The eight ancient clans are so terrifying, we don't know when we will be able to catch up!"
Xiao Ning nodded and said matter-of-factly, "So, now you know how heavy the burden on your shoulders is, right? You still have a long way to go to gain Gu Yuan's approval!"
"Brother Ning is right. I'm still a long way from being able to marry Xun'er!"
Xiao Yan nodded solemnly.
However, just thinking about Xiao Xun'er made him feel a burning pain in the bruises on his face.
Grinning and grimacing, Xiao Yan pressed on, "By the way, Brother Ning, what is the relationship between the so-called Xiao Clan, one of the Eight Ancient Clans, and our Xiao Family? Are we collateral descendants of the Xiao Clan?"
"The Xiao clan!"
Xiao Ning raised an eyebrow and said, "The Xiao family is the Xiao clan, and the Xiao clan is the Xiao family!"
"Huh? What? Brother Ning, are you kidding me? Our Xiao family, which only has Great Dou Masters, is the Xiao family, one of the eight ancient clans? Are you mistaken?" Xiao Yan thought he had misheard.
Why would I lie to you?
Xiao Ning's eyelids twitched, and he said slowly, "The Xiao Clan was once the most powerful of the eight ancient clans. Our ancestor Xiao Xuan was one of the five strongest beings, with the cultivation of a peak Dou Sheng, and he even had one foot in Dou Di."
"However, in order to break through to the Dou Di realm and continue his bloodline, he exhausted the power of the Xiao clan's bloodline, ultimately failing and rendering the Xiao clan's bloodline unusable."
"Later on, Xiao Xuan was killed in a joint attack by the Soul Clan and many other powerful figures. Under the suppression of the Soul Clan, all the powerful members of the Xiao Clan died in battle, and the family's power grew weaker and weaker until it became a small family with only a Great Dou Master as its top combat force."
As Xiao Ning slowly recounted the story, Xiao Yan listened to an ancient tale.
Xiao Yan sighed with regret, saying, "I never imagined that our ancestors, who once had such a glorious history, would fall into such a state of decline!"
Then, his expression turned somewhat grim, as if he had thought of something, and he asked in a trembling voice, "Brother Ning, is there some unspeakable secret behind Xun'er's arrival at the Xiao family?"
As the saying goes, one doesn't visit a temple without a reason.
It is abnormal for Xiao Xun'er, as the eldest daughter of a clan, to appear in this remote and impoverished place.
After hearing Xiao Ning's account, Xiao Yan learned about Xiao Xun'er and the Xiao family's origins, and a bad feeling arose in his heart.
Xiao Ning nodded: "Actually, your father should know about this, he just didn't tell you!"
"As far as I know, your little girlfriend Xiao Xun'er came to the Xiao family for two purposes. One is that Gu Yuan wanted her to have a happy childhood, so he sent her away from the treacherous ancient world."
"Secondly, it is related to a treasure that the Xiao clan possessed back then. In fact, the decline of the Xiao clan was not unrelated to this treasure!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was stunned and asked, "Treasure? What kind of treasure could possibly attract the covetous eyes of the mighty Ancient Clan and the Soul Clan?"
In an instant, a thought flashed through his mind, and he quickly asked, "Also, Brother Ning, the Soul Clan you mentioned seems familiar to me. It seems that when we were at Yunlan Mountain, you said that Yunlan Mountain was able to break through to the Dou Zong realm with the help of the Soul Hall. Is there any connection between the Soul Hall and the Soul Clan?"
Xiao Ning gave him an approving look, his eyes narrowing slightly: "The Soul Clan is shrouded in mystery, yet they have been plotting a grand conspiracy. They have established a visible force on the continent called the Soul Palace, which searches everywhere for the souls of powerful humans."
"Therefore, the Soul Palace is an affiliated force of the Soul Clan, and the two have a symbiotic relationship. The Soul Clan directly instructs the Soul Palace to do things for them!"
"The treasure that Xiao Xun'er and the Soul Palace have always wanted is the inheritance of the Xiao clan, called the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade!"
Xiao Yan clenched his fists and said hatefully, "So it seems that this damned Soul Clan is the mortal enemy of my Xiao family!"
"As for Xun'er, she..."
Speaking of Xiao Xun'er, his expression became complicated, and he sighed.
Xiao Ning stood up, patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder, and comforted him, "Don't worry. Although Xiao Xun'er came to the Xiao family to find the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade on her father's orders, she didn't cause any trouble. She's not our enemy. Just treat her the way you would normally treat her!"
"Given her status as a young lady from a prestigious family, she's fallen for you, kid. Don't be so stubborn as to do something foolish!"
After being comforted with kind words for a while, Xiao Yan finally nodded, let out a long sigh, and showed a look of disappointment.