The middle-aged man was silent. He wasn't in the habit of taking on disciples, but this boy was rather likable.
"Alright then, Xiao Yan. If you can become a Dou Zun before the coming-of-age ceremony of the two young misses, without using any potential-draining elixirs, I'll take you as my disciple."
Xiao Zhan sighed inwardly, knowing this was a polite rejection.
Xiao Yan maintained a respectful expression, though inwardly he scoffed.
'If I could become a Dou Zun, why would I need to take you as my master?'
The middle-aged man waved his hand, throwing a jade pendant to Xiao Yan. One side was engraved with the character "Gu," and the other side with "Saint."
"The coming-of-age ceremony of the two young misses will invite the top powers of the continent. If you reach your goal by then, bring this pendant to the Gu Clan to find me."
Xiao Yan bowed respectfully and thanked "Uncle Gu" again.
"Alright, get up. If you have time, show the two young misses around and help them get familiar with the surroundings."
The boy stood up and directed his gaze to the twin sisters sharing a single chair. Their faces were strikingly similar, though one had twin pigtails and the other had long, straight hair.
The girl sitting closer to him was squinting at him with beautiful wine-red eyes that seemed to pierce into his soul.
Feeling embarrassed, Xiao Yan scratched his head. These twins were more delicate and beautiful than any girl in the clan. Even though he had lived through the information explosion of his previous life, he had never seen such exquisite individuals.
He wasn't even interested in little girls! He could swear to the heavens!
"Alright, Yan'er. Show the two young misses around, but remember to be back by mealtime."
"I understand, Father!"
As Xiao Yan led the twins out of the guest hall, he immediately rubbed his cheeks, letting his previously warm and sincere smile fade, revealing a more serious expression.
Holding the iron plate engraved with the Xuan-tier advanced technique, he glanced at the two girls following him, feeling a headache coming on.
What was there to show around the clan?
He was itching to go back and study the technique!
After walking a short distance, Xiao Yan stopped and adopted a little adult-like demeanor.
"You...," Xiao Yan began, but then he realized he didn't even know their names!
Kurumi blinked. "My name is Gu Mo'er, and she's Gu Xun'er!"
The clear voice of the young girl echoed in his ears, and Xiao Yan's frown gradually relaxed. Suddenly, showing two little girls around didn't seem like such a chore.
Hesitating for a moment, he pointed at Kurumi. "You must be the elder sister, and she's the younger one, right?"
Seeing the little girl nod, Xiao Yan smacked the iron plate with his hand.
"Then let's go to the residential area first and drop off this big black iron piece."
Kurumi nodded, and naturally, Xun'er followed suit, lightly nodding as well. She didn't mind as long as she could stay by her sister's side.
"Alright then," Xiao Yan scratched his head, wearing a helpless expression. "Uh... young misses, please follow me this way."
"Pfft!"
"What's so funny?"
"You're funny."
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose. "Don't they all call you that? You two must have a significant background in your clan, right?"
"It's alright."
Kurumi's lukewarm response left Xiao Yan a bit embarrassed. He laughed awkwardly, turned to lead the way, and thought the little girl was trying to act mature.
Xiao Yan led the sisters to the residential area and quickly hid the big black iron piece in his room. Kurumi and Xun'er followed him inside, looking around curiously, making Xiao Yan feel a bit self-conscious.
Xun'er whispered to Kurumi, "Sister, this room is so small."
Xiao Yan felt a pang of embarrassment. The residential area was quiet, and with Xun'er only two or three meters away, he could hear her words.
"Hmm—" Kurumi drew out the sound, glancing around. "It's okay, but aside from being small, it seems alright?"
Xun'er showed a look of disdain. "It doesn't even have a small lake with a spiritual spring. How am I supposed to play with the little fish?"
Kurumi rolled her eyes. "You're not staying here. Do you also need a courtyard filled with flowers and plants, with Uncle Lin spending a lot of time maintaining it every day?"
"Yes, yes!"
The little girl nodded vigorously. "And I want a Purple Lightning Fox and Ice Needle Mouse too!"
Xiao Yan was bewildered. What were those things? He could understand a garden courtyard, but what were a spiritual spring, Purple Lightning Fox, and Ice Needle Mouse?
Those were the magical beasts Xun'er kept. They were famous for their small size and soft, beautiful fur.
However, they were very aggressive and had nearly gone extinct, hiding in deep mountains.
A few years ago, a member of the clan spent a lot of money and effort to find and train them, eventually making them Xun'er's pets.
Their strength wasn't high, about the fourth tier, with some intelligence. They loved to hang around Xun'er but were very afraid of Kurumi.
Xun'er didn't bring them along to the Xiao Clan, making her feel even more lonely and wanting to stay close to her sister.
As the sisters' conversation grew more animated, Xiao Yan's face showed his confusion.
The mature boy sighed inwardly, realizing that these two young ladies from a great power were talking about things he, a country noble, couldn't understand!
"Uh... how about I take you to the back mountain? There's a beautiful lake there."
Xun'er's eyes lit up at the mention of a lake, and she looked at Kurumi with expectation.
"Alright, let's go."
Xiao Yan agreed, hastily leading the sisters out of his room, feeling he would die of embarrassment if he stayed any longer!
He now felt like he was merely a lackey to these young ladies!
Hearing the chatter of the little girls behind him, Xiao Yan no longer found their voices as clear and sweet. He thought of the Xuan-tier advanced technique and suppressed his impatience.
Kurumi glanced at the small figure leading the way, a faint smile forming on her lips.
She had seen the black ring on Xiao Yan's neck earlier!
She hadn't started cultivating yet, just waiting for the 'Flame Mantra.'
With half of the Golden Emperor's Burning Flame's essence, what rank could the 'Flame Mantra' reach? Xuan-tier advanced? Or even Earth-tier?
For now, it was more than enough for her. Kurumi just needed to wait for time to pass and absorb the essence coming through the barrier.
Once the Divine Flame formed, she would collect one or two more exotic flames, pushing the 'Flame Mantra' to Heaven-tier with ease.
What to do now? Find a secluded place and...
"Thud!"
The boy leading the way suddenly fell to the ground, startling Xun'er. She looked at Kurumi with concern.
"Sister, what happened to him?"