"Hmm?"
The three members of the Hun clan—Hun Feng and the others—paused in mild surprise upon hearing Gu Yuan's words.
What did he mean by, "Xiu'er isn't as good as you all"?
Was he saying they were stronger than Hun Xiu now?
Or… was he being sarcastic?
"Uhh… Senior…"
Just as they came to their senses and tried to question Gu Yuan further, he had already walked away with Gu Xun'er, leaving only his distant figure behind.
Hun Yu, watching them leave, murmured softly, "What did Senior Gu mean? That Xiu'er isn't as good as us? That's impossible. Hun Xiu possesses a super divine bloodline—his cultivation talent surpasses all of us."
Gu Yuan was the Patriarch of the Gu Clan, and his status was on par with their own Patriarch, the Hun Heavenly Emperor. Addressing him as "Senior" wasn't inappropriate in the slightest.
Especially in the past two years, since the Hun and Gu clans had formed an alliance, the tension between them had visibly lessened on the surface.
Hun Huan'er muttered thoughtfully, "Who knows what he really meant?"
Hun Feng shrugged, "That's what makes a true powerhouse—every word layered with meaning. 'Xiu'er isn't as good as us'... In what way could he be lacking compared to us?"
The three of them watched Gu Yuan and Gu Xun'er leave, still filled with confusion and doubt.
"In what way is Xiu'er not as good as us?"
They could only ponder this question inwardly. None dared to chase after Gu Yuan to ask directly—he and Xun'er had already gone too far.
And they definitely wouldn't go bother Hun Xiu to find out where he was supposedly inferior. After all, the most important thing right now was to prepare for the upcoming clan competition, which was now less than half a month away.
"Father, shouldn't we go see Brother Hun Xiu?" asked Gu Xun'er as she held onto Gu Yuan's hand, looking up at him curiously.
The little girl had noticed—they weren't heading toward Hun Xiu's courtyard, but instead returning to their own.
Gu Yuan chuckled, "He doesn't have time for you right now."
He knew Hun Xiu must be extremely busy at the moment and wouldn't have the time to entertain a child.
With the clan competition approaching, what Hun Xiu needed most was a peaceful environment to cultivate. Playing with a little girl wasn't exactly on his agenda. That responsibility, for now, could fall to him—Gu Yuan didn't mind.
After all, he was very fond of Hun Xiu. On the continent, he could be considered the model "perfect father-in-law."
"Huh?"
"Why not?"
Gu Xun'er halted, her eyes brimming with confusion and hurt. She looked like she was about to cry, her eyes moist and her voice trembling with a sniffle, "Father… does that mean Brother Hun Xiu doesn't love Xun'er anymore?"
"Uhh…"
Seeing his daughter's pitiful expression made Gu Yuan feel a pang of pain as well. They say daughters are their father's little angels—but she wasn't even grown yet, and already it felt like she belonged to someone else.
He crouched down and gently rubbed her head, looking her in the eyes with a warm smile. "Be good, Xun'er. Your Brother Hun Xiu has very important things to do right now, so he can't play with you. For now, you'll stay by Father's side. Once he's done, he'll come play with you again."
"Really?" she sniffled.
Clearly, the little one didn't fully believe her father's words. Just yesterday, they had played so happily together.
Now suddenly he was too busy? She didn't want to believe it.
"Of course. When has Father ever lied to you?" Gu Yuan said as he gently stroked her head.
But in his heart, he was bleeding a little.
They say daughters are like warm jackets for fathers—but he hadn't had long to enjoy that warmth before she decided to give her affection to someone else.
And the worst part? It was someone he himself had chosen. Just thinking about it annoyed him. Still, since it was his own decision, he had no choice but to see it through… even if he had to crawl.
"Oh…"
In the end, Gu Xun'er chose to believe her father's words.
In Hun Xiu's courtyard, vast amounts of natural Dou Qi were rapidly converging from all directions, swirling into a violent vortex. The wind howled, and the atmosphere was overwhelming.
The astonishing scene caught the attention of many young members of the clan.
Before long, a crowd had gathered outside Hun Xiu's courtyard, gazing at the storm of energy with wide eyes. None of them dared get too close.
A wave of excited chatter began to ripple through the onlookers.
"What terrifying Dou Qi… Just what level has Hun Xiu reached?" exclaimed a chubby boy in black robes, his eyes filled with awe.
This chubby boy was none other than Hun Dan, the first among the young generation to activate his bloodline two years ago.
In those two years, his strength had increased—as had his waistline. He had evolved from a chubby boy to a full-blown butterball, giving off an adorably silly vibe.
"Yeah! The Dou Qi here is forming into a vortex—it's completely engulfing his entire courtyard. This is seriously intense," added another black-robed youth, who was noticeably thin.
Standing beside Hun Dan, the two formed quite the visual contrast—one fat, one thin.
This youth was named Hun Qiu. Why "Qiu"? Because his father had him in old age after many failed attempts, so he named him "Qiu" (meaning "to seek").
"Do you think Hun Xiu could've reached Dou Zun?" someone in the crowd suddenly asked.
The crowd immediately went quiet.
All eyes turned to the speaker, their faces skeptical.
Hun Qiu scowled and looked at her—it was Hun Douluo, a girl wearing a purple dress with twin ponytails. Her features were delicate and her figure graceful; already a budding beauty, and no doubt a true beauty in the making.
Hun Qiu said, "Hun Douluo, what nonsense are you spouting? Dou Zun? Do you think Dou Zun is as common as cabbage on the roadside? Hun Xiu is our age. Why not just say he's a Dou Sheng while you're at it?"
"Hmph!"
Hun Douluo crossed her arms, furious. "Just because you can't do it doesn't mean Hun Xiu can't!"
"Hun Xiu has a super divine bloodline. He was already a Dou Ling two years ago! If we've all become Dou Wangs by now, with his bloodline and cultivation talent, can you even imagine what level he's reached? The resources he gets must be far beyond what we receive. We don't know his limits. So why couldn't he have reached Dou Zun? I think even Dou Sheng isn't impossible."
"Because he's Hun Xiu—the one with the unmatched bloodline. The Patriarch himself and many elders have said Hun Xiu has the potential to become an Emperor!"
"This…"
The young members of the Hun clan, who had been dismissing her words as an exaggeration, now found themselves reconsidering.
If they couldn't do something, did that really mean Hun Xiu couldn't either?
Hun Xiu's bloodline and talent were simply on another level. The kind of Dou Qi he was attracting now couldn't be explained by an ordinary breakthrough.
"Could he really have reached Dou Zun?"
That thought echoed silently in everyone's mind.