Chapter 21: The Xiao Family Has a Son, Named Xiao Bei (Part 1)

Xiao Bei thought for a moment, then reached out and grabbed the hand of the Xiao family steward, Xiao Si.

He squeezed it gently, feeling that Xiao Si was not seriously injured, just that his bones were dislocated.

With a bit of effort, Xiao Bei, who had often experienced dislocated bones from martial arts practice on Earth, knew how to realign them. With a "crack" and a "snap," Xiao Si's arm naturally fell back into place.

However, Xiao Bei also knew that this dislocation was due to the severe impact, which had also caused some displacement in his ligaments. He would need some rest and recuperation.

"Steward Xiao, you should go back to your room. Tomorrow, I'll have someone bring you some medicine."

Xiao Si nodded and thanked him before returning to his room under Xiao Bei's watchful gaze.

Xiao Bei, on the other hand, quickly walked a few steps and went to his mother Zhang Lan's room.

After all, he needed to tell her about what had just happened to reassure her.

Sure enough, when Xiao Bei recounted his fabricated adventure and proved that he had reached the Eighth Rank of the Martial Artist realm, his mother Zhang Lan was moved to tears. She kept saying that Xiao Bei had finally made something of himself, and she could now rest easy.

Xiao Bei smiled the whole time.

Seeing that his mother Zhang Lan had accepted his strength as an Eighth Rank Martial Artist, he said, "Mother, you stay here. I'll go check on Yuan'er."

Zhang Lan nodded, "Yes, go find Yuan'er. Xiao Jing said she was sent away, and I'm a bit worried about her..."

Xiao Bei waved his hand, "Mother, don't worry. Yuan'er is a genius and has a high status in the Jiang family. No one in the Xiao family would dare harm her. They probably just tricked her away temporarily."

Just as he finished speaking, he felt Jiang Yuan's aura rapidly approaching.

Soon, the door opened, and Jiang Yuan, her face flushed, appeared in the room. Upon seeing Xiao Bei, she didn't care about the presence of Zhang Lan and others, and flew directly into Xiao Bei's arms.

"Brother Xiao Bei, I'm so glad you're okay, I'm so glad you're okay. That bad man, Xiao Jing, said you were injured by a monster when you returned, and I was so scared..."

As she spoke, her voice trembled with tears.

Xiao Bei felt warm inside and hugged Jiang Yuan tightly.

...

"Xiao Family Library, open."

The steward, Xiao, stood majestically between two black iron doors, loudly addressing the many Xiao family disciples below him on the steps.

The two black iron doors behind the steward each weighed a thousand pounds, making them extremely difficult to push open. These iron doors served as the entrance to the Xiao Family Library, a two-story pavilion.

The pavilion, excluding the top platform, had two floors. The first floor was about three hundred square meters, while the second floor was around one hundred square meters.

At the top of the third floor, a senior could be seen sitting in meditation, like an old monk.

Xiao Bei could sense that this senior was a Martial Artist of the Sovereign Rank, a powerful elder of the Xiao family.

This two-story pavilion was clearly the heart of the Xiao family!

"Rustle..."

As the steward's words fell, the iron doors creaked. The Tianlong guards beside the steward strained to push the doors open.

The steward smiled and looked at the crowd below, continuing, "Today, I have good news for everyone. Ten of our family disciples have earned the right to enter the inner chamber of the family library! Among them are young disciples we are still cultivating, as well as older members who have made significant contributions to the Xiao family and continue to work diligently! Ten of them have the potential to become top-tier experts in the Xiao family. We can imagine how many powerful figures will emerge in the future, dominating the world!"

The steward's words were filled with passion.

However, Xiao Bei also knew that the achievement of having ten disciples with the potential to advance to the Innate Realm was enough to prove the strength of the Xiao family!

In this Wu Kingdom, with a population of several hundred million, there were fewer than a hundred known Innate Realm experts!

Ten people represented a full ten percent of the top-tier experts!

Although perhaps only a few of these ten Xiao family disciples would truly advance to the Innate Realm, that was still a terrifying number!

Seeing the excitement in the crowd below, the steward's face showed a pleased expression. When his gaze swept over Xiao Bei, he nodded slightly at him.

"Now, I announce the ten most outstanding Xiao family disciples! They have the right to enter the second floor inner chamber of the library pavilion first!"

After speaking loudly, the steward turned and nodded to the two guards who appeared at the pavilion entrance after it was opened, saying, "Thank you for your hard work. Please have Elder Xiao Ming deactivate the mechanisms in the inner chamber."

The two guards, both Fifth Rank Martial Artists, said they would do it immediately and then entered the pavilion.

...

"Did you hear? Yesterday, Leader Xiao Li successfully broke through to the Seventh Rank of the Martial Artist realm with the help of a pill and has now reached the Eighth Rank. Next year, he will definitely be able to enter the inner chamber of the family library."

"Really?"

"Of course, but I heard that Xiao Bei and Leader Xiao Li made a bet. Sigh, it looks like Xiao Bei is going to be crippled."

"Shh, keep your voice down. Xiao Bei is right there. We're only Third Rank Martial Artists; we're no match for him."

"What? Xiao Li became an Eighth Rank Martial Artist? Tell me more, how could I not know about such a big event..." Another family disciple chimed in.

...

The mixed voices made Xiao Bei slightly move.

It seemed that the final battle with Xiao Li was inevitable. Even if the steward spread the word, Xiao Li would not back down after seeing Xiao Bei advance to the Eighth Rank. Whether for reputation or other reasons, this Eighth Rank Martial Artist would likely be even more determined to prepare for the bet.

But if you seek trouble, don't blame me.

With his mind made up, Xiao Bei acted as if he hadn't heard the gossip and continued to watch the stage.

The steward turned and signaled the ten most outstanding disciples, who were mixed in the crowd, to come forward.

Soon, someone walked up the stone steps onto the stage. It was a robust young man, his face full of smiles.

Then, another person emerged, a strikingly beautiful woman. Her appearance was alluring, her figure curvaceous yet well-proportioned, and her face exuded pride.

Next, the third person...

Xiao Bei moved through the crowd, and as he did, the previously noisy voices grew even louder.

"See that? This waste of space is so eager, but he doesn't have the qualifications. If it weren't for someone else's pill, he probably wouldn't even have the right to enter the martial arts hall. This time, he'll just watch others enter the library to retrieve books."

"Right, right. This guy just got lucky and managed to enter the family martial arts hall. He was a waste of space before. Look at him, acting like he's one of the ten."

"Ha ha..."

The crowd's mocking laughter was particularly loud.

However, Xiao Bei smiled and walked up the steps step by step.