Battle Through the Heavens: Achievement System at the Start

The two walked out of the Xiao family's gate and slowly disappeared at the end of the street under the respectful gaze of the family guards. Perhaps they did not know that the two young masters of the Xiao family might not be able to return for a very long time.

At this moment, in the center of the square in Wutan City, outside a large green tent, stood a young girl with a furrowed brow and a hint of melancholy, gazing at the distant sky.

The girl's eyes revealed a deep sense of worry and anticipation. Her hands were clasped tightly together, as if she were waiting for something, or perhaps she was worried about something.

"Xun'er." At this moment, Instructor Ruolin suddenly ran in from outside the square, stopping in front of the girl. She took a few breaths and said softly, "He's gone."

Her tightly clenched little hands trembled slightly. Xun'er remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Xun'er, don't be sad. It's just a short separation." Seeing Xun'er's quiet appearance, Instructor Ruolin sighed and comforted her.

Fengming, perched on Xun'er's shoulder, nuzzled Xun'er's cheek with its little head and chirped softly, as if to say, "You still have me with you."

Xun'er seemed to understand what it meant, and a faint smile appeared on her face. She gently teased it and whispered, "Little guy, I'm sorry to have worried you. Xun'er was just a little worried about Brother Xiao Yao's life that year."

Xun'er looked towards the direction of the Monster Mountain Range and murmured to herself, "Brother Xiao Yao, Xun'er and Feng Ming will be waiting for you at Canaan Academy."

In the pitch-black night sky, a crescent moon hangs alone, its pale, cool light spilling across the earth.

In this dark little forest, a faint campfire flickered gently, bringing a touch of warmth to the silent night.

The two boys were sitting around the campfire. Xiao Yan was idly playing with the fire stick in his hand, letting the flames dance around the fire.

"Teacher, weren't we supposed to be going to the Monster Mountain Range? Why are we traveling such a long way? Wouldn't it be faster to just enter the Monster Mountain Range directly from near Utan City?"

"This place is in the eastern part of the Monster Mountain Range. Crossing it from here will take you to the Tagor Desert, which is our final destination for cultivation." An aged voice came from the storage ring on his finger.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's lips curled into a grin, and he chuckled dryly, "With my current strength, I can only deal with some first or second-tier magical beasts. At most, I can only wander around the outer perimeter. As for crossing over, I'm afraid... that's a bit impossible, isn't it?"

"Hehe, with me and your brother here, what are you cowardly about? Besides, your potential can only be unleashed faster when you are in dangerous situations," Yao Lao said calmly.

At this moment, Xiao Yao, who had been silent, spoke up: "Teacher, what is your plan for Xiao Yanzi?"

"My plan is for a year. I intend to have you advance to the sixth or seventh level of Battle Master in the Monster Mountain Range in the first six months. For the remaining six months, you will need to train in the Tagor Desert."

"Uh... does that mean I'll have to spend all my cultivation time in the Monster Mountain Range?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's face immediately turned bitter.

"If you can't even endure this little bit of hardship, how can you become a powerful figure? You might not even be able to beat Nalan Yanran then," Xiao Yao joked.

"Brother Yao, I wasn't just complaining casually, don't take it seriously," Xiao Yan said with an embarrassed smile.

Touching his chin, Xiao Yan licked his lips and said with a grin, "Teacher, Brother Yao, when are you planning to teach me that fighting technique?"

"You little rascal, you bring this up so many times every day, don't you get tired of it?" Hearing Xiao Yan repeat this question again, Yao Lao was both amused and exasperated, and shook his head helplessly.

The old apothecary was silent for a moment, then said, "I'll teach you Earth-rank combat skills after we enter the Monster Beast Mountain Range. There are too many people around outside, and we don't want to cause trouble if someone sees us."

Hearing that it would be delayed for a few more days, Xiao Yan could only nod somewhat dejectedly, then turned his gaze to Xiao Yao, his eyes filled with a hint of expectation.

Xiao Yao ignored his gaze and said calmly, "You should first master the Xuan-rank combat skills that Elder Yao taught you. When we get to the Monster Mountain Range, we'll see if I'm in a good mood then, and then I'll decide whether to teach you more."

Upon hearing Xiao Yao's words, Xiao Yan's expression of frustration deepened.

"Look at you, so useless! You're trying to do too much and end up with nothing. Don't you know that? Your Eight Extremes Collapse technique is only scratching the surface." Seeing Xiao Yan's frustrated expression, Yao Lao couldn't help but scold him.

As Xiao Yao listened to Yao Lao explaining the shortcomings of Xiao Yan's fighting skills, he stood up, walked to the other side, leaned against a tree trunk, and closed his eyes to rest.

......

Under the scorching sun, Xiao Yan, dressed in ordinary clothes, was walking with difficulty, his face covered in sweat. Each step he took was like a heavy object hitting the ground, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust.

Xiao Yao, with his hands behind his head, hummed a little tune as he slowly walked beside Xiao Yan.

After walking several hundred meters more, Xiao Yan finally couldn't hold on any longer. He was panting heavily, his feet feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds, and he walked towards the shade of a large tree by the roadside.

Reaching the base of the tree, Xiao Yan lay face up on the cool grass, letting the sweat on his forehead flow down like a stream.

Xiao Yao watched as Xiao Yan lay down to rest on the cool grass under the tree, walked over, and a teasing smile appeared on his lips: "Little Yan, you're already exhausted after only walking a few hundred meters. At this rate, you won't reach Qingshan Town in a day or two."

"Brother Yao...you must not be tired anymore. That damn thing on my back is so heavy! It's even suppressing the fighting spirit circulating in my body, making it slow down. Otherwise, it wouldn't be this slow." Xiao Yan's voice was hoarse from exhaustion.

Seeing the ancient, jet-black ruler behind Xiao Yan, Xiao Yao teased, "This black ruler that Elder Yao gave you last night doesn't look heavy at all."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan quickly stood up, took the ruler off his back, handed it to Xiao Yao, and said in a hoarse voice, "Brother Yao, you'll know how much I suffer once you try it."

Xiao Yao took the Xuanzhong Ruler from Xiao Yan's hand. As soon as he got it, the fighting spirit flowing in his body paused slightly, but then it recovered.

As Xiao Yan watched Xiao Yao effortlessly wield the Xuan Heavy Ruler, his frustration intensified.

"Hehe, little guy, if you reached the same level of cultivation as others, you could wield this ruler so easily. Your cultivation has officially begun. You didn't think that letting you out was just a simple matter of wandering around, did you? Since it's called arduous cultivation, then prepare to enjoy the most difficult treatment. The comfortable life in Wutan City is already starting to leave you." From within the ring came the old man's slightly gloating, aged laughter.

Xiao Yan shook his head with a wry smile, then took the Xuanzhong Ruler back from Xiao Yao and continued carrying it.