Chapter 518: Half a Year

Inside the Small Pill Tower. 

A serene courtyard adorned with exotic flowers and herbs created a picturesque scene. Xiao Yi Xian, seated in a bamboo pavilion, gazed at the lush greenery around her. A tender smile played on her lips as she gently caressed her slightly protruding belly, lost in thought.

"Are you thinking again if it's going to be a daughter or a son?" 

Medusa's unique, enchanting voice came from behind her. Xiao Yi Xian wasn't surprised and turned to see Medusa approaching with Yue'er in her arms.

"Auntie Yi Xian!" Yue'er greeted sweetly.

Xiao Yi Xian returned Yue'er's greeting with a warm smile and then replied to Medusa, "I just feel a little bit of anticipation for the child in my belly."

Medusa looked at Xiao Yi Xian's blossoming belly. Nearly four months had passed and her once slender figure was now showing the signs of pregnancy.

With Xiao Yi Xian's current strength, it wouldn't be difficult to determine the sex of the unborn child. But as far as Medusa knew, she had chosen not to find out.

Medusa hadn't checked either, understanding her thoughts. Whether it was a boy or a girl, it was her flesh and blood. Since that was the case, there was no need to find out.

Besides, Xiao Ming didn't care about that either.

Shifting the conversation away from the baby's sex, Medusa sat down with Yue'er in her arms. "Have you thought of a name for the child?"

"If it's a boy, I'm considering 'Xiao Wen'. I hope he'll grow to be as ambitious as his father," Xiao Yi Xian mused.

"And for a girl, what about 'Ke'er'? I'm not quite sure it's a good name," she said with a chuckle.

"I think it's a lovely name," Medusa assured her.

"Ke'er, symbolizing elegance, nobility, and purity, much like crystal clear jade. It's definitely a beautiful name." A familiar voice suddenly reached their ears.

The next moment, Xiao Ming entered the courtyard, accompanied by Zi Yan and Qing Lin.

The two women's faces lit up with surprise and delight. They began to rise to greet him, but before they could, a small figure had already joyfully flown into Xiao Ming's embrace.

"Daddy! Yue'er has missed you so much!"

"Daddy missed you too, my Yue'er." Holding his daughter in his arms, Xiao Ming smiled and planted a kiss on her cheek, eliciting giggles from her.

Watching this heartwarming father-daughter moment, the girls shared a somewhat resigned smile.

Cradled in Xiao Ming's arms, Yue'er suddenly looked up with curious eyes and asked, "Daddy, is Yue'er's name as good as little sister's?"

'Still not sure if it's a sister yet...' Xiao Ming murmured to himself. Then he nodded. "Of course it is!"

Medusa cherished her daughter so much; how could she choose a name at random?

"The name 'Yue' represents the moon, but it also means a precious pearl. It represents how precious this little pearl is in our lives." Xiao Ming explained, his words filling his daughter with delight as he playfully pinched her little nose.

Carrying Yue'er, Xiao Ming then walked over to the bamboo pavilion and took a seat next to Xiao Yi Xian.

"The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree is an ancient entity. Did you face any challenges this time?" Xiao Yi Xian inquired, leaning gently on Xiao Ming's shoulder.

"There were no dangers, but the gains were significant," Xiao Ming replied with a smile. He then proceeded to tell Xiao Yi Xian and Medusa about their experiences.

Upon finishing his recount, he handed a Bodhisattva Heart to Medusa.

Of all the women present, Medusa was the only one who hadn't yet reached the Dou Saint realm, mainly due to her return to the Jia Ma Empire. Her responsibilities as a mother also influenced her decision to delay her breakthrough.

With the Bodhisattva Heart, Medusa could advance to the Dou Saint realm without the need for a long period of closed-door cultivation. However, evolving into a Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python was another matter entirely.

Xiao Ming had a total of six Bodhisattva Hearts. He gave one to Zi Yan as a snack and another to Medusa.

Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian had recently broken through to the Dou Saint realm, so they didn't need one. That left four Bodhisattva Hearts.

Two were naturally reserved for Cao Ying and his Master, Elder Huo. Hu Jia, his childhood friend, would receive one of the remaining two.

Xiao Ming could potentially cultivate another Dou Saint with the last Bodhisattva Heart.

As for who to cultivate, his first choice was a member of the Xiao family. However, he didn't want to give it away right away because it might result in the creation of a 'giant baby'. The Bodhisattva Heart had to be given to someone with exceptional mental maturity.

A careful selection process was therefore necessary. Those with immature minds were excluded as candidates.

Although the selection process would undoubtedly be time-consuming, he had no plans to be away for long periods over the next six months. He had plenty of time to consider the matter.

But all those considerations were for later. For now, his priority was to spend precious moments with his beloved women and his daughter.

...

In the days that followed, Xiao Ming devoted much of his time to his women, taking special care of Xiao Yi Xian and their unborn child.

One day, as he was playing with his adorable daughter, he was reluctantly persuaded by Xuan Kong Zi, who was wearing a troubled expression on his face, to go with him.

The Pill Gathering was originally organized by the Pill Tower, and now that the Pill Tower had merged with the Heavenly Court, opinions were divided as to whether it was necessary to continue.

After careful consideration, Xiao Ming decided to continue the Pill Gathering as originally planned.

The Pill Gathering was an important event for the entire continent, and canceling it would be a waste.

Holding the Pill Gathering also had its advantages, including expanding the influence of the Heavenly Court.

With his decision, word spread throughout the continent that the Heavenly Court was hosting the Pill Gathering.

This delighted many alchemists who had initially thought that the event would never happen again. They hastily prepared their belongings and set off for the Central Region, fearing that they might not make it in time.

The Pill Gathering was just over a year away, and missing it would be extremely frustrating, especially considering that the top ten participants would have the chance to subdue the Three Thousand Burning Flame!

The champion of the Pill Gathering would also become a Pill Tower Giant and enter the core of the Heavenly Court.

Who wouldn't be tempted by such an opportunity?

As news of the Pill Gathering spread, Xiao Ming took some time to return to the North-Western Region and presented the Bodhisattva Hearts to his Master, Elder Huo, and Hu Jia.

When it came to her Bodhisattva Heart, Zi Yan pondered for a while. In the end, she decided not to eat it herself or give it to the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. Instead, she decided to give it to Su Qian when she returned to the Jia Nan Academy with Xiao Ming.

This decision left Xiao Ming feeling quite emotional. It was obvious that Zi Yan had truly matured.

In addition to these matters, Xiao Ming also returned to the Xiao Clan to begin the selection process.

This round of selection proved to be quite challenging, and in the end, Xiao Ming even resorted to using the newly developed illusion technique of the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree seedling.

Of the three finalists, the winner was Xiao Shan, a result that did not surprise Xiao Ming.

During the trials, it became clear that Xiao Shan possessed the greatest willpower and secured victory without any special treatment from him.

Aside from Xiao Shan, two other lesser-known members of the clan put in impressive performances. Xiao Ming couldn't help but think that the Xiao family had hidden talents waiting to be discovered. Their lack of progress in the past was only due to their limited talents.

After becoming finalists, the two young talents were rewarded by Xiao Ming with several pills to enhance their innate talents. Although it was not as effective as the Bodhisattva Heart, it would be no problem for them to reach the Dou Venerable Realm in a few years' time.

If Xiao Ming were to reach the Dou God realm himself, it wouldn't be an obstacle for them to reach the Dou Saint realm given their bloodlines.

When the first Dou Saints began to appear in the Xiao family, it would be the time when they could truly be called the Xiao Clan again.

Xiao Ming also created a small area of highly concentrated natural energy in Wu Tan City.

In this way, he had done his part for the Xiao family.

Back in the Central Plains, six months passed in the blink of an eye.

By this time, Xiao Ming was twenty-five years old, and through his self-cultivation, he had reached the intermediate six-star Dou Saint stage.

Cao Ying also emerged from seclusion, having successfully broken through to the Dou Venerate realm.

All of his women were present at the birth of his second child, which turned out to be another daughter.

A few days after Xiao Ke'er's birth, the Gu Clan extended an invitation to Xiao Ming.