Silent Until It Flies

After sweeping his gaze over the people below, Xiao Han wasted no more time. He turned around and pressed his palm directly against the icy Testing Magic Stone Tablet, no different from the first test.

Of course, Xiao Han knew that this result would naturally be incomparable to the first.

Buzz! Mysterious Probing Power was released. Dots of radiance began to light up across the smooth Testing Magic Stone Tablet, while delicate strokes, as fine as gossamer, slowly formed characters. Naturally, the Testing Magic Stone Tablet was examining the Dou Qi within Xiao Han's body.

The final assessment was about to be revealed. Was Xiao Han really still the Xiao Clan's number-one Trash, completely devoid of Dou Qi, as everyone expected? "Looks like this Trash has made some progress lately!" someone below the platform said. They had naturally noticed the gradually blooming radiance on the Testing Magic Stone Tablet, which indicated that Xiao Han possessed at least some Dou Qi within him—slightly stronger than during the first test.

"No matter how much he improves, isn't he still Trash? What difference does it make?"

"Haha, that makes sense."

Quite a few others began mocking him as well. In their eyes, no matter how much Xiao Han improved, he was still the same good-for-nothing as before. That belief seemed to have sunk into their bones. But was that really the case?

Whoosh! At that moment, the radiance on the Testing Magic Stone Tablet abruptly surged. Once the dazzling light faded, a line of ancient characters glittering with golden light quietly appeared upon the mirror-smooth tablet.

"Xiao Han, Dou Qi, Stage Nine. Assessment: High."

As soon as that concise, striking line of text appeared, the youths who had been about to ridicule Xiao Han immediately shut their mouths. Their eyes were wide and their expressions were a sight to behold, as if they had witnessed the most unbelievable thing in their lives.

Dou Qi, Stage Nine?

Was this some kind of joke? During the first test, Xiao Han had possessed no Dou Qi at all. How long had it been since then? Some of them had not even advanced a single stage during that time, yet Xiao Han had soared all the way to Stage Nine. It was simply too shocking to believe.

If Xiao Yan's talent had already astonished them, then what about Xiao Han? He was simply a monstrous prodigy on the path of cultivation!

How had he cultivated? To rise nine stages in such a short time—someone like that would be a rare sight even across the vast Dou Qi Continent, wouldn't he?

Latent Dragon Hibernates. Silent until it flies; once it does, it is bound to Stir Up the Nine Heavens!

At that moment, the youths below the platform were completely speechless. Earlier, they had mocked Xiao Han as Trash, but now the facts lay before them. So who, exactly, was Trash? The notion that Xiao Han was Trash had quietly dissolved into nothing beneath the force of this shock. Did they still dare think of Xiao Han as Trash? Of course not.

When an impression of you had taken root in people's hearts, making a small change was far from enough to alter their view of you. To completely erase the label they had already placed on you, the best method was to prove yourself in a way they could never hope to reach—a way that shocked them beyond measure.

Just like Xiao Han before them: in such a short time, he had gone from having no Dou Qi at all to Nine-Stage Dou Qi. Could anyone in the Xiao Clan accomplish such a thing? No!

Thus, today's ironclad fact completely washed away Xiao Han's name as Trash. At the same time, it bore witness to the heaven-defying rise of a monstrous Heavenly Pride within the Xiao Clan! In short, after today, the title of the Xiao Clan's two Trash would be completely erased. The name of Trash would become history, and people would witness a legend!

Standing on the Testing Platform, Xiao Han glanced at the assessment on the Testing Magic Stone Tablet before turning around. His gaze immediately fell upon Xiao Xueqin. Naturally, he only wished to share this moment of glory with the woman he loved. The two exchanged smiles, affection flowing in their eyes. Everything was understood without words.

Then Xiao Han shifted his gaze. Looking down from above, his eyes swept lightly across the people below. He took in every stunned, incredulous expression.

At that moment, Xiao Han was very calm, his face neither joyful nor sorrowful. Still, inside, he was delighted. If there were one word to describe the thrill of washing away his former humiliation, it could only be this.

That word was: satisfying! That's right—simple and direct. Just satisfying!

But Xiao Han remained very composed. Mm... very composed. At a time like this, he absolutely could not look too happy. Otherwise, how could he walk alongside Xiao Yan on the road of Subtle Flex? He valued brotherhood deeply, so he had to stay calm.

Then Xiao Han did not linger. He prepared to step down from the platform and leave with Xiao Xueqin. There was no longer any reason to remain here.

However, just as Xiao Han was about to step down, an ill-timed Cold Laugh suddenly rang out from below the platform:

"Xiao Han, in such a short time, you rose from having no Dou Qi at all to Dou Qi Stage Nine. Isn't that a little too unbelievable? I now seriously suspect that you tampered with the Testing Magic Stone Tablet!"

I've noticed a reader keeps knocking me off the top of the rankings. Are you trying to start something with me? (;￣ェ￣)