The Story Begins

Time flew like an arrow; in the blink of an eye, eight years had passed.

Nothing particularly unusual had happened in those eight years. Everything had developed according to the original story.

Over those eight years, Lin Yu's strength had risen rapidly, and he had become a bona fide high-level Dou Emperor.

Because she had mastered the Golden Emperor Blazing Sky Flame, Xun'er's strength had also rapidly risen to the Dou Wang level.

However, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Lin Yu and Xun'er had kept their true strength hidden, suppressing their realms to appear as though they were at Dou Qi Nine-stage.

Xiao Yan's development remained the same as in the story. At ten, he possessed Dou Qi Nine-stage; at eleven, he broke through to Dou Qi Ten-stage, successfully condensed a Dou Qi Vortex, and became the youngest Dou Zhe in the clan's history of a hundred years!

Of course, that was excluding Lin Yu and Xun'er.

Lin Yu naturally knew what was happening, but he still did not say anything. He did not want to disrupt the storyline just like that and send everything that followed in an uncertain direction.

Of course, it was not that Lin Yu was afraid. After all, Xiao Yan was the Son of the Plane; it was better not to change certain things in the early stages.

"Dou Qi: Three-stage!"

Beneath the Test Magic Stone Tablet, the youth stared expressionlessly at the five large characters on the tablet, then gave a self-mocking smile.

"Ah! As expected. After all, I don't belong to this world!"

"Xiao Yan, Dou Qi, Three-stage! Rank: Low!" Beside the tablet, the middle-aged man glanced at it and silently announced the information displayed on it...

In the square below the platform, everyone looked at the youth with scorn. Waves of mockery reached his ears.

The youth could not help clenching his fists, and the self-mocking smile at the corner of his lips became even more bitter.

"Are these people all so harsh and snobbish?"

Lin Yu watched every scene unfold.

Three years ago, he had been a genius admired by all, yet now he had to endure everyone's mockery. How laughable! Sure enough, no matter where one was, the human heart was the most disgusting thing.

Xiao Yan walked despondently toward the back of the square.

"Next, Xiao Mei!"

At the middle-aged man's call, a pretty young girl quickly ran out from the crowd.

The girl was only around fourteen. She could not be called stunningly beautiful, but her little face carried a faint charm. Her innocence and allure blended together, making her the center of attention in the entire square.

The girl made her way to the tablet with practiced ease, gently placed her small hand on it, and slowly closed her eyes.

A moment later, the tablet lit up, displaying five large characters.

"Dou Qi: Seven-stage"

"Xiao Mei! Dou Qi, Seven-stage! Rank: High!"

"Yay!" Hearing the result announced by the middle-aged man, a proud smile appeared on the girl's face.

Xiao Yan looked toward the girl and gave a disdainful smile. In the past, she had always stayed by his side, clinging to him every day. But when he fell from grace, she began to distance herself from him.

At that moment, the girl also happened to look at Xiao Yan. She frowned, intending to go over and greet him, but after thinking it over, she decided against it. After all, the two of them no longer belonged to the same world.

"Next, Xiao Xun'er!"

As soon as the middle-aged man's voice rang out, everyone who had been talking fell silent and looked toward the owner of that name.

At the center of everyone's gaze stood a girl in a purple dress. Her deep blue hair was so beautiful it left people speechless. She had a pair of clear, bright eyes that retained a touch of childishness, a straight nose, smooth skin, and thin lips tinged with an adorable pink.

At that moment, the girl was holding a young man's arm, drawing waves of envy from the crowd.

The young man wore a slightly fitted black outfit that perfectly displayed his physique. The childishness had yet to fade from his face, but he was still exceptionally handsome. His dazzling black eyes seemed capable of seeing through everything. His high, straight nose carried a masculine air of strength, while a faint smile always lingered on his lips.

The girl's crisp voice rang out. "Brother Lin Yu, I'm going!"

"Mm, go on. Let them see how amazing my Xun'er is!" Lin Yu said to Xun'er with a smile.

Xun'er released Lin Yu's arm and slowly ran beneath the tablet. She extended her small hand, and the purple sleeve embroidered with black-gold threads slipped down, revealing a section of her snow-white, delicate arm as she lightly touched the tablet...

At once, the tablet shone brightly again.

"Dou Wang: Five Stars!"

The man beside the tablet was utterly stunned. A Dou Wang! What did a Dou Wang represent? There was not even a single Dou Ling in all of Wutan City, while even Gu He, the Pill King of the Jia Ma Empire, was only a Dou Wang!

"Xun'er is way too amazing! As expected of my goddess!"

"Yeah, yeah! She's incredible!"

A genius! A true genius! A fourteen-year-old Dou Wang—who would dare imagine such a thing? Forget Dou Emperors and Dou Zongs; even becoming a Dou Zun or Dou Sheng would only be a matter of time!

Listening to the people in the square discussing her one after another, Xun'er smiled faintly. She then walked slowly to Lin Yu's side, wrapped herself around his arm, and said, "Brother Lin Yu, isn't Xun'er amazing?"

Lin Yu smiled and lightly tapped Xun'er's nose.

"Mm, Xun'er is the most amazing. Weren't you hiding your strength before? Why aren't you hiding it today?"

"Hehe, I still couldn't hide it from Brother Lin Yu. I was planning to confess to you, Brother Lin Yu. As a reward, will you accompany me shopping this afternoon? Please, Brother Lin Yu!" Xun'er said coquettishly, shaking Lin Yu's arm.

"Alright, alright, I'll go with you. In that case, I won't hide my strength either."

"Huh? Brother Lin Yu, you were hiding your strength too? That makes sense. Since Brother Lin Yu could see through my strength, you must be very powerful too."

At that moment, the middle-aged man called out.

"Next, Lin Yu!"

"Alright, alright, Xun'er, I'm going up first. Let you see just how impressive your Brother Lin Yu is!"

Lin Yu tapped the ground lightly with his foot and leaped gently, landing beneath the stone tablet.

The middle-aged man looked at Lin Yu and nodded slightly.

Lin Yu placed his hand on the stone tablet. The instant his hand touched it, the tablet burst forth with an incomparably dazzling light.

A moment later, the light gradually faded, revealing several large words.

"Dou Emperor: Nine-star!"

Everyone on the plaza sucked in a cold breath.

"How is that possible? Has he been cultivating since before he was born?"

"I think the testing tablet is broken!"

"That's unbelievable!"

The discussions rose without end.

The middle-aged man beside the tablet was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped. Trembling, he said, "Dou... Dou... Dou Emperor!"

That was a Dou Emperor! There were only a few Dou Emperors in the entire Jia Ma Empire. It seemed that the sect master of the Misty Cloud Sect was a Dou Emperor. A Dou Emperor was an existence capable of founding a sect all on their own, yet one had appeared in the Xiao Family!

Ignoring everyone's discussion, Lin Yu lightly tapped the ground and arrived beside Xun'er.

Puffing out her cheeks, Xun'er said unhappily to Lin Yu, "So Brother Lin Yu is actually this strong! I bet you were the one who helped me fuse with the Golden Emperor Blazing Sky Flame, weren't you? Hmph, Brother Lin Yu lied to me."

At that moment, Lin Yu extended his right hand, pressed his index and middle fingers together, and tapped Xun'er on the forehead. Pretending to be angry, he said:

"You little girl, is that any way to speak to your Brother Lin Yu? Didn't you hide your strength from me too? You always told me you were a Dou Shi, but you were already a Fighter Five-star at six years old. With your talent, who would believe you were only a Dou Shi after all this time? I saw through it but didn't expose you!"

Rubbing her forehead pitifully, Xun'er said to Lin Yu, "Wuwu, Brother Lin Yu, I was wrong. I shouldn't have lied to you. Don't be angry, okay? Please forgive me~"

Seeing Xun'er's expression, Lin Yu found it rather amusing and rubbed her head.

"Silly girl, I'm just teasing you. How could I ever be angry with you? Come on, I'll take you out for something delicious!"

"Mhm, mhm, okay!"

As Lin Yu walked along while holding Xun'er's hand, he happened to see a lonely figure ahead. That figure seemed somewhat out of place with the world around him.

"Brother Lin Yu, that's Brother Xiao Yan. Should we go see him?"

"Sure, let's go."

As Xiao Yan walked silently with his head lowered, two clear voices rang out.

"Brother Xiao Yan!"

"Brother Xiao Yan!"

"Ah, it's Lin Yu and Xun'er. Am I still worthy of you calling me that?" Looking at the well-matched young man and young woman before him, he spoke bitterly. These two were the only ones who had not mocked him after he fell into disgrace.

"Brother Xiao Yan, what are you saying? No matter what happens, we'll always be brothers!"

"That's right, Brother Xiao Yan. Don't lose heart. One day, you'll reclaim the glory that belongs to you!"

Listening to Lin Yu and Xun'er's words, Xiao Yan could not help but feel warmth in his heart. Ever since he had fallen into disgrace, the title of genius had gradually been replaced by disdain and mockery. He had not heard words like these in a long time.

"Hehe..."

Xiao Yan gave a self-mocking laugh. "Lin Yu, Xun'er, only you two still treat me this way. I'm a cripple now. You'd better stay away from me, lest you get yourselves stained by my bad luck."

Xiao Yan did not mean anything by it. He simply felt that he was unworthy of the two prodigies before him. To avoid gossip, it was better not to have too much contact with them. Given his current state, the family probably would not look kindly on him either. Although the clan leader was his father, the family was not ruled by his father alone!

Hearing Xiao Yan speak this way, Lin Yu felt a pang in his heart. He made up his mind and said to Xiao Yan, "Brother Xiao Yan, I can help you! I can help you restore your talent!"

Xiao Yan's eyes immediately lit up at Lin Yu's words.

"Lin Yu, are you telling the truth?"

"Yes. Brother Xiao Yan, you know I opened a shop in Wutan City, right?"

Xiao Yan frowned and rubbed his chin.

"Mm, you mentioned it to me before. But what does that have to do with restoring my talent?"

Lin Yu smiled. "Brother Xiao Yan, I told you before that my shop sells everything, but you didn't believe me. Since it sells everything, naturally there are things that can restore your talent!"

"Hm? Then why didn't you earlier..."

Before Xiao Yan could finish, Lin Yu continued, "I told you, but you didn't believe me. Besides, while the shop has everything, I can't take anything from it. I can only sell things. Given your situation, Brother Xiao Yan, I suggest buying a high-tier cultivation technique!"

Only then did Xiao Yan come to a sudden realization. If Lin Yu could freely take things from the shop, he should have given something to him long ago.

"I'll pay you whatever it costs."

"Brother Xiao Yan, let's go to my shop first!"

"Alright, let's go!"

Thus, Lin Yu placed one hand on Xiao Yan's shoulder while holding Xun'er's hand with the other. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the shop.

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