Prodigy

"Xiao Ning lost! He had Eighth Stage Dou Qi!"

"One move. Xiao Xun'er defeated Xiao Ning, who had Eighth Stage Dou Qi, with just one move!"

"Of course! Sister Xun'er has already successfully condensed her Dou Qi Vortex and become a genuine Dou Zhe. Brother Xiao Ning is a genius too, but Eighth Stage Dou Qi is clearly no match for Sister Xun'er, who has already become a Dou Zhe!"

"Among the younger generation of the clan, aside from that genius who has fallen from grace, only Sister Xun'er can probably surpass Brother Xiao Ning!"

The fallen genius naturally referred to Xiao Yan.

By the time Xiao Han arrived at the training grounds, the match between Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Ning was already drawing to a close.

"Dou Zhe!"

Xiao Han was slightly taken aback.

According to the original Storyline, Xiao Xun'er's cultivation should only have been at Ninth Stage Dou Qi by now. How could she possibly be a Dou Zhe?

Xiao Han's gaze settled on Xiao Xun'er, and he could indeed sense the fluctuations of a Dou Qi Vortex within her dantian.

Could it be that, because of my intervention, the Dou Po Plane has begun undergoing some subtle changes? Xiao Han guessed.

"Hehe, Sister Xun'er truly deserves to be the foremost among the clan's younger generation. You've become stronger and stronger!" Beside the arena, Xiao Ning, who had been knocked off the platform by Xiao Xun'er, wore a warm smile as he spoke softly to her.

Xiao Ning gazed at the girl before him, as lovely as a green lotus. He made no attempt to hide the affection in his eyes for Xiao Xun'er.

Though Xiao Xun'er was also a member of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Ning knew that the Xiao Clan was vast. There were no close blood relations or collateral relatives within three generations between the Three Great Elders and the clan leader's direct line.

How could Xiao Xun'er fail to understand the feelings in Xiao Ning's eyes? Yet she acted as if she saw nothing, her expression calm and unruffled as she said lightly, "Brother Xiao Ning was going easy on me! Hm... Xiao Han!"

While Xiao Han's gaze rested on Xiao Xun'er as he assessed her cultivation, Xiao Xun'er had also sharply noticed him among the crowd.

"Xiao Han!" At the side, Xiao Ning frowned slightly. He did not understand why Xiao Han, who had never set foot in the Fighting Technique Hall, had come here now.

Moreover, back at the Xiao Clan Hall, Xiao Han had predicted Nalan Yanran's attempt to break off the engagement, even calculating her exact words without the slightest error. Xiao Ning harbored an instinctive wariness toward Xiao Han.

Mysterious. That was the deepest, and most terrifying, impression Xiao Han had given Xiao Ning.

"Xiao Han!" The youth buried in scrolls on the eastern side of the hall was also slightly startled. He lifted his head and looked toward Xiao Han.

As a member of the clan, Xiao Yan knew very well that Xiao Han disliked cultivation and had never visited the Fighting Technique Hall. Xiao Yan was also curious why Xiao Han had come. Could he, like Xiao Yan, have come to select a fighting skill?

"You're here?" Xiao Xun'er said flatly. Her tone was somewhat cold and filled with hostility.

"Mm." Xiao Han nodded and stepped onto the arena.

"Then let's begin!" Xiao Xun'er assumed a fighting stance and watched Xiao Han cautiously.

If Xiao Xun'er had not become a Dou Zhe, she would not have been confident in matching Xiao Han. But now that she was a Two-star Dou Zhe, Xiao Xun'er was confident that, relying on her Natal Mystical Flame, she could fight Xiao Han, who was at the four-star level, across a level.

That was right. Xiao Xun'er had not only successfully condensed her Dou Qi Vortex, but had also broken through to become a Two-star Dou Zhe in just three short days.

"Begin?"

"Begin what?"

"Could it be that Miss Xun'er is going to spar with Xiao Han?"

Hearing their exchange, the Xiao Clan disciples present stirred with no small commotion. Half a month ago, Xiao Xun'er had been publicly acknowledged as the strongest of the Xiao Clan's younger generation, followed by Xiao Ning at Eighth Stage Dou Qi. Only after them came Xiao Mei and Xiao Han, both at Seventh Stage Dou Qi.

That was right. Half a month ago, Xiao Han had somehow advanced two stages in a row at the Xiao Clan Hall. But Xiao Xun'er had already condensed her Dou Qi Vortex and become a Dou Zhe. Clearly, in everyone's eyes, Xiao Han at Ninth Stage Dou Qi was no match for Xiao Xun'er, a Dou Zhe.

"Xiao Han is going to lose."

"But being able to see Sister Xun'er's valiant bearing again is a delight in itself!"

Between Xiao Han and Xiao Xun'er, people clearly favored Xiao Xun'er more.

What they might not have known was that Xiao Han had long since broken through to become a Dou Zhe, and had even advanced to the realm of a Five-star Fighter. Besides, fighting was not his purpose today.

"You should be able to guess why I sent you a Challenge Letter. No more nonsense. Make your move! This time, I won't hold back." Xiao Xun'er spoke sharply.

"Fine. As you wish!" Xiao Han's fighting spirit also surged. He was extremely curious whether Xiao Xun'er's talent was truly as formidable as the legends claimed.

Stone Shattering Palm

Xiao Han stepped forward, his palm striking out with powerful force. The ripples stirred by the energy made several Xiao Clan disciples pale.

"Those are fluctuations from a Dou Qi Vortex!"

"Heavens! Xiao Han, who has always kept such a low profile, has actually already become a Dou Zhe!"

"And judging from how solid his Dou Qi fluctuations are, it seems he broke through some time ago. Our Xiao Clan has actually produced two prodigies who became Dou Zhes before coming of age!"

Only a moment ago, people had doubted Xiao Han's realm. Now, he had made them see him in a new light.

Bang

The Stone Shattering Palm was merely the Xiao Clan's lowest-grade Yellow Tier Low Grade fighting skill. Its strike landed on Xiao Xun'er.

"Xun'er, be careful!" Xiao Yan cried out from the side.

Yet Xiao Xun'er dragged her palm and shifted half a step backward with the momentum. Then, following along Xiao Han's palm, her hand struck back in an eerie fashion.

That seemingly casual palm strike sent Xiao Han stumbling back three steps in succession.

"Borrowing force to return force!" Xiao Han's expression sharpened as he said calmly, "Mysterious Tier Advanced Fighting Skill, Swallow Counterattack!"

"Swallow Counterattack?"

"A Mysterious Tier Advanced Fighting Skill?"

"What nonsense is Xiao Han spouting? A loss is a loss. The highest-tier fighting skill in our Xiao Clan is only the Mysterious Tier Intermediate Raging Lion's Fury. And I've never heard of any Xiao Clan fighting skill called Swallow Counterattack!"

Upon hearing Xiao Han blurt out those words, the Xiao Clan disciples all questioned him.

At the side, Xiao Yan also frowned slightly. He could tell that Xiao Han was not wrong—Xiao Xun'er had indeed borrowed force to return force just now. He too was becoming curious about Xiao Xun'er's identity.

As for Xiao Xun'er herself, her gaze froze. She seemed not to have expected Xiao Han to know the name of the fighting skill she had used, much less its rank.

That was right. The fighting skill she had used was the Gu Clan's Mysterious Tier Advanced Fighting Skill—Swallow Counterattack. But how did Xiao Han know about it?

She came from the Gu Clan, and only the Three Great Elders and the Xiao Clan leader knew this secret. Could Third Elder Xiao Ding Tian have told Xiao Han?

Considering the grandfather-grandson relationship between the Third Elder and Xiao Han, Xiao Xun'er could only explain it that way.

Although there had recently been rumors that Xiao Han possessed Precognition and was a Divine Calculator, Xiao Xun'er did not believe them.

"Again!" Xiao Xun'er did not deny it and continued, "I am a Two-star Dou Zhe. Since I sent you a Challenge Letter, I won't go easy on you! You don't need to hold anything back!"