One-Star Dou King, Please Enlighten Me, Cousin

The world of Battle Through the Heavens, Wutan City, Xiao Family.

Today is the Coming of Age Ceremony for the younger generation of the Xiao Family, with the Second Elder, Xiao Ying, in charge of testing the Dou Qi of all the youths.

One month ago, the young master Xiao Yan, who had once fallen to the very bottom, erupted with the astonishing result of Dou Qi Seven Stages right here, shocking the entire clan.

Yet today, on this most important occasion of the Coming of Age Ceremony, the other younger members of the family have already completed their tests, but the protagonist has yet to arrive.

"Heh, could it be that our 'genius' young master has developed stage fright?" A sarcastic voice broke the silence; it was Xiao Ning, who had just tested at Dou Qi Eight Stages.

Standing beside him, the tall Xiao Yu sneered as she chimed in, "Soaring four stages in one month? Such a miracle hasn't even been recorded in ancient texts."

"Could it be that he used some crooked method to overdraw his potential or temporarily boost his cultivation, and now that he can't maintain it, the truth is coming to light?"

"Cousin Xiao Yu makes a fair point." Xiao Ning feigned realization, his voice deliberately raised, "Otherwise, how could a previous piece of trash break through four barriers in a single year?"

"I fear there are some who would do anything just to save face."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted pointedly toward Xiao Zhan, whose face was as dark as water on the high platform.

Once these words were spoken, a wave of hushed murmurs erupted across the plaza.

After all, improving by four stages of Dou Qi in one year was truly too outrageous.

Perhaps it really was Xiao Zhan who, in order to preserve his status as Clan Head and save Xiao Yan's face, had spent a great price to use some method to grant Xiao Yan the cultivation of Dou Qi Seven Stages for a short time.

Now that the effects of the method had worn off, Xiao Yan dared not show his face.

Xiao Zhan's seated figure remained motionless, but the hand resting on the armrest slowly tightened, his knuckles turning slightly white. His face remained as dark as water, his gaze still fixed firmly on the direction of the entrance.

The rumors fermented while they waited, the voices of doubt nearly turning into a tangible wave.

Just as the atmosphere reached a breaking point, a tall, slender figure in green finally walked in at a leisurely pace at the entrance of the training grounds.

It was Xiao Yan.

His steps were steady as he passed through the crowd that parted automatically, heading straight for the center of the plaza.

The sunlight fell upon his refined face, casting a warm, gentle glow. His eyes were bright and spirited, revealing a restrained confidence and a soaring radiance.

He walked calmly to the front of the stage, cupped his hands in a salute toward the high platform and the elders, his voice clear and resonant:

"My apologies, Elders, Father. I had a small breakthrough in my cultivation just now and was slightly delayed. I have kept you all waiting."

He could have arrived in time for the Coming of Age Ceremony, but because he was refining the Immortal Leaf bestowed upon him by Senior Qingxu, he was late.

However, his cultivation had now advanced by leaps and bounds, surpassing everyone in the Xiao Family.

"Delayed?"

"Afraid you've got a guilty conscience?"

Xiao Ning sneered, his mockery undisguised.

"What do you mean by that?"

Xiao Yan turned his gaze toward Xiao Ning.

Although this man was his cousin, he had always been arrogant and overbearing, targeting him at every turn.

Previously, he had kept the bigger picture in mind and wanted to avoid internal conflict, but since the other party was being insolent at this Coming of Age Ceremony, he no longer intended to back down.

"Hmph, you know exactly what I mean!"

Xiao Ning tapped his toes sharply against the ground, his figure leaping nimbly onto the high platform to stand opposite Xiao Yan.

"Xiao Yan, you pride yourself on being a genius. Do you dare to fight me on this stage today?"

He had long coveted the position of the next family head, and today was the perfect opportunity.

To ensure there were no mishaps, he had spared no cost and taken a Qi-Boosting Pill in advance, which could temporarily raise his cultivation level. At this moment, the Dou Qi surging within him had already reached the level of a one-star Dou Practitioner!

In his eyes, even if Xiao Yan truly possessed seven stages of Dou Qi, he was nothing more than a paper tiger in front of a real Dou Practitioner. He would take this opportunity to trample him completely and establish his own prestige.

"Why wouldn't I dare?"

Looking at Xiao Ning, who was acting like a clown, a playful smile appeared on the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth.

Since the other party insisted on bringing humiliation upon himself, he would grant him his wish.

"Good, you said it yourself!"

Seeing Xiao Yan agree so readily, Xiao Ning was quite excited and immediately assumed a stance:

"Xiao Ning, Dou Qi Eight Stages!"

"Cousin, fists and kicks have no eyes. You'd better be careful!"

Xiao Yan smiled slightly.

The next moment, an aura as vast and powerful as a raging sea erupted from his body, sweeping across the entire venue and making the whole of Wutan City tremble.

Even the elders of the clan, and even Xiao Zhan, who possessed the greatest strength, felt like leaves in a gale under this aura, barely able to steady themselves.

Xiao Ning, who bore the brunt of it on the stage, felt as if a ten-thousand-foot mountain had materialized and pressed down upon him. His legs went weak, and with a "thud," he was forced onto one knee. His face turned as pale as paper, and his entire body shook like a sieve.

"Xiao Yan, one-star Dou King, please offer your guidance, cousin!"

Xiao Yan looked toward Xiao Ning, who had already collapsed to his knees, and cupped his hands in a salute.

"What the f..."

At this moment, Xiao Ning felt as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning; his world had collapsed.

He had considered the possibility that Xiao Yan might be at the Dou Qi Seven Stages, and he had even mentally prepared himself for the chance that Xiao Yan had broken through again during this month to reach the Dou Qi Eight Stages.

But he never imagined that in just one short month, the other party would actually become a legendary Dou King!

"God, I, Xiao Ning, would like to file a formal report—someone is hacking!!"

In the chat group.

Having finished teaching Xia Jiuyou a lesson, Ye Hei was the first to respond.

[Ye Hei: Senior Qingxu, please accept my kowtow! ▄█▀█●]

[Ye Hei: The Immortal Leaf you bestowed upon me is the most precious treasure I have ever seen. Not only have I broken the curse that the Sacred Body cannot cultivate, but I have also transformed into an Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo!]

The news of his transformation into an Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo had swept across the entire Eastern Wasteland like a gale. Many major factions had extended olive branches to him, and even the Qishi Mansion, which only opened once every ten thousand years, had invited him to join.

However, before his transformation, Feng Clan Saintess Phoenix had declared that she would not truly marry Ye Hei, stating that if she were to marry, it would only be to a true Great Emperor.

The me you ignored before, you cannot afford to climb high to reach now.

Ye Hei had also publicly stated that since Phoenix looked down on him, he would not force the issue, and the previous marriage contract was now void.

As for the kindness of the Feng family, he would certainly repay it double in the future.

[Xiao Yan: Haha, after I refined that Immortal Leaf, my cultivation also broke through from a Dou Practitioner to the Dou King realm.]

[Xiao Yan: The cousin who was just about to spar with me has a face as green as grass.]

[Xiao Yan: Senior, you are the god in my heart!]

Although Xiao Ning had filed a formal report to the heavens that someone was hacking, and others were equally incredulous, Xiao Yan's strength as a Dou King was undeniably laid out before them, and they could only submit with sincere admiration.

Xiao Zhan even abdicated on the spot, yielding the position of Xiao Family Patriarch to Xiao Yan.

[Emperor Yongle: Hahaha, satisfying, truly satisfying!]

[Emperor Yongle: I just carried a Red-Clad Cannon and wielded an eighty-jin Zhanmadao, annihilating over a thousand Oirat cavalrymen single-handedly.]

[Emperor Yongle: The people from the other grassland tribes saw it and thought a god had descended to earth.]

Zhu Di was currently in his central military tent removing his armor, his face full of smiles.

Ever since he became emperor, it had been a long time since he had fought with such unbridled, wild abandon.

Prince Han Jin Douzi and the Arrogant Layman watched their father, who now looked younger than they were, and could only call it a miracle. Any lingering thoughts of rebellion they might have harbored were completely extinguished.

After all, when they had led the Three Thousand Camp to provide reinforcements earlier, they had witnessed with their own eyes their father carrying a Red-Clad Cannon in one hand and wielding an eighty-jin Zhanmadao in the other, slaughtering thousands of Oirat cavalrymen until they were crying for their mothers.

Clearly, their father had already transcended the boundaries of a "human."

Inside a stone house in the Taihao Tribe, Li Qingxu watched the messages in the chat group, his heart finally settling.

It seemed that, just as he had expected, as the supreme Great Thousand World beneath the Great Dao, every blade of grass and every tree in the Primordial World was an unimaginable treasure to other worlds.

Among them, the message from Xiao Yan interested him the most.

Xiao Ning took a Qi-Boosting Pill and temporarily broke through to the Dou Practitioner realm, only to end up facing Xiao Ning, who has the cultivation of a Dou King. He must be having a mental breakdown.

Li Qingxu shook his head and smiled.

He had only bestowed a single leaf, yet it had allowed the other party to break through to the level of a Dou King.

When Xiao Yan headed to the Misty Cloud Sect to fulfill the Three-Year Agreement, Nalan Yanran would likely be even more desperate.

[Ye Hei: @Qingxu Daojun, Senior, are you there?]

In the chat group, after everyone had finished discussing the transformation brought about by the Immortal Leaf, they saw that Li Qingxu had not responded and immediately began to call out to him cautiously.

Seeing this, Li Qingxu decided it was time to stop lurking.

Now that all three members had received tangible benefits, it was time to guide them into sacrificing treasures to him, their Group Leader.