The plaza fell deathly silent. No one had expected Xun'er, who had only been a Five-Star Dou Zhe last year, to break through to the realm of an Eight-Star Dou Shi in just one short year.
She was only fourteen this year.
At this rate, wouldn't she be able to break through to the Dou Ling realm before reaching adulthood?
The strongest person in the entire Xiao Clan was Xiao Zhan, the current clan leader.
And Xiao Zhan was only a Five-Star Dou Grandmaster.
She could surpass the clan leader in two years at most?
This realization utterly shattered the worldview of every Xiao Clan member.
Even Xiao Mei, who had been smug just moments ago, could not help but fall into a daze.
Compared to Xun'er, the talent she had been so proud of seemed like utter trash.
Even after Xun'er returned to her place, many people remained in shock, unable to recover for a long time.
With Xun'er setting the bar so high, the following tests instantly became dull and uninteresting.
There were quite a few with high-level talent who had reached the seventh stage of Dou Qi, but compared to Xun'er breaking through to Eight-Star Dou Shi at fourteen, none of them had anything left to be proud of.
If Xun'er said everyone present was trash, even Xiao Zhan sitting on the stage would have to honestly accept that assessment.
Although Xun'er was only an Eight-Star Dou Shi, with the foundation of an Ancient Emperor Clan, the secret techniques she possessed, and the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, defeating Xiao Zhan, who was merely a Five-Star Dou Grandmaster, would not be difficult.
As the tedious Testing Ceremony continued, Xiao Jin could not help yawning.
"I didn't expect the Testing Ceremony to be so boring. I wonder how you all endured it in previous years," he complained, making the girl beside him purse her lips and laugh softly.
Xiao Yan said speechlessly, "If I weren't waiting to see your test, I would've left long ago."
In previous years, after humiliating himself, he would never have had the nerve to stay in the plaza and endure the mocking gazes of others.
Xiao Jin gave an awkward laugh. "Third brother, I guarantee you won't regret staying."
"Then I'd like to see just how far you've reached. You can't possibly be stronger than Cousin Xun'er, can you?"
Before Xiao Jin could speak, Xun'er's voice drifted over. "Who knows? Brother Jin is very powerful."
Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat.
With Xun'er's proud personality, could Xiao Jin, whom she was willing to keep by her side, really be some weakling?
She was already an Eight-Star Dou Shi. Could Brother Jin be even stronger than Cousin Xun'er?
No wonder Brother Jin had been so confident earlier, saying that no one would mock him again.
If Brother Jin had truly broken through to the Da Dou Shi realm at fifteen, who in the entire Xiao Clan would dare provoke him?
For a moment, the fire in Xiao Yan's heart burned even hotter.
The Testing Ceremony continued for nearly two hours before the final person was finally called.
"The last one, Xiao Jin." Second Elder's voice rang out again, his face showing an expression of relief.
It seemed that not only did the younger generation find this Testing Ceremony dull, even Second Elder had grown tired of it.
With Xun'er's dazzling performance before them, how could everything afterward not seem boring?
Xiao Jin stood and patted Xun'er on the head, raising an eyebrow at her.
A faint smile rested on Xun'er's lips as she clenched her small fist and made an encouraging gesture toward Xiao Jin.
Her adorably innocent appearance made everyone present green with envy again.
They had never seen Xun'er behave this way before, especially not toward a boy.
If the occasion had not been inappropriate, they would surely have wailed aloud.
After he stepped onto the stage, Second Elder knew this was Xiao Jin's first time participating in the Testing Ceremony and specially reminded him, "Just place your hand on the Testing Monument and pour Dou Qi into it."
Xiao Jin could not help giving him another look. In the original story, in order to establish Xiao Yan's protagonist image, none of the Xiao Clan's three elders had been particularly positive characters.
The conflict between the elders and the clan leader had also been one of the early clashes.
But Xiao Jin had always believed that for a clan to continue developing, it could allow different voices within, but everyone's goals should remain the same.
If all the villains were united as one while the righteous side constantly schemed against each other, then what the hell was the point?
Second Elder's current attitude further confirmed his view.
Perhaps Second Elder held opposing views to Xiao Zhan on certain matters, but when facing the Xiao Clan's younger generation, they all held the same hopes.
Otherwise, as Xiao Zhan's adopted son, what Xiao Jin should have faced now would have been Second Elder's deliberate obstruction rather than his care.
Xiao Jin gave a slight bow and politely said, "Thank you, Second Elder, but this monument probably cannot contain my Dou Qi."
Second Elder was first stunned, then smiled. "You are overthinking it. You saw Miss Xun'er's test just now. This monument can contain Dou Qi at the Da Dou Shi level. It is more than enough to test your level."
Xiao Jin grinned and shook his head. "Second Elder, this monument truly cannot test my level."
"Could you possibly be a Dou Ling, little fellow?" Second Elder laughed too, though it was an angry laugh.
This boy had never participated in the Testing Ceremony, yet on his first appearance, he was already resorting to such attention-seeking tricks.
He refused to believe that a fifteen-year-old child could be a Dou Ling.
Xiao Jin shook his head. "Not exactly. I'm indeed not a Dou Ling."
Second Elder was just about to scold him when a pair of Dou Qi Wings suddenly unfolded behind Xiao Jin.
The Dou Qi Wings spanned around four meters and burned fiercely like flames. Their scorching heat caused the air above the testing platform to distort for an instant.
Xiao Jin slowly rose into the air and stopped about half a meter above the ground.
Looking down at Second Elder from above, he chuckled. "Second Elder, I'm indeed not a Dou Ling, because I'm already a Dou Wang."
Second Elder: "..."
Xiao Yan stared at the unbelievable scene before him, utterly unable to understand how Brother Jin had already become a Dou Wang.
Wasn't he only fifteen?
Xun'er's eyes shimmered as she gazed at the radiant young man on the stage with fascination, her eyes filled with pride and delight.
A Dou Wang at fifteen. Even within the Ancient Emperor Clan, such talent would be considered outstanding.
She knew very well that there was no Dou Emperor Bloodline within Xiao Jin.
Reaching this point through talent alone was enough to trample every prodigy of the Ancient Emperor Clan beneath his feet.
The stronger Xiao Jin became now, the greater the chance that she and Xiao Jin would end up together in the future.
With such talent, even her father could not simply ignore him, could he?
The Testing Plaza once again sank into dead silence. Compared to Xun'er's achievement of becoming an Eight-Star Dou Shi at fourteen, Xiao Jin made them truly understand what real shock was.
Fifteen years old, a Dou Wang...
How could those two terms possibly be connected?
Xiao Zhan was the first to recover. Ignoring the cup crushed in his hand, he shouted, "Good! As expected of my son, Xiao Zhan's son!"
Xiao Jin turned and met his father's ecstatic face, smiling as he said, "Father, from this day onward, no one shall be able to humiliate my Xiao Clan."
Great Elder stared blankly, and Third Elder was not much better.
Only Second Elder remained composed, respectfully asking, "Young Master Xiao Jin, may I ask what your current cultivation is...?"
"Three-Star Dou King!"
"Hiss!" Second Elder could not help sucking in a sharp breath.
If he remembered correctly, Nalan Jie, one of the Ten Great Experts of the Jia Ma Empire, seemed to be only a Three-Star Dou King as well.
Who would have thought the Xiao Clan had another expert?
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