"Dou Strength, Three-stage!"
Looking at the five glaring words on the testing stone tablet, the youth's face remained expressionless, though his eyes held self-mockery.
He kept clenching his fists, his strength so great that his slightly sharp nails pierced his palms, yet he seemed completely unaware.
How could physical pain compare to the hurt in his heart!?
"Xiao Yan, Dou Strength, Three-stage!"
"Level: Low!"
Beside the testing stone tablet, the middle-aged man responsible for registration meticulously read out the results, his voice carrying a trace of regret.
His gaze swept over the youth's dejected face, and he offered comfort. "Third Young Master, there is still one year until the coming-of-age ceremony. You still have a chance."
Xiao Yan nodded woodenly and turned to walk down from the platform.
At that moment, sighs full of regret and sympathy kept sounding around him.
"Still no change. I really wonder what strange illness Young Master Xiao Yan has."
"Maybe some cursed god saw that Young Master Xiao Yan's talent was too good and placed a curse on him?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Young Master Zhang Yuan has always retained his talent. This must be some strange illness. Even the Second-grade Alchemist Young Master Zhang Yuan invited couldn't determine its cause."
"Heaven envies our Xiao Clan. We originally had two outstanding geniuses standing side by side. In a few decades, our Xiao Clan would surely return to the imperial capital, perhaps even reach unprecedented heights."
"Perhaps Young Master Zhang Yuan can find a way to help Young Master Xiao Yan?"
"Let's hope so. Young Master Xiao Yan has used up many clan resources over the years. If not for the fact that the clan leader is his... ahem, forget I said anything."
Those remarks reached the youth's ears, making him feel as though he carried a mountain on his back, one that was growing heavier and heavier.
He lowered his head and did not dare look at the faces around him, because he knew very well that his father, the clan leader, had indeed violated the rules to use many resources on him.
If his talent had remained unchanged, no one in the clan would have said anything. Once he rose to prominence, the benefits he brought would be even greater. That was one of the systems by which the clan endured.
But when everything was used to fill the bottomless pit of a good-for-nothing, it became a joke.
"Forget it. I should tell Father not to give me any more resources."
"Living an ordinary life for the rest of my days isn't so bad."
Thinking bitterly, the youth noticed a pair of exquisite shoes appear before him.
Though he could see only a small portion of her instep, he could tell they belonged to a pair of stunning jade-like feet.
Yet the youth did not look any further. Instead, he raised his head and examined the girl before him.
She wore a purple dress and resembled an orchid blooming in an empty valley. Her slightly childish yet delicate face was exquisitely beautiful, and her skin was as fair as jade. It was easy to foresee that she would one day possess beauty capable of toppling kingdoms.
Seeing the girl, the youth seemed to remember something. He subconsciously took a step back and swallowed.
The girl revealed a faint smile. "Cousin Xiao Yan, Brother Zhang Yuan once said that only those who endure the bitterest hardships can rise above others."
"He believes that you will surely shine again. Xun Er hopes you won't disappoint him."
Hearing that, Xiao Yan's heart clenched fiercely, and warmth spread throughout his body.
He knew that because of a misunderstanding from their childhood, the girl did not like him.
For her to come and comfort him now, it had to be because of Zhang Yuan, the cousin who had remained unchanged toward him even after he became a good-for-nothing.
"Don't worry. I won't disappoint Cousin!"
Xiao Yan nodded to the girl, then turned and headed toward the back mountain, intending to continue working hard.
Behind him, the girl's expression faded. With graceful steps, she arrived before the testing stone tablet. Her purple sleeve embroidered with black-gold threads slipped down, revealing a small hand as white and tender as snow, which she placed upon it.
As she poured Dou Qi into it, the black stone tablet, after a moment of silence, burst forth with a dazzling radiance.
Dou Zhe: One-Star!
The four glittering golden words instantly silenced the entire training ground.
Then countless gasps rang out, making many people's expressions look comical.
"Miss Xun Er, One-Star Dou Zhe!"
The examiner exclaimed in a trembling voice.
A One-Star Dou Zhe before the age of fourteen—she was the Xiao Clan's third greatest genius in a hundred years.
But Xun Er remained calm, feeling somewhat dejected inside. If I hadn't needed to adapt to the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame and only begun cultivating a month ago, I wouldn't be this weak.
If Brother Zhang Yuan finds out, I wonder whether he'll laugh at me.
It should only be a few days until Ling Ying sends another message, right?
No one knew what the girl was thinking. Otherwise, who knew how many people would have been overwhelmed by her humblebragging.
Xiao Yan did not know about Xun Er's dazzling performance after he left. By then, he had reached the peak of a cliff in the back mountain. Sitting cross-legged atop a boulder, he formed a strange hand seal and began cultivating earnestly.
His chest rose and fell slightly. With each breath, he formed a perfect cycle. White streams of air condensed and entered his body through his nose and mouth, flowing through his limbs and bones before gathering in his dantian.
"Huff!"
He cultivated for an entire day. Only when the sun was setting did Xiao Yan open his eyes again.
He did not notice the ancient black ring on his finger emit an eerie glimmer before falling silent once more.
Meanwhile, the Dou Qi that had only recently formed in his dantian was completely devoured by the ring, vanishing without a trace!
"Fuck, the Dou Qi I worked so hard to cultivate disappeared again!"
"You thieving heavens, you're just screwing with me!"
Xiao Yan's face turned livid, consumed by fury, while his heart was filled with desolation.
A perfectly good genius had become a good-for-nothing. He had to be the most miserable transmigrator from Earth.
Although his memories of his previous life had already grown vague, if he had to be a good-for-nothing, then the peaceful world of his previous life had been far better.
"Cousin Zhang Yuan trusts me so much. He's still outside searching for a cure for me. I can't lose heart!"
"I can't disappoint Mother either."
A handsome face surfaced in his mind, and Xiao Yan clenched his fists.
The next moment, he suddenly turned to look in a certain direction. "Father, you're here!"
Though Xiao Yan possessed only Three-stage Dou Qi, his Soul Power, honed through two lifetimes, was extremely powerful and highly sensitive to all kinds of energy fluctuations.
When he mentioned "Mother," he sensed a faint movement within the forest.
Given the time and place, it could only be his father.
"Yan'er, it's time for dinner. Why are you still here?"
A middle-aged man emerged from the forest. Dressed in luxurious gray robes, he carried the bearing of a superior with every stride. He was the current clan leader of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan's father, the Five-Star Great Dou Shi Xiao Zhan!
"I'm cultivating hard. I want to live up to all of your expectations." Xiao Yan's gaze burned fiercely.
"Even so, you should eat. You didn't have lunch either." Xiao Zhan smiled gently, sympathy hidden in his eyes. With a wave of his hand, he took out a food box and placed it on the ground.
Storage Rings existed in this world. Different grades held different amounts of space and had different prices. They could only store inanimate objects. Given Xiao Zhan's status and strength, he naturally possessed one.
Xiao Yan was not surprised. He sat directly on the ground, took the dishes from the food box, and ate with Xiao Zhan.
As they ate, the two chatted.
They mainly spoke of Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and Zhang Yuan, wondering how their adventures outside were going.
They also spoke of how Xiao Yan was now fifteen. If he failed to reach Seven-stage Dou Qi by his coming-of-age ceremony a year later, he would have to leave the clan.
By the time they finished talking, the moon hung like a silver disk and the sky was full of stars.
Xiao Zhan put away the tableware and said, "We've eaten and drunk our fill, and it's getting late. Go back and rest. Distinguished guests will be visiting the clan tomorrow, so don't be discourteous."
"Distinguished guests?" Xiao Yan grew curious. "Could Cousin have returned?"
"I wish." Xiao Zhan shook his head and said mysteriously, "You'll find out tomorrow. Prepare yourself well."
Xiao Yan could only suppress his curiosity and return to his room as Xiao Zhan instructed, getting a good night's rest.
The next day, he rose early. After breakfast, he returned to his room to cultivate, but still made no progress.
Only near lunchtime did a servant come to summon him to the clan's main hall, saying that the distinguished guests had arrived.
When he reached the hall, he was arranged to sit in a corner first, beside his younger cousin Xiao Mei.
"Hello, Cousin Xiao Yan." Xiao Mei greeted him politely, her expression calm and composed.
She was courteous to Xiao Yan only because the person she admired greatly protected this cousin of his.
"Hello, Cousin Xiao Mei." Xiao Yan nodded, then asked, "May I know who these distinguished guests are?"
"Cousin Xiao Yan, look there." Xiao Mei pointed at the sleeve cuff of someone in the hall, where a silver sword amid clouds was embroidered.
Xiao Yan immediately recognized their identity. They were members of the Misty Cloud Sect of the Jia Ma Empire.
The Jia Ma Empire was the empire to which Wutan City belonged. Among the several dozen major cities of the Jia Ma Empire, Wutan City ranked rather low.
As for the Misty Cloud Sect, it was a powerful sect that even the Jia Ma Empire Royal Family treated with courtesy. Its sect leader was a powerful Dou Emperor.
Xiao Yan had not expected such a sect to visit his clan.
He was somewhat surprised.
But he did not know that this was the beginning of a turning point in his fate.
At the same time, the ground outside Xiao Manor suddenly began to tremble.
Pedestrians on the streets all looked in one direction before hurriedly dodging to both sides of the road.
Several dozen pitch-black horses, each over ten feet tall and bearing horns on their heads, galloped in from afar. In the blink of an eye, they had all stopped before Xiao Manor.
The riders all wore black armor, swords at their waists, bows and arrows on their backs, and long halberds in hand.
At their head was a handsome young man with a resolute face, though closer inspection revealed traces of youthfulness. He was clearly still young, yet he had been tempered by the battlefield and exuded the powerful aura unique to soldiers.
Refinement and iron-blooded ferocity, youthfulness and determination, a tyrannical dominance as dazzling as lightning—all those contradictory traits were perfectly embodied in him.
The man swung down from his horse, looked at the plaque above Xiao Manor, and smiled faintly.
The guards at the Xiao Clan gate performed their duties faithfully and stepped forward to question him. "May I ask who this young general is? Do you have a visiting card?"
"A visiting card?" The young officer chuckled. "Xiao Boyuan. Why would I need a visiting card to return home?"
Xiao Boyuan?
Xiao Boyuan carefully examined the youth's somewhat familiar face. After a long while, he suddenly became excited.
"You are... you are Young Master Zhang Yuan!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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