Witnessing a Famous Scene, Dou Qi Third Stage

While the upper echelons of the Xiao Clan were holding a secret meeting, elsewhere, Xiao Ze—the very subject of their discussion—was being led by a servant on a tour of the Xiao Clan estate.

Suddenly, he paused, a faint, imperceptible smile touching his lips.

Success!

Before his eyes, a line of text manifested.

[Xiao Clan Patriarch Xiao Zhan has developed a sliver of trust in you. Current Trust Level: half a star]

[Xiao Clan Great Elder has developed a sliver of trust in you. Current Trust Level: one star]

[Xiao Clan Second Elder..., Current Trust Level: half a star]

[Xiao Clan Third Elder...]

Lines of text continued to emerge before him.

Beyond that, what truly stirred Xiao Ze's excitement were the lines that followed.

[Xiao Clan Patriarch has developed trust in you. Trust Points +500]

[Xiao Clan Great Elder has developed trust in you. Trust Points +1000]

[Xiao Clan Second Elder...]

[Xiao Clan Third Elder...]

[Trust Points +10086]

[Current Trust Points: 15732]

It's blowing up! It's really blowing up!

As I thought, my decision to impersonate an ancestor of the Xiao Clan was the right one!

Watching the [Trust Points] skyrocket before him, Xiao Ze felt an intense surge of exhilaration.

He had spent an entire year preparing for this day!

A whole year!

Do you have any idea what he had gone through during that time?

One year ago, Xiao Ze had accidentally transmigrated into this world.

When he first arrived, he was filled with confusion and helplessness, but the moment he heard the name Wutan City, he immediately realized what kind of world he had landed in.

The world known as the progenitor of the "broken engagement" trope.

A world without flashy magic, where Dou Qi had evolved to its peak.

The world of Battle Through the Heavens, where the saying went: "Better to be a lackey to Xiao Yan than a brother to Tang San!"

Just as he was plotting his future, he unexpectedly discovered he possessed a system.

The principle of this system was simple: the more others trusted and believed in him, the more [Trust Points] he would gain, which could then be used to exchange for various treasures within the system.

Xiao Ze had spent a year scraping together a starting capital of one thousand Trust Points.

He then used those points to exchange for a Xiao Clan identity credential—a clan medallion and a life jade.

To his surprise, the identity the system provided was that of a descendant from the main branch of the Xiao Clan in the Imperial Capital from one hundred and fifty years ago!

When Xiao Ze first discovered this, he felt the world go black.

Just as he was about to give up, he gritted his teeth and decided to give it a shot.

After all, if you don't gamble, how can you turn a bicycle into a motorcycle?

Since this was the family of the protagonist, Xiao Yan, as long as he could pull off the ruse, he would reap a massive harvest of [Trust Points].

And he was right!

Looking at the ten thousand-plus points that had suddenly appeared, his heart was filled with excitement.

At the same time, he felt deeply grateful for the decision he had made back then.

Xiao Ze took a deep breath.

After calming the emotions surging within him, he opened the system interface.

[Host: Xiao Ze]

[Age: 20]

[Cultivation: None]

[Dou Techniques: None]

[Weapons: None]

[Trust List: Old Wang at the Village Entrance (2 stars), Xiao Zhan (0.5 stars), Great Elder (1 star), Second Elder (0.5 stars)...]

[Current Trust Points: 15732]

"Jackpot, absolute jackpot!"

"Over ten thousand trust points!"

"I wonder what kind of good stuff I can exchange for with this many points from the system!"

Just as Xiao Ze felt a surge of impatience, he forced himself to suppress the thought.

"Now isn't the right time; I'd better wait..."

"Respected guest, are you alright?"

The Xiao Clan servant standing nearby noticed Xiao Ze stop in his tracks, a flicker of confusion crossing his eyes.

"I'm fine, let's continue," Xiao Ze said, steadying his emotions, his voice calm.

The two walked along the corridor for a while.

Suddenly, a wave of noisy commotion reached Xiao Ze's ears.

Xiao Ze looked toward the sound.

He saw a plaza within the Xiao Clan grounds crowded with many people, all of them young, appearing to be in their teens, seemingly in the middle of some kind of ceremony.

Seeing this, Xiao Ze couldn't help but ask curiously, "What is happening over there?"

The Xiao Clan servant took a single glance before answering respectfully, "Reporting to our guest, today is the Xiao Clan's annual Testing Ceremony."

"Our young clan members are currently undergoing cultivation testing."

As soon as these words were spoken, Xiao Ze raised an eyebrow.

Testing Ceremony?

What a coincidence.

If he remembered correctly, wasn't this the opening chapter where Xiao Huohuo begins his journey to become the future Flame Emperor?

Although he had read Battle Through the Heavens a long time ago and couldn't recall many of the plot points, the famous "Dou Force, Third Stage!" was still fresh in his memory.

Just as he was about to ask the servant if he knew of Xiao Yan, a loud, resonant voice rang out from the center of the testing plaza.

"Xiao Yan, Dou Force, Third Stage!"

"Level: Low!"

"..." Xiao Ze, who had been about to speak, fell silent.

He widened his eyes, staring toward the distant testing plaza.

It couldn't be that coincidental, could it?

Was he really witnessing one of Xiao Huohuo's most iconic scenes?

Through the crowd, he saw a youth standing before the Demon Testing Stele in the center of the plaza. The boy had delicate features, a youthful face, and short, black hair.

He stood woodenly amidst the crowd, staring blankly at the information displayed on the Demon Testing Stele, before clenching his fists tightly, a flash of self-mockery crossing his eyes.

The moment Xiao Ze's gaze landed on him, a wave of uproar erupted across the testing plaza. Countless sounds of disdain and mockery rose one after another, as everyone jeered at the boy who was once the Xiao Clan's genius.

"Is that Xiao Yan, the protagonist of the book and the future Flame Emperor?"

"He doesn't even look as handsome as me!"

The moment he saw Xiao Yan, Xiao Ze began calculating how to swindle the boy.

After all, if he could gain the trust of a destiny-bound protagonist like Xiao Yan, it would surely earn him even more trust points!

"Next, Xiao Xun'er!"

Just as Xiao Ze fell into deep thought.

On the testing plaza nearby, the tester's voice rang out once more.

Following that, Xiao Ze saw a young girl in a purple dress slowly walk out from the crowd; her face was youthful, her expression elegant, and she was as refined and otherworldly as a clear lotus.

Even at such a young age, her beauty was already beginning to take shape.

Among all the women of the Xiao Clan, her appearance was undoubtedly top-tier.

Is this Xiao Huohuo's childhood sweetheart and wife, Xiao Xun'er?

Oh, wait, I should call her Gu Xun'er!

Xiao Ze stared at Gu Xun'er thoughtfully, watching as she calmly stepped onto the platform to begin testing her strength.

When the tester announced, "Dou Zhi Qi, Stage Nine," an uproar broke out across the plaza once again.

Everyone was marveling at her formidable strength.

Yet, the young girl simply turned around calmly and walked over to Xiao Yan to ask after him with concern.

Finally.

Xiao Yan left the testing plaza and headed elsewhere.

"Is it over?"

With Xiao Yan's departure from the plaza, the commotion finally came to a complete end.

Xiao Ze, who had been silently observing from the sidelines, also withdrew his gaze.

He was already beginning to consider how he might hoodwink Xiao Yan.

"If I remember correctly, after the test ended, Xiao Yan felt dejected, went to the back mountain to catch some wind, and even had a brief chat with his father, Xiao Zhan."

"Perhaps I can have a 'chance' encounter with him there."

Xiao Ze rubbed his chin, growing more excited the more he thought about it.

He then turned to the servant beside him and asked, "Do you know the way to the Xiao Clan's back mountain?"

Xiao Clan Servant: "???"