Just as the Xiao Clan's higher-ups were holding a secret meeting.
Elsewhere.
Xiao Ze, the subject of their discussion, was currently being led around the Xiao Clan by one of its servants.
Suddenly.
He stopped in his tracks, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his face.
"Success!"
A line of text abruptly appeared before his eyes.
[Xiao Zhan, the Xiao Clan's patriarch, has developed a little trust in you. Current Trust Level: Half a Star]
[The Xiao Clan's Great Elder has developed a little trust in you. Current Trust Level: One Star]
[The Xiao Clan's Second Elder..., Current Trust Level: Half a Star]
[The Xiao Clan's Third Elder...]
Lines of text appeared before his eyes one after another.
But what made Xiao Ze even more excited were the next few lines.
[The Xiao Clan's patriarch has developed trust in you. Trust Points +500]
[The Xiao Clan's Great Elder has developed trust in you. Trust Points +1000]
[The Xiao Clan's Second Elder...]
[The Xiao Clan's Third Elder...]
[Trust Points +10086]
[Current Trust Points: 15732]
"It's exploding! It's exploding!"
"Sure enough, pretending to be an ancestor of the Xiao Clan was the right call!"
Watching his [Trust Points] shoot up before his eyes, Xiao Ze was ecstatic.
He had toiled for a full year to prepare for this day!
A whole year!
Did you know what he'd been through during that year?
One year ago.
Xiao Ze had unexpectedly transmigrated into this world.
When he first arrived, he'd been bewildered and at a loss. But the moment he heard the name Wutan City, he knew exactly what kind of world he'd landed in.
The world hailed as the birthplace of the broken-engagement trope.
A world without dazzling magic, where Dou Qi alone had been cultivated to its peak.
And the world of Battle Through the Heavens, the story behind the saying, "Better to be Xiao Yan's underling than Tang San's brother"!
While he was making plans for his future.
He'd unexpectedly discovered that he had a system.
The system's rules were simple: the more people trusted and believed in him, the more [Trust Points] he would earn. He could then exchange those [Trust Points] for all kinds of treasures through the system.
Xiao Ze had spent a year saving up a thousand Trust Points as his starting capital.
Then he'd used those thousand Trust Points to exchange for proof of his identity in the Xiao Clan: a Clan Token and a Life Jade.
But who could have guessed that the identity proof the system gave him belonged to a direct-line descendant of the Imperial Capital Xiao Clan from a hundred and fifty years ago!
When Xiao Ze discovered this, he felt as if the sky had fallen on him.
Just as he was about to give up on this...
In the end, he gritted his teeth and decided to give it a try.
After all, a gamble could turn a bicycle into a motorcycle.
As the family of the protagonist, Xiao Yan, the Xiao Clan was a sure source of massive [Trust Points]—as long as he could bluff his way through.
And sure enough!
Watching his Trust Points suddenly rise by more than ten thousand.
His heart filled with excitement.
He was also deeply grateful for the decision he'd made back then.
Xiao Ze took a deep breath.
After calming himself down.
He opened the system.
[Host: Xiao Ze] [Age: 20] [Cultivation: None] [Dou Technique: None] [Weapon: None] [Trust List: Old Wang at the Village Entrance (Two Stars), Xiao Zhan (Half a Star), Great Elder (One Star), Second Elder (Half a Star)...] [Current Trust Points: 15732]
"I hit the jackpot!"
"More than ten thousand Trust Points!"
"I wonder what kind of good stuff I can get from the system with this many Trust Points!"
Though Xiao Ze could hardly wait to find out.
He still forced himself to suppress the urge.
"The timing's not right. I'd better wait..."
"Esteemed guest, are you all right?"
The Xiao Clan servant beside him saw Xiao Ze stop and glanced at him in confusion.
"I'm fine. Let's keep going." Xiao Ze composed himself and spoke in an even voice.
The two walked along the covered corridor for a while.
Suddenly.
A burst of clamorous noise reached Xiao Ze's ears.
He followed the sound.
He saw a crowd gathered in one of the Xiao Clan's squares. They were all quite young, barely in their teens, and seemed to be taking part in some sort of ceremony.
Curious, Xiao Ze asked, "What's going on over there?"
The Xiao Clan servant only glanced over before respectfully answering, "To answer your question, today is our Xiao Clan's annual Testing Ceremony."
"All the young members of the Xiao Tribe are taking tests to measure their cultivation."
At this, Xiao Ze raised an eyebrow.
The Testing Ceremony?
What a coincidence.
If he remembered correctly, this was the opening scene where Xiao Huohuo became the future Flame Emperor.
Although he'd read Battle Through the Heavens a long time ago and couldn't remember many of the details, he still remembered the most famous line: "Dou Qi, Third Stage!"
Just as he was about to ask the servant beside him whether he knew Xiao Yan.
A booming voice rang out from the center of the testing square.
"Xiao Yan, Dou Qi, Third Stage!"
"Rank: Low!"
"..." Xiao Ze, who had been about to speak, fell silent.
He stared wide-eyed at the testing square in the distance.
Could it really be this much of a coincidence?
Had he just stumbled upon one of Xiao Huohuo's most iconic scenes?
Through the crowd.
He saw a young man standing before the Demon Testing Stele at the center of the square. He had delicate features, a youthful face, and short, tousled black hair.
He stood there blankly among the crowd, staring at the information displayed on the Demon Testing Stele. Then he clenched his fists, a trace of self-mockery flashing in his eyes.
Just as Xiao Ze's gaze settled on him.
A hubbub swept over the testing square. Scornful jeers and mocking laughter rose one after another as everyone ridiculed the once-genius young man of the Xiao Clan.
"So that's the protagonist of the novel, Xiao Yan, the future Flame Emperor?"
"He doesn't even look as handsome as me!"
The moment Xiao Ze laid eyes on Xiao Yan, he began plotting how to win him over.
After all, if he could earn the trust of someone like Xiao Yan, a protagonist blessed by fate, he'd surely gain even more Trust Points!
"Next, Xiao Xun'er!"
Just as Xiao Ze was lost in thought.
The testing officer's voice rang out again from the testing square.
A girl in a purple dress then slowly emerged from the crowd. Her face was youthful, her expression serene. Like a pure lotus, she seemed untouched by the world.
At such a young age, her figure was already beginning to take shape.
Among the Xiao Clan's girls, her looks were easily among the very best.
"Is this Xiao Huohuo's childhood sweetheart and wife, Xiao Xun'er?"
"Oh, no. I should call her Gu Xun'er!"
Xiao Ze watched Xiao Xun'er thoughtfully as she calmly walked onto the stage and began to have her strength tested.
When the testing officer announced, "Ninth Stage of Dou Qi," a fresh wave of commotion swept across the square.
Everyone marveled at her formidable strength.
But the girl calmly turned around and went to Xiao Yan, asking after him with concern.
In the end.
Xiao Yan left the testing square and headed elsewhere.
"Is it over?"
Only after Xiao Yan left the square did the commotion finally die down.
Xiao Ze, who had been quietly watching from the sidelines, also looked away.
He was already thinking about how to win Xiao Yan over.
"If I remember correctly, after the tests ended, Xiao Yan went to the back mountain to catch the wind because he was in a bad mood. He also talked with his father, Xiao Zhan."
"I might be able to run into him there."
Xiao Ze stroked his chin, growing more excited the longer he thought about it.
Then he asked the servant beside him, "Do you know the way to the Xiao Clan's back mountain?"
Xiao Clan servant: "???"
Before you continue