Mastering the Thunder Ancestral Symbol!

Everyone in the arena stared blankly at the four large characters on the stele, their expressions exceedingly vivid.

A moment later, hurried breaths began to ring out across the training grounds like spinning windmills.

By the time the coming-of-age ceremony arrived, Xiao Lei would still only be sixteen.

An Eight-Star Dou Shi at sixteen—such an achievement would be unmatched not only in Wu Tan City, but even throughout the entire Jia Ma Empire!

After a brief silence, an uproar abruptly erupted across the training grounds.

"Cousin Xiao Lei is already an Eight-Star Dou Shi!"

"A year ago, wasn't he still a One-Star Dou Zhe?"

"In just one year, he went from a One-Star Dou Zhe to an Eight-Star Dou Shi. That's insanely powerful!"

"..."

Such a terrifying rate of advancement had never appeared in the Xiao Family before!

It was a speed that left them utterly shaken!

At the edge of the square, Xiao Yan, who had originally intended to leave, could not help narrowing his pupils slightly as he looked at the four large characters on the Testing Stele.

"Your Cousin Xiao Lei truly is extraordinary. To achieve such results in a remote place like this... if he were placed among those great powers, who knows how far he could grow!"

At that moment, Yao Chen's somewhat astonished voice echoed in Xiao Yan's heart.

Xiao Yan silently nodded and clenched his fists a little tighter. Teacher, I need to speed up as well!

Originally, Xiao Yan had been quite satisfied with rising from Three-Stage Dou Zhi Li to Seven-Stage Dou Zhi Li within a year.

But at this moment, he was no longer quite content.

Yao Chen said, "You are still in the foundation-building stage. Once you break through to the Dou Zhe realm, I will naturally find a way to help you accelerate your progress."

Xiao Yan nodded lightly and silently sat down cross-legged at the edge of the square.

In a corner of the training grounds, Xiao Xun'er looked at Xiao Lei, who had become the center of attention, and felt happy for his achievement.

At the same time, a faint pressure arose in Xiao Xun'er's heart. Looks like I need to speed up too! Brother Xiao Lei, I won't let you leave me too far behind...

Beside the Testing Stele, Xiao Lei looked at the golden characters upon it without the slightest ripple in his expression.

Originally, Xiao Lei had planned to reveal his Nine-Star Dou Shi cultivation, but remembering that there would be a Ritual Retest a month later, he concealed it at Eight-Star.

Before Xiao Lei left the Xiao Family, he had revealed One-Star Dou Shi cultivation to Xiao Zhan. Rising seven stars in over half a year, then another star in a month, was perfectly reasonable.

Xiao Lei smiled faintly. Under the gaze of the entire arena, he leisurely walked toward the back of the crowd, met Xun'er's smiling eyes, and then sat down beside her.

"Cough, cough..." At that moment, Xiao Zhan, his face glowing with delight, rose from the elevated platform. He coughed lightly to draw everyone's attention, then announced loudly,

"The tests are complete. Next, we will proceed to the following item. Those who failed have the right to issue one challenge to a qualified companion. Remember, you only have one chance!"

At those words, a slight commotion broke out across the training grounds.

Those who had fallen just short of passing immediately turned heated gazes toward the group of qualified participants. Quite a few of them fixed their eyes on Xiao Yan.

Then, a youth named Xiao Ke chose to challenge Xiao Yan.

The result was that Xiao Ke was defeated by Xiao Yan in a single move.

Xiao Yan also used this opportunity to thoroughly prove to the entire family that the former genius had returned once more!

After Xiao Ke's failed challenge against Xiao Yan, no one else continued to challenge him.

The failed clan members could only seek other targets. After several rounds of contests, only two people barely managed to defeat their opponents and successfully enter the qualified group.

Only after the training grounds gradually quieted down did Xiao Zhan rise with a broad smile and loudly announce the end of the tests, along with several matters requiring attention for the coming-of-age ceremony one month later.

Afterward, he declared the tests concluded.

At once, many Xiao Family descendants, including Xiao Mei, stepped forward one after another to ingratiate themselves with Xiao Lei.

"Sorry, but Brother Xiao Lei and I have something to do. Could everyone please make way?"

Under the blank stares all around them, Xun'er intimately hooked her arm through Xiao Lei's. A trace of apology rested on her exquisite, pretty face.

Hearing Xun'er's words, everyone was slightly stunned. Xiao Mei in particular looked rather embarrassed and awkwardly stepped back.

Then, the others also moved aside to clear a path.

"We'll be going first," Xiao Lei said to everyone with a smile, then naturally left the training grounds together with Xun'er.

Watching Xiao Lei and Xun'er leave the training grounds so intimately, the younger generation of the Xiao Family was filled with envy.

The young men envied Xiao Lei, while the young women envied Xiao Xun'er.

With Xun'er holding his arm, Xiao Lei left the training grounds and leisurely strolled through the family grounds with her for a while. They agreed to go shopping together tomorrow before parting ways.

After separating from Xun'er, Xiao Lei returned directly to his residence.

Although he had not returned for over half a year, the room was spotless, clean, and tidy.

There was no need to think about it. This had to be Xun'er's doing.

The image of Xun'er cleaning his room surfaced in Xiao Lei's mind, and the corners of his lips could not help curving upward slightly.

After a while, Xiao Lei gathered his thoughts. With a slight movement of his mind, he took out the Thunder Ancestral Symbol from the System Space.

Immediately, a flash of lightning appeared before him.

At the center of that lightning glow, an ancient symbol quietly floated before Xiao Lei.

The Thunder Ancestral Symbol rewarded by the system had directly acknowledged Xiao Lei as its master. Unlike Lin Dong in the world of Wu Dong Qian Kun, he did not need to endure countless lightning strikes before earning the Thunder Ancestral Symbol's recognition.

Looking at the Thunder Ancestral Symbol so close before him, Xiao Lei felt a surge of excitement in his heart.

Xiao Lei took a deep breath to calm himself, then sat down cross-legged and released the soul power within his body.

The floating Thunder Ancestral Symbol before him transformed into a bolt of lightning and shot into his body.

The next instant, the Thunder Ancestral Symbol rushed into Xiao Lei's mind and began spinning endlessly within it.

As the Thunder Ancestral Symbol rotated, Xiao Lei sensed that the soul power in the center of his brow was gathering around it.

The soul was generally an ethereal, indescribable thing. It was the foundation of all living beings and profoundly mysterious.

Ordinarily, even for powerful alchemists, the soul in the center of their brows was only a substance akin to nothingness.

Yet under their control, this soul power could serve many purposes after leaving the body.

Xiao Lei's soul realm had already reached the Peak Mortal Realm, but it was still an intangible and ethereal thing, difficult to fully concentrate, much less condense into human form.

Yet under the guidance of the Thunder Ancestral Symbol, that soul power no longer remained in its former formless state. Instead, it gathered together, occasionally pulsing faintly like a heart.

The soul at the center of his brow seemed far more vibrant with life than before.

His soul continuously writhed, as though it were nurturing something, yet it never succeeded, as if something were still missing...