Xiao Yun

Wutan City's Xiao Clan testing plaza was packed with people. Everywhere he looked, children and teenagers had gathered, while elderly onlookers watched the plaza's activity from the surrounding attics.

Today was the Xiao Clan's annual test. Every child between the ages of five and fifteen had to attend and have their Dou Qi tested.

"Xiao Yan, Dou Qi, Stage Three! Level: Low Tier!" Beside the Testing Magic Stone Tablet, a middle-aged man glanced at the information displayed on it and announced it in a shocked voice.

"Hahaha! My Yan'er is truly impressive. Tell me, who else in the Jia Ma Empire could reach Dou Qi Stage Three after just one year of cultivation? My son, Xiao Yan, has the makings of a Dou Emperor!" Up in the attic, Xiao Clan patriarch Xiao Zhan said to the three elders beside him.

"Indeed. Xiao Yan's talent is extraordinary, and his future is limitless." The three elders all nodded in agreement. Though they usually clashed with one another, they were still members of the same clan. With a genius in their midst, they stood united.

The plaza was a hubbub of voices, and the onlookers all wore delighted expressions.

"Dou Qi Stage Three? I remember young master Xiao Yan is only five this year. He reached Stage Three after just one year of cultivation! I've never heard of anyone else in Wutan City who could do that."

"Not just Wutan City. No one in our Southeastern Province has ever heard of a five-year-old genius reaching Dou Qi Stage Three. I knew young master Xiao Yan was extraordinary. He's sure to achieve great things!"

"Gasp! Dou Qi Stage Three at five years old—that's terrifying! Young master Xiao Yan is the Xiao Clan's number-one genius. He'll surely lead our clan to rise and dominate Wutan City!"

The praise drifting over from the crowd reached the child standing on the stone platform like a summer breeze, making him lift his head high as proudly as a peacock.

"Brother Xiao Yan, you're amazing! I'm only at Dou Qi Stage One, while you're already at Stage Three," a four- or five-year-old child called out to him from below.

"Hahaha! Do you even know who I am? I'm going to be the clan patriarch one day. How could I lead the clan to rise if I didn't have talent?" Xiao Yan laughed heartily and descended from the platform, surrounded by a cluster of children.

"Little sister Xiao Mei, don't be sad. After all, geniuses are rare. Not everyone can have talent like mine." Xiao Yan addressed the child who had just called out to him—Xiao Mei.

The people around them curled their lips at his words, but no one dared contradict him. Xiao Yan wasn't only exceptionally talented; he was also the son of the Xiao Clan's current patriarch. If they offended him, they could forget about getting by in the clan.

In every lively crowd, there were always some who seemed out of place.

No wonder so many people targeted you after your Dou Qi disappeared. You're this arrogant even now. They must have been fed up with you for a long time.

At the edge of the crowd, Xiao Yun gazed coolly at Xiao Yan, who was surrounded by a group of children, and couldn't help feeling wistful.

Like Xiao Yan, he hadn't originally belonged to this world. The difference between them was that Xiao Yun knew who Xiao Yan was, while Xiao Yan knew nothing about him.

In his previous life, Xiao Yun had taken a nap in his dorm room. When he woke up, he'd discovered he'd scored himself a new identity as an orphan in another world.

Fortunately, he'd transmigrated into the world of Battle Through the Heavens, a story he'd read in his previous life, so he wasn't completely at sea.

Fortunately, the Xiao Clan was a close-knit family. Clan rules required servants to care for orphans whose parents had both died. And Xiao Yun wasn't an ordinary orphan: Xiao Clan patriarch Xiao Zhan was his uncle.

There had been no so-called struggle for the throne—after all, the Xiao Clan barely occupied a speck of land—and Xiao Yun hadn't been deprived of any of the treatment he was entitled to.

For that reason, Xiao Yun was deeply grateful to Xiao Zhan and felt a strong sense of belonging to the clan.

Xiao Yun stood at the edge of the plaza, quietly watching as the others were called up one by one to test their cultivation.

Aside from Xiao Yan, no other geniuses appeared. Xiao Yu was the only one with decent talent. At eight years old, she had reached Dou Qi Stage Five. Still, Xiao Yan would soon surpass her.

As time passed, it was soon Xiao Yun's turn to step up for his test.

Xiao Yun strode forward, placed his small hand against the black Magic Stone Stele, and slowly closed his eyes.

A moment after Xiao Yun shut his eyes, light began to shine from the black stele once more.

Dou Qi, Ninth Duan!

"Xiao Yun, Dou Qi, N—"

The middle-aged man on the platform stared dumbly at the Magic Stone Stele. The words he was supposed to say simply wouldn't come out.

The noisy crowd fell silent, staring in disbelief at the information on the stele. The people in the attic were even so shocked that they rose to their feet.

"Xiao Yun, Dou Qi, Ninth Duan! Level: High Tier!" A moment later, the middle-aged man in charge of announcing the results flushed red and shouted the words at the top of his lungs.

The onlookers all began to question reality. Their faces flushed, their eyes glazed over, and some even started slapping themselves in public.

Xiao Yun hadn't expected everyone to find it so hard to accept. But, on second thought, it made sense. Xiao Yan had become a Dou Zhe at twelve and made a name for himself throughout the Jia Ma Empire. Xiao Yun was only seven, yet he had already reached the Ninth Duan of Dou Qi.

At his rate of cultivation, he was sure to become a Dou Zhe by eight at the latest. The difference between them was like night and day.

Forget making a name for himself across the Jia Ma Empire—Xiao Yun might even shake dozens of neighboring countries.

"Ahhh! The Ninth Duan of Dou Qi! I remember young master Xiao Yun is only seven this year, right?

"He reached the Ninth Duan of Dou Qi after just three years of cultivation! I've never heard of anyone in Wutan City who could advance three stages in a single year!"

"Why does that sound so familiar? Still, it's hard to disagree. Young master Xiao Yun truly is the Xiao Clan's number-one genius!"

"Gasp! Terrifying! The Ninth Duan of Dou Qi at seven—he's the true number-one genius of our Xiao Clan! He'll surely lead us to rise and dominate Wutan City!"

"I used to think Xiao Yan's talent was already unrivaled. I never imagined someone could be even more powerful! Which elder's child is he?"

"..." Xiao Yun's mouth twitched. Listening to the crowd take the praises they'd just showered on Xiao Yan, switch the name, and shower them on him instead, he couldn't help thinking they had absolutely no integrity.

Xiao Yun walked down amid the praise, his expression unchanged and his heart perfectly calm. Other people's words didn't sway him in the slightest.

Geniuses were always embraced by ordinary people. Unfortunately, Xiao Yun didn't care much for that.

After all, Xiao Yun wasn't really a child, and he didn't value empty praise.

After leaving the plaza, Xiao Yun returned to his room. It was in the center of the Xiao Clan grounds and came with a small private courtyard.

He owed this house to his original body's identity. His grandfather had been Xiao Lin, the previous patriarch of the Xiao Clan.

His parents had died covering the clan's retreat when they left the Jia Ma Imperial Capital, leaving Xiao Yun as the sole survivor of their branch. But he was still a direct descendant of the Xiao Clan, so providing him with a private courtyard was only reasonable.

Back in his room, Xiao Yun sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, examining what was in his mind.

An image appeared in Xiao Yun's mind.

Name: Xiao Yun

Age: Seven years old

Status: Good

Cultivation: Ninth Duan of Dou Qi (99/100)

Cultivation Technique: None

Dou Qi Attributes: Fire, Wood

Talent: Top-tier

Soul Power: Mortal Realm

This was Xiao Yun's cheat! It was a Status Panel that could precisely display his own condition. What was more, he suspected that it had somehow turned his body into a semi-data-based version of itself.

With top-tier cultivation talent alone, reaching the Ninth Duan of Dou Qi at seven might have been possible, but it would have required the help of rare treasures.

Xiao Yun had no such rare treasures, yet he had still reached the Ninth Duan of Dou Qi at seven, just one step away from becoming a Dou Zhe. It wasn't just his top-tier cultivation talent that had made it possible. The Status Panel had played a part too!

At first, Xiao Yun hadn't known what the panel did. He'd assumed it could only display his attributes. Then he began cultivating—and broke through to Dou Qi Stage One right away!

What was more, whenever his cultivation progress bar reached one hundred, he could automatically advance to the next realm.

On the Dou Qi Continent, breaking through required more than gathering Dou Qi inside one's body. One also had to use it to break through the body's limits before one could advance to the next realm.

Take Jia Xing Tian of the Jia Ma Empire and Yun Shan, for example. Their bodies had long since accumulated all the Dou Qi they could hold, but they still couldn't break through to Dou Zong. They couldn't use the Dou Qi inside them to overcome that barrier.

But Xiao Yun might not have to worry about that. As soon as his cultivation progress bar reached one hundred, he could break through directly, with no bottleneck at all.

Though this cheat couldn't compare with systems that could instantly crush heaven and earth from the start or break straight through to Dou Di, Xiao Yun's attitude was simple: I've got a cheat, so I should be grateful. Why would I nitpick?

"I'll make one final push and break through to Dou Zhe today. If I can advance directly to Dou Zhe too, then maybe I really won't have any bottlenecks when it comes to Dou Qi!" Xiao Yun opened his eyes. He wanted to test his theory and see if breaking through would still feel as effortless as before.