Eight-Stage Dou Qi!

Seeing the result, the female student froze in place, muttering in disbelief.

"How is that possible..."

The surrounding crowd instantly fell silent. The few who had spoken earlier lowered their heads, pretending they had seen nothing.

Seeing this, several people waiting in line to watch the show could not help but feel regret.

If they had known, they would have tried to build a relationship with him beforehand.

Just then, a burly man with broad shoulders and a sturdy build emerged from the open green tent ahead.

The man walked over and asked the nearby students, "What happened? Why was it so noisy just now?"

At his words, the surrounding students all turned their eyes toward the female student standing before Xiao Qing.

Faced with everyone's gazes, the female student could only bite the bullet and explain what had happened to the burly man.

As he listened to her explanation, a sharp gleam flashed through the burly man's eyes as he looked at Xiao Qing, who held the red crystal in his hand.

Xiao Qing studied the broad-shouldered man before him. Seeing the man's gaze suddenly turn toward him, he immediately nodded in greeting.

"Hello, Mentor."

The burly man was quite pleased with Xiao Qing's politeness, but he still flipped his hand and retrieved a crystal used to test Dou Qi from his Storage Ring.

"To reach Eight-Stage Dou Qi at your age can be called unprecedented!"

"To prevent any error in the test result, please test your Dou Qi once more."

As he spoke, he handed the crystal to Xiao Qing.

Seeing this, Xiao Qing immediately placed his hand on the crystal and poured the Dou Qi within his body into it.

Buzz!

The crystal immediately emitted a dazzling light.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Seeing this, a delighted expression appeared on the burly man's face as he praised him three times in a row.

Recruiting such a genius would bring him no small benefit as well.

"Come, follow me into the tent."

The burly man quickly came back to his senses and led Xiao Qing toward the tent.

Inside the tent, several Jia Nan Academy students were curious when they saw the burly man lead a young child inside.

Without any intention of explaining himself to the others, the burly man sat in the chair at the head of the tent and spoke gently to Xiao Qing before him.

"Congratulations on passing Jia Nan Academy's preliminary assessment. My name is Ge Long, and I will also be your mentor after you join Jia Nan Academy."

Xiao Qing nodded and said, "Hello, Mentor Ge Long."

Ge Long looked at the young Xiao Qing before him in satisfaction. With a flip of his palm, he took out a parchment scroll and an ink pen, then asked routinely,

"Jia Nan Academy needs to determine each student's potential rating. State your name, age, and level."

"Xiao Qing, four years old, Eight-Stage Dou Qi."

"What?!"

Several students eavesdropping nearby immediately cried out in shock.

Ge Long was overjoyed when he heard it. Although Xiao Qing looked only four or five years old, there was still the possibility that he was simply underdeveloped.

Now that Xiao Qing had personally stated his age, Ge Long nearly snapped the pen in his hand.

After shooting a glare at the few people who had cried out, Ge Long stared fervently at Xiao Qing.

"With your age and cultivation, your potential rating is beyond my ability to judge. We can only wait until you reach Jia Nan Academy and let the academy elders make the decision."

Xiao Qing nodded calmly, though he was somewhat surprised inside.

He had not expected to enter Jia Nan Academy's upper echelon's field of vision so easily.

Given his age and cultivation, they would probably nurture him as one of their own, right?

Seeing Xiao Qing's indifferent expression, Ge Long felt both amused and annoyed. He only assumed that Xiao Qing was too young to understand what it meant.

"Your surname is Xiao. Are you from the Xiao Household of Wutan City?"

Xiao Qing found it strange that Ge Long would ask this, but he still nodded.

"That's right."

Seeing Xiao Qing confirm it, Ge Long secretly sighed at the Xiao Household's good fortune in having such a monstrous clan member.

Ge Long told Xiao Qing to return first and gather here three days later. By then, Jia Nan Academy's flying convoy would arrive in Wutan City, and they could fly directly to the academy.

Xiao Qing nodded in agreement. He went around the crowd behind the tent and headed toward the Xiao Household.

Ge Long watched Xiao Qing's departing back, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

He waved over a student and whispered a few words into his ear.

The student nodded, then turned and walked out of the tent, heading beyond the crowd.

Within the Xiao Household, the younger clan members had all been drawn away by Jia Nan Academy's recruitment, leaving the training grounds completely empty.

This made things easier for Xiao Qing. He strolled leisurely along the bluestone-paved path all the way back to his residence without attracting much notice.

After returning to his room, Xiao Qing no longer paid attention to the commotion outside and devoted himself entirely to cultivation.

Night fell.

Today, the Xiao Household had cast aside its usual peace and quiet. The grounds were brightly lit and bustling, with young clan members occasionally gathering together to talk animatedly.

"Have you heard? Jia Nan Academy's recruitment team is coming to stay at our Xiao Household."

"What?"

"Is that true?!"

"Absolutely true! Not only that, our Xiao Household has produced a monster even more talented than Young Master Xiao Yan!"

"What monster? Someone more talented than Young Master Xiao Yan?"

"Do you know Xiao Qing?"

"Xiao Qing? Never heard of him. He's the monster more talented than Young Master Xiao Yan?"

"Of course! Xiao Qing is at Eight-Stage Dou Qi at just four years old!"

Upon hearing this, everyone collectively sucked in a breath of cold air.

"Hiss~"

"Eight-Stage Dou Qi at four years old—terrifying indeed!"

This was not an isolated case. Similar scenes were playing out one after another throughout the vast Xiao Household estate.

Everyone in the Xiao Household learned that their clan had produced a monster!

Xiao Household main hall.

Xiao Zhan, seated at the head of the hall, rubbed his teacup and was the first to speak.

"What do you all think of Xiao Qing?"

The Xiao Household had produced a monster, and as clan leader, Xiao Zhan was naturally delighted.

But this monster had cultivated to such a level, yet they had known absolutely nothing about it!

If Xiao Qing had not suddenly registered for Jia Nan Academy, who knew how long it would have taken them to learn of this matter?

The several elders exchanged glances, all choosing to remain silent.

Seeing this, the First Elder's eyes flashed with helplessness. He rose to his feet, cupped his hands toward Xiao Zhan, and said,

"Clan Leader, Xiao Qing lost both parents at a young age and has few emotional ties to the Xiao Household. It is understandable that he acted this way."

"Now that things have come to this, all we can do is support him."

Xiao Zhan fell silent for a long while before finally nodding.

"If so, how should we support him?"

As soon as he spoke, the hall fell into silence.

How could they support him?

With Xiao Qing's talent, he would certainly receive special cultivation once he reached Jia Nan Academy.

Why would he care about the little resources they could offer then?

The First Elder stroked his chin, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.

"Why don't we summon Xiao Qing and ask him before making further plans?"

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Zhan nodded.

"The First Elder is right. Send someone to invite Xiao Qing here."