Dou Qi, third stage!

As the words fell, the noisy training grounds fell silent once more.

Countless gazes, sympathetic, mocking, or indifferent, turned in unison toward the slender figure in black robes at the end of the line.

Xiao Yan stiffened almost imperceptibly, his hands clenched at his sides until his knuckles turned white.

He slowly raised his head, an unreadable stubbornness buried deep within his pitch-black eyes, and walked step by step toward the Demon Testing Stone that had witnessed three years of his despair.

Every step felt as though he were treading on burning coals.

The silence around him was terrifying, yet those wordless stares were harder to endure than unrestrained laughter.

It had been three years. Ever since the Dou Qi he cultivated began disappearing when he was twelve, his cultivation had been frozen solid, never advancing even a fraction.

Every clan test was like tearing open his stubbornly unhealed scar before everyone.

Xiao Yan reached the Demon Testing Stone, his slender back rigidly straight. He did not look at the crowd around him or at his father's conflicted expression on the raised platform. His gaze rested only on the rough, gray-white stone before him.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan closed his eyes and sank his awareness into his body, guiding that weak, sluggish strand of Dou Qi slowly along his arm and into the Demon Testing Stone.

Hum...

An exceedingly faint vibration sounded. A dim glow drifted through the patterns on the stone, and a line of pale lettering slowly emerged, displayed clearly before everyone:

Three-Stage Dou Qi.

The instant the number appeared, an irrepressible wave of whispers swept through the training grounds.

"Still at the third stage, just as expected..."

"A former genius, and now he can't even match an ordinary clan member."

"Ah, what a pity. Nobody knows what actually happened to him."

Mockery and regret mingled together and wormed into Xiao Yan's ears. His shoulders trembled slightly, his nails nearly digging into his palms. Defiance, humiliation, and a trace of confusion he could not even explain to himself surged through his heart.

He clearly worked harder than most of his fellow clan members, rising before dawn to cultivate every day and resting only late at night, yet the Dou Qi within him showed not the slightest sign of growth.

On the raised platform, Xiao Zhan watched that lonely figure, his chest feeling as though something had lodged inside it, his brow filled with anguish and helplessness.

He had tried countless methods and consulted many physicians, yet he had never discovered why his son's cultivation had stalled. All he could do was watch helplessly as the boy who had once shone so brilliantly endured this humiliation again and again.

The Great Elder sighed softly, his aged voice losing some of its authority and gaining a measure of wistful regret.

"Xiao Yan... Three-stage Dou Qi. Next."

Xiao Yan withdrew his hand. Without lingering or raising his head to look at anyone, he silently turned and walked back to a corner of the crowd, his head lowered. His black-robed figure huddled there, as though he wanted to hide himself away.

Not far away, Xiao Yuan quietly watched the scene and sighed inwardly.

He knew this was not Xiao Yan's end, but the long dormancy before the storm arrived.

Yao Lao's trial had yet to end, and the legend of the Flame Emperor still awaited the spark that would set it in motion. He could quietly make things easier, but he could not interfere with this crucial tempering of Xiao Yan's character.

Beside him, Xiao Xun'er's delicate brows creased slightly. Her gentle gaze followed Xiao Yan all the while, a faint trace of worry passing through her eyes before she looked toward Xiao Yuan, who stood beside her with his aura restrained.

The dust had settled on today's test.

Ten years old, a Five-Star Dou Zhe.

This name was destined to stir waves that would not subside for a long time within the Xiao Clan of Wutan City.

The remaining clan members' tests were soon hastily concluded, with no one else stirring any noteworthy waves.

The Great Elder rose and loudly announced the end of the clan test. The young clan members gradually dispersed, but from beginning to end, only two subjects dominated today's conversations—Xiao Yan, who had fallen into the dust, and Xiao Yuan, who had burst onto the scene.

On the raised platform, Xiao Zhan still sat in his original seat. His gaze first swept over Xiao Yan's dejected, departing figure, then settled on the silver-robed boy who was preparing to leave, unconcealed amazement filling his eyes. He rose, strode quickly down from the platform, and stopped in front of Xiao Yuan.

"Yuan'er, stay a moment."

Xiao Yuan stopped and bowed slightly. "Uncle Xiao."

"No need for formalities." A rarely seen, delighted smile appeared on Xiao Zhan's face.

"A Five-Star Dou Zhe at ten years old... in all my years, I've never heard of anything like this in Wutan City. You've done well, very well!"

Quite a few passing clan members paused when they heard this, quietly pricking up their ears.

Xiao Yuan remained calm. "It was only good fortune. I encountered an opportunity during secluded cultivation, that's all."

He did not wish to flaunt his secrets too much, so he brushed over the matter with a single mention of an opportunity.

Naturally, Xiao Zhan would not pry. Everyone had their own fortunes on the path of cultivation, and forcing the matter would only be discourteous. He patted Xiao Yuan's shoulder.

"Whatever the opportunity was, making use of it was your own ability. The clan won't let you go unrewarded.

"From today onward, you'll be named a Core Disciple, and you'll receive priority access to the clan's resources. If you need anything for your cultivation, you can come to me."

This promise effectively placed Xiao Yuan among those the Xiao Clan would officially prioritize nurturing.

"Thank you, Clan Leader," Xiao Yuan said composedly.

Not far away, Xiao Ning watched the scene from a distance and scratched the back of his head, the lingering competitive spirit in his heart subsiding completely.

Compared with a Five-Star Dou Zhe, he was still far behind. He secretly clenched his fists, already resolved to cultivate even harder once he returned.

Xiao Xun'er stood beneath an old pagoda tree, quietly watching the two converse, her emerald skirt stirring in the breeze. Only after Xiao Zhan left did she slowly approach Xiao Yuan, her voice as soft as the wind's whisper:

"You've progressed much faster than I expected."

Xiao Yuan turned to look at the girl. He neither denied it nor explained, merely offering a faint smile.

"The road ahead is long. I've only just taken the first step."

Xun'er's gaze deepened slightly. She gave a small nod and did not press him further.

The Gu Clan's perception could not be mistaken. Those fluctuations belonging to the Yan Clan's bloodline truly existed, but for now, the boy clearly did not wish to reveal too much.

After the two said their farewells, Xiao Yuan set off alone toward his little courtyard.

As soon as he pushed open the courtyard gate, he closed the wooden door behind him and sat down on a stone stool inside. His awareness sank into his body, and the Ten Thousand Transformations Source-Dividing Art quietly began circulating, Thunderfire Dou Qi flowing slowly through his meridians.

"A Five-Star Dou Zhe is only the beginning," Xiao Yuan murmured.

Beyond Wutan City lay the far vaster Dou Qi Continent. The threat posed by the Jia Lie Family had not yet been rooted out.

The day of Yao Lao's awakening drew ever closer, and countless storms lurking in the continent's shadows awaited him not far ahead.

Meanwhile, on the mountain behind the Xiao Clan's courtyards.

Xiao Yan sat on the stone steps with his back against the cold mountainside, his fingers tightly gripping the Ancient Black Ring, his chest heaving.

Every gaze during the test had pierced his heart like a needle, and his defiance grew wildly within him like weeds.

No one saw that, within the ring, a faint, aged consciousness was quietly studying the boy's heart at that moment...