Early the next morning, sunlight spilled across the grounds, and the air was crisp and fresh. Ya Fei arrived at Xia Kong's courtyard first thing.
Xia Kong was accompanying Ya Fei to the Xiao Clan's coming-of-age ceremony, but he merely wanted to meet Xiao Yan, Xiao Xun'er, and the other key characters from the original story. Officially, he was only Ya Fei's escort, so there was no need to make elaborate preparations. After breakfast together, they boarded a carriage and headed toward the Xiao Clan estate.
The Xiao Clan's young disciples had already crowded around the testing stone on the training grounds. In the distance, the guest viewing stands were almost full of visitors from the various factions the Xiao Clan had invited. Voices filled the air, and the atmosphere was lively.
Xia Kong followed slightly behind Ya Fei on her right, shielding her from quite a few lecherous gazes.
Meanwhile, his eyes swept casually over the crowd, searching the unfamiliar faces for figures from his memories. Before long, a group of splendidly dressed people with distinguished bearing approached at a leisurely pace. Leading them was Xiao Zhan, the Xiao Clan's patriarch. He could scarcely conceal his high spirits, as though a worry that had weighed on his heart for years had finally vanished.
Ya Fei quietly introduced them to Xia Kong, giving him some understanding of Xiao Zhan and several important Xiao Clan elders.
But Xia Kong's attention was not on these old fogeys. He paid little heed to Ya Fei and Xiao Zhan's polite exchanges, his gaze soon drawn firmly to two figures beneath the shade of a large tree.
The black-robed youth stood tall and straight, his features handsome, while the girl in green beside him possessed a cool, ethereal grace. Though young, both had already entered the Dou Zhe realm. With their outstanding looks and bearing, there was no need to guess-they were Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er.
Passing over Xiao Yan, Xia Kong let his gaze linger on Xiao Xun'er's lovely face for quite some time.
He had to admit that Xiao Xun'er was truly beautiful. Dressed in green, she had a cool, delicate elegance like a green lotus just beginning to bloom, her graceful figure carrying an otherworldly charm. Her curves retained a youthful freshness, and every movement exuded nobility and poise.
Unfortunately, he had transmigrated too late in the timeline, and his identity was unsuitable, so he had failed to stop that wicked uncle's perverted behavior. Besides, the Gu Clan behind Xun'er-especially that Nine-Star Dou Saint, Gu Yuan-was a long story in itself.
Still, unfortunate as it was, Xia Kong did not feel much regret.
The moment Xia Kong looked toward them, Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er seemed to sense it and raised their eyes toward him together.
Xia Kong nodded slightly in greeting, then withdrew his gaze.
Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er merely thought the unfamiliar youth's gaze was somewhat strange. Neither took it to heart, and they simply returned a faint nod.
"Boy, don't underestimate him. He's about your age, yet he's already a Five-Star Dou Master, and his foundation is exceptionally solid. What's even rarer is that his body and soul are equally powerful. Talent like that is exceedingly rare across the entire Northwest Continent. I'm afraid only the direct-line disciples of those great sects in the Central Plains could compare."
Yao Lao's voice suddenly sounded in Xiao Yan's mind.
Towering waves surged through Xiao Yan's heart, but with so many people around, he could not ask further questions aloud. He could only take another long look at Xia Kong's back, straight as a sword's scabbard. Over the past year, he had climbed all the way from three-stage Dou Qi to Dou Zhe, and deep down, he had harbored immense pride. Now, faced with a genius his own age who had already become a Five-Star Dou Master, more than half that pride was instantly beaten down.
Yet he could not help making a private comparison. If not for those three dark years when his Dou Qi had been drained away, how high would he have risen by now, having become a Dou Zhe at twelve? At that thought, he reckoned that even if he had not reached Da Dou Shi, he would not have been far off. Much of his wariness toward Xia Kong instantly faded, and his confidence quietly recovered.
Inside the ring, Yao Lao saw that Xiao Yan had regained his composure without losing his confidence in catching up, and he nodded in private satisfaction. "You've advanced too quickly, so some impatience and arrogance are inevitable. Taking a few blows isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Most of Xiao Xun'er's attention was on Xiao Yan. Noticing the changes in his expression, she asked softly, "Brother Xiao Yan, what's wrong? Was there something amiss with that person?"
"Nothing. I just feel he's no ordinary person." A trace of puzzlement lingered in Xiao Yan's eyes. He could recall no information about such a genius in Wutan City. "If he can accompany Ya Fei of the Mittel family, he's surely no nobody. Yet I've never seen him before."
"I don't know him either. But he's even a little more handsome than you, Brother Xiao Yan, and his bearing really is distinctive."
Hearing Xiao Xun'er praise someone else's looks above his own, Xiao Yan immediately felt sour inside, as though he had swallowed an entire tart lemon. A hint of wounded resentment entered his voice. "What, Sister Xun'er? Did that pretty face catch your eye at first sight?"
"Hehe, do you think Xun'er is that shallow, Brother Xiao Yan? Hmph!"
At the girl's playful huff, Xiao Yan's jealousy vanished completely. His wariness toward Xia Kong, however, rose another notch.
Just then, Xiao Yu, who had gone to Jia Nan Academy for further study, approached Xiao Yan with her younger brother, Xiao Ning, blocking his view of Xia Kong. The moment they met, they began arguing again over the old incident in which Xiao Yan had peeked at Xiao Yu while she bathed and accidentally touched her thigh. Their quarrel soon became impossible to untangle.
Xiao Xun'er had long understood Xiao Yan's character. She offered no opinion, merely watching Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu bicker with a gentle smile at her lips!
In the guest seats, Xia Kong sat down beside Ya Fei. Only when he sensed that subtle, powerful soul probe gradually receding did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
Being examined from head to toe by Yao Lao from a distance was hardly a pleasant experience. He silently marked down that debt.
At the same time, however, it gave him a measure of confidence. He had actually been able to detect Yao Lao's soul probe clearly. That was enough to prove that all the level-two strawberries and Level-Three Strawberries he had eaten had not gone to waste. His own soul perception was already no weaker than that of an ordinary Dou Huang expert. Although he could not project it outward to perceive others clearly like a Dou Emperor, simply being able to take precautions whenever someone probed him greatly improved his chances of survival.
Meanwhile, Xiao Zhan noticed that instead of standing behind Ya Fei like an ordinary guard, Xia Kong had calmly taken a guest seat. Puzzled, he turned to Ya Fei to inquire about Xia Kong's background.
Ya Fei casually invented an identity for him as her younger cousin and brushed the question aside.
Xiao Zhan was worldly enough to recognize that Ya Fei did not wish to reveal more, so he stopped digging. He simply treated Xia Kong as Ya Fei's relative and an honored Mittel guest, extending every courtesy. Xia Kong did not act arrogantly on account of his talent either, returning the greetings calmly and politely.
Before long, Xiao Ying, the Xiao Clan's second elder, stepped onto the platform and announced the official start of the coming-of-age ceremony.
The disciples who appeared first gave unremarkable performances and caused little stir. Only when Xiao Yan stepped forward did everyone's attention-including Xia Kong's-turn toward him.
Standing in the center of the grounds, Xiao Yan savored the feeling of every eye upon him, a confident smile curving his lips.
Today, I'll reclaim every shred of dignity I lost over those years! I'll show everyone what a true genius is.
Under the eyes of the crowd, Xiao Yan pressed his palm firmly against the testing stone.
The stone instantly erupted with a blaze of light far more brilliant than anyone else's.
"Dou Zhe... One-Star Dou Zhe!"
Even the second elder's voice trembled slightly. His loud announcement rang throughout the training grounds, and the entire crowd instantly erupted into an uproar, countless faces filled with astonishment.
The Xiao Clan members who already knew Xiao Yan's talent had recovered were overcome with emotion. He truly lived up to his former reputation as a monstrous genius. In just one year, he had leaped from three-stage Dou Qi to Dou Zhe, his brilliance undiminished from the past, and many watched with envy burning in their eyes. Xiao Ning found it hardest to accept, but he was still stuck at eighth-stage Dou Qi. Faced with Xiao Yan, who had already entered the Dou Zhe realm, he could not muster the slightest courage to challenge him, however much jealousy and resentment filled his heart.
Xiao Yu stared at the high-spirited youth in the arena, her beautiful eyes wide with bewilderment. What did this little pervert do to deserve such fortune?
Another person in the crowd wore a dejected expression: Xiao Mei.
As a child, she had worshipped the dazzling Xiao Yan. After his fall, she had been the one to distance herself from him and scorn him most fiercely. Even she despised herself for fawning on the powerful that way. Now that Xiao Yan's talent had returned to its peak and even surpassed the past, how could she have the face to approach him and beg his forgiveness?
Many of the visiting guests, however, had known nothing about the return of Xiao Yan's talent. Now it truly stirred up towering waves among them, and they gathered around Xiao Zhan, offering one flattering remark after another. As a result, the smile on Xiao Zhan's weathered face never faded for the rest of the day.
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