With Xiao Fan no longer exerting pressure on the stage, the tension eased.
The remaining disciples who had failed put their worries aside and began challenging the opponents they had already chosen.
After all, this was their only chance to change their fate.
If they failed this time, they would spend the rest of their lives serving the clan in remote places. Unless they later had a chance to demonstrate some extraordinary talent or catch up with the other outstanding clansmen in cultivation speed, they would essentially never return to the inner clan.
But for an ordinary person, defeating a disciple at the seventh stage of Dou Qi while only at the sixth stage was still rather difficult.
They were all cultivators. What made you think someone a stage above you would be inferior to you? Unless you had something special about you, of course. But if you had that kind of talent, you would not have failed to reach the seventh stage of Dou Qi by sixteen.
Unsurprisingly, only two of them managed to scrape a victory against their opponents through well-practiced Dou Techniques and a little luck, successfully joining the ranks of those who had qualified.
Finally, with Xiao Zhan's resounding announcement, the coming-of-age ceremony for this generation of Xiao Clan disciples drew to a close.
That night, Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan sat shirtless on the ground in the training area on the back mountain, their bodies covered in dark bruises.
Yao Lao floated nearby, watching the two circulate their energy and cultivate, a trace of gratification flashing through his eyes. Perhaps being able to take in two disciples with such exceptional talent and character in his old age was a little compensation from heaven.
Xiao Fan slowly opened his eyes. Looking at Yao Lao floating before him, he grinned. "Teacher."
Yao Lao watched Xiao Fan circulate his energy and rise, then nodded approvingly. "Fan'er, your talent surpasses even Yan'er's by a fair margin, and your body's ability to recover is astonishing."
"Just now, both of you had clearly reached your limits, yet you managed to recover almost completely in such a short time. Even I truly cannot make sense of your constitution."
Xiao Yan opened his eyes as well and exclaimed, "Exactly! Teacher, you have no idea. Hitting Senior Brother is like hitting a steel plate. And one moment, he's coughing up blood from a beating; a little while later, he's acting like nothing happened."
Hearing their teasing, Xiao Fan scratched his head, able only to bluff his way through with a sheepish grin.
It seemed this was all thanks to his Chaos Flame Body. Not only was his innate affinity with the fire element at its peak, but his recovery and resistance to injury were also exceptional.
Remembering that his current main quest was to leave Wutan City early, Xiao Fan took this opportunity to tell them, "Teacher, Junior Brother, there's something I need to discuss with you."
After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Fan continued, "I'm planning to leave Wutan City."
Before Yao Lao could respond, Xiao Yan hurriedly asked, "Leave Wutan City? Senior Brother, are you leaving the Xiao Clan?"
Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Yao Lao frowned and turned to look at Xiao Fan.
This disciple of his did not seem like someone who would forget his roots. Surely he would never abandon the Xiao Clan just because he had talent.
Xiao Fan froze for a moment at Xiao Yan's words. Realizing they had misunderstood him, he could only explain, "Junior Brother, you've misunderstood what I meant."
"I mean I want to leave Wutan City to gain experience in the outside world. I've already become a Dou Zhe, and the clan's coming-of-age ceremony is over. For now, there's nothing much I need to do here."
At Xiao Fan's explanation, Yao Lao's furrowed brow relaxed, and he grinned. "I've been thinking about that for some time myself." As he spoke, he turned toward Xiao Yan.
"I originally intended to wait until you became a Dou Zhe, then take both of you out of Wutan City to gain experience."
"Besides, Jia Nan Academy will be coming here to recruit students in a few days. When the time comes, you must secure places there..."
Hearing Yao Lao's words, Xiao Fan hesitated before saying, "Teacher, I'm not trying to keep things from you, but I have my own reasons. I may have to set out alone."
At Xiao Fan's words, Yao Lao gradually fell silent.
"Teacher, I have reasons I can't avoid, and I can't tell you about them right now. But you will always be my teacher, and Xiao Yan will always be my junior brother. That will never change."
Yao Lao studied Xiao Fan's earnest face.
He gently stroked his beard and smiled. "I know your character, Fan'er, and I trust the kind of person you are. If you've chosen to leave, you must have your reasons."
"Since your mind is made up, I won't try to persuade you otherwise."
"But you must remember: I will always be your teacher, and Xiao Yan will always be your junior brother. We will always be your strongest backing."
Yao Lao's words filled Xiao Fan's heart with warmth. Having transmigrated into the world of Battle Through the Heavens, he had a system at his side and could freely witness every shade of life in another world. Even so, being all alone could still leave him lonely.
After spending a year with Yao Lao and Xiao Yan, Xiao Fan now regarded them as his family. That was why he did not want the Hall of Souls to imprison Yao Lao and drain his life in the future.
For that reason, he had to work hard to grow stronger and strive to change their fates.
Seeing that Xiao Fan and Yao Lao had settled the decision for Xiao Fan to leave, Xiao Yan could not hide the dejection on his face.
He and his senior brother had spent every day together over the past year, honing their Dou Techniques against each other. His senior brother always went easy on him and helped him. His gratitude toward Xiao Fan went without saying.
The thought that he had no idea when they would meet again left him feeling somewhat forlorn.
Xiao Fan seemed to sense his own dejection.
He punched Xiao Yan on the shoulder and laughed. "Junior Brother, don't look like that."
"We're men! Our future lies in the Sea of Stars. A brief farewell will only bring us together again in the near future."
"When that time comes, we'll have a proper fight. Don't disappoint me."
"Besides, when the Three-Year Agreement comes due, I'll definitely go to the Misty Cloud Sect to back you up. I'm sure that when the time comes, my junior brother will shine far brighter than a mere Nalan Yanran."
Watching the two roughhouse, Yao Lao waved for them to settle down and said, "Fan'er, since you've decided to leave, there are some things I want to give you."
He beckoned Xiao Fan forward.
Looking at Xiao Fan before him, Yao Lao gave a mysterious smile and reached out to rest his hand on the crown of his head.
Xiao Fan was about to speak when he felt a stream of pure spiritual power pouring into his mind.
"Empty your thoughts. This is the culmination of my lifetime of alchemy, along with some Dou Techniques, cultivation methods, and insights into cultivation. How much you can absorb depends entirely on you."
Hearing Yao Lao's words, Xiao Fan suppressed his excitement, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing.
A long time later, Xiao Fan opened his eyes to find a weakened Yao Lao before him, his figure growing increasingly insubstantial. He had never expected Yao Lao to impart his knowledge directly into him, passing on his own experience along with medicinal formulas and Dou Techniques.
Transferring so much soul power while in his soul form had weakened him further.
Xiao Fan knelt and respectfully kowtowed three times to Yao Lao, unable to utter a word.
Looking at Xiao Fan kneeling before him, Yao Lao said kindly, "Fan'er, be careful on the road ahead. I've sealed the memories in your mind. You can only unlock them once your cultivation reaches the necessary level. Otherwise, pouring in so many memories at once would affect your soul."
"And don't worry about me. Though I'm a little weaker, I'm not seriously harmed."
As he spoke, he took a Storage Ring from inside his robes and handed it to Xiao Fan.
"This holds some of my collection, including a cauldron and medicinal ingredients for refining medicine, as well as some healing pills and other things."
Xiao Fan accepted the Storage Ring from Yao Lao and bowed respectfully to him. He exchanged a knowing smile with Xiao Yan, then slowly turned and walked out of the Xiao Clan grounds.
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