Two-Star Dou Zhe

"Next, Xiao Yan!" The examiner's voice echoed across the square.

"Brother Xiao Yan, it's your turn..." Xiao Xun'er looked at Xiao Yan anxiously, reaching out with both hands to clasp his right hand, her eyes full of worry.

Lifting his head, Xiao Yan looked impassively at the Black Stone Stele on the platform. The gloating voices of the clansmen around him kept reaching his ears, making him chuckle despite himself.

"Xun'er, today I'll put an end to all the humiliation of these past years." Xiao Yan exhaled softly and stepped toward the platform.

Xiao Xun'er released his hand and stared blankly at his retreating figure. The confidence radiating from him at that moment made it seem as though...

The genius of years past had returned!

Under the crowd's tangled gazes, Xiao Yan climbed onto the platform and approached the Black Stone Stele.

The examiner looked at the youth before him with mixed emotions. He had witnessed this young genius's rise and his gradual fall. He had watched him build his lofty tower, watched him feast his guests...

Today, unless a miracle occurred, this would probably be the youth's last time testing his Dou Qi within the clan.

Dressed in white, Xiao Yan stood before the Black Stone Stele, his chest slowly rising and falling. At that moment, he was nowhere near as composed as he appeared.

He extended his palm and pressed it against the Black Stone Stele's cold, smooth surface.

Under gazes filled with pity, schadenfreude, or worry, a dazzling light blazed from the Black Stone Stele!

Golden light intertwined across the stele, forming several large words:

"Two-Star Dou Zhe!"

The entire square first fell silent, then erupted into a deafening uproar.

"Holy shit, how is that possible?!"

"Is the Black Stone Stele malfunctioning? How could that trash be a Two-Star Dou Zhe?"

"He tampered with it! Xiao Yan must have tampered with it!"

Amid the chorus of doubts, the Xiao Clan Great Elder slammed his hand against his chair and sprang to his feet, then leaped down from the viewing stand and onto the platform.

He strode up to the Black Stone Stele and pressed his palm against it. After carefully examining it, his expression became quite a sight. He considered briefly, then amplified his voice with Dou Qi and roared, "Silence! There's nothing wrong with the Black Stone Stele!"

"This..." Xiao Xun'er pressed her small hand tightly over her mouth. After the disbelief came a swell of emotion.

"My son's cultivation has returned..." On the viewing stand, a tear slipped from the corner of Xiao Zhan's eye, though he was still in his prime. He had witnessed every disparaging remark Xiao Yan had endured over the years, yet had been powerless to help.

Clan rules stood above everything. For a declining Ancient Family like the Xiao Clan, only strict adherence to those rules could offer a thread of hope for survival.

Crack!

Overcome with emotion, Xiao Zhan crushed the teacup in his hand into powder. The fragments mingled with tea and trickled between his fingers.

The other three elders were even more shocked. In one year, he had gone from third-stage Dou Qi to a Two-Star Dou Zhe?

Such speed was unheard of throughout the ages, utterly terrifying!

"What miraculous elixir did the clan leader prepare for Yan'er, for his cultivation to advance so quickly..." The Second Elder stared blankly at Xiao Zhan. Not long before, he had mocked Xiao Yan, saying he might as well report to the Marketplace early today.

But now, it seemed the Second Elder's face had been slapped resoundingly.

"My son Xiao Yan has relied entirely on talent and hard work throughout his cultivation!" Xiao Zhan shot the Second Elder a disdainful glance.

"How is this possible!" Below the platform, Xiao Ning, who had been feeling smug about his ninth-stage Dou Qi, now felt as though none of this was real. At that moment, he seemed to see the peerless genius who had advanced to Dou Zhe at twelve standing atop the platform four years ago, once again looking down on him from above.

No, impossible!

When Xiao Yan had fallen from his throne of genius, no one had been happier than Xiao Ning. His own talent was considerable; he could even be called the finest in the Xiao Clan apart from Xiao Yan. Yet Xiao Yan's brilliance had completely eclipsed his. No matter how hard he worked, everyone's eyes would only ever settle on Xiao Yan.

The white-robed youth on the platform, with his impassive gaze and outstanding bearing, was the sole focus of the entire crowd, just as he had been four years ago.

"Brother Xiao Yan, you're amazing!" Suddenly, Xiao Xun'er's excited cry reached Xiao Ning's ears. Standing amid the crowd, the girl called out so loudly that she seemed determined to make everyone in the square hear her.

"That genius is back."

"He's so handsome."

"Where did he buy those white clothes? I want a set too..."

The praise from some of the crowd pierced his ears like sharp awls. Xiao Ning clenched his fists, still unwilling to accept that Xiao Yan had regained his standing as a Dou Zhe.

This is fake. It has to be fake.

Xiao Ning's feet began to move. He walked toward the platform, his eyes fixed fiercely on Xiao Yan. Seeing this, the people around him immediately began murmuring.

The Great Elder on the platform frowned. He could more or less guess what his grandson was thinking. However, most people actually shared Xiao Ning's suspicion that something underhanded lay behind Xiao Yan's result.

"Xiao Ning, get down!" the Great Elder barked.

"No, Grandpa, I want to challenge Xiao Yan!" Xiao Ning said through gritted teeth, pointing at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Ning, his gaze calm. He had already expected that someone would refuse to believe his strength, and that an agitated clansman would come forward to challenge him.

But...

"I accept," Xiao Yan said mildly.

The Great Elder's brow relaxed. He himself opposed Xiao Ning challenging Xiao Yan, but his rebuke had merely been because Xiao Zhan was still sitting in the viewing stand.

"Since Xiao Yan has no objection, let's begin." The Great Elder waved a hand, and several clansmen came forward to carry the Black Stone Stele away, clearing a space for the two to fight.

But compared with Xiao Ning, who was rubbing his fists eagerly, Xiao Yan was far more relaxed. He even had the leisure to wink at Xiao Xun'er, drawing a radiant smile from her.

This further inflamed Xiao Ning's anger. He circulated the Dou Qi within his body, preparing to end the fight quickly and expose Xiao Yan's deception in one stroke.

In his view, for Xiao Yan to rise from third-stage Dou Qi to fifth-stage Dou Qi in less than a year would already have been a miracle. Advancing to Dou Zhe was simply impossible!

"Begin!" At the Xiao Clan Instructor's command, the duel officially began.

After both sides cupped their fists in salute, Xiao Ning immediately circulated his Dou Qi and lunged at Xiao Yan.

As they watched Xiao Yan's calm expression, everyone's heart rose into their throat.

"It's probably fake, isn't it..." Below the platform, besides Xiao Xun'er, who had always stayed by Xiao Yan's side, another girl had been watching his every move: Xiao Mei.

Xiao Mei was Xiao Yan's younger cousin and former little follower. She had secretly loved him, but after his cultivation regressed, she had left without hesitation.

Now she lightly bit her pearly teeth together, her feelings tangled. If Xiao Yan's strength had recovered, wouldn't that mean her original choice had been outrageously wrong?

On the other side, Xiao Xun'er held her hands before her chest, watching Xiao Yan with complete trust.

Her Brother Xiao Yan would never lose!

"Mountain-Splitting Palm!" Xiao Ning opened with a yellow tier Dou Technique, clearly intending to crush Xiao Yan as easily as smashing rotten wood.

Yet even when Xiao Ning came within three steps of him, Xiao Yan showed no reaction.

"What's going on?" On the viewing stand, Xiao Zhan, who had been brimming with confidence, now felt his heart tighten.

Why isn't Yan'er moving? Xiao Zhan grew anxious. Could he be unable to react in time? That's right, perhaps Yan'er really did use some method to fool the Black Stone Stele.

Advancing from third-stage Dou Qi to Dou Zhe in a single year hardly seems possible. If Yan'er really did that and is exposed today, an injury would be the least of his troubles. In the worst case, the Great Elder might cripple his cultivation and drive him out.

"No, I won't allow it!" Xiao Zhan's gaze turned cold.

Even if Yan'er really used underhanded means, he is still my son. Even if I have to violate the clan rules, I'll protect Xiao Yan! Even if... the price is my position as clan leader!

Xiao Zhan abruptly rose, but the Great Elder, who had already returned to the viewing stand, was prepared and immediately blocked his path.

"Great Elder, what is the meaning of this!" Xiao Zhan's eyes blazed with fury.

"He resorted to fraud. Letting him learn a lesson would do him some good," the Great Elder said with a sneer.

On the platform, the duel had been decided in an instant.

A figure was sent flying high into the air, blood tracing a perfect arc in midair.

"Xiao Ning!!!!!"