Xiao Yan Stunned the Entire Crowd

After a moment of deep thought, Xiao Mo slowly suppressed the anger burning in his chest and stopped picking on Xiao Yu.

Meanwhile, under Xiao Xun'er's persuasion, Xiao Yu gradually reined in her anger as well.

Still, neither could stand the other, so they simply changed seats. Out of sight, out of mind.

Just as the atmosphere settled into a stalemate, the lengthy ceremonies on the stage finally ended, and the strength assessment soon began.

Xiao Mo perked up at once, rubbing his hands in anticipation.

Now, as soon as Xiao Yan steps onto the stage, my reward will come in. Just thinking about it gets me excited.

He watched the testing steward anxiously, waiting for him to call Xiao Yan's name.

Finally, halfway through the assessment, the testing steward called the name they had been waiting for.

"Xiao Yan, come onto the stage."

At those words, countless gazes immediately turned toward them.

After all, everyone knew that Xiao Yan had thoroughly disgraced himself in the assessment a year ago.

A good-for-nothing at only the third stage-now that he was taking the stage again, would he make a complete fool of himself in front of everyone once more?

But soon, some people's expressions shifted, and their gazes grew complicated.

That third-stage good-for-nothing had ultimately reached the sixth stage in a single day, leaving everyone rooted to the spot in shock.

The conclusion they had eventually reached was that he must have cheated somehow, but he had, after all, salvaged their pride that day.

Thus, no one had gone on to verify Xiao Yan's talent or strength. They had simply treated him as though he did not exist.

Could he put on another extraordinary performance today?

Several elders nearby also cast ill-intentioned looks at Xiao Zhan. They wanted to see what sort of performance his son would give this time, too.

After all, Xiao Yan had held two such precious pills last time, yet he had not given them even one. He had kept both for himself.

Ever since then, the elders had held a deep grudge against Xiao Yan. They had offered him neither pointers nor guidance, eager to watch this so-called genius fall from grace and be trampled into the dust.

They had also been observing Xiao Yan lately. He often went to the Back Mountain with Xiao Mo to cultivate.

Although the two always looked utterly bedraggled after training, and even bore a few wounds each time, there was nothing more to it.

They had not displayed any particularly formidable strength, so the elders were already certain that Xiao Yan's previous assessment result represented his limit.

Besides, the higher one's stage, the harder it became to advance further. Some people had even remained stuck at the eighth stage after two years of cultivation, unable to take another step forward.

"He might still test at the sixth stage this time. He's nothing but a good-for-nothing. Even if he made a breakthrough along the way, he's still a good-for-nothing."

The elders were already waiting to enjoy the spectacle.

The surrounding crowd also watched Xiao Yan climb the steps with malicious eyes, waiting for him to embarrass himself in public.

Xiao Yan walked straight to the center of the training grounds. He ignored the mocking gazes around him and looked only toward Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Mo in the crowd.

Xiao Mo gave him a thumbs-up, and a faint smile involuntarily tugged at his lips.

His friends were here, and he had poured nearly every ounce of his energy into a year of training. He believed that, no matter what, all his hard work would yield a good result today.

He also believed that today, he would once again deliver a slap to the faces of those malicious spectators waiting to laugh at him.

He took a deep breath, gazed at the testing stele before him, and slowly placed his hand against it.

An icy sensation instantly washed over him, and the hurt of being scorned and looked down upon for so long surged up in his heart once more.

His gaze sharpened, anger flaring in his eyes, and he immediately poured his dou qi into the stele.

At that moment, Xiao Mo was staring fixedly at the stele from the audience seats, silently cheering him on.

He can definitely do it. He's already at the eighth stage. He'll give these people a hard slap in the face.

Everyone else in the audience was also staring intently at the stele, waiting for the result.

For if Xiao Yan failed to reach the eighth stage at today's coming-of-age ceremony, he would be condemned to an ordinary life from then on.

Their rules stated that anyone who had not reached the eighth stage by sixteen could no longer remain with the main family to cultivate.

And this once brilliantly gifted prodigy would fall from grace for good. He would never have another chance to turn his fortunes around and would be reduced to an ordinary person.

Everyone was ready to watch him make a fool of himself. Even Xiao Zhan on the stage could not help holding his breath, his gaze fixed on the stele.

Streaks of golden light gradually shone from the black stele. A moment later, a line of golden words appeared upon it.

The instant they saw those words, the grounds fell silent. Everyone stared at the stele, then cried out in disbelief.

Some even began rubbing their eyes repeatedly, utterly unable to believe what they were seeing.

"How is that possible?"

"How did he do it?"

Some began muttering to themselves, while the steward beside him dazedly went through the motions and softly announced the result.

"Dou Power... eighth stage!"

Those who had been ready to laugh at him were now all frozen in place, too stunned and incredulous to utter a single word.

In just one short year, he had actually advanced two stages in succession. If they also counted the three stages he had gained before that, it meant he had leaped a full five stages within a year.

Five whole stages! Some people might not reach such a level even after three or four years of cultivation. Had that genius returned?

Everyone stared in astonishment at the young man in the grounds. He merely gazed calmly at the words on the stele and slowly withdrew his hand.

Under their astonished or envious gazes, he slowly walked down from the platform, paying no heed to their surprise.

After all, their opinions did not matter to him. They were merely strangers. What mattered most to him was what Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Mo, and his father thought.

He turned toward Xiao Zhan, seated high in the place of honor in the stands, and found his father watching him with gratification and pride.

Their gazes met across the distance. Seeing the smile on his father's lips, he finally let out a long breath, and the boulder weighing on his heart at last fell away.

After all this time, he had finally lived up to his father's expectations. Once again, he had stood before the crowd and shown everyone his strength, winning back the dignity his father had lost several years ago.

Seated below the stage, Xiao Yu watched the scene in shock. She had never expected that the genius of those years past would seemingly appear before her once again.