Successfully Altering His Dou Qi Level

Arriving before the testing stele, Xiao Mo took a deep breath, then cautiously placed his hand on it.

A flash of golden light passed over it. Looking at the line of text on the stele, the Deacon no longer had the energy to complain even inwardly.

How had all three people who came up in succession today turned out to be astonishing geniuses? Shock piled upon shock until he could no longer describe how he felt.

The others outside the testing grounds widened their eyes as well, staring fixedly at the words on the stele.

"Th-this can't be possible, can it?"

They were even more shaken now than when Xiao Yan had tested at the eighth stage earlier.

After all, at the previous test, Xiao Mo had only been at the second stage, not even close to Xiao Yan.

Yet now he had risen to the eighth stage, the same as Xiao Yan. It was simply unbelievable.

Xiao Yan, seated nearby, was equally stunned. He stared at the stone and immediately raised his hand.

"Is this thing broken?"

Xiao Mo saw at a glance what he was trying to do. He hurriedly formed Ice Shards, sending them drifting toward Xiao Yan with a little ice and snow, and forcibly pressed his arm back down.

"Shut up! Don't say it!"

He mouthed the words toward Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan froze for a moment, but quickly understood what he meant. He could only sigh and nod, no longer raising his hand to speak.

Only then did Xiao Mo breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had hidden his strength. Merely being at the eighth stage had already shocked everyone around him this much.

If he revealed that he was a One-Star Dou Zhe, wouldn't these people eat him alive?

Ignoring the probing gazes around him as best he could, he kept his eyes straight ahead and returned to sit beside Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan grabbed his arm, his gaze full of questions.

"What exactly is going on with you?"

His gaze dropped, and he immediately spotted the Wristband fastened around Xiao Mo's wrist.

The Wristband clearly displayed the eighth stage.

Xiao Yan's pupils contracted. He was no fool; one look told him this thing was behind it.

"Is it this thing?"

He grabbed the Wristband, but without Xiao Mo's permission, he could only suppress his doubts, not daring to take it off outright.

Xiao Mo had never intended to hide it from Xiao Yan anyway. After all, this thing would be discovered someday.

He simply took it off and slipped it into Xiao Yan's hand.

"If you want to play around with it, go ahead, but you have to give it back. Getting this thing cost me quite a bit of effort."

"Put it on your wrist and adjust the level shown on the screen. The Testing Stone will immediately register you as a Dou Zhe of the corresponding level. Even Dou Emperor is no problem."

Xiao Yan's eyes lit up. He immediately put on the Wristband and quickly adjusted the text on the screen.

He set himself to Dou Emperor, but his strength did not increase at all. He looked at Xiao Mo in confusion.

Xiao Mo pointed at the Testing Stone in the grounds.

"If you go over there now, you'll register as a Dou Emperor. But this thing only serves to pull the wool over people's eyes. It might help catch someone off guard someday, but it's not actually much damn use."

"This isn't a strength modifier. It can't really raise you straight to the level of a Dou Emperor. If a heaven-defying buff like that existed, why would either of us bother cultivating?"

Xiao Yan nodded, then took it off without further concern and returned it to Xiao Mo.

He immediately asked his earlier question again.

"Why did you alter your level? You're a One-Star Dou Zhe, someone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Xiao Xun'er. As long as you step forward, all those people will respect and envy you."

Xiao Mo merely shook his head calmly, his gaze settling on Xiao Yan's face.

"Are those envious looks useful? Can they increase my strength or help me cultivate?"

At those words, Xiao Yan was instantly left speechless.

Xiao Mo offered another explanation.

"So those things are nothing but external trappings. They're completely useless, and they'll only get in the way of my determination to cultivate."

"Actually, the most important thing is that looking too much like a genius draws far too much attention. I don't want all of them watching me."

"If everyone keeps their eyes on the two of us, Master's existence will most likely be exposed. If the eighth stage weren't the qualifying threshold, I'd have lowered it another few stages."

Xiao Yan's pupils trembled. He was instantly awed by Xiao Mo's broad-mindedness.

He had never imagined that someone could completely disregard other people's gazes, caring nothing even for their mockery or envy.

"Yes. Just be yourself. Just be yourself."

The gaze Xiao Yan directed at Xiao Mo gained another measure of reverence.

Under his envious gaze, Xiao Mo felt so satisfied that he could not help feeling as though he were floating among the clouds.

Holy crap, this is the protagonist's admiration! If I could show this to my old classmates, they'd die of envy.

While they were talking, the testing came to a complete end.

Xiao Zhan soon stood in the center of the grounds, sweeping his gaze across everyone's faces.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Xiao Yan and the others before shifting elsewhere.

"All testing has now concluded. Presumably, you all know whether you have qualified."

"Next, we will hold matches and trials. Those who failed to qualify will soon have to leave our Main City District, so before you depart, you will have an opportunity to challenge those who qualified."

A hint of fervor shone in Xiao Zhan's eyes, stirring a commotion across the grounds.

"Please choose your targets now, but be sure to remember: do not waste this rare opportunity."

At these words, many people turned their gazes toward Xiao Yan and Xiao Mo. After all, their increase in strength was far too strange.

In just under a year, both had risen to the eighth stage, completely exceeding everyone's expectations.

Some had even begun discussing in private whether the two of them had secretly cheated and altered their test results.

Xiao Yan sighed helplessly.

"There are plenty of eighth-stage people here. What do they mean by all staring at us?"

Xiao Mo flexed his fists eagerly.

"They're treating us like soft persimmons to squeeze. They're about to be eliminated, so of course they want to prove their strength while they still can."

Without the slightest fear, he glared back at them one by one.

If these challengers knew his actual strength was that of a One-Star Dou Zhe, who knew how bitterly they would regret it?

At that moment, however, someone on the grounds had already raised his hand to petition Xiao Zhan.

"I'm willing to try, and the opponent I choose is Xiao Mo."