Xiao Yan's Shock

"This...?"

"If I remember right, Xiao Yu was only a three-star Dou Zhe last month..."

"Gulp..."

"Hiss..."

"He went up one star in a month?"

Everyone was stunned. Advancing from a three-star Dou Zhe to a four-star Dou Zhe in a single month-such speed was simply unheard of.

"Good heavens, the Xiao Clan has really done it this time. They've raised a dragon."

"If only my family had a young genius like him."

"Oh, give it a rest. A genius like this has scarcely appeared in the Jia Ma Empire in nearly a hundred years, let alone here in Wutan City. Just how much virtue did the Xiao Clan's ancestors accumulate?"

In the spectator stands, the guests who had come to watch the ceremony chattered among themselves, all marveling at Xiao Yu's talent.

Ya Fei's eyes sparkled, and she said with a radiant smile, "Clan Leader Xiao, it seems Young Master Xiao Yu is even more gifted than we thought. At this rate of cultivation, the Xiao Clan will surely produce a Dou Huang expert within twenty years."

Xiao Zhan was grinning from ear to ear. He hurriedly thanked her. "Thank you for your kind words, Miss Ya Fei. This nephew of mine truly keeps surprising me."

Gu Ni, standing beside them, was also amazed. He had originally intended to use Xiao Yu to establish contact with the mysterious alchemist, but now it seemed Xiao Yu himself was worth investing in.

"My cousin's talent is downright monstrous!"

Even Xiao Yan, whose mentality was far beyond that of ordinary people, could not help exclaiming in amazement.

"Yes. By the Jia Ma Empire's standards, Cousin Xiao Yu's talent certainly qualifies as monstrous."

Xiao Xun'er nodded beside him. She had seen far too many monstrous geniuses, most of whom surpassed Xiao Yu, but in a small place like the Jia Ma Empire, calling him a monster was hardly an exaggeration.

Just then, Yao Lao's voice rang in Xiao Yan's ears:

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a monster. Little fellow, this cousin of yours is far more frightening than I imagined. Even among the descendants of those top families at the continent's center, few could compare to him."

"?"

"Brother Yu going up one star in a month is certainly impressive, but knowing you, Teacher, that shouldn't warrant such praise, should it?"

"Of course not. I've seen plenty of monstrous geniuses. A sixteen-year-old four-star Dou Zhe would, at most, earn a remark about decent talent from me. He certainly wouldn't make me look at him in a new light."

Xiao Yan asked in confusion, "Then why did you call my cousin a monster, Teacher?"

"Wouldn't a sixteen-year-old Dou Shi, or even a Da Dou Shi, deserve to be called a monster?"

"?!!!!"

Xiao Yan's brain seemed to freeze, and his expression changed drastically. Beside him, Xiao Xun'er wondered why Brother Xiao Yan had suddenly looked so incredulous.

Had Xiao Yan not possessed such extraordinary composure, he might have cried out on the spot.

"Wait... Teacher, you're saying Brother Yu's true strength is at the Dou Shi level, or even Da Dou Shi?!!"

"What else would I mean?"

"How is that possible! A sixteen-year-old Dou Shi, or even Da Dou Shi! That's utterly absurd!"

This was the first time Yao Lao had seen Xiao Yan so shocked. He had thought the little fellow could remain calm no matter what happened, so he immediately teased him:

"What, finding it hard to believe? Shocked, are you?"

"That's... that's far too outrageous. How could I not be shocked!"

"Heh, you little brat. Quite a blow to your pride, isn't it? Good. Gaining five stages of Dou Qi in a year had nearly sent your tail sticking straight up into the sky."

Ignoring Yao Lao's teasing, Xiao Yan hurriedly pressed him. "Teacher, how did you discover it?"

"Well... how should I put it? Ever since I sensed last time that your cousin might still be concealing his strength, I've been curious about his true cultivation level."

"So this time, I paid special attention. When your cousin touched the testing stele, I used my soul power to probe him at close range."

"The instant he poured in his Dou Qi, I sensed the sea of energy in his dantian through whatever was masking his aura."

"The aura his dantian gave off was dense and pure, roughly at the peak Dou Master level, or perhaps even Da Dou Shi. But it was concealed again in an instant, so I can't be certain whether your cousin is a Da Dou Shi."

"What I can say for certain is that your cousin's strength is at least at the peak Dou Master level."

"Hiss!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yan could not help sucking in a cold breath, making his own modest contribution to warming the entire Dou Qi Continent.

Xiao Xun'er was curious too. Why did Brother Xiao Yan's expression keep changing from one moment to the next? She asked, "Brother Xiao Yan, what's wrong?"

Xiao Yan finally recovered from the shocking news. Hearing Xun'er's question, he could only reply helplessly with a wry smile, "Nothing. I just discovered a big secret."

"Oh."

Once Xiao Xun'er heard that it was a secret, she asked no more. She only cared about Xiao Yan; she had no curiosity about whatever secrets Brother Xiao Yan might have.

The instant Xiao Yu poured his Dou Qi into the stele, he sensed a powerful surge of soul energy heading toward his dantian.

Startled, he immediately used the Myriad Transformation Flame to conceal his dantian.

Thinking it over carefully now, among everyone present, only Yao Lao inside Xiao Yan's ring possessed such astonishing soul power.

He had also noticed Xiao Yan's constantly changing expressions. Presumably, he had learned something from Yao Lao.

Still, Xiao Yu did not mind. Although Yao Lao had sensed his dantian in that instant when he let his guard down, that soul power carried no malice. Besides, he had concealed his dantian in time, so Yao Lao probably had not determined his exact strength.

Besides, Yao Lao's current soul power was more than enough to deal with him. If he had found out, so be it. There was nothing to worry about.

After recovering his wits, the Second Elder suppressed his shock and announced according to the rules, "Xiao Yu's ceremonial retest is complete. Under the rules, he will accept one challenge from anyone at the four-star Dou Zhe level or below. Who wishes to step forward?"

The younger generation present fell utterly silent. Not a single person stepped forward.

Even if Xiao Yu were still a three-star Dou Zhe, no one would have been foolish enough to challenge him, let alone now that he was a four-star Dou Zhe.

The Second Elder looked around, then announced when no challenger appeared, "Since there are no challengers, Xiao Yu's Coming-of-Age Ceremony is now officially complete."

He then turned to Xiao Yu and said, "Xiao Yu, you may go back and rest, or stay to watch the others' ceremonial retests."

"Yes. Thank you, Second Elder. I'll step down now."

Xiao Yu thanked him, then turned and left the platform.

Returning to his original spot, Xiao Yu saw Xiao Yan watching him with a complicated look in his eyes, so he gave Xiao Yan a meaningful glance.

"Brat, your cousin seems to have noticed my probing."

Old and shrewd, Yao Lao immediately realized that Xiao Yu must have sensed his probe just now.

"Your cousin's soul power must be quite strong too, if he could actually detect my probing!"

Even Yao Lao was amazed. Such extraordinary cultivation talent, coupled with such impressive soul power-what a frightening little fellow.

"..."

Xiao Yu smiled, walked over to the silent Xiao Yan, and sat down beside him.

"You're no ordinary fellow, brat."

At that, Xiao Yan retorted quietly, "You're the one who's no ordinary fellow."

"Hahahaha."

The two exchanged a knowing smile. Beside them, Xun'er was left scratching her head again. Why were these two acting so strangely?

The coming-of-age ceremony was still underway.

Just as in the original story, Xiao Yan went up and tested at eighth stage Dou Qi, accepted Xiao Ning's challenge, and beat Xiao Ning so badly that he could not get out of bed for over ten days, despite having taken Qi-Boosting Powder.

After the coming-of-age ceremony ended, Xiao Yu intended to return to the Small Courtyard and start preparing to venture out for training, but Xiao Zhan stopped him.

"Yu'er, Yan'er, come here."

Xiao Zhan approached with Ya Fei and Gu Ni. Believing that befriending these two in Wutan City could only bring benefits and no harm, he called Xiao Yu and the others over.

"Second Uncle."

"Father."

"Uncle Xiao Zhan."

The three greeted him obediently.

Xiao Zhan brought Ya Fei and Gu Ni before the three of them and said:

"You three certainly made me proud today. Everyone is saying that within twenty years, our Xiao Clan will surely have a Dou Huang expert watching over it."

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu smiled, neither giving much thought to that assessment.

Xiao Zhan looked toward Ya Fei and introduced her to the three. "Let me introduce you. This is Miss Ya Fei of the Mittel Auction House."

"And beside her is Master Gu Ni, a second-rank alchemist."

"Greetings, Miss Ya Fei. Greetings, Master Gu Ni."

As juniors of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yu and Xiao Yan naturally had to observe proper etiquette. As for Xun'er, she could disregard anyone she pleased, so she simply stood to one side with a smile.

Xiao Zhan did not mind Xiao Xun'er's behavior. He knew something of her background, and even the Mittel Family probably could not afford to offend her.

Ya Fei and Gu Ni did not mind either. The person they were interested in now was Xiao Yu.

"Hehe, if you two young masters don't mind, just call me Sister Ya Fei. Miss Ya Fei is far too formal."

Ya Fei chuckled.

Naturally, she wanted to draw closer to these two.

Gu Ni simply smiled without speaking. After all, he had little to say. When it came to socializing, it was more reliable to leave things to Ya Fei.

"Sister Ya Fei."

The two naturally obliged and addressed her as their sister.

"Yes, if you two little brothers have time, come visit us at Mittel. And if there's anything you'd like to buy, you can tell Sister Ya Fei," Ya Fei said in response.

"Thank you, Sister Ya Fei."

"Miss Ya Fei, you're far too kind to these two little fellows," Xiao Zhan said.

"Hehe, two future experts certainly deserve my courtesy. You needn't say that, Clan Leader Xiao."

"I still have some business to attend to at Mittel, so I won't keep you two little brothers or Clan Leader Xiao any longer."

Ya Fei spoke with a charming smile.

Hearing this, Xiao Zhan extended a hand invitingly. "Let me see you both out."

After Ya Fei left, Xiao Yu and the others each returned to their own quarters.

Something came up today, so the update was a little late.