Genius!

"Xiao Mei, Dou Power, seventh stage. Rank: advanced!"

Before the Demon Testing Magic Stone Tablet, the fourteen-year-old girl slowly withdrew her palm, a smile she could barely contain spreading across her face.

"She's amazing. No wonder she's one of the clan's most promising talents."

"At this rate, she should become a Dou Zhe in less than three years."

Hearing the crowd's praise and envy, the girl's smile grew brighter.

Xiao Mei stepped down from the Demon Testing Platform and chatted with several girls she was close to, but her gaze searched the crowd.

Yet the boy seemed to be absent, leaving her triumphant heart tinged with disappointment.

"Next, Xiao Xun'er."

As the examiner's voice rang out, another girl slowly approached the platform.

She walked up to the Demon Testing Magic Stone Tablet, revealing a snowy-white wrist beneath her black, gold-trimmed sleeve. Pressing her palm against the tablet, she fed thin strands of Dou Qi into it.

The entire Demon Testing Magic Stone Tablet blazed with light, reaching its peak in an instant.

The light was so intense that those present could barely keep their eyes open.

When it faded, even the examiner could not hide his admiration.

"Xiao Xun'er, Dou Power: ninth stage. Rank: advanced!"

The examiner's announcement instantly sent the crowd into an uproar.

Xiao Xun'er was already strikingly beautiful, surpassing even Xiao Mei by a fair margin. To possess such talent as well made her truly enviable.

"Miss Xun'er, at your current level, you should be able to form a Dou Qi Vortex within six months and become a fourteen-year-old Dou Zhe!"

"Thank you."

Xiao Xun'er paid little mind to the examiner's praise.

She was not a member of the Xiao Clan and had only stayed with them for certain reasons.

The Xiao Clan's opinions could stir no ripples in her heart, except for... that one person's.

Clap, clap, clap.

A burst of applause rose distinctly above the noisy crowd, drawing everyone's attention to the person clapping.

A black-clad boy sat atop a roof to the east, a dry stalk of grass between his lips and a broad smile on his face.

"It's Xiao Yan!"

Everyone in the Xiao Clan recognized the black-clad boy. Even the examiner, who had been a Dou Zhe for many years, sensed something unfathomable about him.

Xiao Yan was the Xiao Clan's greatest talent in a century. At eleven, he had already formed his Dou Qi Vortex and advanced to Dou Zhe.

Three years had passed since then. No one knew what heights Xiao Yan, who rarely ventured out, had reached.

Still, the clan elders' usual attitude toward him made one thing clear: his standing was no lower than theirs.

And as the clan leader, Xiao Zhan enjoyed unshakable prestige within the clan thanks to his outstanding son, Xiao Yan.

At the sight of Xiao Yan, a smile blossomed on Xiao Xun'er's previously indifferent face.

"Brother Xiao Yan, I thought you weren't coming."

Xiao Xun'er's face brimmed with delight, though her voice carried a faint, petulant note, as if she were complaining.

Xiao Yan patted her head and smiled. "How could I forget such an important day? Congratulations. You should be able to advance to Dou Zhe this year, right?"

Xiao Xun'er held a very special position in the Xiao Clan. Even the elders and clan leader treated her with great respect-or perhaps it would be more accurate to say... fear.

Only Xiao Yan could be so close to her.

As he was the Xiao Clan's most gifted person in a century, their relationship inspired no jealousy. Everything seemed perfectly natural.

"Brother Xiao Yan, my Dou Power has reached the seventh stage too."

While the two were talking, Xiao Mei had come over without them noticing.

She looked like a little kitten, her eyes full of anticipation for Xiao Yan's praise.

"Yes, you're doing well too, Cousin Xiao Mei. At the very least, you should be able to become a Dou Zhe before your coming-of-age ceremony."

Xiao Yan responded politely to Xiao Mei. Although everyone in the Xiao Clan treated him with great respect, he could tell that they merely stood in awe of his strength and talent.

If he were a good-for-nothing, how many of them would still be willing to get so close to him?

Xiao Xun'er, however, was an exception. What she valued was not his talent, but more so the person he was.

As for how it had begun, whenever Xiao Yan thought about it, he felt deeply ashamed and could not shake the feeling that he owed her.

Yet his blunder had brought an unexpected result. Not only had Xiao Xun'er never blamed him, she had grown increasingly close to him.

"Won't you give it a try, Brother Xiao Yan? I'm curious to know what level you've reached now too."

At Xun'er's urging, many of the surrounding Xiao Clan youths turned to look at him. All of them were eager to find out how far Xiao Yan had progressed.

"Me? I'll pass. I'll leave the opportunity to you youngsters instead of joining in."

Xiao Yan smiled faintly, drawing scornful looks from countless people.

In truth, Xiao Yan was only fourteen that year, or fifteen at most by traditional age reckoning.

"The Xiao Clan's great genius? I think you're nothing but an empty reputation. You probably don't dare approach the Demon Testing Magic Stone Tablet because you're afraid everyone will discover how little progress you've made in the last three years."

Just then, a discordant voice rang out. It belonged to Xiao Ning, the eldest elder's grandson and another Xiao Clan genius whose talent was second only to Xiao Yan's.

But in this world, only first place was remembered. As the Xiao Clan's perennial runner-up, he was often compared with Xiao Yan.

Over time, he had grown increasingly hostile toward this Xiao Clan genius who was stronger than him.

"Fine. Since you're all so eager to see how far I've come, I'll let the Demon Testing Magic Stone Tablet test me. Just brace yourselves first, so the blow doesn't hit too hard."

With that, Xiao Yan sprang into the air under everyone's gaze and landed on the Demon Testing Magic Stone Tablet.

Then he slapped his palm against it. The instant he poured in his Dou Qi, the Demon Testing Magic Stone Tablet erupted with dazzling light, much as it had for Xiao Xun'er.

Yet that light soon shifted, turning a vivid, fiery red that painted the sky like the glow of sunset!

"Xiao Yan, Dou Qi, Nine-Star Dou Zhe!"

Nine-Star Dou Zhe was not Xiao Yan's true level. It was simply the highest level the Demon Testing Magic Stone Tablet could display.

At this result, everyone present froze. Three years had passed, and this genius's talent seemed to have become even more terrifying.

Cultivation always grew slower as one progressed, but that rule did not seem to apply to Xiao Yan.

"Some people ought to practice more if they're that bad."

Xiao Yan turned his head and delivered

those words, then turned and leaped down, landing beside Xiao Xun'er.

"You're amazing, Brother Xiao Yan!"

Xiao Xun'er's face shone with a radiant smile, an expression she showed only in Xiao Yan's presence.

"Today is the anniversary of my mother's death. I'm planning to offer her some incense. Would you like to come?"

Xiao Yan's memories of his mother were hazy. He knew only that she had died when he was four.

His father had never explained the reason in detail, merely saying that she had died of illness.

Still, Xiao Yan held great respect for this mother he barely remembered, and every year he offered incense to honor her.

Xiao Yan's mother was one of the few people with a different surname allowed to be buried in the Ancestral Grounds.

The Ancestral Grounds were forbidden territory in the Xiao Clan. Anyone outside the clan's direct bloodline had no right to enter.

Even those of the direct bloodline were not allowed in unless they possessed the strength of a Dou Zhe.

Thus, Xiao Yan's first reason for cultivating so fiercely in his younger years had been to earn the right to pay respects to his mother.

Xiao Xun'er was neither of the Xiao Clan's direct bloodline nor a Dou Zhe.

But Xiao Yan's voice carried so much weight within the clan that even the Three Great Elders dared not object.

Xiao Yan had invited Xiao Xun'er because he truly regarded her as family.

"Of course. For something this important, I certainly have to go with you, Brother Xiao Yan."

The two left the testing square together beneath the envious gazes of countless young clan members.

Xiao Mei watched their retreating figures from afar, a trace of helplessness rising in her heart.

Were she and they... ultimately people from two different worlds?

Xiao Yan possessed the clan's Dou Qi Jade Token, which allowed him to enter and leave the Ancestral Grounds freely.

He had also told Xiao Zhan about this visit beforehand, so the Guardian Formation around the Ancestral Grounds would be deactivated.

"The heroes of the Xiao Clan's past generations were all buried here after their deaths. Perhaps one day I'll return to my roots like a fallen leaf and come here to sleep forever too."

"Pah, pah, pah! You're still young, Brother Xiao Yan. What nonsense are you talking about?"

Xiao Xun'er clapped a hand over Xiao Yan's mouth and glared at him with a frown.

"Sorry. Coming here always fills me with so many emotions."

Xiao Yan chuckled, and the matter was put behind them.

He made his way familiarly to his mother's gravestone. Inscribed upon it were the words, "Grave of my beloved wife, Ling Yao." Xiao Zhan had erected it himself.

This was Xiao Xun'er's first visit to the Xiao Clan Ancestral Grounds. Her brows twitched slightly when she saw the name on the gravestone.

That surname reminded her of a certain clan, though it might simply have been a coincidence.

Xiao Yan took three sticks of incense from his Storage Ring, then used his Dou Qi as a flame to light them. He planted them before Ling Yao's grave and kowtowed three times, his forehead striking the ground audibly.

"Your son has been well all these years. Mother, you need not worry about me beneath the earth."

Afterward, Xiao Yan took out a broom and personally swept away the fallen leaves around the gravestone.

Xiao Xun'er took another broom and helped him tend the grave.

Once they finished, Xiao Yan slowly turned to Xiao Xun'er. "All right, that's everything for this year. We'll come pay our respects to Mother again on this day next year."

"Mm."

Xiao Xun'er nodded and followed Xiao Yan toward the exit of the Ancestral Grounds.

Halfway there, Xiao Yan suddenly stopped and said to Xiao Xun'er, "Xun'er, you don't have to hold yourself back so much for my sake. Believe this: no matter how outstanding you become, your Brother Xiao Yan will catch up with you."

Xiao Yan's words made Xiao Xun'er's pupils tremble. Then her expression softened into a sweet smile. "Of course. I believe Brother Xiao Yan would never lie to me."