"Um... could you please bring another Testing Magic Stone Tablet?"
"This Magic Stone Tablet must have weathered away from years of neglect."
Xiao Yan glanced at the examiner beside him, looking slightly embarrassed, and spoke with an awkward chuckle.
Weathered away from years of neglect?
Like hell I'd believe you!
This was a Testing Magic Stone Tablet, not some ordinary rock!
The examiner's mouth twitched. Then he tried striking the tablet with his palm.
Even with his strength as a Two-Star Dou Shi, he couldn't damage the tablet in the slightest.
That only made him look at Xiao Yan as though he were a monster.
"Well... maybe I'm just a little stronger physically. My Dou Qi cultivation is still very weak. If you don't believe me, bring another tablet, and I'll prove it!"
Seeing the examiner testing the stone, Xiao Yan stubbornly tried to explain himself.
Careless!
I'd really been careless!
When he'd received the Shadow Clone's memories just now, he'd lost control for a moment and actually crushed the Testing Magic Stone Tablet.
Still, he couldn't take all the blame. Under the Medicine Emperor's guidance, he'd been developing the power of his Vermilion Bird Divine Body all this time.
Now, even without using Dou Qi, he could kill a fifth-rank magical beast with a single punch.
Against that kind of strength, a mere Testing Magic Stone Tablet naturally couldn't hold up.
"Th-this... Clan Head, have you been giving Xiao Yan some special training? Why does he possess such terrifying strength?"
Up on the platform, the shocked First Elder lost his composure as he glanced at Xiao Zhan beside him and asked.
"First Elder, you think far too highly of me. If I truly had that ability, I wouldn't be just a Da Dou Shi."
Xiao Zhan shot him an irritated glance as he spoke.
Had this old fool's brain gone haywire?
He could actually spout something so utterly far-fetched.
"Bring out another Testing Magic Stone Tablet. This time, I'll personally test the third young master!"
Meanwhile, the Second Elder leaped down, glanced at the examiner, and gave his instructions.
"Yes, Second Elder!"
With the Second Elder himself giving the order, the examiner dared not say another word. He immediately went to fetch a new Testing Magic Stone Tablet.
"Hehe, to think the third young master possessed such strength! You could even crush a Testing Magic Stone Tablet. You've truly astonished this old man!"
As the Second Elder spoke, he patted the Testing Magic Stone Tablet, checking whether it really had weathered away.
"Perhaps the heavens took pity on me!"
"When they took away my Dou Qi cultivation, they gave me strength far beyond an ordinary person's."
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose and answered without the slightest panic.
While speaking, he also took the opportunity to eavesdrop on the Second Elder's thoughts.
[Something isn't right about this boy!]
[With his strength, how could he possibly crush a Testing Magic Stone Tablet that even a Da Dou Shi couldn't budge?]
[Could Lord Lin Dong have taught him some secret technique?]
The Second Elder stared at Xiao Yan, silently pondering.
Since Xiao Yan had discarded his Lin Dong identity, the entire Xiao Clan had been baffled by Lin Dong's unexplained disappearance.
In the end, Xiao Yan had stepped forward and told them that, before leaving, Lin Dong had said he needed to return to his sect and would come back later. Only then had the Xiao Clan settled down.
Since Xiao Yan had been the last person to see Lin Dong, it was hardly surprising that the Second Elder's thoughts went in that direction.
"..." Xiao Yan was speechless.
It looked like it was time to dust off the Lin Dong identity!
Then I could let Lin Dong and the Dao Sect draw everyone's attention while I kept lying low.
"Second Elder, this is the clan's last Testing Magic Stone Tablet."
Just then, the examiner returned carrying a Testing Magic Stone Tablet.
He also made a point of stressing that this was the last Testing Magic Stone Tablet.
Clearly, he was afraid Xiao Yan would crush this one too.
"Third young master, please!"
"Let me see whether your Dou Qi cultivation has reached the required standard."
"If it hasn't, then I can only offer my apologies."
"After all, the clan rules cannot be changed. Even the clan head's son cannot be an exception."
After setting up the Testing Magic Stone Tablet, the Second Elder gestured for Xiao Yan to proceed.
"Of course!"
Xiao Yan nodded, stepped forward, and gently placed his palm against the Magic Stone Tablet.
He was afraid that even a little extra force would shatter it.
Seventh Stage of Dou Qi, level: advanced!
After a flash of golden light, Xiao Yan's Dou Qi level appeared on the Magic Stone Tablet.
Yet this Dou Qi level, which should have shocked everyone, failed to stir even a ripple.
Most of them were still caught up in the earlier spectacle of Xiao Yan crushing the Magic Stone Tablet with one hand.
Now, this Seventh Stage Dou Qi seemed like nothing but a joke to them.
Someone with Seventh Stage Dou Qi could crush a Testing Magic Stone Tablet? Not even a damn ghost would believe that.
"Ahem, Xiao Yan, Seventh Stage of Dou Qi, level: advanced!"
The Second Elder was the first to recover. He gave a dry cough and announced Xiao Yan's test results.
The Second Elder's thoughts:
[Seventh stage? Go fool a ghost!]
[If I believed you, I'd have to be senile!]
Xiao Zhan's thoughts:
[What exactly has happened to Yan'er? Has Lord Lin Dong really been giving him special training?]
The Third Elder's thoughts:
[Someone at the Seventh Stage of Dou Qi could crush a Magic Stone Tablet? This little bastard is playing us for fools!]
Xiao Xun'er's thoughts:
[Honestly, Brother Xiao Yan! He'd already shown his strength and intimidated everyone, so why did he suddenly start hiding his abilities again?]
Xiao Mei's thoughts:
[Could Cousin Xiao Yan's talent have never disappeared at all? Has he simply been hiding it on purpose all these years?]
Listening to everyone's thoughts, Xiao Yan was utterly speechless.
He really hadn't shown off his strength on purpose. The Shadow Clone's memories had simply startled him a little, and his hand had slipped.
How had that left everyone thinking he was some scheming old fox?
And now they were even imagining that he'd deliberately concealed his cultivation all these years.
Sure, that was actually true, but you weren't supposed to be this clever!
Shouldn't you be questioning the quality of the Magic Stone Tablet right now?
Shouldn't you think that I, Xiao Yan, had tampered with it beforehand and only managed to crush it through sheer dumb luck?
Someone should be jumping out to challenge me and expose my little tricks right about now!
"I've got it!"
"I'm not this world's only protagonist, so the effects of the intelligence-lowering aura have been divided among the other Otherworlders."
"That's why their thinking has become relatively normal!"
After grumbling inwardly for a while, Xiao Yan finally understood the crux of the problem.
Those brain-dead plots where someone clearly saw how badass you were but refused to believe it anyway...
Without the support of an intelligence-lowering aura, they could no longer happen.
Only when he was the sole Otherworlder left in this world could that sort of scene play out again.
"Third young master, you truly live up to your former reputation as our Xiao Clan's greatest genius!"
At that moment, the Second Elder looked at Xiao Yan with a broad smile and spoke.
Before you continue