Chapter 30: Ceremony Re-examination, Three Stars!
As the coming-of-age ceremony on the stage was nearing its completion, it was finally Xiao Yuan's turn.
Hearing the shouts from the stage, curious and skeptical gazes from the VIP seats on the high platform immediately shifted to Xiao Yuan. The main reason the people attending Xiao Yuan's coming-of-age ceremony today was because of the two young masters from the Xiao family.
Listening to the calls, Xiao Yuan stood up, his face calm, and walked onto the stage under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
The host of the coming-of-age ceremony was the second elder, Xiao Ying. At the sight of Xiao Yuan stepping onto the stage, a smile appeared on the elder's face.
"The procedure is like this, please bear with it for a moment."
After giving Xiao Yuan a quiet instruction, Xiao Ying turned around, retrieved the necessary materials from the platform behind, and walked in front of Xiao Yuan to begin the tedious ritual.
From below, many young girls directed fiery gazes at Xiao Yuan.
In the past, Xiao Yuan could only be considered a "decorative piece."
But now, Xiao Yuan was the ideal dream lover for many.
He had talent, looks, and status.
Of course, his status was only notable within Wutan City; if placed in the imperial capital, Xiao Yuan's identity would be far less impressive.
And across the entire continent, it would hardly be worth mentioning.
Among the many gazes, two stood out in particular, and without even turning around, Xiao Yuan knew exactly who they were.
One was Ya Fei, attending as a VIP on the stage, and the other was Xiao Yu, whose burning gaze from below didn't go unnoticed.
As for Xiao Mei's gaze, Xiao Yuan had already ignored it.
After all, when it came to charm, Xiao Mei could not compare to Ya Fei in the slightest.
Moreover, since Xiao Yuan had lost his ability to cultivate, among the younger generation of the family, besides Xiao Yan and Xun'er, and two older brothers who had gone out to work, only Xiao Yu still treated Xiao Yuan the same as before.
They say, "distance tests a horse's strength, time reveals a person's heart."
No matter the reason, whether Xiao Yu treated him with a smiling face out of affection or something else, Xiao Yuan deeply appreciated it.
When Xiao Yu went to Jia Nan Academy last year, Xiao Yuan had even specially sponsored her with 1,000 gold coins for her traveling expenses.
That was a considerable sum for Xiao Yuan at the time, but he gave it without hesitation.
Normally, young masters and young ladies like Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yu only received a meager 20 gold coins in pocket money each month from the Xiao family.
1,000 gold coins, if saving half and spending the other half, would take eight years to accumulate.
Even a first-level magic core could be bought twice with that amount.
Although Xiao Yu wasn't exactly a big spender, she certainly hadn't saved much money.
That 1,000 gold coins was a sincere gesture in Xiao Yu's eyes.
Had it not been for that, Xiao Yuan's talent might have been restored even earlier.
But Xiao Yuan didn't regret it.
If he had restored his talent earlier, the news would have spread uncontrollably.
What if Nalan Yanran didn't come to annul the engagement? Nalan Yanran, displeased with Xiao Yuan, her "waste" of a fiancé, and Xiao Yuan, disgusted by her spoiled, rash personality, would have been a disaster.
But Xiao Yuan had a dark heart. He wanted Nalan Yanran to propose the annulment, so he could break off the engagement later, stronger and in a better position.
The relationship between the Xiao family and the Nalan family had already disintegrated the moment Nalan Yanran left the imperial capital to cancel the engagement.
After a while, the long ceremony finally ended. Xiao Yuan frowned slightly at the strange scent of mixed perfumes on his body.
The second elder, Xiao Ying, who had been busy for so long, seemed exhausted. He placed the materials down, then turned toward the magic stone tablet and shouted loudly, "Ceremony Re-examination!"
Hearing the second elder's shout, the crowd, previously somewhat bored, immediately perked up. Every pair of eyes focused on the high platform.
From the VIP seats, representatives from various forces had gathered, their eyes firmly fixed on the white-robed youth on the stage. Their purpose in attending was to see if the so-called "waste" who had been idle for fifteen years had really advanced to a Fighter class in just one year.
The second elder's eyes were also full of anticipation. He even wondered if Xiao Yuan had already broken through to Three-Star Fighter in these past few days!
Xiao Yuan calmly approached the magic stone tablet, raised his hand, and placed it on the stone, injecting a stream of Fighting Qi into it.
"Brother Xiao Yan, do you think Brother Xiao Yuan has already broken through to Three-Star Fighter?"
Xun'er, smiling brightly, asked from below.
"Although Third Brother's talent is impressive, breaking through one star in just a month still seems difficult. However, I think even if he hasn't broken through yet, it won't take much longer," Xiao Yan pondered for a moment and said thoughtfully.
"Three-Star?"
Xiao Yu looked at Xiao Yuan in surprise.
After years of painstaking cultivation, her Fighting Qi had only reached three stars, yet a person who had only cultivated for a year had caught up?
He was really impressive!
Xiao Yu smiled as she watched Xiao Yuan's white-robed figure.
In the VIP seats, Ya Fei, already knowing the result, smiled faintly. She reclined in her chair, her full chest creating a captivating curve.
Boom!
The massive magic stone tablet on the stage suddenly burst with light, golden characters appeared on the surface in a dragon-like flourish.
Fighter, Three-Star!
Seeing this, the entire place fell completely silent. Many people stared blankly, their gazes frozen.
In the VIP seats, several teacups dropped with a crisp sound.
Representatives from various forces in Wutan City were dumbfounded.
They had come to confirm whether Xiao Yuan had really advanced from having no Fighting Qi to a Two-Star Fighter in just one year, as the rumors suggested.
But now, the situation had not only confirmed the truth of the rumors but exceeded their expectations.
One year, from having no Fighting Qi to a Three-Star Fighter?
Such talent was truly terrifying.
Without a doubt, the future of the Xiao family was now bright!
"At this rate, perhaps within ten years, the Xiao family may produce a Dou Wang level powerhouse."
The people in the VIP seats exchanged glances, and a shared thought flashed through their minds with a hint of awe.
What was even more terrifying was that with Xiao Yuan's talent, it wasn't just Dou Wang they were talking about, even Dou Huang or Dou Zong were possibilities!
In the entire Jia Ma Empire, Dou Huang experts were extremely rare, and Dou Zong didn't even exist.
It seemed that in ten years, the three major families of the Jia Ma Empire might very well become the four major families!
Xiao Zhan, feeling the envious gazes around him, couldn't help but show a proud smile.
After all, his genius son wasn't just one!
"Clan Leader Xiao, young master Xiao Yuan's talent is truly astonishing. Your Xiao family will undoubtedly return to the imperial capital in the future!"
Ya Fei smiled and congratulated him.
"Hehe, then I'll borrow Miss Ya Fei's good words. However, after these years in Wutan City, I've gotten used to it. Developing steadily here isn't bad either," Xiao Zhan responded politely.
Ya Fei smiled but didn't speak.
Perhaps the Xiao family would indeed be willing to stay in Wutan City, but their influence would certainly not remain confined to this small city in the future.
Speaking of which, the Xiao family's residence in the imperial capital seemed to be just across from the Nalan residence. Perhaps, she could find a way to bring Xiao Yuan back?
After all, it was a matter of ceremony, and breaking off an engagement could be done with attention to social standing.
Ya Fei's beautiful eyes flickered with thought as her mind drifted further.
(END CHAPTER)
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