"Dou Zhi Qi, 3rd Stage!"
Staring at the five glaring characters on the testing stone tablet, the young man's face remained expressionless, a trace of self-mockery flickering in his eyes.
His hands clenched tightly, so much so that his slightly sharp fingernails dug into his palms, yet he seemed completely unaware.
How could the pain of the flesh ever compare to the wound in one's heart?
"Xiao Yan, Dou Zhi Qi, 3rd Stage!"
"Grade: Low!"
Beside the testing stone tablet, the middle-aged man responsible for recording the results read out the information with mechanical precision, a hint of regret hidden in his voice.
His gaze swept over the youth's dejected face as he spoke in consolation, "Third Young Master, there is still one year before the coming-of-age ceremony. You still have a chance."
Xiao Yan nodded dully and turned to walk down from the platform.
Around him, soft sighs filled with pity and sympathy continued to rise.
"No change again. I really wonder what strange illness Young Master Xiao Yan has."
"Maybe some plague-ridden deity saw that Young Master Xiao Yan's talent was too good and cast a curse on him?"
"Don't spout nonsense. Hasn't Young Master Zhang Yuan always maintained his talent? This must be some kind of strange illness. After all, even the 2nd Tier alchemist that Young Master Zhang Yuan invited couldn't figure it out."
"Heaven truly envies our Xiao Clan. Back then, the twin prides stood side by side. In a few decades, our Xiao Clan was destined to return to the imperial capital, perhaps even reach an unprecedented height."
"Maybe Young Master Zhang Yuan can find a way to help Young Master Xiao Yan?"
"Hopefully. Young Master Xiao Yan has consumed a lot of the clan's resources over these years. If not for the fact that the Clan Leader is his father, uh… forget I said anything."
These words reached the young man's ears, making him feel as if a mountain were pressing down on his back, growing heavier by the moment.
He lowered his head, not daring to look at the faces around him. He knew better than anyone that his Clan Leader father had indeed violated clan rules to mobilize a great deal of resources for him.
If his talent had remained intact, no one in the clan would have complained. Once he rose again, the benefits he would bring would far outweigh the investment. This was one of the clan's long-standing traditions.
But when everything was poured into filling the bottomless pit of a useless person, it became a joke.
"Enough. I should tell Father to stop giving me resources."
"Living an ordinary life for the rest of my days… that might not be so bad."
With these bitter thoughts in mind, the young man suddenly noticed a pair of delicate shoes appearing before him.
Though only a glimpse of the instep was visible, it was enough to tell that they belonged to a pair of exquisite jade-like feet.
He did not linger on them, instead raising his head to look at the young girl before him.
She wore a purple dress, resembling an orchid blooming in a secluded valley. Her slightly youthful yet refined face was exquisitely beautiful, her skin fair as jade. One could already foresee that she would grow into a peerless beauty capable of toppling cities and nations.
Upon seeing her, the young man seemed to recall something and instinctively took a step back, swallowing nervously.
The girl revealed a faint smile and said, "Cousin Xiao Yan, Brother Yuan once said that only by enduring the hardest hardships can one become superior to others."
"He believes you will shine once more. Xun'er hopes you won't disappoint him."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan's heart trembled fiercely, warmth surging through his entire body.
He knew that due to a misunderstanding from childhood, the girl did not like him.
Her coming here to comfort him now must have been because of his cousin Zhang Yuan, who had remained unchanged in his treatment of Xiao Yan even after he became a so-called waste.
"Don't worry. I won't let Cousin disappoint me!"
Xiao Yan nodded to the girl and turned toward the back mountain, intending to continue his efforts.
Behind him, the girl's expression faded. With lotus-like steps, she moved to the testing stone tablet. The purple sleeve embroidered with black-gold threads slipped down, revealing her snow-white and tender hand as she placed it upon the stone.
As she infused her Dou Qi, the black stone tablet burst forth with dazzling brilliance after a brief silence.
Dou Zhe: 1-Star!
The four golden characters caused the entire training ground to fall instantly silent.
Moments later, sharp intakes of breath echoed everywhere, many faces contorting into expressions of disbelief.
"Miss Xun'er, 1-Star Dou Zhe!"
The tester exclaimed in a trembling voice.
Not yet fourteen years old, yet already a 1-Star Dou Zhe. She was the third greatest genius the Xiao Clan had produced in a hundred years.
Yet Xun'er remained calm on the surface, though inwardly she felt somewhat dissatisfied. 'If not for needing to adapt to the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame, and only starting cultivation a month ago, it wouldn't be this mediocre.'
'If Brother Yuan were to find out, I wonder if he would laugh at me.'
'It should only be a few more days before Ling Ying's next message arrives.'
No one knew the girl's thoughts. Otherwise, who knew how many people would be struck speechless by such shameless modesty.
Xiao Yan had no idea about Xun'er's dazzling performance after he left. At this moment, he had already arrived at a cliff peak in the back mountain. Sitting cross-legged on a rock, he formed a strange hand seal and began cultivating in earnest.
His chest rose and fell gently. With each inhale and exhale, a perfect cycle formed. White streams of Qi condensed and entered his body through his mouth and nose, flowing through his limbs before gathering in his dantian.
"Hu!"
This session lasted an entire day. Only when the sun dipped toward the western horizon did Xiao Yan open his eyes again.
He did not notice that the ancient black ring on his finger emitted a strange, faint glow before falling silent once more.
The Dou Zhi Qi that had just formed not long ago in his dantian was completely swallowed by the ring, vanishing without a trace.
"Damn it. The Dou Zhi Qi I worked so hard to cultivate disappeared again!"
"Thieving heavens, you are really playing with me!"
Xiao Yan's face turned ashen, rage filling his expression, despair flooding his heart.
A once-gifted genius reduced to a waste. He was probably the most miserable transmigrator from Earth.
Though memories of his previous life had already blurred, if he was destined to be a waste, he would rather return to that peaceful world. It was far better than this.
"Cousin Zhang Yuan trusts me so much and is still searching for a cure outside. I can't give up!"
"And I can't let Mother down."
An image of a handsome face surfaced in his mind as Xiao Yan clenched his fists.
In the next moment, he suddenly turned toward a certain direction and said, "Father, you're here."
Although Xiao Yan only possessed Dou Zhi Qi at the 3rd Stage, the soul from two lifetimes granted him extremely strong Spiritual Power, making him exceptionally sensitive to fluctuations of energy.
When he thought of his mother, he sensed a slight movement within the forest.
Given the time and place, it could only be his father.
"Yan'er, it's time for dinner. Why are you still here?"
A middle-aged man emerged from the forest, dressed in luxurious gray robes. His steps carried the bearing of a superior, dragon-like strides filled with authority. He was the current Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, and also Xiao Yan's father, Xiao Zhan, a 5-Star Da Dou Shi.
"I want to cultivate diligently and live up to everyone's expectations," Xiao Yan said, his gaze burning.
"Even so, you still need to eat. You didn't even have lunch," Xiao Zhan replied gently. There was concealed pain in his eyes as he waved his hand and placed a food container on the ground.
This world possessed Storage Rings. Different grades had different spatial capacities and prices. They could only store inanimate objects. Given Xiao Zhan's status and strength, owning one was only natural.
Xiao Yan was long accustomed to it. He sat down directly, took out the food, and ate together with Xiao Zhan.
As they ate, the two chatted.
They spoke mostly of Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and Zhang Yuan, wondering how the three were faring out in the world.
They also talked about how Xiao Yan was already fifteen years old. If he did not reach Dou Zhi Qi 7th Stage by the time of his coming-of-age ceremony next year, he would be sent away from the clan.
By the time their conversation ended, the moon hung like a silver plate in the sky, stars filling the heavens.
Xiao Zhan packed away the utensils and said, "You've eaten your fill, and it's getting late. Go back and rest. There will be a distinguished guest visiting the clan tomorrow. Don't be rude."
"A distinguished guest?" Xiao Yan asked curiously. "Could it be Cousin returning?"
"I wish it were so." Xiao Zhan shook his head, feigning mystery. "You'll know tomorrow. Prepare yourself."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan could only suppress his curiosity and return to his room as instructed, resting properly for the night.
The next morning, he rose early. After breakfast, he returned to cultivation in his room, but still made no progress.
Only close to lunchtime did a servant come to inform him to head to the clan's main hall, saying the distinguished guest had arrived.
When he arrived, he was arranged to sit in a corner, beside his cousin Xiao Mei.
"Greetings, Cousin Xiao Yan," Xiao Mei said politely, her expression calm and composed.
She treated Xiao Yan with courtesy only because the person she admired deeply was extremely protective of this cousin.
"Greetings, Cousin Xiao Mei," Xiao Yan nodded, then asked, "May I know the identity of this distinguished guest?"
"Cousin Xiao Yan, look over there," Xiao Mei said, pointing toward someone in the hall whose sleeve bore a cloud and silver sword emblem.
Xiao Yan immediately recognized the identity. It was someone from the Yunlan Sect of the Jia Ma Empire.
The Jia Ma Empire was the empire to which Wu Tan City belonged. Wu Tan City was among the more remote cities of the empire.
As for the Yunlan Sect, it was a powerful sect even the imperial family of the Jia Ma Empire treated with courtesy. Its Sect Leader was a formidable Dou Huang expert.
He had not expected such a sect to visit his clan.
Xiao Yan was surprised.
But he did not know that this marked the beginning of a turning point in his fate.
At the same time, the ground outside the Xiao Clan Residence suddenly began to tremble.
Pedestrians on the street all turned toward a single direction before hastily retreating to both sides.
Dozens of jet-black horses, each over ten feet tall and bearing horns upon their heads, thundered forward from the distance, arriving before the Xiao Clan Residence in the blink of an eye.
The riders all wore black armor, swords at their waists, bows and long halberds strapped to their backs.
At the forefront was a young man with resolute features, though upon closer inspection there was still a trace of youthfulness. Clearly not old, yet tempered by the baptism of the battlefield, he radiated the fierce aura unique to soldiers.
Scholarly grace and iron-blooded ferocity, youth and resolve, lightning-like dominance that pierced the eyes. All these contradictory traits were perfectly embodied in him.
The young general dismounted and looked at the plaque of the Xiao Clan Residence, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
The guards at the gate carried out their duties diligently and stepped forward to question him. "May I ask who the young general is? Do you have a invitation card?"
"A invitation card?" the young soldier chuckled. "Xiao Boyuan, this young master is returning home. Why would I need a invitation card?"
This young master?
Xiao Boyuan studied the youth's somewhat familiar face. After a long moment, his expression suddenly turned excited.
"You are… you are Young Master Zhang Yuan!"
(End of Chapter)
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