Time passed quickly, flashing by in the blink of an eye. Eight years had already passed.
"Xiao Yan, Dou Zhe, level one!"
Beside the magic measurement stele, a middle-aged man glanced at the information displayed on the stone, drew in a sharp breath of air, and then announced it loudly in a booming voice.
As soon as the middle-aged man's words left his mouth, a commotion erupted without exception across the bustling, crowded square.
"Tsk tsk, starting cultivation at age five, and a Dou Zhe at eleven! Truly remarkable! You'd probably struggle to find even a handful of others like him in the entire Gama Empire!"
"At this rate, given time, our Xiao Clan will definitely produce another Dou Huang powerhouse to lead the Xiao Clan back to its peak!"
"He truly lives up to being one of the most monstrously talented figures in the family for hundreds of years!"
The protagonist of this event, the ten-year-old black-robed youth Xiao Yan, stood calmly and collectedly at that moment, surrounded by his peers from the clan.
Some people do not need to deliberately put on a show; a casual gesture alone is enough to reveal their extraordinary nature. Without a doubt, the black-robed youth was precisely such a person—towering head and shoulders above the rest, brimming with high spirits, standing out like a crane among chickens.
The other younger members of the Xiao Clan cast gazes mixed with a trace of awe toward him. Naturally, flashes of jealous resentment also surfaced from time to time within the crowd.
"Hmph, what is he showing off for? He's probably laughing his head off inside!" a youth in the crowd muttered somewhat sarcastically and in a low voice.
Hearing this, a tall girl with long legs standing nearby couldn't help frowning and softly scolding her younger brother: "Xiao Ning, you really need to change that petty nature of yours..."
Even so, after finishing, she couldn't help a strange look flashing across her eyes. That was a Dou Zhe at eleven years old!
"Next, Xiao Mei!"
Hearing the tester's call, a young girl quickly ran out from the crowd. The moment the pink-robed girl stepped up, the surrounding chatter quieted down considerably.
The pink-robed girl walked up briskly, her small hands skillfully touching the pitch-black magic stele, and then she slowly closed her eyes. A moment after she closed them, light lit up once again upon the pitch-black magic stele.
"Dou Zhi Qi: Stage Four!"
"Xiao Mei, Dou Zhi Qi: Stage Four! Excellent result!" the tester declared loudly. Compared to before, his voice was noticeably calmer.
"Stage Four Dou Zhi Qi... I remember Xiao Mei is only ten years old, right? Having such cultivation at this age is already pretty impressive. Although she completely can't compare with Young Master Xiao Yan, she's still a seed-level figure in the family..." Praises still clicked around the crowd, but the reactions had clearly faded a great deal.
Dou Zhi Qi was the mandatory path every Dou Zhe had to traverse. Early-stage Dou Zhi Qi was divided into ten stages. When the Dou Zhi Qi inside the body reached the tenth stage, one could condense a Dou Zhi Qi whirlwind and become a respected Dou Zhe.
"Yay!"
Hearing the score called out by the tester, the girl named Xiao Mei gave a lively little hop and made a victory sign with her fingers.
"Big Brother Xiao Yan, I'm at Stage Four Dou Zhi Qi! I didn't let you down, hee hee!" The girl ran over to the young Xiao Yan, hugged his arm, and said happily.
"Mn..."
The black-robed youth Xiao Yan gave a cold, perfunctory response, and nothing more followed.
...
"Next, Xiao Xun'er!"
Within the noisy crowd, the tester's voice rang out once again.
As this rather refined name sounded, the crowd suddenly quieted down, and all gazes abruptly shifted.
Where everyone's gazes converged, a young girl dressed in a purple dress stood quietly.
The purple-dressed girl's cold and detached temperament was like a freshly blooming green lotus. Despite her young age, she already possessed a refined aura. It was hard to imagine just how breathtakingly beautiful this girl would become once she grew up.
In terms of beauty and temperament, this purple-dressed girl was undoubtedly a few notches superior to Xiao Mei earlier. No wonder everyone present reacted this way.
Taking light steps, the girl named Xiao Xun'er walked up before the magic stele. Her small hand reached out, and her purple sleeve, trimmed with black-and-gold threads, slid down to reveal a section of snow-white, delicate wrist. Then, she gently touched the stone tablet.
After a brief stillness, dazzling light burst forth from the stone tablet once again.
"Dou Zhe, level one!!"
Gazing at the characters upon the stone tablet, the arena fell into a profound silence.
"...Unbelievably... unbelievably a Dou Zhe as well!"
Following the silence, everyone once again drew in a sharp breath of air involuntarily.
Beside the black-robed youth, the pink-robed girl named Xiao Mei pouted, furrowed her light brows as she stared at the purple-dressed girl before the stone tablet, and a flash of jealousy crossed her cheeks.
Looking at the information on the stone tablet, a rare trace of respect actually surfaced on the usually indifferent face of the middle-aged tester.
"Mn..."
The purple-dressed girl nodded slightly, her calm little face showing no joy despite everyone's praise.
Xiao Xun'er quietly turned back around and swept her gaze across the crowd. Clearly, the person she wanted to find was not here, so a trace of disappointment inevitably flashed in her eyes.
"She didn't come for the test this year either..."
The purple-dressed girl murmured softly to herself, then walked back down slowly amid the burning gazes of the crowd.
Come to think of it, that person did not cultivate Dou Qi; this kind of boring Dou Zhi Qi test was tantamount to sheer nonsense to that woman.
...
...
"Next, Xiao Yue!"
The tester's voice rang out in the arena once again.
The arena fell silent once more.
This time, Xiao Yan—who had previously worn an indifferent expression—also followed the crowd, looking left and right in an attempt to find that unique silver-haired figure that stood out in the Xiao Clan.
Xiao Xun'er was also somewhat expectant of that person's appearance, yet this wait could only end in disappointment.
"Sigh, didn't she come again this year!"
Seeing no response, the middle-aged tester clicked his tongue, though he did not seem angry, as if he had already grown used to it.
Everyone else in the square was also accustomed to it, but they still couldn't help engaging in a round of discussion.
Xiao Yue.
This name could be considered the most unfathomable and mysterious name in the eyes of the Xiao Clan members, with no exceptions. After all, among the three universally acknowledged monstrous talents of the Xiao Clan, she occupied the very top spot.
As for why she was said to be mysterious?
Mostly because this eldest miss of the Xiao Clan always acted alone, and at a tender age, she dared to move out to live in the back mountains by herself. To this day, no one knew her true cultivation level.
Although she had consistently claimed to the outside world over the years that she was unable to cultivate Dou Qi,
obviously, no one believed it...
People were unwilling to believe that the silver-haired girl—who was practically nothing short of perfection—could not cultivate Dou Qi; instead, they preferred to believe she was a genius.
"What a contrast in personalities. Both are geniuses, yet the elder sister acts low-profile and remains shrouded in mystery, while the younger brother is so flashy and brimming with high spirits..." someone in the crowd couldn't help muttering softly.
Although his voice was small, it was still heard by Xiao Yan not far away.
Xiao Yan showed no reaction to this. Having been compared to his elder sister by others ever since he was a child, he was already long used to it.
However,
so what?
He didn't care about other people's views! In his past life, he, Xiao Yan, had been nothing more than an extremely ordinary member of the mediocre masses. Money and power were simply two parallel lines to him, with never a point of intersection.
Yet after arriving on this Dou Qi Continent, the talent test at age five had given him the pleasant surprise of discovering that, due to living two lifetimes, his soul was actually much stronger than that of ordinary people!
One had to know that on the Dou Qi Continent, the soul was innate. Perhaps it grew slightly stronger with age, but there was never any cultivation technique that could cultivate the soul in isolation—not even a Heaven-tier Technique could do so! This was common sense on the Dou Qi Continent.
The strengthening of his soul forged his cultivation talent, and likewise, forged his reputation as a genius.
Therefore,
after he began cultivating Dou Zhi Qi, he did not choose to keep a low profile like his elder sister and grow gradually in obscurity! Instead, he chose to walk the path of a genius who commanded the rapt attention of the entire world!
*Unlike my elder sister who chose the path of low profile, so what if I don't? As long as I can bear the moniker of a genius and remain in the limelight forever, that is enough. One day, I will stand at the very peak of this world...* Xiao Yan thought silently to himself.
In this lifetime,
he wanted everyone to look up to him with high regard!