Chapter 2: Xiao Yan's Humiliation!
"Ah, my third brother... I've noticed it a long time ago!"
"But he's strong-willed. Although he's been meeting with me frequently this past year, he hasn't informed me about this matter."
Xiao Ze watched Xiao Yan's gradually departing figure, feeling somewhat helpless.
"Indeed, Cousin Xiao Yan is more mature than ordinary people, but his character is also stronger."
Xiao Xun'er nodded in agreement.
"Experiencing such a thing now, he must be feeling terrible, falling from a one-star fighter to the fourth stage of Dou Qi."
"Brother Xiao Ze, don't you want to comfort him a bit?"
Xiao Ze said with a relaxed expression, "If he wants to talk about it, he will naturally do so."
"And this little storm he's facing is just a small setback before his rise."
Hearing Xiao Ze's words, Xiao Xun'er thoughtfully watched the figure about to disappear from view.
She and Xiao Ze had been childhood friends for a long time, and she had long noticed that Xiao Ze had an extraordinary confidence in Cousin Xiao Yan.
It seemed as if he always firmly believed that Cousin Xiao Yan could leap over obstacles and transform into a true dragon, breaking free from the confines of the small Wutan City and soaring through the vast world.
Xiao Xun'er originally thought it was Cousin Xiao Yan's displayed talent that made Xiao Ze trust him so blindly.
But now that Xiao Yan's strength had inexplicably declined, Xiao Ze's confidence in him had only grown stronger.
This puzzled Xiao Xun'er.
"Why does Brother Xiao Ze have such strong confidence in Cousin Xiao Yan?"
Xiao Xun'er asked, blinking her bright, clear eyes like a curious baby.
Xiao Ze turned his head and said seriously, "Of course, because he's my third brother. If I'm such a genius, how could he be any less?"
"Flattery!"
Xiao Xun'er rolled her eyes at Xiao Ze, wondering what correlation there was between his genius and Cousin Xiao Yan's genius. But Xiao Xun'er didn't deny Xiao Ze's claim of being a genius.
Although Xiao Ze had never been tested, Xiao Xun'er knew his strength far surpassed hers.
There were various rumors about Xiao Ze outside, but the most mainstream one was:
Because Xiao Yan's genius aura was too strong, it made this fourth young master feel inferior, afraid that his own talent wasn't good enough and would be compared to Xiao Yan's by others.
Only Xiao Xun'er, who had been practicing with Xiao Ze all this time, knew how strong his strength was.
His talent and comprehension were also astonishing! Even though they started their cultivation journey together, Xiao Ze's insights and understanding were many times stronger than hers! Even Xiao Xun'er shared these insights with her bodyguard, Ling Ying, a high-level Dou Emperor, who couldn't help but admire them!
Ling Ying even bluntly said that she couldn't possibly have such insights and understanding!
To earn such admiration from a Dou Emperor, one could imagine how amazing Xiao Ze's talent and comprehension were.
Even in a land where geniuses abounded, Xiao Ze's talent could definitely be considered top-notch!
Actually, Xiao Xun'er didn't know that Xiao Ze's talent and comprehension were all dependent on herself.
Xiao Xun'er herself was a top-tier genius of the Gu Clan for thousands of years, possessing divine-grade bloodlines. Even compared to other ancient clans, she was among the top group of proud sons and daughters of heaven! Xiao Ze's ability to receive tenfold feedback from Xiao Xun'er's progress could be imagined to be terrifying! This made Xiao Ze sigh countless times that his choice was not wrong!
"Since Brother Xiao Ze doesn't want to say, then forget it, why bother teasing me with such words!"
Xiao Xun'er pretended to be angry, crossed her arms, and turned her head to the side.
"Don't, don't, don't, I really feel this way!"
Xiao Ze quickly said, he couldn't just say that he knew the future plot, right? He could only attribute it to his own feelings!
Seeing Xiao Xun'er turning her head away, Xiao Ze hurriedly explained, feeling anxious.
But she still didn't turn her head back immediately, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Really?"
"Absolutely true. Since I was young, I've felt that my third brother is like a dragon among men, destined to soar through the skies one day."
Hearing Xiao Ze's confident words, Xiao Xun'er also became curious.
What special qualities did Xiao Yan possess that she couldn't see, making Xiao Ze trust him so much?
But Xiao Ze obviously couldn't give a reason, after all, it was just his own feeling.
As the two chatted back and forth, they didn't feel awkward at all and enjoyed each other's company.
Suddenly, two young members of the Xiao family ran quickly towards the distance, muttering to themselves as they ran.
"Quick, quick, Young Master Xiao Yan and Cousin Xiao Ning are fighting!"
"Really? Let's go see, to see if the genius has really fallen!"
On the hillside, Xiao Ze suddenly sat up straight, and Xiao Xun'er beside him couldn't help but speak.
"Brother Xiao Ze, do you want to go see?"
"Of course!"
Xiao Ze replied, quickly getting up and following the two people towards the scene of the incident.
Xiao Xun'er smiled slightly and followed closely behind.
...
After Xiao Ning completed the test, he also left the square quickly.
But his mind was still filled with Xiao Yan's test results, the fourth stage of Dou Qi! Although Xiao Ning was a few years older than Xiao Yan, with Xiao Yan's strong rise, his grandfather often used Xiao Yan as an example to urge him to practice diligently.
This made Xiao Ning feel very uncomfortable.
The dissatisfaction that had been accumulating for a long time erupted completely when he happened to run into Xiao Yan.
From previously being deferential to Xiao Yan, who was a one-star fighter, Xiao Ning now chose to strike back fiercely against the now merely fourth-stage Dou Qi Xiao Yan!
The fight between the two quickly attracted onlookers, even the elders in the family were alarmed.
By the time Xiao Zhan, the patriarch of the family, hurried over, the situation on the scene had already changed.
Xiao Yan lay on the ground, his face covered in dirt, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Xiao Ning, on the other hand, looked triumphant, standing proudly beside him.
If it weren't for Xiao Ze's arrival, Xiao Ning might have mocked Xiao Yan a few more times.
With a furrowed brow, Xiao Zhan was about to help Xiao Yan up when a voice sounded.
"Father, let me do it."
Seeing Xiao Ze helping Xiao Yan up, Xiao Zhan's expression softened slightly.
Xiao Ze looked at Xiao Yan, his injuries weren't severe. Although the two had conflicts, they also took into account their kinship.
Xiao Ning didn't go too far, just knocking Xiao Yan down was enough.
"Xiao Ning, why did you use such heavy-handed methods against a fellow member of the Xiao clan?"
Xiao Zhan asked with restrained anger.
"Oh, Xiao Zhan, this was just a sparring match between younger generations, there's no need to be angry."
An old voice suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone's attention.
It turned out to be the eldest elder in the Xiao family, whose authority was equivalent to that of the patriarch.
"A sparring match? Using such heavy-handed methods in a sparring match between fellow clan members! Elder, you've got quite the nerve!"
Anger flashed across Xiao Zhan's face, but he remained calm.
Just now, he saw the signal passed to him by Xiao Ze, indicating that Xiao Yan wasn't seriously injured.
"Hehe, Xiao Ning didn't know, after all, he still thought he was facing that family genius, the one-star fighter Xiao Yan, so naturally he went all out."
"I didn't expect Xiao Ning to go all out and knock Xiao Yan down, it was just an unintended mistake. Besides, it's not appropriate for us elders to intervene in the affairs of the younger generation, right?"
The elder mocked Xiao Yan openly and secretly. Now that his strength had declined and his status was no longer as high as before, even his grandson Xiao Ning was better than him.
Just as Xiao Zhan was about to say something, Xiao Yan's voice suddenly rang out.
"Father, let me handle this."
Xiao Yan knew that if this matter continued, it would only be a squabble between the patriarch and the elder.
Continuing to make a scene would only make things more embarrassing! It would be better to end this farce here and now, framing it as a sparring match between the younger generation, rather than deliberate retaliation against a fallen genius.
"Yan'er..." Xiao Zhan also understood Xiao Yan's thoughts.
He was Xiao Yan's father, but also the patriarch of the Xiao clan! "Now that the party concerned, Xiao Yan, has spoken, let's just let this matter go."
The elder spoke first, putting an end to the matter decisively.
"This is just a matter between the younger generation of the family, there's no need for us to intervene, right, Patriarch Xiao Zhan?"
(End of Chapter)