The indifferent, seemingly casual answer left Ouyang Jin clenching his fist suddenly at a distance, as if a heavy stone weighed on his chest, making it uncomfortably suffocating.
"Hmph, even so, it won't do. If that stinker dares to speak ill of you again, I will skin him alive," Ouyang Peng said fiercely, repeatedly making eye signals to Ouyang Jin, meaning for him to take the opportunity to apologize to her.
"It's best if it's not important. In ten days, it'll be the clan meeting. It's better to ponder how to break through your cultivation base than to run around. Don't end up just crying when the time comes," Ouyang Jin said coldly with a snort, turning his face away and leaving.
Watching his retreating figure, a trace of mocking smile hung on Zhiyan's lips. If she hadn't seen wrong, he must have been livid just now.
"If Yanyan doesn't wish to, dad can talk to the Family Head, so you don't have to participate!" Ouyang Peng looked at Zhiyan worriedly, the clan meeting being a tradition of the Ouyang Aristocratic Family, held once every three years to discover talents within the family. Anyone who had reached eight years old must participate.
"No, not only do I want to participate, but I also want to win gloriously," Zhiyan shook her head, her eyes sparkling with sharpness. The former Ouyang Zhiyan was a good-for-nothing, an idiot, a bastard. She heard that this clan meeting would invite representatives from all the great families in Jincheng. How could she miss such a perfect opportunity to turn her fate around? When the time came, she wanted the Ouyang Family to slap their own faces. She would show everyone how the so-called trash in their eyes would defeat those self-proclaimed geniuses.
Time swiftly passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was ten days later. The vast square was densely packed with people. As one of the top ten martial aristocratic families in the Mainland, the clan meeting, which was so critical to the growth and expansion of the family, naturally attracted attention from all sides.
Apart from the Imperial Clan, Jincheng had three major families, which were the Ouyang, Xiahou, and Situ Aristocratic Families. The Ouyang Family ostensibly held power over the other two, but in reality, each had its strengths and the rivalry was constant. The Ouyang's clan meeting was always a focus for the other two families. The Family Heads of the Xiahou and Situ families sat on the high platform with Ouyang Feng, with several outstanding members of their families standing behind them.
The front rows underneath the platform were occupied by the seats of other families in Jincheng. At a glance, there were as many as fifteen groups. They were either chatting and laughing breezily or whispering to each other. More people were focused on the interactions among the three major families on the platform. Aside from the underlying conflicts, Ouyang Feng and the others appeared harmonious, lavishing praise on each other, presenting an enviable bond.
"I heard your Ouyang lad has already reached the high-grade Mid-level Sage?" Situ Ba raised an eyebrow, stroking his beard as he asked enviously.
"Oh, your boy has already advanced to such a level?" Xiahou Kong exclaimed in surprise.
"Haha, you two flatter him. Jinjin's strength is still shallow, and he must continue to work hard!" Ouyang Feng said modestly, waving his hand, but he could not conceal the joy on his face. What could be more exciting than hearing your rivals praise your descendants?
"Not just your Jinjin; I've heard that Yuan's daughter is quite impressive as well. It seems the Ouyang Family is blessed with a surfeit of talent, to which our Situ Family cannot compare," Situ Ba said with an obliging smile, seemingly lamenting.
"Indeed, if only our family could produce a youngster as formidable as your Ouyang Jin!" Xiahou Kong nodded in agreement, offering insincere praise. Ouyang Feng wore a smug expression; although these were merely pleasantries, he still found them quite gratifying to listen to.
The sound of gongs and drums marked the moment. All the young descendants of the Ouyang Family participating in the clan meeting followed Ouyang Yuan to the center of the square, lining up to the right side of the platform according to height. Zhiyan, being the youngest and shortest, stood almost submerged in the crowd. The surrounding buzz of discussion and laughter was unceasing, but she was engrossed in her thoughts about the powder she had prepared last night. To the uninformed, she might appear timid and fearful of battle. Her fragile figure looked exceptionally delicate under the blazing sun, so thin it seemed a gust of wind might carry her away.
"Ouyang Zhiyan, are you certain you want to participate in the clan meeting later?" Mr. Meng stood beside Zhiyan and asked doubtfully. As the teacher of these young students, he was more nervous than anyone. The performance of his students not only had implications for the rise or fall, honor or disgrace of a family but also reflected the quality of his teaching. He did not want to train a failure, such as the current Ouyang Zhiyan.
"Absolutely certain, Mr. Meng. Rather than trying to convince me to withdraw from the competition, it might be more practical to think about how to encourage me. Perhaps I won't lose too badly." Zhiyan glanced at him sideways, her lips curled up in a mocking smile as she spoke.
"Ah, you stubborn girl, I am only doing this for your good," Mr. Meng's face turned red, feeling defeated as if seen through.
"We shall see!" Zhiyan replied lightly, then closed her eyes decisively, refusing to speak any further. Mr. Meng glared at her fiercely and eventually stormed off in frustration. This Ouyang Zhiyan was simply his bane...
The clan meeting was divided into two parts: first was the assessment of family members' Spiritual Power, that is, their Cultivation Base level; second was the evaluation of each individual's real combat experience. Strength-matched students were grouped based on their Cultivation Base levels to exchange skills. For a monstrous talent like Ouyang Jin, it typically only took the assessment of his Cultivation Base to pass directly, as probably no one of his age was his match in actual combat experience.
"The first test: measure Spiritual Power. The first one, Ouyang Bao!" As soon as the person on stage finished speaking, a young man dressed in a light cyan robe walked onto the stage, his eyes flickering with nervousness yet shyness.
In the center of the square, on a platform over one meter high, Ouyang Bao slowly walked to the testing area. A pure-colored Crystal Ball sat squarely on a table covered in black cloth. The Crystal Ball, crystal clear and translucent, refracted dazzling brilliance under the brilliant sun.
Ouyang Bao extended his hand and, amid the crowd's anticipation, covered the Crystal Ball. With a thought, he released his breath fiercely. The Crystal Ball, originally calm, burst into light. A wisp of red light, like dawn's first light, flashed out instantly, its brilliance even more eye-catching against the backdrop of the black cloth.
"Primary-level Sage, high-grade. Next, Ouyang Ying!" The person presiding on stage nodded and called out the next name. The young man came down from the stage as if relieved of a heavy burden.
Ouyang Ying's face froze. Despite her usual arrogance and troublemaking, she was somewhat cowardly when facing so many people. She walked to the front of the stage and nervously placed her hand on the Crystal Ball. With a thought, the pure-colored Crystal Ball instantly turned a light orange!
"Mid-level Sage, primary-grade. Next!"
One after the other, young students took their turns on stage. Finding it boring, Zhiyan simply began circulating the air inside her body, absorbing the surrounding Yang Energy.
"Ouyang Qin!" After reading the name, the person on stage looked meaningfully at Ouyang Qin below, his face bearing a gentle smile.
On stage, people like Situ Ba perked up, all looking on with interest. Ouyang Qin, in a tender yellow dress and an air of pride, walked past Zhiyan with her head held high. Her clothes fluttered, raising a fragrant breeze. The youthful eyes of all the young students lit up, their gaze passionately fixed on that graceful figure. If Ouyang Jin was the leading young man of the Ouyang Family, then Ouyang Qin was undoubtedly the representative of the girls and the "goddess" in the hearts of the young men.