The young girl in the purple dress, in terms of beauty and temperament, was far superior to Xiao Mei from earlier. It was no wonder that the crowd was so captivated by her presence.
With graceful steps, the girl named Xiao Xun'er walked up to the testing stone tablet. As she reached out her small hand, the purple sleeve with black-gold embroidery slid down, revealing a section of her snow-white, delicate wrist. She gently touched the stone tablet...
After a brief silence, the stone tablet shone brightly once again.
"Xiao Xun'er, Dou Qi, eight stages!"
The middle-aged man standing beside the stone tablet was momentarily stunned when he saw the result displayed on the stone, and he slowly spoke.
He hadn't expected Xiao Xun'er talent to be so terrifying. At the age of thirteen, she had reached the eighth stage of Dou Qi. By next year, she would likely become a Dou practitioner.
"My god, Xiao Xun'er actually jumped from the fifth stage of Dou Qi last year to the eighth stage now. That's amazing!"
"…Eighth stage, how terrifying! It seems that among the younger generation of the clan, Miss Xun'er is second only to that other person."
Indeed, the second person. The first was none other than the former genius, Xiao Yan.
After the commotion subsided, the clan disciples around couldn't help but swallow nervously, their eyes filled with awe...
Despite the praise around her, Xiao Xun'er calm face remained unchanged. She quietly turned around and silently observed the back of the crowd.
Dou Qi cultivation is a path that every Dou practitioner must take. The early stages of Dou Qi are divided into ten levels. When the Dou Qi within one's body reaches the tenth stage, they can condense a Dou Qi cyclone and become a respected Dou practitioner!
In the crowd, Xiao Mei frowned slightly as she stared at the girl in the purple dress in front of the stone tablet,as her face turned little sour.
She was a genius among the direct descendants of the Xiao family and one of the outstanding figures among the younger generation of the clan.
She had thought her sixth stage of Dou Qi would shine in this family test, but she hadn't expected to be completely overshadowed by Xiao Xun'er eighth stage of Dou Qi.
This made her very unhappy, and she even felt a hint of jealousy!
"Xiao Yan."
"It's your turn, come on up."
The middle-aged man beside the testing stone tablet looked toward the back of the crowd at Xiao Yan and spoke indifferently.
Xiao Yan raised his head, looked at the stone tablet, clenched his fists, and stepped toward the testing stone.
Xiao Xun'er, seeing Xiao Yan approach the stone tablet, quickly ran over, grabbed his arm, and encouraged him: "Brother Xiao Yan, you can do it! I believe in you!"
"Xun'er."
Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Xun'er, and a small smile squeezed out on his melancholic face: "I will."
He then extended his right arm and placed it on the stone tablet. The stone lit up, revealing two lines of text.
"Dou Qi, fourth stage."
The middle-aged man showed no surprise at this result, calmly announcing it as if he had already expected it.
"What! Xiao Yan is at fourth stage of Dou Qi?"
The crowd immediately erupted again.
However, this time, the crowd's reaction was not out of excitement but filled with endless ridicule and a bit of pity.
"Haha, just as I expected, the so-called genius has regressed again."
"Only fourth stage of Dou Qi? That's even lower than mine!"
"Sigh, the once-renowned genius of Wutan City has fallen to this state."
"Who knows? Maybe he'll drop to third stage next year."
The mockery and sighs from the surrounding crowd fell like a heavy hammer on Xiao Yan's ears, causing his body to tremble violently.
The young man slowly raised his head, revealing a somewhat delicate and youthful face.
His dark eyes scanned the mocking peers around him, and a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Just as I thought, my Dou Qi has decreased rather than increasing."
Ever since he broke through to Dou practitioner two years ago, not only had the Dou Qi cyclone he had painstakingly condensed over many years dissipated overnight, but no matter how hard he trained, the Dou Qi in his body continued to diminish over time, until he fell from a one-star Dou practitioner to the current four stages of Dou Qi.
"Sigh..."
Seeing Xiao Yan's dejected appearance, Xiao Mei couldn't help but sigh softly, her expression somewhat complicated, but she quickly returned to normal.
Now, she was no longer in the same league as Xiao Yan. Given Xiao Yan's performance in recent years, at best, he could only serve as a low-level member of the family after reaching adulthood.
As for her, with her excellent talent, she would become one of the family's key figures, with an unlimited future!
"Hmph, have you all laughed enough?"
"Brother Xiao Yan, let's go."
Seeing the situation, Xiao Xun'er face darkened, her eyes flickering with golden flames as she coldly shouted at the mocking disciples.
She found these people extremely annoying and repulsive!
Faced with Xiao Xun'er stern shout, the disciples fell silent, not daring to say anything more.
However, their gazes toward Xiao Yan still held a trace of ridicule.
"Alright."
Xiao Yan said nothing more. He nodded, turned around, and walked out of the square, apologizing to Xiao Xun'er as he walked: "Xun'er, I'm sorry for making you stand up for me again."
"It's okay, Brother Xiao Yan, I understand."
Xiao Xun'er shook her head with a smile, her face showing a sweet expression.
Seeing Xiao Xun'er like this, Xiao Yan felt a warmth in his heart, and a gentle smile appeared on his face as he softly said: "Thank you, Xun'er."
"Brother Xiao Yan, you once told me that to let go, to be free and easy is to be truly free!"
Xiao Xun'er smiled gently, her slightly immature voice warm and comforting.
"To be truly free? I can only say that... just look at me now, do I look free? Besides, this world doesn't really belong to me."
Xiao Yan shook his head, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion, and he muttered to himself, as if mocking himself.
Facing Xiao Yan's despair, Xiao Xun'er delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she said seriously: "Brother Xiao Yan, although I don't know why you became like this."
"But I have always believed that you will stand up again, reclaim your glory and dignity, and become even better than before!"
"Hehe, is that so? I hope so too."
Xiao Yan smiled and did not continue the conversation, instead changing the subject: "You, little girl, are really impressive. I didn't even notice when you reached the eighth stage of Dou Qi, you've left me far behind."
"Hehe... Brother Xiao Yan, don't belittle yourself. I was just lucky!"
Xiao Xun'er quickly waved her hand, smiling cheerfully.
"Just lucky?"
Xiao Yan smiled softly, not saying anything more, and instead looked at Xiao Xun'er quietly, with a hint of nostalgia on his face.
The frail little girl who used to need his Dou Qi to warm her body was long gone, replaced by the young genius of the Xiao family's younger generation.
And he, the once-renowned third young master of the Xiao family two years ago, had now become a useless person who couldn't even absorb Dou Qi. How ironic and unpredictable life could be.