Chapter 1: Family Test

Dou Qi Continent.

Gama Empire.

Wutan City, Xiao Family.

"Dou Qi, Stage Three!"

Looking at the five glaring characters on the black stone stele, the youth's expression was calm and indifferent.

"Three years! Ever since breaking through to Dou Zhe three years ago, my Dou Qi has always inexplicably vanished. No matter how hard I train, my body is like a leaking vessel—little Qi enters, much Qi leaves. Now, I am left with only a pitiful Stage Three Dou Qi!"

During these three years, the youth endured all kinds of mockery and sarcasm. The very people who used to fawn over him the most became the main force in ridiculing him. Perhaps it was because they had licked his boots so fiercely back then that they trampled him even harder when he fell from his pedestal.

"I estimate it's Stage Six!" Xiao Yan said with a faint smile.

"Cousin Xiao Ning, I really want to teach this guy a lesson again! For three years, his Dou Qi has dropped every single time. Now he only has Stage Three Dou Qi left; he's no different from trash. And yet, he still dares to lay a hand on Miss Xun Er. Only Cousin Xiao Ning is worthy of Miss Xun Er."

As the tester's voice faded, a wave of clamor rose and fell across the massive training ground.

Listening to the chorus of praise for her in the training ground, Xiao Mei's small face revealed a satisfied smile. However, upon seeing Xiao Yan chatting and laughing with Xiao Xun'er, her brows furrowed slightly. Back then, she had also greatly admired Xiao Yan's cultivation talent and often sought him out to play. But Xiao Yan seemed to have eyes only for Xiao Xun'er and ignored her entirely, which had birthed a sense of jealousy in Xiao Mei at the time.

The young girl was dressed in a pale red dress, a proud smile appearing on her delicate, youthful face. Her purity was mingled with a touch of charm, and her entire being exuded an irresistible allure. She walked quickly to the black stone stele, raised her fair, small hand to touch it, channeled the Dou Qi within her body into it, and then slowly closed her eyes...

Hearing the mockery from the crowd below, Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, slowly turned around, and stared at the group of people below the stage.

"Brother Xiao Yan! She seems to have a prejudice against Brother Xiao Yan." Xun Er had noticed Xiao Mei's undisguised expression of contempt.

"It's nothing! People's prejudices are like a great mountain; no matter how hard you try, you can never move them." Faced with Xiao Mei's contempt, Xiao Yan did not care. Because he knew what kind of person she was, he had never intended to be close to her, but he hadn't expected her to harbor resentment against him.

"You silly girl, trying to comfort me in such a roundabout way again! Don't worry, your Brother Xiao Yan isn't that fragile." Stroking Xun Er's hair, Xiao Yan said with a smile.

"Miss Xun Er has reached Stage Eight Dou Qi at such a young age; her cultivation talent is truly astonishing!" the middle-aged tester said with flattery.

Xun Er, a young girl dressed in a pale green long dress, walked slowly toward the black stone stele. She possessed a clear and playful face, and those bright eyes seemed capable of piercing through a person's heart. A noble and inviolable temperament flowed naturally from her face, making people fall for her. Even the previous Xiao Mei paled in comparison to her.

"Xiao Yan! Dou Qi: Stage Three! Grade: Low-level!"

"I'm afraid by next year's test, she will reach Stage Seven Dou Qi! Her cultivation talent is truly excellent!"

Xiao Xun'er naturally knew that Xiao Yan's cultivation talent had not disappeared; instead, as he grew older, it had become even more terrifying. Ignoring the words of others, she quietly turned around and walked toward the youth at the very back of the crowd.

"Brother Xiao Yan, what stage do you think her Dou Qi is?" Xiao Xun'er asked softly.

"You silly girl! Not bad! You've already reached Stage Eight Dou Qi! But with your talent, you should be able to reach a higher realm, right? Have you been slacking off?" Looking at Xun Er walking toward him, Xiao Yan said jokingly.

"Him? Sigh! What a pity!" The tester glanced toward Xiao Yan's position and said with regret.

"Xun Er, it's your turn." Xiao Yan said indifferently.

"It's starting again! It's starting again! They're starting to feed us dog food in the sky again!"

Seeing that the group of people below couldn't even withstand a single glance from him, Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly. Too lazy to pay them any mind, he walked straight through the crowd to the end of the line.

"I've worked so hard, and I haven't even seen her train much, so why is her cultivation still higher than mine?" Xiao Mei looked at the five glaring characters on the stele, a flash of jealousy crossing her cheeks.

"Next, Xiao Mei!" The tester's voice rang out once more.

Xiao Xun'er walked slowly to the magic stone stele, raised her slightly youthful, fair palm, and lightly touched the stele.

"I thought you were something special back then. I didn't expect that after losing your cultivation talent, you'd become a spineless coward who only knows how to live off a woman. It's truly disgusting!" Xiao Mei's face was filled with disdain.

The magic stone stele was silent for only a moment before a glaring light suddenly burst forth.

"How dare you mock your Brother Xiao Yan!"

"Alright! I believe you. That's enough, right?" Pinching Xun Er's tender, fair little face, Xiao Yan said with a smile.

"Don't talk nonsense! She is a famous genius in Wutan City!"

As the tester's voice rang out, the crowd was not as clamorous as before; instead, it became somewhat quiet.

She spat on the ground to show her disdain, then continued her mockery and sarcasm.

"That's ancient history! I reckon he did something evil, angered the gods, and they took back his cultivation talent—and even kicked him, causing him to leak! Hahaha!"

"Brother Xiao Yan, congratulations, your Dou Qi is now only Stage Three." Xiao Xun'er pursed her lips and chuckled softly.

"Xun Er isn't comforting Brother Xiao Yan; this is the truth!" Seeing that Xiao Yan didn't believe her, Xun Er became anxious.

"She actually reached Stage Eight Dou Qi. Miss Xun Er is only fourteen years old! And she's so beautiful..."

Just as Xiao Yan finished speaking, the black stone stele lit up, and five shining characters appeared on it.

"Dou Qi: Stage Six!"

The youths on the training ground saw this familiar scene and all felt their teeth itch with hatred.

He lightly flicked Xun Er's small, pretty nose, and a smile finally appeared on his calm little face.

"Miss Xiao Mei is worthy of being a core elite of the family; she reached Stage Six Dou Qi at such a young age!"

"Next, Xiao Xun'er!"

"Hehe, what does this count for? You must know that Brother Xiao Yan was a Dou Zhe at ten!" Faced with the tester's flattery, Xiao Xun'er brought up Xiao Yan instead.

Seeing that Xiao Yan had already left, the people in the crowd finally dared to raise their heads.

"Hahaha! This trash's Dou Qi really is only Stage Three! I really don't know how he trains; others get higher the more they train, but he gets lower the more he trains."

Such terrifying cultivation talent was simply unprecedented; even in the entire Dou Qi Continent, it would be hard to find a cultivation genius like Xiao Yan. Unfortunately, the higher one stands, the harder one falls. Just when everyone in the Xiao Family was celebrating Xiao Yan becoming a Dou Zhe, they learned that the Dou Qi vortex in his body had inexplicably vanished, and his body was like someone had poked a hole in it, constantly leaking. In just three short years, his Dou Qi had dropped to only Stage Three, and no one knew if it would continue to leak.

"Xiao Xun'er! Dou Qi: Stage Eight! Grade: Advanced!"

The tester's voice had just faded when a young girl was seen running quickly out of the crowd. With the appearance of this girl, the discussion on the training ground gradually quieted down, and everyone's gaze began to look toward her.

"Xiao Mei! Dou Qi: Stage Six! Grade: Intermediate!" The tester reported Xiao Mei's test results.

The tester reported Xiao Yan's test results with some sympathy. He had been responsible for testing Xiao Yan's Dou Qi for over a decade, so he naturally felt deeply about Xiao Yan's plight. Xiao Yan began training Dou Qi at three, then advanced rapidly: Stage Five Dou Qi at five, Stage Seven Dou Qi at seven, Stage Nine Dou Qi at nine, and at ten, he condensed a Dou Qi vortex and became a Dou Zhe.

"Hmph! It seems the last lesson wasn't enough! But he won't be arrogant for much longer. My grandfather and the other two elders have already pressured the Clan Head to kick him out of the family core. As long as he is kicked out... I have plenty of ways to deal with him." Xiao Ning said with a ferocious and vicious expression.

Being stared at by Xiao Yan's cold, calm eyes was like being stared at by a magical beast. The people below felt a chill in their hearts, instantly quieted down, stopped talking, and tucked their heads into their necks, fearing they would be seen by Xiao Yan.

"Genius! I'm afraid he's trash! Have you ever seen a genius who is fourteen and only at Stage Three Dou Qi?"

"I believe Brother Xiao Yan will return to the peak sooner or later, and this day doesn't seem to be too far off."

"What a pity, such a good cabbage was actually arched by a pig. How could that trash Xiao Yan be worthy of a peerless genius like Xun Er!"

"Not at all! But Xun Er did suppress her cultivation. If the body's strength isn't enough and the foundation isn't well-laid, entering the Dou Zhe realm too early will affect future development. At the time, knowing Brother Xiao Yan entered the Dou Zhe realm at ten really made Xun Er worry. Fortunately, Brother Xiao Yan..."

Looking at the five characters on the black stone stele, the entire venue fell into a deathly silence.

"Hmm? Am I that scary? You used to fear me because of my strength, but now, what is it for?"

"Why! Why can this trash win Miss Xun Er's heart? Why isn't it me! I'm at Stage Six Dou Qi!"

"Heehee! Watch how Xun Er vents your anger for you." Xun Er said playfully.

"No matter what, he was glorious back then! He became a Dou Zhe at ten!"

Xiao Xun'er's cultivation talent was on par with Xiao Yan's, and she possessed a God-grade bloodline. Reaching Stage Eight Dou Qi at nearly fourteen was clearly unreasonable. One must know that Nalan Yanran had already reached the Dou Zhe realm by this age.

"Then let's go back! I want to make something delicious for Brother Xiao Yan." Seeing that Xiao Yan believed her, Xun Er smiled, took Xiao Yan's arm, and said while hopping along.

"Good! Xun Er's cooking is the best!" Xiao Yan praised. Immediately, a sense of pride welled up in his heart; eating food made by Xun Er was a privilege that even Gu Yuan didn't have!

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 2 =====