Chapter 15: Talent in Bloom

With a crash, Xiao Zhan dropped his teacup in shock, his hands trembling.

"Three stars in a year?! Six-Star Dou Zhe?!!"

Xiao Yu stared in disbelief; her earlier fury vanished as she was left speechless by Xiao Yan's terrifying cultivation realm.

As a student of Jia Nan Academy, she knew its entrance evaluation rated those under twenty from F to S, with S-level meaning a Six-Star Dou Zhe before age twenty.

Only Jia Nan Academy's Little Enchantress had ever achieved this record in over a decade—and Xiao Yan was only fifteen, barely through his Coming-of-Age Ceremony! This wasn't just breaking a record; it was an unimaginably terrifying cultivation talent.

"Brother Xiao Yan's talent has finally bloomed." A tear of emotion glistened at Xun Er's corner.

Xun Er's identity was unique; she knew that on the vast Dou Qi Continent, Xiao Yan's cultivation speed wasn't fast—but she had always believed his talent extended far beyond this.

The Xiao Clan members needed no words—such cultivation speed could only be described in four characters: terrifying indeed!

"At this pace, perhaps… maybe in a few decades, the Xiao Clan will produce a Dou Huang-level supreme expert." The guests on the VIP seats exchanged glances, all simultaneously struck by a chilling thought.

A Dou Huang—if any small family in the Jia Ma Empire produced one, its status would instantly soar, regardless of its former limitations; even the Three Great Families of the empire would dare not suppress it.

After all, in this mighty empire, Dou Huang-level experts numbered no more than two or three, each capable of overturning heaven and earth, standing alone against ten thousand; no rational empire would lightly provoke one!

Though no one knew how the world might change in decades, talent didn't guarantee strength—Xiao Yan might die in some wilderness training, fall ill, or fade into obscurity.

But undeniably, Xiao Yan now held the ticket to the peak of strength.

Only Xiao Yan himself felt a little awkward as he rubbed his nose—he hadn't even realized his cultivation had jumped three stars!

"Strange fire is truly terrifying." Xiao Yan inwardly sighed.

Under normal cultivation, relying on a cultivation method to absorb Heaven and Earth Power and convert it into Dou Qi, Xiao Yan could have risen at most one star.

But this year, Xiao Yan gained two opportunities: one was the elixir crafted by Hun Xu Zi, won at the cost of his life; the other was Bone Spirit Cold Fire.

Traditional ways to raise cultivation were only two: converting Dou Qi through cultivation methods, or boosting it through pills. Xiao Yan had a third method—using the unique nature of the Burn Decree to absorb strange fire and fuse its power into his Dou Qi.

In Xiao Yan's own words, the Burn Decree's absorption of strange fire was like a nuclear reactor: controlling the strange fire within his body and harnessing its released energy.

"I never expected that practicing Flame Division Devouring Wave Ruler with the Black Heavy Ruler could enhance the efficiency of absorbing strange fire."

"Perhaps I can push further—absorb more filaments of Bone Spirit Cold Fire."

Xiao Yan's body already held three strands of pale-white fire filaments.

In a sense, this was exactly what Xun Er meant—Xiao Yan's talent had finally bloomed. As the saying goes, the hardest part is the beginning; once a single filament is obtained, it's like opening the door—Xiao Yan's speed of absorbing Bone Spirit Cold Fire would accelerate continuously until, at the right moment, he could fully devour it.

"Clan Leader Xiao, Xiao Yan's cultivation talent is truly shocking—this time, a remarkable expert truly seems destined to emerge." Ya Fei's beautiful eyes locked onto the black-clad boy in the arena, her gaze carrying a subtle, hidden intent.

The Miter Clan became the Jia Ma Empire's largest commercial family because it once possessed a Dou Huang. Now, the Miter Clan urgently needed a Dou Huang to stand as its pillar.

Xiao Yan slowly descended from the stage and walked toward Xun Er.

Every qualified clan member was required to fight a battle to test their strength, but fighting Xiao Yan now would be pure torture—Xiao Yu's "tragic experience" was still fresh in everyone's mind.

Xiao Ning, watching his sister Xiao Yu clench her fists tightly, whispered: "Sis, the Young Clan Leader isn't just high in cultivation—he's strong in Dou Techniques too. Don't act like that again. If you really anger him, even Grandfather won't be able to plead your case."

Xiao Yu snapped back to reality. She couldn't understand—how could Xiao Yan train both Dou Qi and Dou Techniques so intensely? Did he have twenty-five hours in a day?

Xiao Yan looked at the beauty before him, raised an eyebrow, and said: "Xun Er, your cultivation seems to have risen a lot."

Xun Er stuck out her tongue, her light, tinkling laugh ringing like silver bells: "I thought this year I'd surpass Brother Xiao Yan, but you've given everyone such a huge surprise."

Xun Er had always suppressed her cultivation speed, deliberately lagging slightly behind Xiao Yan. This year, with her coming of age, her inner power surged, lifting her to Five-Star Dou Zhe—she'd been planning how to explain it to him so he wouldn't mind.

She never imagined Xiao Yan had also jumped three stars in a year—she was genuinely stunned. Xun Er guessed he'd found some opportunity in the wilderness.

"Brother Xiao Yan, after reaching Dou Zhe, cultivation methods become increasingly vital. I've noticed your method's Dou Qi color barely reaches Yellow-class Advanced. I have here a Heavenly Grade Advanced fire-affinity cultivation method—perfect for you."

Xun Er secretly pulled out a cultivation method and handed it to Xiao Yan.

Although the Xiao Clan had auctioned off a Heavenly Grade Advanced Wind Roll Technique, it was wind-affinity, unsuitable for Xiao Yan's innate fire nature. The highest fire-affinity method in the Xiao Clan was Yellow-class Advanced—so Xun Er mistakenly assumed Xiao Yan trained with it.

Xiao Yan's heart warmed; he pinched her cheek and grinned: "Oh no, I'm being kept by Miss Rich-Pot, turning me into a gold-digger husband."

"Nonsense—even the landlord has no surplus grain to feed a genius like Brother Xiao Yan."

"Hahaha, don't worry, Xun Er—I got some benefits, I just haven't switched methods yet."

The Coming-of-Age Ceremony ended amid the Xiao Clan's laughter and joy, and Xiao Yan's reputation as a genius once again shook Wutan City—even reaching the Nalan Mansion in Wang Du.

The Xiao Clan still hadn't realized a conspiracy against them had quietly begun.

"Father, this is Master Liu Xi, a Rank-One Alchemist."

In the brightly lit hall, Gale O was introducing the young Alchemist beside him.

The hall was filled with many people; their attire revealed not only high-ranking members of the Gale Clan but also of the Oba Clan.

Because of Xiao Yan, the Gale and Oba Clans had formed a complete alliance of interests to protect themselves from being swallowed by the powerful Xiao Clan.

Seeing Liu Xi's arrival, Clan Leaders Gale Bi and Oba Pa both rose immediately to greet him.

"Master Liu Xi truly is a man of outstanding bearing."

"Haha, compared to Master Liu Xi, what is that pitiful Xiao Yan?"

Liu Xi opened his fan and spoke slowly: "Only training Dou Qi makes one a brute. Only those who master Spirit Refining truly control everything."