Despite being young, Xun'er was clever enough to notice this difference.
She saw clearly that Xiao Yan treated her unlike anyone else.
That realization made her eyes curve like crescent moons, her gaze upon him sparkling with quiet happiness.
"Xiao Yan, you're so hateful…"
From afar, Xiao Ning watched the scene.....Xiao Yan surrounded by admiring girls.....and his jealousy nearly cracked his teeth.
"Next! Xiao Ning!"
Before he could stew in anger, the examiner called his name.
"Hmph! I'll show them that I, Xiao Ning, am no pushover!"
He quickly gathered his composure and ran up to the testing monument, channeling his Dou Qi into it.
Golden light flared.....five radiant characters appeared on the stone.
"Dou Qi, Stage Six!"
Instantly, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"This boy's only thirteen, right? Reaching Stage Six already… impressive. He might become a Dou Zhe before twenty."
"Yes. With family support, reaching Dou Shi later won't be hard either.
If luck favors him, even Da Dou Shi might be possible. Seems the Third Elder has a fine heir."
Hearing the whispers, Xiao Ning's face lit with pride.
He glanced toward Xiao Yan, noticing that even the girls nearby were looking his way.
Their eyes didn't hold the same admiration they gave Xiao Yan, but still....attention was attention.
Yet when his gaze fell on the girl at the center of that crowd....like a lotus blooming in still water.....all his joy vanished.
That girl, Xiao Xun'er, had never once looked his way.
Her delicate face glowed with happiness, her limpid eyes reflecting only one figure—Xiao Yan.
Only him.
"Next, Xiao Yan!"
As the examiner's voice rang across the square, every gaze immediately turned toward Xiao Yan.
After all, what had happened to him a few days ago was no secret.
Everyone in the Xiao Clan wanted to see for themselves just what kind of state the former prodigy was in now.
"Brother Xiao Yan, it's your turn," Xun'er said softly, her eyes curving as she looked up at him with a faint smile.
"Mm. I'll go now."
Nodding lightly, Xiao Yan ignored the countless stares around him and calmly walked toward the testing monument.
Placing his palm on the cold stone, he let a wisp of Dou Qi flow into it. Instantly, five bright golden characters appeared across the surface.
"Dou Qi—Fourth Stage!"
The moment those words shone into existence, the entire square fell into stunned silence.
A breath later, the air exploded into a chorus of murmurs and whispers.
"What's going on? Young Master Xiao Yan's Dou Qi has dropped to the fourth stage?"
"Fourth stage? That's even lower than mine!"
"He used to be the number one genius of our clan. Looks like that title needs to be handed over now."
Some sighed with pity. Others' eyes burned with ambition. A few couldn't hide their gloating smiles.
"Ha! Xiao Yan, so even you have fallen! Finally, I, Xiao Ning, have surpassed you!"
From afar, Xiao Ning returned to the Third Elder's side, his face full of excitement.....until he noticed his sister's solemn expression, and his grandfather's face… strangely thrilled.
"Grandfather, Xiao Yan's fallen all the way to the fourth stage of Dou Qi. Why are you so happy? He was our clan's greatest genius!"
Xiao Ning's confusion was understandable. Though he disliked Xiao Yan, his grandfather's joy made no sense.
Hahaha, you don't understand," the Third Elder chuckled, his eyes shining.
"When we checked his condition a few days ago, his cultivation had already dropped to the third stage.
Yet in just ten days, he's climbed back up to the fourth stage! At this recovery speed, within a year, he could reach the ninth stage.....or even become a true Dou Fighter!"
Xiao Ning froze. A deep, suffocating pressure spread through his chest.
It felt as if he'd thought himself near the mountain's summit, only to be told he was still at its base.
His fleeting pride instantly crumbled into dust.
When he looked at Xiao Yan again, his eyes no longer held ambition or resentment.....only an instinctive trace of fear.
After the test ended, Xiao Yan ignored the countless looks around him and turned to leave.
The young men nearby were still lost in their delusion...believing they had caught up to, or even surpassed, the clan's former number one genius.
Their eyes gleamed with confidence born of ignorance.
"Yan'er, come here for a moment."
Xiao Zhan's deep voice called out.
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