"Dou Zhi Qi, Third Stage."
Time quickly passed, and it was once again the day for the Xiao family's annual Dou Qi test.
In the Xiao family, if a person reached the age of sixteen and hadn't attained the seventh stage of Dou Zhi Qi, they would be assigned to manage various family industries.
If someone reached twenty-five without becoming a Dou Practitioner, then sorry, they might even be removed from the family tree and no longer recognized by the family.
"Xiao Yan, Dou Zhi Qi, Third Stage! Level Low!" The middle-aged man responsible for the family's testing announced the result indifferently beside the stele used for the Dou Qi test.
Xiao Bai stood under the shade of a tree at the edge of the testing square, silently watching Xiao Yan on the test platform.
It had been three years since he last participated in the family test. The elders of the family were aware of his situation and had tacitly accepted it.
He had woken up early today just to check out the scene. Although he didn't have a "check-in" system, he could still enjoy the gossip. Wasn't this much more real than the drama he watched in his past life?
On the platform, Xiao Yan stared expressionlessly at the glaring characters on the stone stele, a self-deprecating smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He clenched his fists tightly, and his slightly sharp nails sent waves of pain to his palms.
He lowered his head in silence, turning and walking down from the high platform. The murmurs of the crowd reached his ears—some mocking, some sighing in pity—each word felt like a sharp sword stabbing into his heart, causing him to breathe a little harder.
He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, thinking of Xiao Bai, thinking of the calm composure he always carried.
Xiao Yan slowly raised his head, his youthful and delicate face full of indifference. His pitch-black eyes calmly swept over the people who were mocking him.
"How fickle the world is! Three years ago, these people still wore humble smiles and called me 'Third Young Master,' but now they're so harsh! Hah~!"
He calmly walked through the crowd, ignoring the mocking voices. Xiao Yan lifted his foot and walked toward the young man with gray-white hair under the tree on the edge of the square.
The people in the square followed Xiao Yan's movements with their eyes and noticed Xiao Bai standing under the tree.
"That's... Xiao Bai? How did he end up looking like this?"
"I heard he had a mishap during his cultivation, but he's much better now. You should have seen him a few months ago. That was truly terrifying!"
"Didn't Xiao Yan have issues with him before? Why does it seem like their relationship is fine now?" Some people wondered as they saw Xiao Bai pat Xiao Yan's shoulder.
"Who knows? Maybe they feel sorry for each other."
Although some in the crowd had never liked Xiao Bai since childhood, they didn't dare to speak ill of him.
Even though he hadn't made a breakthrough in six years, Xiao Bai, with his Ninth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi, was still unquestionably the strongest among all the testers on the square. Not to mention, Xiao Yan had once been beaten by him even when he was a two-star Dou Practitioner.
"Next, Xiao Mei!"
A girl around fourteen years old ran out from the crowd. As soon as she appeared, everyone's attention shifted from Xiao Bai to her, their gazes locking onto her fair face with slight fervor.
The girl wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but the combination of purity and charm on her face made her the focal point of everyone's attention.
"Xiao Mei, Dou Zhi Qi, Seventh Stage! Level, High"
After hearing the result, Xiao Mei cheered, and a smug smile appeared on her face.
The envious murmurs from the crowd only made her smile even more pronounced. Vanity, at this age, held a unique allure.
The girl enjoyed being the center of attention on the platform. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two figures under the tree. After a moment's thought, Xiao Mei stepped toward the edge of the square.
"Cousin Xiao Bai!"
"Cousin Xiao Yan!"
Xiao Mei greeted the two of them. She hadn't seen Xiao Bai in a long time and was startled by how much he had changed, making her feel a bit uncomfortable.
The old Xiao Bai was gentle and elegant, always with a faint smile on his face that made people feel like a spring breeze. Now, his face was cold and solemn, his eyes deep, and the authoritative air around him was even more intimidating than that of the Family Head or the Grand Elder.
Looking at the two in front of her, both had appeared in Xiao Mei's youthful fantasies. She had once dreamed of choosing one of them and spending the rest of her life with him.
Among them, Xiao Bai stood out the most. When the girls of the Xiao family gathered to talk about boys, Xiao Bai's name was always at the top of the list.
However, he seemed to be different with Gu Xun'er in the entire Xiao family. For any other girl, he had a seemingly gentle but actually distant attitude.
Thinking of Xiao Xun'er, a trace of jealousy flashed in Xiao Mei's eyes.
"Next, Xiao Xun'er!"
Upon hearing the name, the gossiping crowd suddenly quieted, and their gazes shifted subtly.
A cool and elegant girl walked up to the high platform. She was dressed in a green dress, standing there like a budding green lotus.
Graceful and extraordinary, her skin was like snow, and her eyes resembled a clear spring. With a single glance, she exuded an air of purity and elegance, making people mesmerized and not daring to defile her.
With such beauty at such a young age, it was hard to imagine how enchanting she would be when she grew up.
Xiao Xun'er first scanned the crowd, then precisely locked her gaze on the young man under the tree. A smile, like the thawing of spring, appeared on her face, and she winked at him before turning toward the testing stele.
"Dammit, I don't know what's so good about that guy, that he could earn so much affection from cousin Xun'er!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
"Right, what's so special about him? He's just a little handsome, has a good aura, and is a bit stronger in cultivation. Other than that, what does he have?"
Hearing the last comment, those around him gave him a glance and silently took a step back.
Damn, everyone's criticizing Xiao Bai, and you're here defending him? Are you an undercover agent sent by Xiao Bai?
On the platform, the girl extended her delicate hand, and the golden blue cuffs of her sleeve slid down, revealing her fair, tender wrist. Her palm lightly touched the stele, and light burst from it.
"Xiao Xun'er, Dou Zhi Qi, Ninth Stage! Level: High!"
The voice of the middle-aged man beside the stele echoed through the square. The crowd fell silent for a moment before a hum of voices began.
Some voices were filled with admiration, others with awe, and some with jealousy.
"Miss Xun'er, with this level, in half a year, you should be able to condense a cyclone and break through to become a Dou Practitioner. At that time, you will be the second person in the Xiao family in a hundred years."
The middle-aged man looked at the information on the Dou Qi stele, a smile appeared on his face, and he spoke to the girl with a touch of respect.
"Second person?" Xiao Xun'er didn't respond immediately, but gave a slight nod to the middle-aged man. "Thank you!"
She turned and slowly walked down from the high platform, with a slight skip in her step, heading towards the shade of the trees at the side of the square.
"Xiao Bai Gege!" The girl reached Xiao Bai, hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly, her eyes curving as she looked at him.
Xiao Bai looked at her, and a smile finally appeared on his usually stern face. His eyes were full of undisguised fondness as he gently ruffled her dark hair.
"Xiao Bai Gege, why did you come today?" The girl, feeling Xiao Bai pat her little head, couldn't help but squint her eyes in delight, then curiously asked.
Xiao Bai hadn't participated in the family test for several years, and recently, he had been secluded for a long time. She hadn't seen him for a while, so his sudden appearance today made her curious.