Three months' time, more than half of it had swiftly passed in the blink of an eye, and the coming-of-age ceremony for Xiao Yan was now less than a month away.
Inside the clean, small room, Xiao Yan's eyes quietly gazed at the blue liquid in the wooden basin. This was already the last of the Foundation Elixir. The further one progressed in Dou Qi, the harder it became to cultivate. Since his last breakthrough to the seventh Dou Qi segment, the Dou Qi in Xiao Yan's body had been dormant for nearly two months. During these two months, no matter how he cultivated, the feeling of a breakthrough had never appeared.
He stared blankly at the wooden basin for a good while before Xiao Yan finally shook his head helplessly, muttering to himself, "I wonder if using this last drop of Foundation Elixir will allow me to break through to the eighth Dou Qi segment?"
He slowly stood up, feeling a slight soreness. Xiao Yan unexpectedly didn't cultivate Dou Qi. Instead, he took out a set of well-fitting black clothes from the wardrobe.
A month before the coming-of-age ceremony, everyone had to participate in a test. The purpose of this test, naturally, was to weed out those with unqualified Dou Qi. Clan members with more than seven Dou Qi segments, after completing the coming-of-age ceremony, would gain the qualification to enter the Dou Qi Pavilion to seek cultivation techniques. However, clan members with less than seven segments did not have this right. After the coming-of-age ceremony, they would be assigned to the family's various industries. In the future, unless they showed outstanding performance or their cultivation speed surpassed other outstanding clan members, it would be very difficult for them to return to the inner circle of the family.
Just as he finished changing, a gentle knock came from outside the door.
"Xiao Yan *gege*, may I come in?"
Hearing the girl's clear voice, Xiao Yan slightly frowned. Grabbing his clothes, he pushed the wooden basin with both hands, hiding it in a secret corner. Only then did he calmly walk to the door and push it open.
The door opened, and warm sunlight immediately spread in, illuminating a young man dressed in black. He looked quite striking.
Outside the room stood a slender and graceful young girl. Her light blue top perfectly complemented her delicate figure. The clothes concealed her small chest, which, though still budding, proudly displayed the allure of youth. A purple belt cinched her slender waist, and as a gentle breeze swept past, the belt fluttered...
Looking at the beautiful girl outside the door, Xiao Yan was stunned for a moment. Only then did he slowly regain his composure, scrutinizing Xun'er from head to toe, and said with amusement, "It's only early morning, and I thought a goddess had descended. Looking closer, it's just our Xun'er."
Hearing Xiao Yan's somewhat playful praise, Xun'er blinked her large eyes and reluctantly pursed her lips into a smile. Yet, her willow-like brows quietly formed beautiful crescents, revealing the joy in the young girl's heart.
With autumn-water-like eyes carrying a hint of delight, Xun'er also raised her head, assessing the young man who had just opened the door and stepped out.
A year of arduous cultivation had stripped Xiao Yan of some of his naivety. His handsome face now exuded a wondrous charm, and his body, trained over a long period, had become firm and robust. Dressed in black robes, he looked, overall, like a handsome young man.
Stepping out of the room, he turned and closed the door. Seeing Xun'er's steady gaze on him, Xiao Yan, a little surprised, checked himself over and asked doubtfully, "Is something wrong?"
Her delicate, small face flushed slightly. Xun'er shifted her gaze to the side, smiling as she said, "Let's go, Brother Xiao Yan. Today is the day of the test. Are you ready?"
His eyes narrowed, Xiao Yan shrugged, a hint of defiant arrogance flickering at the corner of his mouth. His hand slowly smoothed out the creases in his clothes as he chuckled softly, "That title of 'trash' – starting today, I'll return it to those who gave it to me!"
Seeing Xiao Yan's absolute confidence, Xun'er tilted her head, smiling faintly as she said, "I believe in Brother Xiao Yan!"
"Of course you believe," Xiao Yan said with a helpless twist of his lips, glancing at her. "I'm just afraid you've long seen through my true strength."
Seeing Xiao Yan seem a little annoyed, Xun'er turned around, nodding slightly. Her small hand gently clenched as she smiled and said, "From three *dou qi* stages to seven *dou qi* stages in less than a year... Brother Xiao Yan's cultivation talent, even I, Xun'er, can't hope to catch up..."
"Let's go, girl!"
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, then affectionately patted Xun'er's head. He waved his hand and strode quickly towards the back of the family training grounds.
Looking at the youth, so completely different from the lonely, gloomy figure he once was, Xun'er smiled joyfully and murmured softly, "Brother Xiao Yan, Xun'er told you long ago that you would reclaim your dignity and glory..."
The massive training grounds, built of bluestone, held over a hundred young men and women. Waves of boisterous noise rose into the air.
In the center of the training grounds stood a massive black testing stele. Only powerful clans were qualified to possess such a testing stele, as its value was exorbitant. Beside the black stele stood the same cold test administrator from a year ago.
On the high platform to the left of the training grounds sat several internal clan members. In the center sat Clan Head Xiao Zhan and three elders.
Within the square, the young men and women awaiting their test stood restlessly. Some of the more talented individuals appeared calm, showing little nervousness on their faces, while those with average or low talent wore expressions of bewilderment and anxiety.
Xiao Zhan, with a calm and stern face, observed the varied expressions of the clan members below. He quietly took a breath, thinking, *Yan'er, can you overcome this hurdle?*
"Clan Head, time is almost up. Why isn't Xiao Yan here yet?" Two elders beside Xiao Zhan asked, frowning.
Xiao Zhan glanced at him disdainfully and said indifferently, "The time hasn't come yet, what's the rush? Do the two elders not even possess this much composure?"
Stunned into silence by Xiao Zhan, the two elders' expressions turned slightly ugly. They snorted coldly and said grimly, "Even if you bought him the Foundation Establishment Elixir at auction, that still won't allow him to advance to seven *dou qi* stages in one year! Don't expect any miracles."
Hearing this, Xiao Zhan's face darkened with anger. He was already troubled, and this fellow seemed to enjoy slandering others. Just as he was about to retort angrily, the center of the grounds suddenly erupted in commotion.
Shifting their gazes, they saw two figures slowly approaching on a small path far across the square. Their steps were unhurried, as if the importance of the day didn't warrant any haste.
Narrowing his eyes, Xiao Zhan looked at the faint smile on the face of the black-robed youth in the distance. For some reason, he let out a soft breath...