Chapter 29: An Important Day

 In March, time swiftly passed by, and only one month remained until Xiao Yan's coming-of-age ceremony.

 In the tidy little room, Xiao Yan stared blankly at the green liquid in the wooden basin. This was the last of the foundation-building spirit liquid. The higher the level of Dou Qi, the harder it was to cultivate. Ever since he broke through to the seventh level, the Dou Qi in Xiao Yan's body had been dormant for nearly two months. No matter how much he practiced during these two months, that feeling of a breakthrough just wouldn't come.

 Staring dumbly at the wooden basin for a while, Xiao Yan finally shook his head helplessly and muttered, "I wonder if relying on this last drop of foundation-building spirit liquid will let me break through to the eighth level of Dou Qi?"

 Standing up slowly with a bit of soreness and numbness in his body, Xiao Yan unexpectedly did not continue to cultivate his Dou Qi, but instead took out a suitable set of black clothes from the wardrobe…

 A month before the adult ceremony, everyone is required to participate in a prediction, the purpose of the prediction is, of course, to eliminate those who fail the Dou Qi test. Those from the clan with Dou Qi above the seventh segment will qualify to enter the Dou Qi Pavilion to seek out techniques after the adult ceremony, while those below the seventh segment will lose this right. Once the adult ceremony is over, they will be assigned to various family industries, and unless they perform exceptionally or catch up in cultivation speed with other outstanding clan members, it will be hard to become part of the inner family again…

 Just as he finished changing his clothes, there came a gentle knock at the door.

 "Xiao Yan, are you there?"

 Listening to the girl's clear voice, Xiao Yan raised his eyebrows, fastened his clothes, grabbed the wooden basin with both hands, hid it in a corner, and then leisurely walked to the door, pulling it open with a single motion.

 As the door opened, warm sunlight instantly poured in, illuminating the boy in black clothing, making him look particularly energetic.

 Outside the door stood the girl, graceful and poised, her refreshing light green outfit perfectly accentuating her budding figure. Though her small chest was somewhat immature, it still boldly radiated the allure of youth, and on her petite waist, casually tied with a purple sash, the gentle breeze made the sash flutter...

 Staring at the beautiful girl outside the door, Xiao Yan was stunned for a moment, then slowly came back to his senses, looking up and down at Xun'er, and exclaimed in amazement: "So early in the morning, I thought a goddess had descended from somewhere, but upon a closer look, it turns out to be my Xun'er."

 Hearing Xiao Yan's somewhat teasing compliment, Xun'er's bright, watery eyes blinked, and she merely pursed her small lips into a modest smile. However, the way her eyebrows formed into beautiful crescents revealed the joy in the girl's heart.

 With a hint of delight in her autumn-like eyes, Xun'er also slightly lifted her delicate chin, gazing at the boy who had just stepped out.

 After nearly a year of hard training, Xiao Yan shed some of his childishness; his delicate little face gained an inexplicable charm. The long hours of ** training also made Xiao Yan's body sturdy and strong. Wearing a black shirt, he looked like a handsome young man overall.

 Stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind him, Xiao Yan glanced at Xun Er, who was staring at him without blinking, and, somewhat taken aback, he looked himself over and asked in confusion, "Nothing seems off, right?"

 Xun Er's pretty little face turned slightly red, and she quickly shifted her gaze away, smiling with her lips pressed together as she said, "Let」s go, Brother Xiao Yan. Today is the day of predictions, right? Are you ready?"

 Narrowing his eyes slightly, Xiao Yan shrugged, a faint, rebellious smirk appearing at the corner of his mouth. He slowly closed his palm into a fist and said with a light smile, "From today on, let those who gave me the name of 'waste' take it back!"

 Looking at the confident Xiao Yan, Xun Er tilted her little head and chuckled, "I believe in you, Xiao Yan brother!"

 "Of course you believe, you've probably already seen through my strength, right?" Xiao Yan shot her a glance and shrugged helplessly.

 Seeing that Xiao Yan seemed a bit down, Xun Er smiled, nodded slightly, and with an adorable gesture of spreading her hands, said, "From the third to the seventh level of fighting energy, it took less than a year; Xiao Yan brother's talent for cultivation is something even I, Xun Er, can't compare to..."

 "Let's go, girl!"

 Xiao Yan scratched his nose, affectionately patted Xun Er's head with his hand, and then waved his hand, striding towards the training ground behind the family.

 Looking at the boy's back, which was completely different from the lonely and dejected figure he used to have, Xun'er smiled with relief and whispered, "Brother Xiao Yan, I」ve told you before, you will regain your own dignity and glory..."

 In the huge blue stone training ground, more than a hundred boys and girls stood still, with bursts of noise soaring into the sky.

 In the training ground, there stood a massive black stone monument for testing; only some powerful families were qualified to have such a testing stone, which was quite valuable. Beside the black stone, there was still the indifferent tester from a year ago.

 On the high platform to the left of the training ground, some insiders of the family were seated, and in the central area were the clan leader Xiao Zhan and three elders.

 Inside the arena, those boys and girls who were about to face judgment stood nervously; some who usually performed well didn」t seem too tense, while others with average or low talent wore expressions of confusion and anxiety.

 Xiao Zhan looked at the various expressions of his clansmen with a serious face, letting out a light sigh in his heart. Yan'er, can you get through this?

 「Tribe Leader, the time is almost up. Why hasn」t Xiao Yan arrived yet?」 The Second Elder beside Xiao Zhan frowned and asked.

 Xiao Zhan shot him a sidelong glance and said flatly, 「The time hasn」t come yet. What」s the rush? Doesn」t the Second Elder have even this little patience?」

 Choked by Xiao Zhan's words, the Second Elder's face turned slightly ugly, and he coldly huffed, 「Even if you bought him foundation-building spirit liquid, it」s impossible for him to reach the seventh stage of Dou Qi within a year! Don」t expect any miracles to happen.」

 Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhan's face turned angry; he was already feeling irritable, and this guy just had to bring up something so annoying. Just as he was about to retort, there was a slight commotion in the crowd.

 With a shift of his gaze, at the end of the distant square, on a small path, two shadows were slowly approaching, their calm strides seemingly unaffected by the significance of today's event.

 Narrowing his eyes at the faint smile on the black-clad boy's face in the distance, Xiao Zhan couldn't help but let out a sigh...