As they watched the burly young man who had stepped up to challenge, the other unqualified members of the clan sighed with regret. They seemed to envy the one brave enough to be the first to step forward. Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and sized up the youth in front of him. Although he didn’t recognize all the clan members, he did have some memory of this particular youth. If he remembered correctly, the youth’s name was Xiao Ke, a follower of the Great Elder’s faction. He often tagged along behind Xiao Ning, acting like a lapdog. When Xiao Yan was in dire straits, this youth had never given him a good look. As he slowly recalled these old memories, a dangerous smile spread across Xiao Yan’s lips.
Turning his head, he met Xuner’s gaze, filled with playful amusement. Xiao Yan smiled slightly and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, nodded and said with a light laugh, “Very well, I accept.”
Seeing Xiao Yan agree so readily, Xiao Ke’s eyes twitched. A strange sense of unease began to rise in his heart. His throat bobbed, and suddenly, he felt a bit of regret for his rashness. But even though he had some regret, the die was already cast; there was no turning back now.
“An illusion, no one can increase their Dou Qi by four segments in a year. This guy must have used some trick to deceive everyone! I can definitely defeat him!” After a round of self-deception and self-encouragement, Xiao Ke managed a forced smile. “Then let me test the strength of my cousin, Xiao Yan!”
Xiao Yan smiled without a word, stood up, and walked into the training ground under everyone’s watchful eyes. Then, he made a gesture to Xiao Ke, inviting him to start.
Looking at Xiao Yan’s calm expression, Xiao Ke’s unease grew stronger. He chuckled awkwardly and, with stiff steps, slowly moved into the center of the field.
As the two stood facing each other, everyone by the training ground shifted their gazes to them. On the high platform, Xiao Zhan took a cloth from a servant behind him, wiped the water from his hands, and fixed his eyes on the field below. A subtle tension filled his eyes.
To be honest, not only were the young people finding it hard to believe Xiao Yan’s achievements, but even Xiao Zhan himself felt a certain sense of disbelief deep in his heart. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Xiao Yan, but increasing one’s Dou Qi by four segments in a year was almost miraculous. Even three years ago, Xiao Yan hadn’t been able to achieve such a feat.
And because the achievements were so impressive, everyone found it hard to believe. Whether they believed it or not, once Xiao Yan engaged in combat, his true strength would be revealed. At that point, everyone would see Xiao Yan’s real level!
Beside Xiao Zhan, the three elders’ breathing became more rapid. Their dry palms left deep imprints on the armrests of their chairs, and their murky eyes stared intently at the field, their expressions complex.
On the stone training ground, every eye was fixed on the two figures. The terrifying achievement Xiao Yan had shown earlier, whether it was real or fake, would soon be revealed!
“It’s definitely fake!” At the edge of the square, Xiao Ning licked his dry lips and muttered fiercely.
“Should… it be fake?” In the crowd, Xiao Mei bit her red lips, feeling a bit lost. She too found it hard to believe that this young man, who had been silent for three years, could suddenly achieve such terrifying results.
Under the scrutiny of numerous complicated gazes, Xiao Yan and Xiao Ke in the field had completed the pre-fight formalities. Xiao Ke raised his palms, and a faint Dou Qi aura enveloped them. He took a deep breath and stomped his foot, charging straight at Xiao Yan.
The low-level battle was not very flashy, just a simple clash.
“Mountain Splitting Palm!” As Xiao Ke rapidly approached Xiao Yan, the Dou Qi in his right palm condensed slightly. With a sweeping motion, he slashed viciously towards Xiao Yan’s chest. Mountain Splitting Palm, a mid-tier Huang-grade fighting technique, required five segments of Dou Qi or more to learn!
A gentle breeze blew, lifting the hair from Xiao Yan’s forehead, revealing a pair of inky-black pupils. His eyelids blinked, and his half-closed eyes calmly followed the approaching hand.
Just as the hand was about to reach his shoulder, Xiao Yan casually stepped to the left. A year of physical training had made his reflexes outstanding. This single step allowed him to avoid Xiao Ke’s attack. Sidestepping slightly, Xiao Yan’s palm passed through the gap between Xiao Ke’s arms and struck his shoulder.
“Stone Shattering Palm!” Stone Shattering Palm, a low-tier Huang-grade fighting technique, only required three segments of Dou Qi to learn!
“Bang!” A dull sound rang out, and Xiao Ke, hit by Xiao Yan, turned pale immediately.
Grunting, Xiao Ke staggered backward and finally lost his footing, falling flat on his back.
The entire area fell silent. Xiao Ke’s defeat confirmed certain facts. With a boring shake of his head, Xiao Yan realized that this opponent posed no real challenge. He hadn’t even used half of his true strength, let alone his trump card.
While Xiao Yan found the fight uninteresting, those outside the arena slowly closed their eyes. If Xiao Yan could so easily defeat a six-segment Dou Qi practitioner, then his strength must be at least at the seventh segment. Thus, the terrifying achievements Xiao Yan had displayed earlier… were indeed real!
Increasing his Dou Qi by four segments in a year, this achievement was a miracle within a miracle!
On the high platform, Xiao Zhan let out a long breath, finally letting the heavy burden in his heart fall away.
“…Really, the seventh segment…” Looking at the defeated Xiao Ke, Xiao Mei slowly covered her red lips, her voice trembling with shock.
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