The complexity of the coming-of-age ceremony was enough to give one a headache. Sitting in the audience, Xiao Yan watched the teenager on stage, who was being manipulated like a puppet, and couldn’t help but rub his forehead, turning to Xuner with a wry smile, “This coming-of-age ceremony is just asking for trouble.”
Seeing Xiao Yan’s helpless expression, Xuner’s bright, lively eyes curved into a smile. “There’s nothing we can do; it’s a tradition that’s been passed down. Even Uncle Xiao can’t change it.”
Xiao Yan sighed and nodded in resignation. Just as he was about to fall asleep out of boredom, his eyebrows suddenly raised, and he narrowed his eyes, slowly shifting his gaze to the left side of the stage.
Not far from the two, Xiao Ning was glaring at Xiao Yan with envy, watching him chat and laugh with Xuner. Seeing Xiao Yan look over, Xiao Ning immediately challenged him by raising his fist provocatively.
“Idiot,” Xiao Yan muttered softly. He turned his gaze slightly to the left, looking at Xiao Yu, who was standing beside Xiao Ning. His eyes roamed boldly over her tall, sexy legs, finally pulling back with a cold smirk when her face turned ashen.
Beside him, Xuner found Xiao Yan’s behavior amusing but also somewhat exasperated. Whenever it came to Xiao Yu, Xiao Yan seemed to shed his usual calm demeanor and acted recklessly, always managing to infuriate her.
Leaning back in the cool wooden chair, Xiao Yan lightly inhaled the fresh, clean scent of the girl beside him, closing his eyes leisurely and waiting patiently.
As the ceremony progressed, it finally came to Xiao Yan’s turn. Hearing the announcement, the distinguished guests on the high platform shifted their curious and skeptical gazes. Many of them had come to witness this ceremony primarily to confirm whether the young man, who had recently been the talk of Wu Tan City, was as impressive as the rumors suggested.
Hearing the call, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes. The various expressions around him, filled with curiosity and derision, made him shake his head inwardly. Letting out a sigh, he kept his face calm and composed, and then, under the watchful eyes of the entire crowd, stepped up to the stage.
The host of the ceremony was the second elder, Xiao Ying. Although Elder Xiao had never given Xiao Yan a good face before, after that day’s test, he had become more restrained. At least, the undisguised disdain that once adorned his aged face was no longer present.
Elder Xiao looked at the young man before him, who had almost undergone a complete transformation, and let out a sigh. His face twitched slightly, and he picked up the materials needed for the ceremony, then walked towards Xiao Yan.
Seeing the approaching second elder, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but feel a headache at the thought of the tedious ceremony. With a wry smile, he resignedly closed his eyes.
…
Under the watchful eyes of the entire crowd, Xiao Yan stood still on the spot like a fool for a full half-hour until the elaborate rituals finally came to an end. Breathing a sigh of relief, Xiao Yan opened his eyes and, with a sullen expression, glanced at the various scents and spices covering his body.
After completing the tedious rituals, the second elder wiped the sweat from his brow and walked to the black stone testing stele, shouting, “Re-test the ritual!”
The re-test meant another measurement of the Qi of the Battle Spirit. The previous test a month ago was just a preliminary, aimed at selecting the best talents in the clan. Only those with excellent potential were qualified to hold their coming-of-age ceremony on the high platform, while those below the seventh stage could only participate in a simplified, rather meager ceremony.
The re-test was much stricter and more precise than the preliminary. This time, the second elder, who was a Two-Star Great Battle Master, would personally monitor and conduct the test, showing how seriously they took the coming-of-age ceremony.
Hearing the second elder’s loud command, the previously bored crowd perked up, their eyes all focused on the high platform. The dignitaries in the VIP seats also fixed their eyes on the black-robed youth on the stage, their main purpose being to confirm whether the prodigy who had once astonished Wu Tan City had indeed regained his former talent.
Ignoring the intense gazes around him, Xiao Yan calmly walked up to the black stone stele and stopped in front of it.
The second elder squinted his old eyes at the young man, his withered hand touching the black stone stele, infusing a trace of Battle Qi into it. Standing emotionless at the side, he couldn’t help but let a hint of doubt cross his mind when he looked at Xiao Yan: “Is this boy really at the seventh stage?”
It seemed that the shock Xiao Yan had caused had deeply affected the second elder. Despite knowing that the testing stele rarely made mistakes, he still stubbornly refused to believe it. Therefore, he volunteered to personally monitor Xiao Yan’s test.
Ignoring the skepticism in his gaze, Xiao Yan slowly placed his hand on the stele…
Watching Xiao Yan place his hand on the stele, Xiao Yu’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she turned to Xiao Ning, asking in a low voice, “Has that guy really reached the seventh stage?”
Since Xiao Yu had only returned to the family from the academy two days ago, she hadn’t seen the previous preliminary test.
Xiao Ning nodded bitterly, grumbling, “Yeah, I don’t know what he ate, but he really jumped four stages in a year.”
Realizing the truth of the rumors, Xiao Yu bit her lip in anger, stamping her long, sexy leg, and glaring at the black-robed youth on the field. Her beautiful face showed a stubborn look, “Without seeing it myself, it’s hard to believe that that failure has turned things around!”
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yu coldly stared at the field, “Last time, that guy must have cheated. This time, with the second elder personally monitoring, I’ll see you…”
Her cold, murmured words were cut short, and Xiao Yu’s beautiful face suddenly stiffened, the rest of her words frozen in her throat.
On the high wooden platform, the massive black stone stele suddenly glowed, and golden characters, flowing like dragons and phoenixes, appeared on its surface.
“Battle Qi: Eighth Stage!”
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