Chapter 31

Gazing at the green-clad girl slowly walking forward, the training ground fell silent, with all eyes fixed on her, not blinking.

On the high platform, all the family elders stopped their low conversations, their gazes converging on this most brilliant pearl of the Xiao family.

Xiao Zhan and the three elders, with serious expressions, also had a hint of curiosity. They, too, were eager to know how far this top young talent of the family had progressed after a year of cultivation.

...

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the girl walked unhurriedly to the black stone stele. She extended her small hand, the sleeve sliding down to reveal a section of her snow-white, slender wrist.

Her jade-like hand gently touched the cold black stone stele, and her eyes slowly closed. The fighting energy within her body surged rapidly.

As the fighting energy was input, the black stone stele, after a moment of silence, suddenly burst into a strong light...

Fighter: One-star!

Looking at the four golden characters on the black stone stele, the training ground fell into a brief silence, followed by a chorus of sharp intakes of breath, as if a strong wind had blown through. Everyone's expressions froze.

"Miss Xun'er, a one-star Fighter!"

The examiner, somewhat stunned by the golden characters, shook his head in amazement and shouted loudly.

"Tsk tsk... A Fighter at fifteen... Truly deserving..."

Hearing the examiner's announcement, Xiao Zhan took a deep breath, but his voice trailed off at the end.

The three elders nodded slightly, their faces equally stunned. Although this achievement was still some distance from Xiao Yan's accomplishments at twelve, such a cultivation speed could indeed be called a prodigy.

In the crowd, Xiao Mei, who was surrounded by people, was momentarily blinded by the golden characters on the black stone stele. Her gaze shifted downward, and she looked at the elegant girl standing by the stele, feeling a sense of defeat. Becoming a one-star Fighter at fifteen, such a brilliant achievement, she could never surpass.

At the back of the crowd, Xiao Yan whistled in amazement. He hadn't expected that this girl would not only advance to Fighter within a year but also reach one-star Fighter. Such a cultivation speed could almost be compared to his own after using the Foundation Strengthening Spirit Liquid.

The girl at the base of the stele seemed to dislike being the center of attention. She frowned helplessly, then turned and returned to the back of the crowd, playfully pouting at the amazed Xiao Yan.

"Don't be so smug. With your talent, this achievement isn't surprising. If you hadn't reached Fighter within a year, that would have been truly astonishing." Xiao Yan shrugged and teased.

Hearing this, Xun'er's face fell, and she gave him a resentful glance.

Pulling Xun'er to sit down again, Xiao Yan propped his chin on his hand, idly watching the other family members continue their tests.

To cultivate fighting energy to the seventh stage by around fifteen years old generally requires considerable talent, and even with good talent, success is not guaranteed. Even with the Xiao family's influence, only about two or three out of ten people met the requirements this time.

As more and more people failed, the atmosphere in the training ground gradually became somber. Those who failed had long faces, but whenever another newcomer failed, a hint of schadenfreude would flash across their faces.

Sitting on the floor, Xiao Yan had lost interest in watching the tests. Out of over a hundred people tested, only one or two, like Xiao Mei, had reached the eighth stage of fighting energy, and no one had reached the ninth stage.

The number of people not yet called to test gradually decreased, and in the end, only a few, including Xiao Yan, remained.

The last youth in front of him also stood up to test, but after a while, he, too, returned in disappointment, having failed.

Everyone knew that these last few were the lowest in the family. If it weren't for the sake of fairness, these few spots might have been eliminated outright.

"Xiao Yan!"

At the base of the black stone stele, the examiner, with a complex look, called out the last name.

"Brother Xiao Yan, it's your turn..." The girl's delicate hand gently covered Xiao Yan's, and she spoke softly.

Xiao Yan lifted his head slightly, opened his half-closed eyes, and scanned the training ground. The gloating gazes of the crowd made him involuntarily sneer.

Slowly standing up, Xiao Yan twisted his neck and looked at Xiao Zhan on the high platform, smiling slightly.

Seeing his son's smiling gaze, Xiao Zhan nodded in satisfaction, picked up his teacup, and leaned back in his chair.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan strode toward the black stone stele. The sudden surge of confidence in his expression made some of the family members who were about to mock him awkwardly fall silent.

Under the complex gazes of everyone present, Xiao Yan approached the black stone stele.

Looking at the black-clad youth before him, the examiner sighed inwardly. He had been the first to witness Xiao Yan's miraculous achievements years ago, and he had also seen the genius's gradual decline over the past three years. If no miracle happened today, this would likely be the young man's last test in the family...

Under the tightly focused gazes of everyone, Xiao Yan's chest rose and fell slowly. He extended his hand and gently pressed it against the cold black stone stele.

All eyes were fixed on the stele, not blinking. They all knew that this test might be the last for the once-brilliant young genius who had amazed the entire U坦 City.

The stele remained calm for a moment, then suddenly burst into a strong light!

On the stele, the large golden characters made everyone's hearts skip a beat.

"Seven-stage Fighting Energy..."

(Seeking recommendations O(∩_∩)O~)