Chapter 39

The Chengren Ceremony was conducted with such intricate procedures that it almost made one's head spin.

Sitting below the stage, Xiao Yan looked at the young man on the stage, who was being manipulated like a puppet, and couldn't help but rub his forehead, smiling bitterly at Xun Er beside him, "This Chengren Ceremony is simply self-inflicted torture."

Seeing Xiao Yan's helpless expression, Xun Er's bright eyes curved slightly, and she smiled, "There's no way around it; this is a tradition passed down through the ages. Even Uncle Xiao and the others can't change it."

Xiao Yan sighed and nodded helplessly. Just as he was about to doze off out of boredom, his eyebrows suddenly twitched, and he narrowed his eyes, slowly turning his gaze to the left side of the stage.

Not far from the two of them, Xiao Ning was staring at Xiao Yan, who was chatting with Xun Er, with envy. When he saw Xiao Yan looking over, he immediately raised his fist in a provocative manner.

"Idiot."

Xiao Yan softly spat out the two words, his gaze shifting slightly to the left, landing on Xiao Yu, who was standing beside Xiao Ning. His eyes roamed freely over her long, shapely legs, and only when her face turned ashen did he retract his gaze with a cold laugh.

Beside him, Xun Er found Xiao Yan's behavior amusing but also somewhat helpless. Whenever he encountered Xiao Yu, Xiao Yan seemed to shed his usual calm demeanor and act without restraint, always managing to infuriate her to the point of explosive anger.

Leaning against the cool wooden chair, Xiao Yan lightly inhaled the fresh scent of the girl beside him and closed his eyes leisurely, waiting.

When the Chengren Ceremony had progressed halfway, it was finally Xiao Yan's turn.

Hearing the call from the stage, the VIP seats above the platform were filled with curious and skeptical gazes. They had come to the Xiao family's Chengren Ceremony today largely to confirm whether the young man who had been causing a stir in the city was as remarkable as the rumors suggested.

Hearing the call, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes. The various gazes around him, filled with different expressions and treating him like a monkey, made him shake his head helplessly in his heart.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan maintained a calm and composed expression, and under the watchful eyes of the entire venue, he stepped onto the platform.

The host of the Chengren Ceremony was the Second Elder, Xiao Ying. Although this Second Elder had never been kind to Xiao Yan in the past, he had become much more restrained since the test that day. At least, the undisguised disdain that used to be on his aged face was no longer present.

Looking at the young man before him, who had seemingly turned his life around, Xiao Ying sighed inwardly. His face twitched slightly as he took the necessary materials for the ceremony from behind the stage and approached Xiao Yan.

Seeing the Second Elder walk over, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a headache at the thought of the complicated ceremony. He smiled bitterly and closed his eyes in resignation.

...

Under the watchful eyes of the entire venue, Xiao Yan stood like an idiot for a full half-hour as the complicated ceremony slowly came to an end.

Sighing with relief, Xiao Yan opened his eyes and looked at the various spices scattered all over his body, rolling his eyes in frustration.

Even the Second Elder, who had conducted the complicated ceremony, wiped the sweat from his brow. He turned to the black stone testing pillar and called out loudly, "Re-test the ceremony!"

The re-test of the ceremony was another test of Dou Qi. The test a month ago was just a preliminary one, aimed at selecting the most outstanding seeds within the clan. Only these outstanding clan members were eligible to hold the Chengren Ceremony on this platform. Those below the seventh rank could only hold a simplified ceremony, which was quite meager.

The re-test was much stricter and more detailed than the preliminary test. This time, it was personally monitored by the Second Elder, who was a two-star Dashi, showing how much they valued the Chengren Ceremony.

Hearing the Second Elder's loud call, the audience, who had been somewhat bored, immediately perked up, their gazes fixed on the platform.

In the VIP seats, the gazes from various forces were also tightly focused on the black-clothed young man on the stage. They had come to confirm whether this young genius, who had once amazed the city, had truly regained his talent.

Ignoring the intense gazes around him, Xiao Yan walked forward calmly and stopped in front of the black stone pillar.

Narrowing his old eyes at the young man before him, the Second Elder's withered hand touched the black stone pillar, infusing a thread of Dou Qi into it. He stood expressionless beside it, but when his gaze fell on Xiao Yan, a hint of doubt still flickered in his eyes: "Is this kid really at the seventh rank?"

It seemed that the shock Xiao Yan had caused had dealt a significant blow to the Second Elder. Although he knew that the testing pillar was extremely unlikely to make a mistake, he still stubbornly refused to believe it. Therefore, he had volunteered to personally monitor Xiao Yan's test!

Ignoring the doubt in his gaze, Xiao Yan slowly placed his hand on the stone pillar...

Watching Xiao Yan touch the stone pillar on the stage, Xiao Yu, below, couldn't help but frown slightly. She turned to Xiao Ning and asked in a low voice, "Is that guy really at the seventh rank?"

Since Xiao Yu had only returned to the clan from the academy two days ago, she hadn't witnessed the preliminary test.

When asked by his sister, Xiao Ning nodded bitterly and said in a muffled voice, "Yeah, I don't know what that guy ate, but he really jumped four ranks of Dou Qi in a year."

Confirming the truth of the rumor once again, Xiao Yu's red lips tightened, and she stomped her shapely legs in anger, glaring at the black-clothed young man in the arena, her pretty face showing a hint of stubbornness: "I find it hard to believe that a waste can turn his life around without seeing it with my own eyes!"

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yu stared at the arena with a cold laugh: "Last time, this guy must have done something underhanded. This time, with the Second Elder personally monitoring, I don't think you can..."

Before she could finish her cold words, Xiao Yu's pretty face suddenly stiffened, and the remaining words were frozen in her throat.

On the high wooden platform, the massive black stone pillar suddenly emitted a bright light, and golden characters, written in a flowing script, appeared on its surface.

"Dou Qi: Eighth Rank!"

(Seeking recommendations, a daily request, a daily bit, endless joy O(∩_∩)O~)