"Dou Qi, third stage!"
Xiao Ning, who bore a seven-tenths resemblance to his sister, looked worriedly at the boy on stage.
The surrounding ridicule from other clan members made Xiao Ning sigh slightly.
"Another year has passed."
The noisy voices around him filled his head with confusion. He originally wanted to use this opportunity to meet Xiao Yan but given the current situation...
"Next! Xiao Mei!"
Xiao Ning looked up to see a lively girl in a pink dress appearing on stage. She brushed past Xiao Yan, the little girl who used to cling to him had changed so much, becoming more and more unfamiliar.
"Cousin Xiao Ning, are you here to watch me make a fool of myself too?"
Xiao Ning looked at the boy before him with a bitter smile and moved his lips, but ultimately said nothing.
"Next, Xiao Xun'er!"
The crowd suddenly fell silent, drawing even Xiao Yan's attention to the stage.
The girl in a purple dress with long hair was stunning, possessing beauty beyond her years. The boys in the crowd looked at her with burning eyes.
The golden-embroidered sleeves slid down, revealing her white jade-like wrist, and she gently placed her small hand on the testing stone monument.
"Buzz~"
Dou Qi surged into it, and the monument shone brightly. The middle-aged man in charge of the test opened his mouth wide in shock, taking a while to recover.
"Xiao Xun'er, Dou Qi, ninth stage! Grade: High!"
"Wow! Cousin Xun'er is truly gifted, so young and already..."
The murmurs from the crowd didn't faze Xun'er, who nodded politely to the tester and then walked off the stage.
"Next!"
The tester on stage sighed inwardly before hastily calling the next clan member.
Xun'er stepped under a tree, her every move watched by everyone present, even overshadowing the ongoing tests on stage.
Seeing the girl walk towards Xiao Yan, many boys cursed inwardly, wishing they could rush up and teach him a lesson!
"Hey! Who's that standing next to Xiao Yan? She's so pretty! How come I've never seen her in the clan before?"
A chubby boy squinted, locking his gaze on Xiao Ning, looking puzzled, "I have records of all the beauties in the clan, but this..."
"She looks like Cousin Xiao Yu!"
"Cousin Xiao Yu...," the small eyes sparkled, grabbing the arm of a thin boy next to him, "You mean the long-legged beauty who entered Jia Nan Academy?"
"Isn't that so?" The thin boy looked excited, "Cousin Xiao Yu is the only one in our clan selected for Jia Nan Academy!"
"Think of those long legs, think of that status, tsk tsk tsk..."
"Who would you choose between Cousin Xun'er and Cousin Xiao Yu?"
"Of course, I'd choose Cousin Xun'er," the thin boy replied matter-of-factly.
"Hehehe." The chubby boy laughed foolishly, prompting the thin boy to join in. Seeing this, the people around them quickly distanced themselves to avoid being associated with their foolishness.
The girl in the purple dress walked gracefully under the tree, "Cousin Xiao Ning, Cousin Xiao Yan, good morning."
Xiao Ning returned the greeting politely, while Xiao Yan kept looking around the crowd, searching for another figure.
"Cousin Xun'er, where's Mo'er?"
"Sister?" The girl covered her face and laughed, as if thinking of something amusing, "She's still resting in her room."
"Did something happen during cultivation?" Xiao Ning asked urgently, his concern genuine.
Xun'er shook her head, a fragrance wafting into Xiao Yan's nose, "Sister said that the Dou Qi test is pointless. She'd rather rest a bit more."
"Oh, and sister asked me to bring her breakfast. If the tester calls her name later, please explain the situation to her, Cousin Xiao Yan. Xun'er thanks you in advance."
"No problem." Xiao Yan waved his hand, "I'm just idling around here anyway. You go ahead, Cousin Xun'er."
After thanking him again, the girl in the purple dress walked away. As soon as she was out of sight, the boys in the crowd turned their gazes towards Xiao Yan!
"Pah, a bunch of trash."
Xiao Yan muttered under his breath, ignoring the fierce, almost predatory looks directed at him.
He was feeling incredibly irritable, so much so that he wanted to pick a fight! But looking around, he realized with a bitter smile that even the girls around could probably beat him up easily.
"Cousin Xiao Yan..."
"What?"
Xiao Ning hesitated, "No matter what, I'll always support you!"
"Even if I'm a talentless waste?"
"You're not. I believe in you!"
"What good is believing..." Xiao Yan muttered, "The Dou Qi I cultivate disappears every night. What's the point of breaking through if I just drop back to the third stage? If I didn't keep cultivating, I wouldn't even maintain this third stage of Dou Qi! I..."
Just as Xiao Ning was trying to lift Xiao Yan's spirits, the tester on the high platform called another name.
"Next, Xiao Mo'er!"
The crowd fell silent. Who was Xiao Mo'er? The twin sister of Xiao Xun'er! Last time, the recruitment teachers from Jia Nan Academy had begged to take her in!
Though it didn't work out, Xiao Mo'er's strength remained a mystery!
It was said that her every move could easily affect people's emotions, and she was rarely seen around the Xiao family.
If you had time, you might spot her in the back mountain. If you saw Xiao Xun'er, chances were Xiao Mo'er was nearby.
Everyone was reminiscing about this legendary figure in the Xiao clan. Some talented boys vaguely remembered seeing her in their childhood.
Back then, she always hung around the "genius" Xiao Yan, the two little lolis playing in ways they envied.
She should come for this year's young generation's strength test, right?
The crowd twisted their heads, trying to spot her.
"Next, Xiao Mo'er!"
The middle-aged man by the testing stone frowned slightly, looking around, but didn't see the mysterious girl.
Helplessly, he gathered his Dou Qi and shouted, "Has anyone seen Miss Mo'er?"
The crowd erupted in whispers. Such an important strength test and Xiao Mo'er didn't care to show up!
Could something have happened?
But that couldn't be, Cousin Xun'er just took the test!
Amid the confusion, Xiao Yan stood up with a stiff resolve.
"Cousin Mo'er is unwell and asked me to excuse her."
"What?"
The Xiao clan's youths began to argue. Who was Xiao Mo'er to ask Xiao Yan, a waste, to excuse her?
What was their relationship? For a moment, everyone looked at Xiao Yan with curiosity and hostility.