"This good-for-nothing, I wonder how many levels his battle qi has fallen to this time!"
"I bet it's definitely two pieces!"
"Two segments? That's highly unlikely!"
The group of teenagers discussed amongst themselves, looking at them with strange eyes.
Xiao Yan listened to these idle gossips but was not annoyed at all. He took a deep breath and prepared to go out.
Xiao Ning patted him on the shoulder from behind, encouraging him, "Little Yanzi, keep it up, your moment to shine is here!"
"Hmm!" Xiao Yan nodded heavily, took a deep breath, and strode towards the black stone tablet. The sudden burst of arrogance between his brows made some of the clansmen who wanted to laugh awkwardly shut their mouths.
Under the complex gazes of the crowd, Xiao Yan arrived at the foot of the black stone tablet.
Looking at the black-clad youth in front of him, the tester sighed inwardly. Back then, when Xiao Yan created a miracle, he was the first to witness it, and over the past three years, he had also personally witnessed the gradual fall of this genius.
If no miracle occurs after today, this should be the last time the boy takes a test in the family.
Under the intense gazes of the entire audience, Xiao Yan's chest rose and fell slowly as he extended his hand and gently placed it on the cold black stone tablet.
All eyes were fixed on the stone tablet, and they knew very well that this test might be the last test for this genius boy who had once amazed the entire city of Wutan.
The stone tablet calmed down slightly, and then a bright light suddenly shone through!
The huge golden characters on the stone tablet made everyone present's hearts stop beating for a moment.
"Power of Battle... Eighth Stage!"
Then, the testing stone tablet emitted a blinding light.
"Xiao Yan, Dou Qi: Eighth Stage! Level: Advanced! Qualified!"
The tester took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice calm, but there was still a slight, undisguised tremor.
The entire place was silent, deathly silent!
Everyone in the arena stared in shock at the five large characters on the stone tablet, their expressions incredibly varied. After a moment, rapid breathing, like windmills, filled the training ground.
"Snap!"
On the high platform, Xiao Zhan crushed the teacup in his hand into powder with a single slap, the tea mixed with the powder dripping down his palm.
"Eighth Dan... Yan'er, you... you really did it!"
Looking at the black-clad youth beneath the black stone tablet, Xiao Zhan's eyes welled up slightly. He knew how much effort the youth had put in to get to this point.
The three elders sitting next to Xiao Zhan also had incredulous expressions on their faces. Just a year ago, he was at the third level of Dou Qi, and now he has become the eighth level.
This speed... is terrifying!
On the other side, the murmurs of the crowd did not affect the test. The tester's cold voice softened slightly as he smiled and nodded at Xiao Ning in the crowd.
"Next up, Xiao Ning!"
Xiao Ning stepped out from the crowd, reached out and touched the black magic-testing stone tablet with practiced ease, then slowly closed his eyes.
After closing his eyes for a moment, he had a thought and controlled a wisp of true essence to enter the dark demon-testing stone tablet. Then, the stone tablet lit up.
"Battle Aura: Level 5!"
"Xiao Ning, Battle Qi: Fifth Stage! Level: Intermediate! Unqualified!"
The tester called out Xiao Ning's score with trembling hands, but it was like a drop of cold water falling into hot oil, causing a loud bang among the people present.
"What? Did I hear that right? Fifth dan? Are you sure there's a mistake? Xiao Ning was eighth dan when he took the test last year!"
"Yeah, how come after a year of training, I've fallen back to level five?"
"That good-for-nothing has advanced to the eighth dan? What's going on?"
"What? Hiss, you mean..."
The boys were all talking excitedly, their faces showing disbelief.
On the high platform, the Grand Elder, who had been sitting calmly like a mountain, froze for a moment, plucked a few strands of his beard, but felt no pain at all.
He exclaimed in shock, "What's going on? How could Ning'er's cultivation level have regressed? I don't believe it, this is fake, it's all fake..."
Not only him, but also the clan leader Xiao Zhan had a solemn expression. Normally, if the old rival, the First Elder, had gotten into trouble, he would have laughed out loud.
However, now that Xiao Ning's cultivation has regressed instead of progressed, Xiao Zhan sensed something was wrong.
First, his own son's cultivation improved, but now it's the Grand Elder's grandson's cultivation that's regressing...
There's definitely something wrong here!
Could it be that someone secretly poisoned him?
He made a decisive move, stood up, and shouted, "The test is suspended. The family's senior members will proceed to the council hall for a meeting. Everyone else, please remain here and await further orders!"
"Xiao Ning, Xiao Yan, you two come here too!"
After Xiao Zhan finished speaking, he exchanged a few more words with the three elders. All four of them had solemn expressions, stood up, and took the lead in walking towards the family council hall.
…………
In the Xiao family's council hall, after the Xiao family's senior members took their seats, servants served them fragrant tea.