"What exactly is going on?"
After everyone was seated, Xiao Zhan, who was sitting in the main seat, slammed his hand on the table and said loudly.
At this moment, faced with the sudden change in the test, he felt no joy at his son's rise to prominence, only endless fear.
The Xiao family appears to be a large and powerful family, ranking among the three major families in Wutan Town, enjoying immense prestige.
In reality, Xiao Zhan, as the clan leader, understood that, let alone the Northwest Region of the continent, even in the Jia Ma Empire, the Xiao family was nothing. At most, they were just ants that a strong person could crush at will.
Now that this incident has suddenly occurred, Xiao Zhan inevitably thinks that there must be an enemy secretly plotting against the Xiao family.
The elder frowned, his heart filled with doubt. He asked, "Ning'er, what happened? Why has your cultivation level regressed?"
Xiao Ning, who was in the hall, shook his head and said nothing.
Despite his pale face, no one blamed him.
The First Elder then looked at Xiao Yan and asked, "Xiao Yan, why is it that your cultivation regression problem has been cured, but Ning'er's cultivation has started to regress again? Do you know what's going on?"
Xiao Yan glanced at Xiao Ning, and seeing his warning look, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
He opened his mouth and said, "I don't know either!"
"you……"
The First Elder's expression froze. He pointed at Xiao Yan, his face turning red with anger, and asked loudly, "Then how did you regain your talent?"
"I don't know either! It came back after I woke up from a nap!" Xiao Yan replied in a low voice.
"Alright, you can all go now!"
Seeing that he couldn't get any information out of them, Xiao Zhan waved his hand, dismissing Xiao Ning and Xiao Yan, and then began to discuss countermeasures with many of the Xiao family's senior members.
Xiao Ning and Xiao Yan walked out of the family hall side by side, their faces no longer showing any sign of frustration.
"Brother Ning, are you really planning to wait for the family to assign you tasks and then retire to the countryside in peace?"
Xiao Yan finally asked the question that had been on his mind.
"Otherwise what? I already said it before!"
Xiao Ning, with a matter-of-fact expression, said, "I think it's fine as it is!"
Xiao Yan opened his mouth, but said nothing more.
The annual Xiao family test was suspended because Xiao Ning's cultivation level suddenly dropped. Afterwards, the senior members discussed it for a long time but could not come up with a solution, so they had to temporarily give up.
Subsequently, the family head, Xiao Zhan, announced that the test would continue, but this had nothing to do with Xiao Ning.
He used being in a bad mood as an excuse to leave and rest first, and Xiao Zhan and the other senior executives did not make things difficult for him.
…………
Since that day's test, Xiao Ning could clearly feel that the respect and friendliness that the clansmen around him looked at him had gradually diminished, replaced by disdain and mockery.
He got a real taste of Xiao Yan's life over the past three years.
Xiao Yan's treatment was completely different. He soared to great heights in the family test, and the clansmen were too busy currying favor with him to dare to mock him.
Faced with the awe-inspiring gaze that only Xiao Ning had previously been entitled to, Xiao Yan remained calm and did not display any smug or arrogant attitude as if he had suddenly gained power.
If others don't know the truth, how could Xiao Yan not know?
Xiao Ning only deliberately revealed his cultivation level as the fifth stage of Dou Qi, but that doesn't mean that's all he's capable of.
Although he didn't quite agree with Xiao Ning's approach, Xiao Yan felt genuine awe for Xiao Ning's true cultivation level, so how could he dare to get cocky and show off?
After that, Xiao Ning's life settled into a peaceful routine. He spent two hours each day reciting the Huangting Scripture, comprehending the principles of martial arts, and then practicing the Dragon Elephant Body Refining Technique.
Although this technique has been cultivated to a high level, it does not mean that it has lost its effectiveness.
Practicing the Dragon Elephant Body-Practicing Fist every day can increase physical strength slightly and accumulate internal energy.
Xiao Ning lived a leisurely life, but the only thing that troubled him was that he no longer had any cultivation methods.
The Dragon Elephant Body Refining Technique has been mastered to its greatest extent; there are no further techniques available!
What the hell?!
However, the appearance of the Huang Ting Jing rekindled a faint hope in Xiao Ning's heart.
just in case.
What if I could create a sequel to the technique?
Although this glimmer of hope was faint, it still invigorated Xiao Ning, who diligently recited the Yellow Court Classic every day and pondered the Dao of Martial Arts.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed slowly in such peaceful and leisurely days. In seven more days, it will be the big day for the Xiao family to hold their coming-of-age ceremony.
…………
For a family to thrive, the most important thing is to maintain its vitality, and the source of that vitality is the younger generation within the family.
They are the fresh blood of the family. Only with the continuous influx of fresh blood can this great machine of the family keep running at all times.
Therefore, the coming-of-age ceremony is a very important day for every family, and the Xiao family is no exception.
As one of the three major families in Wutan City, the Xiao family's coming-of-age ceremony naturally attracted the attention of various forces in the city, and some friendly forces even accepted the invitation to participate in the ceremony.