"Dou Practitioner, 3-Star!"

  Gazing at the bright, almost dazzling three characters on the Magical Testing Mo, the young man remained expressionless. However, upon closer iion, one could dis a faint smile appearing at the er of his lips.

  Don't be fooled by the young man's smiling face; deep inside, he was already cursing. His Low Huang Qi Method was dragging him down to the point where he could hardly stand it!

  The young man made a graceful turn, his right hand iently brushing his clothes as he waved his sleeve. He didn't take a strand of cloud away, but he did take the hearts of tless young girls.

  TL/N: The inal phrase is "not taking even a strand of cloud away" from the poem "Saying Goodbye to Cambridge Again" by the ese poet Xu Zhimo.

  "3-star Dou Practitiohe Little Leader's test result is that of a 3-star Dou Practitioner!"

  Beside the Magic Testing Stoablet, a middle-aged man g the information dispyed oablet. His expression was filled with excitement as he cried out, a tear of relief lingering in the er of his eye. He even fot to jot down the result in his record book…

  A genius!

  The middle-aged man's words had just escaped his lips when they caused quite a stir in the bustling square.

  "3-star Dou Practitioner?!!! My goodness, how has the Little Leader cultivated! Wasn't it said that it gets harder as one progresses?"

  "I heard from Cousin Xiao Yu that in the admission rating of the Jia Nan Academy, being a 3-star Dou Practitioner uhe age of twenty is sidered a C grade, and reag 6-star is the highest, an S grade!"

  "Hiss! The Little Leader is only fourteen years old this year!"

  "I'm just trash pared to the Little Leader. I've really brought shame to the …"

  "Hmph! If it weren't for the fact that the Head is his father, how could he cultivate so quickly?"

  "Hehe, even if the Head is your father, you still wouldn't be able to cultivate as fast as the Little Leader. Do you know that the Little Leader's cultivation speed is already unmatched in the history of the ?"

  "Do you know how the Little Leader has spent these years? I have heard that he sacrifices sleep and food every day, and often cultivates te into the night."

  "The young genius famous in Wu Tan City is indeed not just a rumor. Why does the world have to be so unfair?"

  "Who knows, maybe the Little Leader saved the world in his past life or something..."

  The excmations of astonishment and envy that fell upon the young man, who walked like the wind with an indifferent expression on his face, iably caused the ers of his mouth to slowly lift.

  The young man walked back to the square at a leisurely pace. By now, the color of authority was already evident on his face. His gaze was sharp. The majesty of the Little Leader instantly silenced all the hecklers and noisemakers. Not a single person dared to meet his gaze.

  "Little Leader, you've worked hard. There's o wait in line, you go back to the mansion a."

  "How I break the rules when I should be setting an example as the Little Leader?"

  The faint voice reached the ears of the crowd. The young man quietly made his way back to the st row of the line. Even though he was at the end of the line, a star was still a star, shining bright and dazzling.

  In truth, Xiao Yan's heart was already about to cry out, 'If it weren't for cultivating that strange Low Huang Qi Method after reag the Dou Practitioner realm, I would have been at least a 6-star Dou Practitioner by now!'

  The secret that made him s was known only to himself—he was not a native of the Dou Qi ti, but rather a reinator.

  He was uedly reinated from a certain blue p due to an act.

  While others were still in their infancy, he, with the experience of a lifetime, deeply uood that cultivation must begin at an early age.

  He began to cultivate by and imitating others in his when he was barely able to walk and talk at the age of four.

  His cultivation journey began at the age of four!

  Relying on the mi of someone who had lived two lives, he not only broke the record for the fastest cultivation to the Dou Practitioner realm in the history of the , but also became the fastest cultivator in the whole of Wu Tan City since records were kept.

  It was often said that the path of genius was always tortuous. However, the reality was often quite the opposite.

  Some people were unlucky enough to get a toothpick stu their mouth while drinking cold water, while others were lucky enough to stumble upon a Tian Css Dou Teique by the roadside. Three years ago, this young genius had reached the pinnacle of his reputation. Now, he had a name of eveer fame and a strength that was unparalleled among his peers. He had lohe bea of the 's future.

  This was also the reason why he had always been referred to as a genius.

  On the high ptform, three Elders and the current Head, Xiao Zhan, all kept their eyes on the young man.

  The Grand Elder rubbed his beard, finding the sight more pleasing the longer he looked. He said, "The speed at which this kid cultivates is truly astounding. I was only a 7th-stage Dou Disciple when I was fourteen. I felt so happy back then."

  The Sed Elder also slowly nodded and said, "In time, our Xiao will definitely be the biggest Wu Tan City."

  The Third Elder also nodded with satisfa and said, "Xiao Zhan, you have a genius son."

  The Head Xiao Zhan looked at his genius son with a worried expression on his face as he sighed, "As this kid Xiao Yan is good in every aspect, but he's too ear and serious, throwing himself into cultivation as if his life depended on it."

  Only Xiao Zhahat his son's strength wasn't a result of luck, but rather obtaihrough daily rigorous practid relentless cultivation.

  He raised his son aloer losing his wife several years ago. His greatest wish in life was to see his son grow up safe and sound. He wasn't looking for an exceptionally powerful son.

  "The one, Xiao Mei!"

  Hearing the examiner's call, a nearby girl, who had beely watg Xiao Yan with a look as tender as spring, finally came to her senses.

  Rushing out from the crowd, the girl had just made her appearance when the previously quiet murmurs arouarted up again. Pair after pair of slightly heated eyes, filled with a hint of budding affe, were fixed on her.

  The girl was no older than fourteen. Although she couldn't be described as stunningly beautiful, her youthful face still carried a subtle charm. Sint times, people have had an appreciation for beauty, and she had successfully bee the focal point of the entire se.

  After taking a deep breath, the girl stepped forward and pced her hand on the Magical Testing Mo as Xiao Yan had done. Soon, the pitch-bck stone once agaied a bright light.

  "Dou Disciple, 7th-Stage!"

  "Xiao Mei, 7th-Stage Dou Disciple!"

  The three elders nodded slightly as they saw the test results. Being a 7th-stage Dou Disciple at the age of fourteen was already a key focus of cultivation for the , but pared to Xiao Yan, it seemed somewhat dim.

  The girl's anxious cheeks lifted into a proud smile when she heard the results announced. She immediately looked at the st row of the line in the square, waved her hands, and shouted, "Xiao Yan ge, I did it! I have finally reached the Dou Disciple high stage!"

  Xiao Yan smiled and nodded as he heard the girl's shout.

  The discussion in the square resumed after seeing the girl's results.

  "Tsk tsk, 7th-Stage Dou Disciple is already pretty good. At this rate, it will take Xiao Mei three years at most to bee a true Dou Practitioner, right?"

  "She's not only good-looking but also talented. I would ugh in my dreams if I had a wife like her."

  "Sigh, but with the Little Leader around, none of us stand a ce."

  Not just Xiao Mei, but every young girl in Wu Tan City would be lying if they cimed they didn't have a crush on him.

  The smile on the girl's cheeks deepened as she heard the waves of admiration from the crowd. Even her little sister couldn't stop her from running to Xiao Yan's side.

  Xiao Mei grabbed Xiao Yan's sleeve with both hands in aed manner and tilted her head, her eyes curved with a smile as she said, "Xiao Yan ge, am I not amazing? I've reached the 7th-stage of Dou Disciple and ow join the core disciples of the ."

  Xiao Yan smiled as he gently patted Xiao Mei's little head and said, "Don't sck off. The 7th-stage Dou Disciple is just the beginning of the high stage. Cultivation at the high stage requires you to take it oep at a time. The progress will be much slower. You still have a long way to go before you bee a Dou Practitioner."

  "Ugh, Xiao Yan ge, you're naturally fast in cultivation because you're a genius. Not everyone is like..."

  Before Xiao Mei could finish her sentehe examiner's voice rang out over the noisy crowd, announg the name.

  "The one, Xiao Xun Er!"

  Upon hearing these two words, even Xiao Yan, who'd been so serious all along, couldn't help but show a hint of a smile. He slowly lifted his head to look over.

  The inally heated discussions among the members abruptly stopped. All eyes followed the movement of a girl dressed in a purple gown.

  Even Xiao Yan was not an exception.

  The girl exuded a cool and indifferent temperament, like that of a pristius in the early stages of blooming. Her pupils were clear and bright. Her delicate willow-like eyebrows and three thousand strands of hair fluttering in the wind were a mesmerizing sight.

  When it came to beauty and temperament, Xiao Xun Er undoubtedly surpassed Xiao Mei by a few points. It was no wohat everyone present couldn't take their eyes off her.

  The girl named Xiao Xun Er walked up to the Magical Testing Mo. Her delicate hand reached out aly touched the stone. Her expression was indifferent, as if this test, which aramount to the , meant little to her.

  Everyoheir breath waiting for the result. If there was anyone who could surpass Xiao Yan as a genius, it was only this girl before them.

  The gring light once again burst forth from the mo after a brief moment of silence.

  "Dou Practitioner, 2-Star!"

  A moment of silenveloped the se as they looked at the characters on the mo. Xiao Yan inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

  So close, just a hair's breadth away from being surpassed!

  "Oh my great-granduncle! She's only oar away from the Little Leader!"

  "Last year, Miss Xun Er was a 1-star Dou Practitioo actually break through this year is truly amazing!"

  After a moment of silehe surrounding youths involuntarily swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Their eyes were filled with awe.

  By breaking through from being a 10th-Stage Dou Disciple to being a Dou Practitioner, one was qualified to wear a star badge on the chest to showcase one's strength. Each star was a symbol of strength, a symbol of identity.

  In Wu Tan City, a Dou Practitioner ilr of a .

  At the sight of the gring words "Dou Practitioner, 2-Star," any trace of pride that had just been rising in Xiao Mei's heart was pletely shattered. She unsciously released her grip on Xiao Yan's sleeve.

  She couldn't even bring herself to be jealous.

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  TL/N: Keep in mind that the setting of the inal work is being used here, i.e. Xiao Yan is a reinated person who does not know the plot of this world.

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