Battle Through the Heavens: Purple Heaven Thunder Emperor

Chapter 18 Test

"Power of Fighting, Level Three"

Time flew by, and it was time for the Xiao family's annual battle qi test.

In the Xiao family, anyone who turns sixteen but has not reached the seventh level of Dou Qi will be assigned to manage various businesses within the family.

If you are 25 years old and have not yet reached the level of a Fighter, then I'm sorry, you may be removed from the family genealogy and not recognized by the family.

"Xiao Yan, Dou Qi Power, Level 3! Level, Low!" The middle-aged man in charge of the family's test announced the results indifferently next to the stone tablet where Dou Qi was tested.

Xiao Bai stood under the shade of a tree at the edge of the testing plaza, silently watching Xiao Yan on the testing platform.

He hadn't participated in the family test for three years, and the elders in the family knew about his situation and tacitly approved of it.

I got up really early today just to check in at some famous scenes. Even though I don't have a check-in system, I can still watch the drama unfold. Isn't this much more realistic than the TV series I watched in my previous life?

On the stage, Xiao Yan stared expressionlessly at the glaring characters on the stone tablet, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips. His hands were clenched tightly, his slightly sharp nails causing a stinging pain in his palms.

He lowered his head in silence, turned, and walked down from the platform. He heard a series of whispers around him, some mocking, some filled with regretful sighs.

It felt like sharp swords were stabbing into his heart, making his breathing slightly rapid.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, thinking of Xiao Bai and that calm and composed demeanor.

Xiao Yan slowly raised his head, his delicate and youthful face filled with indifference, his dark eyes calmly sweeping over those who were mocking him.

"How cold-hearted the world is! These people were all smiles of humility three years ago, calling me 'Third Young Master' all the time, and now they're so mean! Ha!"

Calmly walking through the crowd, ignoring the mocking voices, Xiao Yan lifted his foot and walked towards the gray-haired youth under the shade of a tree beside the square.

The crowd in the square followed Xiao Yan's movements and spotted Xiao Bai standing under the tree.

"That's Xiao Bai. What happened to him?"

"I heard she had some trouble practicing, but she's much better now. You had no idea what she looked like a few months ago; that was terrifying!"

"Didn't Xiao Yan and him not get along? How come they seem to be on good terms now?" Someone asked in confusion when Xiao Bai patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder.

"Who knows? Maybe we're just in the same boat!"

Although some people in the crowd had disliked Xiao Bai since childhood, they dared not utter any harsh words.

Even without a breakthrough in six years, among all the testers in the square, Xiao Yan's cultivation of the ninth level of Dou Qi is undoubtedly the number one, not to mention that he was once beaten up by a two-star Dou Zhe.

"Next, Xiao Mei!"

A girl of about fourteen years old ran out from the crowd. As soon as she appeared, she drew everyone's attention away from Xiao Bai and fixed it on the girl's cheek with a slightly fiery gaze.

The girl wasn't exactly a stunning beauty, but the combination of innocence and allure on her face made her the center of attention.

"Xiao Mei, Battle Qi, Seventh Stage, High Level!"

Xiao Mei cheered upon hearing this, a smug smile appearing on her face.

The envious whispers from the audience only deepened the smiles on her face; vanity holds a unique allure for a girl of this age.

The girl was enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention on the stage. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two figures under the shade of the trees. After thinking for a moment, Xiao Mei walked towards the edge of the square.

"Cousin Xiao Bai!" "Cousin Xiao Yan!"

Xiao Mei greeted the two of them. She hadn't seen Xiao Bai for a long time and found that he had changed a lot, which made her feel a little uncomfortable.

Xiao Bai used to be gentle and refined, with a faint smile on his face that made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze;

His face was now cold and stern, his eyes were deep and unfathomable, and the sense of authority between his brows and eyes was even greater than that of the clan leader and the great elder.

Looking at the two people in front of her, she realized that they had both appeared in Xiao Mei's girlish heart. She had once fantasized that she could have one of them and spend the rest of her life with them.

Xiao Bai was the most prominent among them. Whenever the girls of the same age in the Xiao family discussed boys, Xiao Bai's topic was always at the top of the list.

However, it seems that he treats Gu Xun'er differently from everyone else in the Xiao family. He treats all other girls with a seemingly gentle but actually distant attitude.

A flicker of jealousy flashed in Xiao Mei's eyes as she thought of Xiao Xun'er.

"Next up, Xiao Xun'er!"

Upon hearing this name, the chattering crowd fell silent, their gazes subtly shifting away.

A cool and aloof young woman walked onto the high platform. She was dressed in a blue dress and stood there like a lotus bud about to bloom.

She was exceptionally beautiful, with skin as white as snow and eyes like clear springs. Her every glance exuded a refined and elegant air that captivated all who beheld her, making them feel ashamed to disrespect her.

With such a striking appearance at such a young age, it's hard to imagine how stunningly beautiful she will be when she grows up.

Xiao Xun'er's gaze first swept across the crowd, then precisely locked onto the young man under the shade of the tree. Her face thawed as if the spring chill had melted, and she winked at the young man with a smile before turning her head to walk towards the testing stone tablet.

"Damn it, I don't know what's so great about that guy that he can get such a high level of favor from my cousin Xun'er!"

"That's right, that's right!"

"That's right, what can that guy have? He's just a bit handsome, has a better aura, and a slightly higher cultivation level. Besides that, what else does he have?"

Upon hearing the last person's words, the people around him glanced at him and silently took a step back.

Damn it, everyone's here criticizing Xiao Bai, and you're criticizing him too? Are you a spy sent by Xiao Bai?

On the stage, the young girl stretched out her jade-like hand, and a section of her cyan-gold sleeve slipped down to reveal her fair and delicate wrist. Her palm lightly touched the stone tablet, and light shone from the tablet.

"Xiao Xun'er, Battle Qi, Ninth Stage! Level, High!"

The middle-aged man's voice echoed across the square beside the stone tablet, and the crowd fell silent at first, followed by a continuous buzzing sound.

The voices contained praise, awe, and even envy.

"Miss Xun'er, at this rate, you will be able to condense your Qi vortex and break through to become a Dou Zhe in half a year. At that time, you will be the second person in the Xiao family in a hundred years."

After reading the information on the Dou Qi Stone Tablet, the middle-aged man smiled slightly and spoke to the girl with a hint of respect.

"A second person?" Xiao Xun'er remained noncommittal, but nodded slightly to the middle-aged man. "Thank you!"

Turning around, she slowly walked down from the platform, heading towards the shaded area beside the square with a hint of excitement.

"Brother Xiao Bai!" The girl walked up to Xiao Bai, put her hands behind her back, leaned forward, and looked at him with her eyes curved.

Xiao Bai looked at her, and his cold and stern face finally broke into a smile. His eyes were full of undisguised doting affection as he touched the black hair on her head.

"Brother Xiao Bai, what brings you here today?" The girl narrowed her eyes as she saw Xiao Bai stroking her head, and then asked in confusion.

Xiao Bai hadn't participated in the family's tests for several years, and recently he had been staying at home for a long time. She hadn't seen him for a long time, so her curiosity was piqued by his appearance here today.

(End of this chapter)