Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Ten Ferocious Heavenly Horned Ant

A lone man and a lone woman, they couldn't be seen by others.

........

the other side.

The coming-of-age ceremony was so complicated that it was almost a headache to perform. It involved applying paint and drawing runes. To the uninformed, it might have looked like the Xiao family was performing some kind of cult ritual.

Sitting beneath the giant wooden platform for the coming-of-age ceremony, Xiao Yan looked at the expressionless, puppet-like young man from the Xiao family on the stage and couldn't help but rub his head.

After a long while.

Xiao Yan complained, "Is this coming-of-age ceremony something the Xiao family patriarch created to deliberately torment his descendants? After all that trouble, isn't it just asking for trouble?"

What Xiao Yan didn't know was...

This is not self-inflicted suffering, but a special ritual for the eight ancient clans to activate the bloodline of the Dou Di. However, after the decline of the Xiao family, the bloodline of the Dou Di in the members of the Xiao family is almost gone, which makes this coming-of-age ceremony seem rather useless, as if it is deliberately torturing people.

Actually.

If a member of the Xiao family has a strong Dou Di bloodline, they will be able to cultivate much faster than others after going through this coming-of-age ceremony. This is one of the foundations of a family with a Dou Di bloodline.

"Xiao Yan, don't talk nonsense. This is an ancient ritual passed down from the Xiao family. Although I don't know what this ritual is for, my grandfather said that this ritual is very important and must not be abolished, otherwise we are unfilial descendants."

The speaker was Xiao Ning, Xiao Yan's cousin and Xiao Yu's younger brother. Although he also disliked Xiao Yan three years ago, it was not to the point that the two brothers became enemies.

Over the past three years, he has often mocked Xiao Yan, but he has also kept his distance. In those mindless novels, it is unheard of for a family to go to extremes to destroy its own clan.

Even if Xiao Yan is a good-for-nothing, it's one thing for his own people to bully him and curse him a few times, but outsiders can't insult him. After all, he's a close brother in the same family.

"Important? How important? We're like monkeys on a stage, not only painted with all sorts of colorful decorations, but also subjected to the stares of others. The most important thing about the coming-of-age ceremony is testing our fighting spirit strength and then assigning us to different places. If that's the case, why not just test our fighting spirit directly?" Xiao Yan said expressionlessly.

"What do you know? This is something passed down from our ancestors. How can it be as worthless as you say?" Xiao Ning sneered.

"Idiot." Xiao Yan uttered the two words softly.

Xiao Ning retorted without any politeness, "You're the idiot..."

Speaking of it.

Xiao Ning suddenly raised an eyebrow, narrowed his eyes, and slowly moved to the left side of the stage under a big tree. He saw Dong Qing, Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Yu and their group.

To tell the truth.

If Xiao Xun'er is the most beautiful goddess in the hearts of all the young men in the Xiao family.

Therefore, Xiao Yu is the object of these young people's unwavering fantasy.

The term "goddess" is easy to understand: a woman who is unattainable is called a goddess. Most men have a goddess in their hearts, a woman they can never obtain in their entire lives.

The object of my fantasy is the first person that comes to mind when I'm feeling lonely and restless at night. I can't even imagine how beautiful it would be to have Xiao Yu's long legs wrapped around mine.

pity.

Both of them were loyal to Dong Qing, the guest elder of the Xiao family, and didn't even glance at the others, treating them like air and not taking them seriously at all.

But they simply didn't have the courage to compete with Dong Qing for a woman, nor did they believe they could compare to him. They could only keep their love hidden deep in their hearts.

"Xiao Yan, aren't you even interested in my sister and Xun'er?"

Xiao Ning nudged Xiao Yan's waist with her elbow, glancing in the direction of Dong Qing, Xiao Xun'er, and Xiao Yu. The meaning behind her words was self-evident.

"How could I not be tempted? Who doesn't like a beautiful woman? But there are some women you can't just fall for." Xiao Yan shrugged.

“You wouldn’t dare, and neither would I. But, even if you don’t dare to fall for Xun’er and my sister, there’s still Xiao Mei, isn’t there? Three years ago, she was your little follower, and she has no connection with Elder Dongqing.” Xiao Ning gossiped.

Because of Dong Qing, this unexpected person.

With less of a bond between them, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu, after being brutally beaten by Dong Qing when they sneaked into Xiao Xun'er's room, didn't dare to peek at Xiao Yu taking a bath afterward.

and so.

The relationship between Xiao Ning and Xiao Yan, who are cousins, is not as bad as in the original novel. They may make sarcastic remarks, but they are very tactful and never actually say anything hurtful.

"This woman is too opportunistic. When I'm in power, she fawns over me; when I lose power, she can't wait to sever ties. She wouldn't even take me for free. I'm not her lapdog," Xiao Yan said coldly.

"Simp? What's a simp?"

Xiao Ning was a little confused. He didn't understand what "lick dog" meant. Could it be a powerful magical beast?

"I was a simp in my past life, and I only realized it before I died," Xiao Yan said with a sigh.

once Upon a time.

When he was still on Earth, he was a passionate young man who worked himself to the bone to buy a gift for his girlfriend, only to receive no comfort in return.

Back then, he believed that hard work, as long as he worked hard, could win someone's heart in return, until he saw his girlfriend riding freely in and out of a BMW...

Reality is cruel.

The truth is hurtful.

From then on.

Xiao Yan suddenly realized his mistake and decided to work hard for himself and his family, no longer for a woman. At the very least, this kind of woman was not worth such effort.

Is it worth trying?

Can hard work really turn your life around?

Can you drive a BMW just by working hard?

Let those women who yearn for wealth and status...

It is clear.

Can't do it.

It's not something that can be achieved through effort alone.

It depends on either luck or talent.

To rely solely on hard work is nothing short of wishful thinking.

But at this time, Xiao Yan didn't understand.

People always say that after hardship comes happiness. He endured year after year, and the once passionate young man eventually became taciturn. He failed to realize his dream of turning his life around and make the woman who betrayed him regret it for the rest of her life.

Until his death, he transmigrated to another world, which was Doupo Continent. Xiao Yan thought he had turned his life around and that he was the legendary protagonist. His mentality gradually became arrogant and domineering.

But fate seemed to enjoy playing tricks on him. Three years ago, the fighting spirit within his body mysteriously disappeared, causing Xiao Yan, this young man, to suffer a cruel second blow, and he was reduced to an ordinary person again.

..............

The coming-of-age ceremony on the stage was more than halfway through when it finally came to Xiao Ning's turn... next to him was Xiao Yan, the fallen genius who was famous in Wutan City.

"Xiao Yan, stop daydreaming, it's your turn for the ceremony," Xiao Ning reminded him.

"Xiao Yan, step onto the stage immediately to receive the coming-of-age ceremony," a loud voice announced.

Hearing the shouts from the stage and around him, Xiao Yan slowly opened his closed eyes.

The various expressions on his face, as if he were being stared at a monkey, made him shake his head helplessly, knowing that he was about to publicly humiliate these people.

"call..."

Xiao Yan let out a soft breath, his face remaining calm and composed. Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone present, he stepped onto the high platform step by step.

The ceremony was presided over by the Second Elder of the Xiao family. Although this Second Elder of the Xiao family had never given Xiao Yan a kind look, he had never used any schemes or tricks to harm Xiao Yan.

However, since some time ago...

After Nalan Yanran and the Yunlan Sect visited the Xiao family, they discovered that Dong Qing, the guest elder, was clearly biased towards Xiao Yan, and he noticeably became much more restrained.

At least, the undisguised disdain of the past was no longer present on this aged face; instead, there was a hint of indescribable flattery.

No wonder he was so humble.

Although Dong Qing was only a guest elder, he was the only alchemist in the Xiao family. Most of the pills needed for cultivation by the entire Xiao family came from him, so it wouldn't be wrong to say that he had a monopoly.

He accidentally offended Dong Qing and couldn't get a single pill. He was old and didn't expect to make any breakthroughs in his cultivation, but he still had sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters who needed pills.

"Xiao Yan, stand still and don't move. The coming-of-age ceremony is quite complicated and will take about half an hour."

The second elder of the Xiao family looked at the young man in front of him, who had almost turned his life around, with a complicated expression. He sighed and his aged face twitched slightly.

He picked up several materials needed for the coming-of-age ceremony from the large mahogany table behind him, and then slowly walked towards Xiao Yan's location.

Seeing the Second Elder approaching, and recalling the tediousness of the previous ceremony, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. He gave a bitter laugh and closed his eyes resignedly.

come quickly!

I've accepted my fate!

……

that's it.

Xiao Yan stood there like a wooden stake for a full half hour before the tedious rituals slowly came to an end.

"The coming-of-age ceremony is over, Xiao Yan. You can now take the Dou Qi test!" The Second Elder of the Xiao family patted Xiao Yan's head.

After handling the tedious coming-of-age ceremony, the Second Elder of the Xiao family also wiped away a bead of sweat.

He didn't know the purpose of the coming-of-age ceremony, only that it was part of the Xiao family's tradition.

"It's finally over..." Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

However, when he slowly opened his eyes and looked at the various spices scattered all over his body, and the twisted and complicated runes on his arms and chest, he still rolled his eyes in frustration. He really didn't understand what the purpose of this ritual was.

Besides making oneself look like a cultist, what purpose can a ritual serve?

Could it be that I can awaken something extraordinary within myself?

I didn't think too much about it.

Ignoring the questions from the Xiao family members below, Xiao Yan slowly touched the black stone tablet with his hand...

next second.

On the high wooden platform, the huge black stone tablet shone brightly, and golden characters appeared on the surface of the stone tablet in a flamboyant style, looking so dazzling.

"Battle Aura: Ninth Rank!"

written request for leave

I'm not feeling well, so I'll rest for two days.