Chapter 15: Talent, Now in Full Bloom

Crash! Xiao Zhan was so surprised that he couldn't even hold the teacup in his hand and dropped it on the ground. He was flustered!

"A three stars progression in one year? A 6-star Dou Practitioner?!!!"

Xiao Yu's eyes widened in astonishment. The anger she had been holding in her gritted teeth was momentarily forgotten. Now she was rendered speechless by Xiao Yan's terrifying cultivation level.

As a student of Jia Nan Academy herself, Xiao Yu knew about the academy's entrance assessment. The assessment only took people under the age of twenty into consideration and ranked them from F to S, with S being reserved for those under the age of twenty who had reached the 6-star Dou Practitioner stage.

For over a decade, only the Little Witch of the Jia Nan Academy had achieved this feat. Now, considering Xiao Yan had just celebrated his coming-of-age ceremony and was only fifteen, it wasn't just about breaking records anymore; it was about possessing an unimaginable and terrifying cultivation talent!

'Xiao Yan ge-ge's talent has finally blossomed.' A small tear of emotion appeared at the corner of Xun Er's eye.

Given her special status, Xun Er was aware that Xiao Yan's cultivation speed wasn't considered fast on the vast Dou Qi Continent. However, she always believed that his talent was far more than just that.

The members of the Xiao Clan were even more astonished. This kind of cultivation speed could only be described in three words: terrifying as hell!

"With this cultivation speed, perhaps... it's possible that in a few decades, the Xiao Clan will truly produce an elite Dou Emperor." The people in the VIP seats exchanged glances, all of them simultaneously struck by a somewhat shocking thought.

A Dou Emperor. If a small clan in the Jia Ma Empire were to produce an elite Dou Emperor, regardless of their inherent limitations, the status of that clan would instantly skyrocket. At that point, even the three major clans of the Jia Ma Empire would not dare to suppress them.

After all, there were only a handful of elite Dou Emperors in this vast empire, each with the power to turn the tide and fight against thousands. No sane empire would choose to offend a Dou Emperor!

Although having talent was no guarantee of becoming an elite expert, no one knew how the world would change in a few decades. One could also die during outdoor training, from illness, or simply fade into obscurity.

However, there was no denying that Xiao Yan had now received the ticket to the pinnacle of strength.

It was only Xiao Yan himself who touched his nose with a bit of embarrassment. He wanted to say that he himself did not know that his cultivation level had actually increased by three stars!

'The Heavenly Flame is truly terrifying,' he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Under normal circumstances, if he relied solely on the Qi Method to absorb the world's energy and transform it into Dou Qi, he would only be able to improve by one star at most.

This year, however, he had two opportunities. One was the medicinal pill refined by Hun Huzi, which he obtained with his life on the line, and the other was the Bone Chilling Flame.

Traditionally, there were only two methods to increase one's cultivation: transforming one's Dou Qi with the Qi Method, and increasing one's Dou Qi with medicinal pills. However, there was a third method that Xiao Yan had. He devoured a Heavenly Flame through the special properties of the Flame Mantra and integrated the power of the Heavenly Flame into his Dou Qi.

As Xiao Yan would put it, the Flame Mantra devoured Heavenly Flames like a nuclear reactor, maintaining control over them within the body and harnessing their energy.

'I didn't expect that cultivating the Flame Splitting Tsunami with the Heavy Xuan Ruler would actually improve the efficiency of devouring the Heavenly Flame.'

'Perhaps I could push a little further and devour more strands of the Bone Chilling Flame.'

Xiao Yan's body now contained three strands of dense white flame threads.

In a way, this was what Xun Er meant when she said that Xiao Yan's talent had finally blossomed. As the saying goes, everything is difficult at the beginning. Once he obtained a strand of the flame thread, it was like making a start. His speed in absorbing the Bone Chilling Flame would continue to increase until the right moment came when he could completely devour the Bone Chilling Flame.

"Clan Head Xiao, the cultivation talent of Little Brother Xiao Yan is truly astonishing. This time, we might truly be witnessing the rise of an exceptionally terrifying elite expert," Ya Fei's pair of beautiful eyes focused intently on the young man in black standing in the square, her gaze carrying a subtle implication.

The reason why the Miteer Clan was able to become the largest business clan in the Jia Ma Empire was because they once had a Dou Emperor among them. And now, the Miteer Clan was in desperate need of a Dou Emperor to serve as their backer.

Xiao Yan slowly stepped down from the high platform and walked over to Xun Er.

Normally, every qualified clan member was required to participate in a match to test their strength. However, with his cultivation level, fighting him would be nothing more than asking for abuse. Xiao Yu's 'tragic experience' was still vivid in their minds.

Xiao Ning saw his sister Xiao Yu clenching her fists tightly and whispered, "Big sis, not only is the Little Clan Leader's cultivation level high, but his Dou Techniques are also very strong. You better not provoke him like you did before. If you really upset the Little Clan Leader, even Grandfather might not be able to speak on your behalf."

Xiao Yu snapped back to reality. She couldn't understand how Xiao Yan could devote time to both cultivating Dou Qi and practicing Dou Techniques. Did he have twenty-five hours in his day?

Xiao Yan looked at the beauty in front of him and said with a raised eyebrow, "Xun Er's cultivation seems to have improved a lot."

Xun Er stuck out her tongue, her light laughter tinkling like a silver bell, "I originally thought I could be stronger than Xiao Yan ge-ge this year, but I didn't expect Xiao Yan ge-ge to give everyone such a big surprise."

Xun Er had always suppressed her cultivation speed and deliberately lagged behind Xiao Yan a bit. This year, when she also reached adulthood, the power within her helped her to greatly increase her cultivation. Therefore, she jumped to the 5-star Dou Practitioner stage. She had been thinking about how to explain this to Xiao Yan without making him feel bad.

What she didn't expect was that Xiao Yan would also jump three stars in one year. This really took her by surprise. Xun Er guessed he must have stumbled upon an opportunity outside.

"Xiao Yan ge-ge, after becoming a Dou Practitioner, the importance of Qi Methods will increase. I've noticed that the color of your Dou Qi has barely reached the high-level Huang Class. I have a Fire Attribute High Xuan Qi Method here that would be very suitable for you."

Xun Er said as she discreetly took out a Qi Method and handed it to him.

Although the Xiao Clan had auctioned off a High Xuan Class Qi Method called Hurricane Chant, it was of the wind attribute and was not suitable for Xiao Yan's innate fire attribute. The highest-class fire attribute Qi Method within the Xiao Clan was at the high-level Huang Class, so Xun Er mistakenly thought that Xiao Yan was cultivating the Qi Method from the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Yan's heart warmed as he pinched Xun Er's cheek and said with a laugh. "Oh my, looks like I'm going to be supported by the wealthy Miss Xun Er and become a kept man."

"There's no such thing. Even the landlord's family doesn't have extra food to spare, let alone afford to keep a great genius like Xiao Yan ge-ge."

"Ha ha ha, Xun Er doesn't need to worry. I have obtained something good. I just haven't had the chance to switch Qi Methods yet."

The coming-of-age ceremony finally ended amidst laughter and joy within the Xiao Clan. Xiao Yan's name as a genius once again resounded throughout Wu Tan City, even reaching the Nalan Mansion in the imperial capital.

At this moment, the Xiao Clan was unaware that a conspiracy against them had already begun to quietly unfold.

…

"Father, this is Master Liu Xi, a 1st-tier Alchemist."

In a brightly lit hall, Jia Lie Ao introduced a young alchemist standing beside him.

The hall was filled with many people dressed not only in the attire of the high-ranking members of the Jia Lie Clan but also in the attire of the Ao Ba Clan.

Because of Xiao Yan, the Jia Lie Clan and the Ao Ba Clan had completely formed an alliance of interests to protect themselves from being annexed by the powerful Xiao Clan.

Upon the arrival of Liu Xi, both clan heads, Jia Lie Bi and Ao Ba Pa, hurriedly stood up to greet him.

"Master Liu Xi truly is a person of outstanding talent."

"Hehe, compared to Master Liu Xi, what is a mere Xiao Yan?"

Liu Xi opened his fan and slowly said, "Merely cultivating Dou Qi is nothing but the work of brutes. Only those who master the art of alchemy can control everything."