Xiao Yan walked over. Xiao Zhan exchanged a glance with the Third Elder before smiling warmly at his son.
"Yan'er, it seems your Dou Qi is recovering quite fast. Tell me… how long do you think it'll take to fully recover?"
After a moment's thought, Xiao Yan replied calmly, "At most… about a year."
"A year?"
Xiao Zhan and the Third Elder looked at each other, and joy flickered in both their eyes.
"Hahaha! Excellent! From now on, focus on restoring your Dou Qi. Whatever resources you need, just tell the clan—we'll provide everything you require!"
Xiao Zhan's laughter rang across the square.
As long as Xiao Yan's talent remained, he would always be the clan's core disciple—no questions asked.
"Thank you, Father."
Xiao Yan smiled faintly and turned to look toward the testing monument, where Xiao Yu had stepped forward.
"Dou Zhi Qi… Ninth Stage!"
When the examiner announced the result, Xiao Zhan's eyes gleamed brightly.
"Third Elder, if I remember correctly, Xiao Yu's only sixteen this year, yes?
At this rate, she'll likely break through to Dou Zhe by next year."
The elder stroked his beard with a small smile. "That depends on her luck.
After all, there's always a chance of failure when breaking through.
Still, if she succeeds, she'll surely become a key student at Canaan Academy."
Canaan Academy—an excellent destination for smaller clans like the Xiao Family.
The elder sighed lightly. "If only we had a Qi Gathering Powder, things would be even better."
"Qi Gathering Powder?"
Hearing those words, Xiao Zhan gave an awkward laugh and said nothing more.
The Qi Gathering Powder was a fourth-grade alchemical pill, worth at least fifteen to twenty thousand gold coins—nearly an entire year's income for the clan.
Even Xiao Yan, the former number one genius, had never received such a luxury. For Xiao Yu, it was an impossible dream.
"Next… Xiao Xun'er!"
The examiner's voice drew every gaze once more. The young girl stepped forward gracefully, her slender hands pressing gently against the monument.
"Dou Zhi Qi… Sixth Stage!"
The golden letters glowed brightly. A soft gasp rippled through the crowd.
Sixth-stage Dou Zhi Qi wasn't rare—but for an eleven-year-old girl, that was astonishing.
"At this rate, she could become a Dou Zhe by fifteen!"
"She's definitely the most gifted one after Xiao Yan in the past hundred years."
"Heh, this girl…"
Xiao Yan chuckled quietly.
In truth, with Xun'er's God-grade Ancient Bloodline, if her Dou Di bloodline were fully awakened, her cultivation speed would soar far beyond even his own.
Later, Xiao Yan learned that Gu Yuan had deliberately refrained from awakening her bloodline early, ensuring her foundation remained stable.
In the Ancient Clan, even those with eighth-grade bloodlines began breaking through to the Dou Shi realm at this age.
For those with Dou Di bloodlines, reaching the Dou Wang or even Dou Huang realm by their late teens was hardly unusual.
"Still…" Xiao Yan's gaze deepened. "Once I regain more strength, perhaps I can help Father and my two brothers awaken their dormant Dou Di bloodlines ahead of time."
Of course, he wasn't referring to his own Flame Emperor bloodline, but rather to the ancient Dou Di lineage that flowed within the Xiao Clan itself.
His father and brothers possessed decent talent—around sixth- or seventh-grade bloodlines by clan standards.
If he could help them awaken that latent power, their strength would skyrocket, allowing them to advance unhindered up to the Dou Sheng (Saint) realm.
And by the time they reached that bottleneck… Xiao Yan might have already reclaimed his throne as Emperor.
As that thought arose in his heart, he saw Xiao Yu had already arrived in front of him.
"Xiao Yan, so you have a day like this too!"
A triumphant, scheming smile played on Xiao Yu's lips. As she spoke, she reached out to grab Xiao Yan by the collar.
However, she grasped at empty air.
The young man in front of her had slipped away as easily as an eel.
"Dodging? You're only at the Fourth Stage of Dou Zhi Qi now. Do you think you can dodge me, at the Ninth Stage?"
Xiao Yu sneered coldly. Her slender, jade-like hands suddenly accelerated, Dou Qi circulating through her body, making her speed much faster.
Yet no matter how fast she was, she still couldn't manage to grab hold of Xiao Yan's clothes.
Clearly, Xiao Yan hadn't activated a trace of Dou Qi, and his dodging movements weren't even very large.....but Xiao Yu had no way to touch him.