The Strange Flame Rekindles in Battle Through the Heavens

Chapter 1 Family Test

Dou Qi Continent.

Jia Ma Empire.

The Xiao family of Wutan City.

"Power of Battle, Level Three!"

Looking at the five large, somewhat glaring characters on the black stone tablet, the young man remained calm and composed.

"It's been three years! Ever since he broke through to the Dou Zhe level three years ago, his Dou Qi has been inexplicably disappearing. No matter how hard he cultivates, his body is like a leaky vent, taking in little Qi and exhaling much. Now he only has a pitiful third level of Dou Qi left!"

Over the past three years, the boy has endured all sorts of ridicule and sarcasm. Those who used to fawn over him the most have become the main force mocking him. Perhaps they were too eager to flatter him back then, so when he fell from grace, they trampled on him even more fiercely.

"Xiao Yan! Dou Power: Stage Three! Level: Low-level!"

The examiner, with a touch of sympathy, announced Xiao Yan's test results. He had been responsible for testing Xiao Yan's Dou Qi for over a decade, and naturally felt deeply for Xiao Yan's experiences. Xiao Yan began cultivating Dou Qi at the age of three, and then progressed rapidly, reaching the fifth level of Dou Qi at five, the seventh level at seven, the ninth level at nine, and finally condensing his Dou Qi vortex to become a Dou Zhe at ten.

Such terrifying cultivation talent was unprecedented; even on the entire Dou Qi Continent, it would be difficult to find a cultivation genius like Xiao Yan. Unfortunately, the higher one climbs, the harder one falls. Just as everyone in the Xiao family was celebrating Xiao Yan becoming a Dou Zhe, they learned that the Dou Qi vortex within Xiao Yan's body had inexplicably disappeared, and his body was leaking air as if a hole had been pierced. In just three years, his Dou Qi had dropped to only the third level; it was unknown whether it would continue to leak.

As the tester's voice fell, a cacophony of noise erupted across the vast training ground.

"Hahaha! This good-for-nothing's fighting spirit is really only at the third level! I really don't know how he cultivated. Everyone else's fighting spirit goes up as they cultivate, but his goes down."

"Don't talk nonsense! He's a famous genius in Wutan City!"

"Genius! More like a waste! Have you ever seen a genius who's only at the third stage of Dou Qi at fourteen?"

"No matter what, they were once quite successful! They became a fighter at the age of ten!"

"That's Old Huangli! He probably did something bad, angered the gods, and they took back his cultivation talent and even kicked him, knocking him out of his wits. Hahaha!"

Hearing the mocking voices from the audience, Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, slowly turned around, and stared at the group of people below the stage.

Being stared at by Xiao Yan's cold, calm eyes felt like being watched by a demonic beast. A chill ran through the audience; they instantly fell silent, burying their heads in their necks, afraid of being seen by Xiao Yan.

"Huh? Am I that scary? You used to be afraid of me because of my strength, but what are you afraid of now?"

Seeing that the group of people below the stage couldn't even withstand a single glance from him, Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly, too lazy to pay them any more attention, and walked directly through the crowd to the end of the line.

Only after seeing that Xiao Yan had left did the people in the crowd dare to look up.

He spat to show his disdain, and then continued his sarcastic remarks.

"Brother Xiao Yan, congratulations! Your Dou Qi is now only at the third level." Xiao Xun'er smiled lightly.

He gently brushed Xun'er's delicate nose, and a smile finally appeared on her calm face.

"How dare you make fun of your brother Xiao Yan!"

The boys on the training field, witnessing this familiar scene, were filled with rage.

"It's happening again! It's happening again! The sky is raining down dog food (a Chinese slang term for public displays of affection)!"

"Why?! How could this good-for-nothing win Miss Xun'er's heart? Why not me?! I'm a sixth-level Dou Qi master!"

"Cousin Xiao Ning, I really want to teach this guy another lesson! His battle qi has been declining every time for the past three years, and now he only has three levels of battle qi left. He's practically a piece of trash. And he even dared to lay a finger on Miss Xun'er. Only Cousin Xiao Ning is worthy of Miss Xun'er."

"Hmph! It seems the lesson from last time wasn't enough! But he won't be arrogant for long. My grandfather and the other two elders have already pressured the clan leader to expel him from the clan's core. Once he's out... I have plenty of ways to deal with him." Xiao Ning said viciously, his face contorted with rage.

"Next, Xiao Mei!" the tester's voice rang out again.

The examiner's voice had barely faded when a young girl quickly ran out from the crowd. With her appearance, the murmurs in the training ground subsided, and everyone's eyes turned to her.

The girl wore a light red dress, a haughty smile playing on her delicate face. Her purity was tinged with allure, radiating an irresistible charm. She strode to the black stone tablet, raised her small, white hand to touch it, channeled her inner fighting spirit into it, and then slowly closed her eyes…

"Brother Xiao Yan, what level do you think her Dou Qi will be?" Xiao Xun'er asked softly.

"I'd guess it's level six!" Xiao Yan said with a faint smile.

As soon as Xiao Yan finished speaking, the black stone tablet lit up, and five bright characters appeared on it.

"Battle Aura: Sixth Stage!"

"Xiao Mei! Battle Qi: Sixth Stage! Level: Intermediate!" The tester announced Xiao Mei's test results.

"Miss Xiao Mei truly lives up to her reputation as a core elite of the family; at such a young age, she has already reached the sixth level of Dou Qi!"

"He'll probably reach the seventh level of Dou Qi by next year's test! His talent for cultivation is truly remarkable!"

Hearing the praises echoing across the training ground, Xiao Mei smiled contentedly. However, her brows furrowed slightly when she saw Xiao Yan chatting and laughing with Xiao Xun'er. She had once greatly admired Xiao Yan's talent for cultivation and often went to visit him. But Xiao Yan seemed to only have eyes for Xiao Xun'er, completely ignoring her, which had fueled Xiao Mei's jealousy.

"I thought you were so great back then, but I never expected that after losing your talent for cultivation, you would become such a spineless coward, only good for living off women. It's disgusting!" Xiao Mei's face was full of disdain.

"Brother Xiao Yan! She seems to have a prejudice against Brother Xiao Yan." Xun'er noticed Xiao Mei's undisguised contemptuous expression.

"It's nothing! People's prejudices are like a mountain; no matter how hard you try, you can't move it." Xiao Yan didn't care about Xiao Mei's disdain. Because he knew what kind of person she was, he had never thought of getting to know her better before, but he never expected that she would hold a grudge against him.

"Next up, Xiao Xun'er!"

"Xun'er, it's your turn," Xiao Yan said calmly.

"Hehe! Watch how Xun'er gets revenge for you," Xun'er said playfully.

As the tester's voice rang out, the crowd, which had been noisy before, quieted down.

Xun'er, a girl in a light blue dress, slowly walked towards the black stone tablet. She possessed a delicate and playful face, and her bright eyes seemed to pierce through one's heart. A noble and unapproachable aura naturally emanated from her, captivating all who beheld her. Even Xiao Mei paled in comparison.

Xiao Xun'er walked slowly to the test stone tablet, raised her slightly immature, fair hand, and gently touched the stone tablet.

The magic stone tablet had only been silent for a short while when it suddenly burst into a blinding light.

"Xiao Xun'er! Battle Qi: Eighth Stage! Level: Advanced!"

As they gazed at the five large characters on the black stone tablet, the entire place fell into a deathly silence.

"She's actually reached the eighth level of Dou Qi! Miss Xun'er is only fourteen years old! And she's so beautiful..."

"What a pity, such a fine cabbage was eaten by a pig. How could that good-for-nothing Xiao Yan be worthy of a peerless genius like Xun'er!"

"I've tried so hard, but I haven't seen her cultivate much. Why is her cultivation level still higher than mine!" Xiao Mei stared at the five glaring characters on the stone tablet, a hint of jealousy flashing across her face.

"Miss Xun'er has reached the eighth level of Dou Qi at such a young age; her talent for cultivation is truly astonishing!" the middle-aged examiner complimented.

"Hehe, what is this compared to what I've accomplished? You should know that Brother Xiao Yan was already a Dou Zhe at the age of ten!" Faced with the examiner's compliment, Xiao Xun'er instead brought up Xiao Yan.

"Him? Sigh! What a pity!" The tester glanced at Xiao Yan's position and said regretfully.

"I believe that Brother Xiao Yan will return to his peak sooner or later, and that day doesn't seem to be too far away."

Xiao Xun'er naturally knew that Xiao Yan's cultivation talent had not only not disappeared, but had become even more terrifying with age. Ignoring the words of others, she quietly turned around and walked towards the boy at the back of the crowd.

"Little girl! Not bad! You've already reached the eighth level of Dou Qi! But with your talent, you should be able to reach an even higher level! Were you slacking off?" Xiao Yan said jokingly as he watched Xun'er walk towards him.

"No way! But Xun'er did suppress her cultivation. If her physical strength wasn't enough and her foundation wasn't solid, entering the Dou Zhe realm too early would affect her future development. When I learned that Brother Xiao Yan had entered the Dou Zhe realm at the age of ten, I was really worried! Fortunately, Brother Xiao Yan..."

"You silly girl, you're trying to comfort me again! Don't worry, your brother Xiao Yan isn't that fragile." Xiao Yan said with a smile, stroking Xun'er's hair.

"Xun'er isn't just trying to comfort Brother Xiao Yan, it's true!" Xun'er became anxious when she saw that Xiao Yan didn't believe her.

"Alright! I believe you. Is that alright now?" Xiao Yan said with a smile, pinching Xun'er's fair face.

Xiao Xun'er's cultivation talent is comparable to Xiao Yan's, and she also possesses a divine-grade bloodline. It's clearly unreasonable that she only reached the eighth level of Dou Qi at nearly fourteen years old. Keep in mind that Nalan Yanran had already reached the Dou Zhe level by then.

"Let's go back! I want to cook something delicious for Brother Xiao Yan." Seeing that Xiao Yan believed her, Xun'er smiled and took his arm, skipping and laughing as she spoke.

"Great! Xun'er's cooking is the best!" Xiao Yan praised. A surge of pride welled up inside him; eating Xun'er's food was a privilege even Gu Yuan hadn't received!

(End of this chapter)