The Strange Flame Rekindles in Battle Through the Heavens

Chapter 31 The Absent Boy

"Why isn't Young Master Xiao Yan here today?" The boys in the arena asked, seeing the test had begun. Some were afraid of not doing well, their hearts pounding with anxiety, so they tried to overcome their fear by chatting.

"Who knows? Young Master Xiao Yan was able to defeat Jia Lie'ao, who had a ninth-level Dou Qi, half a year ago. Now he is at least a ninth-level Dou Qi, or even a Dou Zhe, so he disdains to participate in this family test."

"To break through from the third stage of Dou Qi to Dou Zhe in just one year? That's terrifying! He's practically inhuman, a monster!"

"I really hope Young Master Xiao Yan can come here for a test, so we can see just how terrifying his level has become!"

The boys and girls in the bluestone square all turned around to look behind them, hoping to see the boy's figure, but unfortunately they still couldn't see him. They could only continue their discussion helplessly, waiting for the examiner to call their names.

"Xiao Mei!"

Hearing the tester's call, a young girl quickly stepped out from the crowd. As soon as she appeared, everyone's eyes turned to her, but after only a couple of glances, they lowered their heads again to continue their discussion.

"Is his brilliance really that dazzling?" Xiao Mei bit her lip, feeling a pang of disappointment as she listened to the crowd discussing Xiao Yan. This should have been her moment of glory! She should have been the center of attention! It had all been ruined by a single name.

However, thinking of Xiao Yan, Xiao Mei suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness. No matter how hard she tried, it would be futile; there was no way she could catch up. Xiao Mei gently walked to the black stone tablet, stretched out her fair hand and placed it on the tablet. She mobilized the Dou Qi within her body and slowly poured it into it. After a moment of silence, the black stone tablet lit up.

"Battle Aura: Seventh Stage!"

"Xiao Mei, Battle Qi: Seventh Stage! Level: Advanced!"

Upon hearing the tester's voice, the commotion in the arena subsided for a moment, and everyone turned their gaze toward the black stone tablet. However, after only glancing up at it twice and showing slight surprise, they lowered their heads again to continue their discussion.

Seeing that her efforts of the past year had been ignored, Xiao Mei's face turned extremely ugly, and she became so angry that her hands clenched tightly. However, she then let them relax weakly and walked towards the back of the line with some disappointment.

"Next up, Xiao Xun'er!"

Upon hearing this name, the previously noisy crowd suddenly fell silent, and everyone's eyes turned to Xiao Xun'er.

Xiao Xun'er has a curvaceous figure, like a blooming flower. She has a beautiful and delicate face, with a broad and high forehead, long and curved eyebrows, as if they were drawn perfectly. Her eyes are bright and expressive, revealing intelligence and gentleness.

Compared to last year, Xiao Xun'er's youthful innocence had faded, replaced by a more mature charm. Perhaps due to the influence of a certain beast, a certain part of her body had developed exceptionally well. This Xiao Xun'er was simply too attractive; even Ya Fei of the Mittel Auction House paled in comparison.

Xiao Xun'er walked slowly towards the black stone tablet, her lotus-like steps deliberate. Upon reaching it, she gently touched it with her jade-like hand. The black stone tablet remained silent for only a moment before bursting into a blinding light, dazzling everyone present.

Looking at the four large, shining characters on the black stone tablet, the entire place fell silent.

"Fighter: One Star!"

"Xiao Xun'er, a Dou Zhe... one star!" The tester's voice trembled slightly.

"Wow! Miss Xun'er has actually reached the Dou Zhe level! I originally thought she was at the ninth level of Dou Qi!"

"Miss Xun'er's cultivation talent is also amazing, almost catching up with Xiao Yan!"

"I think Miss Xun'er and Young Master Xiao Yan are a perfect match! Young Master Xiao Yan's cultivation talent is so extraordinary, and Miss Xun'er is so beautiful; they are truly a handsome couple!"

Hearing the praises from the audience, Xun'er remained expressionless. But when she heard that she and Xiao Yan were a perfect match, her face instantly turned bright red. This made her look even more radiant, and the young men in the audience stared at her intently.

"I never expected her to break through to the Dou Zhe level, and she's become even more beautiful!" Looking at Xiao Xun'er on the stage, Xiao Mei felt a sense of inferiority.

Looking at the four large characters on the black stone tablet, the middle-aged examiner rarely showed a smile and said to the girl with slight respect, "Congratulations, Miss Xun'er, on breaking through to the Dou Zhe level at only fifteen years old."

"What's the big deal? Brother Xiao Yan broke through to Dou Zhe at the age of ten, and now..." Xiao Xun'er said calmly.

"That's true. Does Miss Xun'er know where Xiao Yan went? Why hasn't he come for the test yet?" The tester sighed when he heard Xiao Xun'er mention Xiao Yan. He also wanted to know Xiao Yan's current strength.

"Well... I don't know either. I haven't been with Brother Xiao Yan for half a year either," Xun'er murmured softly, looking towards the back mountain of the Xiao family.

So what was Xiao Yan doing at this time?

Xiao Yan stood on a boulder atop the back mountain, his hands constantly drawing a Tai Chi symbol. Each time a Tai Chi symbol was completed, Yao Lao would unleash an attack at it. However, the attack wasn't blocked by the Tai Chi symbol; it passed directly through it and struck Xiao Yan's body. Xiao Yan staggered and was sent flying backward.

Getting up and brushing the dirt off his clothes, Xiao Yan returned to the boulder as if nothing had happened, muttering to himself, "This doesn't make sense! Could my thinking be wrong?"

Ever since Xiao Yan learned that he possessed a strange fire within his body, he constantly experimented with various uses during his journey down the mountain. The strange fire acted like a red buff; when he threw a punch, as long as it was coated with this strange fire, its power increased exponentially. Ranged attacks infused with this strange fire were also formidable.

However, a problem arose when Xiao Yan was testing the Dou Zhuan Xing Yi technique. Xiao Yan originally thought that as long as he mixed in a different kind of fire during its use, the rebound force would increase directly, and the power might be comparable to that of a low-level Earth-rank weapon. Moreover, as the power of the different kind of fire continued to increase, the power would continue to rise. Unfortunately, Xiao Yan's experiments all ended in failure after a whole morning.

"Forget it! This is the last time. Whether I succeed or not, I have to go down the mountain. If I don't go down now, the test will be over." Xiao Yan always said it was the last time, but he felt uncomfortable if his wish wasn't fulfilled.

Standing atop the boulder, Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes, reflecting on the reasons for his repeated failures. The patterns he drew were half black and half white due to the strange fire, resembling the Tai Chi symbol of later generations. However, each time the pattern only flashed briefly before him before disappearing completely.

"Could it be that my strength is insufficient, so I can't use it? Or is there a problem with the method of use?" This time, Xiao Yan did not start rashly, but waited until his Dou Qi was fully recovered before trying again.

Xiao Yan circulated his internal Dou Qi and followed the route of Dou Zhuan Xing Yi. This time, he held back and frantically mobilized his internal Dou Qi, using as much as he could.

Xiao Yan extended his left hand, and a ball of black flame emerged from his palm. The black flame emitted a dense aura of death, gradually devouring the life energy of the surrounding air. Xiao Yan then extended his right hand, and a ball of white flame emerged from his palm. This white flame radiated the vitality of nature, completely opposite to the previous flame.

(End of this chapter)