Seven Years later....
At the Xiao family back-mountain, a boy was lying casually on an open patch of grass above a small hill with a grass blade held between his lips.
He had sharp eyes, sword eyebrows and an angular face. His perfect build and handsome appearance could make any woman blush.
"Brother Xiao Lin, so you are here. I was searching for you everywhere."
That's right, this boy is Xiao Lin. While growing up, his body shaped by perfect talent and diligent cultivation attracted the attention of many young girls in the Xiao family.
But in this cultivation world, strength is everything. Being handsome is nothing more than a bonus.
Xiao Lin, who has 'mediocre' talent and not so high ambitions or background, was gradually sidelined.
But among everyone else, one person continued being friends with him.
Xiao Lin looked at the beautiful girl in a purple dress walking towards him on lotus steps.
"Sister Xun'er, are you looking for me?"
The girl in front of him was nothing short of a fairy.
Although young, people in the cultivation world starts developing early.
Her graceful figure which has begun to take shape along with that flawless face, pure almond eyes and ethereal temperament makes Xiao Lin dazed everytime he looks at her.
Xiao Xun'er heard Xiao Lin's words and rolled her eyes: "Of course, I came to look for you. Have you forgotten, today is the Annual Clan Testing Ceremony?"
Suddenly it struck Xiao Lin and he slapped his forehead.
"Oh, right. Then, let's go. Thank you Xun'er for reminding me. I will take you to the market later today."
Hearing that she can spend time with Xiao Lin again, a bright smile bloomed on Xun'er's face.
Soon, a handsome boy and a beautiful girl reached the Test Venue. This is a large field used for training purposes on ordinary days but today, it was specially organised for the Annual Test.
Xiao family conducts this test every year not only to track the progress of their disciples but also to find potential talents.
Those who perform well will be specially trained by the family and they won't have to worry about their cultivation resources in the future.
This caused most people to take this test very seriously and they try their best to attract the attention of the clan elders.
Xiao Lin, on the other hand, didn't think so. He and Xun'er found an empty shed away from the crowd and chatted happily.
Soon, the test begun.
One by one, disciple names were announced and they were tested.
The crowd was a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
At this time, a shout came from the stage.
"Next, Xiao Yan"
Everyone fell silent and looked towards a direction. Even Xiao Lin turned to look.
At one place, the crowd parted as if making way for the emperor and a handsome boy in bright red dress walked with his head held high.
This was Xiao Yan.
He slowly walked up the platform and placed his hand on the big black stele used for measuring cultivation.
A blinding golden light appeared above the stele and a string of letters formed one by one.
Dou Zhe 1 star!
The elder responsible for announcing the results trembled involuntarily and his eyes almost popped in excitement.
He looked at Xiao Yan as if looking at a monster. Then, with a loud voice announced to everyone: "Xiao Yan, Dou Zhe 1 star."
He turned to Xiao Yan and congratulated him, not at all sounding like an elder.
He was extremely respectful with his words: "Congratulations Young Master, you are the youngest person ever to achieve Dou Zhe in the Xiao family."
"Haha, I was just lucky." Although he said so, the raised chin, wide smile and narrowed eyes showed absolute pride and a bit of arrogance.
'He still hasn't faced the downfall of 3 years after all!' Xiao Lin muttered under his breath.
Before the fall, Xiao Yan was just like any other genius. He was arrogant and prideful.
But Xiao Lin believed that was natural. Any person who has such talent and doesn't know the cruelty of this world will behave the same way.
Just as Xiao Yan's results arrived, the crowd below turned into an uproar.
"The Young Master deserves to be the No.1 in the Xiao family. His talent is invincible."
"That's right. In time, he will lead us to glory."
Countless flattery poured in from all directions and Xiao Yan at the center felt proud and satisfied.
This is how it should be. I am truly the protagonist of this world.
Xiao Yan who was a traveler but lacked the knowledge of the plot felt like he was the son of destiny at this moment.
He unconsciously looked at one place and his bright face instantly dimmed.
Xiao Xun'er, a girl he has always felt different about was happily talking to a handsome boy under a tree. The worst thing is that even after his strength was revealed, she didn't pay any attention to him.
This made him somewhat resentful.
Many years ago, he once attempted to get close to her under the pretext of experimenting with douqi but that plan of his was thwarted by an unknown kid.
At that time, when he was about to sneak into her courtyard, someone shouted 'thief' from a dark corner which made him so scared that he had to flee.
After that, he was inexplicably grounded for no reason by his father and even Xiao Xun'er looked at him with faint disgust.
No matter how he tried, he couldn't restore his image in her eyes which frustrated him.
If he ever gets to know who that person was, he will beat him to a pulp.
Unwilling to ruin his good mood, he focused on a charming girl who was consciously or unconsciously rubbing against his back.
This was Xiao Mei, a charming girl of the Xiao family. Ever since his talent came into light, this girl follows him around calling him affectionately everywhere.
He also entertained her advances as she is beautiful and pleasing to the eye. He felt if he ever asked, she might just throw herself into his arms.
Just as he was engrossed in his imagination, a shout came from the stage.
"Next, Xiao Lin"
Xiao Lin nodded to Xun'er and left for the stage.
The process went pretty smoothly.
'Dou zhi qi 5th stage' appeared above the stele which was not surprising.
Some people looked over but the result was ultimately ordinary.
After a few other tests, a voice echoed from the stage again attracting everyone's attention:
"Xiao Xun'er!"