The complexity of the coming-of-age ceremony was so overwhelming it nearly drove one mad. Sitting below, Xiao Yan watched the young man on stage, manipulated like a puppet, and rubbed his forehead, offering a weary smile to Xun'er beside him. "This coming-of-age ceremony is truly self-imposed suffering," he said. Seeing Xiao Yan's helpless expression, Xun'er's bright eyes softened into a gentle smile. "It's a tradition that's been passed down for generations—even Xiao Uncle and the others can't change it." Xiao Yan sighed, nodded in resignation, just as he was about to grow drowsy and bored. Then, his brow lifted slightly, his eyes narrowing as he slowly shifted his gaze to the left. Near them, Xiao Ning watched Xiao Yan chatting warmly with Xun'er, his face filled with envy. When Xiao Yan looked back, he raised his fist with a defiant gesture. "Idiot." Gently exhaled two words. Xiao Yan slightly tilted his gaze to the left, fixing his eyes on Xiao Yu standing beside Xiao Ning, lingering with unabashed glances along the tall, sensuous legs. Only when the woman's face turned ashen did he finally smile coldly and withdraw his gaze. Beside him, Xun'er found it both amusing and somewhat helpless—whenever Xiao Yan came into contact with Xiao Yu, he seemed to shed his usual calm demeanor, becoming openly enthusiastic and intrusive, each time driving Xiao Yu to rage. Leaning against the cool wooden chair, Xiao Yan lightly inhaled the fresh scent of the young girl beside him, closing his eyes with a relaxed, composed demeanor. By the time the adult ceremony had progressed halfway, it was finally Xiao Yan's turn. Hearing the calls from the stage, a wave of curiosity and skepticism immediately shifted from the贵宾 seats high above. Today, they had come to witness the Xiao family's coming-of-age ceremony, largely hoping to verify whether the young man, recently celebrated throughout Wutan City, truly lived up to the stories told about him. As the calls echoed, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes. The varied expressions in the surrounding gaze—like those of onlookers watching a monkey—made him shake his head in quiet resignation. Taking a deep breath, he maintained the calm composure on his young face, and, under the steady gaze of the crowd, stepped steadily onto the stage. The ceremony was hosted by the Second Elder, Xiao Ying. Though this elder had previously shown little warmth toward Xiao Yan, since the examination day, he had noticeably grown more respectful—especially, the once-unmistakable disdain had largely faded from his weathered face. Staring at the young man who had transformed from a nearly lifeless fish to a vibrant, dynamic figure, Xiao Ying sighed inwardly, his face slightly trembling as he reached behind the stage to retrieve several materials needed for the ceremony, then walked toward Xiao Yan. Seeing the Second Elder approaching, recalling the elaborate nature of the previous rituals, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel his headache intensify, offering a wry smile and then closing his eyes in resignation. ... Under the watchful gaze of the entire audience, Xiao Yan stood motionless, appearing utterly bewildered, for nearly half an hour—only then did the intricate rituals finally conclude. Relieved, Xiao Yan opened his eyes, gazing at the array of spices scattered across his body, and sighed with a look of mild frustration. By the time the elaborate procedures were completed, the Second Elder too had wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, turned, and walked toward the black stone testing stele, declaring loudly, "Ceremony re-initiated!" The ritual re-assessment—another examination of one's battle energy—was more rigorous and detailed than the initial evaluation conducted a month ago, which had merely served as a prediction to identify outstanding talents among the clan. Only those outstanding individuals were eligible to undergo the formal coming-of-age ceremony on this grand platform, while clan members below the seventh rank had to undergo simpler, more modest ceremonies, which seemed rather underwhelming. This re-assessment was overseen personally by the second elder, a battle energy master of two stars, underscoring the clan's deep commitment to the significance of the coming-of-age ceremony. As the second elder's commanding voice resonated, the audience, initially somewhat bored, instantly became alert, their eyes now fixed intently on the platform. Among the guests from various factions, all eyes were tightly focused on the black-robed youth. Their primary purpose for attending was to verify whether this once-celebrated prodigy, who had once dazzled the city of Wutan, had retained his previous brilliance. Ignoring the intense gazes from around him, Xiao Yan calmly walked forward and paused at the black stone stele. With his aged eyes half-lidded, the Second Elder gently touched the stele with his dry hands, channeling a subtle flow of combat energy into it before standing aside expressionlessly. Yet, whenever his gaze shifted to Xiao Yan, a subtle doubt still flickered across his features: "Has this young one truly reached the Seventh Stage?" It seemed that the profound impact Xiao Yan had created had deeply shaken the Second Elder. Even though he was fully aware of the stele's infallible accuracy, he remained stubbornly skeptical—thus, he had volunteered to personally oversee Xiao Yan's examination. Unmoved by the elder's questioning gaze, Xiao Yan slowly raised his palm and gently traced the surface of the stele. Watching Xiao Yan carefully tracing the stele on the dais, Xiao Yu's brows furrowed slightly. She turned to Xiao Ning and whispered, "Is it really true that he has reached the Seventh Stage?" "Since Xiao Yu only recently returned to the family after taking leave from the academy, she hasn't personally witnessed the prediction that day. When asked by her sister, Xiao Ning sighed slightly and nodded with a muted tone, saying, 'I have no idea what that person has been eating—within the past year, he's truly jumped four stages of combat energy.' With this claim now confirmed once again, Xiao Yu pressed her full lips together, becoming increasingly annoyed, and stomped her long, graceful legs, glaring fiercely at the black-robed young man in the center. A determined set of her lovely features rose to her cheeks: 'Without having seen it myself, I find it hard to believe that this useless boy can make a comeback!' Taking a deep breath, she coldly stared at the scene, saying, 'Last time, I'm certain it was this guy who must have done something behind the scenes. This time, with the second senior personally overseeing everything—I think you're just...' As she was about to speak, her lovely face suddenly went rigid, and the rest of her words froze in her throat. On the elevated wooden platform, the massive black stone stele suddenly radiated brilliant light, and golden characters, flowing like dragons and phoenixes, appeared upon its surface. "Battle Qi: Eight segments!"