"Yan'er, are you all right? That girl Xiao Yu just now..."
Xiao Zhan and the others quickly made their way to Xiao Yan's side, their faces etched with concern.
After a brief warning not to provoke Xiao Yu, Xiao Zhan began making introductions.
"Come, Yan'er, let me introduce you. This is Miss Ya Fei, the chief auctioneer of the Miteer Auction House."
Xiao Zhan shifted aside, revealing Ya Fei standing behind him.
There wasn't a single person present who didn't recognize Ya Fei.
Nevertheless, Xiao Yan feigned meeting her for the first time, politely greeting, "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Ya Fei."
Ya Fei offered a few courteous words in return before her gaze settled on Zhou Changqing.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan instantly understood that the two knew each other, and their relationship was likely quite deep. After all, he was now aware that nearly all the treasured weapons Old Zhou crafted were sold through the Miteer Auction House.
It seemed Xiao Zhan was the only one present who hadn't met Zhou Changqing. Xiao Yan quickly made the introduction.
"Father, this is the friend I told you about, Zhou Changqing."
"Oh? So this is young friend Zhou? Seeing you today, you are truly a young man of remarkable talent. Haha, your future is limitless."
Xiao Zhan's gaze shifted to Zhou Changqing, appraising him for a moment before stroking his beard and nodding in praise. He had noticed the exceptionally handsome young man earlier and, seeing him with Xiao Yan, had already guessed his identity.
Zhou Changqing quickly cupped his hands in a respectful bow. "Greetings, Uncle Xiao. You flatter me. I am hardly as remarkable as you say. Since Xiao Yan and I are friends, if you don't mind, please just call me Changqing."
"You are too modest, my boy. Very well, then I shall be so bold as to call you Changqing."
"And Changqing, I assume I don't need to introduce you to Miss Ya Fei?" Xiao Zhan added with a cheerful laugh, clearly in high spirits.
Zhou Changqing and Ya Fei exchanged a glance, and both broke into smiles.
"There's no need, Clan Leader Xiao. Younger brother Changqing and I are very well acquainted. After all, this little fellow is a frequent guest at our auction house," Ya Fei said, her eyes twinkling as she looked at Zhou Changqing.
She hadn't expected to run into him here today, a fact that brought a small, pleasant surprise.
Zhou Changqing responded with a warm smile.
"It's good to see you, Sister Ya Fei."
Nodding, Xiao Zhan turned back to his son. "Yan'er, the ceremony is about to begin, and I still have some preparations to attend to. Don't you dare embarrass me."
"Goodbye, Father."
"Changqing, since you are a guest, would you and Miss Ya Fei care to join the others in the guest seating?"
"Of course. Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Xiao."
"Haha, this way, you two."
"Good luck with your performance, Old Xiao. See you in a bit."
"Heh, just you watch."
Soon, Zhou Changqing and Ya Fei were led by Xiao Zhan to the seats for the honored guests at the edge of the square.
After a few more pleasantries, Xiao Zhan departed to handle his duties.
Sitting next to Zhou Changqing, Ya Fei leaned in, her beautiful eyes filled with a playful light. "Younger brother Changqing, what brings you here? As I recall, this sister of yours knows you prefer peace and quiet. I've never seen you at such a lively event before."
"You jest, Sister Ya Fei. It's not that I dislike crowds, I simply never had the time. I have to 'work' for you, don't I?" Zhou Changqing replied with a shrug and a smile, inhaling the faint, pleasant fragrance that wafted from her. "Besides, Old Xiao and I are good friends. It wouldn't be right for me to miss his coming-of-age ceremony."
Ya Fei leaned back, rolling her eyes elegantly at his "work" comment. She then nodded. "That's true. I almost forgot how close you and the third young master of the Xiao clan are."
While she didn't know everything about Zhou Changqing, Ya Fei knew a fair amount, including the fact that he and Xiao Yan had been friends for several years.
"By the way, Sister Ya Fei, that gift I promised you is ready. Once the ceremony is over, I'll head back with you. We can clear out my current inventory and discuss the auction plan for the new items."
"Really?"
A brilliant light flashed in Ya Fei's eyes as she looked at him, her voice filled with pleasant surprise.
Zhou Changqing nodded mysteriously. "Of course. You'll see it when we get back. I guarantee it's something special."
"Hearing you say that, this sister of mine can hardly wait to see it."
Ya Fei's face was alight with anticipation. It was hard to tell if she was more excited about the gift from Zhou Changqing or the potential profits his new items would bring to the auction house.
As the two of them chatted, the coming-of-age ceremony began.
The first half of the ceremony was exceedingly dull.
Zhou Changqing found himself on the verge of dozing off.
It was only when Xiao Yan took the stage that his spirits lifted. This was, after all, one of the Flame Emperor's classic moments of showing off, even if it wasn't one of the most legendary ones in his lifetime.
"Dou Qi: Eighth Duan!"
When those five words appeared on the black testing stone atop the large wooden platform, the entire square fell silent. The vast majority of the crowd stared at the young man before the stone, their eyes wide with utter shock.
"Didn't they say he was at the seventh Duan of Dou Qi? How is he at the eighth?"
"Hiss! Advancing four Duan in a single year was already unheard of! But the third young master of the Xiao clan actually soared through five Duan in one year! Utterly terrifying! Simply horrifying!"
"Such terrifying cultivation talent! It must be on par with that high-level Dou Zhe prodigy who was the talk of the town some time ago, right?"
"Is there even a question? At this rate of cultivation, in a few decades, the Xiao clan might produce a Dou King or even a Dou Emperor!"
"The Xiao clan has struck gold..."
Amidst the stunned murmurs of the crowd, the young man on the stage stood tall, his hair fluttering in the wind. The sunlight cascaded down upon him, making him appear dazzlingly brilliant.
In stark contrast to the shock of the onlookers, Xiao Yan himself was perfectly calm. His placid, untroubled expression was a world apart from everyone else's.
"When it comes to showing off, Old Xiao is in a league of his own. Look at that completely unfazed expression, like he wouldn't flinch if a mountain collapsed in front of him. That's some next-level posturing. I can't compare," Zhou Changqing thought to himself, a grin playing on his lips.
Beside him, Ya Fei sighed with admiration. "What a frightening young man. Even with the help of a Tier 2 pill like the Foundation Elixir, which can accelerate Dou Qi cultivation, an ordinary person probably couldn't achieve half of what he has."
"I'm truly envious of you geniuses..."
As she spoke, Ya Fei cast a mock-reproachful look at Zhou Changqing.
As someone with poor cultivation talent, Ya Fei was genuinely feeling a pang of jealousy. If she had talent like that, her clan would probably worship her like a goddess.
"Uh... what does this have to do with me?"
Zhou Changqing felt a little awkward under her gaze and couldn't help but retort. Xiao Yan is the one showing off. Why are you looking at me?
"Hehe, others may not know, but how could I not? While the third young master's talent is indeed astonishing, younger brother Changqing, I suspect you might be even more monstrous, aren't you?" Ya Fei said with a light, knowing smile.
Although the talent Zhou Changqing had displayed so far didn't seem vastly different from Xiao Yan's—and in fact, seemed slightly inferior to his five-Duan-a-year cultivation speed—Ya Fei had a gut feeling. This young man was a profound mystery, hiding his true depths.
Deciding not to tease him further, Ya Fei turned her attention back to the stage, where a fight had just broken out.
What followed was Xiao Yan delivering a sound thrashing to Xiao Ning, who had taken a Qi Increasing Pill, putting on yet another grand display of his power.