"I don't know what's going on either. I just felt your fists were soft and weak, without any strength at all."
Finn Guo scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed himself.
The chubby kid was dumbfounded.
He slumped onto the ground, panting heavily, his face covered in bead-sized drops of sweat.
At this moment.
The chubby kid was doubting his life.
Have my two years of cultivation been for nothing?
I can't even beat an ordinary person?
No, it's not that I can't beat him.
It's that I fucking can't even move him.
At this time, Zane Xiao and his daughter, Sia Xiao, finally walked out.
"Patriarch!"
Seeing Zane Xiao, the chubby kid and the other two were so scared they lost all color in their faces.
"Toby Xiao, what are you three doing?"
Zane asked sternly.
Toby Xiao, who was the chubby kid, hurriedly scrambled up from the ground.
"Patriarch, we... we weren't doing anything."
Toby cowered, not daring to face Zane.
"Hmph, I saw everything. You three were bullying Finn Guo. Hurry up and return the medicinal pills to him!"
Zane said angrily.
Toby and the other two all had bitter expressions on their faces.
They had wanted to bully Finn Guo just now, but instead, the three of them ended up covered in dirt and thoroughly humiliated.
Just who was bullying who here?
Toby didn't dare say another word and hurriedly returned the pills to Finn.
"If I see this happen again, I definitely won't let you off easily!"
"Scram!"
Toby and the other two slinked away in disgrace.
Meanwhile, Zane and Sia looked at Finn with burning gazes, as if looking at a peerless treasure.
Finn felt a bit uncomfortable being stared at like this.
He felt very awkward.
"Uh, Patriarch Xiao, Sister Sia, why are you looking at me?"
Sia grabbed Finn's shoulders, her beautiful face practically pressing right up against his.
Finn instantly felt shy.
"Finn, tell Sister, has your Master ever taught you how to cultivate?"
Sia asked very intently.
Finn shook his head.
"My Master doesn't know how to cultivate, and he has never taught me how to cultivate."
What the heck?
Your Master doesn't know how to cultivate?
Sia rolled her eyes right on the spot.
If your Master doesn't know how to cultivate, I, Sia Xiao, will commit suicide right here and now.
Simply ridiculous.
Your Master's cultivation reaches the heavens and is unfathomably deep; how could he possibly not know how to cultivate?
She subconsciously felt that this kid was lying to her.
But thinking about it from another angle.
Perhaps Senior Quinn truly hadn't explicitly taught Finn how to cultivate.
But was instead secretly nurturing him in a subtle, imperceptible manner.
Finn probably didn't even know how powerful he currently was himself.
"Father, why don't we take him to the Hall of Profound Inquiry? Then we'll know what kind of aptitude he possesses," Sia suggested.
Zane nodded.
"Alright."
Following that, Sia looked at Finn.
"Finn, we're taking you somewhere."
"Oh, okay."
Finn was very obedient.
The father and daughter led Finn all the way to the Xiao Clan's rear hall.
The Hall of Profound Inquiry!
This place was used by the Xiao Clan to test the cultivation aptitude of its junior members.
There were array formations set up within the Hall of Profound Inquiry. Once someone stepped inside, their aptitude could be seen.
"What is this place?"
Finn asked in confusion, looking at the main doors of the Hall of Profound Inquiry.
"This is where the disciples of my Xiao Clan test their aptitude," Sia explained.
All cultivators possessed aptitude.
And aptitude was divided into high and low grades.
Those with high aptitude achieved twice the result with half the effort when cultivating and were hailed as geniuses.
Those with low aptitude progressed slowly and could only be considered mediocre.
There was also another type: those who didn't even have the aptitude to cultivate and were purely ordinary mortals.
When the disciples of the Xiao Clan reached the age of six, they would all undergo an aptitude test.
Those with good aptitude would naturally be heavily nurtured.
For example, Sia. She was tested to have extremely high aptitude at the age of six and had always been highly valued by the Xiao Clan.
Later on, the Xiao Clan even utilized their past connection with Cosmo Shen to have Sia accepted as his disciple.
"Finn, go inside and stand there for a while," Sia said.
Finn nodded and stepped inside.
The Xiao father and daughter stood outside, watching unblinkingly.
"Do I just need to stand inside?" Finn turned his head and asked.
"Yes, yes, yes, just stand inside. It'll be done in a moment," Sia nodded repeatedly.
"Oh."
Finn honestly stood inside.
A moment later.
A halo of light appeared at Finn's feet.
Seeing this, the Xiao father and daughter both frowned.
"First-Grade Aptitude? This is the worst possible aptitude. That shouldn't be right."
Before the voice faded, a second halo appeared.
Then the third.
Three halos of light swirled at Finn's feet, shining brightly.
"Third-Grade Aptitude. Although it's not considered good, it's barely acceptable."
"But a disciple of Senior Quinn shouldn't merely possess this level of aptitude," Sia still felt something wasn't quite right.
One must know, back in the day, Sia herself had directly reached the Seventh-Grade Aptitude.
It could be said she had the highest aptitude in the history of the Xiao Clan.
Yet Finn only had a Third-Grade Aptitude, far inferior to Sia's.
Why would a transcendent expert like Quinn Ye accept someone with such an aptitude as a disciple?
It simply didn't make sense.
"Daughter, look quickly, there's another halo," Zane suddenly said.
Sia focused her eyes.
Just as expected!
The fourth halo had appeared.
Fourth-Grade Aptitude.
He had already surpassed the vast majority of Xiao Clan disciples.
"There should be more."
As Sia spoke, the fifth halo appeared at Finn's feet.
Fifth-Grade Aptitude!
Only then did Sia and Zane reveal hints of excitement.
A Fifth-Grade Aptitude was enough to be considered a genius.
Although it still couldn't compare to Sia's.
Among the younger generation of the Xiao Clan, those who could rival him could be counted on one hand.
This should be his limit, Sia thought to herself.
She couldn't help but feel a bit of secret delight and smugness.
It seems that although Senior Quinn's strength is unfathomably deep, his eye for accepting disciples isn't all that sharp. This little guy's aptitude isn't even as good as mine.
Although Sia knew she had no chance of becoming Quinn's disciple.
But as long as she was more outstanding than Quinn's disciple, it would allow Sia to feel a little smug inwardly.
Right at that moment.
The sixth halo!
The seventh halo!
Appeared almost simultaneously!
The expression on Sia's face instantly froze.
At the same time, that bit of secret delight in her heart vanished into thin air.
"It seems this child's aptitude is not in the least bit inferior to yours," Zane said with a sigh of amazement.
Sia stopped talking.
But she still felt a bit unconvinced.
Even if his aptitude is the same as mine, on what basis can this kid become Quinn Ye's disciple?
Buzz!
At this time.
Yet another halo appeared.
The eighth one!
In an instant, the expressions of the Xiao father and daughter solidified.
Eighth-Grade Aptitude!
He could be called a peerless genius, one in ten thousand. In the entire Northern River right now, there were only two people with such aptitude.
These two people were the most outstanding existences among the younger generation of Northern River.
Sia would pale in comparison to those two.
Yet Finn Guo actually possessed an Eighth-Grade Aptitude as well.
"It seems this child is truly blessed by the heavens, possessing extraordinary aptitude," Zane said, his tone filled with marvel.
Sia didn't speak; she stared intently at Finn's feet.
There were already eight halos now.
She secretly told herself that it was impossible for a ninth halo to appear.
But for some reason, Sia kept having a feeling in her heart that she was about to get slapped in the face.
And sure enough!
The ninth halo!
Abruptly surfaced!
For a moment.
The entire Hall of Profound Inquiry was illuminated with a brilliant light.