"Potential? Not to boast, but my potential could probably blow up your family's Guardian Spirit Stone!" Ethan proclaimed proudly.
"Blow up the Guardian Spirit Stone?" Xena's impression of her Guardian Spirit's audacity reached a new height. She had heard big claims before, but she had never seen someone exaggerate so shamelessly—especially her own Guardian Spirit!
"Ethan," Xena countered, "potential is measured up to nine levels. Only spirits surpassing level nine would overload the Guardian Spirit Stone, and those above nine are classified as 'limitless,' meaning the potential can't be measured. Even most god-tier Guardian Spirits don't reach above level nine potential. You, currently at best a lower-tier Guardian Spirit, think you could exceed level nine?"
Ethan chuckled. "We'll see. Testing will tell. Maybe I really am above level nine!"
While Xena and Ethan were exchanging thoughts, the family's testing of Guardian Spirit levels and potentials began. As per tradition, the testing started with members of the branch families, with the main line reserved for last as the event's highlight.
Since Xena and her younger brother Leo were from the main line, they would be among the last to take the stage, drawing the most attention. Exceptional performance would bring the cheers of the entire family, while poor performance would invite heavy scrutiny.
As the family members took their turns at the Guardian Spirit Stone, Leo grew visibly tense.
"Sis, are you nervous?" he asked, looking up at Xena.
Aware of her situation, Leo expected his sister to be worried. He knew her Guardian Spirit had initially been classified as "common," so he assumed she'd be anxious, maybe even afraid. But as he looked into her eyes, he saw no fear or tension—only unwavering confidence.
"Leo, it's just the family competition. Nothing to be nervous about," Xena said with a gentle smile, putting her brother at ease.
Encouraged, Leo thought to himself, "If Sis isn't nervous, and she only has a common-grade Guardian Spirit, then what am I worried about? Calm down, calm down!"
While the Xiao family had a large number of members, only a bit over a hundred qualified as awakened Guardian Spirit users aged sixteen to eighteen. Soon, the branch family members' tests concluded.
Due to limited resources, the branch members generally lacked sufficient innate bodily nourishment and, therefore, mostly had lower-tier Guardian Spirits. Only a few managed to awaken mid-tier Guardians, and none had high-tier spirits.
"Next, the main line's younger members will test their spirits," the family steward announced.
The Xiao main line comprised the head family and five branch families. After the branch families took their turns, the main branch was up next, with the young members of the head family saving their tests for the final round.
When a tall, red-robed youth named Toby Xiao approached the Guardian Spirit Stone, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"That's Toby Xiao, the one reputed to be the most talented in this generation of the Xiao family!"
"Everyone knows he awakened a high-tier Guardian Spirit, but since he missed the last two competitions while training abroad, no one knows his spirit's exact potential."
"What do you think his spirit's potential level is?"
"At least level five, maybe even level six."
As the family members speculated, Xena turned her gaze toward Toby Xiao. In the past, she might have looked at him with a heavy heart, perhaps even a hint of envy. But now her eyes were calm, like a still lake.
Ever since awakening Ethan, a Guardian Spirit from the mysterious civilization of a billion years ago, Xena no longer saw herself as playing on the same field as her relatives. She felt as if she was standing far above them, looking down on Toby Xiao's talents from a new height.
With a flash of red light, the Guardian Spirit Stone projected a beam into Toby Xiao's forehead. In a moment, a spectral image materialized in front of the stone—a withered vine.
"A plant-based Guardian Spirit," Xena murmured to herself.
Guardian Spirits weren't always human. While human Guardian Spirits were most common, there were also spirits based on plants and beasts. Such spirits were powerful entities with consciousness, living beings from the universe, like humans but of different forms.
Toby Xiao's withered vine Guardian Spirit was indeed high-tier. The Guardian Spirit Stone continued to scan, measuring its potential. Ripples of energy fluctuated on its surface, indicating that it was working.
After about ten seconds, the stone displayed a number—"5."
"Level five potential! That's quite impressive! With level five potential, there's a thirty percent chance he'll reach the Innate Stage, maybe even a slim chance at reaching the Planetary Stage!" whispered some onlookers.
From the platform above, an elder, Xiao Ao, stroked his beard with pride and directed a satisfied look at the family head, Xiao Batian. "What do you think, family head? My grandson's potential is exceptional, isn't it? And his Guardian Spirit being a rare plant type makes it uniquely strong in both offense and defense. He's much more powerful than the average high-tier Guardian Spirit."
Xiao Ao was one of the higher-ranking elders, second in authority only to Xiao Batian, the family head himself.
"Yes, he's impressive," Xiao Batian admitted. Although he and Xiao Ao didn't always see eye to eye, he had to concede that Toby Xiao was indeed talented and arguably the most promising of his generation in the Xiao family.
But the family had another young high-tier Guardian Spirit user—Liana Xiao, a young woman with an equally powerful background.
Shortly after, Liana Xiao stepped up to the Guardian Spirit Stone.
Seeing her, Xena's eyes narrowed with intense focus. Liana Xiao's appearance was far from beautiful; in fact, she looked rather plain, even unattractive. However, her expression was full of smugness as she approached the stone.
Her gaze briefly met Xena's across the plaza, and in that instant, their glances seemed to clash in a fierce, invisible battle.
There was no mistaking it—they shared a deep-seated grudge.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]