However, the other mbers of the Xiao clan rely watched coldly, showing no intention of helping.
Xiao Xun’er was burning with anxiety. Just as she was about to rise and intervene, she saw Xiao Yan calmly raise a hand, gesturing for her not to worry.
Then, he cast a scornful glance.
“Just you? Think you can hurt ?”
The next mont, Xiao Yan’s figure flickered as he proactively charged at Nalan Yanran.
Below, the Xiao clan mbers burst into sneers.
“Has Xiao Yan gone mad? He dares to confront Nalan Yanran, who’s at the Dou Practitioner level, with just Third Stage Dou Qi?”
“Looks like Xiao Yan is dood today—he might even be killed on the spot!”
“Who told him to break off the engagent in public? Isn’t that a slap in the face to the Nalan family and Yunlan Sect? Even if we want to help, we’d have to think twice.”
Amid the crowd’s skeptical chatter, Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi surged throughout his body as he suddenly struck with a palm.
“Bang!”
Two forces collided with a resounding boom.
Nalan Yanran’s longsword clashed with Xiao Yan’s palm, and an overwhelming force instantly surged through her. A sharp pain seared her tiger’s mouth as her entire body was flung backward like a broken kite, blood seeping from the corners of her mouth.
Ge Ye’s expression changed drastically as he exclaid,
“Young Sect Master!”
He quickly dashed forward to catch the falling Nalan Yanran.
Nalan Yanran now wore a face full of shock, staring at Xiao Yan in disbelief as she cried out,
“You’re not at the Third Stage of Dou Qi—you’re a Dou Practitioner! Damn it, you actually hid your strength!”
Xiao Yan sneered,
“I only hid a little bit of strength. Whether you want to withdraw from this marriage or not, it’s happening today!”
Seeing this, Ge Ye roared,
“Xiao Yan, don’t be insolent! Nalan Yanran is the daughter of the Nalan family and the Young Sect Master of Yunlan Sect. This engagent is not sothing to be trifled with! Even if there is a withdrawal, it should be her rejecting you!”
“Yunlan Sect sure is domineering!”
Xiao Yan snorted.
“So only you’re allowed to back out of an engagent, but no one else can? Is that your so-called ‘rules’?”
At this mont, Nalan Yanran had gathered her wits. She struggled to her feet and stared daggers at Xiao Yan.
“I ca today to break the engagent. You just beat to it with your words! Do you think I even wanted this engagent?!”
Then, furiously, she tore off a section of her robe, hastily scribbled a divorce letter, and hurled it hard toward Xiao Yan.
“Take it! Today, it’s not you breaking the engagent—I, Nalan Yanran, am divorcing you!”
“Pointless struggle.”
Xiao Yan coldly mocked, his face full of disdain.
That condescending attitude completely enraged Nalan Yanran. Her face flushed red as she scread,
“Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west! Xiao Yan, I’ll rember this humiliation! I’ll train hard and co back for my revenge!”
“With you?”
Xiao Yan waved dismissively.
“How long do you need? Ten years? A hundred? You’ll never catch up. Save your effort.”
Nalan Yanran trembled with rage.
“I don’t need ten years! Three years! In three years, I’ll return to the Xiao clan to duel you! If I lose, I’ll be your servant without complaint. But if you lose, take back what you said today and publicly announce that I was the one who dumped you!”
Xiao Yan gave her a glance, replying indifferently,
“Whatever.”
Seeing his contempt, Nalan Yanran was livid. She stomped her foot heavily and shouted to Ge Ye.
“Ge Ye, we’re leaving!”
Ge Ye fixed his gaze on Xiao Yan, his eyes full of wariness.
At that mont, Xiao Yan didn’t resemble a fifteen-year-old boy at all. He exuded a chilling steadiness that made hearts tremble—more like an old monster who had experienced the vicissitudes of life and concealed profound scheming.
A thought exploded in Ge Ye’s mind.
‘This boy is deep and calculating—he must not be left alive!’
He glared fiercely at Xiao Yan, then flicked his sleeve, signaling everyone to leave.
With the sound of fluttering robes, Ge Ye led the Yunlan Sect disciples to make a hasty retreat, leaving behind only a room filled with chilling tension and unresolved hostility.
Xiao Zhan stared blankly at Xiao Yan. It took him a long while to recover, and he asked in a trembling voice,
“Yan’er, what’s going on with your cultivation?”
The surrounding Xiao clan mbers were just as stunned, all eyes locking on Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan slowly swept his gaze across the room. Seeing the shocked expressions on the faces of those who once looked down on him, he couldn’t help but feel a rush of satisfaction.
He spoke loudly.
“Father, I recovered my cultivation a few days ago. I can now train normally.”
Before his words even fell, a powerful aura erupted violently from within his body.
Xiao Zhan focused his senses and exclaid in shock.
“Seven-Star Dou Practitioner!”
An uproar instantly broke out below.
“Seven-Star Dou Practitioner? How is that possible! Wasn’t he only at the Third Stage of Dou Qi before? Even if his talent recovered, he shouldn’t have advanced this fast!”
“Maybe he was never crippled at all and was just pretending to be weak this whole ti, waiting for today to slap everyone in the face!”
“Damn it! This Xiao Yan is too cunning—we’d better watch out for him from now on!”
“Pa!”
A loud slap rang out as one clan mber was harshly struck by the companion beside him.
That man berated angrily.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Xiao Yan has always been the pride of the Xiao clan. As clan mbers, we should fully support him—what’s with this talk of caution?”
The one who was slapped snapped out of his stupor, nodding repeatedly.
“Right, right! I was being foolish!”
Seeing the drastic change in everyone’s attitude, Xiao Yan was pleased, but also felt a faint sense of hollowness.
When he was down, he had been ridiculed and scorned. Now that his strength had returned, everyone rushed to flatter him. Such fickleness of the world left him with mixed emotions.
Fortunately, when he looked up and saw Xiao Zhan’s face full of excitent, and Xiao Xun’er’s gentle smile nearby, a warm feeling gradually filled his heart again.
Just then, the Grand Elder broke the noise.
“Clan Leader, while Xiao Yan’s restored talent is indeed sothing to celebrate, today he publicly disgraced Nalan Yanran, the Young Sect Master of Yunlan Sect. I fear Yunlan Sect won’t let this go easily.”
Xiao Zhan hesitated.
“Grand Elder, surely it won’t go that far? Didn’t Nalan Yanran agree to a three-year challenge with Yan’er? She shouldn’t make any moves in the anti.”
The Grand Elder interrupted with a worried frown.
“Nalan Yanran has a simple mind—she likely won’t act.”
As he ntioned Nalan Yanran’s simple nature, he instinctively glanced at Xiao Yan, his eyes seemingly saying,
‘Nalan Yanran might be simple-minded, but so people clearly are not.’
That look startled Xiao Yan, unsure when he had beco an object of suspicion in the Grand Elder’s eyes.
At the sa ti, the chat group exploded.
Lu Yu: “Xiao Yan, nicely done! You turned the tables and caught Nalan Yanran completely off guard! But hey, did you notice the Grand Elder’s look? In his mind now, you’re definitely the definition of ‘deep scher’!”
Lu Xueqi: “From now on, I bet even clan mbers will walk a wide circle around you!”
Xiao Yan: “This is injustice! I really just recovered my cultivation and wanted to vent a little. How does that make so scheming mastermind?”
Xiong Ba: “You may know that, but others don’t. To them, you’ve been hiding your strength and waiting to unleash it—what else would they call that but cunning?”
Back in the main hall, the Grand Elder continued his analysis.
“Clan Leader, Nalan Yanran herself may not act rashly, but the rest of Yunlan Sect is another matter.
What’s more, she has many admirers. If any of them try to stand up for her, Xiao Yan’s current strength may not be enough to handle them.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhan furrowed his brows tightly.
The Xiao clan currently only had one Da Dou Shi (Great Dou Practitioner) overseeing matters. If Yunlan Sect truly decided to press them, their limited resources wouldn’t be enough to resist.
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