“Now, this is getting interesting…” Feeling the sudden silence in the square, Gamma watched Xiao Yan’s body, where a faint green light was being emitted from his battle qi armor. An expression of astonishment and shock appeared on his face. Although the armor was only in its initial form, the fact that he could summon it meant that he had entered the ranks of a Great Fighter! From this, it seemed that the gap in strength between Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran was not as large as expected. What left Gamma stunned was how this young man from the insignificant Xiao family could catch up to Nalan Yanran so quickly in just three years. After all, Nalan Yanran had the support and cultivation of the massive Cloud Rending Sect behind her.
“This little guy is no simple person…” Gamma and Fama exchanged glances, both seeing the same sentiment in each other’s eyes.
“Ah…” On the other side, Nalan Jie, whose face had only just relaxed, tensed up again. He stared straight at Xiao Yan’s battle qi armor. After a while, he let out a long sigh, closing his eyes slowly. His expression was tinged with bitterness. This time, Nalan Jie truly felt a sense of regret. He regretted not stopping Nalan Yanran back then. If she hadn’t initiated the divorce, this young man, who had transformed from a waste to a powerful Great Fighter in just three years, would have been the most satisfactory son-in-law for the Nalan family.
Previously, Nalan Jie was angry about Nalan Yanran’s impulsive decision to nullify the engagement because he valued his dignity and couldn’t bring himself to break the agreement made with Xiao Yan’s grandfather. If not for this, who would have wanted their talented granddaughter to marry a wastrel like the young master of the Xiao family? However, now, the sharp and brilliant young man before him revealed terrifying potential, which was far beyond what Nalan Jie could have anticipated. He knew that Xiao Yan didn’t have the backing of a powerful force like the Cloud Rending Sect, but even without such support, he had managed to catch up to Nalan Yanran in just three years. Such a cultivation talent could only be described with one word: terrifying!
Thus, Nalan Jie truly realized the extent of the loss the Nalan family had suffered due to Nalan Yanran’s impulsive act. A Great Fighter under twenty, who knows what level he might reach in a few more years? A Dou Wang (Fighting King) could support an entire Nalan family. If Xiao Yan were to reach this level, who could be certain that the Xiao family’s power wouldn’t skyrocket, perhaps even threatening the three major families? Thinking of the severe consequences, the bitterness on Nalan Jie’s face grew more profound. After a while, he opened his eyes and sighed, looking much older than before.
“Xiao Lin, you have a good grandson…” Beside him, Mu Chen and the other leaders of the various factions looked at Nalan Jie’s bitter face. Though they wisely did not touch on his pain, they couldn’t help but feel a bit gleeful. The Nalan family’s closer relationship with the Cloud Rending Sect due to Nalan Yanran had already made many factions in the imperial capital wary. Seeing it suffer a setback was something many people were happy to see.
On the stone platform in the square, the dozen or so white-robed elders were stunned by the sudden appearance of Xiao Yan’s battle qi armor. After a while, they gradually regained their composure, exchanging glances, and their faces showed a serious look for the first time. From the current situation, it seemed they had greatly underestimated the once-wasteful Xiao family member.
“Great Elder, this…” One of the white-robed elders frowned and said in a low voice.
“Let’s watch for now,” Yun Ling’s expression didn’t change much. He waved his hand lightly, calming the other elders’ worries, and stared at the slender figure in the field, saying slowly, “Although his strength is somewhat surprising, he still has some distance to go compared to Yanran. And Yanran’s fighting techniques are advanced methods of our Cloud Rending Sect. No matter how capable he is, he can’t match her.”
“Watch quietly…” As Yun Ling’s gaze fixed on the field, his face remained calm, but the hand hidden in his sleeve clenched tightly. He too seemed to feel a sense of unease.
In the field, Nalan Yanran’s gaze swept over Xiao Yan’s body, and the usual calmness on her beautiful face was finally covered by surprise. Although she never underestimated Xiao Yan’s cultivation talent, she never thought that in less than three years, he could jump from not even being a fighter to a Great Fighter! Even with the help of the Cloud Rending Sect and the Alchemist King Gu He, Nalan Yanran would be amazed by such a speed of cultivation.
Taking a deep, slightly cold breath, the calmness on Nalan Yanran’s face gradually faded, replaced by a solemn expression. It seemed she was truly beginning to take Xiao Yan seriously.
Gripping the long, slender sword, Nalan Yanran did not waste any more words. The young man she once considered a waste now required her to use all her strength to ensure victory.
The long sword vibrated, emitting a clear, crisp sound. As the sword’s ring filled the air, the light green battle qi around Nalan Yanran’s body surged, instantly forming a slim, light green battle qi armor covering her shapely figure.
Compared to Xiao Yan’s ancient and imposing armor, Nalan Yanran’s slim and elegant armor was much more graceful. Her curvaceous figure wrapped in the tight armor exuded a heroic beauty, making her, already the center of attention, draw even more gazes.
While their battle qi armors shared a similar color, Nalan Yanran’s was clearly more refined, while Xiao Yan’s was rougher. This also showed that although both were Great Fighters, there was still a difference in their strength.
Powerful battle qi surged through her meridians like a river. Nalan Yanran lifted her beautiful eyes, and her body paused slightly. Suddenly, her foot lightly tapped the ground, and she turned into a streak of light, attacking Xiao Yan first!
The distance between them was only a dozen meters, which Nalan Yanran could cover in seconds. In a flash, she was within striking range, and her sword, like a venomous snake, shot towards Xiao Yan’s chest with a sharp, piercing wind.
Watching the rapidly approaching sword tip, Xiao Yan’s hand completely released the heavy ruler. Without the restraint of the heavy ruler, the surging battle qi in his body roared through his meridians, filling him with a sense of abundant power.
Just as the sword, enveloped in a light green wind, was half a foot from his chest, Xiao Yan finally moved. He kicked the heavy ruler beside him, shifting his body half a meter to the left, nimbly avoiding Nalan Yanran’s sharp attack.
“Thousand Wind Aura!” Seeing Xiao Yan evade, Nalan Yanran showed no surprise. Her palm spun quickly, and five spiraling aura swords, formed by wind attribute battle qi, materialized at her fingertips. With a light shout, the five sharp aura swords shot out, intertwined, and turned into a small, thin green line, piercing the air towards Xiao Yan.
The five sharp spiraling aura swords tore through the air, appearing in front of Xiao Yan almost instantly. The green line trembled, and the five spiraling aura swords separated, shooting towards five vital points on Xiao Yan’s body. The fierce wind caused Xiao Yan’s eyes to narrow.
“Such incredible speed…” The speed of the spiraling aura swords surprised Xiao Yan. At such close range, evading them completely was impossible. In the split second, he quickly shot out three strands of green flames from his fingertips. These small flames intercepted three of the spiraling aura swords, incinerating them as intended.
However, two of the aura swords still hit Xiao Yan’s arms. The impact of the swords on the battle qi armor produced a burst of sparks and a grating sound. After a moment, the energy dissipated, and two small holes appeared on Xiao Yan’s armor. Although the holes were being repaired by the battle qi, traces of blood were still visible. Clearly, this attack had left Xiao Yan with minor injuries.
Of course, these minor injuries would not affect Xiao Yan’s combat ability. After resisting this round of fierce attacks, he slammed his left foot hard on the ground. With a loud explosion, his body turned into a black shadow, almost skimming the ground, and quickly approached Nalan Yanran. His hands supported the ground, and his feet, filled with fierce energy, lashed out at her neck. The whooshing sound in the air indicated that Xiao Yan was not holding back.
Feeling Xiao Yan’s swift approach, Nalan Yanran’s eyebrows furrowed. She twisted her waist, and her body, like a willow in a storm, retreated just enough to exit Xiao Yan’s attack range. Without hesitation, she swung her sword, turning into a green shadow, slicing at Xiao Yan’s legs with lightning speed.
Sensing the icy sword qi near his legs, Xiao Yan suddenly extended his right hand forward, releasing a fierce, invisible force, which heavily struck Nalan Yanran’s chest.
The sudden attack pushed Nalan Yanran back several steps, but with the protection of her battle qi armor, Xiao Yan’s offensive only neutralized her attack without causing significant damage.
Xiao Yan was well aware of this. He never expected this strike to cause Nalan Yanran much harm. As she retreated, he slapped the ground, causing the hard stone tiles to crack, and leaped, like a ghost, towards Nalan Yanran. Then, like a volcano erupting, he launched his fiercest attack since entering the arena.
Xiao Yan excelled in close combat. At this moment, every part of his body—hands, arms, elbows, legs, and head—became deadly weapons. As he swung his elbows, the terrifying power generated a series of sonic booms in the air. Each missed attack left a deep imprint on the stone tiles.
Facing Xiao Yan’s fierce and relentless assault, Nalan Yanran did not show any weakness. Though caught in close quarters, she skillfully dodged Xiao Yan’s attacks with her unique movement techniques. Her sword sliced through the air, leaving numerous cuts on the ground.
As the battle intensified, powerful battle qi surged from both fighters, and the square echoed with the sounds of intense energy explosions. In the arena, green light flashed, and searing battle qi and sharp sword auras continuously shot out from the green glow. The two figures moved swiftly, the sounds of clashing steel and sword ringing constantly filling the air. The ferocity of their attacks grew increasingly shocking.
Looking at the two indistinct, flickering figures in the arena, the surrounding Cloud Rending Sect disciples’ faces were slightly stunned. In the previous stalemate, they could clearly feel that Nalan Yanran had used at least three intermediate-level fighting techniques. However, these techniques, which should have easily defeated opponents stronger than her, were all neutralized by Xiao Yan, who was clearly weaker. Now, these Cloud Rending Sect disciples finally understood that the talk of Xiao Yan being a waste and presumptuous, which their fellow disciples often mentioned, was utterly foolish! To be able to fight the Cloud Rending Sect’s most outstanding young disciple, Nalan Yanran, for so long without showing any signs of defeat, it was clear that the handsome young man before them was no ordinary person!
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