Soft words lingered in the dark of night. The man in white, with an icy gaze, stared at the defiant young man, without uttering another word. His hands slightly turned, and a faint silver-colored battle qi began to brew in his palms. Moreover, there was even a low, rumbling sound of thunder emanating from it.
“Lightning-attribute battle qi?” Hearing the rumble of thunder from the silver battle qi, a look of surprise flashed in Xiao Yan’s eyes. He hadn’t expected this guy to possess the same rare type of battle qi as his second brother, Xiao Li.
With a slight movement of his hand, a pale green battle qi surged out from his palm. Xiao Yan’s expression remained calm as he gazed at the man in white, whom he had met during the day, without any fear or timidity.
“Weaklings have no right to possess her,” the man in white said coldly, glancing indifferently at Xiao Yan, who did not retreat. With a sneer, he tapped a toe on the scattered stones, and his body suddenly transformed into a streak of silver light, slicing through the darkness, shooting towards Xiao Yan as fast as lightning.
In the dark, due to the man in white’s fierce attack, some faint rumbling sounds of thunder actually appeared out of nowhere.
The light rapidly expanded in Xiao Yan’s pitch-black pupils. His face remained calm as he slowly clenched his fist, and the pale green qi inside his fist slowly contracted and expanded like a small snake.
“Bai Shan, what are you doing?” Just as the silver light slashed through the night and Xiao Yan was about to retaliate unreservedly, a slightly angry shout suddenly broke the silence of the night. Following that, a beam of golden light shot out, intercepting the silver light mid-air. The two forces collided, causing a violent energy storm that sent fragments of stone flying in all directions.
As the voice rang out, Xiao Yan helplessly shook his head. His tightly clenched fists gradually relaxed, and he looked up at the man in white, who, after being intercepted by the golden light, retreated to a branch. A graceful, green-clad figure, like a flash, appeared by Xiao Yan’s side, with slightly furrowed brows, looking at the man in white on the branch with a hint of displeasure.
“Nothing, just wanted to spar with Junior Brother Xiao Yan,” the man in white said, his gaze lingering on the girl in green. Glancing coldly at Xiao Yan, he continued, “Why are you in such a hurry, Xuner? If Junior Brother Xiao Yan can’t even withstand my casual strike, how can he participate in the Inner Academy selection?”
“Senior Bai Shan, I respect you as a senior, so I was polite to you. But if you continue to be unreasonable, don’t blame me for not holding back,” Xuner said softly, calming down the anger in her heart.
Hearing this, Bai Shan’s expression changed slightly. Although their relationship wasn’t overly close since they met, he thought they could at least be considered friends. To hear Xuner speak to him in such a tone, even with his cunning, he couldn’t suppress his emotions, and his expression grew uglier.
“If you’re a man, don’t stand behind a woman.” Taking a deep breath, Bai Shan suppressed his anger and gave Xiao Yan a cold glance, sneering disdainfully.
“Bai Shan, don’t overdo it,” Xuner said, her face slightly darkening. In a flash, golden energy condensed in her palm. Bai Shan’s repeated provocations against Xiao Yan had touched her bottom line.
“Girl, stay back. These things should be handled by men,” a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed Xuner’s wrist. She turned around and saw Xiao Yan, a faint smile on his face. Knowing him well, she understood that he was very serious at such moments. Hesitating for a moment, she nodded and took a step back.
“Do you really want to fight?” Taking a step forward, Xiao Yan twisted his neck and, with a smile, glanced at Bai Shan on the branch.
“If you do, I have no objections,” Bai Shan replied, snapping his white sleeve, his voice cold. Seeing Xuner, who always kept her distance from him, so obedient to Xiao Yan, a wave of jealousy surged in his heart. With his appearance, strength, and cultivation talent, wasn’t he better than this Xiao Yan? But why… did she always ignore him?
“I object,” a cold voice suddenly came from the pavilion. Rui Lin, the mentor, appeared, her face somewhat unwell, as she sternly said, “Bai Shan, your behavior is against the school rules. If you want to challenge, wait for the selection. Coming here in the middle of the night is not only inappropriate but also shameful.”
Seeing that even Rui Lin was alerted, Xiao Yan helplessly shook his head, knowing that the fight tonight was unlikely to happen. He retracted his battle qi, pulled Xuner, and turned towards the pavilion.
“Xiao Yan, I hope you won’t be eliminated in the selection. Weaklings have no right to anything. I hope you won’t hide behind a woman again. Xuner’s man shouldn’t be a coward, right?” Bai Shan said indifferently, watching their backs.
*Whoosh!*
A sharp wind sounded, and a forceful qi pierced the darkness, slamming towards Bai Shan’s face.
Noticing the approaching force, a cold light flashed in Bai Shan’s eyes. He flicked his finger, and a strand of silver light shot out, colliding with the forceful qi and turning it into a cloud of dust. It turned out that the source was a piece of stone.
“Stop being as long-winded as a woman. You must be Bai Shan, right? So-called great figures are nothing more than this. You’re an expert at petty jealousy. But now, there’s no need to be so sharp-tongued. We’ll see each other in the selection,” Xiao Yan’s cold, indifferent voice slowly echoed.
“If you lose, will you leave her?” Bai Shan sneered.
“Are you sure you’re Bai Shan and not a fool?” Xiao Yan, about to enter the pavilion, paused, turned, and looked at Bai Shan with an ironclad face. Shaking his head in pity, he pulled Xuner, who was barely holding back laughter, into the pavilion.
“Ah, go back,” Rui Lin, the mentor, sighed, unable to bear the sight of Bai Shan’s sullen face. This person was usually very steady, but why was he so agitated in front of Xiao Yan today? It seemed his thoughts for Xuner were quite deep, or else he wouldn’t have lost his composure like this.
After saying this, Rui Lin turned and floated into the pavilion, leaving Bai Shan alone, his face alternating between blue and white, feeling the cold night wind on the branch.
Standing on the branch, Bai Shan took a deep breath of the icy air, his fists slowly clenching. “I didn’t expect to be so affected for her. So, she must be mine. That Xiao Yan… I’ll defeat him in the selection. How can the woman I, Bai Shan, set my eyes on, run away? And such an excellent woman, how is that Xiao Yan worthy of her?”
After speaking, Bai Shan’s face gradually calmed down. He glanced indifferently at the pavilion, lightly tapped the branch, and his body floated down, disappearing into the dark night.
By the window of the pavilion, Xiao Yan watched the distant white figure, his eyes narrowing, a cold light flashing. Turning to Xuner, he helplessly shook his head. “Girl, how have you been these past two years?”
“Hmm,” Xuner nodded gently, her delicate hand holding Xiao Yan’s, her face warm and gentle.
Pulling Xuner to sit by the window, Xiao Yan looked up at the stars in the sky, suddenly smiling. “Do you want to know how I’ve been these past two years?”
“Hmm,” Xuner nodded again, cradling Xiao Yan’s hand between both of hers, feeling the faint warmth.
Gently stroking Xuner’s silky, waist-length hair, he paused for a moment before recounting, in a slightly hoarse voice, the events that had happened after leaving Wu Tan City. Of course, he glossed over his entanglements with certain women and the absolute secret matters like the Heavenly Flame.
Leaving Wu Tan City, entering the Monster Beast Mountains, crossing the desert, causing a ruckus in the Mo Family, entering the Imperial City, overwhelming everyone at the Alchemist Conference, going to the Yun Lian Sect, defeating Nalan Yanran, fighting the entire sect, killing a Dou Wang, and finally escaping from a Battle Sect… One after another, thrilling and heart-stirring events were recounted by Xiao Yan in a calm tone.
Though the words were plain, the perilous situations they contained still made one’s heart clench.
By the window, the faint moonlight bathed the young man and the girl, covering them in a thin layer of silver gossamer.
Long after Xiao Yan finished speaking, Xuner fell into a tranquil state, her head resting gently on his shoulder. Even though she already knew most of the events, hearing them again from Xiao Yan made her feel a surge of emotion. These past two years, he had suffered a lot.
“Brother Xiao Yan, when you return to the Jia Ma Empire, I believe the Yun Lian Sect will no longer be able to stop you,” Xuner said softly, smiling.
Xiao Yan smiled, looking up at the vast starry sky.
In a corner not far from the two, Rui Lin, the mentor, leaned against the wall, her chest rising and falling, a look of shock on her face.
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