Battle Begins

In the arena, after Na Lan Yan Ran stood up, Yun Leng, who was in the center of the dozen or so white-robed elders above her, looked up at Xiao Yan and slowly spoke after a long while.

"So you are Xiao Yan?"

As Xiao Yan's gaze swept over Yun Leng, he realized that Misty Cloud Sect, because after he spoke, the other elderly men in similar robes around him remained silent.

Since he had already mentioned his name beforehand, Xiao Yan simply nodded slightly.

"I am Misty Cloud Sect, the Great Elder of the Yun Leng. Today, I will preside over this Three-Year Agreement. The purpose of this contest is to exchange skills and make friendly competition..."

Because Yun Yun was accompanying Xiao Ming, Yun Leng presided over the competition. However, before he could finish speaking, a soft voice suddenly rang out, interrupting him.

"Life and death are left to fate," Xiao Yan said calmly. If Xiao Zhan were present and heard this, it's hard to know what he would think.

All eyes in the arena followed the sound and finally settled on the silent Black-Robed Youth. Each person's expression was slightly different. Many people did not expect Xiao Yan to say such a thing. After all, his opponent was the successor to the Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect, whom he was grooming, while he had only reached the Dou Qi Stage Three.

For the first time, Na Lan Yan Ran's expression shifted—it was surprise. She nodded slightly and said in a cold voice, "Suit yourself! However, I will spare your life."

Upon hearing Na Lan Yan Ran's reply, Yun Leng frowned slightly. Xiao Yan's sudden interruption displeased this Great Elder, who held a significant position in the Misty Cloud Sect. He knew that Xiao Yan had long since shed his reputation as a good-for-nothing, but Na Lan Yan Ran's talent was equally remarkable. Furthermore, with the Misty Cloud Sect's nurturing, her progress was nothing short of miraculous. However, if Battle Begins, Yun Leng didn't have high hopes for Xiao Yan.

He originally only wanted the two of them to have a casual competition, to stop short of causing any embarrassment, but Xiao Yan said so and Na Lan Yan Ran agreed, what could he do?

Yun Leng wasn't a bad person. If he were truly a ruthless and heartless villain, he wouldn't have caused such a ruckus at the Xiao Family in the Original Work, but only damaged some houses. However, he wasn't very magnanimous either, otherwise he wouldn't have caused such a ruckus at the Xiao Family.

"Young man, always leave yourself a way out. But since you insist on this, then so be it. Life and death are up to fate."

As she said this, Yun Leng glanced up at Xiao Ming beside Yun Yun and muttered to herself, "It wasn't my idea to leave life and death to fate. If something really happens, I doubt Master Xiao Ming would have any reason to blame our Misty Cloud Sect."

Xiao Yan sneered, gripped the handle of the ruler and yanked it sharply, the Heavy Xuan Ruler stirring up a gust of wind, pointing diagonally at the ground, his gaze fixed on Na Lan Yan Ran.

"Today we settle all past grievances. The shame you brought upon my father and me three years ago, return it today!"

Na Lan Yan Ran slowly drew her longsword, the blade tilted, reflecting a chilling light in the sunlight, and said in an extremely serious voice:

"Shame? After defeating you, I will apologize to Uncle Xiao myself, but I will never acknowledge the marriage agreement made between your grandfather and my grandfather before his death. I will make my own decisions about my marriage. Even though three years have passed, I do not believe that I made a mistake back then. I have the right to choose my own destiny."

"Enough talk, let's fight!"

Xiao Yan unleashed a fierce Dou Qi, flames seemed to swirl around the surface of his black Heavy Xuan Ruler, and his robes were swept up and down by the shockwave as he suddenly shouted.

Upon hearing this, Na Lan Yan Ran drew her sword, lightly touched the stone steps with her toes, and then leaped up, landing slowly in the center of the square like a willow catkin.

A pale blue Dou Qi Vortex swirled around the longsword, and a chilling white light shone on its blade, revealing its sharp edge. The longsword was swung, pointing at Xiao Yan.

"The Three-Year Agreement has been reached. Your past grievances will be completely settled today. I hope that after today, all entanglements will be resolved..."

On the stone platform, Yun Leng looked at the two who had become locked in a fierce confrontation, and coughed lightly. However, before he could speak, his expression turned somewhat ugly as he stopped talking. At this moment, Xiao Yan, under the watchful eyes of countless people, ignored his words and broke the stalemate. With a swing of his heavy ruler, his body suddenly transformed into a black shadow, charging fiercely towards Na Lan Yan Ran.

"Fight! Na Lan Yan Ran! I've been waiting for this day for three years!" Xiao Yan roared in a deep, muffled voice.

With a powerful stomp of his foot on the ground and swinging the Heavy Xuan Ruler, Xiao Yan leaped towards Nalan Yan like an arrow, the surrounding air being pushed apart, creating a series of sonic booms.

Na Lan Yan Ran calmly watched the charging black figure. Her Cultivation Method were Wind Attribute, so speed and agility were her greatest strengths. Just as Xiao Yan was about to close in on her within ten meters, Na Lan Yan Ran finally made her move. Her toes lightly touched the ground, and her body swayed and flickered like a leaf in a storm. In an instant, she passed by the charging black figure.

In the blink of an eye, Na Lan Yan Ran's longsword slashed out horizontally with remarkable ease. With the help of the impact from her movement, several small wind blades had already left the sword and were slicing towards Xiao Yan's neck.

Xiao Yan's pupils contracted, and he hurriedly withdrew the Heavy Xuan Ruler from his hand by a few inches, using the Black Ruler, as wide as a door panel, to protect his neck and block the long sword swirling with wind blades.

Clang!

The longsword struck the Black Ruler with a crisp clang, leaving not a single scratch.

The two locked eyes. Xiao Yan's eyes held a fierce and savage glint, like those of a bloodthirsty Magical Beast, while Na Lan Yan Ran remained as calm as ever, showing no surprise at the speed and power Xiao Yan displayed.

The Black Ruler and the longsword separated upon contact, along with the two figures, one in black and one in white, who instantly turned back into afterimages and engaged in a fierce battle.

Neither of them used Dou Skill at this moment; they relied solely on the speed of their weapons to fight each other. The clanging sound of the Black Ruler clashing with the longsword echoed continuously in the arena, and the air currents surged incessantly.

Even so, it still surprised many Misty Cloud Sect Disciples present. To be able to Young Sect Master to this extent, Xiao Yan was already quite strong.

"This little guy seems to have quite... well, quite a personality, and his strength is decent too." On the giant tree, Jia Xingtian glanced at Xiao Yan, then shook his head and said, "However, although his attacks seemed fierce, they didn't cause Na Lan Yan Ran much damage. The Misty Cloud Sect's Flying Movement Dou Technique is indeed well-deserved of its reputation."

"Hmm." Hai Bodong nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on Na Lan Yan Ran in the arena, and chuckled, "That girl from the Nalan Family is quite capable. It seems that Sect Master Yun has put a lot of effort into training her over the past three years."

With Hai Bodong and Jia Xingtian's keen eyesight, they could tell that Xiao Yan and Na Lan Yan Ran had not yet revealed their true strength. They simply made a brief comment at this moment, and Yun Yun, who was standing next to them, just smiled when she heard this.

She's put in a lot of effort to raise Yan Ran over the years, how could it be just this?

Yun Yun looked at Xiao Ming beside her, wanting to hear his thoughts.

However, she noticed that Xiao Ming didn't seem to care much about the competition.

Xiao Ming was of course not concerned about the competition itself. He didn't care whether Xiao Yan or Na Lan Yan Ran won; he was more interested in the great battle that would follow, which was his original purpose for coming to the Misty Cloud Sect.