Xiao Yan's Increasingly Twisted Nature

Although he was unwilling to accept it, Xiao Ning felt much better when he thought that the one sitting beside Xun Er would not be Xiao Yan, but Xiao Se, who had no interest in Xun Er whatsoever.

"Clan Leader, three Elders." Seeing Xiao Ning take his seat, Xiao Se slowly stepped forward and respectfully bowed to Xiao Zhan and the three Elders seated above.

"Mm, find a seat wherever you like." Xiao Zhan waved a hand casually. He already had enough troubles at the moment and had no time to pay attention to an ordinary junior of the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Se did not care about Xiao Zhan's attitude in the slightest. He was only putting on a show anyway. Once he left to gain experience, whether he would return was another matter entirely.

Looking around, Xiao Se found that the only empty seat in the entire hall was beside Xiao Xun'er. Naturally, he walked over to the vacant seat next to her.

"Miss Xun'er, you do not mind if I sit here, do you?" Xiao Se asked neither humbly nor arrogantly, without the slightest hint of flattery in his tone.

Xun Er glanced in Xiao Yan's direction. Seeing that he still had no intention of sitting beside her, she said to Xiao Se, "Cousin Xiao Se, please, go ahead."

"Mm." Xiao Se nodded slightly, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes to rest.

Seeing Xiao Se sit beside Xiao Xun'er so calmly, the young men and women of the Xiao Clan around them could not help feeling sour. Several people had tried to sit there earlier, only to be rejected by Xun Er every time.

Even Xiao Yan shot Xiao Se a resentful glare. His hand, hidden within his sleeve, clenched so tightly that his fingers turned white. Recalling the scene from two months ago, when Xun Er and Xiao Se had been "chatting and laughing" in front of his courtyard gate, he grew even more furious and wished he could go over and beat Xiao Se up.

Xiao Se naturally sensed the reactions of Xiao Yan and some of the Xiao Clan youths, but he paid them no mind. The Xiao Clan was merely a temporary stop for him.

"Ahem..." The Great Elder of the Xiao Clan looked around. Once he saw that all the direct descendants of the Xiao Clan had arrived, he turned to Xiao Zhan and said indifferently, "Clan Leader, since everyone is here, let the Clan Meeting begin."

Xiao Zhan frowned and waved his hand helplessly. "The Clan Meeting begins..."

After a round of meaningless discussion, the Clan Meeting finally neared its end.

Xiao Zhan swept his gaze over the crowd with an indifferent expression and said solemnly, "Everyone, are there any other proposals? If not, this Clan Meeting is concluded."

At those words, the Great Elder gave a meaningful look to a bearded middle-aged man beside Xiao Ning.

"Clan Leader, three Elders, I have something to say." The bearded middle-aged man rose to his feet and cupped his hands toward Xiao Zhan and the three Elders.

Seeing the bearded man stand, Xiao Zhan frowned. "Xiao Ba, what is it? Speak."

"Hehe, Xiao Ba, your cultivation has reached seven-star Dou Master. You are an indispensable member of our Xiao Clan. Any suggestion you raise will be carefully considered by the Clan Leader and us Elders," the Great Elder said with a smile.

"Yes, yes..." The other two Elders immediately voiced their agreement.

Seeing the three Elders nod, Xiao Ba took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I propose stripping Xiao Yan of his position as Young Clan Leader."

The moment those words fell, they were like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring up a thousand waves.

Crack! Xiao Zhan's face darkened to the extreme as the jade cup in his hand was crushed into powder.

The atmosphere in the hall became exceedingly strange.

There was shock, regret, and sympathy—but even more people were taking pleasure in his misfortune.

"Hehe, two months ago, he was still a Dou Zhe at the testing ceremony. A month ago, he had fallen to Four Stages of Dou Qi, and now he only has Three Stages of Dou Qi left. Let's see how you, the 'greatest genius of the Xiao Clan in a hundred years,' can keep acting so arrogantly in the future."

Ever since the matter of Xiao Yan's disappearing Dou Qi had been exposed, some of the younger generation had abandoned their former submissive attitudes. Upon hearing Xiao Ba propose stripping Xiao Yan of his position as Young Clan Leader, their expressions immediately became animated. Their gazes toward Xiao Yan now carried mockery and ridicule.

Looking at Xiao Zhan's extremely dark expression, cold sweat dripped down Xiao Ba's forehead. Yet after seeing the reassuring looks the three Elders gave him, he still chose to steel himself.

"Clan Leader, I know Xiao Yan is your son, but for the sake of the Xiao Clan, this must be done. In the past, as Young Clan Leader, Xiao Yan received more than half of the cultivation resources distributed by the clan to the younger generation. If he were still exceptionally talented, that would be nothing. But now he only has Three Stages of Dou Qi left. If things continue as before, not only will the clan's resources be wasted for nothing, it will also hinder the cultivation progress of other geniuses. This... is simply not worth it." Xiao Ba let out a helpless sigh and spoke in a deep voice.

At the mention of cultivation resources, the younger generation in the hall burst into murmurs, voicing sour remarks that even they themselves did not truly believe.

"No wonder Xiao Yan cultivated so quickly. We can only take a Medicinal Bath once every ten days or half a month, while he practically soaked in medicine jars every day. If it were me, I could have become a Dou Zhe before the age of twelve too."

"Hehe, Clan Leader, I think Xiao Ba's words make a great deal of sense. We should not waste cultivation resources on someone without talent." The Great Elder smiled at Xiao Zhan, placing particular emphasis on the words "without talent."

"That's right, Clan Leader. We should use those resources to nurture more geniuses for the Xiao Clan," the Second Elder added.

"I agree with Xiao Ba's proposal." The Third Elder nodded.

"I agree as well..."

With the three Elders taking the lead, some elders who held influence and authority within the clan also spoke up one after another. They all wanted to secure more for their own children.

"You..." Xiao Zhan's face was now dark to the extreme. He felt utterly stifled and was on the verge of striking someone. He had never expected these three Old Foxes to have incited so many people.

Just as Xiao Zhan was caught in a dilemma, Xiao Yan's voice, suppressing his fury, suddenly exploded through the hall.

"Three Elders, Steward Xiao Ba, I can give up the resources, but as for stripping me of the position of Young Clan Leader, I may not agree."

The hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone's gaze abruptly turned toward Xiao Yan, who was roaring from the farthest corner.

"Xiao Yan, this is a Clan Meeting. What right do you have to speak? Shut your mouth at once!" The Second Elder's expression darkened as he shouted angrily.

"Xiao Yan, step back. This is a Clan Meeting. We elders will naturally decide the specific arrangements," the Third Elder said blandly.

At those words, Xiao Yan slowly rose to his feet. A mocking smile curled across his lips as he sneered, "Why did you not dare speak to me like this two months ago? Was it because you feared my cultivation talent, afraid that I would take revenge on you after becoming strong?"

His gaze shifted as he swept it across the younger generation in the hall. When he saw Xiao Mei's evasive eyes, the mocking curve of his lips deepened. He had finally seen through the ugly face of this clan.

Yet Xiao Yan did not notice in the slightest that his own past arrogant and overbearing conduct had been no different from those who now mocked him. Only the roles had changed.