Visitors from the Yunlan Sect

Beside the Seven Star Great Dou Master sat a man and a woman. The man was handsome, the woman alluring—a striking pair.

The man looked to be no more than twenty, his face full of arrogance, his eyes seemingly fixed atop his head.

Of course, he had every right to be arrogant. Five golden stars were embroidered on his chest, signifying that this young man was a Five Star Dou Zhe.

Everyone knew what such a young Dou Zhe represented. The Xiao Clan girls kept shooting him flirtatious glances, hoping to catch his eye and rise to become a phoenix.

Yet the young man turned a blind eye to those glances. His eyes held only the girl beside him, and he could not even be bothered to spare anyone else a look.

The young girl had crescent-shaped brows and star-like eyes, like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting. Her beauty was actually on par with Xiao Xun'er's; each possessed her own unique charm.

No wonder the young man's eyes held only this girl and he could not be bothered with the other Xiao Clan girls. Compared to her, they were nothing but vulgar beauties. Given the chance to marry a fairy, who would still want these ordinary girls?

Crystal-clear jade pendants hung from the girl's ears. As her body moved, they chimed softly, adding a touch of ethereal grace to her.

What made the Xiao Clan youths feel most inferior was that the girl was not only incomparably beautiful, but her cultivation also surpassed theirs by far. Three stars were embroidered prominently on her chest, marking her as a Three Star Dou Zhe.

Xiao Yan also drew in a sharp breath. For someone so young to be a Three Star Dou Zhe—if she had not been forcibly elevated with medicine, then her talent must have reached an astonishing level for her to enter the Dou Zhe realm before even reaching adulthood.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath before finally pulling his gaze away from the girl.

"Father, Three Great Elders." Xiao Yan strode forward and bowed to the clan head and the three elders.

"Hehe, Yan Er is here. Come, sit down." Xiao Zhan stopped speaking with the guests and said to Xiao Yan with a smile.

Unlike his father, the clan head, the Three Great Elders openly displayed their disdain for Xiao Yan. They could not even be bothered to say a word to him. Each merely snorted coldly and turned away.

Xiao Yan did not mind. This was not the first time, and he had long since grown used to it. He walked to the side, intending to find a seat.

But to his astonishment, he discovered that there was no seat for him at all. Every chair was occupied, and no one showed the slightest intention of standing to make room for him. They had completely ignored him, the young clan head.

"Hehe, I never thought my status as young clan head in the Xiao Clan had fallen this low. They even removed the seat that was supposed to be mine. Those three old bastards are deliberately trying to humiliate me before outsiders." Xiao Yan clenched his fists tightly, his face bitter.

Seeing Xiao Yan make a fool of himself, all the Xiao Clan youths burst into laughter. Clearly, they thoroughly enjoyed humiliating him.

"Second Elder, you..." Seeing his son deliberately humiliated by his own clan, and before guests no less, even Xiao Zhan could not suppress his surging anger despite his normally calm temperament.

"Ahem, my sincerest apologies. I actually forgot about the Third Young Master. Clan Head, please do not be angry. I'll have someone prepare a seat immediately." The Second Elder pretended to have only just realized it, completely ignoring Xiao Zhan's anger as he spoke in a mocking tone.

It was easy to see from this that although the Xiao Clan was not large, it was far from harmonious within. They delighted in scheming against and undermining one another, without the slightest attempt to conceal it even in the presence of outsiders.

A clan like this had no future at all. Forget development—it would be fortunate if it was not wiped out.

In truth, if Xiao Yan had not risen to the occasion at a critical moment, the Xiao Clan would not have been far from annihilation.

"Brother Xiao Yan, come sit here!" Just as Xiao Yan simmered with anger, a gentle voice called out.

There was no need to guess. In the entire Xiao Clan, aside from his father Xiao Zhan, only one person treated Xiao Yan well: the kind-hearted and beautiful Xiao Xun'er.

At Xiao Xun'er's words, the Three Great Elders moved their lips, but ultimately said nothing in opposition. A trace of apprehension flashed through their eyes.

Clearly, Xiao Xun'er held a special position in the Xiao Clan. Even the arrogant Three Great Elders did not dare do anything to her, instead showing traces of ingratiation.

Xiao Xun'er sat in a corner with a book in her hands. The book was now closed, and she looked at Xiao Yan with a radiant smile.

Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, hesitation flashing across his face. But looking at the girl's gentle smile, he still unconsciously walked over and sat down beside her.

"You helped me out again. In the Xiao Clan, aside from Father, you're the only one who sincerely treats me well." Xiao Yan sighed softly.

"Uncle Xiao Xian treats you quite well too." Xiao Xun'er covered her mouth and giggled.

"That's right, there's also Uncle Xiao Xian." Xiao Yan was briefly stunned before he smiled.

Although Xiao Yan was smiling, his heart was filled with bitterness. In the vast Xiao Clan, with several hundred people, only three treated him well. The rest either disliked the sight of him or wished he were dead. To live life to such a point was unprecedented, if not unmatched.

The Xiao Clan's internal conflicts had reached the point where everyone knew about them. As the clan head, Xiao Zhan felt deeply embarrassed, but with guests present, he could not force the issue. He could only swallow his anger for now.

"Brother Xiao Yan, do you know who these people are?" Xiao Xun'er smiled as she looked at Xiao Yan, who was so bored that he was practically dozing off.

How the hell would I know who these people are?

Xiao Yan thought irritably.

"You know?"

Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Xun'er's half-smiling expression, his face full of surprise.

"Do you see the Cloud Silver Sword embroidered on their cuffs?" Xiao Xun'er pointed at the cuffs of the three people.

Following Xiao Xun'er's slender jade hand, Xiao Yan indeed saw the image of a silver sword wreathed in clouds on their cuffs.

"They're from the Yunlan Sect?" Xiao Yan exclaimed in surprise.

Although he had never gone out to gain experience, that did not mean Xiao Yan knew nothing of the forces on the Dou Qi Continent. Every sect had its own distinctive emblem, and the Cloud Silver Sword was the symbol of the Yunlan Sect.

This sect was no small matter. It was the undisputed behemoth of the Gama Empire, controlling the fate of everyone within the Gama Empire.

The Xiao Clan was merely one of the three great clans in Wutan City, a city ranked near the bottom among the Gama Empire's many cities. The Yunlan Sect, meanwhile, was a force that stood above the Gama Empire. Compared to the Yunlan Sect, the Xiao Clan was like a firefly beside the bright moon, as insignificant as dust. Any elder of the Yunlan Sect possessed the power to destroy the Xiao Clan.

No wonder the Three Great Elders, who usually held their heads high in pride, treated these people with such reverence, to the point of fawning over them. Even his normally imposing father did not dare offend them with his words.