Challenge (Request Collection, Request Recommendation)

Watching Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yan chatting and laughing together, the young men all cried out that a flower had been stuck in a pile of dung.

"Brother Xiao Xie is here!" Someone shouted, and everyone's eyes turned toward Xiao Xie. Seeing everyone staring at him, Xiao Xie forced out a smile that vanished in an instant.

"Ah!!! Brother Xiao Xie smiled at me!"

"Get lost! Brother Xiao Xie was obviously smiling at me!"

"So handsome! I love him!"

"Xiao Xie, I challenge you!" Seeing Xiao Xie steal the limelight, Xiao Ning, already in a bad mood, walked up to him. Xiao Ning had been defeated by Xiao Xie before, but back then he had not yet broken through to Eight Stage Dou Qi. Now that he had advanced, he naturally wanted to challenge Xiao Xie again. More importantly, Xiao Xie was the Number One of the Xiao Family's Younger Generation anyway, so losing would not be embarrassing. But if he won, he would hit the jackpot.

"Oh? Are you sure?" Xiao Xie looked at Xiao Ning with a teasing expression. He knew Xiao Ning's little scheme perfectly well, but since Xiao Ning was willing to step forward and let him establish his prestige, Xiao Xie had no reason to refuse.

Xiao Ning felt somewhat guilty under Xiao Xie's gaze, but he forced himself to say, "That's right! I challenge you!"

"Then make your move!" Xiao Xie stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "One move! You only have one chance to attack. Use all your strength!"

Looking at Xiao Xie, who stood with his hands behind his back and appeared full of openings, Xiao Ning somehow felt unnerved. For a moment, he did not know where to strike.

"Go on! Xiao Ning, attack already! Don't waste Older Cousin Xiao Xie's time!"

"Hurry up and attack! Don't chicken out!"

"Go on..."

The nearby Xiao Family disciples grew impatient at his continued hesitation and began to jeer.

"Stone Crushing Fist!" Xiao Ning saw Xiao Xie looking at him with a teasing expression and roared in humiliation and anger. His right hand clenched into a fist, wrapped in a faint layer of Dou Qi. It was the Yellow Rank mid-grade Dou Technique, Stone Crushing Fist. Carrying tremendous force, his right fist smashed toward the seemingly defenseless Xiao Xie.

"Older Cousin Xiao Xie, watch out!"

"That's the Yellow Rank mid-grade Dou Technique, Stone Crushing Fist!"

"Trivial trick!" Faced with Xiao Ning's all-out strike, Xiao Xie merely shifted his body slightly and evaded the punch. Then, with lightning speed, he turned his right hand into a blade and struck Xiao Ning's neck with a chopping blow.

"How is that possible..." Xiao Ning's vision went black, and he fainted.

The entire venue fell deathly silent. No one found Xiao Ning's defeat surprising, but seeing him lose so easily was truly shocking. The last time Xiao Ning had been at the seventh stage of Dou Qi, he had managed to exchange ten moves with Xiao Xie. Yet now, after breaking through to Eight Stage Dou Qi, he could not even last one move against him.

Seeing this, Xiao Xun'er's eyes narrowed. The last time she had sparred with Xiao Xie, she had lost by half a move, but she had been able to sense that Xiao Xie possessed the strength of a Two Star Dou Zhe then. Yet now, she could not see through his strength at all. Xiao Xun'er smiled faintly. "Xiao Xie, you've grown stronger again!"

"Older Cousin Xiao Xie is the best!"

"Xiao Xie!"

"Xiao Xie!"

After the brief silence, the crowd erupted. He was too strong! They did not think Xiao Ning was weak, because most of them were inferior to Xiao Ning. That only proved how strong Xiao Xie was.

"Older Cousin Xiao Xie is so handsome!" Xiao Mei secretly thought as she watched the calm Xiao Xie in the center of the field.

"Older Cousin Xiao Xie! Xun'er would like to spar with you too!" A pleasant voice suddenly came from beyond the crowd. Xiao Xun'er made her way through the crowd and slowly approached Xiao Xie.

At Xiao Xun'er's words, everyone immediately grew excited. As the second strongest of the Xiao Family's younger generation, Xiao Xun'er had only lost to Xiao Xie by half a move in their previous match. Everyone hoped to see another high-level battle.

Xiao Xie looked at Xiao Xun'er before him, a rare smile appearing on his face. "It seems Cousin Xun'er has improved greatly recently."

"Older Cousin Xiao Xie has improved even faster. Xun'er can't even see through your strength anymore!" Xiao Xun'er's bright, watery eyes curved into lovely crescents as she said with a grin.

"Cousin Xun'er, you attack first!" Xiao Xie said calmly, standing with his hands behind his back.

"Damn it! Why does Xiao Xun'er get to chat and laugh with Older Cousin Xiao Xie?" The other girls watched Xiao Xie and Xiao Xun'er talking and laughing, filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

"Then Older Cousin Xiao Xie, be careful!" Xiao Xun'er lightly tapped the ground with her toes, her body shooting toward Xiao Xie like an arrow released from a bow. A faint golden glow emerged from her small hand as she struck toward Xiao Xie's chest.

Interesting. She's already a Three Star Dou Zhe? As expected of the Ancient Clan's Little Princess. If I hadn't taken the Six-Pattern Dou Zhe Pill and the second-grade Barrier Breaking Pill, I'd probably only be a Three Star Dou Zhe right now. Xiao Xie watched Xiao Xun'er attack and thought to himself. He had to admit that Xiao Xun'er's talent was extraordinary. But things were different now—he was a One Star Dou Shi, and the gap in strength between them was simply too vast.

"Hmph!" Seeing Xiao Xie slightly turn aside to evade her attack, Xiao Xun'er gave a soft snort. She was not Xiao Ning. With a light tap of her feet, she twisted her body and turned both hands, striking at Xiao Xie once more with the attack he had evaded.

"Oh?" Facing Xiao Xun'er's attack, Xiao Xie shifted his feet and instantly stepped backward, leaving only an afterimage where he had stood.

Xiao Xun'er's attack hit only Xiao Xie's afterimage, missing his real body by merely a few inches. Yet those few inches were like an insurmountable chasm. Xiao Xun'er's expression changed slightly. With another tap of her toes, she attacked Xiao Xie again, yet she was still only a few inches short—always just a little short.

Watching the two figures chase each other around the field like fluttering butterflies, their movements graceful and elegant, everyone found four words surfacing in their minds: a golden boy and jade girl.

An unreadable expression appeared on Xiao Yan's face. He had originally thought that after his talent returned, he would become the Number One of the Xiao Family's Younger Generation. But now, seeing Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Xie, it was clear that both of them had strength beyond the Dou Zhe realm. Even if his talent had never declined over the past two years, Xiao Yan was not confident he could defeat either of them.

"I'm not fighting anymore! Brother Xiao Xie, you're bullying me!" After dozens of exchanges, Xiao Xun'er stopped and glared at Xiao Xie indignantly. Every attack had come so close, yet always fallen just short. It was unbearably frustrating, like hope was right in front of her—only a little away—but she could neither grasp nor touch it.

Xiao Xun'er had originally intended to test Xiao Xie's strength, but who would have thought that Xiao Xie could make her suffer so much simply by dodging? Wasn't she just making herself miserable?

Xiao Xie stopped and smiled. "I haven't even struck back. How am I bullying you..."

Before Xiao Xie could finish, Xiao Xun'er moved, her small hand striking toward him again.

"Cheeky!" Xiao Xie was briefly stunned by Xiao Xun'er's sudden sneak attack. He slightly turned aside to evade it, then wrapped his right hand in a faint layer of Dou Qi and grabbed Xiao Xun'er's small hand. Under Xiao Xun'er's astonished gaze, he extended his left hand and gently tapped her Jade Nose.

Then Xiao Xie ignored the dazed Xiao Xun'er and turned to the others, saying calmly, "All right, stop slacking off. Get back to training." With that, Xiao Xie walked to the other side of the hall, took out a Dou Technique scroll, found a quieter spot, and began reading it quietly.

"Little girl, don't be angry. Here, have a lollipop. You can forgive Brother Xiao Xie now, right?"

For some reason, an image suddenly flashed through Xun Er's mind. But what was a lollipop? As she looked at Xiao Xie, she somehow felt an inexplicable sense of closeness rise within her. Shaking her head, Xun Er stopped dwelling on it, set aside her doubts, and returned to Xiao Yan's side.

Hearing Xiao Xie's words, the others hurriedly began training as well. However, they would occasionally glance toward the distant figure watching the dou skills.

For the rest of the day, Xiao Xie remained in the Dou Skills Hall. During that day, the Xiao Clan disciples trained even harder than usual. Even Xiao Xie was studying so seriously—if you lot still refused to work hard, did you even have a future?

"Not bad gains today!" Back in his room, Xiao Xie looked at his Worship Points, which had risen to over two hundred, and nodded in satisfaction. He had gained more than eighty Worship Points in a single day. His long act as a cold and aloof male god had not gone to waste.

A new book needed the brothers' support. Request Collection, recommendations, anything and everything!