Breakthrough

Xiao Xun'er had challenged Xiao Han solely to vent Xiao Yan's anger. Naturally, she had no intention of going easy on Xiao Han.

In the past, Xiao Xun'er had not been confident that she could defeat Xiao Han without using the Heavenly Flame, the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame. Now that she had advanced to a Two-star Dou Zhe, she was confident that with her pure Dou Qi and high-tier fighting skills, she could easily defeat Xiao Han.

"Good!"

The opportunity to fight Xiao Xun'er was exceedingly rare. There were some matters in which Xiao Han no longer wished to remain a silent lamb, and some truths that Xiao Xun'er needed to know.

Stone Shattering Palm

Xiao Han used the same move again, but his movements and speed had doubled.

"Five-star Fighter!"

Beside the arena, a Xiao Clan disciple cried out in shock. "Xiao Han has actually reached the level of a Five-star Fighter!"

"What? Fi... Five-star Fighter?"

The true strength Xiao Han revealed sent ripples through the hearts of the Xiao Clan disciples.

Xiao Han had actually reached the realm of a Five-star Fighter.

"Uncle, are you mistaken? Half a month ago, he was only at the Seventh Stage of Dou Qi. How could he rise several levels in half a month and reach the realm of a Five-star Fighter?"

One Xiao Clan disciple could not help questioning him.

As Dou Zhe, they could keenly sense another person's precise cultivation from the fluctuations emitted by their Dou Qi.

The speaker was an elder among the Xiao Clan members, someone who had already become a Dou Zhe. Though the Xiao Clan disciples had doubts, they knew that if these words came from him, they could not be wrong.

"My heavens, a Five-star Fighter. His talent has even surpassed Xiao Xun'er's."

"Xiao Han truly is the number one among our Xiao Clan's younger generation!"

"That's right. If that genius back then had not fallen, I fear he would be the only one capable of standing against Xiao Han today."

The genius of the past naturally referred to Xiao Yan.

Off to the side, Xiao Yan, who had been reading a cultivation technique scroll, froze slightly. His expression grew grave. Without realizing it, the gap between him and Xiao Han had grown wider and wider.

Bang

While everyone was still stunned by Xiao Han, the battle in the arena erupted once more.

Swallow Counterattack

The two used the same fighting skill, yet the outcome was slightly different. Xiao Xun'er still used force to redirect force and knocked Xiao Han back a step. Yet under Xiao Han's full-strength attack, Xiao Xun'er herself was also jolted back a step.

"How about we end it here?" Xiao Han said indifferently. "Even if Swallow Counterattack can use force to redirect force, the force of its counterattack is limited. In the end, the difference between our realms is simply too great."

Xiao Xun'er was a Two-star Dou Zhe, while Xiao Han was a Five-star Fighter. It seemed unfair, but in terms of fighting skills, Xiao Xun'er possessed an innate advantage. Relying on a Mysterious Tier Advanced Fighting Skill, she had forcibly fought Xiao Han, who only possessed a Yellow Tier Low Grade fighting skill, to a draw.

"Defeated? Not necessarily!"

Suddenly, faint golden light appeared beneath Xiao Xun'er's feet. Her speed was astonishing, her afterimages overlapping one another as she rushed before Xiao Han almost instantly.

"Master, danger!" System Xiao Ai cried out.

"Good opportunity. Now!" Xiao Han's expression tightened, but he remained motionless, waiting for Xiao Xun'er's attack to land.

Just as everyone thought Xiao Han had yet to react, Xiao Xun'er's jade-like, delicate hand also glowed with faint golden light. She struck Xiao Han with her palm.

At the same time, Xiao Xun'er lightly tapped the bluestone floor with her toe and gracefully spun in a circle, dispersing the force pushing her back. She looked suspiciously at Xiao Han, who had been sent more than ten steps away by her palm and fallen off the arena.

The arena fell silent as they watched Xiao Xun'er defeat Xiao Han with a single palm strike.

Xiao Xun'er had actually defeated Xiao Han despite being three minor realms below him.

"Huh, what's that?"

Suddenly, someone pointed at a scrap of cloth drifting down through the air.

The scrap was small and distinctive. Among the Xiao Clan disciples watching the match were quite a few female disciples. The moment they saw it, their faces flushed red.

Because it was no ordinary object, but something privately used by women.

"Huh!"

Xiao Xun'er raised her brow. The object looked incomparably familiar.

Xiao Han froze slightly. Since he was acting, he had to see it through. He climbed back onto the arena and anxiously tried to pick it up.

Seeing this, Xiao Xun'er extended her hand and retrieved the object through the air.

Looking at the menstrual belt in her hand, she saw that aside from the bloodstains, it bore a purple red-lotus pattern. There was also a small embroidered character: Xun! Xiao Xun'er's eyes went blank. This is... mine?

Xiao Xun'er had always been especially fond of purple. She had chosen the purple red-lotus pattern to make it easier to wash. As a well-bred young lady, she naturally kept such private items very carefully and had never lost one. In Xiao Xun'er's memory, there had only been one exception.

"Give it back to me!" Xiao Han stretched out his hand toward Xiao Xun'er and shouted softly.

Xiao Xun'er stared at Xiao Han and asked, "How did this end up on you?"

Seeing that Xiao Xun'er wanted answers, how could Xiao Han explain? Could he tell her the truth—that the previous Xiao Han had actually fallen for her long ago? It was only that the previous Xiao Han had been introverted and did not dare confess to Xiao Xun'er. Yet he liked her so much that every night, he secretly slipped into Xiao Xun'er's room and, with twisted intentions, tried to touch her skin while she slept.

Only, the first time, the previous Xiao Han sensed that Xiao Xun'er seemed about to wake up. Sneaking into a woman's room in the dead of night—how could that possibly be explained? There was no way to explain it! Thus, in his desperation, he came up with the method of nourishing her meridians with Dou Qi, a method that was entirely useless.

Of course, he had done all this so that even if Xiao Xun'er woke up, he would have an excuse for everything. He had found a righteous excuse for his absurd behavior.

It was not until he was discovered by Xiao Xun'er's guard, Ling Ying, that there was no next time.

"It's mine. Give it back to me!" Since he was acting, he had to act it out fully.

Xiao Han anxiously reached out to snatch it, but Xiao Xun'er instinctively drew her hand back. Avoiding his grab, she asked, "I'm asking you: how did this end up on you?"

Xiao Han might not remember, but Xiao Xun'er did.

When she had been young, she had been sent to the Xiao Clan. That had been the most helpless period of her life.

It was also from that time onward that, every night in the dead of night, a young man would secretly enter her room. He would nourish her meridians using the useless method of Dou Qi nourishment.

From that point on, someone had taken up residence in her heart.

Once, before that person arrived, she had leaned against the windowsill and personally seen that it was Xiao Yan. From then on, her heart had belonged to Xiao Yan.

Moreover, Xiao Xun'er clearly remembered that once, when her monthly bleeding came, "Xiao Yan" had again come to her room as usual. But by the next day, that private item had vanished.

Even now, Xiao Xun'er clearly remembered that she had searched for it for quite some time. She had originally thought it had been blown away by the wind or carried off by a rat. She never expected that the thing she had lost back then would be on Xiao Han.

Xiao Xun'er looked at Xiao Han, then at Xiao Yan in the eastern corner. Their builds were remarkably similar.

"Could it be..."

A guess surfaced in Xiao Xun'er's heart, so frightening that she hardly dared think further.