Zero Dou Technique Speedrun!

Although it was only a Yellow-tier low-grade Dou Technique, Xiao Ning was extremely certain that his opponent's undefended behavior probably wouldn't even last a single move in his hands.

Eighth Stage versus Third Stage, the advantage was his!

Striking with a flurry of wind-breaking sounds, the speed of Xiao Ning's palm appeared somewhat blurred under the enhancement of the Dou Technique, showcasing the power of this strike.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan remained unruffled, abruptly shifting his figure and slightly raising his palm, nimbly and swiftly drilling into the inner side of Xiao Ning's arm. Exerting a trace of force, the palm blade carrying wisps of Dou Qi ruthlessly chopped down just below Xiao Ning's wrist.

Xiao Ning, who had poured all his Dou Qi into his fingers, changed expression drastically. He completely failed to anticipate that the opponent's reaction would be so swift, and the sudden attack on the vulnerable spot of his wrist caused his entire body's momentum to stall, forcefully interrupting the attack trajectory of this Dou Technique and forcing him to rapidly withdraw and retreat.

Xiao Ning's figure looked somewhat disheveled as he asked in shock and anger, You, you are not at the Third Stage of Dou Qi?!

With this kind of speed, coupled with such a forceful attack, even a fool could see that the opponent's previous actions were not scared out of his wits at all; they were clearly premeditated!

Looking at his red, swollen, and twitching wrist, a nameless terror welled up in the depths of Xiao Ning's heart. Roughly sensing the strength from the force of the blow, this power was probably at or above the Fifth Stage of Dou Qi.

In the span of a month, going from the third stage to the fifth stage—let alone seeing it, he had never even heard of such a thing.

Sure enough, when Xiao Ning uttered these words, the crowd on the grounds, who had already been wearing expressions of shock, broke into an even greater uproar, feeling as though their perceptions had been completely subverted.

Only Xun'er, seated upon the platform, wore a smile, as if she had anticipated this long ago.

Brother Xiao Yan's Dou Qi is truly solid enough; without breaking through to the fifth stage of Dou Qi, he already possesses a mighty strength comparable to it, Xun'er said secretly, already having a measure of Xiao Yan's strength in her heart.

Although the opponent's rate of improvement was fast, it was by no means pulling shoots to help them grow; rather, it was extremely solid and steady.

Recalling Xiao Yan's past cultivation and talent, it was actually not difficult to understand. Cultivating for a second time would naturally be incomparably swift and solid, which could also be considered one of the few benefits of a drop in cultivation.

Looking at the utterly shocked crowd in the arena, Xiao Yan's expression remained unchanged as he smiled lightly, It seems I never said I was at the Third Stage of Dou Qi, did I?

That unconcerned and placid demeanor was almost like a completely different person compared to the taciturn youth of the past.

Little thing— Toyed with invisibly by the opponent yet again, Xiao Ning's face distorted as he said grimly, You really did give me a huge surprise, but just relying on your strength around the fifth stage, wanting to fight me is still far from qualified!

Today I'll let you experience the gap between mid-tier Dou Qi and high-tier!

Completely consumed by anger, Xiao Ning held nothing back anymore. He shook his red and swollen wrist, and all the Dou Qi in his body erupted to the fullest.

Xiao Yan watched as the opponent's momentum suddenly increased quite a bit, feeling slightly solemn in his heart.

He lowered his stance slightly, dropping his overall center of gravity by a fraction, making it appear even more solid and stable.

The next moment, he actually charged straight toward the poised Xiao Ning with rapid steps!

The youth secretly clenched his fists to gather strength, leaning his body slightly forward into a streamlined posture, brimming with the aesthetic of movement just like a gliding swallow, clearly possessing ample combat experience.

Arrogant little thing, you still dare to meet me head-on?

Seeing that his opponent actually dared to take the initiative to attack, Xiao Ning, who was still gathering momentum, couldn't help but beam with joy. His palms curled slightly, and a faint chill flickered across his ten fingers.

As Xiao Yan attacked, Xiao Ning's body shook, and his double claws traced out a tricky arc, viciously slashing toward his arm.

Yellow-tier Mid-grade Dou Technique, Rending Claw Strike!

Simultaneously, Xiao Yan roughly sensed the fluctuations of that Dou Technique attack, a flash of brilliance crossing the depths of his eyes as his fist violently punched out—

Boom!

Boom!

Fists against claws—Xiao Ning occupied the absolute upper hand. Under the enhancement of the Dou Technique, his double claws fiercely sliced into Xiao Yan's fists, leaving behind one narrow, bloody gash after another.

Sure enough, the force in his right hand is a bit weaker.

The deadlock between the two was broken in an instant. Xiao Yan's gaze was ice-cold, as if the one in an extremely disadvantageous position was not him at all.

Taking advantage of the slight stiffness brought on by the injury to Xiao Ning's right claw, he gritted his teeth against the excruciating pain of the claw strike, poured all his remaining Dou Qi into his left fist, and forcibly altered the direction of its force. Grazing the edge of the claw marks, he fiercely attacked Xiao Ning's undefended chest!

With a muffled thud, Xiao Yan's fist heavily struck Xiao Ning's chest, while his own arm was savagely razed by the passing wind of Xiao Ning's claws, leaving several traces as threads of fresh blood dripped from the gaps of his shattered clothing onto the bluestone bricks of the training ground, appearing exceptionally glaring.

Though blood was drawn, it was an extremely effective trade of injuries for a kill!

In other words, if this were a battle of life and death, Xiao Yan's strike just now could have directly taken the opponent's life.

Propelled backward several meters by the immense impact, Xiao Ning slumped heavily onto the ground in a sitting position, blankly feeling the tearing pain radiating from his chest as his face turned pale.

Xiao Ning had lost!

Dead silence fell upon the crowd below the stage. Everyone stared at the youth standing proudly in the arena as if they had seen a ghost, with countless complex emotions of awe, doubt, and fear intertwining in their hearts.

Who could have imagined that Xiao Ning, with his dignified Eighth Stage Dou Qi cultivation, wouldn't even be able to last a few moves in the hands of Xiao Yan, who hadn't used any Dou Techniques at all.

Wrapping the wound on his arm a few times with scraps of cloth from his clothes, Xiao Yan let out a flat breath, You lost.

From initially concealing his cultivation, to laying the groundwork by injuring the wrist, and finally seizing the exact moment to trade injuries for a kill.

Xiao Yan had basically pushed things to the absolute limit.

Admittedly, there was an element of trickery involved, but Xiao Yan didn't feel anything unreasonable about it. After all, he couldn't even use Dou Techniques; if he didn't resort to trickery, was he really supposed to act foolishly and fight head-on?

Xiao Yan, you calculating little thing! I still have a high-grade Dou Technique I haven't used yet; if you have the guts, don't run! Recovering his breath, Xiao Ning had veins bulging on his face as he roared at the top of his lungs.

Oh? Then I shall look forward to your challenge at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony. I hope that by then, you still have this unyielding drive, Cousin Xiao Ning.

The youth's voice was drawn out and lingering. Although flat, it seemed to carry an immense sense of irony.

With a cold chuckle, ignoring the surrounding discussions and Xiao Ning's venomous glare, Xiao Yan turned around and slowly walked toward Xun'er's direction.

How was it? A promise kept.

Brother Xiao Yan, your injuries... Xun'er had uncontainable joy hidden in her eyes, yet she still asked with concern about Xiao Yan's injuries.

Haha, just minor scrapes. They'll be fine in two or three days. Let's go, girl.

Taking the huge burlap sack from Xun'er's hands, Xiao Yan hoisted it onto his back, and the figures of the two slowly disappeared into the Dou Technique Hall.

Although it was never explicitly stated, after today, the reputation of that genius of the Xiao Family would probably be spread around by everyone once again.

Bidding farewell to Xun'er, before dusk descended, Xiao Yan hurried back to his small courtyard, his expression quite fatigued.

That girl can walk way too much. If not for taking me, a wounded patient, into consideration, I'm afraid I wouldn't have made it home by dark, right?

He secretly grumbled about how troublesome women were, dumped the burlap sack he was carrying on his back onto the ground, and dragged and pulled it toward the doorway.

Forget it, I've managed to get home at least. Let's rest for a bit.

Pushing open the room's door, Xiao Yan's previously relaxed body abruptly tightened, his expression stiffening as if finding it somewhat hard to believe.

He rubbed his eyes, looking at the green-skirted girl standing prettily on the inner side of the door, looking just like an intimate concubine.

The girl was holding a face towel, wearing a resentful and pitiful expression as she spoke, Third Young Master, just what kind of paradise of tenderness did you go to, to actually forget this girl completely?

Xiao Yan, exhausted from a day's work, had a hollow look in his eyes, and the thought at the bottom of his heart grew a bit more firm—

Women were truly beings much harder to deal with than fighting.