Nalan Yanran Wants to Break Off the Engagement

On a dark, windy night, Liu Yun crept quietly to Ya Fei's room.

The door to the room was open, and no lights were on. Liu Yun locked the door from the inside, then felt his way to Ya Fei's bed. Breathing in that familiar, enticing fragrance, he gently wrapped his arms around her soft, jade-like body.

Neither of them spoke. They simply held each other tightly, as though they wished to meld the other into their own body.

The night passed without a word. Liu Yun stroked the softness in his arms, breathing in Ya Fei's uniquely delicate maidenly scent as he gradually drifted into sleep. This sleep was unexpectedly sweet.

The next day, Liu Yun turned over and got up. He tenderly kissed Ya Fei's forehead, then left the room and strode away.

Ya Fei opened her eyes and touched her forehead. Watching his departing figure, she could not help but fall into a slight daze.

At the outskirts of the Monster Mountain Range, before a cave.

Nalan Yanran swung the longsword in her hand. They were still the same moves she had performed countless times before, yet their power was now more than twice what it had been.

"As expected of an Earth-tier High-grade Cultivation Method. Not only did it let me break through to a Two-Star Dou Practitioner, even my rate of absorbing Dou Qi has doubled. The Dou Techniques I unleash are no longer comparable to before," Nalan Yanran exclaimed.

She had completed the conversion to her new cultivation method the previous evening, and felt as if her entire body had undergone a transformation. Even the Dou Techniques she had cultivated before had risen to another level because of it. Thus, she practiced the Dou Techniques she had learned in the past, and that practice lasted the entire night.

Nalan Yanran kept the teachings firmly in mind and did not cultivate those two Earth Tier Mid-grade Dou Techniques. The warning from her nominal teacher was one reason, but more importantly, she had learned from experience.

The Carefree Wind Riding Art she had converted to had turned into ashes after she finished reading it. Therefore, these three inheritances were all single-use items.

Cultivation methods could generally be practiced once one reached the Dou Zhe stage, but Dou Techniques were different. To cultivate high-grade Dou Techniques, one needed a corresponding amount and quality of Dou Qi to activate them. Otherwise, not only would the cultivation fail, it could even injure the practitioner. Since they were also single-use items, Nalan Yanran decided to study them after reaching the Dou Master stage.

"It's time to head back. Elder Ge must be worried sick by now!" Nalan Yanran said to herself. Then she smiled lightly and headed toward Wutan City.

At the same time, she thought of her fiancé, Xiao Yan. According to the information Ge Ye had sent her, he was still at the Third Stage Dou Qi.

Back then, Xiao Yan had reached the Tenth Stage Dou Qi at the age of eleven. There had even been rumors that he had already broken through to the Dou Zhe stage. Nalan Yanran had been quite excited at the time. After all, who would want their fiancé to be trash?

But good times did not last. That former genius had fallen from his pedestal, and Nalan Yanran had felt regret for him. Still, she had not cared much back then, since the two of them had no feelings for each other anyway.

But things were different now. They had both grown up and reached marriageable age. How could she possibly marry a piece of trash?

Who was she, Nalan Yanran? The future heir of the Misty Cloud Sect, the sect master's chief disciple, and now favored by a senior expert. Her future prospects were limitless. How could Xiao Yan possibly be worthy of her?

Hmph, this hateful arranged engagement. Even Grandfather cannot dictate my fate as he pleases. When I return this time, I'll beg Master to break off this engagement, Nalan Yanran thought.

"However, that nominal teacher said there are still two people in the Jia Ma Empire whom he cannot defeat. I need to hurry back and tell Master about this," Nalan Yanran muttered.

That nominal teacher had casually produced an Earth-tier High-grade Cultivation Method and two Earth Tier Middle-grade Dou Techniques. How could such a person be weak? She initially estimated that he was at least a Dou Huang expert, perhaps even beyond the Dou Huang realm.

Thus, Nalan Yanran made her way out of the Monster Mountain Range.

However, just as she emerged from the Monster Mountain Range and was about to head for Wutan City, an old man and a young man approached from ahead. She inexplicably felt that the two looked familiar, yet she could not recall where she had seen them.

Liu Yun also noticed Nalan Yanran and was momentarily speechless. This girl had only just returned? Did she not know that her guards were practically losing their minds?

When Nalan Yanran caught that fleeting glimpse of Liu Yun, she felt her head grow dizzy and her heartbeat accelerate. A phrase inexplicably sprang into her mind: love at first sight.

Looking closer, Nalan Yanran secretly thought, This young man is far too handsome, isn't he? He's simply a monster.

Liu Yun merely glanced at her before quickening his pace and entering the Monster Mountain Range.

"Hey, you..."

Nalan Yanran reached out, wanting to call the young man back, but she did not know how to begin. She could only watch helplessly as he went farther away.

"Forget it. I'll talk to him if we meet again. I should head back first!"

Dou Qi swirled around Nalan Yanran's feet as Wind Attribute energy empowered her body, and she sped toward Wutan City.

On the other side, the moment Liu Yun entered the Monster Mountain Range, a burst of fresh air washed over him. He immediately felt refreshed and invigorated.

"This is the familiar air. This is what nature is supposed to smell like!" Liu Yun exclaimed, spreading his arms as if embracing nature.

He Qingfeng stood to the side like an invisible bystander. Seeing Liu Yun's strange movements, he was no longer surprised. He swept his gaze over the surroundings, checking for the aura of Magical Beasts.

Ever since he had entered the Dou Ling realm, he had stopped being wary of the outer region of the Monster Mountain Range. He believed that no Magical Beast could harm the Young Master right under his nose.

However, Liu Yun's warning last time had changed his attitude. A true master always possessed the heart of an apprentice, so he remembered the lesson and carefully examined his surroundings.

"Elder He, are there any Peak Tier 2 Union Apes in the Monster Mountain Range?" Liu Yun asked.

He would never forget the young girl who had been violated to death last time.

On the Dou Qi Continent, strength reigned supreme. Killing was one thing, but torturing a woman in such a manner made him shudder just thinking about it.

So this time, he intended to settle matters with those Union Apes.

"Young Master, the Coalescing Ape King is a Peak Tier 2 Magical Beast, but its combat power is not particularly outstanding. It would not provide much training value," He Qingfeng said.

"There really is a Peak Tier 2 Union Ape? Isn't that convenient? Training or not doesn't matter. The important thing is that I want to kill it." Liu Yun smiled.

The system's mission was to kill ten Peak Tier 2 Magical Beasts. It did not specifically require them to be powerful in combat. Training was merely an excuse he had come up with. If there were weaker ones, then naturally he would pick the soft persimmons to squeeze.

"Elder He, do you know where the Coalescing Ape King is?" Liu Yun asked expectantly.

"I don't know that. Union Apes are quite cunning. They generally flee whenever they encounter strong opponents, and the Coalescing Ape King is excessively vigilant. Unless we happen to run into it, it is usually difficult to find," He Qingfeng explained.

"Then it seems this plan won't work." Liu Yun said regretfully.

"Let's continue deeper into the mountain range. We might encounter Tier 2 Magical Beasts along the way."

The two continued onward. Elder He led Liu Yun to several places where Peak Tier 2 Magical Beasts might be found, but they came up empty-handed each time and could only proceed deeper into the range.