The Hardworking Nalan Yanran!

The hardworking Nalan Yanran! The Misty Cloud Sect, as the most powerful sect force in the Jia Ma Empire, had set its sect headquarters directly atop a majestic mountain only a little over ten li from the imperial capital. Because of the Misty Cloud Sect's name, this mountain was also known as Misty Cloud Mountain.

Only two li from the foot of Misty Cloud Mountain, fifty thousand iron cavalry of the empire were stationed there. Though they were said to be guarding the capital, anyone could see that this was the empire's ruler keeping watch against the fierce tiger so close to the capital.

The Misty Cloud Sect's plants grew lush and flourishing, thriving with vitality. Vegetation formed dense forests, and as far as the eye could see, mountains rose and fell. One could even hear the sound of waterfalls in the distance. Everything around was verdant and green, filled with an incomparably majestic Life Force.

A woman dressed in a moon-white skirted robe was forming the hand seals for cultivation with both hands, her eyes closed as she practiced. With each breath she took in and let out, a perfect cycle formed.

The woman who was cultivating was none other than Nalan Yanran, who had gone to break off the engagement and been defeated by Xiao Yan.

When the final wisp of green air current was drawn into her body, the woman slowly opened her eyes. A faint green light swept through her pupils, and her shoulder-length black hair suddenly moved without wind, fluttering slightly.

"What an overbearing pill. It actually took me a full month to absorb it completely."

Nalan Yanran stood at the edge of the cliff. The mountain wind blew head-on from the peak, pressing that moon-white robe tightly against the woman's exquisite Delicate Body. It had to be said that Nalan Yanran's beauty and figure were indeed worthy of the word beautiful.

"Senior Sister Nalan, Old Master Nalan Su has come to the Misty Cloud Sect. He said he wants you to go see him," a maidservant specially assigned to serve Nalan Yanran said softly.

Nalan Yanran drew out her Personal Sword. Dou Qi immediately coiled around it as she began bitterly training a Combat Technique.

"I'm not seeing him!"

A year had passed. Nalan Yanran knew she had lost back then because of her grueling training in Combat Techniques, so over this past year, she had trained Combat Techniques desperately. She had even entered the Ferocious Beast Mountain Range alone to temper herself, hoping to improve her Combat Techniques through bloody battles.

Nalan Yanran's single refusal left the maidservant with a miserable expression, but she did not have the courage to refute Nalan Yanran's decision, so she could only pass the words along exactly.

In one of the Misty Cloud Sect's halls, after hearing that his own daughter refused to see him, Nalan Su's face turned ashen. He slammed his palm onto the table and roared, "That girl is becoming more and more rebellious!"

He had never expected that he had merely led troops to garrison the western part of the empire for a year, yet this pampered daughter of his had actually dared to privately call off the marriage that the old master had personally arranged back then.

Regarding the engagement between the two sides, the one who truly cared the most was actually him, Nalan Su. Because he thought very highly of Xiao Yan's talent, he had even been thinking that once the two were married, he would use the Nalan Family's resources to fully cultivate Xiao Yan.

Nalan Yanran, who had joined the Misty Cloud Sect and followed Yun Yun in cultivation, was almost certain to become a Dou Emperor. As long as Xiao Yan also became a Dou Emperor, then their Nalan Family would possess two Dou Emperors, and they would also have the Misty Cloud Sect behind them!

If that truly happened, he, Nalan Su, would dare to make the sun and moon of the Jia Ma Empire change to a new sky! From then on, the Jia Ma Empire would be renamed the Nalan Empire!

When he returned and heard that his daughter had been defeated by Xiao Yan in a single move, and that at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony a few days ago, Xiao Yan had tested at the terrifying Cultivation Level of a Six-Star Dou Zhe, Nalan Su was so furious he nearly had a brain hemorrhage.

Xiao Yan's talent was far higher than his daughter's. It was very likely that he would not stop at a low-level Dou Emperor of merely one or two stars, but would have a chance to reach the middle level or even the high level of Dou Emperor! If he truly became a high-level Dou Emperor, Nalan Su was even confident he could integrate the Three Great Empires and unify the entire northwestern corner! "That girl, she's getting bolder and bolder now! She won't even see her father, is that it!" Nalan Su was so angry his beard nearly stood on end, and he strode straight toward the cultivation grounds.

"Old Master Nalan! That is the sect's cultivation ground. You cannot enter!"

But how could a mere maidservant possibly stop Nalan Su, the great general of the Jia Ma Empire?

Although Nalan Yanran's Soul Power was not as powerful as Xiao Yan's, the Cultivation Method she practiced was of the wind attribute, making her extremely sensitive to the air and giving her very strong perception.

Nalan Yanran also sensed her father storming angrily up to the mountain peak where she cultivated, but she still paid him no attention and continued single-mindedly practicing the new Combat Technique that Yun Yun had taught her.

"Nalan Yanran! Do you still have me, your father, in your eyes!" When Nalan Su saw his daughter still cultivating there, not putting him, her father, in her eyes at all, anger surged upward. Just as he was about to rush over and demand an explanation, a middle-aged man appeared and blocked Nalan Su's path.

Seeing who had arrived, even the furious Nalan Su reined in his temper and greeted him, "Gu He Master, it has been a long time."

The middle-aged man was none other than Gu He, the number one alchemist of the Jia Ma Empire, the Rank 6 Alchemist known as the Pill King.

Forget Nalan Su—even the emperor of the Jia Ma Empire treated Gu He with great courtesy upon seeing him, because a Rank 6 Alchemist could just so happen to refine pills used by Dou Emperors. In other words, Gu He had the ability to command Dou Emperor experts! Gu He made an inviting gesture and said, "General Nalan, this way, please. Yanran is currently cultivating and cannot conveniently be disturbed."

Nalan Su nodded. Since even Gu He had appeared, there was nothing Nalan Su could do.

At the Stone Table, Gu He brewed a pot of tea and pushed it toward Nalan Su, getting straight to the point. "General Nalan's visit this time should be because of Yanran privately breaking off the engagement a year ago, yes?"

At the mention of breaking off the engagement, Nalan Su fiercely gulped down a mouthful of tea and said, "That girl is still young. She has no idea how much damage doing this would cause to the Nalan Family's reputation. Fortunately, this matter did not spread. Otherwise, our Nalan Family would have no face left to establish ourselves in the Royal Capital."

Back then, the purpose of establishing the engagement was to repay Xiao Yan's grandfather for saving a life. Marriage was the best method of alliance. Nalan Jie had arranged the betrothal before the children were even born precisely to repay that kindness, using the marriage agreement to protect the Xiao Clan, whose strength had plummeted after losing its Clan Leader.

Running over to break off the engagement involved far too much.

And most importantly, Nalan Su wanted this genius son-in-law! What kind of person was Gu He? With one glance, he saw through the reason Nalan Su was so furious. He tasted the tea and said, "I have also heard of that young man named Xiao Yan. At the Coming-of-Age Ceremony a few days ago, he seemed to have tested at Six-Star Dou Zhe. Advancing three stars in one year—his talent is indeed no worse than Yanran's."

Hearing Gu He's words, Nalan Su's face turned as bitter as a bitter melon.

"But." Gu He's tone changed. He turned to look at Nalan Yanran, who was training bitterly, and said, "Cultivation does not rely on talent alone. No matter how high one's talent is, without a powerful Cultivation Method, without a Master's guidance, and without the aid of pills, one is still like a clever housewife without rice."

"Although increasing one's Cultivation Level by six stars in a year is very fast, compared to Yanran, there is still some gap."

When Nalan Su heard Gu He's words, he immediately sensed carefully.

"Nine Star Dou Zhe?!!!"

Gu He nodded in gratification and said, "Yanran has worked very hard this past year. The Fourth Grade Pill I provided, the Wind Remnant Pill, can accelerate the improvement of Wind Attribute Dou Qi, but one is subjected to the pain of cutting winds at every moment. Yet Yanran has not uttered a single complaint."

"Moreover, half a year ago, Sect Master Yun Yun already accepted Yanran as a personal disciple and taught her the sect's Di Rank Cultivation Method—the Yunlan Heaven Scroll Technique."

"That crushing defeat a year ago was not a bad thing for Yanran. After shedding her vanity, Yanran has already put aside her willfulness and devoted herself wholly to cultivation."

"As long as Yun Yun gathers all the medicinal ingredients, I will be able to help Yanran refine several Fifth Grade Pills. Two years from now, Yanran's Cultivation Level will certainly exceed everyone's imagination."

"Without a Master's guidance and without the help of pills, what will Xiao Yan rely on to surpass Yanran?"