Nalan

"All right, you may leave."

"Yes."

Xun Er pressed her fingers to her brow and only felt a headache coming on. She had told this Dou Emperor to investigate, and this was the result she got.

He was clearly strong enough to run rampant through the Jia Ma Empire, yet he could not see through a ten-year-old boy. What could she say? Of course—

Just as expected~ Even a Dou Emperor was no different from trash in front of Brother Xiao Yan!

"Hmph, hmph~"

Her mood, which had only just been a little gloomy, suddenly shot right back up.

"Miss..."

Ling Ying's gradually dissolving figure suddenly stopped. He asked tentatively, "Since he's so special, should this old servant inform the clan..."

Yes, he was a Dou Emperor. He could not see through a Dou Zhe. He was trash and useless.

But the two of them had the Ancient Clan standing behind them. If they casually sent over a few Dou Zong or Dou Venerate experts, forget the secrets hidden on Xiao Yan—he could even have Xiao Yan's underwear dug out and presented to Miss.

Uh... apparently he could do that right now? "No!!"

Xun Er cut him off in an instant, her tone carrying an unprecedented coldness and panic. Her gaze swept over Ling Ying with a hint of warning, and only when she saw him lower his head and await orders did she ease a little. "Brother Xiao Yan's matter. You know, and I know. Understand?"

Ling Ying sighed and replied, "Yes."

The leader had spoken. What could he do? He would just work honestly. If he had known, he would not have run his mouth.

Watching Ling Ying hide himself in the air, Xun Er leaned against the bed, her thoughts racing.

"Able to resist the corrosion of fire energy, possessing mental strength far beyond ordinary people, and even strange Dou Qi, along with the talent of a ten-year-old Dou Zhe... Brother Xiao Yan, just how many more surprises do you have waiting for me..."

Oh, Miss.

From the shadows, Ling Ying silently watched Xun Er, whose face was full of expectation.

Why wasn't she bringing up the countless descendants in the Gu World, or how geniuses there were wholesaled by the batch now? ...

On a tall, broad stone square, heavy pure-white stone pillars pointing toward the sky lined off a road paved with bluestone.

An old man and a young girl made their way toward the great hall at the end of the stone road.

"This, senior?" Nalan Yanran followed behind Yun Leng while holding a longsword. "Where are we going? Shouldn't entering the sect mean going to the training square to test my talent?"

"Just call me Elder Yun Leng."

Yun Leng had abandoned his usual aggressive viciousness. Along the way, he chuckled constantly, even greeting people when he saw them. His gaze wandered about, landing on Nalan Yanran from time to time. "Yanran even knows about these things? Were you interested in the Misty Cloud Sect before?"

The more he looked at Nalan, the more satisfied he became; the more he looked, the more pleasing she seemed.

She really does resemble her.

Yun Leng kept sighing with emotion inwardly.

"Before..." Nalan Yanran fell silent in thought, but her legs still went tap, tap as she quickly followed, sparing Yun Leng from having to slow down.

"Sect Master, they will arrive soon."

A Dou Wang elder landed outside the door, put away his wings of light, and reported in a low voice.

"I know." Inside the room, Yun Yun kept looking back and forth at her outfit.

The maid attending at the side could hardly bear to watch. "Sect Master, your outfit is already beautiful enough, and formal enough."

It was true.

She wore a long, layered robe that gradually shifted from pure white to pale blue, intricate without being cumbersome, its colors light yet still magnificent. The cloth, woven from high-grade materials, flowed with a brilliant sheen, and under the sunlight, it took on an almost imperceptible rainbow luster.

The last time this outfit had been draped over Yun Yun was when she inherited the position of Sect Master.

"Is it enough?"

Yun Yun had not taken in a word.

"Sect Master~" The maid, who had practically grown up with her, could not hold back her irritation. "Since you care so much, why don't you just think about what she would want to see you wear?"

"Right... you're right!" Yun Yun's eyes brightened slightly. She grabbed the maid's shoulders, unable to hide her excitement as she said, "I really have to thank you this time!"

"Huh?"

The maid looked completely bewildered. Then she saw Yun Yun casually drape on one piece of clothing and walk out the door.

Outside the great hall.

"We're here. This is the place." Yun Leng pressed his hand against the huge stone door and pushed open a crack. "Just go inside the great hall and wait a while."

"Yes... thank you."

Nalan Yanran passed through the gap in the door. At the end, she turned back and thanked him again.

"Good... good! Go on." Yun Leng's old face trembled slightly.

"Mm."

The interior of the great hall seemed quite empty, dominated by cool colors like green and blue. The path underfoot was covered in intricate diamond patterns of blue, purple, and black. Though it was as smooth as a mirror, it did not reflect like one, nor did it make her feet slip.

The domed ceiling seemed impossibly high, and the main seat bathed in light felt far out of reach.

As she walked on like this, Nalan Yanran suddenly discovered a white-robed person standing before her.

"That is?" The person's back seemed somewhat familiar, as though she had seen it somewhere before.

"Hello, may I ask who you are?"

Quickly walking around to stand in front of the white-robed person, Nalan's half-spoken question abruptly caught in her throat, surprise appearing in her eyes. "...Big Sister!"

"Oh? It's you."

Yun Yun smiled and reached out, rubbing her little head. "When we parted back then, I never thought I'd see you again here."

"Hehe, me too!" Yanran blinked, fully revealing the childishness she never dared show at home. "Looks like I guessed right. Big Sister, you really are someone from the Misty Cloud Sect."

She looked around, her gaze falling on the empty main seat. "Big Sister, are you waiting to see the Sect Master too?"

"I suppose so..."

Yun Yun smiled for no apparent reason.

The first time they met should have been at the Misty Cloud Sect's Apprentice Recruitment Ceremony.

"Wow! Look, look, it's so lively!"

Leaning over the railing, Nalan strained to look into the distance. "Sigh~ Another unqualified one."

"Miss~ Please don't do that, it's too dangerous." No matter how the maid tugged, she could not pull this little ancestor back, so she simply braced her under the armpits and lifted her up.

"Oh, come on! I'm only looking twice. What could happen?"

Nalan Yanran struggled with all her might. "Hurry up and put me down!"

"Pfft—Little Sister, do you like watching excitement that much?" A guest drinking tea nearby was amused by her antics, nearly spilling tea all over her white robe.

"Ah... I'm sorry, my Miss has disturbed you..."

The maid was about to apologize, but Nalan's voice cut her off. "Who likes watching excitement? I'm just seeing how many of those people have passable talent!"

"Miss!" The maid was so angry she nearly burst. "If you keep this up, I'm going to smack your bottom!"

"You dare?!"

Another bout of struggling and fussing followed, which instead made that person unable to stop smiling. "You're not very old, Little Sister, but your tone sure isn't small!"

"How is my tone big?"

Nalan shouted back in protest. "Weak is weak, strong is strong. Since when is there any reason you can't say someone is weak?"

"Who taught you such twisted logic? If your eyes always stare downward, one day someone will stand above your head and look down on you. When that time comes, how will you conduct yourself?"

"Then I'll accept the loss. It's not like I'm someone who can't afford to lose!" Nalan answered indifferently, then lifted her head again. "Besides... I won't lose to anyone."

"But among the ones being tested, there are people not much different from you, you know." Yun Yun tilted her head and smiled.

Potato clearly had an inclination at the beginning, intending to write these two as counterparts to each other.

The same clan children, the same astonishing talent, the same age, and then a marriage agreement was arranged between them.

It was just that one of them lost his talent and became a cripple, while the other shot straight into the clouds and became the Young Sect Master watched by all.

The two of them were equally impulsive and equally forceful.

(Though halfway through writing, he gave up on it outright. Nalan completely became a regret machine for farming face-slapping points, and he even temporarily added three years to her age, breaking her genius halo. Lol)