Sometimes, men really shouldn't lie to women, because once a woman went berserk, a man simply couldn't withstand her.
Xiao Yan was a perfect example. Having now tasted the bitter fruit of deceiving a woman's feelings, he was blasted four or five zhang away by Na Lan Yan Ran's Turtle School Wave, lying on the ground and vomiting blood.
The crowd finally let out a sigh of relief. The battle just now had left them utterly stunned. It had been far too thrilling.
They had originally thought Na Lan Yan Ran had victory firmly in her grasp. Who would have guessed that Xiao Yan would seize the upper hand again? Later, Xiao Yan revealed his identity and turned out to be yesterday's Yan Xiao. He had even condensed a powerful fire lotus. Everyone thought Xiao Yan was sure to win, but Na Lan Yan Ran had then gathered wind elements in her hand. It had truly been one twist after another!
"I lost." Xiao Yan struggled up from the ground, his dejected expression pitiful enough to break one's heart.
Three years of tempering, three years of painstaking cultivation, and three years of anticipation—who would have thought they would all end in three years of failure?
"Miss Na Lan, you won. I'm not worthy of you, but the Xiao family's dignity cannot be defiled." Xiao Yan rose to his feet, feeling that he had let down his father's expectations. He moved the Black Heavy Ruler in his hand and brought it straight down toward his own forehead.
"Smack!"
At that moment, the enormous Black Heavy Ruler was suddenly caught in both hands by Na Lan Yan Ran, stopping Xiao Yan's foolish act.
"You're already giving up?" Na Lan Yan Ran laboriously tossed the Black Heavy Ruler aside and said coquettishly, "If you can't beat me, then keep training! A momentary defeat doesn't represent a lifetime. As long as you have the courage to keep moving forward, I believe you'll defeat me very soon."
As she spoke, Na Lan Yan Ran's pretty face flushed red. "Of course, before then, I, Na Lan Yan Ran, will always be waiting for you to come back and beat me."
"You..." After swallowing that bowl of motivational soup, Xiao Yan stared blankly at Na Lan Yan Ran. He suddenly felt that this girl wasn't quite as annoying as he had thought.
A girl's heart was the hardest thing to understand. Na Lan Yan Ran herself didn't know what had happened to her. After defeating Xiao Yan, she had somehow developed a favorable impression of him instead. Seeing him heartbroken had shattered her own fragile heart into pieces.
Now that the Three-Year Pact had ended, Xiao Yan had no intention of staying here any longer. He picked up the Black Heavy Ruler from the ground, slipped it back onto his back, and prepared to leave.
"Wait!"
A furious shout suddenly rang out, causing Xiao Yan, who was walking away, to stop abruptly. His heart jolted, and he immediately guessed that nothing good was about to happen.
After all, he had killed Mo Cheng, the Great Elder of the Mo Family in Yan City. The Mo Family had countless ties to the Misty Cloud Sect. Today's battle had completely exposed his identity. How could the Misty Cloud Sect possibly let the matter rest?
"May I ask what else Elder Yun Leng wants?" Xiao Yan forcibly calmed himself and asked indifferently.
"Oh, nothing much. Our ancestor thinks highly of you and wanted to ask whether you'd be interested in staying to listen to her lessons."
"What?" Xiao Yan stared open-mouthed. He had never imagined things would turn out this way. He had thought Yun Leng intended to make things difficult for him.
Yun Leng paid no attention to Xiao Yan's expression and explained, "Our ancestor of the Misty Cloud Sect is a peak expert on the Dou Qi Continent. Her knowledge reaches the heavens. Receiving guidance from her is an opportunity that comes once in a thousand years. I wonder whether Young Master Xiao Yan would be interested in listening?"
"Not interested. Uh, no, no, I mean I don't have time. I've been very busy lately, so I won't be staying." Xiao Yan hurriedly declined.
The Misty Cloud Sect was no good place. Staying behind to attend some public lecture? He could forget it. He had to leave quickly. This was a place of trouble, and he couldn't remain here for long!
Seeing Xiao Yan turn and run without another word, a trace of disdain flashed through Yun Leng's eyes. This brat was truly a country bumpkin. He had actually dared to refuse the ancestor's lecture. He would probably miss out on a tremendous opportunity in the future.
And so, the farce of the Three-Year Pact came to an end. The battle just now had left many Misty Cloud Sect disciples both envious and jealous. When would they ever possess such powerful battle skills?
Because of this, Yun Shan boldly begged the ancestor to hold a lecture for all the Misty Cloud Sect disciples. He did not ask her to impart her entire cultivation—he merely hoped that she would offer some guidance to these juniors.
Ye Qianqian did not hesitate and agreed. She might as well take advantage of the darkness to con them one more time.
Thus, the mountaintop of Misty Cloud Mountain was cleared out. On a three-zhang-high platform in the distance sat a Dragon-Raising-its-Head table, while beneath the platform were placed Myriad-Beasts-Bowing chairs. Lanterns and decorations adorned the surroundings. More than ten thousand Misty Cloud Sect disciples arrived, and not a single seat was empty.
The disciples were excited, agitated, invigorated, and delighted. Every kind of surging emotion and expression was on display.
Ye Qianqian walked onto the platform and glanced around. Good heavens! The crowd stretched as far as the eye could see, like they were watching the World Cup.
"Students... cough, cough... disciples, greetings."
"Greetings, Ancestor Granny!"
"Thank you for your hard work, disciples!"
"Revitalize the Misty Cloud Sect! We will never regret dying a hundred times!"
The disciples beneath the platform shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens and earth. They looked as crazed as if they had been brainwashed by the Nine-Headed Serpent organization.
Seeing that the effect was pretty good, Ye Qianqian began her performance.
"Those of you seated here today must still be thinking about the battle just now. I imagine you're all extremely envious of that little girl Yan Ran, aren't you?"
The disciples nodded repeatedly.
"It isn't that I favor only that girl Yan Ran. You are all my disciples and descendants, and I treat everyone equally. Today, I shall broaden the horizons of you juniors, allowing you to gain a new understanding of dou qi and the heavens and earth."
After a lengthy bout of grandiose nonsense, Ye Qianqian secretly exchanged some points in the system for a copy of the Dao De Jing. She shook her head and loudly recited:
"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.
The named is the mother of the ten thousand things.
Thus, ever without desire, one observes its mysteries.
Ever with desire, one observes its manifestations.
These two arise from the same source but differ in name.
Together they are called profound.
Profound and yet more profound—the gateway to all wonders."
She recited a pile of Dao De Jing passages that even she herself couldn't understand, yet she left Yun Shan and the other elders utterly stunned. What was Ancestor Granny talking about? They couldn't understand a word! And yet, why did it feel like such an incomparably profound theory?
If Yun Shan and the other old fellows couldn't understand it, then the disciples below understood even less. But seeing Grandmaster Yun Shan and the others listening with rapt attention, they concluded that it had to be some miraculous cultivation method. They decided to memorize everything first and study it slowly later.
"Everyone knows beauty to be beautiful, and thus ugliness exists; everyone knows goodness to be good, and thus evil exists.
Being and nonbeing give rise to each other; difficult and easy complete each other; long and short define each other; high and low depend on each other; sound and voice harmonize with each other; before and after follow each other. Such is the eternal way."
After reciting another short passage, Ye Qianqian hurriedly communicated with the system space.
"System, quickly exchange some low-grade martial arts manuals or something, then randomly select some of these disciples to receive them."
"Ding!"
Congratulations, Host, you have successfully spent 5,000 Shock Points.
Once the manuals had been exchanged, the system followed Ye Qianqian's instructions and randomly implanted them into the minds of some disciples.
In an instant, the disciples below exploded into an uproar.
"Ah! I actually comprehended a cultivation technique called the Purple Cloud Divine Skill from what the ancestor said!"
A thirteen-year-old outer disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect trembled all over, his face filled with shock.
"I—I—I comprehended one too!" A little girl excitedly covered her mouth. It took her quite a while to announce its name. "What a cool name! It's called the Star Absorbing Great Method!"
"Mine is the Innate Skill!"
"Mine is the Bone and Tendon Separation Hand!"
"Mine is the Bone Dissolving Palm!"
"Damn! What the heck is this Beauty Shy Fist I comprehended?" A burly man was completely bewildered.
In no time, more than a hundred martial arts manuals had been scattered throughout the crowd, sending all the Misty Cloud Sect disciples into a frenzy.
Looking at the stunned Yun Shan in the distance, Ye Qianqian also had the system give him a copy of the Sunflower Manual. Yun Shan clamped his legs together in fright and cursed inwardly. How had he managed to comprehend such a disgusting thing from the ancestor's lecture?
"Ding!"
Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 1,000 Shock Points from Yun Shan.
Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 300 Shock Points from Yun Qing'er.
Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 500 Shock Points from Yun Feng.
The Shock Points from more than ten thousand Misty Cloud Sect disciples poured in, directly filling Ye Qianqian's coffers.
Of course, there were also disciples who received no gifts. But they did not lose heart. They had already memorized the ancestor granny's words, and they were determined to return home, study them seriously, work hard, and strive to become graduate students as soon as possible.
"Ding!"
Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 100,000 Shock Points for the first time, triggering a hidden system reward.
System reward: One C-rank Bodyguard Summoning Card and ten peak Dou Emperor guards.
"A Bodyguard Summoning Card?" Ye Qianqian was confused. Could this thing summon bodyguards to protect her?
Unable to wait, she immediately activated the card in the system space, wanting to see what kind of powerful figures it could summon.
"Ding!"
Congratulations, Host, you have successfully used the C-rank Bodyguard Summoning Card and obtained Artoria Pendragon. The bodyguard and guard will appear in 47:59. Please look forward to it.
"No way! It's My King!"
Ye Qianqian was startled. The bodyguard the system had given her was actually Saber from the Holy Grail War.
She remembered that anime very clearly. My King had been incredibly cool.
At the age of fifteen, she had drawn the Sword in the Stone and become King Arthur.
As the ruler of a nation, she wore a golden crown and a blue dress with white trim, along with silver armor covered in blue patterns. Pure white trousers covered her legs, while thick silver armor completely concealed her feet and hands. A heavy cloak hung from her shoulders.
She was extremely serious, loyal, and upright, possessing the honor and pride of a King of Knights. She loved small animals and had once raised a little lion. From then on, she had been especially fond of lions, considering them symbols of strength.
"System, let me ask you something. What realm would My King's strength correspond to in this world?"
"Current setting: peak Dou Zong, First Release state."
Ye Qianqian understood. Peak Dou Zong wasn't bad at all. This system was truly powerful, giving her such an impressive bodyguard in one go.
"Ding!"
System Mission:
As a super con artist, how can the Host lack a new challenge that reaches unprecedented heights?
Mission: Within ten days, con the neighboring countries into submitting.
System Reward: Con-Artist Lottery Wheel unlocked.
Will the Host accept?
"Wow!" Ye Qianqian was suddenly startled. This system really knew how to court death. It actually wanted her to con the surrounding countries into her hands.
"Accepted."
Although she had no idea what that con-artist wheel was, Ye Qianqian still wanted to give it a try.
"All right, today's lecture ends here. After you return, you must study and research carefully. Do not be lazy." After exiting the system space, Ye Qianqian instructed the disciples to disperse. Then she called the old Yun Shan, who was standing nearby with his legs clamped together, over to her.
"What orders does the ancestor have?" Yun Shan was drenched in sweat. He was terrified that the ancestor would ask what cultivation technique he had comprehended. If he mentioned the Sunflower Manual, the ancestor might mistake him for having questionable tastes.
"Little Shan!" Ye Qianqian had Yun Shan squat down. Then she stood on tiptoe and patted the old man's shoulder solemnly. "Now that our Misty Cloud Sect controls the authority of the Jia Ma Empire, I think we should gather the surrounding forces as soon as possible."
"Ancestor, which surrounding forces are you referring to?" Yun Shan's eyes lit up.
"You guessed correctly. I'm referring to the Chu Yun Empire, the Mu Lan Empire, and the Yan Luo Empire."
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