B and C Still Have a Certain Gap

"..."

Xiao Lang's mouth twitched. How had he not noticed when reading the novel that Xiao Zhan was so scheming?

"Yan'er, are you going?"

Xiao Zhan ignored Xiao Lang's disdainful look and instead asked Xiao Yan.

"I won't go. I'll first see what's wrong with my body. If I'm still like this tomorrow, I'll only become a laughingstock if I go." A trace of loneliness flashed through Xiao Yan's eyes, but he quickly smiled. "Besides, Third Brother isn't going either, so neither am I."

"Fine, no problem. Stay home and rest properly." Xiao Zhan patted Xiao Yan's shoulder. "Even if you fall back to the third stage of Dou Qi like your Third Brother, I'll still support you!"

In the blink of an eye, three years passed.

"Dou Power, third stage!"

Staring at the five large, glowing words on the Test Demon Stone Tablet, so bright they were almost dazzling, the youth remained expressionless. A self-mocking curve hung at the corner of his lips, while his tightly clenched fist drove his slightly sharp nails deep into his palm, bringing waves of piercing pain...

"Father, you really do have the mouth of a crow. My little brother really did fall back to the third stage of Dou Qi." Xiao Lang looked strangely at Xiao Zhan beside him.

Yet his eyes were filled with anticipation!

Nalan Yanran and the people from the Misty Cloud Sect were about to arrive, weren't they?

After lying low for another three years, he could finally climb to the top!

At the same time, Xiao Lang had not wasted these three years. Aside from regularly exercising, maintaining his health, and making soup, he had established his own forces throughout the Jia Ma Empire!

With his God-Tier Disguise Technique, along with pills and money, if he had not been quietly building his strength and avoiding the attention of forces with Dou Saint-level experts and above, he would have long since spread his pill business across the entire Dou Qi Continent.

In the end, his only trump card was a single Dou Venerate Pill. More importantly, he himself was only a Three-star Dou Practitioner. If anyone discovered him, everything he had built would become someone else's wedding dress.

Even the forces that had originally pledged loyalty to him would turn on him and seize his assets. After all, this was a world where strength reigned supreme, with no laws to speak of.

Here, if you had strength, you were the law!

Under Xiao Lang's support, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's strength had also advanced by leaps and bounds, becoming Xiao Lang's public shield.

Fortunately, Xiao Ding handled overall coordination while Xiao Li was responsible for charging into battle. They had become the largest mercenary group along the eastern border of the Jia Ma Empire!

Though they had no Dou Emperor experts, several Dou Wang-level experts stood guard!

It was simply that none of this had been told to Xiao Zhan or Xiao Yan.

This time, however, no one dared mock Xiao Yan. As long as Xiao Lang was in the Xiao family, the younger generation would tremble at the mere mention of his name.

It could be said that Xiao Lang was simply guilty of every evil imaginable within the Xiao family.

He could make three-year-old children stop crying in the middle of the night.

"Stop making sarcastic remarks. Your little brother fell from the peak of a Three-star Dou Practitioner to the third stage of Dou Qi three years ago. He must be feeling terrible. And you only advanced one star in three years. Quite a few people are laughing at our Xiao family." Xiao Zhan wore a bitter expression.

The Xiao Family Twin Stars had both become trash. No one knew how much pain he suffered as their father.

Even the Xiao family's three elders had said that Xiao Lang showed no respect for his elders and needed to be properly disciplined, but Xiao Zhan had suppressed them all.

Xiao Lang said nothing, merely curling his lips into a smile. Everything had gotten on track, and he would finally no longer need to remain cooped up in this tiny Wutan City.

"Third Brother, I'm sorry, I..."

Feeling the mocking gazes around him, Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Lang with guilt written across his face. Yet when the words reached his lips, he did not know how to say them.

Over the past few years, he had used who knew how much of Third Brother's Foundation Building Spirit Liquid, yet his cultivation had not advanced but declined instead. In three years, he had fallen directly from a Three-star Dou Practitioner to the third stage of Dou Qi.

From a genius renowned throughout Wutan City to trash known by everyone, heaven knew what he had endured. Still, those three years had tempered his character.

If he had once been like a sharp sword with its edge fully exposed, then now he was a treasured sword sheathed in its scabbard. Unless drawn, no one could know his sharpness. But once drawn, it would stain the skies with blood.

"We're family, so what are you apologizing for? Besides, this isn't your fault. But Third Brother still says the same thing: Third Brother has always believed you possess the potential of a Dou Emperor. You'll merely go through some setbacks. But they have made your once overly sharp temperament more restrained. That isn't a bad thing—it's a good thing. Understand?" Xiao Lang consoled Xiao Yan.

"Mm, I understand, Third Brother. I won't give up!" Xiao Yan nodded heavily. Third Brother had not given up on him, so how could he give up on himself?

But when he thought of how only half a year remained until his coming-of-age ceremony, would he still have time?

In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived—the day Nalan Yanran of the Misty Cloud Sect came to break off the engagement.

Early in the morning, Xiao Yan and Xiao Lang were called awake and brought to the reception hall.

The hall was spacious and filled with many people. Seated at the very top were Xiao Zhan and the three elders.

Below them on the left sat some elders with influence in the family and considerable strength. Beside them were several outstanding members of the younger generation.

On the other side sat three unfamiliar people. They were presumably the distinguished guests Xiao Zhan had mentioned last night—the people from the Misty Cloud Sect.

Xiao Lang casually examined the people from the Misty Cloud Sect. He completely ignored the Da Dou Shi experts in front, instead turning his gaze toward Nalan Yanran.

Nalan Yanran truly was beautiful. She was about the same age as Xiao Yan, with green jade pendants hanging from her delicate earlobes. As they gently swayed, they made crisp jade chimes, adding an air of noble grace to her.

Only Xiao Xun'er could compare with her in appearance and temperament, but as for her figure, Xiao Lang felt that Xiao Xun'er still had a slight edge.

There was still quite a gap between B and C.

Perhaps sensing Xiao Lang's undisguised, predatory gaze, Nalan Yanran could not help frowning and shooting him a glare.

Xiao Lang did not care. Instead, he smiled and winked at Nalan Yanran.

He looked every bit the spoiled young dandy.

"Kid, keep your eyes under control!"

Seeing this, the tall and handsome man beside Nalan Yanran, with five golden stars embroidered on the chest of his moon-white robe, immediately became displeased. He glared at Xiao Lang and shouted.

"Are you talking to me?"

Hearing this, Xiao Lang's lips curled upward. He raised a brow and looked at the man with contempt.

"Who else would I be talking to? Keep your eyes under control. Some people aren't someone trash like you can..."

Slap!

Before the man could finish, his vision blurred, and he was immediately struck across the face with a resounding slap. Then, a burning pain spread across his left cheek.

"Who gave you the right to call me trash? If there's a next time, I'll pull out every one of your teeth!" Xiao Lang wore a harmless smile as he spoke words that sent chills down one's spine.