Huyan Lanruo

Shen Yue never would have imagined that the three Silver Rank underlings sent by the Sacred Family had already caught Chen Linjian's attention. Chen Linjian would surely do everything he could to lure the three men into a trap and kill them!

If he had known those three men were from the Sacred Family, Chen Linjian might have held back. But after hearing Nie Li say they were probably from the Dark Guild, Chen Linjian would show them no mercy!

You want to play games with me? You're still too green! Nie Li didn't even need to act personally to utterly ruin Shen Yue!

Ye Ziyun was a well-behaved girl. Knowing that Nie Li, sitting beside her, was a treasure trove of knowledge, she kept asking him about inscription patterns and martial arts. Nie Li answered every question.

The sight of the two of them chatting and laughing made the boys around them wear envious, jealous expressions.

It had to be said that the charming and lovely Ye Ziyun was the goddess in these boys' hearts. Because of her exalted status, many boys didn't dare approach her, and whenever they were in front of her, they felt deeply inferior. Moreover, Ye Ziyun's somewhat aloof nature gave people a powerful sense of distance.

Though they admired Ye Ziyun, they didn't even have the courage to strike up a conversation with her.

And yet, when Ye Ziyun talked with Nie Li, she was so relaxed and natural. Her elegant smile made their hearts race.

The boys around them couldn't help sneaking glances, their eyes drawn toward the pair.

Looking at Ye Ziyun's bright, smiling face, Nie Li couldn't help thinking of his past life. Back then, Ye Ziyun had been even more captivating than she was now. When would this little girl before him grow into that bewitching beauty?

Noticing Nie Li staring at her, Ye Ziyun's cheeks flushed red. She lowered her head, unsure what to think. She remembered Nie Li's bold confession in class. It had once troubled her, but now she couldn't quite explain what she felt about it.

Whenever she was with Nie Li and remembered that incident, Ye Ziyun couldn't help feeling shy.

But there seemed to be something ambiguous between Nie Li and Xiao Ninger, too.

While Nie Li and Ye Ziyun were chatting, waves of Soul Power rippled through the woods behind them. A fierce fight had broken out.

Three unfamiliar Silver Rank fighters had been surrounded by Chen Linjian and five other Silver Rank experts.

"Tell me, who are you, and what are you here for? If you don't talk, don't blame me for showing no mercy!" Chen Linjian shouted angrily, his sword-like brows drawn together.

With demonic beasts threatening them, the various families in the City of Brilliance stood united. They generally didn't kill members of other families. The exception was the Dark Guild, whose members were a pack of murderers. If Chen Linjian confirmed that they belonged to the Dark Guild, he would show them no mercy.

The three Silver Rank experts exchanged glances. There was no way they could reveal that they belonged to the Sacred Family. If the matter came to light, it would bring enormous trouble to their masters! The three Silver Rank fighters said nothing and led their men in a charge to break through.

"Since you won't reveal your identities, don't blame me for being merciless!" Seeing them fall silent, Chen Linjian assumed they had to be from the Dark Guild. "Kill them!"

Chen Linjian generally wouldn't go too far against members of other families. But if they belonged to the Dark Guild, he couldn't afford to hold back!

Chen Linjian's men rushed forward, and the two sides clashed fiercely. Blades flashed and swords glinted. After the fierce battle, one of the three Silver Rank fighters was killed, while the other two escaped, both gravely wounded.

When Shen Yue heard the news, he nearly went berserk. He had arranged for three Silver Rank experts to deal with Nie Li, only for Chen Linjian to ruin everything. He didn't know that Nie Li had given Chen Linjian the information, prompting him to act.

Looks like I'll have to handle this myself! Shen Yue's heart darkened. He had brought six men: three Bronze 1-star fighters and three Bronze 2-star fighters. The reason he had suffered at Nie Li's hands last time was that he hadn't known Nie Li was wearing a full set of Bronze equipment. If he had aimed for Nie Li's head and other such places from the start, surely Nie Li wouldn't have been able to dodge every blow!

Seeing Shen Yue's gloomy expression, Nie Li knew the fellow was plotting some new scheme.

A moment later, Chen Linjian returned with five Silver Rank experts.

"Master Chen, who were those three, exactly?" one of Chen Linjian's friends asked.

"My guess is that they were from the Dark Guild," Chen Linjian replied.

"So they were from the Dark Guild. They deserved to die!"

Hearing them talk, Shen Yue's face twitched. Chen Linjian had mistaken his three subordinates for members of the Dark Guild and attacked them so viciously. Otherwise, he would probably have just driven them away. But Shen Yue couldn't say anything. He couldn't exactly tell everyone that the three men had been sent by the Sacred Family, could he?

One of his subordinates had died for nothing, and he didn't know where the other two had gone. No matter how much bitterness he had to swallow, Shen Yue could only keep it bottled up.

Nie Li, you bastard!

Knowing that Chen Linjian valued Nie Li, the boy's standing in the group had begun to rise. Some of Chen Linjian's friends started approaching Nie Li to chat.

"My name is Hu Yan Lanruo. I'm a friend of Young Master Chen's, and I'm from the Hu Yan Family," Hu Yan Lanruo said with a slight smile. She looked about sixteen or seventeen, with an extraordinarily voluptuous figure. Her full breasts were especially striking; the white silk dress could barely conceal the deep cleavage between them, and they quivered slightly as she walked. Her eyes glimmered, brimming with a hint of seduction.

This woman was an absolute stunner!

Though the Hu Yan Family wasn't one of the three Peak Families, it was one of the more powerful Lineages among the Magnate Families.

"Hello, I'm Nie Li," Nie Li said evenly after glancing at Hu Yan Lanruo. He wasn't swayed by her beauty. He remembered her somewhat: Hu Yan Lanruo was extremely talented, too. She was already a Silver 3-star fighter, and a few years later, she would become the acting head of the Hu Yan Family.

Anyone who thought Hu Yan Lanruo was a delicate, helpless young woman was sorely mistaken. To become a high-ranking member of a family, even an acting head, took considerable skill.

Hu Yan Lanruo was a little surprised that Nie Li wasn't moved by her beauty. At Nie Li's age, he already understood the ways between men and women. Many boys would blush in front of her and be so flustered they could barely walk. Yet Nie Li remained perfectly composed.

Some boys would stare at her breasts and bottom, their eyes full of lust. Nie Li looked directly at her, but his gaze was clear, and he seemed not to notice her alluring figure at all.

Hu Yan Lanruo felt a little fondness for the boy, and a sense of closeness toward him.

"I'm a few years older than you. From now on, just call me Sister Lanruo," Hu Yan Lanruo said with a beaming smile.

"Call you sister..." Nie Li looked a little troubled. If Hu Yan Lanruo knew his real age, he wondered how she would react.

"What, you can't?" Hu Yan Lanruo said with a coquettish laugh.

Ye Ziyun, standing beside Nie Li, had never been particularly fond of Hu Yan Lanruo. Hearing her coquettish laugh, she impatiently turned her head away.

Ye Ziyun wasn't as sexy as Hu Yan Lanruo, but the elegant air about her was something Hu Yan Lanruo couldn't match. In a few years, Ye Ziyun would be far more captivating than Hu Yan Lanruo. Ye Ziyun had already raised Nie Li's standards so high that even when a beauty like Hu Yan Lanruo stood before him, he kept his eyes straight ahead.

Hu Yan Lanruo blinked. She was rather interested in Nie Li.

Seeing Nie Li standing beside the charming Ye Ziyun and laughing and chatting with the sultry, sexy Hu Yan Lanruo made several men feel displeased.

A tall, slender man in a white robe walked over. He had the air of an elegant young noble, though his skin was somewhat pale and his steps unsteady. His name was Chu Yuan, and he was also the son of a Magnate Family.

His gaze swept over Ye Ziyun, a trace of greed flashing in his eyes. Though she was still young, Ye Ziyun was already beginning to show the potential to be a femme fatale. In the future, she would surely become a peerless beauty.

Unfortunately, he understood that Ye Ziyun's status was too exalted for someone like him to reach!

By contrast, Hu Yan Lanruo's status wasn't much different from his own. If he won her over, it would greatly help his standing in his family. Her fiery figure made his heart burn even hotter.

"What are you talking about? Mind if I join you?" Chu Yuan asked with a smile. A hint of disdain flashed in his eyes as he looked at Nie Li. According to what he had heard, Nie Li was the son of a small family and hadn't even reached Bronze 1-star. Moreover, Nie Li had offended the Sacred Family. Though the Sacred Family hadn't dealt with him yet, did Nie Li think he could keep acting so arrogantly forever? He was underestimating the Sacred Family far too much!

"We're discussing inscription patterns," Hu Yan Lanruo said, casually making an excuse. A trace of displeasure and impatience showed on her face. She didn't like Chu Yuan, but the Chu Family held a very high position in the City of Brilliance, so she had to maintain a show of harmony.

"I'm best at inscription patterns. Lanruo, if there's anything you don't understand, you can come to me. I've studied inscription patterns far more deeply than a thirteen-year-old child ever could!" Chu Yuan laughed, a proud look flashing across his face.

Ye Ziyun didn't think much of that. No matter how well Chu Yuan knew inscription patterns, could he compare with her Aunt Xue? Even Aunt Xue had personally admitted that Nie Li was an extraordinary inscription master!

What a braggart, Hu Yan Lanruo scoffed inwardly. The reason she was so interested in Nie Li was that he had recognized the source of Crimson Flame Explosion at a glance. If he weren't exceptionally knowledgeable about inscription patterns, how could he have known that Crimson Flame Explosion came from the Thunder Fire Sacred Codex? Most people had probably never even seen the Thunder Fire Sacred Codex. This was far more than mere luck could explain.

"I wouldn't be so sure. Age doesn't always mean everything. There are always people who break through the limits of age—the people we commonly call geniuses." Hu Yan Lanruo's gaze, tinged with flirtation, swept over Nie Li.

Hu Yan Lanruo thought Nie Li was a genius? Chu Yuan sneered. He wouldn't deny that Ye Ziyun was a genius. At such a young age, she had already reached Bronze 1-star. But Nie Li had only a Red Soul Sea, and his Soul Power was pathetically low. If someone like him could be called a genius, then the word had become worthless!

Even if he knew a little about inscription patterns, so what? The City of Brilliance revered strength. Only the strong could earn the respect of others!