One Move

At the same time, Xiao Ling wrapped an arm around Xiao Yu's slender waist and pulled her into his embrace. With a casual palm strike, he blocked Wu Ming's attack.

Then, with a slight tremor, he sent Wu Ming—who possessed the strength of a Da Dou Shi—staggering back more than ten steps...

Only then did he look at Xiao Yu, whose pretty face was flushed red in his arms. Seeing a trace of pallor still on her face, he could not help frowning as he scolded her.

"You little girl, let's see if you still try to show off next time?"

As he spoke, Xiao Ling took out a Fourth-Rank Healing Pill. Amid Xiao Yu's blushing embarrassment, he personally brought it to her lips. "Here. You got lucky this time. If you do this again next time, you'll be sorry."

He had just traded for it from the system, and it had cost him a month of his lifespan. But he had always been generous toward his own people, especially this girl, Xiao Yu.

Hearing this, Xiao Yu, who was leaning against the person she admired and greedily breathing in his familiar scent, raised her now rosy face and stubbornly said, "I wouldn't... I mean, I wouldn't! Anyone who slanders you deserves to die!"

"Sigh... you little girl..."

Xiao Ling shook his head helplessly.

In truth, he understood Xiao Yu's feelings very clearly, and he himself did not dislike Xiao Yu either—whether in the original work or in reality...

But just as he had thought before, he was still far too weak and did not yet have the strength to protect them... so he had no intention of getting involved in matters of romance too early.

However, while the two were embracing, the younger members of the Xiao Clan around them began whispering among themselves.

"Wow, Cousin Xiao Yu has such a gentle side?"

"You're making a fuss over nothing. Our Cousin Xiao Yu is only this gentle when she's facing Brother Xiao Ling."

"I agree with that. Cousin Xiao Yu treats us completely differently from how she treats our cousin. She's practically a tigress."

Xiao Yan said with deep feeling.

"Holy shit... Xiao Yan, kid, you've gotten cocky, haven't you? Be careful Cousin Xiao Yu doesn't hear you and make things difficult for you."

Faced with everyone's chatter, Xiao Yu's pretty face flushed crimson. She could only reluctantly leave Xiao Ling's embrace.

Then, she shot a fierce glare in Xiao Yan's direction before looking at Wu Ming, who seemed lost in thought on the opposite side.

"Brother Xiao Ling, this guy deserves to die!"

Hearing this, Wu Ming's expression turned ugly. He looked at the White-robed Youth who had not given him so much as a proper glance from beginning to end, a deep wariness flashing through his eyes before he said, "Xiao Ling, do you dare exchange another move with me? If you win, everything belongs to you. But if you lose, lend me your little girlfriend for two days. How about it?"

The moment those words came out, the Martial Arts Arena fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone from the Xiao Clan looked at Wu Ming on the arena stage as if he were an idiot, watching him desperately court death as they murmured among themselves.

"..."

Xiao Ling's pitch-black eyes grew colder and colder. His icy voice then spread throughout the entire Martial Arts Arena.

"Wu Ming? I've never seen anyone so eager to die. But since you're seeking death, I don't mind granting your wish."

With that, Xiao Ling looked at Xiao Yu beside him. When she saw him looking over, the girl merely smiled at him indifferently. The sight instantly stirred killing intent within him.

Originally, he had planned to capture this guy afterward and study exactly what had caused the plot to deviate from its course...

But there was no need now. As long as this guy died, everything would be settled once and for all.

"Yu Er, watch carefully. This is how Sword Finger is performed."

The moment Xiao Ling finished speaking, he took a single step forward and appeared before Wu Ming in an instant. He raised his right hand, formed his fingers into a sword, and slowly pointed forward.

In that instant, a strand of sword qi as thick as a chopstick shot from his fingertips.

"I surrender!"

Wu Ming hurriedly said.

However, it was too late. The moment Xiao Ling's finger pointed out, the sword qi had already arrived before Wu Ming's brow. Just as it was about to pierce through his forehead... an accident occurred. An egg-shaped spatial barrier emerged from Wu Ming's body, enveloping him completely.

Bang!

Watching Wu Ming get blasted off the arena stage, Xiao Ling narrowed his eyes slightly. In that instant, he had sensed the strength of that barrier.

Even if he spent ten years of his lifespan to trade for a Dou Huang Pill and obtained peak Dou Huang strength for twenty-four hours, he still would not be able to break through the other party's defense.

And if he really did that, he would completely expose his trump card for preserving his life. Clearly, that was not worth it.

So... he planned to find an opportunity later to catch the other party off guard and kill him directly.

With that thought, Xiao Ling looked toward Wu Ming below the arena stage. The other party was glaring at him with a face full of hatred. If looks could kill, Xiao Ling felt he would have died hundreds of times already.

Moreover, it seemed to him that the other party did not know he possessed a spatial barrier set by a Dou Zun-level expert.

Otherwise, he would never have surrendered...

Only then did the people around them react, because everything had happened in the span of milliseconds.

Aoba Pa and Jia Liebi in particular looked as though they had been struck by lightning, frozen in place with rapid breathing. They had never imagined that Xiao Ling would be this powerful.

Judging from the aura he displayed when he attacked just now, he was already no weaker than either of them. It was simply unimaginable. As far as they knew, he was only ten years old this year, wasn't he?

"A ten-year-old Da Dou Shi?"

Not to mention Wutan City—there wasn't one even in the Jia Ma Empire. As for whether one existed on the vast Dou Qi Continent, they had no idea.

Compared to the various misgivings of the two great clans, the younger members of the Xiao Clan were far more straightforward. All of them looked excitedly at the White-robed Youth on the arena and burst into cheers.

Xiao Yan looked at his cousin with worship in his eyes. "..."

Xiao Wu looked at him with respect. "..."

Xiao Yu's pretty face flushed slightly. "..."

Xiao Ling paid no attention to the discussions among the Xiao Clan disciples. He turned his gaze toward Aoba Pa and Jia Liebi, who were discussing something, and spoke coldly.

"Gentlemen, don't tell me you intend to renege on your debt?"

The sudden voice interrupted Aoba Pa and Jia Liebi's conversation. Their expressions darkened as they first glanced toward Xiao Zhan and the others on the platform. Seeing them glaring like tigers watching prey, they instantly calmed down.

Yet their expressions only grew uglier. They had no doubt that if they dared to default, they would never leave the Xiao Clan alive today!

At that thought, Aoba Pa and Jia Liebi exchanged a glance, then cupped their hands toward Xiao Ling.

"Young Clan Head Xiao Ling, you jest. Our two clans still possess this much integrity... Here are two hundred thousand gold coins and the deeds to the Marketplace."

"Please... inspect them... Young... Clan... Head... Xiao... Ling!!"

Suppressing their heartache and impulse, the two placed down the compensation word by word, then led their clansmen away in disgrace.

Xiao Ling smiled as he collected all the compensation. He then turned to look at Xiao Zhan and the others who had come to his side, tossing the two Marketplace deeds over to them before looking down at the younger members of the Xiao Clan and announcing.

"In this Year-End Assessment, Xiao Yu and Xiao Wu are tied for first place, while Xiao Yan ranks tenth. The remaining slots will be decided later by the Hunting Competition."

With that, Xiao Ling headed toward his residence. The older one and the younger one exchanged a glance before immediately following after him.

Xiao Zhan and the others smiled at one another, then continued presiding over the assessment of the Xiao Clan's younger generation. No one mentioned the two hundred thousand gold coins, as though they did not exist at all.