Never Look Down on a Poor Youth!

"Haha, Mr. Ge Ye, please speak your mind. If it is within our power, the Xiao Clan will not refuse," Xiao Zhan said, forcing a smile onto his face.

"Ahem..."

At the thought of what he was about to say, a look of embarrassment suddenly appeared on Ge Ye's face. However, remembering the Sect Master's affection for Nalan Yanran, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and smile.

"Clan Leader Xiao, you know that the Yunlan Sect has strict rules, and the Sect Master holds high expectations for Yanran. She is currently being groomed as the next Sect Master of the Yunlan Sect... Due to certain special regulations, a successor to the Sect Master cannot have romantic entanglements with men before officially ascending to the position..."

"After consulting with Yanran, the Sect Master learned of her engagement to the Xiao Clan, so... so the Sect Master would like to ask Clan Leader Xiao if you could... annul this engagement."

"Crack!"

The jade cup in Xiao Zhan's hand shattered into a pile of powder in an instant.

There is a world of difference between a statement before it is spoken and after it is uttered.

Before this, there was a possibility that their Xiao Clan had overthought things, that Nalan Yanran had not come to break off the engagement, or that she would at least have the tact not to demand an annulment in front of a full hall.

But now, once these words were spoken, everything was beyond redemption!

"Good, good, good!" Xiao Zhan laughed in extreme anger, repeating the word three times. "Niece Nalan, Nalan Su is truly to be envied for having a daughter like you!"

As his voice fell, a faint cyan Dou Qi suddenly surged from Xiao Zhan's body, gradually covering his frame until, finally, it vaguely coalesced into a phantom lion's head around his face.

A Xuan-tier technique, Kuangshi Nugang!

"Uncle Xiao!" Nalan Yanran, seeing the situation turn dire, hurriedly stood up.

"Do not call me uncle; I am not worthy of that title!" Xiao Zhan's voice was icy, every word carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

Seeing this, Ge Ye's expression shifted slightly. He quietly circulated the Dou Qi within his body, stepped forward to block Nalan Yanran, and said in a deep voice, "Clan Leader Xiao, this matter may be somewhat abrupt, but please..."

"Abrupt?" Xiao Zhan laughed in fury.

"To humiliate my son and trample on the dignity of my Xiao Clan in front of everyone in this hall, and you think a simple 'abrupt' will suffice? The Yunlan Sect... truly has a grand sense of self-importance!"

Nalan Yanran was intimidated by Xiao Zhan's aura, her face turning slightly pale, yet from start to finish, she did not feel that she had done anything wrong.

"Uncle Xiao... Clan Leader Xiao, a forced melon is never sweet! It is true that I, Yanran, did not consider this thoroughly and am willing to apologize. Here is a Juqi Powder, let this serve as..."

"Heh..."

Just as the tension reached its breaking point, a voice filled with suppressed, boundless rage and a cold, mocking laugh rang out through the hall, cutting Nalan Yanran off.

Everyone turned to look, only to see Xiao Yan, who had been sitting silently in the guest seat, slowly stand up.

The young man's delicate face was now filled with sarcasm and frost; his gaze, sharp as a blade, shot straight at Nalan Yanran.

"Miss Nalan... I would like to ask, regarding today's events, has Elder Nalan given his consent?"

Nalan Yanran frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "My grandfather did not agree, but this is my own affair, and it has nothing to do with him."

"What a fine 'nothing to do with him'!" The sarcasm at the corners of Xiao Yan's mouth deepened.

"Since the Elder has not spoken, then forgive my arrogance, but you, Nalan Yanran, have no right to be so presumptuous in my Xiao Clan!"

"This engagement was set by the two elders themselves. As long as they have not spoken to annul it, it remains valid!"

He stepped forward, ignoring Ge Ye's vigilant gaze, and walked up to Nalan Yanran, saying coldly, "You, Nalan Yanran, are the Young Sect Master of the Yunlan Sect, a future leader with a lofty status. Naturally, you look down on a piece of trash like me from the Xiao Clan. Fine, I, Xiao Yan, am not the type to cling shamelessly to others!"

Xiao Yan stopped looking at her, turned abruptly, walked to the table, and began to write furiously!

The brush danced like a dragon and a snake, the ink flowing freely!

Immediately after, his right hand suddenly drew a short blade and sliced a gash across his left palm!

His blood-stained palm pressed heavily onto the white paper, leaving a glaring, crimson print!

Xiao Yan picked up the blood-written letter and flicked his arm, sending it flying precisely toward Nalan Yanran.

The young girl caught it instinctively; the paper was warm and sticky to the touch, and the scent of blood combined with the large character for "Divorce" written on the page nearly made her vision go black.

Xiao Yan's voice was terrifyingly calm, like the silence before a volcanic eruption.

"Nalan Yanran, remember this: it is not you coming to my Xiao Clan to break off the engagement..."

He lifted his chin slightly, using every ounce of his strength to roar at the heaven-favored girl before him, "It is I, Xiao Yan, who looks down on you!"

"Miss Nalan, for the sake of Elder Nalan, Xiao Yan will offer you one more piece of advice: do not bully the young because they are poor, for thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river!"

The sound shook the roof tiles like a thunderclap, exploding in the heart of everyone present!

Hearing this classic line, even Ning Chen almost couldn't help but applaud.

Nalan Yanran was so angered by this barrage of shocks that her delicate body trembled and her face turned deathly pale. She clutched the divorce letter tightly, as if she were holding a red-hot iron.

"You... you dare to divorce me?!" Her voice was sharp, filled with disbelief.

"Fine! Xiao Yan, you have guts!" Nalan Yanran's chest heaved violently as she suddenly tucked the divorce letter away, her eyes also surging with fury.

"In that case, I, Nalan Yanran, also make a vow here! Fifteen years! I will give you fifteen years! Fifteen years from now, at the peak of Yunlan Mountain, you and I shall have a duel! If you win, I, Nalan Yanran, will be your slave and servant, and you may do as you please! But if you lose..."

"Why wait fifteen years!" Xiao Yan interrupted, his tone decisive and unyielding.

"Three years! Just three years! I will personally ascend the Yunlan Sect!"

"Good! I will be waiting!"

Nalan Yanran took a deep look at Xiao Yan; the humiliation of today was already etched into her bones.

She did not linger any longer, turning around to lead the members of the Yunlan Sect away.

"Miss Nalan..."

However, just as she turned, a cold, indifferent girl's voice rang out faintly, devoid of any fluctuation.

Xiao Xun'er had appeared silently in the hall at some point. She looked at Nalan Yanran with calm eyes, yet that gaze made even Ge Ye feel a palpitation in his heart, as if he were witnessing some great terror.

"Miss Nalan, I hope you will not regret your shortsighted actions today in the future."

Xiao Xun'er's voice was very soft, yet no one could ignore it.

"The Yunlan Sect is indeed strong, but on this Dou Qi Continent, there are some existences that neither you, nor your entire Yunlan Sect, can afford to provoke."

This naked threat made the expressions of Nalan Yanran and Ge Ye change once more!

"Heh..."

Just as the atmosphere stagnated again, a soft chuckle sounded, carrying a hint of laziness and playfulness.

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on the side of Xiao Xun'er, on that young man in green who had been watching from the sidelines all along.

Ning Chen slowly set down his teacup, his gaze sweeping over the grim-faced Nalan Yanran, his tone extremely flat.

"Miss Xun'er is right. The Dou Qi Continent is vast, so vast that even your Yunlan Sect ancestor, Yun Potian, barely managed to leave a name for himself in the Central Plains."

"As for you, Miss Nalan, your talent is passable; you can be called a genius here in the Jia Ma Empire."

He paused slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into a mocking arc.

"However, that is all it amounts to."

"When you reach the Central Plains in the future, you will understand. Not to mention the major powers like the One Hall One Tower Two Sects Three Valleys, even the geniuses within the Four Square Pavilions are not people you can look up to."

Ning Chen raised his eyelids, swept a faint glance at her, and lightly spat out the second half of his sentence.

"And people like you are probably more common than the turtles in the Yongning River."

"..."

The entire hall was deathly silent.

Nalan Yanran's delicate body trembled violently, her complexion turning from white to red, and then from red to green!

The Central Plains! He actually dared to use the Central Plains to suppress her! And he even compared her to... a turtle?!

Yet, as she looked at Ning Chen's calm, waveless eyes, which seemed to be merely stating a fact, a chill originating from the depths of her soul made her unable to refute him, or even utter a single harsh word!

Ge Ye was drenched in cold sweat. The Central Plains! This person mentioned the Central Plains so casually, and what were those One Hall One Tower Two Sects Three Valleys and Four Square Pavilions?!

What on earth was his background?!

"Let's go!"

Nalan Yanran squeezed these three words out from her throat, gritting her teeth. Unable to endure this suffocating pressure and humiliation any longer, she led the Yunlan Sect members away in a hurry, almost as if fleeing.

The storm had temporarily come to an end.