Questioning

Ge Ye was a Seven-Star Dou Grandmaster, while Xiao Zhan and the three elders were all weaker than him.

Yet even with the greatest strength, he could not possibly face four Da Dou Shi attacking him at once.

Feeling the terrifying aura emanating from the four men, a bead of cold sweat slid down Ge Ye's forehead.

His intelligence had still been outdated. Ever since the Testing Ceremony ended yesterday, the Xiao Clan's three elders had already reached a consensus.

They could not afford to offend the main branch.

Xiao Zhan had originally been the strongest person in the Xiao Clan, and now there was an additional Three-Star Dou King, Xiao Jin. How could they afford to offend them?

Not only could they not offend them, they had to put on a good performance.

It was no exaggeration to say that the better their relationship with Xiao Jin was now, the higher their status in the Xiao Clan would be.

They should not assume that because Xiao Jin was only a Three-Star Dou King, they would not dare offend the Misty Cloud Sect.

The three elders were not fools. With the Xiao Clan's resources, could they really have cultivated a fifteen-year-old Dou King powerhouse?

Give it a rest. If the Xiao Clan truly had such ability, they would not have shamefully fled to Wutan City.

In other words, Xiao Jin had a mysterious teacher behind him whom they knew nothing about.

This teacher could cultivate a fifteen-year-old Dou King. How powerful must he be himself?

The three elders did not dare imagine it. They only knew that at the same age of fifteen, Yun Yun's disciple was still a Three-Star Dou Zhe.

And that was a prodigy cultivated with all the resources of the Misty Cloud Sect.

Then Xiao Jin's mysterious teacher had to be, at the very least, a legendary Dou Zun powerhouse, right?

With such a mighty figure protecting them, they would not fear any Misty Cloud Sect.

People said the older one grew, the wiser one became. Although the three elders had never even met that teacher, they had already guessed many things.

Seeing the three elders' performance, Xiao Jin was extremely satisfied.

If a clan did not even have this much unity, it might as well disband as soon as possible.

With the three elders stepping forward, Xiao Zhan was no longer as angry.

He stared at Nalan Yanran for a moment before a cold smile surfaced at the corner of his mouth. "Miss Nalan certainly has impressive courage. Nalan Su is truly fortunate to have a daughter like you."

Nalan Yanran's delicate body trembled. She stammered, "Uncle Xiao, I..."

Xiao Zhan waved his large hand, interrupting Nalan Yanran. "I cannot bear you calling me uncle. Miss Nalan, you should call me Clan Leader Xiao instead."

"You are the future Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect. Given my Yan'er's aptitude, he truly is not worthy of you."

Xiao Zhan's tone was cold, but Ge Ye was overjoyed when he heard this. "Thank you, Clan Leader Xiao, for your understanding. The Sect Master also knows that the Misty Cloud Sect has treated the Xiao Clan poorly in this matter, so she specially asked me to bring a gift of apology."

He brushed his finger over his Storage Ring and took out a jade box.

After opening the box, a medicinal pill lay quietly inside.

"Clan Leader Xiao, this is a Tier 4 Medicinal Pill, Qi Gathering Powder. It was personally refined by Elder Gu He, the sect's honorary elder." A trace of smugness colored Ge Ye's voice. "Consider this Qi Gathering Powder the Misty Cloud Sect's apology. We hope your clan will accept it."

In the corner, Xiao Yan's expression was gloomy. His heaving chest proved that he was forcefully suppressing his anger.

He suddenly rose, intending to say something, but then he saw the look Xiao Jin sent him.

"Brother Jin?"

"Third Brother, rest assured. I will seek justice for you in this matter."

The tacit understanding between the brothers allowed them to understand each other's intentions in an instant.

Xiao Yan now trusted this sworn younger brother of his from the depths of his heart.

After catching Xiao Jin's signal, he sat back down.

Only after pacifying Xiao Yan did Xiao Jin slowly rise.

He was clearly the youngest person present apart from Xun'er and Nalan Yanran, but as he rose, an indescribable pressure gradually spread through the hall.

The smugness on Ge Ye's face instantly froze, and his eyes filled with terror.

What the hell? How can this kid's pressure be so powerful?

Even among the elders of the sect, Ge Ye had never encountered such pressure.

If even he, a Seven-Star Dou Grandmaster, was so helpless, then Liu Ling and Nalan Yanran, who possessed only Dou Zhe strength, were even more oppressed into silence.

Bead-sized drops of sweat slid down their cheeks, striking the floor one after another with crisp sounds.

Only after he stood straight did Xiao Jin's bone-chilling voice slowly ring out.

"What an impressive Misty Cloud Sect. What an impressive Qi Gathering Powder. What an impressive apology."

He spread his fingers, and an immense suction force instantly pulled the jade box into his palm.

Ge Ye exerted all his strength, yet he could not stop Xiao Jin's movement.

"A Tier 4 Medicinal Pill, Qi Gathering Powder." The corner of Xiao Jin's mouth curled into a mocking smile. "What a piece of trash. How dare it enter my Xiao Clan's gates?"

With that, flames rose from his hand, instantly reducing the medicinal pill and jade box to ashes.

Although the Xiao Clan's three elders felt heartbroken, they still tacitly kept their mouths shut.

If they dared undermine Xiao Jin at a time like this, they could simply wait for his revenge afterward.

Xiao Jin gently blew away the ashes in his hand before slowly walking over to Ge Ye.

"Mr. Ge Ye, according to your logic, as long as one offers an apology, one can do whatever one wants, correct?"

Ge Ye struggled to raise his head. When he met Xiao Jin's icy gaze, his heart trembled involuntarily.

What the hell? Just what level is this kid's cultivation?

Even a Dou Ling deacon within the sect could not have snatched the jade box from his hand so effortlessly.

Behind him, Liu Ling's eyes were bloodshot. This was the painstaking work of his teacher, yet someone had actually called it trash.

As Gu He's disciple, if he cowered at a moment like this, what face would he have to return to the Misty Cloud Sect?

"Presumptuous!" Liu Ling roared with all his strength. "Do you know who my teacher is? How dare you insult him like this!"

Xiao Jin calmly cast him a glance. In an instant, Liu Ling felt terrifying pressure descend all around him.

Under the immense pressure, his legs began to tremble. Before even a breath had passed, everyone present heard a loud "thud." Liu Ling, who had been shouting moments ago, had already fallen to his knees.

The crisp sound of bones breaking echoed through the hall. Clearly, under Xiao Jin's pressure, his kneecaps had already fractured.

Xiao Jin treated him like an insignificant fly and turned his gaze toward Nalan Yanran.

"Nalan Yanran. Miss Nalan. Young Sect Master Nalan."

Each time he called her by another title, Nalan Yanran's heart jolted.

Her strength was even inferior to Liu Ling's. Since Liu Ling had ended up in such a miserable state, how could she fare any better?

"Miss Nalan probably thinks that as long as you dismiss the Xiao Clan like a beggar, everything will go as you wish, doesn't she?"

Nalan Yanran bit her red lips. Thin traces of blood seeped out continuously, adding an eerie touch to her already alluring lips.

"Do you believe I could kill you right now, then carry your head back and destroy the Misty Cloud Sect?" Xiao Jin's voice suddenly rose several notches. The intense killing intent in his words frightened Nalan Yanran's delicate body into trembling nonstop.

After a long while, the girl finally recovered her courage. She raised her head to meet Xiao Jin's gaze and asked with difficulty, "I just don't want to be bound by the engagement. What have I done wrong?"

"Well said." Xiao Jin clapped leisurely, a gentle smile on his face, as though he had not been the one oppressing Liu Ling moments ago.

Yet after the applause, Xiao Jin's expression suddenly changed. "Then what did my Third Brother do wrong? How did you know that my Third Brother was willing to accept this engagement?"

Nalan Yanran froze.

That was right. What had Xiao Yan done wrong?

She did not want to be bound by the engagement, but was Xiao Yan willing to accept it?

If he was unwilling as well, did that not mean they could have communicated and discussed the matter more peacefully?

After negotiating, the Xiao Clan and the Nalan Clan could have dissolved the engagement amicably.

"Can't answer?" Mockery appeared on Xiao Jin's face. "Then allow me to answer for you."

"You merely think that, as the Young Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect, you can humiliate my Xiao Clan at will."

"You merely think that, as a heaven's favored daughter, you are someone my Third Brother has no right to covet."

"You merely think that, aside from your Misty Cloud Sect, everyone else is not even human—just playthings in the eyes of Miss Nalan."

"So you think that you only need to pay a tiny price to dissolve this engagement."

"So you think that by offering a Qi Gathering Powder comparable to trash, you can make my Xiao Clan accept the Misty Cloud Sect's favor like a dog, then happily dissolve the engagement."

"Do you think that if not for the Misty Cloud Sect's reputation, you would not even want to pay this Qi Gathering Powder, and that the Misty Cloud Sect's prestige alone would be enough to forcefully dissolve this engagement?"

"Put plainly, in the eyes of Miss Nalan, my Xiao Clan probably does not even count as human. We are merely pathetic tools eagerly seeking to curry favor with the powerful, aren't we?"

One question after another slammed heavily into Nalan Yanran's heart.