Breaking the Engagement

The next day, early morning.

Xiao Bai sat cross-legged on the bed, opened his eyes, breathed out a mouthful of Turbid Qi, and ended his night of cultivation.

After getting up and washing, Xiao Bai prepared to head to the Xiao Clan's Reception Hall.

Today was the day Nalan Yanran would come to their door. For this, Xiao Bai had waited several months.

Ever since Xun Er had given him quite a few medicinal pills, he had entertained a certain idea: could he, as he was now, become an alchemist?

Alchemist was a noble profession on the Dou Qi Continent. They could refine heavenly treasures into all kinds of medicinal pills with miraculous effects, either raising cultivation, treating injuries...

And to become an alchemist required three conditions: Fire and Wood Attributes, a flame seed, and Soul Perception.

Among the hundreds of millions of people on the Dou Qi Continent, someone born with both the Fire and Wood Attributes in their soul was exceedingly rare.

Such a person needed to cultivate a Fire Attribute Qi Method before they could produce a flame seed.

Those two things alone were still not enough; they also needed outstanding Soul Perception.

For all sorts of reasons, alchemists had attained their current abnormal status—a profession that could stand above Dou Shi.

Originally, after Xiao Bai learned that he had the Lightning attribute, he had not been enthusiastic about the alchemist profession.

But now it was different. He had the possibility of becoming an alchemist.

Wood Attribute—the Yi Wood Positive Thunder contained Yi Wood Qi.

As for a flame seed, he had Bing Fire Yang Thunder, and the Bing Fire Qi within it was also a kind of flame.

As for Soul Perception, he was not worried about that at all. His current Soul Perception could absolutely rival a Rank 6 Alchemist, perhaps even stronger.

With both fire and wood, plus a powerful soul, it should theoretically be feasible. But whether fire or wood, neither existed independently; they were carried within the thunder.

He did not know whether the addition of the Lightning attribute would make refinement impossible, and that point left him uncertain.

So he had to get involved in today's matter. He needed Yao Lao's Rank 8 Alchemist inheritance.

Originally, he had only planned to watch the engagement-breaking scene for fun, but after having this idea, while refining the Bing Fire Yang Thunder, he had been quietly plotting this matter all along.

Today was the best opportunity. If everything went smoothly, not only could he achieve his goal, he could also conveniently sell someone a favor.

Xiao Bai arrived at the Reception Hall and saw that it was already filled with people. Seated at the very top were Xiao Clan Head Xiao Zhan and four Elders.

The row on the lower left was occupied by the Xiao Clan's elders who held real authority, and seated behind them were the more outstanding members of the Xiao Clan's younger generation.

On the right sat three people: an old man, and two young people, one male and one female.

The old man wore moon-white robes and looked full of vigor. On his cuffs was embroidered a small colored sword, the symbol of the Misty Cloud Sect.

Looking at his chest again, there was a curved Silver Moon drawn there, surrounded by seven golden stars. This was the symbol of a Seven Star Da Dou Shi.

It was Xiao Bai's first time seeing this thing, and he was a little speechless. There really were people who displayed their own strength so blatantly on their chest.

If those cautious-path cultivators and sly old foxes from his previous life saw this, they would definitely be ecstatic.

The young man and woman beside the old man also wore moon-white robes of the same style.

The man was around twenty. As for his looks, judged by the aesthetic sense Xiao Bai had trained from looking in the mirror every day, he could only be called average.

But some of the young girls of the Xiao Clan were rather infatuated with him. It was not just because of his appearance; most importantly, it was because of the five stars on his chest—Five Star Dou Practitioner.

As for that young woman, she must be Nalan Yanran. Her appearance was not ordinary, her small face cold and beautiful, and there were three stars on her chest. Only, the pride in her eyes was practically overflowing.

In a place like the Jia Ma Empire, she did indeed have the capital to be proud. She herself was the direct granddaughter of one of the Jia Ma Empire's three great families, the Nalan Family, and also the beloved disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect's sect master. She could practically walk sideways through the Jia Ma Empire.

While Xiao Bai was sizing them up, he suddenly felt someone tug at his sleeve.

Turning his head, he saw that it was none other than that little girl Xun Er.

After pulling Xiao Bai over to sit in a corner, she looked at him with a teasing expression and said, "Xiao Bai Gege, is that girl pretty?"

Xiao Bai frowned and pondered for a moment, then said with a perfectly serious expression, "Mm... three-dimensional features, fair skin, a cold and elegant bearing, a slim waist and long legs..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Xun Er beside him from the corner of his eye and saw her expression growing darker and darker.

Xiao Bai continued with a long string of praise. Just as it seemed the little girl was about to lose her temper, his tone changed.

"...However, she can't compare to even one ten-thousandth of my Xun Er!"

Xiao Xun Er's face instantly changed from cloudy to clear. The corners of her lips lifted slightly, and she gave him a charming eye-roll.

At first, seeing Xiao Bai's serious expression and hearing the unending stream of praise, she had thought he had really taken a liking to that girl. So it turned out he was teasing her.

As the two talked and laughed, Xiao Yan's figure appeared in the hall.

It was still the original plot. Xiao Zhan told Xiao Yan to take a seat, but when he looked left and right, there was no seat reserved for him at the front at all.

Today, he was the protagonist. It was impossible for him to sit in a corner; wouldn't that let others laugh at him?

Xiao Bai watched this scene coldly and shook his head inwardly.

As for the actions of these Elders, he could not stand them at all.

In Xiao Bai's heart, no matter what conflicts or competition there were between clansmen, at the very least, they should show unity in front of outsiders, right? Even if it was only pretending on the surface.

Embarrassing one's own clansman in front of outsiders like this would only make the outsiders laugh. The one losing face was not just Xiao Yan, but the entire Xiao Clan.

They had once been one of the Ancient Eight Clans. When Xiao Xuan was alive, they could almost be called the foremost of the eight clans, yet now they had fallen to such a state. It seemed it was not without reason.

If not for the emergence of the child of destiny, Xiao Yan, a clan like this, forget rising again—whether the Xiao Clan would still exist a few decades later was hard to say.

Only then did Xiao Zhan, seated in the main seat, notice his son's awkward situation, and fury surged in his heart.

Those damned old fossils. They were deliberately trying to watch his son make a fool of himself in front of outsiders, to watch him make a fool of himself. What good did doing this bring them?

"Xiao Yan, come over here!"

A low voice rang through the hall, and the gazes of everyone in the hall immediately turned toward Xiao Bai in the corner.

Several Elders seemed about to say something, but when they saw Xiao Xun Er beside him, they instantly shut their mouths.

Seeing that someone had finally stepped in to help him out, Xiao Yan let out a breath of relief. He came to Xiao Bai's side and sat down, then said in a low voice:

"Brother Bai, thanks!"

Xiao Bai gave a slight nod and said nothing more.

Next came the Misty Cloud Sect's old man, Ge Ye, voicing the intention to break off the engagement. Xiao Zhan flew into a rage, and Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan set down the Three-Year Agreement.

After that, because of Nalan Yanran's young-miss words, Xiao Yan cried out that famous line in grief and fury:

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Don't bully the young and poor!"

Then he wrote the divorce letter and ran straight out.

When Xiao Bai saw Xiao Yan leave, he knew it was time for him to act. Otherwise, if he went too late, that old man would come out.

If he waited until after Yao Lao accepted Xiao Yan before going, the matter could still be handled, but it would be too troublesome.

And he did not like trouble!

He rose, stretched lazily, and walked outside at an unhurried pace.

"Xiao Bai Gege, where are you going?"

Seeing that Xiao Bai was about to leave, Xiao Xun Er asked in puzzlement.

"To the back mountain."

Xiao Bai did not turn back, only waved his hand as he spoke.

"Wait for me, I'm going with you!"