Three years were enough to change many things.
Yet three years were also very short. Not to mention three years—even thirty, or three hundred years—were but a drop in the ocean to this world.
But for the young man and woman before them, these three years represented many things.
By now, everything had changed.
At the word "Begin," Dou Qi within Xiao Yan suddenly surged.
Sensing the powerful Dou Qi rising from Xiao Yan's body, a trace of surprise flashed through Nalan Yanran's eyes. The youth who had once endured countless cold stares and taunts in the Xiao Clan was truly completely different now.
Her jade-like hand clenched the pale green longsword. Faint green whirlwinds coiled and drifted around its blade, and within them, sharp wind blades flickered in and out. Occasionally, they shot forth and left marks of varying depth across the hard bluestone slabs. The sword slowly rose, pointing from afar at Xiao Yan, its sharp edge gleaming coldly beneath the sunlight.
As Dou Qi rose from both their bodies, the atmosphere across the vast plaza instantly grew tense. Silence fell once more, and every gaze focused upon the two of them. Many wished to know just how far the useless youth of three years ago had come after three years of cultivation.
In the arena, Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes, then let out a long breath. His eyes abruptly opened, and a flash of green flame passed through his dark pupils. The Dou Qi around his body deepened considerably at that moment.
His hand gripped the ruler's hilt tightly, feeling its unceasing weight. Xiao Yan raised his eyes and stared at the willow-slender woman across from him. Their gazes met in midair, and both held complicated emotions in their eyes.
"The three-year agreement has come due.