Xiao Yan: Impressive Presence, but Your Strength Is Still Lacking

The moment Gu Qingyang spoke, the gazes of the other four members of the Ancient Clan also fell on Xiao Yan without prior arrangement.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and everyone's expressions varied. Although the women all knew Xiao Yan some extent and knew that he was not the kind of person who would be afraid of the Ancient Clan, the current situation was not easy to handle!

"That's right, I am Xiao Yan, but I have long admired Brother Qing Yang."

After learning the identities of the Ancient Clan members, Xiao Yan didn't need to ask. He could tell that the person in front of him, who was clearly the leader, was none other than the future Grand Commander of the Black Annihilation Army, Gu Qingyang!

This guy's talent is also extraordinary. Although he can't be compared to me, he's second only to Xun'er among the Ancient Clan.

Moreover, he remembered that Gu Qingyang was a decent person, so naturally he should give him face and try to befriend him.

"As for taking care of Xun'er? It's just my duty, it's what I should do."

But Xiao Yan's next words rang in the ears of the Ancient Clan members like a blatant provocation.

"Hehe, it seems Brother Xiao Yan also treats Xun'er like his own little sister. In that case, I must thank Brother Xiao Yan."

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyang smiled gently and replied.

He clearly positioned himself as Xun'er's older brother, expressing gratitude to Xiao Yan, an "outsider."

"Brother Qing Yang, you've misunderstood. Xun'er and I grew up together, innocent and pure, and our relationship is definitely not that of siblings!"

Xiao Yan's words were tantamount to delivering a powerful blow right in front of him.

"Hmph! You ungrateful brat, how dare you even dream of Xun'er?"

Gu Yao couldn't hold back any longer upon hearing this. He had originally thought that this kid had some talent and might actually be able to stand at the same level as them in the future. He had intended to listen to his elder brother and be more gentle with Xiao Yan, but he never expected that this guy would dare to say such arrogant words in front of them.

Hearing Gu Yao's words, Xun'er was also unhappy.

To her, Xiao Yan's words just now were undoubtedly a formal confirmation of their relationship in front of her clansmen and everyone else. This was the first time Xiao Yan had so clearly and publicly acknowledged his ownership of her, and how could she allow someone to undermine him at such a time?

That annoying guy, can't he see all his competitors around him, eyeing Brother Xiao Yan with predatory intent?

Therefore, Xun'er decided to stand up for her Brother Xiao Yan.

She took a step forward, golden flames flashing in her eyes, and said coldly, "How dare you call me Xun'er?"

!

Now it was Gu Yao's turn to be speechless.

He now has a sense of absurdity, like he's charging into battle with a princess, only to be told by her, "My husband is on the other side; you're not allowed to touch him. Join me in a counterattack against our homeland."

No, is that right?

Gu Xing and Gu Hua exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.

How do I do this?

If they were to treat Xiao Yan too harshly, wouldn't that be tantamount to angering her? Since Miss is so protective of Xiao Yan, wouldn't that be the same as provoking her?

Gu Zhen shook his head helplessly.

Judging from this, the young lady's infatuation with Xiao Yan has clearly reached an unimaginable level.

Unless Xiao Yan dies, and not at the hands of anyone or any force related to the Ancient Clan, there is absolutely no way to make the young lady change her mind.

Uh, no, it's also possible that the young lady will go completely insane... and then wipe out that force or person...

It's a complete dead end; there's no way to solve it.

It's not that it can't be solved.

If Xiao Yan can reach the Dou Sheng level in the future, he and Miss will be a good match. After all, with Miss's status and talent, if she really likes someone, no one can stop her.

So it seems the key to this problem really is Xiao Yan!

Xiao Yan smiled nonchalantly, reached out and took Xun'er's hand, shielding her behind him.

"Quite the temper. So you're the Gu Yao, right? Impressive aura, but your strength is lacking. Peak Three-Star Dou Wang? If you ever meet me, you'll understand. Genius is just the threshold to seeing me. You're all excellent, of course, but you and I are not on the same level."

Although Xiao Yan was worried that the Soul Clan would send some Dou Zun expert to kill him prematurely, he was still quite confident in facing the Ancient Clan's geniuses who were only at the Dou Wang level.

Then, Xiao Yan took out a golden Storage Ring from his pocket and put it on his hand.

This is the Storage Ring that Xun'er gave him before.

However, since the golden Storage Ring was too conspicuous when traveling, it was carefully put away.

Now, within the academy, in front of the Ancient Clan members, he put it on his hand, naturally so that they would vent their dissatisfaction on this arrogant and ungrateful fellow.

Seeing this scene, Xun'er's mood, which had been somewhat downcast after learning that she had been forced to leave, improved considerably. She extended her hand, adorned with a golden Storage Ring, and grasped Xiao Yan's hand.

The Ancient Clan members who witnessed this scene were utterly speechless.

What else is there to say? Even if it's not for Miss Xun'er, for their own sake, they have to have a good fight with Xiao Yan to see if he really has some trump cards or if he's just putting on an act.

As for the women standing to the side, they each had their own thoughts.

People like Ling Yanfei and Shi Xuanxuan didn't think there was anything wrong with it. They weren't blind; after spending so many months together, they had long since seen how close Xun'er, the young lady of the Ancient Clan, was to Xiao Yan.

At most, I was just a little surprised by the ring.

As for Yao Ling and Huo Zhi, they both felt somewhat envious.

No matter how hard they try, they can never be like Xun'er, who has been by Xiao Yan's side since childhood.

Han Yue, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed watching the drama unfold.

It seems that there's actually a classic storyline between Xiao Yan and Xun'er: a rich girl falling in love with a poor boy!

Awesome!

Xiao Yi Xian watched this scene and smiled faintly.

She and Xun'er are now allies and best friends, unlike some fake friends who say one thing to your face and another behind your back.

She sincerely hoped that Xiao Yan and Xun'er could have a happy ending.

As for her?

Xiao Yan will not let her down. Her companionship is the most enduring declaration of love. No matter where Xiao Yan is, she will follow him to his side.

Hun Li Li is completely obsessed with this.

Goodness, they even have couple rings?

It looks like Xun'er was the one who did it.

I didn't expect the people of the Dou Qi Continent to be so clever!

As for the surrounding students, seeing the tense atmosphere between the two groups, they were confused and assumed there was some kind of grudge between them, so they became somewhat expectant.

It should be noted that the students of the Inner Academy had a general understanding of the strength of Gu Qingyang and his group.

The Student Union founded by Xiao Yan has developed extremely rapidly. With the addition of the Medicine Gang, it is now quite powerful, and many established forces are somewhat dissatisfied with it.

Seeing Xiao Yan and his group actually clashing with Gu Qingyang's group, he naturally felt a bit schadenfreude.

Not far from the two groups, two other groups were also silently watching them.

"Xu Kun, have you noticed?"

A tall, slender young man dressed in white stood with his arms crossed. Surprisingly, he had a pair of extremely long legs, the outline of which was visible even under his trousers.

"Hmm, judging from his physique, Xiao Yan has probably also cultivated some body-refining Dou Technique. He didn't show any such methods when he dealt with Lin Zhan before. It seems that he didn't go to the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower during this period. That was just a misleading tactic. In reality, he should have spent three months cultivating a body-refining Dou Technique!"

Xu Kun, dressed in black trousers and with his hair parted in the middle, analyzed the situation with a serious expression.

"Brother Li, are you confident you can win back?"

Then, Xu Kun glanced at the group of the Ancient Clan and frowned.

"It's tough. Although we were lucky enough to break through to the Dou Wang, those guys couldn't possibly have remained completely unchanged for three months. I really don't know where they came from. They're so young, yet their strength and foundation are terrifyingly powerful. We're lucky to have even made it into the top five this time..."

Upon hearing this, Li Da shook his head with a wry smile.

Rumors are circulating that they intend to reclaim their rightful place in this Strong Ranking Tournament.

But only they themselves know that it's complete nonsense.

Because when they were defeated, they knew very well that their opponents hadn't gone all out. The gap between Dou Wang and Dou Ling could only be bridged by Earth Tier Dou Technique.

However, they possess Earth Tier Dou Technique, and so do their opponents!

"Sigh, graduation is just around the corner. I used to be one of the top students in the academy, but now so many geniuses have emerged. It's really disheartening. Speaking of which, does Brother Qing have a chance to get back into the top five this time?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Kun sighed, shook his head somewhat helplessly, and then asked.

"I don't know. I only see him three times a year at most, but it's unlikely he'll just give up so easily. He's number one on the Strong Ranking List, how could he not have a temper?"

Upon hearing this, Li Da shook his head and shrugged.

"That's true, but speaking of which, we really have to thank those guys. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to try and successfully break through to the Dou Wang realm before the Strong Ranking Tournament."

Xu Kun nodded and sighed.

"Holy crap, Brother Qing went to Xiao Yan's place!"

However, Li Da suddenly swore and stared intently at Xiao Yan.

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Kun's eyes widened as he looked towards Xiao Yan.

The group from the Ancient Clan had already left, but another handsome and alluring figure dressed in a blue robe slowly approached Xiao Yan and his group.

"Who are you?"

Looking at that stunningly handsome figure with an alluring charm, Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with amazement, but his heart was also somewhat solemn.

This woman is actually Dou Wang expert?

As soon as the other party opened their mouth, Xiao Yan couldn't hold back anymore.

"I'm Hu Qingqing. Zi Yan said you're a nice person, so I came to check on you."

Hearing that voice, which, while not exactly rough, was quite magnetic and deep, Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat.

Wait, buddy? You look like that, and you're a guy?!

But... Hu Qingqing?

Who is this?

Xiao Yan looked Hu Qingqing up and down. He really found it hard to match the name, the beautiful face in front of him, with the voice he had just heard.

"Do you know Zi Yan?"

To hide his shock, Xiao Yan put on a kind smile and asked.

"I heard from Zi Yan that your physical strength is quite good, and you can even go toe-to-toe with her. If there's a chance during this Strong Ranking Tournament, I'd really like to face you."

Hu Qingqing's manner of doing things had the air of an elegant young nobleman. After speaking, he gave a slight bow and then turned to leave.

"Well..."

Xiao Yan scratched his head, somewhat confused as to what was going on.

Seemingly sensing Xiao Yan's confusion, Huo Zhi's voice rang out:

"Hu Qingqing, the former number one on the Strong Ranking List, this guy is very strong. Before he broke through to the Dou Wang level, his strength was no less than Gu Xing and Gu Hua. Now that he has broken through to the Dou Wang, his strength will probably only be stronger. You have to be careful."

"He's the number one on the Strong Ranking List?"

Xiao Yan frowned upon hearing this. He truly hadn't expected that the Strong Ranking List would be a man whose appearance could rival that of the beautiful women around him!

Can a man be this beautiful?

"Teacher, can you figure out Hu Qingqing's background?"

Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, then asked in his mind.

"I can't detect anything. He seems to possess some kind of treasure that can block the detection of soul power. If I force my way in, he might notice."

The voice of the Old Yao resounded in Xiao Yan's heart.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was also taken aback.

Even the Old Yao couldn't detect it?

Interesting...

It seems that Hu Qingqing has a secret!

"It's alright. We'll find out his true strength after a fight."

Xiao Yan was quite confident in his own strength.

"Wow, I finally made it! Luckily I flew fast!"

A familiar voice came from above, and a petite figure descended from the sky, landing beside Xiao Yan.

"Zi Yan? You've been bullying the magical beasts in the mountains again?"

Looking at the girl with long, light purple hair, Xiao Yan asked with a smile.

"Hehe, you went into seclusion for three months. I figured I might as well go and get some medicinal herbs since I was just idling around. Unfortunately, I got entangled with a Sixth Tier Fire Cloud Eagle. Luckily, I escaped quickly, or I wouldn't have made it back to watch your competition! Here, I can give you a little bit of these herbs, and you can refine the rest into pills!"

Zi Yan chuckled and presented Xiao Yan with a Storage Ring as if it were a treasure.

Xiao Yan smiled, took the Storage Ring, and glanced at it briefly.

Wow, that's quite a haul!

There are no medicinal herbs below the Fourth-Grade.

"Okay, whatever you say." Xiao Yan smiled, then put the Storage Ring away and asked, "By the way, Zi Yan, do you know Hu Qingqing?"

"Uh, him? I know him. In the Inner Academy, only he and I are magical beasts in our true forms, so of course we know each other. But he's not as tough as you, so beating him up wouldn't be fun."

Zi Yan pouted, saying with some disdain.

"Uh... a Warcraft? What race is he?"

Xiao Yan hadn't expected to obtain Hu Qingqing's information so easily from Zi Yan.

"Uh, I'm not sure exactly what kind of magical beast it is, but when this thing couldn't beat me, it would stare at me with its eyes and try to seduce me. Plus, it's so beautiful, it must be a fox, right?"

Zi Yan tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then said.