The Danta Trio's First Gathering, Zi Yan's Brutal Verdict: We're Doomed

Faced with the doubts of the women present, Xiao Yan slightly raised the corners of his mouth, walked directly towards Dan Chen, and grabbed Dan Chen's small hand in front of the shocked gazes of Dan Xue, Cao Ying, and Dan Chen.

"Don't want!"

Dan Chen instinctively tried to break free from Xiao Yan's grasp to avoid hurting her newly acquainted senior brother.

However, let alone Dan Chen, even if it were Dan Xue, who had the strength of Dou Zong, she would have no chance of easily breaking free from Xiao Yan's grasp if he was unwilling to let go.

Dan Chen could only show despair, while Cao Ying beside her had eyes full of worry and anxiety.

On the contrary, after the initial panic, Dan Xue was surprised to find that when Xiao Yan touched her, Dan Chen's strange constitution seemed to malfunction, showing no reaction whatsoever in trying to devour Xiao Yan's soul.

Actually, it's not that it doesn't exist.

When Xiao Yan grabbed Dan Chen's hand just now, it was initially due to the influence of Dan Chen's physique.

However, as everyone knows, Xiao Yan now has the Devouring Ancestral Symbol guarding his soul sea, so trying to devour his soul is no different from provoking the Devouring Ancestral Symbol.

Thus, the soul-devouring power inherent in Dan Chen's physique, which ordinary people could not resist, was suppressed at the speed of light.

Xiao Yan didn't even flinch, as if nothing had happened. His smile held a youthful mischief as he lightly said:

What I'm telling you is—your constitution doesn't work on me!

After Xiao Yan finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the surroundings.

Dan Chen's clear eyes, which had been filled with panic and despair, were now trembling violently. Having already given up hope, she couldn't even believe what had just happened to her.

She could clearly feel the warmth and strength emanating from Xiao Yan's palm. There was none of the fear and panic she usually felt when he devoured other people's souls. The touch between their skin, warmed by each other's body heat, was incredibly precious to her.

It was a feeling of peace that she had never experienced before.

This feeling is like a thirsty traveler in the desert finding an oasis, or a prisoner struggling in the darkness seeing the sunlight.

From this moment on, what Xiao Yan held was no longer just her hand, but the future she had always dreamed of.

At this moment, Xiao Yan has become the hero she once dreamed of, the one who could save her from her suffering.

He was so strong, handsome, sunny, and gentle that in the young girl's heart, he was already associated with all the beautiful words in the world. In her budding spring heart, a tender seed was planted in the deepest part of her heart and quickly sprouted and broke through the soil.

"This... how is this possible?"

Cao Ying covered her delicate red lips, an incredulous expression appearing on her charming face.

In fact, as one of Dan Chen's few, or even only, friends, she had witnessed Dan Chen's condition flare up. When Dan Chen accidentally knocked down, her first reaction was not to worry about her own health, but to look at the person who had knocked her down with concern.

The man's mental state weakened almost instantly, and his soul fluctuations noticeably diminished, as if his soul had been emptied.

Even so, Cao Ying was still willing to befriend her in private and would even exchange ideas about Alchemy.

But what she was seeing was completely beyond her comprehension.

Senior Brother Xiao is completely unharmed?

Dan Xue's reaction was the most intense. Her body trembled slightly from extreme excitement and disbelief, and her beautiful eyes instantly filled with tears, which then flowed out like a burst dam.

She stared intently at the hand Xiao Yan was holding Dan Chen's, as if confirming that this was not a dream.

So many years!

The Dan Clan spent countless efforts, Dan Chen's father traveled all over the continent, but they still couldn't find a way to solve this strange constitution. They couldn't even find anyone who could safely touch Dan Chen.

And this young Young President of the Danta Sect actually accomplished it so effortlessly?

No wonder Xuan Kongzi sent him; it turns out he's the hope the Dan Clan has been waiting for all these years!

At this moment, her gratitude towards Xuan Kongzi and Xiao Yan reached its peak.

"Senior... Senior Brother..."

Dan Chen's voice was barely audible, like a whisper, trembling violently and carrying a hint of dependence she herself was unaware of, like grasping at a lifeline.

She timidly raised her head, and for the first time, her doe-like eyes beneath her bangs truly and clearly reflected Xiao Yan's gentle, smiling face.

That smile was as radiant as the spring sunshine, and as sharp as the sharpest sword in the world, piercing through the years of gloom and fear in her heart.

Xiao Yan felt the coldness and slight trembling of the small hand in his palm, as well as the overwhelming fragility, and a pang of pity rose in his heart.

Instead of letting go, he gently squeezed Dan Chen's soft fingers, his tone even more soothing as he spoke:

"Can you feel it? Your constitution has no effect on me. So, you don't need to be afraid of hurting me. Come back to Danta with me."

Regarding your physical condition, it's actually something I'm quite interested in, which is why my senior uncle Xuan Kongzi asked me to come and take you away. I will be fully responsible for this matter, and it will take at least three years and at most five years for me to begin to resolve your physical condition issue.

While I can't say I can completely cure it, I can at least guarantee that Madam Dan will be able to embrace you without any reservations, and that you will be able to return to the normal life a girl should have."

Looking into Xiao Yan's sincere eyes and feeling the warm and gentle temperature emanating from his palm, Dan Chen felt as if her heart had never been beating so fiercely.

The pent-up resentment, fear, and longing for a normal life that had been suppressed for so long almost burst from her throat at this moment.

She nodded vigorously, tears finally streaming down her cheeks and landing on their clasped hands.

"Yes, I trust you, Senior Brother. I'll go back to the Danta with you."

This time, although her voice was still very soft and delicate, it lacked much of the timidity of the past and was filled with an unprecedented firmness and anticipation.

Dan Xue, standing to the side, was already sobbing uncontrollably. She wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, but a radiant smile, like a blooming Phoebe, blossomed on her face as she bowed deeply to Xiao Yan.

"Young President, Dan Clan kindness! Chen'er... we entrust her to you!"

Cao Ying also snapped out of her shock and looked at Dan Chen's face, which was filled with hope despite its tear stains—a light she had never seen before. A look of joy appeared on her face as well.

She stepped forward and gave Dan Chen a gentle smile:

"Sister Chen'er, from now on we'll be fellow disciples, and we can learn alchemy together! I really look forward to the day when we can travel the Dan Region hand in hand."

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Xiao Yan gently released Dan Chen's small hand and cupped his hands towards Dan Xue, saying:

"Madam Dan, there's no need for that. My concern for this matter stems more from my curiosity about Junior Sister Dan Chen's unique physique. However, being able to help her is a kind of fate. I'm short on time, so I won't bother you any longer today. If possible, I would like to take Junior Sister Dan Chen back to the Danta immediately."

"Alright! Alright!" Dan Xue nodded hurriedly, personally straightened Dan Chen's clothes, and handed her a Storage Ring. Her eyes were filled with reluctance and blessings. "Chen'er, go now. Once you're in the Danta, listen carefully to what Xuan Kongzi and Senior Brother Xiao say."

Dan Chen nodded vigorously again, mustered her courage, and stood next to Xiao Yan. Although she still habitually lowered her head slightly, her gaze was no longer as empty and numb as before, staring at the ground. Instead, she silently stared at the warm hand that Xiao Yan had just held.

Xiao Yan smiled upon hearing this, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Dan Xue, saying, "Madam Dan, farewell."

Immediately, his soul power surged forth again, gently enveloping Cao Ying and Dan Chen.

Cao Ying was used to this, while Dan Chen, when enveloped by that gentle yet powerful soul force, only stiffened slightly before completely relaxing and even moving closer to Xiao Yan. This gesture of trust made Dan Xue's eyes well up with tears, and the tears she had managed to hold back earlier showed signs of spilling over again.

Three figures transformed into streaks of light, soaring into the sky and hurtling towards the Danta.

Dan Xue stood at the entrance of the villa, gazing in the direction they had disappeared. She remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a silent laugh.

His smile conveyed both a sense of relief and a blessing for the bright future that Dan Chen was about to have.

After following Xiao Yan to the small courtyard on the top floor of the Danta, Cao Ying and Dan Chen looked around with some curiosity.

Although their families were quite powerful, even the most skilled Alchemy from their two families were not qualified to come here.

This area is entirely Xuan Yi's private residence. Apart from Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi, even an elder of the Danta like Elder Sheng cannot enter this place without the orders of the Three Great Elders or Xiao Yan.

Although the Danta appears to be just a larger tower-shaped building, Danta interior space has actually been expanded by Spatial Strength, making its internal area much larger than it appears from the outside.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, a figure flew over and crashed into Xiao Yan's arms.

It was none other than the Little Demon Pill, Zi Yan.

"So you've brought back two more pretty female apprentices? Hmm, how come I never noticed you were acting this perverted before?"

Zi Yan skillfully climbed onto Xiao Yan's shoulder, glanced at Dan Chen and Cao Ying, and after discovering that the two were also "acquaintances" she had met yesterday, she immediately began to slander Xiao Yan with a look of disgust.

Xiao Yan was speechless upon hearing this.

What do you mean by "bringing back two more beautiful female apprentices"?

He did this to ease his master's burden!

"What nonsense are you talking about? These should be my two future junior sisters, Cao Ying and Dan Chen. Junior sister Dan Chen has a rather special constitution; she can uncontrollably absorb the soul power of anyone who touches her body. Be careful, or you might accidentally get yourself into trouble."

Even if you don't die, you'll be severely injured. In that case, even if you train hard for another ten years, you'll still look like you've never grown up.

Xiao Yan rolled his eyes at Zi Yan, introduced Dan Chen and Cao Ying's identities, and then gave them special instructions.

Zi Yan was initially somewhat dismissive, but upon hearing that it would prevent her from growing up, her little face immediately turned serious:

"That won't do. If I hold back for another ten years, I... I'll definitely be left far behind by you guys. Then you won't call me when we fight. No way!"

Zi Yan actually wanted to say some bold and inappropriate things that only adults would say, but considering the two young girls beside her who were not yet familiar with each other, she chose to act more normally for the time being.

"This is Zi Yan, my senior. You can just call her Sister Zi Yan. Don't let her age fool you; she's only two or three years older than you, but she's a genuine Dou Huang expert."

Xiao Yan then introduced Zi Yan to his two junior sisters with a smile.

"Hello, Sister Zi Yan."

Upon hearing this, Cao Ying smiled sweetly Yanran stepped forward to greet her.

Dan Chen, who was standing to the side, also called out "Sister Zi Yan" softly, before her gaze returned to Xiao Yan.

Hey everyone!

Zi Yan enjoyed being treated like a big sister, and immediately smiled and wanted to give the two girls a big sister's hug.

But then she remembered Xiao Yan's reminder and realized that it would be inappropriate to just give Cao Ying a hug. So she decided to skip the greeting and froze, awkwardly rubbing her hands together.

"Master, you're back!"

Fortunately, hearing the commotion outside, Ye Xinlan came out of the room she had just tidied up and helped Zi Yan out of the predicament.

Seeing Cao Ying and Dan Chen beside Xiao Yan, Ye Xinlan immediately realized that her master might become someone else's master, and her heart tightened.

No way!

"Xin Lan, you must be familiar with Cao Ying and Dan Chen. Your Xuan Kongzi Grand Martial Uncle intended to take them as disciples, but he's been quite busy lately, so he's had them learn Alchemy from me for a while first."

Xiao Yan smiled and beckoned to Xin Lan, calling her over. After explaining the situation with a smile, he turned to look at the two junior sisters who hadn't yet entered the sect.

"Xin Lan is my newly accepted disciple. Although you are a generation apart according to the sect's seniority, considering that they haven't officially joined the sect yet and you are about the same age, you can just address each other as sisters."

This was, of course, to accommodate the feelings of his youngest apprentice Xin Lan.

Otherwise, having Xin Lan address Dan Chen and Cao Ying as "Shigu" (a term of respect for elder sisters) would not be conducive to their equal interaction among peers and would also create some potential burdens for Xin Lan.

Even if he's just a nominal disciple, he's still Xiao Yan's disciple, and protecting one's disciple is a long-standing tradition of the sect.

"Yes, senior brother."

Upon hearing this, Cao Ying and Dan Chen both responded.

Cao Ying felt inexplicably uneasy and somewhat envious of Ye Xinlan because she had seen through Xiao Yan's thoughts.

Although President Xuan Kongzi is the head of the Three Great Elders of Danta, he certainly cannot get along with the older generation as easily as he does with a young person like Senior Brother Xiao Yan.

Dan Chen was simply willing to listen to whatever Xiao Yan said.

As for Ye Xinlan, she was a sensible child and naturally noticed that Xiao Yan had not mentioned her status as a disciple and the care he showed her in his words. She was touched and secretly made up her mind that she would definitely follow her master to learn Alchemy well in the future and not let her master down.

Seeing how easily Xiao Yan had grasped the three girls' thoughts, Zi Yan, who saw through everything, couldn't help but purse her lips.

She could already foresee the fates of the three most promising female alchemists in the Danta.

What kind of disciple or junior sister are they? Besides increasing the attack speed of that beastly Xiao Yan, who neither lets her see nor eat anything, what else can they do?

No one understands Xiao Yan better than Queen Zi Yan!

"Quack! It's Xiao Yan with his charm off the charts!"

We're hopeless!