Visitors from the Misty Cloud Sect

But compared to that, how much cultivation did he have now? Setting aside his identity as an alchemist, who could he possibly beat?

Chu Yang himself knew the answer.

In truth, he could cultivate Dou Qi. Besides, he had pills—he could refine enough of them to steadily raise his strength!

"Hey! Who are you?"

Chu Yang was lost in thought as he walked and nearly bumped into someone.

At the sound of the other person's voice, Chu Yang immediately saw a charming face that still retained some youthful innocence.

This person... wasn't she Xiao Mei, the one whose test had shown eighth-stage Dou Qi?

Chu Yang did not dare to be certain, since he had been distracted during Xiao Mei's test.

"I'm talking to you!" There were several other girls beside Xiao Mei.

And there was more than just one or two of them. A small group had gathered around Xiao Mei.

Chu Yang found it unsurprising. Among the girls tested at the Xiao family's testing grounds that day, aside from Xun'er, Xiao Mei had been the most outstanding.

As Chu Yang was wondering whether this truly was Xiao Mei, the group of girls burst into laughter at the sight of his foolish expression.

"Speak! Who are you?"

"That's right. You're not leaving until you tell us!"

"Could he be some bad person who sneaked in...?"

The more they spoke, the more outrageous they became, and Chu Yang began to get angry.

"Teach him a lesson. Let's see if he still refuses to behave!" one of them urged.

Xiao Mei had just basked in glory on the testing platform, and now she wanted to test her current combat ability. She seemed to have noticed that Chu Yang was someone without any Dou Qi.

Only then did Chu Yang remember that, since coming to the Dou Qi Continent, he had not seriously begun cultivating Dou Qi.

What could he do?

He only knew the fighting techniques from before he had transmigrated. Before he could even land a move, Xiao Mei would probably knock him down.

"Stop! Xiao Mei, what are you trying to do?"

Just as Xiao Mei raised her leg, intending to trip Chu Yang, a stern shout suddenly rang out.

When everyone saw that the person shouting was the Great Elder, known for his severity, several of the younger girls stuck out their tongues and fled in fright.

Xiao Mei prided herself on having great potential and had been quite favored within the family lately, so she did not leave. Instead, she looked at the Great Elder, wanting to hear what he had to say.

"I just wanted to ask who he is..."

Before Xiao Mei could finish, the Great Elder sternly rebuked her. "He is an honored guest of our family—a first-grade alchemist!"

At that moment, the people nearby seemed to have been struck dumb. Everyone knew how noble an alchemist's status was on the Dou Qi Continent. People like them normally would not even get the chance to meet one, yet...

Xiao Mei was naturally dumbfounded as well.

Then, the Great Elder's eyes seemed to catch Chu Yang staring intently at Xiao Mei.

What he did not know was that Chu Yang merely wanted to take a closer look at Xiao Mei, who in the original story had been known for "despising the poor and currying favor with the rich."

But the Great Elder misunderstood, thinking that Chu Yang might be a little interested in Xiao Mei.

Besides, Chu Yang did not want to become the center of attention in public. He found that troublesome, and he was not truly interested in Xiao Mei anyway.

Thus, Chu Yang did not pursue the matter with Xiao Mei and the others. When the Great Elder wanted to arrange for them to apologize, he simply said, "Forget it."

Chu Yang then told the Great Elder that he needed to go back to refine pills, and the Great Elder hurriedly let him leave.

As he left, Chu Yang thought, After this little incident, nearly everyone in the Xiao family will know who I am without needing an introduction.

He did not see Xiao Yan when he left the testing grounds. Xiao Yan had likely gone to the Xiao family's back mountain by then.

Fine. Old Yao was probably fated to be with him, and there was no reason for Chu Yang to separate them. Let them be. As long as my pill refining is good enough, Xiao Yan will still have to become my lackey.

Chu Yang returned to his little corner and continued taking things slowly. He planned to wait until he completed the system mission before giving pills to Xiao Zhan and the Great Elder.

The day soon arrived!

For Chu Yang, this was also a very important day.

Because Nalan Yanran would come to break off the engagement, and Xiao Yan would show off at the annulment gathering, basking in the spotlight. Chu Yang, meanwhile, was here to complete the system mission and receive the system's rewards!

To Chu Yang's surprise, when he arrived at the reception hall, he was actually assigned a seat in the upper row alongside Xiao Zhan, the Great Elder, and the other three Xiao family elders.

This showed that the Xiao family regarded him with the utmost importance.

Sure enough, the visitors from the Misty Cloud Sect soon arrived: the spirited old man in moon-white robes, Ge Ye. On his chest was embroidered a silver crescent moon, surrounded by five glittering golden stars, indicating that Ge Ye was a five-star Da Dou Shi. His strength was two stars higher than Xiao Zhan's, who was a three-star Da Dou Shi.

There was also a young man and woman. Nalan Yanran was a three-star Dou Zhe, while the young man of around twenty was a two-star Dou Zhe.

At such young ages, they had already displayed extraordinary talent, making the younger generation of the Xiao family both envious and jealous.

Nalan Yanran in particular drew everyone's attention. She was several levels prettier than Xiao Mei and could almost compare with the otherworldly Xun'er. Green jade pendants hung from her delicate earlobes, swaying faintly and producing clear jade chimes that lent her an air of nobility.

Xiao Yan arrived rather late. Because of some subtle maneuvering by the elders who were at odds with Xiao Zhan, he was left without a seat.

But just as Xiao Yan was in an awkward position, Chu Yang watched Xun'er step in to help him out, calling him over to sit with her. Naturally, this caused another stir among the people present.

Chu Yang's emotions were stirred as well!

He understood that Xiao Yan, like himself, was a transmigrator from Earth. It was said that Xiao Yan had even been some kind of middle-aged man on Earth. A middle-aged man, experienced and calculating! As soon as he came to the Dou Qi Continent, he used nourishing a child's bones and meridians as an excuse to sneak into a little girl's room every night...

Chu Yang found him shameful, though he did not know which middle-aged man Xiao Yan had been in his previous life, or whether he had known him.

Chu Yang had once wanted to cause him trouble but had never found the chance.

Fortunately, he could finally "avenge this shame" today.

Next came Nalan Yanran's performance. In a grand and righteous manner, she explained why she wanted to break off the engagement, then presented the Qi Gathering Powder refined by Gu He, the alchemist renowned throughout the Jia Ma Empire, intending to use it as compensation for Xiao Yan.

The Qi Gathering Powder refined by Gu He made the Xiao family members' mouths water. Thus, under the interference of the Xiao family elders, Xiao Zhan found it difficult to refuse.

So next, it was time for Xiao Yan to perform!

Sure enough, Xiao Yan stepped forward and launched into an indignant denunciation of Nalan Yanran.