Internal Injury

Upon hearing Xiao Xun'er's cry for help, Xiao Yan flicked a finger toward the cyan-gold Heavenly Flame suspended in mid-air. The ferocious flame suddenly stiffened. Shifting from extreme motion to absolute stillness, it began to dissolve silently in place, eventually scattering into tiny, pure fire elements that vanished into the air.

Xiao Yan's masterful display of flame control made Xiao Xun'er's eyes sparkle with brilliance, and it also caused Ling Ying, not far away, to halt his steps.

"Sigh, one must admit defeat when getting old. There are truly more and more little monsters appearing," Ling Ying thought to himself as he watched Xiao Yan, who already possessed the bearing of a master.

"Xun'er, you've lost." Xiao Yan made a move as if to walk over.

"No, I haven't lost yet. Brother Xiao Yan, stay right there. Don't come over." Xiao Xun'er suddenly said in a coquettish voice.

"Hm? Are you trying to go back on your word, Xun'er? Why can't I come over?" Xiao Yan smiled dumbly, looked down at his feet, and then raised his head to look at Xiao Xun'er.

"I'm a girl, so of course I can be unreasonable," Xiao Xun'er said, pouting her small lips. "Brother Xiao Yan, let's go again, shall we? This time, let's both use our ultimate moves and decide the winner in one final round." Xiao Xun'er continued her cute offensive.

"Fine, one final round it is." Xiao Yan watched the unreasonable Xiao Xun'er with amusement; it wasn't often he saw this little girl in such a flustered state.

"Brother Xiao Yan, be careful!"

"Earth-tier Dou Technique: Eight Trigrams Wandering Dragon Palm!" A crisp, delicate shout rang out.

Xiao Xun'er's nimble footwork shifted instantly into a set of Eight Trigrams steps. At a single glance, one's mind would be drawn into them, as if they possessed a hypnotic effect. A pair of excessively fair, small hands swiped toward Xiao Yan.

"Roar!"

Nine dragon-shaped energy currents, each nearly a zhang in size, coiled around Xiao Xun'er's arms, emitting a series of roars. The lifelike sounds and the fine scales on the dragons made it seem as if they might transform from energy constructs into flesh-and-blood dragon-type Magical Beasts at any moment.

"Roar!"

The sonic waves vibrating through the air were filled with such surging energy that even someone who had never cultivated would know it. Seeing this, Xiao Yan's expression finally turned serious.

"Dou Qi Armor, manifest!" With a low shout from Xiao Yan, the Dou Qi within his body surged out, forming a solid, cyan-gold Dou Qi Armor around him. Clearly, Xiao Yan did not intend to use a Dou Technique to counter, but rather to summon his Dou Qi Armor to withstand the attack head-on.

"Kid Yan, you're being too arrogant this time. That is an Earth-tier Dou Technique after all, dodge it quickly!" Yao Lao, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up to warn Xiao Yan.

"Teacher, don't worry. It's merely a three-star Dou Practitioner," Xiao Yan said with a faint smile.

Xiao Xun'er watched as Xiao Yan simply summoned his Dou Qi Armor and stood his ground. By now, even if she wanted to pull back, she could no longer control the eruption of the Earth-tier Dou Technique.

"Hmph, hateful Brother Xiao Yan. So what if you've broken through to Da Dou Shi? This time, I'll make you taste some bitterness."

"Boom!"

The nine dragon-shaped energy currents, each nearly a zhang in size, slammed fiercely into the Dou Qi Armor Xiao Yan had summoned.

Xiao Xun'er raised her head, her hands hanging slightly, close enough to see the fine hairs on Xiao Yan's face. Xiao Yan lowered his head to look at Xiao Xun'er, who was staring at him in surprise, and gave a confident, toothy grin. "Xun'er, look at you. For someone with a cultivation of only a three-star Dou Practitioner, using an Earth-tier Dou Technique is still too much of a stretch. See? You couldn't even break the Dou Qi Armor I summoned."

"Crack." It sounded as if something had shattered.

"Huh? Why does my body feel so much lighter? Never mind." Xiao Yan frowned and continued speaking to Xiao Xun'er. The increasingly astonished look on her face was the best praise he could receive, so he grew even more enthusiastic.

"Xun'er, you see, you must learn from this lesson. Next time you duel someone, remember not to be overconfident. Hey, why am I having a nosebleed? Xun'er, I feel a bit dizzy, help me out."

"Crack!" As the cyan-gold Dou Qi Armor finally split completely, shattering into fragments that drifted in the air.

"Thump!" Xiao Yan finally collapsed into Xiao Xun'er's arms, unable to hold himself up any longer.

"Xun'er, what's going on?" Xiao Yan felt dizzy, his state a bit off—he felt as if he were floating.

At this moment, Yao Lao sat cross-legged inside the Storage Ring in a dimly lit space, his soul power extending outward to perceive everything happening in the outside world.

"Heh heh, that'll teach you to be arrogant, kid. Let's see if you underestimate your opponent next time. Being hit by an Earth-tier Dou Technique, even one used by a three-star Dou Practitioner—if you didn't pass out from that sudden impact, it's only because your physical body is tough."

"Heh heh, I won't interfere. Anyway, with that little girl Xun'er there, she'll take good care of you, Kid Yan. It won't hurt to let you lie in bed for a couple of days, heh heh heh." Yao Lao gloated as he watched the scene; clearly, Xiao Yan's injuries were not serious.

"Wuwuwu, Brother Xiao Yan, don't die! It's all my fault for dueling you and using an Earth-tier Dou Technique. I didn't think you'd be so weak." Xiao Xun'er cried bitterly, holding Xiao Yan in a panic.

"So weak, so weak..." Xiao Yan felt he had suffered a secondary injury; he was only a little dizzy. Er, at most, he was losing a bit more blood from his nose.

"..." Yao Lao watched Xiao Yan, whose vitals remained steady within his unique soul power perception. "What is wrong with the girls on the Dou Qi Continent these days? Back in my day in the Central Plains..." Yao Lao thought and thought, eventually forgetting his good disciple entirely, lost in the memories of his long-gone youth, unable to pull himself out.

"Wuwu, Brother Xiao Yan, please don't die! I have medicinal pills right here."

As she spoke, Xiao Xun'er frantically began pulling a mountain of jade pill bottles from her Storage Ring. Judging by the overwhelming medicinal fragrance wafting from them, they were clearly high-grade healing pills of immense value.

Ling Ying, a Dou Emperor who had already been lurking nearby, felt his eyelid twitch as he watched Xiao Xun'er prepare to dig out even more. After all, his senses told him that Xiao Yan was still as lively as ever, and he was just about to step forward to remind the young miss.

"Elder Ling! Elder Ling! Come quickly, why haven't you appeared yet? Hurry and save Brother Xiao Yan!" Xiao Xun'er's urgent voice suddenly rang out.

"..." Ling Ying.

What did I ever do to deserve this! Ling Ying roared silently.

"Ahem, Young Miss. Young Master Yan merely suffered a sudden external impact, so he is just a bit dizzy. He will be fine after a short rest. Also, Young Miss, it would be best if you stopped strangling Young Master Yan's neck; he seems to be struggling to breathe." In the end, Ling Ying flashed to Xiao Xun'er's side and offered a soft reminder.

"Oh, oh! Brother Xiao Yan, I'm so sorry." Xiao Xun'er hurriedly loosened her grip and let go of Xiao Yan.

"Thud!" Something seemed to have fallen to the ground.