Nalan Yanran's Attitude

Gama Empire, Imperial Capital, Nalan Clan.

Within the luxurious estate, amidst towering, majestic structures and along paths paved with cyan gravel, Nalan Yanran made her way toward Nalan Jie's room with a heart full of trepidation.

Pushing open the archaic wooden door, Nalan Yanran offered a respectful bow, "Grandfather."

Nalan Jie set aside the scroll in his hand and looked at Nalan Yanran in surprise, "Yanran, why have you returned instead of cultivating diligently at the Cloud Mist Sect?"

Seeing Nalan Yanran remain silent, Nalan Jie frowned, sensing that something was amiss, "Has something happened? Tell Grandfather, and I will resolve it for you."

Nalan Jie stood up, "Were you bullied at the Cloud Mist Sect?"

Nalan Yanran shook her head, "No, it's just..."

Watching Nalan Yanran's hesitant demeanor, Nalan Jie scratched his head in frustration, "Then what is it? Rest assured, whatever the matter, Grandfather will certainly help you solve it."

"I want to go to the Xiao Clan to annul the engagement!"

Nalan Yanran gritted her teeth; since it had to be said eventually, she might as well be decisive.

"Annul the engagement?"

Nalan Jie paused, then erupted in fury, "You insolent brat! I will never allow you to annul that engagement!"

Nalan Yanran's chest heaved violently, and her voice rose as she spoke to Nalan Jie, "I have successfully become the Sect Master's disciple. I have a Dou Huang-level master and a Dou Wang-level clan; why should I marry the young master of some backwater place?"

Nalan Jie could no longer restrain himself and struck Nalan Yanran to the ground with a fierce slap, "Insolent! The Xiao Clan's decline is entirely because their old patriarch, Xiao Lin, sacrificed himself to save me. Do you want to drag the Nalan Clan into a state of treachery and broken promises?"

"That is your business, it has nothing to do with me!" A cold, icy glint flashed in Nalan Yanran's eyes; she could not accept the fate the clan was forcing upon her.

"For all these years, it is the clan that has provided for your cultivation. You naturally have an obligation to share the clan's burdens." Nalan Jie was incensed. Nothing to do with you? Without the clan, you wouldn't even know which corner of the world you'd be in right now.

Nalan Yanran gritted her teeth, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

"Xiao Yan of the Xiao Clan has decent talent; marrying him is no grievance to you."

"I've had people inquire about him. He lost his Dou Qi for a year, his cultivation regressed, and even if he recovers, the time wasted means he is no different from an ordinary person," Nalan Yanran stated.

Veins bulged on Nalan Jie's forehead, "Nalan Yanran, I tell you this: even if you die, you will be buried in the Xiao Clan!"

Nalan Yanran's expression shifted. She looked at the grandfather who usually doted on her with disbelief, then scrambled up from the floor and pushed open the door, weeping as she fled.

Nalan Su, who had been guarding the door, sighed helplessly, "Yanran, don't push your grandfather. He was just overcome with anger because of you."

"Nalan Su, you get out of here too!"

Nalan Jie roared, smashing everything within reach into pieces.

Nalan Su offered a bitter smile, not daring to linger, and left with Nalan Yanran.

... Nalan Yanran's room

"Father, I truly do not want to marry Xiao Yan."

Nalan Yanran pleaded through her tears, "If he hadn't lost his talent, it would be one thing. But for a whole year, his cultivation made no progress and even regressed. The time wasted back and forth is immeasurable. Even if he recovers now, who can guarantee the future?"

Nalan Su's expression was pained. On one side was his honorable father, and on the other, his beloved daughter; he was in a difficult position.

"How about letting him join the Cloud Mist Sect to study?"

Nalan Yanran stood up abruptly, "Impossible! He has only just recovered and likely hasn't even become a Dou Zhe. If I let him into the Cloud Mist Sect and my fellow disciples find out about our relationship, I would be laughed to death! It would be a disgrace to our Nalan Clan!"

"Xiao Yan's talent is quite good," Nalan Su felt as though his head were about to burst.

"No matter how good it is, he is still a disciple of a small clan. His achievements will be limited by resources; he could never be truly powerful. My future husband must be a top-tier powerhouse of the Gama Empire!"

"I will definitely annul this engagement!"

Nalan Yanran ran back to the Cloud Mist Sect in a fit of rage, leaving behind the father and son, Nalan Jie and Nalan Su, suffering from the heartache of her defiance.

The Cloud Mist Sect, the most powerful force in the Gama Empire. Generations of continuous inheritance have allowed this ancient sect to stand at the pinnacle of the Gama Empire. Had it not been for the sect's rules forbidding the seizure of imperial power, it is likely that during the several dynastic shifts of the past, the Cloud Mist Sect would have completely seized control of the entire Gama Empire.

Precisely because of this, every generation of the Imperial Family has been extremely wary of this behemoth on their doorstep. It was only with the current Gama Imperial Family, bolstered by the protector Jia Xingtian and the protection of a Rank 6 Magical Beast, that this generation finally possessed the strength to make the Cloud Mist Sect feel a slight degree of caution.

Thus, the battle-hardened elite legion stationed by the Gama Imperial Family at the foot of Cloud Mist Mountain had remained undisturbed.

The Imperial Family had kept the legion stationed there for many years, and the purpose was clear to almost everyone: they were guarding against the Cloud Mist Sect.

Regarding this move by the Imperial Family, the Cloud Mist Sect did not react too violently. Aside from some young disciples in the sect who were initially indignant and occasionally caused trouble at the military camp, the upper echelons of the sect maintained silence on the matter.

They understood that one does not allow others to snore beside one's bed; imperial families are prone to suspicion, and they had long since grown accustomed to this. As long as the Cloud Mist Sect did not collapse, the legion at the foot of the mountain would never dare to make any rash moves.

The Cloud Mist Sect was built atop Cloud Mist Mountain, and Cloud Mist Mountain was only a few dozen miles from the Imperial Capital. The two were separated by a short distance, like two behemoths standing in opposition to one another.

Inside the grand hall, Yun Yun stroked her disciple's head with a pained heart. Nalan Yanran had just told her everything. Being forced to marry someone she did not love—as a woman, she could empathize with that feeling even more.

"Yanran, if you have considered it carefully, then go. Your master will support you."

Nalan Yanran looked up in pleasant surprise, "Really, Teacher?"

Yun Yun nodded, "Of course. However, I still hope you can talk it over properly with your family."

Nalan Yanran nodded excitedly and walked out of the hall, though it was unclear if she had truly taken Yun Yun's words to heart.

In the ruins of the Blood Sect in the Black-Corner Region, after a period of restoration, a new sect had begun to take shape.

"Thunder Sect!"

Inside the mountain gate, Deacon Li nodded with satisfaction. "Quite imposing, isn't it? I suppose I've finally found something meaningful to do with my time."

Looking toward the center of the mountain range where the main hall was situated, Deacon Li muttered to himself, "I wonder how the Sect Master is doing. He went into seclusion right after we met, and I have no idea what he's up to, requiring two Dou Zong-level seniors to stand guard."

He glanced up at the overcast sky, where lightning seemed to be churning.

"It's been six months. He should be coming out soon."