It collapsed, everything collapsed!

At this moment, Nalan Yanran had shed her initial arrogance, lowering her posture significantly.

She even used honorifics while speaking, which made for a rather pleasant experience.

Consequently, Xiao Zhan was willing to hear what else Nalan Yanran had to say.

He nodded in agreement.

Nalan Yanran said respectfully:

"Uncle Xiao, upon arriving, I heard that the Xiao Clan has produced two geniuses. One is Miss Xiao Xun'er, and the other seems to be named Xiao Yuan."

"I understand that breaking off the engagement today will surely tarnish the Xiao Clan's reputation, but I also do not wish for my husband to be someone with only three stages of Qi cultivation."

"This is the crux of the conflict between myself and your esteemed family."

"Therefore, I was thinking, why not change the fiancé to Xiao Yuan? The compensation offered by the Misty Cloud Sect to your young master will remain unchanged."

"I wonder what Uncle Xiao thinks of this?"

As her words fell, the hall plunged into a deathly silence once more.

Several elders fell into deep thought, and even Xiao Zhan found himself unable to offer a rebuttal for the moment.

On one hand, Nalan Yanran was right.

Xiao Yan was currently nothing more than a piece of trash with three stages of Qi cultivation; he truly was not worthy of Nalan Yanran, the Young Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect.

On the other hand, although Xiao Yuan was Xiao Zhan's adopted son, he truly possessed the bloodline of the Xiao Clan and was indeed their most outstanding genius.

He was a perfect match for the Young Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect.

In this way, the Xiao Clan's face would be preserved.

The only one left to lose face would be Xiao Yan.

However, Xiao Yuan was stunned.

Wait, sister, are you actually interested in me?

Aren't you supposed to follow the plot, make a three-year agreement with Xiao Yan, and then let him drop the line, "Don't bully the young because they are poor; thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river"?

I was just here to watch the show, how did the plot collapse again and again?!

Ding, congratulations on obtaining one Joyous Union Powder.

Nalan Yanran's words had instantly washed away his amusement.

Xiao Yuan felt he could no longer sit idly by, so he stood up and spoke:

"Miss Nalan, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"What is inappropriate about it?" Nalan Yanran countered, a hint of a smile appearing in her beautiful eyes.

"We don't even know each other; this is our first meeting, isn't it?"

"I am also meeting Xiao Yan for the first time today; we have never met before... Could it be that you are already betrothed?"

"Uh... no."

"Since you are unmarried and I am unbetrothed, what is the problem? Could it be that I, Nalan Yanran, am not beautiful enough or attractive enough for you? Or perhaps, do you have a penchant for men?"

This remark left Xiao Yuan speechless.

Beside him, Xun'er narrowed her eyes, staring fixedly at Nalan Yanran in her moon-white robes.

She had already decided in her heart where to bury the Misty Cloud Sect and the Nalan Family.

Seeing Xiao Yuan's deflated expression, Nalan Yanran smiled triumphantly.

That'll teach you to curse me in your heart!

However, her sudden proposal to change the fiancé was not a spur-of-the-moment blunder.

When she arrived in Wutan City, she had heard from passersby that the Xiao Clan had produced a monstrous genius—a fourteen-year-old nine-star Dou Shi.

That was when she realized:

If the Xiao Clan refused to annul the engagement, she could simply change the fiancé to this genius. That way, it wouldn't be a disgrace to the Misty Cloud Sect's reputation.

But what she didn't know was that her previous remark had stepped right onto Xiao Yuan's landmine.

Xiao Yuan hated nothing more than being accused of having a penchant for men!

Especially being slandered with such a preference!

Instantly, a surge of anger welled up in his heart. As he clenched his fists, the aura of a three-star Great Dou Shi erupted without reservation!

The moment he sensed this Dou Qi, Ge Ye's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly blocked Nalan Yanran, his eagle-claw-like hands suddenly curling as cyan Dou Qi gathered within them, emitting tiny, sharp sword energy.

He instantly unleashed the Xuan-rank low-level Green Wood Sword Art, parrying the aura Xiao Yuan had released.

Even so, Nalan Yanran's face turned pale, her chest felt stifled, and her delicate body swayed, nearly collapsing back into her chair.

Ge Ye's expression grew even more solemn.

To reach the level of a three-star Great Dou Shi without any cultivation techniques, relying solely on breathing exercises, and to have such thick, solid Dou Qi—what kind of monstrous genius was this!

The elders of the Xiao Clan were even more astonished.

Yesterday he was merely a nine-star Dou Shi, yet today he had already reached the level of a three-star Da Dou Shi?!

His strength was now in no way inferior to their own!

"Yuan'er, stop at once!"

Xiao Zhan, finally snapping out of his shock, hurriedly shouted to intervene.

Xiao Yuan let out a cold snort and retracted his Dou Qi.

Although the collision of Dou Qi between the two had left the weaker members of the Xiao Clan feeling quite unwell, the gazes the young men and women cast toward Xiao Yuan were filled with brilliant sparks of admiration.

Xiao Mei, sitting beside her father, lightly licked her delicate, rosy lips with her tongue, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on Xiao Yuan's figure.

He was the same age as them, yet he could contend against an enforcer of the Misty Cloud Sect through his own power.

How could they, at such a hot-blooded age, not be excited!

Even Nalan Yanran felt a flicker of fear sprout in her heart.

She had not expected this Xiao Yuan to be so formidable; she feared that even her teacher at that same age could not compare to him in the slightest!

Just as she was regulating her breathing, that inner voice echoed once again.

[Damn it, if it weren't for the sake of Yun Yun being a Dou Huang, I'd slap you to death right now, you crazy woman!]

[It serves your teacher right that she lost her innocence in the Magical Beast Mountain Range because of you!]

This inner voice exploded in Nalan Yanran's heart like a thunderclap.

Teacher... because of me... lost her innocence?!

In the blink of an eye, Nalan Yanran's small face shifted from pale to furious, and she glared at the youth opposite her, gritting her teeth.

"Xiao Yuan, you..."

Before Nalan Yanran could even utter the words "stop spouting nonsense," her speech was interrupted by another voice that suddenly rang out.

"Miss Nalan, although you are the young mistress of the Misty Cloud Sect, do not think that you can act recklessly just because you have the sect backing you. The Dou Qi Continent is vast, and there are many who are far more powerful than Yun Yun..."

The voice was ethereal, carrying a faint indifference.

Looking toward the source, it was Xun'er, who had been sitting beside Xiao Yuan, who had spoken.

The thick, ancient book had been closed at some point, and her autumn-water-like eyes were fixed on Nalan Yanran, a tiny wisp of golden flame suddenly surging within them.

Nalan Yanran was not one to be outdone and glared right back.

It was as if sparks were flying from the collision of their gazes.

An extremely ominous aura began to spread throughout the hall.

Watching the tiny golden flames in the girl's eyes, Ge Ye's body trembled violently, and a look of terror instantly covered his aged face.

Just as he was about to take Nalan Yanran and leave, a sigh from Xiao Zhan shattered the heavy atmosphere.

"That is enough, Xun'er."

"Uncle Xiao?"

Xun'er retracted the flames, looking toward the man in the hall with a puzzled expression.

However, Xiao Zhan did not respond to her; instead, he looked toward Nalan Yanran and the others, sighing despondently once more:

"...Niece Nalan, I accept your request on Yuan'er's behalf."