A Single Glimpse of Yang Jian, a Lifetime of Regret-Bai Chenxiang's Heart... Stirred!

The man wore a cloud-colored robe embroidered with golden auspicious cloud patterns. A white jade belt cinched his waist, its central jade ornament giving off a faint glow beneath the sunlight.

A white jade crown bound his head, while his ink-black hair was neatly combed behind him, further accentuating the handsomeness of his face.

Sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a high, straight nose.

Yet what drew the most attention was the unknown divine mark between his brows. Its faint golden pattern shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, lending him an ethereal air as well as an added touch of dominance.

He looked about the same age as her, yet as he stood there, he already possessed the faint bearing of one who looked down upon the world.

Yang Jian's gaze swept over Tailong, who was pinned beneath Xiaotian, then over Bai Chenxiang standing nearby, before finally settling on Xiaotian.

"Get down."

"Roar~"

Xiaotian responded with a low growl. The golden light around its body faded, and it shrank back to the size of an adult dog before appearing beside Yang Jian, looking down at the disheveled Tailong on the ground.

"Xiaotian is somewhat wary of strangers. I hope it didn't hurt you."

Yang Jian spoke calmly and with a degree of politeness, though there was not much warmth in his tone.

Tailong climbed to his feet, covered in dirt, his dark face flushing red.

"It's just a dog. How could it possibly hurt me? I was only careless and failed to dodge just now."

Upon hearing Yang Jian's words, Tailong repeatedly denied it. Of course, if one ignored how miserable he looked at the moment, his words might have been somewhat convincing.

"However..."

Tailong immediately continued.

"Your dog nearly bit Miss Xiangxiang. As its owner, shouldn't you apologize to Miss Xiangxiang?"

Tailong pointed at Bai Chenxiang beside him, still wanting to put on a show in front of her.

Hearing this, Yang Jian looked toward Bai Chenxiang again. At that moment, their eyes met.

Bai Chenxiang stared blankly at the young man before her. It was the first time she had ever seen such a handsome boy.

For a moment, she was utterly spellbound.

"Are you all right?"

Yang Jian's voice rang beside Bai Chenxiang's ear. Only after several breaths of silence did she come to her senses and hurriedly respond.

"N-No, I'm fine."

Bai Chenxiang lowered her head so he would not see the blush spreading across her cheeks. She did not know what was wrong with her; merely seeing him made her heartbeat seem to skip half a beat.

After a short while, she explained again.

"It has nothing to do with your dog. It was my fault. I shouldn't have tried to pet it so casually. Oh, right, you... what's your name?"

When she asked his name, Bai Chenxiang's voice was even softer than usual.

Yang Jian looked at her, his gaze as still as water.

"Yang Jian of the Breaking Clan."

Bai Chenxiang was just about to say something when her vision suddenly blurred.

When she came back to herself, Tailong had somehow stepped in front of her, blocking her view with his burly body.

"You're the Yang Jian Grandpa often mentions?"

Tailong crossed his arms and looked down at the young man before him.

On his dark face, aside from obvious defiance, there was also a hint of jealous hostility.

He was not an idiot.

He had seen Bai Chenxiang's look at Yang Jian just now perfectly clearly.

That look was completely different from the way she looked at him.

When she looked at him, she was polite yet distant. But when she looked at Yang Jian, it was...

He did not want to admit it, but it was indeed admiration—perhaps even amazement.

Why?

He, Tailong, was the next-next-generation heir of the Strength Clan. At twenty-two years old, he had thirty-seventh-level Soul Power and was considered outstanding among his peers.

Meanwhile, this Yang Jian looked no older than eleven or twelve. Though this was their first meeting and he had only heard a few things about him from his grandfather, even if Yang Jian had begun cultivating from the womb, how strong could his Soul Power possibly be when he was ten years younger?

"He doesn't look like he has three heads and six arms either."

Tailong curled his lip.

"I really don't understand why Grandpa praises you as if you're utterly unmatched."

Yang Jian did not particularly care about Tai Tan's hostility. His gaze swept across Tai Tan, calm as water.

"Perhaps because you're too weak."

He spoke indifferently.

His tone was flat, as though he were merely stating a fact.

Tailong's face instantly flushed red.

"Bullshit!"

He clenched his fists, and Soul Power involuntarily surged from his body.

"I, Tailong, possess the Great Strength Ape Martial Soul! I'm only twenty-two, yet my Soul Power has already reached level thirty-seven! How could I possibly be weak?"

He took a step forward and glared fixedly at Yang Jian.

"I want to fight you!"

Bai Chenxiang frowned slightly as she watched from the side.

She wanted to say something, but upon seeing Yang Jian's ever-calm face, she held herself back.

Yang Jian's gaze moved away from Tailong and fell upon Xiaotian at his feet.

"You should defeat Xiaotian first."

After patting Xiaotian on the head, Yang Jian withdrew his gaze and turned to leave.

His steps were unhurried, as though Tailong's challenge was not even worth another glance.

"Roar~"

Imitating Yang Jian, Xiaotian cast Tailong a sidelong glance and let out a soft growl.

There was a touch of pride and disdain in that growl. Then it tossed its head and followed behind Yang Jian with elegant steps.

One man and one dog, their retreating figures were utterly unhurried.

Tailong alone was left standing where he was, his face alternating between green and white.

"I thought he was something special..."

Tailong turned his head, intending to speak to Bai Chenxiang.

"Who would've thought he was just a coward who didn't even dare accept my challenge? Miss Xiangxiang, you..."

Halfway through his words, Tai Tan suddenly froze.

Because there was no one behind him. Bai Chenxiang had disappeared at some point.

As if realizing something, he abruptly turned around and looked in the direction Yang Jian had left.

Sure enough, Bai Chenxiang, who had vanished from behind him, had already caught up to Yang Jian.

With both hands behind her back, she walked with light, cheerful steps. Her head was tilted slightly as she spoke to him.

That posture, that expression—how similar it was to the way he himself had pestered Bai Chenxiang just moments ago.

Where was the slightest trace of the distance she had shown him?

"Damn it!"

Tailong's fists clenched so tightly that they cracked, and his face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Don't think you can run away!"

He gritted his teeth as he stared at that receding figure.

"On the arena later, I'll let you know who is truly the most suitable person for Miss Xiangxiang!"

Meanwhile, Yang Jian walked along at an unhurried pace.

Bai Chenxiang walked beside him, chirping away like a lark.

"...Are you twelve too? What a coincidence, we're the same age."

"Your dog is so impressive. What was its name again? Xiaotian? That's such an interesting name. Did you give it that name?"

"Tailong said he wanted to fight you just now. Why didn't you accept? Was it because you couldn't be bothered to fight him?"

Yang Jian responded only intermittently.

It was not that he was deliberately acting cold. His mind simply was not here.

In his mind, the image of that spear strike still lingered.

Seventy-one dead leaves had been perfectly pierced through by the spear tip, with the distance between every leaf so even that the naked eye could barely distinguish it.

He had practiced that strike for quite some time. At first, he could only pierce three leaves, but now he could pierce seventy-one. His progress had been immense.

Yet he always felt that something was still missing.

It felt like there was a sheet of paper covering a window. He knew the light was right beyond it, yet no matter what he did, he could not pierce through.