Xiao Yu and Xiao Yan had quite a bit of bad blood between them. Not only had Xiao Yan seen her bathing, but he had also taken advantage of her.
From that moment on, she had hated Xiao Yan. Her younger brother, Xiao Ning, was just as disgusted with him, and the two of them often made trouble for him within the clan.
Especially during the three years his strength had regressed, he had been like a rat crossing the street, with everyone shouting for him to be beaten.
Everyone who saw him would mock him before moving on. That was the Dou Qi Continent: the strong were revered.
Xiao Yu was studying at Jia Nan Academy. Ordinarily, she should still have been at the academy at this time,
but she had heard that Xiao Yan had recently been rejected in a marriage, and her grandfather had been in poor health lately, so she had returned to Wutan City to check on him.
She also got to enjoy the sense of honor that came with the welcome ceremony her clan had arranged for her.
At that moment, in the clan's square, the Grand Elder felt immensely proud.
Jia Nan Academy was a prestigious institution of higher learning on the Dou Qi Continent. Those who could join it to cultivate were all outstanding cultivators on the continent; otherwise, they would not qualify for admission.
So the Grand Elder of the Xiao Clan felt that his granddaughter was worthy of cultivating at Jia Nan Academy, and it made him feel incredibly proud and pleased with himself.
Compared with him, Xiao Zhan, the clan leader, had a son, Xiao Yan, whose engagement had been broken off right at their doorstep, and whose strength was still at the Third Stage.
He was clearly far inferior to the Grand Elder.
And so the Grand Elder was unbearably smug.
"Yu'er, you're back."
"Grandpa, how are you feeling? I heard you weren't well a while ago, so I hurried back."
"I'm fine. Nothing serious. At my age, it's inevitable to have a few minor ailments. Nothing to worry about," the Grand Elder said.
Anyone could see that he had called his granddaughter, Xiao Yu, back and arranged such a grand welcome ceremony for her
simply to embarrass Xiao Zhan and show off how outstanding his granddaughter was.
It was his way of proving just how useless Xiao Zhan's son, Xiao Yan, was.
Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er had just arrived when Xiao Xun'er reminded him,
"Brother Xiao Yan, you'd better be careful. Cousin Xiao Yu doesn't merely dislike you—she hates you so much she'd love to kill you."
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, feeling a little awkward.
He'd been young and foolish back then. He really had acted on impulse. How had he managed to provoke a woman like her?
But after three years of reflection, Xiao Yan was no longer the thoughtless boy he had once been.
Over those three years, he had grown exceptionally calm and steady. He no longer acted recklessly or arrogantly as he had before.
Faced with Xiao Yu's hostility—and her pointed question about his strength—Xiao Yan showed no reaction. Instead, he said sincerely,
"Cousin Xiao Yu is now a student at Jia Nan Academy. That's an honor for our Xiao Clan, too. I haven't had a chance to congratulate you yet, so let me do so now."
After saying a few polite words and going through the motions, Xiao Yan found an excuse to leave.
Once he left the Xiao Clan, he headed straight for the clan's back mountain. No one usually went there, so nobody would come to disturb him.
For the next two months, Xiao Yan cultivated there. With the help of the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, he finally advanced from the Sixth Stage Dou Qi to the Seventh Stage Dou Qi!
[Current Mission: Help Xiao Yan advance to the Seventh Stage Dou Qi.] [Reward: 20 points.] [Tip: You need just 20 more points to unlock the Points Mall.]
"Just 20 more points," Yao Chen murmured to himself. "Unlocking the Points Mall really isn't easy."
But it didn't matter. At his current pace, he needed only 20 more points. It wouldn't be a problem.
In the evening, Xiao Yu made a special trip to the back mountain. Seeing Xiao Yan cultivating there, she went over and spoke first. "Xiao Yan, ever since I came back, you've been avoiding me. You spend all day cultivating on the back mountain, and I never see you."
"What, are you afraid I'll settle the score with you? So you've hidden yourself away and don't dare face me?" Xiao Yu said.
She immediately added, "But I suppose that makes sense. You're not the same person you were three years ago."
"Although I really would love to kill you, there's something I have to warn you about. It concerns the future and survival of our Xiao Clan."
Xiao Yu looked serious, her expression grave. "I heard that your fiancée, Nalan Yanran, came to break off the engagement not long ago. Is that true?"
"If she came to break off the engagement, why didn't you just agree? You could have gotten compensation in the form of the chance to cultivate at the Misty Cloud Sect and some Qi Gathering Powder. It wouldn't have been a bad deal for you!"
"But what did you do? You rejected her in front of everyone and even made a Three-Year Agreement with Nalan Yanran. Get this straight: who are you, and who is Nalan Yanran?"
"Do you know what the consequences will be whether you beat her or lose to her?"
"I know it's impossible, but what if Nalan Yanran really does lose to you? Do you think the Misty Cloud Sect would let its next sect leader become your servant?"
"What would become of the Misty Cloud Sect's reputation? They'd only take revenge on our Xiao Clan!"
"What you've done is gamble the fate of the entire Xiao Clan for your own selfish reasons. If you offend the Misty Cloud Sect, we'll all be dragged down with you!" Xiao Yu accused him.
Xiao Yan knew that what he had done had indeed been somewhat impulsive.
But he firmly believed that with his teacher's help, he would never lose to Nalan Yanran.
As for the power behind Nalan Yanran, the strongest sect in the Jia Ma Empire, the Misty Cloud Sect—
It might be powerful. To the Misty Cloud Sect, he was no more than an ant, utterly insignificant.
But he was still young. If he had created a miracle and broken the record for the fastest cultivation three years ago, then there was no reason he couldn't do it again three years later.
Just as he had boldly declared on the day the engagement was broken off: "Don't bully a young man just because he's poor!"
Xiao Yu looked at Xiao Yan. "How about this, Xiao Yan? My strength has improved recently. If you can't even beat me, then I think you should give up."
"The Misty Cloud Sect isn't someone you can afford to provoke. Go apologize to them as soon as possible and withdraw the wager you made in the Three-Year Agreement, before you end up dragging the clan down with you."
"So, what do you say? You wouldn't be afraid to accept even my challenge, would you? Then what makes you think you can beat Nalan Yanran in three years? She's the Misty Cloud Sect's future successor, its next sect leader!"
Inside Xiao Yan's Storage Ring, the soul of Yao Chen
looked at the system panel.
[Current Mission: Possess Xiao Yan with a ghost, reveal Dou Ling strength, and defeat Xiao Yu.] [Reward: Three White Blind Boxes.] [Accept the mission?]
Seeing the mission before him, Yao Chen accepted it at once, without the slightest hesitation.