Dou Po: Rising Through Jia Nan Academy

Qin Chen secretly circulated his Dou Qi, protecting their table in advance. That was how they escaped disaster.

Xiao Yan and Mu Zhan were evenly matched, each retreating several steps before steadying himself.

"Mu Zhan?"

Ya Fei's pretty face changed. She clearly had not expected Mu Zhan to suddenly appear here, much less dare to attack in public.

"Ya Fei, long time no see. You've gotten much prettier. Worthy of being the wife I've chosen!"

The moment Ya Fei stood up, Mu Zhan flashed what he thought was a handsome smile, then openly cast a blazing gaze over her curvaceous body.

"You! You lunatic!" Ya Fei snapped at Mu Zhan. She was about to step forward to stop the fight when she glanced aside and saw Qin Chen sitting calmly, watching the scene with great interest.

"I'm fine!" Xiao Yan waved at Ya Fei.

As soon as he spoke, Dou Qi surged within him, and in an instant, he pulled a thick chair leg into his palm.

Pale white Dou Qi wrapped around the chair leg. Xiao Yan stomped his foot and charged at Mu Zhan with thunderous momentum.

Because of Yao Lao's slumber, coupled with all the troubles that had happened recently, Xiao Yan had been feeling terribly stifled, nearly at the breaking point. Mu Zhan's sneak attack had only added fuel to the fire.

So this time, he was going to vent properly!

"Not bad, kid!"

Seeing Xiao Yan actually dare to attack first, Mu Zhan revealed a savage grin, the ferocity on his face growing even stronger. "After I teach you a lesson, I'll deal with that other brat!"

The reason he had not attacked Qin Chen first was mainly because Qin Chen's alchemist rank was too low—he was merely a first-tier alchemist.

Xiao Yan, on the other hand, was different. He wore the robes of a second-tier alchemist and had been chatting happily with the woman Mu Zhan fancied. One look was enough to tell he had a face begging to be punched.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

In the spacious hall, one white and one green figure tangled in battle. The others hurriedly moved aside, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Seeing this, Ya Fei finally came to her senses and shook her head with a helpless, bitter smile. "I'm such an idiot..."

Inside the Nalan Family, atop a high platform.

Three old men sat around a round table, casually chatting about all sorts of things. Their words were filled with teasing and mockery. Old men's topics were just that simple.

"They actually started fighting. That little bastard!" Mu Chen, the Mu Family's patriarch, cursed irritably as he looked down at the noisy hall below.

Yet although the old man appeared to be glaring and fuming, he did not blame Mu Zhan in the slightest. This was exactly how a man of the Mu Family should be!

"Haha, old man Tengshan, it seems Yan Xiao has run into a bit of trouble. Aren't you going down to take a look?" Nalan Jie, the Nalan Family's patriarch, chuckled as he teased him.

That said, if things truly got out of control, Nalan Jie would go down to mediate even without Mittel Tengshan stepping in.

Yan Xiao had been introduced to the Nalan Family by the Mite'er Family to treat his Brand Poison. Nalan Jie also wanted to see just how capable this mysterious young man was.

"Hmph!"

Mittel Tengshan curled his lips, secretly looking down on them.

You two old fools only knew how to fight and kill. You had not noticed anything unusual in the hall at all.

Even if Yan Xiao was no match for Mu Zhan, would he really end up crippled with Qin Chen, a sixth-tier alchemist, present?

The Mite'er Family had risen through commerce, and the Dou Qi levels of its members varied greatly. Arguing with these two old military men would only invite ridicule, and they might even seize the chance to mock him.

"Ah! They're fighting!" Mu Chen's eyes lit up as he watched the two flashing figures. He said eagerly, "Old fellows, how long do you think that kid can last against Mu Zhan?"

"Hehe, I think..."

Elsewhere, as Qin Chen watched the two constantly clash, a strange thought suddenly arose in his mind.

Xiao Yan's protagonist halo really was terrifying. Ya Fei had come with him, so this should have been his problem. Yet somehow, it had been passed right on to that kid.

Still, he had no intention of stepping in immediately. He would first see how Xiao Yan handled it.

Qin Chen's soul power silently swept through the entire Nalan Family. He soon discovered that the old men from the major families were watching with relish. It seemed they had deliberately stayed away so Mu Zhan could test Xiao Yan's abilities.

"Looks like this guy is getting serious..." Xiao Yan's expression turned grave as he looked at the slightly flawed Dou Qi armor around Mu Zhan's body. Strands of pale white flame began condensing within his sleeves.

"Boom!"

After another fierce collision, the two were once again blasted apart by powerful force.

"Kid! I'll let you know the consequences of touching my woman!"

"Greenwood Thorn!"

Mu Zhan roared and rushed forward again.

Xiao Yan refused to back down, leaning slightly forward as he prepared to counterattack.

"Mu Zhan! Stop!"

A cool female shout rang through the hall. Immediately afterward, a moon-white figure flashed over.

Standing before Xiao Yan, Nalan Yanran casually struck once, sending Mu Zhan—who had been evenly matched with Xiao Yan—flying back.

Mu Zhan looked around and saw that Nalan Jie and the other two old men had somehow appeared in the hall. He could only abandon the thought of continuing the fight.

"For Yanran's sake, I won't hold it against you today. But in the future, stay away from Ya Fei!"

"I'll be waiting anytime." Xiao Yan answered with a cold sneer.

At that moment, the patriarchs of the three great families hurried out to calm things down. Mu Chen even gave Mu Zhan a thorough scolding.

Starting trouble was one thing, but the key was that he had not even won.

"Mr. Yan Xiao, are you—"

Nalan Yanran slowly turned, intending to check on Xiao Yan. But when her gaze fell upon his palm, her beautiful eyes suddenly widened, and even her normally cool voice rose involuntarily.

"Yan Xiao!"

At that moment, the Heavenly Flame in Xiao Yan's palm had yet to fully dissipate. Within the pale white flames, wisps of black mist churned strangely.

The black mist ignored the scorching heat. Reflected against the burning white Heavenly Flame, it appeared even thicker.

"Brand Poison?!"

Nalan Yanran had come into contact with that black mist countless times. She was far too familiar with it!

Could it be that Yan Xiao had been so cold toward her because he had contracted Brand Poison and had deliberately kept his distance?

That cry immediately drew everyone's attention. Once they saw the black mist in Xiao Yan's palm, their expressions varied.

Mu Zhan, Liu Ling, and the others naturally reveled in his misfortune, while Nalan Jie, Ya Fei, and the rest looked worried.

Nalan Jie in particular was deeply concerned. The Brand Poison in his body had not yet been completely removed. If Yan Xiao could do nothing about it either, what would they do then?

Before Nalan Yanran could think further, her figure flashed. She lunged forward in a single step and tightly grabbed Xiao Yan's arm.

"Yan Xiao, are you all right?"

"..."

Everything had happened in a flash, and Nalan Yanran was far stronger than Xiao Yan. Caught off guard, he had his arm seized.

Feeling the soft, smooth touch of the girl's hand, Xiao Yan's mouth twitched, and his expression instantly darkened.

He suddenly sensed an emotion that had previously appeared only with Xun'er. Something that should not have been there seemed to have appeared in Nalan Yanran...

Xiao Yan wanted to cry but had no tears. He suddenly regretted it. If he had known, he would not have acted so impulsively or fought Mu Zhan.

What a sin. His originally pure transactional relationship with the Nalan Family now seemed to have been tainted by something filthy.

In a corner, Liu Ling's right hand, which had been swirling a wine cup, suddenly froze. His amused expression instantly stiffened as well.

He possessed both fire- and wood-attributed Dou Qi, but for some reason, like Mu Zhan with his wood-attributed Dou Qi, a faint shade of green gradually appeared above his head.

Elsewhere, Qin Chen raised an eyebrow slightly and propped his cheek on one hand. The development of things had gone somewhat beyond his expectations.

However...

If these two really got together, then by seniority, wouldn't he, Qin Chen, count as Xiao Yan's grandmaster?

This...

Actually seemed rather interesting...

Qin Chen suddenly shook his head, driving the strange thoughts from his mind.

He immediately found the dishes on the table quite tasty again. Picking up his chopsticks, he grabbed a peanut and put it into his mouth.

"Yan Xiao, are you all right?" Nalan Yanran looked anxious, her almond-shaped eyes filled with worry.

"I'm fine..." Xiao Yan forced out a smile uglier than crying. For a moment, he did not know what to do.

"Little friend Yan Xiao, if it truly won't work, then let us postpone the treatment for a while!" Nalan Jie said, his grizzled brows twisted into a knot.

There was no other way. They were completely helpless against the Brand Poison and could only pray that Yan Xiao could resolve it himself.

"There's no need. Someone can help me cure it." Xiao Yan shuddered and quickly replied.

By now, the way Nalan Yanran looked at him was already very wrong. If the treatment were postponed, would that not mean his filthy transactional relationship with the Nalan Family would also be prolonged?

When that time came...

Xiao Yan did not dare think further!

With a dark face, Xiao Yan pushed through the onlookers and walked toward Qin Chen.

There was no other way. Qin Chen was the only one who could help him now.

Within the imperial palace at the center of Jia Ma Holy City, atop a tall tower overlooking the entire city.

Jia Xing Tian stood quietly in coarse hemp robes, his face covered in wrinkles. At this moment, there was a touch of joy on that old face that was usually as calm as an ancient well.

The reason naturally lay in the changes to his cultivation technique, as well as the vigorous life force within his body.

Although his strength remained at the peak of the Dou Emperor realm, his combat power had improved considerably.

"Great-Grandfather." At some point, Yao Ye, dressed in purple-gold brocade robes and wearing a phoenix crown, had appeared behind Jia Xing Tian.