A New Mission Arrives

Inside the ancient box lay a pill the size of a red date, emitting a peculiar fragrance.

On the Dou Qi Continent, to become a true fighter, one needed to condense a Dou Qi Cyclone within the body. Yet condensing a Dou Qi Cyclone had a high chance of failure. If one failed, not only would they fall from the ninth stage of Dou Qi to the eighth, but in severe cases, their meridians could be damaged, leaving them unable to condense one ever again.

The Qi-Gathering Powder could allow someone at the ninth stage of Dou Qi to successfully condense a Dou Qi Cyclone with a one hundred percent success rate!

Such an effect made countless people aspiring to become fighters swarm toward it like flies to carrion, coveting it intensely.

Now that the Cloud Mist Sect had produced a Qi-Gathering Powder as compensation, it meant the Xiao Clan could reliably produce a fighter. If it were given to a particularly gifted disciple, not only would it save time, but the clan might even produce a Da Dou Shi or perhaps a Dou Ling expert. At that thought, the elders all stared eagerly at the box.

"Elder Ge Ye, we will not agree to this matter today, so you should take the pill back!"

The moment those words were spoken, the discussions in the hall abruptly stopped. Everyone turned in unison toward Xiao Yan, seated in the corner. Those words had come from him.

"Xiao Yan, it is not your turn to speak here. Shut your mouth!" One of the elders, who had been pondering how to get the Qi-Gathering Powder for his grandson, darkened and roared upon hearing Xiao Yan's words.

"It has nothing to do with me? The ones who truly have nothing to do with this matter are you three, aren't they? Never mind whether I agree or not, the three elders are not the ones who get to decide the fate of this Qi-Gathering Powder!" Xiao Yan looked disdainfully at the three elders and spoke coldly.

"You..." The three elders' expressions stiffened. The hot-tempered Third Elder glared furiously as Dou Qi slowly enveloped his body.

"Three elders, Brother Xiao Yan is right. He is the one directly involved, so you should not interfere." The young girl's lively voice rang softly through the hall.

Upon hearing Xun'er's words, the three elders immediately deflated. They exchanged helpless glances before nodding.

Seeing the dejected elders, Xiao Yan gave Xun'er a curious look before slowly stepping forward. He bowed to Xiao Zhan, then turned to Nalan Yanran. "Miss Nalan, may I ask whether Elder Nalan knows about this matter?"

Nalan Yanran had thought Xiao Yan would readily agree, but she had not expected him to cling to the matter so stubbornly. She said coldly, "Grandfather has not agreed, but this is my marriage. I can make the decision myself."

"If that is the case, then my father naturally will not agree either. After all, this marriage was personally arranged by our two grandfathers. Since neither of them agreed to end it, we cannot dissolve it at will. Otherwise, it would be a great disrespect to our deceased elders." Xiao Yan spoke calmly.

With Xiao Yan placing the grave charge of defiance and disrespect upon them, the three elders no longer dared to force the matter. In a strict clan, such a charge was enough to cost them their positions as elders.

"You!" Nalan Yanran had not expected Xiao Yan to say such a thing. Her young mistress temper flared at once, and she stamped her foot in anger, looking at Xiao Yan with disgust. "Then what will it take for you to agree to break off the engagement? If you think the compensation is too little, I will give you two more Qi-Gathering Powders. In addition, I will allow you to enter the Cloud Mist Sect to study profound cultivation techniques. How about it?"

As she spoke, she raised her chin.

In her eyes, Xiao Yan merely wanted more compensation. So long as she could completely rid herself of him, she could easily satisfy these demands. In her opinion, the conditions she offered were enough to drive any young man mad.

Upon hearing Nalan Yanran's words, the three elders opened their mouths in shock. They stood up and glared fiercely at Xiao Yan, wishing he would agree immediately.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan's expression instantly turned fierce as he stared at Nalan Yanran. "Hmph, I really want to..."

Nalan Yanran was frightened by Xiao Yan's sinister expression. The young man beside her immediately drew his longsword and fixed Xiao Yan with a sharp gaze.

"Yan'er, do not be rude." Xiao Zhan spoke at that moment, bringing Xiao Yan back to his senses. He lowered his head and took a deep breath. When he raised it again, his expression had returned to normal, without a trace of ferocity.

Nalan Yanran looked at the calm Xiao Yan and said, "I was indeed too rash in today's matter. However, if you agree to one condition, I can temporarily withdraw my request to dissolve the engagement."

"What condition?" Xiao Yan asked with a frown.

"I can postpone the matter of breaking off the engagement for three years. Three years from now, you may come to the Cloud Mist Sect to challenge me. If you lose, I will publicly dissolve the engagement. By then, you will already be an adult, so even if the engagement is ended, it will not make Uncle Xiao lose too much face. Are you willing?" Nalan Yanran said indifferently.

Xiao Yan sneered. "Heh, if I lose then, I will bear the disgraceful name of failure for the rest of my life, right?!"

After being thwarted repeatedly, Nalan Yanran was growing impatient. She snapped at Xiao Yan, "Xiao Yan, stop talking nonsense. If you do not want Uncle Xiao's reputation to be damaged, then accept the Three-Year Agreement. Between three years from now and today, which do you choose?"

"Nalan Yanran, there is no need for you to put on such a forceful posture. The reason you want to break off the engagement is simply because you believe that I, Xiao Yan, am worthless and unworthy of a heaven-blessed girl like you. True, I am indeed worthless now. But three years ago, I created a miracle and became a fighter at the age of twelve. What stage of Dou Qi were you at when you were twelve? What makes you think I cannot rise again in the future?"

Faced with the girl's aggressive attitude, Xiao Yan could no longer hold back. His expression was cold and stern, and his words left everyone in the hall dumbfounded. Who would have thought that the young man who had been silent for three years could be so formidable?

Nalan Yanran's face turned ugly at Xiao Yan's words, yet she could not refute him, because she herself had only been at the eighth stage of Dou Qi back then.

"Miss Nalan, for Elder Nalan's sake, Xiao Yan would also like to offer you some advice: thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—never look down on a poor young man!" Xiao Yu's domineering words made Nalan Yanran's delicate body tremble slightly.

"Good! What a 'never look down on a poor young man'! My, Xiao Zhan's, son should be like this!" Xiao Zhan abruptly rose to his feet, slammed his fist onto the table, and shouted.

Nalan Yanran glared at Xiao Yan through gritted teeth. "What right do you have to lecture me? Even if you were once a genius, you are nothing but trash now. Fine, I will not mention today's matter again. Three years from now, I will wait for you at the Cloud Mist Sect. If you have the ability, defeat me openly then. If you can win, I will be your servant or maid—whatever you say goes!"

"However, if you are still such trash three years from now, then you must obediently hand over the agreement to dissolve the engagement."

Seeing Nalan Yanran's livid face, Xiao Yan sneered. "Why wait three years? I cannot even muster the slightest interest in you."

With that, he strode to the table and began writing with swift, forceful strokes!

The ink fell, and the brush stopped!

Xiao Yan drew a short blade and cut his palm, then pressed it hard onto the document.

Holding the document, he walked before Nalan Yanran and angrily flung it at her.

"This document is not an agreement to dissolve the engagement. It is a letter of repudiation from me, Xiao Yan, casting off you, Nalan Yanran. From this day forth, you, Nalan Yanran, will have nothing whatsoever to do with my Xiao Clan."

After saying that, Xiao Yan dropped to his knees before Xiao Zhan. He bit his lips tightly, but could not say a single word.

Though he claimed before the clan that he had repudiated Nalan Yanran, who would believe it? In the end, it was still his father who would suffer...

Xiao Yan rose and left the hall. When he reached the doorway, he turned back to Nalan Yanran. "Nalan Yanran, three years from now, I will come for you."

Among the crowd, Xiao Yu watched Xiao Yan leave and smiled faintly to himself. What an iconic scene from Battle Through the Heavens. So thrilling!

At that moment, the system's voice sounded again. Xiao Yu checked it and found that a new mission had been issued.

Hearing the mission Pidan had announced, Xiao Yu hurriedly opened the panel to check.

[Strongest Supporting Character System]

Name: Xiao Yu

Level: Level 2 (Experience 1/200)

Strength: Dou Qi, Stage Seven

Cultivation Technique: Sun Devouring Technique

Dou Skill: Yellow Rank Low-Level Raging Flame Palm (Not Yet Learned)

Item: Low-Level Storage Ring

Main Mission: Xiao Yan is publicly repudiated, and everyone mocks him. Only you stand behind Xiao Yan and speak up for him.

Reward: Experience +50, Dou Skill Experience Card (after use, can increase Dou Skill proficiency and rapidly master a Dou Skill), Stage Eight Dou Qi.