Nalan Yanran Makes Her Move

"Uncle Xiao, Yanran will cover all the damages here later." Seeing that Xiao Ni insisted on sparring in the Council Hall, Nalan Yanran did not try to persuade him otherwise and simply looked at Xiao Zhan.

"Niece Nalan, Xiao Ni has had a sharp tongue since childhood. There's no need for you to lower yourself to his level. Look, Yan has already agreed to your arrangement. How about we call off this spar?" Xiao Zhan said, feigning difficulty.

"Uncle Xiao, he was the one who challenged me. If I refuse, wouldn't that make it seem like I'm afraid of him?" Nalan Yanran said coldly.

Xiao Ni had provoked them again and again. If she did not teach him a proper lesson, it would be hard to soothe the hatred in her heart.

"Xiao Ni, you've gone too far! Hurry up and apologize to Niece Nalan!" Xiao Zhan gave Xiao Ni a look, meaning that he should not hold back later. He should go all out, and Xiao Zhan would bear the consequences if anything happened.

"Fine, I was impulsive just now. I shouldn't have challenged you to a spar. I should have let the two of you come at me together." Xiao Ni raised a hand and pointed at Liu Ling, who was standing by and waiting to watch the show. Xiao Zhan nearly slipped out of his seat.

What the hell? Had Xiao Ni misunderstood him? He wanted Xiao Ni to fight Nalan Yanran seriously, not take on two opponents at once. Even if Xiao Ni might be stronger than a Two-Star Dou Practitioner, Nalan Yanran and this young man were both outstanding among their generation. If the Council Hall was destroyed and Xiao Ni still lost, the Xiao Household would be utterly humiliated.

Sigh, Xiao Ni was good in every way except for his poisonous mouth, his scheming mind, and his tendency to show off.

"Since you have such a request, I'll grant it!" Liu Ling roared. His body shot forward, then he leaped into the air, his leg wrapped in dense Dou Qi as he swept it toward Xiao Ni's neck.

He had put all his strength into this strike. Even an ordinary Two-Star Dou Practitioner would have their neck dislocated if they took it, much less Xiao Ni, a worthless Seventh Duan of Dou Qi.

"Weak and powerless. So this is all a Five-Star Dou Practitioner amounts to." Xiao Ni raised an arm and easily blocked Liu Ling's leg. After a faint tremor, Liu Ling's leg dislocated, and he fell from the air, barely managing to kneel on one knee.

Although Xiao Ni had not cultivated much over the years, he often secretly tempered his body. His physique and strength had always surpassed those of people at the same level, not to mention that Liu Ling was two stars below him.

"Why are you kneeling before we've even started? Are all the men of the Misty Cloud Sect this fragile?" Xiao Ni's words carried several traces of arrogance. Even Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan had the sudden urge to beat him up.

"Boy, a spar is a spar, but reckless words come at a price!" Ge Ye said with a dark expression.

He had not expected Xiao Ni's arm strength to be so terrifying. Liu Ling was a Five-Star Dou Practitioner, yet Xiao Ni had put him in such a miserable state. Could it be that Xiao Ni...

"Oh? Could it be that Mister Ge Ye wants to fight me too?" Xiao Ni turned his gaze toward Ge Ye, his provocation obvious.

At those words, Xiao Zhan and the others' mouths twitched. Even Xiao Xun'er frowned tightly.

Brother Xiao Ni, he knows you're already a Seven-Star Dou Practitioner. You may find it hard to meet an opponent among Dou Practitioners, but Ge Ye is a Seven-Star Great Dou Master, two entire major realms above you. Why are you trying to provoke him?

"Watch your mouth!" Afraid that things would spiral out of control, Xiao Zhan hurriedly shouted, "Xiao Ni, if you keep this up, I'll teach you a lesson on Mister Ge Ye's behalf."

"Uncle Xiao, I'm only telling the truth. If you want to teach me a lesson, at least wait until I'm done sparring with them." Xiao Ni grinned at Xiao Zhan. He knew Xiao Zhan would not truly punish him.

"Flame Fist!" At that moment, Liu Ling suddenly rose and threw a punch at Xiao Ni's back. Several tiny flames danced atop his fist.

Bang!

Xiao Ni turned swiftly, grabbed Liu Ling's fist, then moved behind him and smashed a punch into his spine.

Xiao Ni had held back thirty percent of his strength, but the blow still made Liu Ling spray blood from his mouth and collapse to the ground.

"You... What level are you? Even a One-Star Dou Practitioner couldn't possibly possess strength like yours!" Liu Ling stared at Xiao Ni in deep wariness, his face filled with disbelief.

Nalan Yanran had not moved. She did not wish to join forces with Liu Ling to beat Xiao Ni. As for Xiao Ni's strength, she did not care much about it. As long as he had not reached Six-Star Dou Practitioner, he posed no threat to her. Although Liu Ling was a Five-Star Dou Practitioner, his strength was somewhat lacking. Xiao Ni's ability to overpower him with brute force proved nothing.

"Nalan Yanran, are you still not going to make a move?" Xiao Ni turned his defiant gaze toward Nalan Yanran as a Black Heavy Ruler appeared in his hand.

"Another black ruler?!" Yao Lao, inside the storage ring, was stunned. His worldview collapsed once more.

He had thought his black ruler was one of a kind. Yet Xiao Ni had first given one to Xiao Yan, and now he had taken out another. Were there really so many of these black rulers?

Bang!

With the Black Heavy Ruler in hand, Xiao Ni slammed it hard into the ground. Countless cracks instantly spread outward. A faint shockwave reached Liu Ling's ears, making his eardrums ache and deepening his fear of Xiao Ni.

That punch from Xiao Ni had nearly shattered his spine. If Xiao Ni hit him with that black ruler, who knew how long he would be bedridden? How was Xiao Ni a worthless good-for-nothing? He was simply a monster!

Whoosh!

Unwilling to waste more words on Xiao Ni, Nalan Yanran drew a jade sword, infused it with Dou Qi, and thrust fiercely forward. A residual energy sword condensed and shot toward Xiao Ni like lightning.

Clang!

Xiao Ni held the Black Heavy Ruler across his body and easily blocked the residual energy sword. After a faint ripple, the energy blade shattered explosively. Immediately afterward, two more residual energy swords shot toward him, each aimed at one of his legs.

The next instant, Xiao Ni easily dodged them and then leisurely walked toward Nalan Yanran.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Xiao Ni kept swinging the Black Heavy Ruler. Every time Nalan Yanran attacked, two or three residual energy swords targeted his vital spots. This irritated Xiao Ni somewhat. Was Nalan Yanran trying to kill him or cripple him?

"Yanran has already cultivated three Split-Form Swords with her Wind Spirit technique, yet she still cannot harm this boy in the slightest. And this boy has not used Dou Qi at all. What level is he? What exactly is that black ruler in his hand?" Ge Ye frowned deeply, his eyes holding both anger and shock.

"As Sect Master Yun Yun's most prized disciple, this is all the strength you have? Looks like your sect master's eye for choosing disciples isn't much either." Xiao Ni easily arrived before Nalan Yanran and pinched the jade sword between two fingers. The moment his words ended, he exerted a slight force, and the jade sword shattered into dozens of fragments that scattered across the floor.

"Thousand Winds Barrier!" Humiliated by Xiao Ni once again, the veins on Nalan Yanran's forehead throbbed violently. She rapidly retreated several meters, then flicked her fingers lightly. Five wisps of pale green spiraling wind appeared at her fingertips, like five incomparably sharp green nails.

Whoosh!

The five sharp spiraling winds spun madly as they shot toward Xiao Ni, as though they intended to tear apart the very air.

Seeing Nalan Yanran use this move, Liu Ling was immediately overjoyed, a trace of contempt flashing through his eyes.

Xiao Ni, so what if your brute strength is astonishing? There's no way Yanran's move can be blocked by that black ruler of yours.

"Boy, I refuse to believe you still won't use Dou Qi this time." Ge Ye stared coldly at Xiao Ni, the anger in his heart finally easing somewhat.

In terms of strength, Nalan Yanran was actually somewhat stronger than Liu Ling. Moreover, she had already defeated quite a few peers with this Thousand Winds Barrier. Xiao Ni could not possibly withstand it.

Xiao Ni was relying only on his strength and that black ruler. His actual level could not be very high. Even if he was not the rumored second worthless member of the Xiao Household, with such a lack of cultivation resources, he could at most be on the same level as Nalan Yanran.

If they were both Three-Star Dou Practitioners, Xiao Ni's Dou techniques and cultivation methods would be inferior to Nalan Yanran's. Defeat would be inevitable. Besides, the possibility of Xiao Ni being a Three-Star Dou Practitioner was practically zero.