Xiao Jian's Madness

What was meant to be would eventually be; what was not meant to be, one should not force.

Though Xiao Yan found it both laughable and exasperating, it seemed he had gained another relative. That was not a bad thing on the World-Creation Continent.

"Call me big brother and let me hear it," Xiao Yan said to Xiao Yuting.

"Get lost. You should be calling me big sister instead." Xiao Yuting glared at Xiao Yan, then headed toward Xiao Jian's room.

"What are you going to do?" Xiao Yan asked Xiao Yuting.

"Settle the score with Xiao Jian, of course. Isn't he the chief culprit?" Xiao Yuting looked as though she wanted to chop Xiao Jian into eight pieces.

Xiao Yan silently mourned for Xiao Jian for three minutes in advance. Xiao Jian was clearly innocent, yet he had somehow provoked a witch like Xiao Yuting. Xiao Yuting, on the other hand, had caused the trouble herself and blamed it all on someone else.

After thinking it over, Xiao Yan quickly followed. Judging by Xiao Jian's actions, he was in a state of extreme fury. No matter how skilled Xiao Yuting was with poison, she could not possibly be his match. If they really fought, she would definitely suffer.

When Xiao Yan and Xiao Yuting arrived at Xiao Jian's room, the door was tightly shut. Xiao Jian seemed to be hiding something from Xiao Yan.

"Xiao Jian, you heartless bastard! Get out here!" Xiao Yuting stood before the door and cursed at Xiao Jian.

"Xiao Jian, you coward! All you know is how to bully women!"

"Xiao Jian, how did your wife offend you, you bastard?"

"Xiao Jian, you..."

Xiao Yuting seemed to particularly detest men who cast aside their wives, so naturally she had nothing kind to say to Xiao Jian. Her voice nearly spread throughout the entire Xiao Clan. Before long, news of Xiao Jian abandoning his wife would probably travel through the whole clan. Heartless bastard and bastard would likely become Xiao Jian's new titles.

Bang... The door split into two in an instant. Xiao Jian stepped out, dressed in white and looking exceptionally unrestrained, though his face was icy cold.

"For Xiao Yan's sake, I won't kill you. If there is a next time, it will be your head that falls." Xiao Jian's voice was as cold as a demon from hell.

Fear flashed across Xiao Yuting's face. A strand of black hair lay on the ground—it was hers. She did not doubt in the slightest that Xiao Jian was not joking. When someone was in a towering rage, he would not care how strong his opponent was or how great their background. Just like Xiao Yan back then—despite knowing that the Misty Cloud Sect was a colossal existence, he had still publicly written that letter of divorce.

Xiao Jian glanced at Xiao Yuting, then at Xiao Yan, before walking away.

Xiao Yan was equally shocked. In less than a day, Xiao Jian's grasp of the sword seemed to have advanced another step. From such a distance, he could accurately sever Xiao Yuting's hair without harming her. At the very least, the Xiao Jian who had fought the Magic Crystal Beast could not have done that.

In a single day, Xiao Jian had undergone a transformation. Perhaps it had something to do with that letter of divorce. Xiao Yan also wanted to know what had happened to Xiao Jian today.

A mist of tears seemed to rise in Xiao Yuting's eyes. Why could she never even protect herself? Why did she come to settle scores with someone, only to be threatened instead? She had studied poison arts for a year and achieved something in them, but in every other aspect... She kept saying she wanted to protect her sister, yet every time, she needed others to protect her.

Xiao Yan recalled something and said, "Xiao Jian, you cut down the door. You're responsible for rebuilding it."

"You burned all my things. This room belongs to you alone now. I won't be staying here anymore," Xiao Jian said. His sword gleamed faintly with cold light beneath the lamplight.

Xiao Jian's Madness

Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Yuting and sighed softly. "I don't know what happened to him, but he's very strong right now. Even I may not be able to defeat him. If you don't want others to protect you, then become stronger."

After saying that, Xiao Yan walked toward the room. Xiao Jian had actually bullied him like this—driven him from his room, made him burn the bedding, and now even expected him to be a carpenter. How could he endure this? He had to find a chance to take proper revenge.

However, what was the matter with that letter of divorce? Xiao Jian had bought so many things for his wife. He should not have abandoned her. Wait.

Xue Rou's figure surfaced in Xiao Yan's mind. Back then, Xue Rou had completely lacked a wife's gentleness. Instead, she had seemed... yes, just like she had been back then—proud and icy. Could it be that, just like her, it was his wife who had broken off the engagement rather than Xiao Jian?

At that thought, Xiao Yan drew a deep breath. Xiao Jian had never said what surname his wife had. If her surname was Xue or Qin...

Xiao Yan shook his head and stopped thinking about it. This was, after all, someone else's affair. Lovers under heaven would ** eventually become united in marriage. If Xiao Jian asked for his help, he would naturally lend a hand, but since Xiao Jian said nothing, it was not his place to interfere.

Now that the battle technique was gone, it was no longer realistic for Xiao Yan to rely on battle techniques to increase his strength. Two paths lay before him.

One was to cultivate and reach the Mid-Grade Emperor Spirit Realm as quickly as possible. The other was to create his own battle technique, like the Fire Lotus Battle Technique. But although Xiao Yan considered himself gifted, creating a battle technique was not so simple.

It seemed he needed to find an opportunity to improve his alchemy first. His alchemy had yet to reach Emperor Grade. Although he was confident, whenever he recalled the old man's stern expression, Xiao Yan gritted his teeth in hatred. Damn it, why was his luck so bad?

Xiao Clan Branch Arena.

The Xiao Clan Branch Arena was a place where members of the Xiao Clan sparred with one another, and also where they settled personal grudges. Here, every match required a payment of one hundred gold coins, paid by the loser. The winner could also receive thirty percent of the ticket fees, the loser twenty percent, while the rest went to the branch.

Of course, there were also life-and-death matches, where each accepted his fate. There was no loser—one either chose victory or death. Among the Xiao Clan's branches, those who truly had both courage and strength would choose life-and-death matches. The dead received nothing, while the victor could claim everything the dead possessed. The victor received ninety percent of the ticket fees, with the remaining ten percent going to the branch.

In the Arena, strength came before all else. The victor was king; the defeated became bandits. The Arena was also exceedingly fair and impartial. Several famous figures in the Arena were even qualified to formally join the Lineage.

That night, a man carrying a precious sword arrived at the Arena. He intended to challenge a Mid-Grade Emperor Spirit Realm expert who had won nine consecutive matches—and it would be a life-and-death match.

To many, this was courting death. Others believed it was revenge. Overnight, the Xiao Clan Branch was thrown into an uproar. Blood was often what most easily stirred people's passion, so although the outcome of this match seemed obvious, many still went to watch.

The match was scheduled for dawn the next day, yet Xiao Jian was already standing on the fighting stage that night. A desire to grow stronger drove him to choose a life-and-death match without regard for his own life.

Everyone had something they needed to protect, but without strength, what could one possibly protect?