How Could I, a Sixth-Stage Qi Disciple, Bully a Three-Star Dou Practitioner?

Nalan Yanran stared at the Purple Gold Card that had been pushed back to her and remained silent for a long while.

She bit her lip, but in the end, she put the Purple Gold Card back into her Storage Ring.

"Since you refuse to take the money..."

Nalan Yanran took a deep breath, then suddenly raised her head and fixed An Yi with a burning gaze. "Then... can you fight me?"

"..."

An Yi's hand, which had been reaching for a chicken drumstick, froze in midair. He looked at her in utter disbelief.

"Fight? No, miss, are you all right? You're a Three-Star Dou Practitioner, the future sect master of the Cloud Mist Sect, and you want to challenge a useless Sixth-Stage Qi Disciple like me, someone who only knows how to play in the mud? Isn't that just bullying?"

Nalan Yanran raised her chin indignantly. "Three years ago, on the streets of the Holy City of Jia Ma, you pinned me to the ground in a single exchange! You even took my sword and held it to my neck! You didn't think you were bullying me then. Now, I just want to reclaim the dignity I lost back then!"

An Yi's eye twitched furiously. "No, Xiao Yan made a Three-Year Pact with you, and now you're turning around and making a three-year grudge with me? Are all people from the Cloud Mist Sect this vindictive?"

Nalan Yanran refused to let it go, folding her arms across her chest. "Just tell me—will you fight or not?"

"Fight, fight, fight. It's not like I'm afraid of a little girl."

An Yi sighed helplessly, casually tossed aside the chicken bone in his hand, dusted off his palms, and stood up.

A gleam of triumphant amusement flashed through Nalan Yanran's eyes. She turned and headed outside.

"Then let's go. To the Martial Arena."

An Yi froze, his feet practically slamming on the brakes. "The Martial Arena? Isn't that overkill? We can just spar a little in this shabby courtyard. Why make such a big deal out of it?"

"It is necessary!"

Nalan Yanran turned around and glared at him viciously. "Are you going or not? If you don't go, I'll sit down on the ground and cry right now! Then I'll go tell Uncle Ge and Uncle Xiao that you molested me in the courtyard just now! I'll have Uncle Ge drag you back to the Cloud Mist Sect and keep you under strict watch!"

An Yi's mouth twitched wildly. "Miss, get a grip! Me, a useless Sixth-Stage Qi Disciple, molesting you, a Three-Star Dou Practitioner? Who do you think would believe that?"

"I don't care! If I cry, everyone will believe me!" Nalan Yanran began acting completely unreasonable. "Are you going or not?"

Faced with such a shameless move that disregarded all rules of both physical and magical combat, An Yi was thoroughly defeated. He raised both hands in surrender.

"Fine, fine, fine. I'm really scared of you."

Before long, Nalan Yanran and An Yi arrived at the Xiao Household's central Martial Arena, one after the other.

One was the young sect master of the Cloud Mist Sect, while the other was the Xiao Household's universally acknowledged useless, white-haired young master who loafed around all day.

The two of them walking together already drew attention. Add to that the fact that they were headed for the Martial Arena, and they immediately caught the eyes of every Xiao Household disciple nearby. The crowd followed after them like a snowball rolling downhill.

As it happened, Xiao Zhan was currently showing Ge Ye around the Xiao Household's Martial Arena, watching the Xiao Household disciples battle fiercely on the platforms.

With an honored guest from the Cloud Mist Sect present, every disciple on the platforms fought as though they had been injected with stimulants, putting in extra effort.

Just then, Xiao Zhan and Ge Ye spotted Nalan Yanran striding over aggressively, with a dead-eyed An Yi trailing behind her.

Even more absurdly, the two of them passed straight through the crowd and headed directly onto the central arena platform.

Ge Ye immediately looked baffled and called out loudly, "Yanran, what are you doing?"

Standing in the center of the platform, Nalan Yanran pointed at An Yi. Her clear voice rang throughout the entire Martial Arena.

"Three years ago, I lost to him! Today, I am formally challenging him here!"

The instant those words left her mouth, the entire Martial Arena fell deathly silent.

Everyone's eyes widened.

An Yi had defeated Nalan Yanran three years ago?!

Wait, that wasn't the important part! The important part was...

A Three-Star Dou Practitioner was openly challenging a Sixth-Stage Qi Disciple on the arena platform?!

Was this fucking serious?!

Ge Ye's aged face instantly fell apart. It felt as if the Cloud Mist Sect's reputation were crumbling away by the second, and he hurriedly rebuked her, "Yanran! Nonsense! Get down here!"

But Nalan Yanran stiffened her neck and shouted back, "Uncle Ge, I'm serious! Besides, he has already accepted the challenge!"

Whoosh—

Countless gazes, all carrying the look one gave an idiot, instantly focused on An Yi.

Under everyone's scrutiny, An Yi merely shrugged indifferently and admitted it openly.

"That's right. I accepted."

Xiao Zhan's eye twitched violently. Feeling his blood pressure soar, he could not help roaring, "An Yi! What nonsense are you spouting?! When did you ever defeat Nalan's niece three years ago?!"

"The time I went to the Holy City of Jia Ma with Sister Ya Fei three years ago."

An Yi explained with an innocent expression, "She was on the street holding a sword and trying to chop me, so I used a grappling move and pinned her to the ground. I just didn't expect this girl to be so petty that she'd hold a grudge for a full three years."

Ge Ye's face darkened with black lines. He hurriedly waved his hands, trying to stop this farce. "Yanran, stop fooling around! You were both children three years ago. How can children wrestling and roughhousing count for anything? Get down here before people laugh at us!"

"No matter!"

An Yi suddenly raised a hand and struck a bold, thoroughly punchable pose before declaring loudly.

"Elder Ge need not worry. Though I am a dignified Sixth-Stage Qi Disciple, while she is merely a tiny Three-Star Dou Practitioner, she has shown the courage to challenge me. Naturally, I must display the bearing of a strong man. Everyone, rest assured. When we spar later, I will certainly show mercy. I definitely will not hurt her!"

"..."

The moment those words came out, everyone from the Xiao Household was left completely speechless.

No, brother!

At a time like this, you still had to force yourself to act cool?!

That was a Three-Star Dou Practitioner! Not a Third-Stage Qi Disciple!

She didn't even need a sword—one slap could leave you with internal injuries, all right?!

Xiao Zhan's face turned even darker than the bottom of a pot.

An Yi was, after all, his adopted son in name. If Nalan Yanran really slapped him into serious injury on the platform today, would the Xiao Household have any dignity left? What would people say if word got out? That Xiao Zhan could not even protect an adopted son and allowed someone from the Cloud Mist Sect to humiliate him?

Ge Ye was even more anxious below the platform, stamping his feet repeatedly.

What was Nalan Yanran's identity? The future sect master of the Cloud Mist Sect!

Using her strength to bully the weak, openly challenging a worthless person at the Qi Disciple stage!

At this point, winning or losing no longer mattered, because the challenge itself was already humiliating enough!

Did the Cloud Mist Sect not care about its reputation anymore?!

At that moment, Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yan, having heard the commotion, also hurried over.

The two squeezed to the very front of the crowd. Looking at Nalan Yanran and An Yi facing each other on the platform, both wore utterly bewildered expressions.

What was this nonsense supposed to be now?