Ge Ye Cowered on the Spot!

At this moment, Nalan Yanran was indeed somewhat shocked. She had never expected that this guy rumored to be trash would possess such strength.

She still vividly remembered the oppressive force of that palm strike just now. That kind of power was absolutely not something an ordinary Dou Zhe or Dou Shi could unleash.

At the very least, he had to be a Da Dou Shi or above, right?

How could a junior of the Xiao Clan possibly reach the realm of a Da Dou Shi?

Thinking of this, she could not help examining Xiao Yun a few more times, unable to make sense of it no matter how she turned it over in her mind.

What surprised her, however, was that the several elders of the Xiao Clan and Clan Chief Xiao Zhan did not seem overly shocked.

She also noticed that although the Second Elder and Third Elder standing nearby looked somewhat tense, their expressions were more composed than anything else. The First Elder sat there with an utterly unconcerned look.

It was as though Xiao Yun displaying such strength was nothing unusual to them.

Ge Ye, standing behind Nalan Yanran, looked far more solemn than anyone else.

As a Seven-Star Da Dou Shi of the Misty Cloud Sect, his senses were far sharper than Nalan Yanran's. The aura he had felt the moment Xiao Yun struck was far more than merely that of a Da Dou Shi.

What truly shocked him was that Xiao Yun had seemingly not used his full strength just now. He might not even have used half of it.

That casual, effortless attitude was what made him truly terrifying.

The main issue was this: if a youth could deal with a Seven-Star Da Dou Shi and a Dou Zhe so effortlessly, just how strong was he really?

"Miss Yanran, I'm afraid we've run into trouble."

At that moment, Ge Ye lowered his voice and leaned close to Nalan Yanran's ear.

"This Xiao Yun's strength is likely far beyond that of a Da Dou Shi... In my opinion, he has a very high chance of already reaching the Dou Ling level. You must not act rashly."

The moment Ge Ye finished speaking, Nalan Yanran froze, then could not help letting out a cold laugh.

A Dou Ling?

What a joke!

For a small clan like the Xiao Clan, producing even one Da Dou Shi was already an incredible feat. A Dou Ling was a level that Wu Tan City likely could not produce even if it pooled all its resources.

Besides, how could trash like Xiao Yun possibly reach the Dou Ling realm?

"Elder Ge Ye, could you have seen wrong?"

Thinking this, Nalan Yanran replied in a low voice.

"He's only a teenager. How could he possibly be a Dou Ling expert? Maybe he was merely lucky just now, or perhaps he caught me off guard with a sneak attack."

Ge Ye had just wanted to persuade her further when Nalan Yanran stopped paying attention to him.

At that moment, all she had to do was look at Xiao Yun's face, carrying that faintly mocking expression, and the fury and humiliation in her heart burned ever more fiercely.

As a personal disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect, even the future heir to the position of sect master, she had actually been frightened into not daring to move by a piece of trash? What humiliation was this?

No matter what, she could not swallow this anger.

"Xiao Yun, I originally did not want to stoop to your level out of respect for Uncle Xiao."

At that moment, Nalan Yanran drew the longsword at her waist. Its blade glinted with a cold, chilling light beneath the sun.

"Since you insist on standing in my way, don't blame me for what happens next!"

"Today, I'll let you see what happens when you offend Nalan Yanran and the Misty Cloud Sect!"

The instant her words fell, Nalan Yanran's figure flashed. Her longsword, wrapped in fierce Dou Qi, stabbed straight toward Xiao Yun's chest.

The moment she attacked, Nalan Yanran showed no restraint whatsoever. She clearly intended to kill him.

Many people in the Xiao Clan's main hall were shocked. Who could have expected that Yanran would truly strike with lethal intent?

Seeing this, Xiao Zhan abruptly rose to stop her, but how could his speed compare to the speed of Nalan Yanran's sword?

As the sword was about to pierce him, Xiao Zhan and the elders showed no reaction, but every member of the Xiao Clan held their breath.

Yet the next second, a sound rang through the entire hall.

Then they saw Xiao Yun raise his hand and flick lightly, his two fingers striking the blade with perfect precision.

That fine-quality longsword snapped in response. The broken half of the blade spun through the air before embedding itself in a nearby pillar.

The moment she saw this, Nalan Yanran froze, her mind going blank.

She had never expected her full-force strike to be so casually neutralized by him.

How was that possible?!

Then something even more terrifying happened.

They immediately sensed a terrifying aura erupt from Xiao Yun's body. That oppressive force crushed down like a mountain, and even the air in the entire hall seemed to solidify.

At that moment, Nalan Yanran felt her legs become incomparably heavy. She could barely even breathe.

A Dou Wang!

It was absolutely the aura of a Dou Wang!

As a personal disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect, Nalan Yanran naturally had far broader knowledge than ordinary people. She had felt the aura of Dou Wang experts while in the Misty Cloud Sect, and it was exactly the same as this oppressive force before her.

But... but how old was Xiao Yun?

And how could he possibly be a Dou Wang?!

As that thought crossed her mind, even Nalan Yanran's voice began to tremble, and the broken sword in her hand fell straight to the ground.

At the same time, she looked at his calm expression, and her entire mind went blank as she nearly broke down.

What did a Dou Wang represent?

There were only a handful of Dou Wang-level experts in the entire Jia Ma Empire. Every one of them was a major figure who could shake an entire region with a mere stomp of their foot.

But then again, how could a tiny, declining Xiao Clan possibly cultivate a Dou Wang expert?

That was ten thousand times more absurd than all the shocks she had experienced just now combined.

Yet the terrifying aura emanating from him left no room for doubt.

Seeing the terror on her face, Xiao Yun took a step forward.

"What? Didn't you say you were going to cripple me?"

"Is my strength enough for you to cripple me? If not, why don't you try again?"

Hearing his words, Nalan Yanran trembled all over, terror written across her face.

Cold sweat was already pouring down Nalan Yanran's body. She had originally wanted to warn him, but for some reason, she could not force out a single word.

As the personal disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect's sect master, she was one of the most dazzling genius girls in the entire Jia Ma Empire. Yet she had been frightened so badly that she could not even speak?

By then, Ge Ye no longer cared about propriety between master and servant. In one stride, he stepped forward and stood in front of Nalan Yanran.

"Young Master Xiao! Please show mercy!"

"Miss Yanran is still young and spoke somewhat impulsively. If she has offended you in any way, I apologize to you on her behalf!"

"The Misty Cloud Sect absolutely has no intention of becoming enemies with the Xiao Clan. What happened today was entirely a misunderstanding!"

Ge Ye, his face full of fear, spoke while bowing deeply, lowering his posture to the utmost.

Though he was a Seven-Star Da Dou Shi, that little bit of strength was not even worth mentioning before a Dou Wang.

At the same time, seeing Ge Ye acting so humble and submissive, Xiao Yun did not continue pursuing the matter. He withdrew his aura, turned around, and sat back down in his chair.

"Enough. Discuss the matter of the marriage contract with Xiao Yan yourselves."

"But let me make this clear first: if I find out that your Misty Cloud Sect dares harbor any ill intentions toward the Xiao Clan, don't blame me for being merciless."

After hearing his warning, Ge Ye wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and nodded repeatedly.

"Never, never. Rest assured, Young Master Xiao. The Misty Cloud Sect would never dare offend the Xiao Clan!"

However, Nalan Yanran stood behind Ge Ye with her lips tightly bitten, her face turning utterly unsightly. The same thought kept circling through her mind.

Her former pride—or rather, her so-called dignity—had been completely shattered.