How Could He Possibly Be a Dou Wang?

In the grand hall of the Misty Cloud Sect, Yun Yun had just emerged from seclusion and returned.

She wore a long green dress, and her aura was considerably stronger than before her seclusion. Clearly, she had gained much from it.

After returning to the hall, Yun Yun looked around but did not see her disciple, Nalan Yanran. She asked, "Where is Yanran? Why isn't she here?"

Upon hearing this, several sect elders exchanged glances. One of them stepped forward and replied, "Sect Leader, Yanran left early this morning. She said she was going to the Xiao Clan."

"What is she going to the Xiao Clan for?" Yun Yun frowned upon hearing this.

"Yanran said... she was going to annul her engagement with the Xiao Clan."

Yun Yun's brow furrowed even deeper, and displeasure appeared on her face.

Nalan Yanran had actually mentioned the annulment to her before. She had said that Xiao Yan was now a useless good-for-nothing with only third-stage Dou Qi, utterly unworthy of her.

Yun Yun had not agreed at the time. After all, the marriage agreement had been arranged by the older generation of the Nalan Clan and the Xiao Clan. If Nalan Yanran rashly went to annul it in person, it would not reflect well on the Misty Cloud Sect's reputation.

Thus, Yun Yun had always opposed it. Yet she had not expected that while she was in seclusion, Nalan Yanran would go there on her own.

"Yanran is far too impulsive." Yun Yun helplessly shook her head, her tone carrying a hint of resignation.

Even so, several sect elders began speaking one after another, all wearing unconcerned expressions.

"Sect Leader, Yanran does have a point. That Xiao Yan truly is useless now. Third-stage Dou Qi is inferior even to the outer disciples of our Misty Cloud Sect. How could he possibly be worthy of Yanran?"

"Elder Yun Ling is right. With Yanran's talent and status, her future husband should at least be one of the Jia Ma Empire's most outstanding geniuses. A descendant of a minor clan like the Xiao Clan is indeed unworthy of her."

"It is just a minor clan. So what if the engagement is annulled? It is no great matter. Could the insignificant Xiao Clan dare say no to our Misty Cloud Sect?"

The elders spoke over one another, all believing that Nalan Yanran's annulment of the engagement was only natural.

Hearing the elders' remarks, Yun Yun remained silent. Though she felt that something was inappropriate about it, she could not be bothered to say more.

Since it had already happened, and Yanran had already gone, she would let her do as she pleased.

Before long, however, a series of footsteps sounded outside the hall. Nalan Yanran and Ge Ye soon entered one after the other.

As soon as she came in, Nalan Yanran's expression was unsightly. Her eyes were slightly red, as though she had suffered some grievous wrong.

Even Ge Ye, following behind her, looked rather grim. He lowered his head and did not dare meet Yun Yun's eyes.

Yun Yun was taken aback by her disciple's appearance. Just as she was about to ask how the annulment had gone, Nalan Yanran suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud.

"Teacher! You have to stand up for me!"

At that moment, Nalan Yanran knelt on the ground, weeping and sniffling. She was utterly unlike the proud young mistress of the Misty Cloud Sect she usually was.

"I was bullied at the Xiao Clan! They relied on having an expert backing them. Not only did they refuse to annul the engagement, they even humiliated Elder Ge Ye and me!"

"If you do not stand up for me, Teacher, how will I ever have the face to go out and meet anyone again?"

Yun Yun was rather surprised to see her disciple like this. Nalan Yanran was usually proud and arrogant; for her to kneel on the ground and cry like this, she had clearly suffered no small grievance at the Xiao Clan.

"Stop crying first and explain everything clearly." Yun Yun's tone remained calm as she spoke.

"The Xiao Clan is merely a minor clan. Who could possibly bully you? Xiao Zhan is only a Five-Star Da Dou Shi. Could he possibly be Ge Ye's match?"

"And you went there to annul the engagement. Would the Xiao Clan really dare refuse?"

At last, Ge Ye spoke from the side, bitterness written across his face.

"Sect Leader, it was not Xiao Zhan."

"It was Xiao Zhan's fourth son, Xiao Yun."

Yun Yun froze upon hearing this. "Xiao Yun? I have never heard of him. What is his strength?"

Before Yun Yun's question, Ge Ye lowered his head. "By this subordinate's judgment, Xiao Yun's strength... has reached at least the Dou Wang level."

The instant those words left his mouth, the entire hall fell silent.

Then Yun Yun's expression stiffened slightly, as though she thought she had misheard.

It was not just Yun Yun. The sect elders were completely dumbfounded as well. They stared wide-eyed at Ge Ye, all thinking that he was spouting nonsense.

"This is utterly absurd. Elder Ge Ye, you are not joking, are you?" one elder could not help asking.

"Impossible. You are telling me that a junior from the Xiao Clan is a Dou Wang? How could that be possible! There are only enough Dou Wang-level experts in the entire Jia Ma Empire to count on one hand. How could a minor clan like the Xiao Clan produce a Dou Wang?"

"Exactly! Did you see wrong? How could a teenager possibly be a Dou Wang? This is far too outrageous!"

Faced with the elders' repeated doubts, Ge Ye's expression grew increasingly unpleasant. Still, he forced himself to say, "I swear upon my status as a Misty Cloud Sect deacon that every word I have spoken is true."

"When Xiao Yun made his move, I was right beside him and sensed it clearly. The Dou Qi fluctuations at that level could not possibly be mistaken. With a casual flick of his finger, he snapped Yanran's sword. As a Seven-Star Da Dou Shi, I could not even summon the thought of resisting before him."

After hearing this, the elders looked at one another, their expressions utterly bewildered.

A teenage Dou Wang?

Surely this was not a joke. Even throughout the history of the Dou Qi Continent, there had only been a handful of such cases. Yet one had appeared in a place as insignificant as Wu Tan City?

"Could the Xiao Clan truly have produced a monstrous genius?" one elder muttered.

Yun Yun sat in the seat of honor and remained silent for a long while. Looking at Nalan Yanran kneeling on the ground and Ge Ye standing nearby with a grave expression, she began to form a plan.

She knew Ge Ye's character well enough. Though his strength was not among the best, he had always been steady and reliable in his work. He would not spout nonsense over such a matter.

Moreover, Nalan Yanran's aggrieved appearance did not seem like an act.

"You say Xiao Yun is a Dou Wang. Then let me ask you this." Yun Yun suddenly spoke.

"When he made his move, did you see clearly whether his aura belonged to someone who had only recently broken through to Dou Wang, or someone who had been established at that level for years?"

Ge Ye carefully thought back, then shook his head. "This subordinate is incompetent. I could only determine that he was at the Dou Wang level. As for how many stars... this subordinate truly could not tell."

"However, based on how I felt at the time, he seemed to be holding back. He had not released his full aura."

After hearing this, Yun Yun nodded and quietly took note of it.

A teenage Dou Wang, and he had still been holding back?

As Yun Yun considered this, she murmured inwardly, Could that boy from the Xiao Clan be even more extraordinary than I imagined?