I, Nalan Yanran, Am Not Inferior to Anyone

The Misty Cloud Sect stood atop Misty Cloud Mountain, roughly ten kilometers from the capital of the Jia Ma Empire.

Of course, the Misty Cloud Sect had not been named after Misty Cloud Mountain.

Rather, Misty Cloud Mountain had become famous because of the Misty Cloud Sect.

The mountain was exceptionally steep, with cliffs on three sides and only a single road leading to the summit. It was truly a dangerous stronghold, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Inside the sect, the atmosphere in one of the halls was far from pleasant.

Nalan Su had come to the Misty Cloud Sect under the orders of the old man, Nalan Jie, to persuade Nalan Yanran to go to Wu Tan City and apologize to the Xiao Clan, thereby easing the tension between the two families caused by the broken engagement.

Nalan Yanran firmly refused.

She said indifferently, "Even if he has now shed his reputation as trash, I, Nalan Yanran, still will not marry him, much less go to the Xiao Clan to apologize."

"I heard that you and him made a Three-Year Agreement. If you lose, you will have to become his servant. When that happens, won't the Nalan Family's dignity be dragged down with you?

Why are you being so stubborn? If you apologize, there will still be room to turn things around later. Wouldn't that be better?"

Nalan Su looked grimly at his daughter, who had grown increasingly beautiful. Unable to bear scolding her too harshly, he could only try to persuade her earnestly.

"Who says I will lose to him?

Even if Xiao Yan has regained his talent, I, Nalan Yanran, am not inferior to anyone.

I am the Young Sect Mistress of the Misty Cloud Sect. The sect has countless profound cultivation methods and an abundant collection of high-level Dou Techniques.

And Pill King Gu He is personally refining medicinal pills for me. What does Xiao Yan, the young master of a minor family, have to compare with me?"

Nalan Yanran raised her snow-white chin, her expression proud as she spoke with disdain.

"You infuriate me!"

Seeing his daughter's arrogant appearance, Nalan Su was so angry that his beard bristled and his eyes widened. He slammed his palm heavily onto the table.

The valuable solid-wood table instantly shattered into pieces.

Confidence was a good thing, but there was always the possibility of the unexpected. Being so proud would sooner or later lead to trouble.

"Brother Nalan, do not be angry."

Ge Ye rushed in from outside the hall and said with a smile.

"You still dare to show your face? Yanran wanted to break off the engagement, and not only did you fail to stop her, you even went to the Xiao Clan with her to cause trouble?"

The moment he saw Ge Ye, Nalan Su's anger surged.

Ge Ye chuckled.

"Brother Nalan, aren't you simply afraid that the boy will defeat Yanran in the Three-Year Agreement and damage the Nalan Family's reputation? Rest assured, Yanran cannot lose!"

Nalan Su laughed angrily. It seemed the problem was not just his daughter; everyone who entered the Misty Cloud Sect became excessively confident.

Ge Ye said mysteriously, "Sect Master Yun Yun has personally gone to the Magic Beast Mountains to obtain the final ingredient for Yanran's medicinal formula. Once Elder Gu He refines the pill, Xiao Yan will absolutely find it difficult to keep up with Yanran's cultivation speed."

Nalan Su was drawn in by his mysterious manner and asked curiously, "What pill is so miraculous?"

Ge Ye merely smiled without speaking, unwilling to reveal anything.

Nalan Yanran also smiled. "Father, rest assured. I will not lose."

Nalan Su sighed and said helplessly, "Fine, I cannot be bothered to manage you anymore. I only want to tell you this: do not be too unyielding in all things. What is too rigid is easily broken."

With that, he flicked his sleeve and left in anger.

Watching Nalan Su's departing back, Ge Ye also smiled helplessly.

"I truly never expected that little Xiao Yan would have a day when he rose again."

Nalan Yanran lifted her teacup and took a light sip. A strange glint appeared in her beautiful eyes, and a faint curve formed at the corner of her lips.

"Isn't this interesting? I am starting to look forward to the Three-Year Agreement."

The young girl was full of confidence.

Xiao Yan's rise had not made her panic. Instead, it had further stirred her fighting spirit.

Xiao Yan had already left Wu Tan City for five days and arrived in a forest somewhere in the eastern region of the Magic Beast Mountains.

Now that he had rested well, Xiao Yan was practicing the Dou Technique Eight Extremes Collapse.

With Peerless Comprehension, Xiao Yan had already mastered Eight Extremes Collapse with great proficiency.

However, he had not yet reached Minor Mastery.

To reach Minor Mastery, he had to cultivate the eight layers of hidden force within Eight Extremes Collapse.

Previously, Xiao Yan's Dou Qi had been too weak, so he had not rushed to cultivate the hidden force of Eight Extremes Collapse.

Now, Yao Lao wanted him to cross the Magic Beast Mountains. Faced with dangers that could arise at any time, he had to improve his combat strength.

After all, Yao Lao had made it clear that unless Xiao Yan encountered a life-threatening danger, Yao Lao would not intervene. He could only rely on himself.

Therefore, before entering the Magic Beast Mountains, Xiao Yan practiced Eight Extremes Collapse whenever he had the time.

At present, he had gained a complete understanding and grasp of the hidden force within Eight Extremes Collapse.

"Eight Extremes Collapse!"

Xiao Yan gave a low shout, his body swaying as he fiercely punched toward a thick tree.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Five consecutive punches struck different parts of the trunk. Wherever his fists landed, the tree turned scorched yellow.

Aside from that, only the bark had been blasted apart and scattered. The five punches appeared to possess only ordinary power.

After finishing his attack, Xiao Yan suddenly leaped seven or eight meters away.

"Explode! Explode! Explode! Explode! Explode!"

He silently counted in his heart as the word "explode" left his mouth.

The thick tree trunk before him exploded from within. Its massive body was instantly blasted into countless fragments.

With a crack, the tree crashed to the ground, sending dust flying everywhere.

Xiao Yan raised his hand, and the gust from Fire-Blowing Palm burst forth. The dust storm rolled back before being blown into the distance and dispersing.

"Not bad. Since you can already unleash five layers of hidden force, you are only three layers away from the eight layers required for Major Mastery."

Yao Lao's face was full of praise. He was still amazed by Xiao Yan's talent.

However, he did not know that Xiao Yan's Eight Extremes Collapse had been advanced by the system to High-Level Earth Tier. Even five layers of hidden force had yet to reach the threshold of Minor Mastery.

Eight Extremes Collapse at Major Mastery required mastering sixty-four layers of hidden force, eight times eight. At that point, its power would rival a Heaven Tier Dou Technique.

Although Xiao Yan had done very well, Yao Lao still criticized him.

"However, the timing of the explosion for three layers of hidden force was not precise enough. If your opponent notices them before they erupt, they will find a way to neutralize them.

The essence of hidden force lies in the word 'hidden.' It must be concealed, difficult for the opponent to detect, and capable of exploding at any time to catch them off guard."

Xiao Yan nodded and said with a frown.

"I can do better, but my Qi Cyclone stores too little Dou Qi. Those five bursts of hidden force just now already drained ninety percent of my Dou Qi.

If I had more Dou Qi, I would have enough left over to arrange the hidden force more exquisitely and covertly."

Yao Lao stroked his beard and sighed.

"There is no helping it. Flame Mantra has not evolved yet, so your Qi Cyclone can only store this much Dou Qi.

In the future, when you fight others, you must strive to kill with a single strike. This is also one of the reasons I taught you Eight Extremes Collapse."

On the Dou Qi Continent, compared to low-level cultivation methods, high-level cultivation methods not only allowed faster cultivation and faster Dou Qi recovery, but also enabled those of the same realm to store more Dou Qi in their Qi Cyclones.

That was why all Dou Zhes dreamed of cultivating a high-level Dou Qi method.

"Next, I need to refine some medicinal pills to increase your Dou Qi cultivation progress. So while crossing the Magic Beast Mountains, you must also search for those rare medicinal herbs."

Yao Lao pondered aloud.

Xiao Yan smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Then Nalan Yanran will probably use medicinal pills to cultivate as well. After all, the Misty Cloud Sect has Pill King Gu He."

"Heh, Gu He's alchemy skills are not even worthy of carrying my shoes."

Yao Lao spoke disdainfully, his face full of pride.

Xiao Yan curled his lips. I get it. You are the number one alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent. Who could possibly compare to you?

"Oh, right. Carry this on your back. From now on, you are not allowed to take it off, not even when sleeping."

At that moment, Yao Lao waved his hand. A massive black object suddenly shot out from the ancient ring and smashed heavily into the ground, kicking up dust everywhere.

Once the dust settled, Xiao Yan finally saw the black object clearly.

"This is... the Heavy Xuan Ruler?"