The atmosphere on the arena platform was tense.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the boy and girl facing each other.
One had once been the clan's greatest genius.
The other was the clan's greatest genius now.
Their Dou Power was even at the same level. This match had everything worth watching!
"Brother Xiao Yan, please show me what you can do!"
Xiao Mei gave a sharp cry and launched the first attack.
Her movements were nimble as a fluttering butterfly. Pale green Dou Qi surged from her body, gathering into a small green whirlwind before her.
"Profound Tier Low Grade Dou Technique, Green Wind Art!"
This was the Dou Technique the Third Elder had painstakingly selected for her. It used finesse to overcome force and was blindingly fast!
The whirlwind left her hands with a piercing whistle, hurtling straight at Xiao Yan's face!
Cries of astonishment rose from the clansmen below.
With this opening move, Xiao Mei had displayed strength far beyond her peers. She truly deserved her former title as the greatest genius!
At the sight, a hint of smug satisfaction appeared on the Third Elder's previously gloomy face.
Even if she could not win, forcing Xiao Yan into a fluster would restore some of their dignity!
But what happened next made everyone's eyes bulge.
Xiao Yan stood calmly where he was, raised his right hand, and gently thrust his palm toward the rapidly approaching whirlwind.
A strange, invisible repulsive force suddenly erupted from his palm!
"Fire-Blowing Palm!"
The green whirlwind, so fierce a moment before, recoiled at an even greater speed than it had approached!
Caught off guard, Xiao Mei could only roll aside, narrowly dodging her own whirlwind.
But before she could rise and steady herself, she discovered to her horror that a terrifying suction was coming from Xiao Yan's direction!
"Suction Palm!"
"Ah!"
Xiao Mei cried out, stumbled, and flew uncontrollably toward Xiao Yan.
The entire crowd fell deathly silent.
Everyone stared at the platform, dumbstruck.
But it was not Xiao Yan's novel Dou Techniques that stunned them. The scene before them was simply too ridiculous!
Thanks to the pull of Suction Palm, Xiao Yan and Xiao Mei were now locked in a tight embrace!
Xiao Mei froze for a moment, then her pretty face flushed scarlet!
"Y-you... let go!"
Xiao Yan was stunned too!
When practicing alone, he had mostly used the technique to pull in huge rocks. He had never tried it on a real person.
He had never imagined he would make such a tremendous blunder!
Xiao Yan gave a dry cough, hastily withdrew his Dou Qi, and released Xiao Mei!
Once her feet touched the ground, Xiao Mei's face was so red it looked ready to explode!
Forget etiquette. With a mortified little cry, she leaped off the platform and ran straight for her courtyard.
I'll never be able to face anyone again!
That was the only thought in Xiao Mei's mind.
Inside the ring, Yao Lao was laughing so hard he nearly abandoned all dignity and rolled around on the floor!
This was too entertaining!
Yan, always so composed and calm that he hardly seemed like a boy, could actually panic too!
This really was too entertaining!
This was exactly the amusement he had been hoping to see!
Ignoring the disciples' chatter below, Xiao Yan hurried off the platform.
The Third Elder's reaction, meanwhile, was rather peculiar.
First he was dumbstruck, then furious. Yet after frowning in thought for a moment, he actually began stroking his beard with a smile!
His mind worked remarkably fast!
He had never expected to win this match. He had only wanted to showcase Mei's talent and secure an advantageous position in the future ranking of the elders.
But now, there seemed to be another possible turn of events!
Since things had come to this, if she couldn't become Clan Leader, becoming First Elder and the Clan Leader's wife would be quite good too!
In a corner on the other side of the platform, the First Elder wore a gloomy expression.
A tall girl with long, slender legs stood quietly beside him.
She was his granddaughter, Xiao Yu, who had returned from studying at Jia Nan Academy.
The First Elder slapped his thigh hard and snapped:
"That Third Elder and his family have no shame! We agreed to stand together against the Clan Leader's faction. What does he call this? If you can't beat them, join them? How are the rest of us supposed to compete now?"
After venting, the First Elder turned toward Xiao Yu beside him with an unreadable expression.
His own granddaughter was no less beautiful than Xiao Mei.
If...
But looking at Xiao Yu's calm expression, the First Elder sighed.
Forget it. Yu had never shown any particular interest in Xiao Yan.
Now that Xiao Mei had seized the initiative, it would hardly be appropriate for his family to follow suit.
What the First Elder did not know was that beneath Xiao Yu's calm exterior, her heart was already surging with waves!
For her ill-fated entanglement with Xiao Yan had begun far earlier than Xiao Mei's!
It had happened before she left for Jia Nan Academy.
There was a secluded pool on the Xiao Clan's Back Mountain, its water so clear that the bottom was visible.
After discovering it, she had often gone there to bathe.
One summer afternoon, she had gone as usual to enjoy the cool water.
But just as she was relaxing in her bath, she suddenly noticed a figure sitting on a rock beside the pool, cultivating with his eyes shut.
It was Xiao Yan!
Clearly, Xiao Yan had arrived first. He had simply been so quiet that she had failed to notice him.
Xiao Yan seemed to be in the midst of a breakthrough. His eyes were tightly closed, and he was completely unaware of the world around him.
After her initial fright, seeing that his eyes remained shut, she stood up and prepared to slip away without a sound.
But to her surprise, Xiao Yan succeeded in breaking through at that very moment!
A surge of power erupted, only to be swiftly blocked by something.
Then Xiao Yan opened his eyes, and their gazes met.
And there she was, standing in the middle of the pool, looking like a thief trying to sneak away.
The air instantly froze.
Xiao Yu swore she had never been so embarrassed in her life!
After freezing for a moment, she screamed, rushed to the bank, and hurriedly put on her clothes.
Once dressed, she had intended to leave without a sound.
But after a moment's hesitation, she turned back and fiercely threatened Xiao Yan not to tell anyone.
Xiao Yan looked somewhat helpless, but mostly calm.
He showed none of the embarrassment or unease she expected after he had seen every inch of her.
His composed reaction eased her mind somewhat, and she left on her own.
Xiao Yu had assumed it was merely a coincidence and that she would not encounter him again.
But then something uncanny happened.
She went back to bathe several more times, yet somehow, she always forgot to check her surroundings.
And every single time, she encountered Xiao Yan.
Every single time, he had arrived before her.
And whenever she tried to slip away, Xiao Yan opened his eyes.
It was so uncanny that Xiao Yu truly began wondering whether she and Xiao Yan were bound by some ill-fated tie!
Fortunately, once she completely gave up bathing on the Back Mountain, Xiao Yan finally stopped catching her there.
That had been a relief.
Yet from then on, Xiao Yan's figure had been branded deep in her heart.
Coming back to herself, Xiao Yu looked at Xiao Yan in the arena with complicated eyes.
After all these years apart, who would have thought you'd become the clan's finest genius?
But now, there's no ill-fated tie between us-only competition!
After returning to the crowd below, Xiao Yan looked rather grim.
In his previous life, he had been a master of scheming and intrigue, but when it came to matters between men and women, he was utterly hopeless!
Ever since arriving in this world, he had never entertained thoughts of romance. He had done his best to avoid such matters and focused solely on cultivation!
But after that scene, he doubted any explanation would clear things up!
Just look at the Third Elder's eyes! The hostility he once directed at Xiao Yan had already turned into kindly affection!
As he sighed, Xiao Yan suddenly sensed something and looked up.
His gaze met Xiao Yu's in the distance.
Oh no! Xiao Yan thought.
Why was she back too? And why did she have to see exactly what had just happened?
Although he had never harbored any romantic fantasies about her either, this somehow left him feeling awkwardly like a man caught having a secret affair!
Ugh! What was all this nonsense?
At that thought, Xiao Yan could not help shouting at Yao Lao within his sea of consciousness:
"Teacher, was this your doing again?"
It took Yao Lao quite a while to suppress his laughter.
With a light cough, Yao Lao said solemnly, "The incidents with Xiao Yu were indeed my doing. Back then, I thought you acted far too much like an old man despite your young age, so I deliberately teased the two of you.
"But what happened with Xiao Mei this time-you know perfectly well that was your own mistake. It had absolutely nothing to do with me!"
Xiao Yan did know that this time he had slipped up himself, and Yao Lao was not to blame.
Tilting his head toward the sky with a sigh, Xiao Yan suddenly decided he had better flee as soon as possible!
He did not want to stay in this Xiao Clan a moment longer!
Before you continue