So you finally had your day, huh?

"My lady, with the Jia Ma Empire behind you, you can make steady breakthroughs without facing life-or-death crises." The old woman was all smiles, yet she absolutely refused to let Xiao Yan take any risks.

After all, the Magical Beast Mountain Range was dangerous, and wherever Xiao Yan went, she had to follow-that might have been the main reason.

"sigh..." Xiao Yan sighed softly and said inwardly:

Teacher, do you have any way to shake off this sticky piece of taffy?

Easy. We find somewhere quiet and burn her to ashes.

...Sis, let's be serious.

Haha, enough teasing-you do this...

Writing out an exchange of thoughts took some effort, but the exchange itself only took a moment.

Xiao Yan sighed again and told the old woman, "Senior, I'm definitely going to the Magical Beast Mountain Range. The only question is whether you're coming along-"

As she spoke, a faint wave of soul pressure spread from Xiao Yan.

That pressure bore down on the old woman alone, unnoticed by anyone else, yet cold sweat instantly broke out on her forehead, and her hands and feet turned icy.

"I have a trump card my teacher gave me, so I certainly won't be in any danger. But if you follow me into the Magical Beast Mountain Range..."

Xiao Yan "withdrew" the pressure and said calmly, "There's no guarantee you'll come out in one piece."

"Senior, you only earn so little every month. Why risk your life?"

"...My lady, I wish you a safe journey."

"Mm-oh, right. Send everything the Mu Family and the Nalan Family gave me back to the Xiao Clan in Wutan City, and deliver it into my father's hands."

"Yes, rest assured! I'll make sure everything is properly arranged!"

"All right. Prepare a carriage and take me to the air... ahem, the flying transport company."

"Yes, my lady."

Once she had seen Xiao Yan onto the Flying Magical Beast, the old woman immediately arranged for the carriage to return and "reported back" to the Jia Ma Imperial Family about Xiao Yan's "trump card" and the other information...

"Teacher, was it really all right for you to use your soul power just now?"

Aboard the "Flying Bird," Xiao Yan asked with some lingering concern.

"It's fine. As far as the Imperial Family is concerned, you already have a powerful teacher anyway. Letting them sense a little of my presence doesn't matter."

"Besides, I didn't use my full strength just now. That pressure barely reached the level of a Dou Emperor. It's no big deal."

Hearing Apothecary's answer, Xiao Yan relaxed.

After all, she understood Apothecary's personality fairly well.

Although Apothecary seemed disrespectful... ahem, carefree on the surface, she was still very reliable when it came to serious matters.

She acted as though Dou Emperors were beneath her notice, and the strongest combatants in the Jia Ma Empire were only at the Dou Emperor level. If she said they were safe, there was definitely nothing to worry about.

Clouds and mist wreathed the summit behind the Misty Cloud Sect, making it resemble an immortal paradise.

On a jutting black rock at the cliff's edge, Nalan Yan sat dressed in moon-white robes, his hands forming a cultivation seal as he trained with his eyes closed.

Wisps of pale green air swirled around him before being steadily absorbed into his body.

After the final wisp of green air entered his body, Nalan Yan slowly opened his eyes, a faint green gleam flashing through them.

"The peak of Eight-Star Dou Zhe..."

Nalan Yan sighed softly and clenched his fists, unexpectedly feeling a little impatient.

The Misty Cloud Sect's headquarters stood on a mountain only a little over ten li from the Jia Ma Imperial Capital, and its "intelligence-gathering" capabilities were quite formidable.

With Xiao Yan causing such a huge stir in the Imperial Capital, how could the Misty Cloud Sect possibly have missed the news?

-It had spread throughout the entire Misty Cloud Sect!

And as the "former fiancé" of the "star of the gossip," Nalan Yan had received some special "attention" over the past few days.

Those idle remarks had also made the pampered Nalan Yan uncomfortable-still a teenager at the "hot-blooded" age, he lacked Xiao Yan's "unshakable nerves."

Now, the disciples of the Misty Cloud Sect were all gossiping, openly or secretly, about him breaking off his engagement with Xiao Yan. Most of the male disciples were positively gloating over his misfortune.

-Something along the lines of, "So you finally had your day, huh?"

Nalan Yan could understand that much. After all, he was handsome, talented, and strong, with a whole flock of fangirls in the sect. Every last one of his fellow male disciples would have loved to "kill him and be done with it."

Now that he had "fallen on hard times," it was only natural for them to sneak in a little "mockery."

But because word of the "broken engagement" had spread, his standing among his junior sisters seemed to have fallen a little, even though he was their "handsome, dashing, charming" chief disciple.

That was something he couldn't understand... all right, he understood a little.

Nalan Yan admitted that he was a little annoyed right now, and a little... no, he was really panicking now.

How the hell am I supposed to fight this?! She's practically cheating! A few days ago, the rumors said she was an Eight-Star Dou Zhe. Now they're saying she's a Dou Shi!

Even if we go by "Eight-Star Dou Zhe," that's still absurd!

Even if breaking through were as easy as eating and drinking, she's just a little girl with those skinny arms and legs. Surely her appetite couldn't be that huge?!

He had thought that, as the Misty Cloud Sect's chief disciple, he had the sect's resources backing him and could also practice profound Dou Qi cultivation methods and combat skills.

Although his talent might indeed fall somewhat short of Xiao Yan's, she would probably struggle even to find a Black-Class Dou Technique.

With that advantage, he might not necessarily lose when the "Three-Year Agreement" came due.

But now Xiao Yan had earned the Jia Ma Imperial Family's favor and could even become an Alchemist... When the time came, he would probably be reduced to taking a beating.

Nalan Yan wanted to cry but had no tears. He had truly never imagined that, after he swaggered into the Xiao Clan to break off the engagement, the "boomerang" would come flying back so quickly.

Right now, he had only one word-regret.

Seriously, can I afford to lose this "Three-Year Agreement"? If I lose, where am I supposed to hide my face?

Even if Xiao Yan offered to cancel the Three-Year Agreement, he would still become everyone's after-dinner laughingstock if his strength fell too far behind hers.

Only by winning when the time came-or at least fighting to a draw-could he salvage a little dignity.

"Come to think of it, Alchemists... probably aren't very good at fighting... right?" Nalan Yan murmured.

"Senior Brother Nalan, Senior Nalan Su and Senior Nalan Jie have come to the Misty Cloud Sect! Senior Nalan Su told you to go see him!"

A junior brother's voice suddenly came from outside.

"Got it!" Nalan Yan turned and shouted back, then frowned slightly.

Father? Grandfather? What have they come to see me for?

Inside a spacious, brightly lit hall, Nalan Su held a teacup in his right hand and slowly sipped from it.

His left hand rested on the table, his fingers tapping rhythmically against its surface.

"Father, where's Grandfather?"

"..."

Nalan Su looked at Nalan Yan as he walked in and was speechless for a moment.

"Your grandfather went to see Master Gu He. If things go smoothly, we may be able to deal with that brand poison this time." Nalan Su decided to give Nalan Yan some good news first.

"Really?" Nalan Yan exclaimed excitedly. "Father, you've found a way to remove the brand poison!"

"Mm." Nalan Su nodded, took another sip of tea, and then said leisurely, "The method came from that girl from the Xiao Clan, actually."

Nalan Yan: "???"