Hidden Thoughts

In truth, Nalan Yanran knew perfectly well that, given Xiao Yan's current strength, neither her clan nor her sect would ever agree to let her break off the engagement.

The promise her grandfather and Old Master Xiao had made back then had now become a tool for her clan and sect to bind Xiao Yan to them.

And she, Nalan Yanran, had been nothing but a pawn from beginning to end. No matter how much her grandfather doted on her, he would never yield on this matter.

Thus, Nalan Yanran had sought out Old Ge, who had always taken good care of her, and asked him to bring her all the way to the Xiao Clan in Wutan City.

Even if countless obstacles lay ahead, she would break free of fate in her own way!

Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran's match was scheduled to take place in the Xiao Clan's Qi Refining Room.

This was where the Xiao Clan's elite disciples trained. Only those who had reached Five-Star Dou Zhe or higher were qualified to enter.

Cultivating here yielded twice the results with half the effort compared to training outside, accelerating their progress and laying the foundation for advancing to Dou Shi.

Xiao Yan had spent most of the past three years training diligently here, with a small portion of his time spent in the Xiao Clan Ancestral Grounds.

Very few people were involved in this affair. Aside from Xiao Zhan and Xiao Xun'er, only the Three Great Elders were qualified to watch.

Everyone else, no matter how high their standing, was forbidden from entering. These were all Xiao Yan's instructions; he did not want too many people knowing about today's duel.

The two stood twenty meters apart and cupped their fists in greeting.

This match was only a spar, not a battle to the death, so the proper courtesies still had to be observed.

"Nalan Yanran of the Misty Cloud Sect. Dou Qi attribute: wind. Cultivation: Nine-Star Dou Zhe."

Nalan Yanran lifted her chest slightly, a trace of pride and satisfaction on her face.

To catch up with her genius fiancé, she had trained tirelessly, forgetting meals and sleep ever since becoming a Dou Zhe at thirteen. At last, she had attained her current strength before her coming-of-age ceremony at sixteen.

After all, he was a prodigy who had advanced to Dou Zhe two years earlier than she had. Without putting in twice the effort, she could never surpass him.

For the past two years, Nalan Yanran had set Xiao Yan as her goal, enduring every hardship of cultivation to reach this point.

It could be said that, had Xiao Yan's reputation as a genius not shone so brilliantly, she would never have achieved what she had today!

Announcing one's cultivation and attribute was basic etiquette in a formal match, and most people would have marveled upon hearing Nalan Yanran's cultivation level.

A girl not yet sixteen was already a Nine-Star Dou Zhe, and might even become a Dou Shi by her coming-of-age ceremony.

Such talent would rank among the top five of the younger generation across the entire Jia Ma Empire.

Unfortunately, the person standing before her was Xiao Yan. Though he came from the small frontier city of Wutan City, calling him the foremost talent of the Jia Ma Empire's younger generation would be no exaggeration.

"Uh... is that a rule too?"

Xiao Yan scratched his head. It was not that he did not want to announce his cultivation, but that he feared crushing her confidence.

"It's mandatory. Announcing your cultivation also signifies that you're holding nothing back against your opponent, showing the utmost sincerity and respect."

Xiao Zhan explained from the sidelines. Hearing this, Xiao Yan could only shake his head helplessly. How could he possibly hold nothing back?

If he truly held nothing back, Nalan Yanran would certainly be burned to ashes.

Still, since those were the rules, he could not act as though he looked down on her too much.

"Xiao Yan of the Xiao Clan in Wutan City. Dou Qi attribute: fire. Cultivation... Six-Star Dou Shi."

The Xiao Clan members, who already knew, remained fairly composed.

Nalan Yanran, on the other hand, looked utterly incredulous. Even Ge Ye's eyes widened. What kind of heaven-defying cultivation was this?

Six-Star Dou Shi? Nalan Yanran had believed that reaching Nine-Star Dou Zhe at fifteen put her above everyone else in the Misty Cloud Sect.

Yet who knew how long ago he had already reached that level?

At that thought, Nalan Yanran grew angry and frustrated. Ignoring the difference in their strength entirely, she struck at Xiao Yan with her sword.

"Take this!"

"Mid-level Xuan Tier-Wind Spirit Splitting Sword!"

The sword in Nalan Yanran's hand flashed, transforming into countless afterimages. But Xiao Yan knew perfectly well that the sword images were all false; only the blade itself was real.

Although this Dou Technique was of a high grade, its wielder's cultivation was too low. She could not project sword energy outward at all and could only compensate with speed.

Yet Xiao Yan had already seen through her speed, so this strike posed no threat whatsoever.

Xiao Yan neither dodged nor retreated. He simply extended his index and middle fingers and caught her blade with perfect precision.

Nalan Yanran desperately tried to pull her sword free, but she had no chance of winning this contest of strength against Xiao Yan.

Even with all her strength, she could not budge him in the slightest. That was the consequence of such an enormous gap in their abilities.

No matter the technique, once the difference in strength grew too great, its effectiveness would diminish further and further.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan began gathering Dou Qi in his other hand. The sight reminded Nalan Yanran of the Dou Technique he had used while holding her in his arms back then.

The people struck head-on had died on the spot, while the shock wave unleashed upon impact had injured everyone else.

At that moment, the image of a charred corpse surfaced in Nalan Yanran's mind. It seemed to be the fate awaiting her.

As Xiao Yan's palm drew closer, she instinctively closed her eyes.

The terrifying heat vanished at that instant, leaving only a warm finger tapping her forehead.

"Checkmate."

Nalan Yanran slowly opened her eyes and found a smile lighting up the young man's delicate features. For some reason, a faint ripple stirred in her heart.

"Miss Nalan, that counts as my victory, doesn't it?"

Xiao Yan withdrew his finger and released her sword as well.

Only then did Nalan Yanran realize that she had already lost.

Like a deflated ball, she seemed utterly dispirited.

"I lost. I'll honor our agreement and go through with the marriage."

Nalan Yanran turned away. She did not want to remain in this place any longer.

"To be honest, I don't really approve of these arrangements made by our elders either. After all, I'd also strongly resist being made to marry someone I'd never met. If you truly have no interest in me, Miss Nalan, then we might as well dissolve this engagement."

With that, Xiao Yan picked up a brush and wrote swiftly. In moments, he had completed a Marriage Dissolution Agreement and pressed his handprint onto it.

"As long as you add your handprint, Miss Nalan, this Marriage Dissolution Agreement will take effect. From then on, this bond between us will no longer exist."

Looking at the Marriage Dissolution Agreement Xiao Yan offered her, Nalan Yanran felt a tangled swirl of emotions.

On the way here, she had imagined countless times the other party

agreeing to sign the Marriage Dissolution Agreement.

Yet now that the Marriage Dissolution Agreement lay before her, she hesitated.

An indescribable feeling welled up within her at that moment.

"Hmph, a wager is a wager. I lost, so I, Nalan Yanran, will be yours for the rest of my life. Unless you personally write me a Divorce Letter, I will never dissolve this engagement."

Nalan Yanran swiftly drew her sword and sliced the Marriage Dissolution Agreement in two. "Old Ge, let's go. We've been away so long that my teacher and grandfather must be worried about me."

With that, Nalan Yanran stormed off, leaving behind a thoroughly bewildered Xiao Yan.

"Xun'er, girls really are strange. She was the one who came to dissolve the engagement, and in the end, she was also the one who didn't want to dissolve it. A girl's thoughts really are hard to fathom."

Looking at the half of the Marriage Dissolution Agreement in his hand, Xiao Yan could only feel helpless.

"Hehe, Brother Xiao Yan is wonderful in every way, but when it comes to a girl's thoughts, you really don't understand the first thing."

Beside him, Xiao Xun'er covered her mouth and laughed without stopping. Compared to the utterly clueless Xiao Yan, she understood Nalan Yanran's thoughts all too well.

The girl had merely used her angry demeanor to conceal the shyness in her heart.

Seeing Xun'er acting like this too, Xiao Yan shook his head. Why were all the girls he met like this?