"Boom!"
A bomb exploded in Xiao Yan's heart, blasting his desire to become Nalan Yanran into scattered fragments.
The smile on Xiao Zhan's face instantly froze.
The Three Great Elders' expressions changed drastically as well.
They swept a glance over the pale-faced father and son, Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan, and cursed inwardly:
What rotten luck!
An uproar immediately broke out in the hall.
The Second Elder's grandson, who had just been slapped, spoke with particular resentment. "I told you! How could a dignified Dou Wang expert take a liking to a piece of trash like Xiao Yan?"
"Exactly! Even I wouldn't want him!"
"U-Uncle, this is no joking matter." Xiao Zhan's hands trembled, bitterness written all over his face.
He wanted to fly into a rage, but against a Dou Wang, what could a mere Da Dou Shi accomplish by getting angry? He would only humiliate himself.
Nalan Jie dared not look into Xiao Zhan's eyes, afraid he would see his old friend Xiao Lin's angry gaze in them.
He could only touch his Storage Ring and take out a box, sighing. "Nephew Xiao Zhan, this time, I have wronged Xiao Lin. This old man doesn't wish to explain anything. Please accept these things. If anything comes up in the future, just write to me. Anything I can do, I will absolutely do."
As he spoke, he opened the box, and a fragrance immediately spread throughout the hall.
Smelling the fragrance, the three elders craned their necks curiously. When they saw the contents, they exclaimed in shock, "Qi Gathering Powder? And so much of it?"
Inside the box, ten pills the size of longan fruit lay quietly.
The three elders' startled cries also made the boys and girls in the hall fix burning gazes on the pills inside the box.
"Could this Qi Gathering Powder be..." The Three Great Elders swallowed.
"That's right. This Qi Gathering Powder is compensation for dissolving the engagement." At Nalan Jie's confirmation, the three elders were visibly stirred.
Ten portions of Qi Gathering Powder could produce another ten young Dou Zhe for the clan!
As for Xiao Yan, who was having his engagement broken off to his face, they could no longer spare him any attention.
He was only a piece of trash. How could he compare with the treasures before their eyes?
The three elders immediately exchanged glances, then began whispering to Xiao Zhan.
There was a bang.
Xiao Zhan smashed the teacup in his hand and glared at the three elders. "You've gone too far!"
"Xiao Zhan, you're the Xiao Clan's leader! Are you going to hold back the clan's growth for a piece of trash?"
"Exactly! Senior Nalan is still here. What are you trying to do, rashly smashing your teacup?"
The three elders pressed him relentlessly, leaving Xiao Zhan utterly weary.
They belonged to the same clan, yet not only did they fail to unite against an opponent, they opposed their clan leader at every turn. It made him want to crush these old things to death.
But at the thought of Nalan Jie's strength, Xiao Zhan could not help sighing inwardly.
The gulf between a Da Dou Shi and a Dou Wang was as vast as heaven and earth.
There was simply no comparison.
Seeing his father pushed to this point, Xiao Yan began trembling violently. At that moment, he truly wanted to explode along with them.
But when he saw Nalan Jie, who sat quietly yet seemed like a towering mountain and a deep abyss, Xiao Yan could not help smiling bitterly to himself.
A Dou Wang was not someone the Xiao Clan could afford to provoke.
If they truly angered Nalan Jie and left him with no need to honor the older generation's friendship, he alone could wipe out the entire Xiao Clan.
At that thought, Xiao Yan unclenched his fists.
A cold, self-mocking voice suddenly rang out in the hall.
"Old Mr. Nalan, I can agree to dissolve this engagement, but please take back the pills. I, Xiao Yan, may be trash, but I won't accept someone's charity for nothing."
The hall abruptly fell silent, and everyone's gaze shifted from Xiao Zhan to Xiao Yan.
"Xiao Yan, shut your mouth! You have no right to speak here!" The Third Elder's expression darkened as he snapped.
"Xiao Yan, leave. This no longer concerns you," the First Elder said flatly as well.
"Heh." Xiao Yan gave a self-mocking laugh.
He raised his head toward the three elders and said mockingly, "Elders, if I heard correctly, the person Old Mr. Nalan wants to break the engagement with is me, not you. As the person involved, do I not even have the right to decide?"
As Xiao Yan spoke, he turned his gaze toward Nalan Jie.
By now, Nalan Jie regretted it. How could he have imagined things would develop to this point? Nor had he expected the Xiao Clan's people to show Xiao Zhan so little respect.
Now the engagement could be dissolved, but he had probably wounded both father and son, and guilt rose in his heart.
He immediately said, "Child, of course you can decide. This was meant as compensation for you in the first place."
As he spoke, he released his Dou Wang presence and swept an indifferent glance over the three elders.
As the Dou Wang's aura erupted, everyone in the hall turned deathly pale, Da Dou Shi included.
The three elders, who bore the brunt of it, felt so awful they wanted to vomit blood. They immediately cried, "Please quell your anger, Lion King!"
"Hmph."
Nalan Jie snorted coldly.
Looking at Xiao Yan, he sighed. "Since you don't want the Qi Gathering Powder, I can't force you to accept it. In that case, let's replace it with Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills.
"Your father is a Five-Star Da Dou Shi. Taking two will allow him to reach Seven-Star Great Dou Master, and with time, he will have hope of breaking through to Dou Ling. Consider this another form of compensation."
Without waiting for Xiao Yan to object, Nalan Jie touched his Storage Ring, took out another box, and handed it to him.
By now, everyone in the hall was too stunned to speak.
Although Qi Gathering Powder was precious, it could still be purchased at a steep price.
Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills were different. A single pill was enough to raise a Da Dou Shi's strength by one star, let alone two whole pills.
"Xiao Yan, hurry up and agree!" The First Elder paced anxiously.
The Xiao Clan alone had no channels through which to purchase pills that could increase a Da Dou Shi's strength.
Refusing the Qi Gathering Powder was understandable, but if he rejected the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills too, he would truly be a sinner against the clan.
Xiao Yan gave a bitter laugh and accepted the box, saying self-mockingly, "Old Mr. Nalan has shown such sincerity. If I still refused, I wouldn't know what's good for me."
"Yan'er!" Xiao Zhan called out with some concern.
"Father, I'm fine." Xiao Yan shook his head and handed the box to his father, saying self-mockingly, "With these two pills, you can advance to Seven-Star Great Dou Master. Then, within the clan, you could fight three people at once without a problem. Who would still dare provoke a piece of trash like me?"
Xiao Yan smiled faintly, but he could not hide the bitterness on his face.
His manner, as though his heart had died, made even the immensely proud Nalan Yanran glance at him. Remembering that he had once been a genius who reached the Dou Zhe realm at eleven, Nalan Yanran sighed inwardly.
She had just witnessed everyone in the hall changing their attitudes again and again. Even though she had come to break off the engagement, it made her somewhat angry.
What kind of people were these, mocking someone from their own clan like this?
No wonder the once-great Xiao Clan of the Jiama Empire had declined to this point.
"Father, if there's nothing else for me, I'll leave." Xiao Yan's desolate voice brought Nalan Yanran out of her thoughts.
Watching him stagger toward the exit, Nalan Yanran drew a deep breath and called, "Xiao Yan, wait a moment."
Before you continue