The three-year agreement was originally just a pact between the Nalan Family and the Xiao Family.
However, it was still picked up by some well-informed individuals.
The showdown between Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan quickly spread among the upper echelons of the Jia Ma Empire.
One is the future successor of the Misty Cloud Sect, and the other is a young Fourth Grade Alchemist who has made a name for himself in the Alchemist Grand Competition. Naturally, they drew attention from various forces.
"Who is this Xiao Family? How can they betroth with the Nalan Family?"
"Young man, you don't know. The Xiao Family was originally also a major family in the Imperial Capital. Their family head, Xiao Lin, was a genuine Dou King powerhouse and had a close friendship with Nalan Jie. Later, Xiao Lin died in a vendetta, and the Xiao Family relocated to Wu Tan City in the northeast of the empire."
"I see, the fallen Xiao Family indeed can't compare to the Nalan Family."
"Well, you can't say that. Xiao Yan was once a famous genius in the empire. It's said that at the age of eleven, he successfully condensed a Dou Qi Vortex, becoming the youngest Dou Practitioner in the Jia Ma Empire. But later, for some reason, he lost his Dou Qi and fell to the level of a Third Stage Dou Disciple, becoming a waste.
However, three years ago, he seemed to have gained the favor of a mysterious Alchemist. Not only did he regain his original talent, but he also advanced from a Third Stage Dou Disciple to a Dou Practitioner in just one year. Now, two years have passed, he should have advanced to a Dou Master, right?"
"Genius is born, genius falls, genius restores. Is this Xiao Yan some protagonist from a novel? Hmm, his life story seems too fantastical."
"Is this Xiao Yan really skilled as an Alchemist? How come I didn't see his name on the rankings of the competition?"
"Liu Ling, do you know what happened?"
Facing the onlookers, Liu Ling furrowed his brows and said, "During the final match, this person attempted to forcibly upgrade the grade of the Pill, but unfortunately, the failure resulted in the destruction of the Pill. Since the competition deemed it incomplete, his ranking qualification was revoked. However, in terms of alchemy skills, this person is probably above me."
Since the failure in the Alchemist Grand Competition, Liu Ling underwent profound reflection, realizing his own shortcomings.
"Impossible, right? He's actually better than Brother Liu Ling?"
The crowd expressed their astonishment one after another.
"Tch! What does alchemy have to do with fighting? This kid, I know him, he's just a coward, heh!"
Mu Zhan's face showed a disdainful expression. He had a brief encounter with Xiao Yan at the banquet. At that time, he heard that Yun Tianming was getting close to Ya Fei, became furious, and went over, coincidentally bumping into Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan chose to back down, which made Mu Zhan look down on him.
Under the scrutiny of the onlookers, a figure of a young man carrying a huge black ruler appeared at the foot of Misty Cloud Mountain. With steady steps, he ascended the long staircase of Misty Cloud Sect step by step.
At the end of the winding stone steps, shrouded in mist, behind which lies a vast square. At this moment, thousands of Misty Cloud Sect disciples dressed in uniform moon-white robes had already gathered on the square.
At the top of the square, seated on stone thrones, were venerable elders exuding an air of transcendence, all of whom were elders of the Misty Cloud Sect.
"Is this person Xiao Yan?"
"His aura is restrained; it's hard to determine his specific level for now."
"A Fourth Grade Alchemist at such a young age can indeed be considered a genius."
After scrutinizing Xiao Yan for a while, Yun Leng gave a favorable evaluation, "After the battle ends, we can send someone to approach him and see if he's willing to join our Misty Cloud Sect."
"Grand Elder, I think the possibility is slim."
"This young man seems to have a mysterious Alchemist behind him, and his background is probably not small."
Gu He secretly utilized his Soul Power as a Sixth Grade Alchemist, trying to probe Xiao Yan, but the result was like searching for a needle in a haystack, which surprised him inwardly.
"Finally arrived."
Yun Tianming stood on the platform, looking down from a high vantage point at Xiao Yan ascending step by step from the staircase.
"He seems to have changed a lot, completely different from three years ago."
A hint of surprise flashed through Nalan Yanran's eyes.
"Yanran, never underestimate your opponent."
Yun Tianming earnestly cautioned.
"I know, no matter what, I won't lose!"
Nalan Yanran replied resolutely.
She had her own pride, especially in front of her beloved, she must win beautifully!
While they were assessing Xiao Yan, Xiao Yan was also sizing them up.
"Nalan Yanran."
"Indeed stronger than expected."
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed. Although he couldn't see through the opponent's strength, with his outstanding Soul Power, he could still sense a strong aura from the latter.
"Don't have any psychological burden, do your best, and there will be no regrets regardless of the outcome."
Yao Chen's voice sounded somewhat weary.
This was him forcefully separating a particle of fire from the Chilling Bone Flame for Xiao Yan, consuming a considerable amount of Soul Power.
"Teacher, thank you for your hard work. I won't let your expectations down!"
Xiao Yan gritted his teeth, accelerated after a run-up, and leaped onto the square of Misty Cloud Sect.
One person, facing nearly a thousand disciples of Misty Cloud Sect, there was not a trace of fear on his face.
A loud voice echoed in the field.
"Xiao Family, Xiao Yan!"
The plain and simple words slowly drifted across the vast square.
Countless disciples of the Misty Cloud Sect, with varying emotions in their eyes, looked resolutely at the black-robed young man standing on the square. Regarding this young man named Xiao Yan, there was a hint of jealousy in many people's hearts.
This was because he almost married their Misty Cloud Sect's Nalan Yanran, who was like a goddess to them. Although their engagement had been canceled, the fact that he accepted the challenge and personally came to Misty Cloud Sect to compete in three years was indeed remarkable!
"Tsk tsk~ This Xiao Yan doesn't seem unprepared."
"This should be interesting!"
Onlookers showed keen interest.
"Nalan, this kid almost became your son-in-law? He doesn't seem bad at all."
Mu Chen teased. Leaving aside other matters, just his identity as a Fourth Grade Alchemist was enough to make people not dare to underestimate him. It's unclear what the Nalan Family was thinking, actually canceling the engagement.
"Indeed, worthy of being Xiao Lin's grandson."
"But since it's the young man's choice, I have nothing more to say as an old man."
Nalan Jie's eyes flickered, and his first impression of Xiao Yan was good. However, when he thought of Yun Tianming, he felt that he would be more suitable as a son-in-law for the Nalan Family!
"This kid has some talent, but not much."
Hai Bo Dong lazily leaned back in his seat. Having seen top-tier geniuses like Yun Tianming, his perspective was different.
"Nalan Family, Nalan Yanran!"
Jumping down from the platform, Nalan Yanran stood tall like a proud snow lotus, her clear eyes fixed on Xiao Yan. Her voice, like his, was calm.
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