Looking at the young man's tender face, the elderly man in the green robe nodded kindly and said, "The Little Clan Leader's cultivation seems to have strengthened a bit more."
Xiao Yan chuckled slightly, "Steward Mo, I only tested it yesterday. How could it have improved so quickly?"
"Ha ha ha, maybe it's the impression of relentless progress that the Little Clan Leader gives off..."
Xiao Yan followed the steward through the back courtyard. Finally, he stopped solemnly in front of the reception hall. He knocked respectfully on the door before gently pushing it open.
The hall was spacious and there were quite a few people inside. Sitting at the highest position were Xiao Zhan and the three Clan Elders, whose authority within the clan was no less than that of the Clan Head.
To the left of these four sat some of the clan's most influential and strong elders. Sitting next to them were a few of the younger generation of people who had shown outstanding achievements within the clan.
When Xiao Yan arrived, all the younger generation in the hall greeted him with friendly smiles.
"Greetings, Little Clan Leader."
"Good morning, Little Clan Leader."
"The Little Clan Leader's cultivation has progressed again."
"Hehe, Yan Er, you're here. Come, take a seat." Seeing Xiao Yan arrive, Xiao Zhan nodded towards him and gestured with his hand.
Xiao Yan, smiling, nodded and walked straight to a seat just below the Third Elder. His status was now virtually on par with the elders, and he could be considered their equal. Next to Xiao Yan's position sat Xun Er.
Xun Er's position within the Xiao Clan was quite unique. Although she didn't hold any official power within the clan, even Clan Head Xiao Zhan treated her with great courtesy. It could be said that she had the freedom to do as she wished within the clan.
However, what made Xiao Yan somewhat surprised was that the important guests mentioned by Xiao Zhan turned out to be two elderly men and a young girl who seemed to be around his age.
The beauty of the young girl even surpassed that of Xiao Mei by a few points, and perhaps the only person within the clan who could be compared to her was Xiao Xun Er, who was like a blooming green lotus.
Green jade pendants hung delicately from the girl's earlobes. They emitted a crisp jingle with every gentle sway, adding a touch of elegance to her appearance. In addition, three golden stars were embroidered next to the girl's budding bosom.
Xiao Yan's brow furrowed as he thought, 'A 3-star Dou Practitioner. If this girl hasn't relied on external objects to enhance her strength, she's truly an exceptional genius to be on par with my cultivation level.'
'She really lives up to being a member of the Misty Cloud Sect.'
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed as he noticed the cloud-patterned silver sword embroidered on the cuff of the girl's robe and knew that she was from the Misty Cloud Sect.
If the Xiao Clan could be considered the hegemon of Wu Tan City, then the Misty Cloud Sect could perhaps be considered the hegemon of the entire Jia Ma Empire.
Therefore, the name of the girl in front of him was already on the tip of his tongue.
Nalan Yanran.
Simply put, she was his fiancée.
'What is she doing here?'
Xiao Yan scratched his head, completely confused as to why this Nalan Yanran had suddenly come from the Misty Cloud Sect to this remote area for no apparent reason.
He hadn't come of age yet, so the engagement matter shouldn't be brought up now, right?
Nalan Yanran also noticed Xiao Yan's arrival. What surprised him was that Nalan Yanran's eyes were actually stubborn, as if she was carrying some kind of determination.
She stood up and said in an incomparably serious tone, "Clan Head Xiao, I have come to the Xiao Clan today to annul the engagement!"
!!!?
Everyone present was suddenly stunned into silence. Not only were the younger generation dumbfounded, but even the three Clan Elders and Xiao Zhan were completely perplexed.
Why on earth would she do such a thing?
Childhood engagements were usually arranged by the elders, and in this case, it had been arranged by Xiao Yan's deceased grandfather, Xiao Lin, and Nalan Yanran's grandfather, Nalan Jie, in their earlier years.
Not long ago, Xiao Zhan had exchanged letters with Nalan Jie, and both sides were very pleased with each other's children.
Xiao Zhan had known about Nalan Yanran's visit since last night. That was why he had gone to the cliffs to urge Xiao Yan to rest early, hinting that it might be for a good reason.
But reality turned out to be quite the opposite.
Xiao Zhan and the various Clan Elders exchanged puzzled glances, unable to understand where things had gone wrong. Xiao Zhan asked in confusion, ''Niece Nalan, could there be some mistake? I just exchanged letters with your grandfather not long ago, and nowhere did he mention breaking off the engagement."
Nalan Yanran did not falter in the face of his question and firmly replied, "This is my own decision and has nothing to do with my grandfather or the Nalan Clan."
Good girl! It was no wonder that Nalan Yanran had only brought along two elder representatives from the Misty Cloud Sect to discuss this matter. It seemed like she had made this decision on her own. It was akin to running away from home with a few trusted friends.
"Ahem." Seeing the confusion in the atmosphere, one of the elders who had been sitting next to Nalan Yanran stood up and clasped his hands towards Xiao Zhan, "Hehe, Clan Head Xiao, Yanran joined the Misty Cloud Sect five years ago. She has shown exceptional talent in cultivation and has earned the favor of the Sect Leader. The Sect Leader once said that cultivation is also about cultivating one's heart, and the most important thing for a cultivator is to be true to oneself. Therefore, I would like to ask Clan Leader Xiao if it's possible to... dissolve this marriage arrangement."
Ka! The jade cup in Xiao Zhan's hand suddenly turned into a pile of powder with a loud noise.
The atmosphere in the hall became somewhat solemn. If Nalan Yanran's action could still be considered impulsive, Ge Ye's stance was certainly not. This had obviously been discussed beforehand.
Moments later, however, countless eyes that seemed to want to devour someone were directed at the Ge Ye trio. Not to mention Xiao Zhan and the various Dou Grandmasters, even some of the younger generation in the clan who were only at the 4th or 5th Stage Dou Disciple let out a series of teeth-grinding sounds.
Humiliation!
Xiao Yan, as their Little Clan Leader and the future beacon of their clan, was their pride. Yet now, they wanted to publicly break off his marriage arrangement! This was like a harsh slap in the face to all the members of the Xiao Clan.
The Ge Ye trio suddenly felt as if they had fallen into a wolf's den, as if a pack of hungry wolves was staring at them. As long as the Wolf King gave the order, no matter if they were from the Misty Cloud Sect or not, everyone would be rushing to take a bite out of them.
Such was the charisma of Xiao Yan.
Ge Ye offered a forced smile and said, "Clan Head Xiao, we understand that our request today is somewhat impolite, so I've brought something as a form of apology."
With that, he retrieved a green ancient jade box from his storage ring. A unique fragrance instantly filled the hall.
"This is from Pill King Gu He..."
Before Ge Ye could finish, Xiao Zhan curled into fists. A faint green Dou Qi gradually covered his body, finally coalescing into an illusory lion's head.
This was the highest-class Qi Method of the Xiao Clan: Intermediate Xuan Class, Furious Lion Rage!
Ge Ye was taken aback when he saw Xiao Zhan's reaction. His hands curled like eagle claws. Green Dou Qi gathered in them, releasing a subtle but sharp sword intent.
Misty Cloud Sect's Low Xuan Qi Method, Green Wood Sword!
As their auras collided, the wooden box in Ge Ye's hands fell to the ground. A pill the size of a dragon's eye rolled out of the wooden box.
However, unexpectedly, all the members of the Xiao Clan didn't even spare a glance at the pill that had fallen to the ground. Even the tantalizing fragrance of the pill was overwhelmed by their anger.
Ge Ye glanced at the pill on the ground and then at the expressions of everyone around him. In the presence of such a treasure, not a single person showed greed in their eyes. Instead, their expressions were filled with anger.
Finally, his gaze shifted to the young man sitting on the side, who had been sipping his tea in silence as if he were an outsider, without uttering a single word this whole time.
He, Ge Ye, had misjudged. This young man had actually managed to unite the entire clan. This was such an incredible feat!
Even in the Misty Cloud Sect, the various factions within the sect would not all blindly follow the orders of the Sect Leader.
"Yanran, why don't we go back and discuss this matter more thoroughly?"
With a loud footfall, Nalan Yanran took a step forward and said with a serious tone, "When I joined the Misty Cloud Sect five years ago and followed the Sect Leader's teachings I came to understand one thing. How I live my life and who I marry are decisions that I, Nalan Yanran, have to make for myself!"
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly fell silent. Even Ge Ye was startled by Nalan Yanran's resolve.
Clap, clap, clap...
The sound of clapping suddenly resounded in the hall. Surprisingly, it was Xiao Yan who was applauding.
"Taking control of one's destiny, well said. I, Xiao Yan, also have someone in my heart, and therefore this marriage should indeed be annulled."
Xun Er, who was sitting next to Xiao Yan, suddenly blushed when she heard Xiao Yan mention that he had someone in his heart. Her mind began to wander wildly with countless thoughts.
Xiao Yan maintained his characteristic confident smile as he rose from his seat to address his 'fiancée', "However, by requesting my father to dissolve our engagement in such a public manner, you have put my father's face as the Clan Head at stake. This act could greatly diminish his authority and become a source of ridicule for him."
Xiao Yan's words were straightforward, and his gaze became cold and intimidating.
He wasn't particularly concerned about the engagement itself, but if they were to dissolve an engagement that had been agreed upon by both parties just like that, how would their Xiao Clan be able to maintain its position in the future?
"I, Xiao Yan, am not unreasonable. One move, if you can withstand a single move from me, then this marriage arrangement will be dissolved."