In the quiet seats, Xiao Se, Ya Fei, and Nalan Yanran were smiling and chatting.
Due to her desire to get closer to Nalan Yanran, Ya Fei willingly shifted the conversation to topics of her interest, which naturally revolved around cultivation. Nalan Yanran was keen on discussing cultivation insights with Xiao Se.
Xiao Se, speaking casually, didn't expect much from the conversation. However, Nalan Yanran was completely captivated by his unique understanding of martial arts and dou techniques. It was hard for her to believe that the alchemist in front of her also possessed such profound knowledge about combat.
As the three chatted and laughed, their interaction struck a chord with someone in the plaza. In the direction where Liu Ling was sitting, a sharp crack was heard as he crushed the transparent wine glass in his hand.
He had pursued Nalan Yanran for years, but she had always been cold towards him. Now, with Xiao Se's appearance, she was suddenly acting like an enamoured fan, her admiration for Xiao Se barely concealed.
"It seems Brother Liu Ling is really angry!" said the little princess sitting nearby, sipping fruit juice with a smile as she glanced at the broken glass in Liu Ling's hand.
"Hmph, let's see how long he can keep up his arrogance," Liu Ling sneered, his face darkening before returning to his usual sinister smile. However, the tension in his clenched fists betrayed his inner turmoil.
As the gathering continued, a fiery red horse suddenly galloped down the street outside the royal gate, forcing pedestrians to scatter.
The horse came to an abrupt stop just before the palace gates. A young man, dressed in cloud-patterned armor with one side of his body exposed, leaped agilely from the horse. He looked up at the gates, revealing a fierce, tiger-like face in the glow of the palace lights.
The palace guards clearly recognized the young man, who appeared to be in his twenties, and without waiting for him to speak, they immediately opened the gates for him.
The armored young man entered the gate, his arms crossed, disdain evident in his expression. As he walked past the guards, he muttered under his breath, "A bunch of losers."
As soon as he stepped into the plaza, several gazes brightened, belonging to men who had once pursued Ya Fei or admired Nalan Yanran.
The armoured young man eagerly scanned the plaza, searching for someone. After a while, his gaze fixed on a point, and his lips curled into a sinister smile, his fierce face brimming with killing intent.
On a nearby pavilion, Hai Bodong and a scholarly-looking old man stood by a window, silently observing the scene below, focusing on Xiao Se.
Noticing the arrival of the armored young man, the old man smirked and said to Hai Bodong, "It seems that young man you've taken an interest in is about to run into trouble."
"No, it's Mu Zhan who's in trouble," Hai Bodong replied calmly, much to the old man's surprise.
"Oh? I'm intrigued. Mu Zhan has already reached the rank of a Dou Shi and has been trained in the military's fierce fighting style. He's even called a battle maniac. Even high-level Dou Shis avoid clashing with him, as he's notorious for being willing to risk his life in combat."
Back at their seats, Xiao Se, Nalan Yanran, and Ya Fei continued their conversation. Suddenly, Xiao Se's smile vanished, and a flicker of anger appeared in his eyes.
Rising slowly, Xiao Se turned to Ya Fei and said, "Sister Ya Fei, the trouble you mentioned has arrived."
With that, Xiao Se kicked his chair aside, swiftly turned his body, and bent his arm into a fist. A sharp wind-whistling sound followed as he unleashed a powerful punch covered in green Dou Qi towards the figure that had attempted to ambush him from behind.
As Xiao Se's green fist collided with the ambusher, a strong wave of green energy exploded outward. Apart from the area around Xiao Se's seat, where he protected everything, the surrounding tables and chairs were shattered by the force.
The wave of energy dissipated quickly, but the ambusher, who had traded punches with Xiao Se, couldn't even withstand the impact for a moment. His body was sent flying over a hundred meters like a cannonball, crashing into a nearby pavilion and leaving a human-shaped hole in the wall. Whether he was alive or dead remained unknown.
Silence fell. The entire scene was frozen in stunned stillness.
Many of the capital's young elites, who had initially been eager to see Xiao Se humiliated or even killed, now stared in shock, their mouths hanging open. They swallowed nervously, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
The infamous Mu Zhan, known in the capital as a battle maniac, had been sent flying with a single blow. And this had happened despite his attempt to ambush Xiao Se.
"Are you two alright?" Xiao Se asked calmly, turning to the still-stunned Nalan Yanran and Ya Fei with a light smile.
"Uh… yeah, we're fine," Ya Fei and Nalan Yanran finally responded, snapping out of their daze.
"Good," Xiao Se nodded casually. With a flick of his hand, he summoned a clean chair using a technique and sat back down. He then asked nonchalantly, "By the way, who was that kid who tried to kill me?"
"I think it was Mu Zhan from the Mu family," Nalan Yanran replied, casting a complicated glance at the human-shaped hole in the pavilion wall. There had been no movement from that direction, indicating that Mu Zhan was seriously injured or perhaps already unconscious.
"Good thing you were here," Ya Fei said, her face showing a hint of relief and a smile.
…
On the other side, Liu Ling's eyes were almost bulging out of his head. He had never imagined that Mu Zhan, the infamous battle maniac of the capital, couldn't even take a single punch from Xiao Se.
Watching Nalan Yanran's gaze fall on Xiao Se again, Liu Ling could sense a shift in her expression.
"That guy is too strong! The battle maniac was sent flying by a single punch, and there's still no movement from him. It looks like he's seriously injured," the little princess exclaimed in disbelief, her eyes wide with amazement.
"Hmph, the Alchemist Competition doesn't care about combat strength. It's all about alchemy skills," Liu Ling retorted coldly, though even he found it hard to believe his own words.
Everyone knew that an alchemist's rank was based on their Dou Qi level. No matter how much experience or soul power they had, without sufficient Dou Qi, they wouldn't get far.
An alchemist with high combat strength might not necessarily have better alchemy skills, but an alchemist with low combat strength certainly wouldn't be very skilled at alchemy.
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