In the early morning, a thin, pale white mist covered the top of the mountain behind and lingered for a long time. Suddenly, a light breeze blew by, bringing with it a muffled sound of breaking stones.
In a hidden grove on the top of the mountain, Xiao Yan retracted his right palm and looked at the rubble in front of him. "Although it is difficult to practice this Eight Extreme Collapse, its power is indeed terrifying. If I can cultivate the dark energy like my cousin said, I am afraid it will be as powerful as the records say, comparable to the earth-level fighting skills."
Shaking off the dust on his hands, Xiao Yan muttered to himself, "I don't know when my cousin will be able to come out of seclusion. With my current strength, I don't know if I can be favored by Elder Huo."
Xiao Yan took out a piece of clothing from his ring and covered his exposed skin. At this time, a familiar voice came into his ears, "Master Xiao Yan, the people from the Yunlan Sect will be here soon. The clan leader asked me to inform you to go to the reception room in advance."
"Is it almost noon?" Xiao Yan muttered when he heard Butler Mo's call.
The steward of the Yunlan Sect delivered a visiting card yesterday and said that they would come to visit the Xiao family at noon today. As the third young master of the Xiao family, Xiao Yan naturally knew about this.
Although the visiting card did not mention the reason for the visit, this letter was written by Nalan Yanran herself, so it must be related to the engagement between Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan.
"Okay, I'll be there right away." After replying, Xiao Yan used his body movement and fighting skills to rush towards the reception room.
Looking at Xiao Yan's running back, Butler Mo revealed a loving smile. Seeing Xiao Yan rise again from his downfall, Butler Mo was also happy for Xiao Yan.
After a while, Xiao Yan arrived at the reception hall.
When the guards saw Xiao Yan coming, they all saluted respectfully, "Master Xiao Yan."
Xiao Yan nodded faintly, then took a step forward and walked into the reception hall.
At this time, there were already quite a few people in the spacious hall. Sitting on the top seats were three old men and a middle-aged man. They were Xiao Zhan, the head of the Xiao family, and three elders.
After taking the Soul-Breaking Pill, the three elders and Xiao Zhan successfully broke through to the Dou Ling realm. Looking at their appearance, they seemed to have become more than ten years younger.
Seeing Xiao Yan coming, Xiao Zhan smiled and pointed to a spot to his lower right, "Yan'er, you're here, come and sit down here."
The other three elders also forced a smile towards Xiao Yan. Now that Xiao Yan's talent had been restored and he had been vigorously cultivated by Xiao Ling, he was the best among the younger generation of the Xiao family besides Xiao Ling. Those who had looked down on Xiao Yan in the past no longer dared to show disdain to him.
He bowed to Xiao Zhan first, "Father." Xiao Yan nodded to the elders and sat on the chair prepared for him.
Although Xiao Yan had already let go of the past, he still couldn't put on a good face to those people who had mocked him before.
The reason why he and Yao Yue made some good friends outside was mainly because Xiao Yan did not have many friends of the same age in the Xiao family. The clan members who were about the same age as Xiao Yan had all laughed at the fact that Xiao Yan was unable to practice.
After sitting on the chair, the maid beside him quickly poured a cup of tea for Xiao Yan.
After taking a sip of the tea, Xiao Yan took out "One Hundred Little Secrets of the Alchemist" and began to read it carefully.
The children of the Xiao family around him looked at him with envy. Everyone in the Xiao family knew that it was Xiao Ling who cured Xiao Yan and valued him very much. Now Xiao Yan not only reached the level of a
Three-Star Dou Zhe, but also became a first-class alchemist. Especially the pink-haired girl, whose face was full of regret.
"If I hadn't distanced myself from Xiao Yan back then, maybe I would have been able to break through to the Dou Zhe level by now." Xiao Mei looked at Xiao Yan with complicated eyes, feeling mixed emotions.
Xiao Mei liked Xiao Yan before he became unable to practice and was Xiao Yan's best friend. She distanced herself from Xiao Yan after he became a waste. After Xiao Yan regained his reputation as a genius, she wanted to restore their relationship, but because she had hurt Xiao Yan, she was ignored and despised by Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan seemed to have noticed something. He glanced in the direction of the gaze and when he saw it was Xiao Mei, he retracted his gaze and continued reading the book in his hand.
At this moment, a girl in a purple dress walked into the reception hall. Zi Yan rubbed her amethyst-like eyes and yawned, "Hurry up, I'm going to bed soon."
After saying that, he sat on the chair to Xiao Zhan's right.
Xiao Zhan scratched his head a little embarrassedly, because the visiting card said that Yun Yun, the leader of the Yunlan Sect, would also come this time. Xiao Ling was currently practicing, so he had no choice but to ask Zi Yan to come and keep order.
Zi Yan originally didn't plan to come, but when she heard that it was related to the disciple Xiao Ling selected for Elder Huo, and Xiao Zhan invited her three times, Zi Yan agreed.
After a while, the guard at the door came to report, "Patriarch, elders, the people from Yunlan Sect have arrived."
After hearing the guard's report, Xiao Zhan smiled and pointed at several family elders, "You guys go and greet them. Sect Master Yun will be here in person today, so don't be impolite."
Several elders nodded, stood up and walked out of the hall.
Zi Yan, who had squinted her eyes, felt a Dou Huang aura gradually approaching the hall. She patted her face and forced herself to cheer up.
Although Zi Yan didn't care about these things at all, she couldn't let others look down on Xiao Ling's family.
Not long after the elders left, they walked into the reception hall with a few middle-aged men in moon-white robes.
Behind them, there was a woman in a tight-fitting golden and purple brocade robe, with a noble temperament, like a shining pearl. Behind her was a girl in a moon-white robe, who looked cold, beautiful and charming, like a blooming snow lotus.
The several old men in front who were talking enthusiastically seemed to intentionally avoid the two people behind them. However, it was precisely because of the presence of the old man in the moon-white robe that the atmosphere between the Xiao family and the Yunlan Sect's visitors was not too awkward.
Seeing the guests from the Yun Lan Sect entering the hall, Xiao Zhan stood up from his seat and bowed to the elegant woman, "I guess this must be Sect Master Yun. I have heard of your great name for a long time. Please take a seat."
"Thank you for being so polite, Patriarch Xiao. I apologize for coming here uninvited." Yun Yun's face remained calm as she nodded slightly in response.
After looking around, she didn't see Xiao Ling, and she breathed a sigh of relief, "It seems that the intelligence is correct, Xiao Ling is now in seclusion."
She then turned her gaze to Zi Yan who was standing beside Xiao Zhan, "This must be Miss Zi Yan, at such a young age she has been able to cultivate to the peak of Dou Wang, she is indeed a genius of Canaan Academy."