It was hard to believe that the elegant Xun Er would speak such girly words; her charm made Xiao Yan’s mind wander again…
Silently criticizing himself again, Xiao Yan replied in a muffled tone. Afterwards, he fled while being under the smiling gaze of Xun Er.
Watching the leaving Xiao Yan, Xun Er covered her mouth while laughing. Then, she furrowed her brows and went to a pond not too far away.
The reflection in the pond showed a pretty face with bright eyes and white teeth. With each of her gestures, there was an inexplicable charm that drew one in.
“So pretty….” Doing a twirl, a satisfied smile appeared on Xun Er’s lips.
Not far away, a couple of young men that had just returned to the clan after adventures outside stopped with their mouths wide open. Their eyes showed their surprise while they foolishly watched the girl under the willow.
…..
Shrinking back to his room, Xiao Yan let out a big breath as he closed the door. Wiping off the cold sweat on his forehead, he bitterly smiled: This girl, when she grows up, she is probably going to be even prettier than Ya Fei at the auction…
Sitting down at his table, Xiao Yan gulped out a mouthful of tea while his mind was still full of Xun Er. Remembering how pretty Xun Er’s eyes were, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a burning in his heart.
Shaking his head, Xiao Yan cursed bastard towards himself and finally calmed down.
Swinging his sore arms, Xiao Yan went to the corner of his room and took out the wood basin that was full of Foundation Elixir before quickly jumping in.
With the cool water pulsing against his skin, a moderate warmth spread through Xiao Yan’s body and slowly washed away the tiredness in him.
As ripples formed, Xiao Yan lazily laid on the side of the wooden basin as his breath slowed and calmed.
Recalling the shock on everyone’s face today at the training field, a smile appeared on Xiao Yan’s face: Strength, the most important thing in this world!
While rubbing his temples, a cold but pretty face unexpectedly popped into his mind. It was… Nalan Yanran’s.
With his eyes narrowed, Xiao Yan muttered: “2 more years? You better get ready because I will find you…”
If not for the coldness within the words, anyone would have assumed that Xiao Yan’s words were to a lover and not a bitter rival.
Remembering Nalan Yanran’s cavalier attitude and phrases in the main hall, Xiao Yan’s hands slowly curled into fists. The shame that he experienced, was imprinted in him…
Haha, I can’t even take a break. That person… even though she’s arrogant, to have been taken in by the faction leader of the Faction of Misty Clouds, her talent and potential shouldn’t be too shabby. Xiao Yan’s lips made a cold smile.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan realized that every time he thought of Nalan Yanran, he would have a new strength that would push him to his limits. He quickly dispensed his lazy position and sat up straight within the wood basin. His hands weaved to make a symbol before he slowly pushed all thoughts out of his mind to start training.
……
Ever since the examination of the other day, Xiao Yan could clearly feel that the gazes the clansmen sent him were no longer full of ridicule but rather filled with respect.
To these new gazes that he had already experienced three years ago, Xiao Yan was calm and impassive without becoming full of himself because of how “respected” he was.
The day after the examination finished, Xiao Yan stayed true to his word and accompanied Xun Er to enjoy sights both in the city and in the mountains. Besides his father, Xiao Zhan, Xun Er was the closest person within the clan to Xiao Yan and therefore, Xiao Yan couldn’t refuse any of her requests.
After a relaxing day, Xiao Yan’s life returned to its calm and orderly state.
He would practice Dou Techniques in the back of the mountains in the morning, before returning to his room to train Dou Qi for the rest of the time and occasionally chat with Xun Er and his father; his life was simple and organized.
During this period, Xiao Yan occasionally met Xiao Mei while walking around the clan and when he heard the soft purr of “Xiao Yan biao-ge”, he replied with a smile and some excuses to escape. Towards those who abandoned him in his years of hardship, Xiao Yan never went back to being close with them.
He knew that those that suddenly became respectful and friendly to him because of his reborn talent would act like a cold stranger the moment he loses his talent. This kind of backstab, experiencing it once was enough.
….
A month’s time slowly passed and there were only 7 days left before Xiao Clan’s Coming of Age Ceremony….
Even though a huge amount of time had passed, from the examination to 7 days before the Coming of Age Ceremony, Xiao Yan’s wish to get to 8 Duan Qi had still not been answered which let him down.
After striving for 8 Duan Qi for two more days, Xiao Yan still didn’t experience breakthrough and amidst disappointment, he relaxed his training so that he could be in top notch condition for the Coming of Age Ceremony. But, right when he thought that he didn’t have any hope of making a breakthrough and jumping into 8 Duan Qi, an interesting surprise came.
During the night that was two days before the Coming of Age Ceremony, Xiao Yan who was in a deep slumber suddenly jumped up like he was dreamwalking and before he even took off his clothes, he jumped into the wood basin that barely had any Foundation Elixir left.
After struggling for half a night, Xiao Yan finally opened his eyes, still sleepy, and then… He realized that the illustrious 8 Duan that he had been fighting to reach for 2-3 months had finally, while he was still half asleep, been achieved…
Towards this baffling yet comical breakthrough, Xiao Yan, while happy and surprised, could only exclaim: “Really!”