Chapter 4: Misjudged
Xiao Yan's words shocked everyone present.
Initially, Ge Ye thought he had misjudged him. Now, he felt he had misjudged him yet again.
Ge Ye couldn't help but shake his head internally, 'Ah, pride gets the best of us. Yanran has been cultivating a High Xuan Qi Method from the sect, and her Green Wood Sword has already achieved a minor level of mastery. A clan from such a remote small city probably doesn't even possess a High Xuan Qi Method.'
TL/N: In the previous chapter, "Green Wood Sword" is presented as a Qi Method, while here it is used as a Dou Technique. Just assume that both the Qi Method and the Dou Technique are part of a set of techniques with the same name.
Ge Ye wasn't wrong. The highest-class Qi Method in Wu Tan City was only an Intermediate Xuan Class. The higher the class of the Qi Method, the stronger and more profound the Dou Qi cultivated, and naturally, the more powerful the Dou Techniques executed.
The saying, "One level higher in rank could crush a person to death," also applied to Qi Methods.
However, Ge Ye failed to notice that, upon hearing Xiao Yan propose such an 'unreasonable' duel, not a single member of the Xiao Clan, including Xiao Zhan and the elders, found it inappropriate.
None of them realized at this moment where this underlying confidence came from.
A faint smile appeared on Nalan Yanran's face when she heard his words. She suddenly found him much more agreeable.
"Is that true?"
Before Xiao Yan could answer, Xiao Mei interjected loudly, "Xiao Yan ge's word is as good as gold, unlike some people who go back on their word."
Nalan Yanran's eyelid involuntarily twitched. In the Dou Qi Continent, marriage arrangements were akin to ancient times, following the will of parents and matchmakers. Nalan Yanran had come to annul the engagement without even daring to inform her grandfather, Nalan Jie, knowing she was in the wrong.
Xiao Yan smiled confidently and nodded, "Of course, it's true."
"However, if you cannot withstand my move, then I will divorce you publicly at your Nalan Mansion."
!!!!!
"You!" Nalan Yanran was stunned. She wanted to retort but could not find the words to do so. Her face turned slightly pale with anger as she clenched her fists.
Because what Xiao Yan had just said was essentially what she was doing herself now.
Nalan Yanran's intentions may have sounded nice, but in reality, they also revealed her spoiled and willful temperament.
Xiao Yan did not oppose Nalan Yanran's pursuit of freedom, but the idea of pursuing her own freedom at the expense of his father was something he could not forgive.
Although Xiao Yan spoke with a smile and his tone was gentle, Nalan Yanran could see from his eyes that if she really couldn't stand his move, he would make good on his words.
Xiao Yan was one to hold a grudge.
Nalan Yanran took a deep breath, and a pale cyan-colored Dou Qi began to appear around her. The Qi Method she was cultivating was of the Wind Attribute.
Her right index and middle fingers came together to form a sword, releasing a pale cyan spiral gust that intertwined to form a wind sword.
The Green Wood Sword, being able to cultivate a Low Xuan Dou Technique to the point of manifesting Dou Qi into a form, proved that Nalan Yanran truly possessed the talent that the Misty Cloud Sect valued.
Originally, Nalan Yanran did not want to use her High Class Qi Method to bully others, but the stakes Xiao Yan proposed made it impossible for her to afford to lose.
Xiao Yan watched Nalan Yanran and teased her with a smile, "Hold on, I forgot something."
"Are you going to take a pill?" Nalan Yanran frowned slightly. She was aware that some pills could temporarily grant the strength of a Dou Practitioner.
Xiao Yan ignored her and started rummaging through his pocket. Under the astonished gazes of the Ge Ye trio, he pulled out a golden star and pinned it on his chest in a leisurely manner.
They all knew what the golden star represented. It was the mark of a Dou Practitioner! This meant that Xiao Yan was already a 1-star Dou Practitioner!
When Xiao Yan took another golden star out of his pocket, Ge Ye's expression became unnatural. Surprisingly, Xiao Yan was a 2-star Dou Practitioner!
It was at this moment that Ge Ye noticed the mocking smiles on the faces of the Xiao Clan disciples, all of whom looked as if they were watching a joke unfold.
With a sinking feeling, a terrible suspicion dawned on Ge Ye, 'No, this can't be the case.'
Ge Ye's suspicion was confirmed when Xiao Yan reached into his pocket again.
'A three-star Dou Practitioner!!!'
Ge Ye and the other elder completely lost their composure when they saw those three dazzling stars!
When they first learned that Xiao Yan from Wu Tan City was a genius, they were dismissive. They believed that a 'genius' from such a remote small city, at the age of fourteen or fifteen, would at best reach the 9th-stage Dou Disciple. Perhaps with external aids, he might barely qualify as a Dou Practitioner.
They were wrong, they were dead wrong!
Why did Ge Ye and his companion heed a junior's request to come to Wu Tan City to annul an engagement? It was because Nalan Yanran had reached the 3-star Dou Practitioner stage just after turning seventeen, had been accepted as a disciple by Sect Leader Yun Yun, and was even expected to be groomed as the next Sect Leader.
The talent of a seventeen-year-old 3-star Dou Practitioner could essentially reach the Dou Emperor realm with sufficient resources.
Ge Ye himself was only a Dou Grandmaster. Above that rank were Dou Spirits, above Dou Spirits were Dou Kings, and only above Dou Kings were Dou Emperors! The gap between these two realms was as wide as the gap between the sky and the earth.
Simply put, they were currying favor with Nalan Yanran because they were optimistic about her future.
However, Nalan Yanran, who came from a prestigious clan where her grandfather Nalan Jie was a Dou King, had barely reached the 3-star Dou Practitioner stage with the aid of pills refined by the 6th-tier Alchemist, Pill King Gu He.
In the remote Wu Tan City, where likely not even a 2nd-tier Alchemist could be found, Xiao Yan's cultivation stage astonishingly matched Nalan Yanran's!
Wouldn't this comparison suggest that Xiao Yan's talent was far superior to Nalan Yanran's?!
At this moment, only one word filled Nalan Yanran's mind: incomprehensible!
What had happened to the world! Even in the history of the Misty Cloud Sect, it was extremely rare for a fourteen-year-old to reach the three-star Dou Practitioner stage. And now, such a genius from a remote small city!
She couldn't comprehend it.
It was at this moment that Ge Ye realized that the confident smile of the young man in front of him was based on real strength!
Xiao Yan's proposal of a duel wasn't to offer them a way out, but because he truly believed that Nalan Yanran couldn't withstand a single move from him.
He was for real!
The three golden stars reflected the light as Xiao Yan dusted off his clothes.
"Make your move. It's getting late."
Nalan Yanran found herself in a difficult position. If she gave in now, she could forget about inheriting her Master's mantle and becoming the next Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect. It might even shatter her mental state and affect her cultivation.
She took a deep breath to calm herself under everyone's watchful eyes. Her Master's advice echoed in her ears: be true to your heart.
The power of her Green Wood Sword suddenly increased.
Ge Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Nalan Yanran's Green Wood Sword. Putting the same stage aside, Nalan Yanran's Qi Method and Dou Techniques were top-notch under the guidance of the Sect Leader. In fights at the same stage, the Qi Method and Dou Technique used would be the deciding factors.
"Speaking of which, have you guys ever seen the Little Clan Leader fight before?"
"With the Little Clan Leader's cultivation, who would look for such a beating for no reason?"
"Although I heard that a few years ago, Cousin Xiao Yu chased the Little Clan Leader around the mountain wanting to fight. At that time, Cousin Xiao Yu had been cultivating for a longer period of time and had a slightly higher cultivation stage than the Little Clan Leader."
"It seems like there's really no matches of the same stage..."
Nalan Yanran's eyes snapped open and her gaze became sharp. She lunged forward with a swift stride that resembled an arrow being released. The wind sword in her hand thrust straight at Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan did not panic in the slightest in the face of this powerful Xuan Class Dou Technique attack. His Dou Qi instantly circulated throughout his body as he roared inwardly, 'Octane Blast: Elbow Strike.'
A powerful shockwave spread throughout the hall. One by one, flower pots and cups shattered as their aura erupted and their attacks collided.
The next moment, a delicate figure was sent flying out of the hall, crashing through the wooden doors with a loud bang.
Ge Ye had misjudged, yet again!