"Master Xiao Ming!"
Seeing Xiao Ming arrive, Hai Bodong, as well as Jia Xing Tian, had smiles on their faces as they greeted.
"Ice Emperor, Elder Jia." After landing on top of a giant tree with the girls, Xiao Ming greeted them and lightly nodded his head to the two of them.
During this small moment, Xiao Ming's eyes lingered on the two of them for a moment, giving both Hai Bodong and Jia Xing Tian a sense of being seen through.
'A Dou Ancestor powerhouse is truly terrifying!' They both thought.
"Your strength has greatly improved, Ice Emperor." Xiao Ming did not mention the matter that Jia Xing Tian's strength was still stuck at the Dou Emperor peak. Since he failed to break through, he must be in a bad mood, so it was better not to be rubbing salt in the wound.
"Haha, this is also thanks to Master Xiao Ming's pills, otherwise, I don't know how many years it would have taken me to reach this realm." Hai Bodong laughed.
"It's just a transaction, there's no need to express gratitude."
"Sure there is..."
As the two of them chatted, Jia Xing Tian soon joined the conversation.
The three of them hadn't chatted for a long time when Jia Xing Tian brought up the request that he wanted Xiao Ming to refine a Zong Breaking Pill for him again.
Xiao Ming still had a few Zong Breaking Pills in his hand, which he had refined in passing when he was helping the Elders of the Jia Nan Academy in emergencies.
However, most of the Jia Nan Academy's Peak Dou Emperor Elders were lucky, and only one of them needed two Zong Breaking Pills, so Xiao Ming still had a few pills left in his hand.
Therefore, upon Jia Xing Tian's request, Xiao Ming willingly agreed, not to help him refine it, but to sell it to him directly.
The two did not discuss the details of the transaction, after all, it was not a good time to talk about it.
After Xiao Ming had chatted with Hai Bodong and Jia Xing Tian, Nalan Jie as well as Yun Yun flew towards their direction.
"Master Xiao Ming, I didn't think you would really care to come to this event!" Nalan Jie was the first to speak.
Xiao Ming glanced sideways at Nalan Jie and frowned slightly. "Elder Nalan, how come there are so many people here today?"
Although he understood what was going on, Xiao Ming still had yet to ask about it.
Nalan Jie showed a bitter smile. The Misty Cloud Sect did not send out any invitations to the public.
The fact that so many people came this time actually had to do with the fact that his Nalan family had not done a good job of keeping the secret at first. Later, since they couldn't keep it, they just bluntly unveiled it.
Of course, much of the reason why so many people actually came had something to do with the fact that Xiao Ming would appear here, but Nalan Jie would not say that. Instead, he apologized to Xiao Ming.
"So sorry, this is caused by the lax discipline of my family members..."
Xiao Ming did not continue with the topic, and Yun Yun, who had arrived at his side, hurried to change the subject.
"The arrival of Master Xiao Ming and these two ladies has really made our Misty Cloud Sect shine," Yun Yun approached Xiao Ming with a smile, casting a curious glance at the two white-clad women standing next to him.
She had seen the smaller one before during her first meeting with Xiao Ming at the Xiao Clan and couldn't understand why her appearance had not changed in the past few years.
As for the other woman, the situation was even more puzzling - wasn't she a mere Dou Master the last time she saw her? How did she become a Dou Ancestor like Xiao Ming?
What had Xiao Ming fed her to make her strength increase so much?
Hearing Yun Yun's greeting, Zi Yan merely turned to look but quickly lost interest.
Xiao Yi Xian, on the other hand, returned the greeting with a gentle smile and reached out to take Xiao Ming's hand.
"I wonder when your clan member, Xiao Yan, will arrive?" After sharing a few more courtesies with Xiao Ming, Yun Yun asked curiously.
"I don't really know."
Xiao Ming's blunt reply stunned the crowd, weren't they from the same Clan? Why didn't you know? Didn't he approach you?
Xiao Yan had not visited Xiao Ming again since he had left his mansion that day.
Xiao Ming hadn't gone to look for him either, so naturally, it was impossible for him to know what exact time Xiao Yan would appear.
It was just that no one else knew this.
Noticing that Xiao Ming did not seem to be joking, Yun Yun nodded slightly and offered to the crowd on the tree peaks, "In that case, why don't you all take a seat while you wait?"
"No need, this place has a very wide view, I think it's fine." Hai Bodong, from the peak of a nearby tree, was the first to refuse.
Jia Xing Tian also followed suit and shook his head, and Xiao Ming also did not agree.
As Hai Bodong had said, this area was in an excellent location, so there was really no need to move.
"This... is fine."
Since Xiao Ming and the others didn't want to move, Yun Yun wouldn't force them.
However, she also did not return to the Misty Cloud Sect's stone platforms but stayed beside Xiao Ming to accompany them, this was a way to show the importance her Misty Cloud Sect placed on Xiao Ming and his group.
Time passed slowly and the scorching sun had reached the center of the square.
Just when some were getting impatient to wait.
The faint sound of footsteps echoed throughout the square, causing a subtle change in the quiet atmosphere. All the disciples of the Misty Cloud Sect open their eyes and fix their gaze on the source of the footsteps, the stone steps.
Nalan Yanran, sitting on the stone platform, also opens her bright eyes, her gaze directed at the same spot.
Finally, a black-robed figure appears, carrying a huge black ruler on his back.
The figure ascends the last few steps with ease, under the watchful eyes of nearly a thousand people in the square. The teenager calmly scans the crowd, pausing briefly on Xiao Ming before finally settling on the beautiful woman at the top of the stone platform.
A day ago, Yao Lao had personally refined a pill for him, causing him to break through once again and enter the Dou Grandmaster realm.
Today he would definitely prove that he, Xiao Yan, was not a waste!
"Xiao Yan of the Xiao Clan is here for the three-year agreement!"
Hundreds of Misty Cloud Sect disciples looked at this black-robed young man with a curious look in their eyes.
Back then, after the so-called three-year agreement had spread within the Sect, everyone had taken Xiao Yan's arrogance as a joke, a three-star Dou Disciple brat actually wanted to hang onto their Little Sect Leader!
Although his clan was really powerful and had produced a Xiao Ming, Xiao Yan was not Xiao Ming.
Xiao Yan's realm, a three-star Dou Disciple, eliminated all possibilities. There was no way the Misty Cloud Sect would allow their Little Sect Leader to marry such a waste. Otherwise, if their powerful future Sect Leader's husband was an ordinary person in the three-star Dou Disciple realm, there was no telling how many people would laugh at them if word got out.
However, no one said anything at this moment, they just silently watched and observed.
Many people looked at Xiao Yan, who had a calm demeanor, and changed their opinion of him a little.
This person didn't seem to be a waste like the rumors said!
Yun Yun retracted her gaze from Xiao Yan and felt slightly puzzled, compared to three years ago, Xiao Yan's strength seemed to have improved greatly and was not the same previous three-star Dou Disciple existence.
However, since Yanran didn't have feelings for him, the Misty Cloud Sect saw no need to compromise their Little Sect Leader's happiness by arranging a marriage with someone she didn't like, even if that person had the potential to become a powerhouse.
"Master Xiao Ming, is that one over there a member of your clan? His strength seems to be good." Jia Xing Tian remarked as he looked at Xiao Yan with surprise in his eyes from atop a giant tree.
"He was never a waste; he was just deceived by an old man," Xiao Ming replied indifferently. Xiao Yan's talent was at the peak of the Jia Ma Empire, and there was nothing more to say about it.
Beside them, Nalan Jie looked at Xiao Ming and then at Xiao Yan before finally sighing.
On the stone platform, Nalan Yanran slowly stood up. Her delicate body was as straight as a proud swan, and her bright eyes fixed on Xiao Yan. Her voice was calm and steady as the latter.
"Nalan Yanran of the Nalan Clan, I have been waiting for a long time."