Returning to the Clan Test Part 4 Ruo Ling's Eyes Opened

Striking she attacked him with her whip. The look of distaste in Xiao Yan's eyes was not without cause. The woman had neither the strength nor the control to make the whip really deadly.

Basically wasting her time with the thing. The few strikes she made didn't pose an overall threat at all. Strike after strike was missed as Xiao Yan gauged the overall control further and possibly damage that could be caused if full power was added in.

*Crack!* With a grab and a twist of the wrist once fed up, Xiao Yan flooded the whip with his dou-qi and destroyed it in an instant. Ruo Ling was smart enough to let go to prevent backlash to herself.

A spark of blue-white lightning barely missed jumping onto her hand. Instinct radiating danger at the highest level to the teacher.

"Tch!" She felt pressure in front of her as Xiao Yan struck with his sword quickly. If not for her eyes tracing it barely, she would not have known until it was to late. 'Why is it so quiet?'

In the immediate vicinity, the very "Sound" was eaten away by the Metal Seed. This lead to a disorienting time for the none combat teacher. Even footfalls were missing as Xiao Yan slipped from her immediate view.

"Fast!" Ruo Ling whipped around as that was the standard location a person would attack from when they had superior speed. 'Not there!?' She turned back around pulling her sword out to defend with.

Using her water defenses, she was ready for anything. Or so she thought at first.

*Bang!* A solid blow delivered to the side caused the woman to almost topple over. Her body was soft and she had no armor to speak of. The hit to her kidney left her gasping for air.

'Right through my Water Mirror!' Alarmed her defense was nothing, she knew that was only possible if her opponent was that much stronger than her. 'A Grandmaster at this age... absurd!' She couldn't believe that so simply.

"Pathetic." Xiao Yan didn't think she was this bad until now. "Is that all you can offer me?" He even put the Thundergod Meteorite Sword away as it would not even get a small test from her. He would really have to wait until dealing with the Lion in the forest at this rate to understand more of the cultivation level compared to previously.

"Insolent brat!" Ruo Ling, who was more of her Light novel counterpart and not the graphic novel counterpart as he was finding out, did not like being toyed with. Looked down on even more so by him. "I won't hold back anymore!"

*Woosh!* A water dragon appeared and swept Xiao Yan up. Before she could cheer to herself mentally, the water froze then shattered in an instant. The use of Blizzard and Ice Divine Sparks gave him more than enough control against her weaker dou-qi.

"You held back against me... I am insulted." Xiao Yan frowned playfully. With a wave of his hand, he took control of the ice pieces with his dou-qi. "You are nowhere near strong enough to do something like that. You have to pay for your arrogance. A teacher should be humble afterall."

With a flick of the wrist, the ice pieces shot out and cut the woman up all over. Some piercing deep into her abdomen broke past her dou-qi shield of water easily than his blow earlier.

"Teacher!" Xiao Yu didn't think it would go like this at all. She was going to jump in but was locked down by Xiao Mei and the others exerting their pressure on her. "Senior brothers, help me!"

Turning to the one still embedded in the wall, she started to wonder if he was ever going to pull himself out. And for her other senior brother Wan, he dared not make a move.

He was both captivated by Xun Er and terrified of the Snow Demon Ape that stared at him provokingly.

"Ha..ha.." Ruo Ling barely stood on her feet and could barely keep her eyes open. The blood loss she experienced was not something she could afford at her current level. "I have no choice...."

Her pride would not let her give up so easily. Her blood mixed with her water dou-qi as it levitated outward. She used her Aqua Eel Torando once more but broke the confines of its level with the use of her blood.

'If he is really a Grandmaster that obtained it from medicine? If so, his cultivation will be shallow and easy to break through!' Ruo Ling's eyes were hard as either way Xiao Yan would be a good student. "What!?"

*Woosh!* As the eel came at him, Xiao Yan smiled as he reached out. His palms caught fire as he burned the attack into mist with ease. The blue white flame warped the air as he took a step and made to punch out.

"She gives up!" Xiao Yu shouted fiercely as she broke through the pressure holding her down. She shielded her teacher and paid for it immediately. "Kuk!" A fist covered in flames ripped through her chest cavity and still struck her teacher. "Ughh!"

"No..." Ruo Ling muttered that final word as she gave into exhaustion and was hit by the blowback.

"Well.. that was interesting to say the least." Xiao Yan pulled his arm out of both of them. The blood pulled towards the Metal Seed for refinement. The dou-qi of Ruo Ling was not that bad. "Xiao Mei, have some see to their injuries. I can't have my maid dying like this. It would set such a bad example."

"Right!" Xiao Mei blinked then carried out the order quickly. "Which medicine to use though?" She was nervous the same as the others as they were still studying First Aid.

"Just use your dou-qi to keep them alive." Xiao Yan instructed. He moved over to get the other out of the wall and barely resisted the urge to feed him to the Red Wolves. Going through the pockets, he found some funds to pay for the damage to the wall on him. "Such little problems.. ah well."

Xun Er shook her head in dismay. She was happy no one died but she was a little bothered by him getting the older woman as a maid.

A few elders of the Mitre Family swallowed hard having seen the exchange. They definitely did not want to be on the receiving end of his fist. Happy they were on his side, they gave Ya Fei a grateful look.

'Master is so gifted and experienced.' The newest pupil of Xiao Yan was falling for him which was not good at all. Shaking her head, she thought about what woman could deal with him and compared herself to someone she never met. 'The Dark Moon Family is important to Master, maybe I can find a way to help them faster some how?'

Ya Fei was already a brilliant young woman, she just lacked personal power. However that was changing by the day. If her grandfather got back to her, things would go smoothly.

.

Later-

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When Ruo Ling woke up, she was both ashamed of losing and the danger she brought to her student who jumped in front of her. Astonishment came as felt she was stronger and fully healed from such a dangerous blow.

Just ached a little.

"You took awhile to wake up, your physical body.. is pathetic. But very beautiful at least. You must share your "upkeep" secrets." Xiao Yan sipped his drink while lazing in his chair nearby. Ruo Ling did not have a body that he would dare put his wife in. To weak. "Anyway, as my maid."

"Maid?" Remembering the bet, she immediately flushed in embarrassment. "Surely you won't hold me to that?" A teacher of the Jia Nan Academy the made of a young man would have terrible implications.

"Of course I will." Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you not a woman of your word?" Relecucantly, she nodded as quiet a few witnesses had heard the agreement to the bet.

"What do you want me to do master?"

"Take care of my disciples at Jia Nan Academy. They will attend to broaden their horizons, not play in the little political bullshit that is there. You will also become a better cultivator compared to what you are now. So embarrassing your use of the whip to fight with." Xiao Yan tossed a manual he wrote up to her. "This sword manual, learn it."

Flipping the pages, Ruo Ling was at a loss for words as her hands started to tremble. She did not miss him getting up and walking to the door in the slight daze.

"Master Xiao Yan.." It was almost painful to say the words but she would have to play this game until she had a chance to get out of the bet. "It would benefit yourself and the Xiao clan to put you down as at least a student in name. Jia Nan Academy does carry some weight in the empire."

He didn't want to bust her bubble by telling her it didn't. The academy was damn near a joke to most. Only a few small towns and clans thought it was something.

"If it helps, you don't have to call me master in public. I can see how that may cause you trouble for now. But make sure you straighten those who came with you out. They better not cause trouble for my people that are going with you."

As the woman nodded repeatedly, she noticed Xiao Yu was wrapped in bandages. The girl had jumped in front to save her and paid for it greatly. A check showed she was fine and would wake soon.

'How will I explain all of this when I get back?' Ruo Ling did not waste to much time as the manual she was given pulled her attention. 'Where did he gets this from!?'

If Ruo Ling allowed others to find out about the book, it would only bring trouble her way. Which was ok by Xiao Yan. More bodies for him to refine to get back to his former strength.

"Brother Xiao Yan," Xu Er heard what he said to Ruo Ling and was happy nothing else occurred. She wanted to pick his mind about what he planned on doing next. "are you heading out already?"

"Not just yet, a few visits here and there." He paused for a bit, then turned to the girl. "Are you showing an interest or still want to remain here?"

"I will go to Jia Nan Academy to broaden my horizons, plus I am sure you wouldn't leave your students there unattended for to long." Xu Er could tell enough that he cared about them more than the regular Xiao Clan members, so it was better to stay close to them instead. "The academy has a few things that interest me after all."

"Heh, same as myself the more I think about it." Xiao Yan walked off as he made the rounds as needed.