In the blink of an eye, less than a month passed, and the day of the Three-Year Agreement finally arrived. Xiao Yan did not alarm anyone; he left quietly on his own and slowly made his way toward Yunlan Sect. As for the others, he left them behind in a residence provided by the Miteer Auction House.
To ensure no one caused trouble today, Xiao Yan had gone all out the previous night—draining Xiao Yixian and the others until they couldn't get out of bed. Only then did he stop. Xun'er, Qing Tan, and Lin Jing were spared, but since they had to take care of the exhausted Zi Yan and the others, they remained behind as well.
In truth, even if Xiao Yan hadn't done that, Zi Yan and the others had no intention of joining him. They didn't need to. From their perspective, this battle was utterly boring—there was no suspense at all.
They couldn't even understand why Xiao Yan insisted on going. With Nalan Yanran's strength, reaching the Da Dou Shi level would already be her limit. Forget beating Xiao Yan—even his youngest disciple could crush her with ease.
Even if Xiao Yan had stood still and made no progress over these three years, he would still be powerful enough to destroy Yunlan Sect with a wave of his hand. There was no point in attending this duel. But instead of standing still, he had advanced so rapidly that anyone would be left speechless.
After condensing the Temporal Ancestral Symbol, Xiao Yan began the process of reviving Xiao Xuan. Relying on the symbol's reversal power, he succeeded. Once Xiao Xuan was revived, Xiao Yan handed him the Ancient Emperor's inheritance. Right now, Xiao Xuan was in the Heavenly Tomb, refining its power, preparing to break through to Dou Di.
During this period, Xiao Yan wasn't idle. While waiting for the duel, he moved through the imperial capital. Disguised as Yan Xiao, he cured the poison afflicting Nalan Jie. Then he participated in the Alchemy Conference, easily defeating Yan Li of the Chu Yun Empire and taking the championship.
All of these events mirrored what he had done during the Path of Reincarnation—he followed the steps exactly. It wasn't out of boredom or kindness. It was all to lay the groundwork for Nalan Yanran's complete psychological collapse. As he had once said: he would shatter the pride of this arrogant noble daughter and drive her into mental breakdown.
When Xiao Yan stepped onto the final stair of the duel platform, countless gazes turned toward him from all corners of the square. Yet his face remained calm and composed. A scene like this was nothing to someone who had weathered countless storms. He raised his head and stared at the girl across from him, speaking blandly.
"Xiao Yan of the Xiao Family, here to fulfill the Three-Year Agreement."
His voice was calm, but on the central high platform, Yun Yun's expression flickered with panic the moment she saw him. In this life, Xiao Yan had never stormed the Mo Clan or unleashed Buddha's Wrath: Reincarnation. Yun Yun hadn't discovered the Heart of the Ocean Armor fragment, so she had no reason to abandon the Three-Year Agreement as she once had. As a result, she had taken Yun Leng's original place and sat as sect leader.
The moment she saw Xiao Yan, she recognized him as the "Mo Han" she had met in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. She had thought him long dead—she had even searched the mountains in grief. Yet now he stood before her, alive and well… and he was actually the very same Xiao Yan who had once been engaged to Nalan Yanran!
"Do you think Senior Sister Nalan can win?" someone in the crowd whispered.
"Hard to say," another disciple replied, shaking his head. "Although Senior Sister Nalan has improved a lot these past three years, that young master of the Xiao Family was already at the Dou Shi level three years ago. He couldn't have been stagnant all this time. He should at least be a Da Dou Shi by now—maybe even a Dou Ling."
Hearing that, many fell silent. A Dou Shi at fourteen, and a Dou Ling by seventeen? That kind of talent surpassed even the legendary founder of Yunlan Sect. How could Nalan Yanran possibly defeat him?
"Don't worry," someone else tried to comfort them. "That Xiao Yan may have talent, but he comes from a small clan. He probably doesn't know many advanced Dou Techniques. But Senior Sister Nalan is the direct disciple of the Sect Leader. She's learned many high-level skills. If they really fight, the outcome isn't guaranteed."
But even the one saying that wasn't convinced. With Xiao Yan's level of talent, any major faction would've treated him as a core disciple and given him everything. Take Jia Nan Academy for example—they recruited from Wu Tan City every year. If Xiao Yan had joined them, would he have lacked Dou Techniques?
"Seriously, why would Senior Sister Nalan break off an engagement with such a perfect future husband?" a female disciple asked. Xiao Yan was not only handsome but absurdly talented. What more could one want in a husband? Why had she rejected him?
"Uh… I heard that after breaking through to Dou Zhe, he left to train and vanished for years. Thinking he was dead, she went to break off the engagement. But he came back that same day, and when he heard about it, he dumped her instead. She was furious and challenged him to this Three-Year Duel."
"That… sounds like Senior Sister brought this on herself."
"Shh! Don't talk so much. Just watch."
Across from Xiao Yan, Nalan Yanran stared at him—at that calm, expressionless black-haired youth. For some reason, a wave of fear surged up in her heart. She suddenly realized that maybe… this agreement she had made in a fit of rage three years ago had been a terrible mistake.
Still, she was the young sect master of Yunlan Sect. She forcibly suppressed her emotions. Cowardice before battle was not her way.
She drew her sword and pointed it diagonally at Xiao Yan, her voice cold.
"Xiao Yan, I know you're exceptionally gifted. But for the past three years, I have trained day and night—just to surpass you, to defeat you, and to wipe away the humiliation you brought me!"
At this moment, Nalan Yanran brimmed with confidence. Over the past three years, she had progressed from Dou Zhe to Da Dou Shi. Her speed had astonished even the elders of Yunlan Sect. She believed that while Xiao Yan was talented, he came from a weak clan. He couldn't possibly have reached the Dou Ling level in three years.
And indeed, Xiao Yan wasn't at the Dou Ling level anymore.
He was a Dou Di.
Technically speaking, "Da Dou Shi" had one more word than "Dou Di." Nalan Yanran still had the advantage in name.
"Oh? So you do understand the word 'humiliation'?" Xiao Yan's lips curved faintly. "Then three years ago, when you brought people to my Xiao Family to pressure my father into canceling the engagement—did you think about what kind of humiliation you were giving us?"
"Your humiliation counts, but mine doesn't?"
"Three years have passed, yet you're still just as immature. Just as self-righteous."
(End of Chapter)
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