.
In the early morning hours, a thin, pale mist enveloped the summit of the back mountain, lingering for a long time. A gentle breeze suddenly brought the muffled sound of shattering stone.
Hidden in a small grove atop the hill, Xiao Yan retracted his right palm and surveyed the rubble before him. "Although this Eight Extreme Collapse is difficult to cultivate, its power is truly terrifying. If I could cultivate the Dark Energy as my cousin has described, I'm afraid it could truly rival the power of Earth-level fighting techniques, as described in the inscriptions."
Shaking the dust from his hands, Xiao Yan muttered to himself, "I wonder when my cousin will emerge from seclusion. With my current strength, I'm not sure if Elder Huo will be interested."
He pulled a piece of clothing from his storage ring and covered his exposed skin. At that moment, a familiar voice reached his ears. "Young Master Xiao Yan, the Yunlan Sect members will be arriving soon. The clan leader asked me to inform you to go to the reception room early."
"Is it almost noon already?" Xiao Yan muttered at the call of Butler Mo.
The Yunlan Sect's steward had delivered a visiting card yesterday, promising a visit to the Xiao family at noon today. Xiao Yan, the third young master of the Xiao family, was naturally aware of this.
While the card didn't mention the reason for the visit, the letter, written by Nalan Yanran herself, presumably concerned her engagement with Xiao Yan.
"Alright, I'll be right there," Xiao Yan replied, then activated his fighting skills and hurried towards the reception room.
Watching Xiao Yan's fleeing form, Butler Mo smiled lovingly, happy to see Xiao Yan's rise from his downfall.
A short while later, Xiao Yan arrived in the reception hall.
The guards greeted him with respectful greetings, "Young Master Xiao Yan."
With a simple nod, Xiao Yan entered. The
spacious hall was already quite crowded. At the top of the table sat three elderly men and a middle-aged man: Xiao Zhan, the head of the Xiao family, and three elders.
After taking the Soul-Breaking Pill, the three elders and Xiao Zhan successfully reached the Douling realm. They all appeared to have aged by over a decade.
Upon seeing Xiao Yan arrive, a faint smile crossed his face, and he pointed to a spot to his lower right. "Yan'er, you're here! Come and sit down here."
The other three elders also forced a smile at Xiao Yan. Now that Xiao Yan's talent had been restored and Xiao Ling had cultivated him diligently, he was the most prominent young member of the Xiao family, aside from Xiao Ling. Those who had previously looked down on Xiao Yan no longer dared to show him a cold shoulder.
They bowed to Xiao Zhan, saying, "Father." Xiao Yan nodded to the elders and sat down in the chairs prepared for him.
Although Xiao Yan had long since let go of the past, he still found it difficult to put on a friendly face to those who had previously mocked him.
The reason he and Yaoyue had made some friends outside of the Xiao family was mainly because Xiao Yan didn't have many friends his own age. Clan members of his age had mocked him for his inability to cultivate.
After settling into the chair, a maidservant quickly poured Xiao Yan a cup of tea.
Taking a sip, Xiao Yan pulled out "One Hundred Little Secrets of the Alchemist" and began to peruse it attentively.
The surrounding Xiao family members, observing this scene, cast envious glances. Everyone in the Xiao family knew that it was Xiao Ling who had cured Xiao Yan and held him in high regard. Not only had Xiao Yan reached the three-star Dou Zhe level, he had also become a first-grade alchemist. One pink-haired girl, in particular, had a look of regret on her face.
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"If I hadn't distanced myself from Xiao Yan back then, perhaps I could have broken through to the Douzhe realm by now." Xiao Mei looked at Xiao Yan with a complex expression, a mixture of emotions.
Before Xiao Yan lost his ability to cultivate, Xiao Mei had loved him and been his best friend. After Xiao Yan fell into disrepute, she distanced herself from him. After Xiao Yan regained his reputation as a genius, she tried to rekindle their relationship, but because she had already hurt him, he ignored her.
Xiao Yan seemed to sense the gaze and glanced in the direction it was directed. Seeing it was Xiao Mei, he retracted his gaze and returned to his reading.
Just then, a young woman in a purple dress entered the reception hall. Rubbing her amethyst eyes, Zi Yan yawned. "Hurry up, I'm going to bed soon," she
said, and sat down in the chair to Xiao Zhan's right.
Xiao Zhan scratched his head sheepishly. The invitation said that Yun Yun, the leader of the Yunlan Sect, would also be attending. Since Xiao Ling was currently cultivating, he had no choice but to ask Zi Yan to come and keep things under control.
Zi Yan hadn't originally planned to come, but after hearing it was related to the disciple Xiao Ling had chosen for Elder Huo, and after Xiao Zhan had asked three times, she agreed.
A moment later, the guards at the gate arrived to report, "Clan leader, elders, the Yunlan Sect has arrived."
Upon hearing the guard's report, Xiao Zhan smiled and gestured to the elders, "Hurry up and greet them. Sect Master Yun will be here in person today, so please don't be disrespectful."
The elders nodded, stood up, and headed out of the hall.
Zi Yan, who had been squinting, sensed a Dou Huang aura approaching. She patted her cheeks, forcing herself to perk up.
Although Zi Yan didn't care about these things, she couldn't let others look down on Xiao Ling's family.
Not long after the elders left, they entered the reception hall with several middle-aged men in moon-white robes.
Following closely behind them was a woman dressed in a tight-fitting brocade robe inlaid with gold and purple. Her aura was noble, like a glittering pearl. Behind her was a cool, beautiful, and charming young woman in a moon-white robe, like a blooming snow lotus.
Several elderly men in front, engaged in heated conversation, seemed to be deliberately avoiding the two behind them. However, it was precisely because of the presence of the moon-white-robed elder that the atmosphere between the Xiao family and the Yunlan Sect's guests remained somewhat relaxed.
Upon seeing the Yunlan Sect's guests enter the hall, Xiao Zhan stood up from his seat and bowed to the elegant woman. "I believe this must be Sect Master Yun. I've long heard of you. Please take a seat."
"You're too polite, Patriarch Xiao. I apologize for Yun Yun coming uninvited." Yun Yun's face remained calm, and she nodded slightly in response.
After looking around, he didn't see Xiao Ling and breathed a sigh of relief. "It seems the intelligence was correct. Xiao Ling is in seclusion now."
He then turned his gaze to Zi Yan beside Xiao Zhan. "This must be Miss Zi Yan. At such a young age, she has already cultivated to the peak of Dou Wang. She is worthy of being a genius of Canaan Academy."
(End of this chapter)