Upon Zhou Changqing's arrival, the other invited experts rose and clasped their hands in greeting.
"Master Zhou, please have a seat."
"It's been a few days, Brother Zhou. You look as radiant as ever."
"..."
"Heh, a pleasure to see you all," Zhou Changqing replied with a smile, returning the gesture.
He was no stranger to those present, having met them during the final round of the Alchemist Grand Meeting. Among them were Fa Ma, the president of the Alchemist Association; Jia Xingtian, the Ancestor of the Jia Ma Imperial Family; Mu Chen, the patriarch of the Mu Clan; and Mu Zhan, whom he had personally taught a lesson.
Teng Shan, however, was absent. It seemed Hai Bodong was representing the Mittel Clan in his stead.
As for Gu He, Zhou Changqing didn't see him anywhere. He wondered why the Pill King hadn't appeared as he did in the original story. He was unaware that, due to his own influence, Gu He was still busy arranging the promised compensation for Yan Shi and Feng Li, as well as treating Feng Li's injuries, and had not yet returned to the Imperial Capital.
If Gu He had been present and laid eyes on Zhou Changqing and Medusa, he likely would have jumped out of his skin on the spot.
After a few pleasantries, Zhou Changqing led Medusa to a pair of empty seats to await the start of the three-year agreement.
At the far end of the right-hand row, Mu Zhan, who stood behind a stone chair, instinctively flinched at the sight of Zhou Changqing, his body trembling slightly.
To this day, he had not forgotten the experience of being suppressed by the man, an ordeal that had nearly cost him his life. The memory had become an indelible shadow upon his heart; whenever he recalled it, he felt a suffocating pressure.
Seated in the stone chair, Mu Chen, the patriarch of the Mu Clan, who bore a slight resemblance to his grandson and was dressed in similar attire, sensed the boy's tremor. He shook his head, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. The matter was long over. So he'd been taught a lesson—when had a man of the Mu Clan become so fragile?
"It seems I'll have to send this useless brat back to the border for a few more years of training," he thought to himself.
Time passed, minute by minute, until the sun reached its zenith.
Just as many of the Yunlan Sect disciples were growing impatient, whispering among themselves about whether their challenger had lost his nerve and wouldn't dare to show, a faint footstep echoed from below.
The experts, with their heightened senses, heard it instantly and turned their gazes toward the grand staircase.
The footsteps grew louder, clearer.
Soon, a figure emerged from the bottom of the stairs.
It was Xiao Yan, the Heavy Xuan Ruler strapped to his back.
Stepping onto the grand plaza, Xiao Yan's gaze swept across the crowd, taking in the members of the Yunlan Sect and the powerful figures from the Jia Ma Empire who had come to bear witness. His eyes paused for a moment on Zhou Changqing before finally settling on a graceful figure.
She stood on a solitary stone platform, below the elders' seats but above those of the deacons, clad in a moon-white robe. Her face was beautiful and poised.
She was none other than the other party to the agreement.
Nalan Yanran.
Nalan Yanran, who had been resting with her arms crossed and a sword in her embrace, opened her eyes. She stared at the familiar yet far more mature face at the far end of the plaza.
In the next instant, her body leaned forward. With a light push of her feet, she soared from the stone platform. She twisted and turned in mid-air, leaving behind several faint, cyan Dou Qi afterimages before landing gracefully in the center of the plaza.
The two stood facing each other, a complex mix of emotions and a steely resolve reflected in their eyes.
Looking at the woman before him, Xiao Yan felt a ripple of emotion in his heart. Three years ago, this woman had arrived at the Xiao Clan with an air of superiority and, in front of all his clansmen, had unilaterally announced the annulment of their engagement without any warning.
She had even used the might of the Yunlan Sect to intimidate them.
He still remembered the flushed, enraged expression on his father's face upon hearing the news, his hands trembling with fury. He remembered the mocking, gossiping gazes of his fellow clansmen.
For the sake of his father's honor, he had forged the three-year agreement with this woman.
Because of that promise, he had trained relentlessly for three years, enduring countless dangers.
Perhaps he no longer hated her, but the humiliation his father had suffered had to be repaid.
His three years of cultivation had all been for this day.
If he lost today, all his hard work would be for naught, and the defeat would become a knot in his heart, a stumbling block on his future path of cultivation.
Therefore, this battle was one he had to win.
"Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan!" His mind now calm, his eyes filled with nothing but the will to win, Xiao Yan spoke with a placid voice.
Nalan Yanran also suppressed her complicated feelings, her expression turning cold. "Nalan Clan, Nalan Yanran!"
Seeing that Xiao Yan had arrived, Yun Leng, the First Elder, sized him up for a moment. His expression remained neutral, and he didn't even bother to stand. "So, you are Xiao Yan?" he began slowly.
Without waiting for a response, he continued, "I am Yun Leng, First Elder of the Yunlan Sect. The Sect Leader has not yet returned, so this three-year agreement will be presided over by this old man. This match is intended as a spar, so you should stop when a victor is decided..."
"Life and death will be decided by fate."
The calm, soft words cut Yun Leng off. Xiao Yan didn't even glance at him; his eyes remained fixed on Nalan Yanran, as if awaiting her answer.
For some reason, Nalan Yanran found his composed gaze strangely familiar. Brushing the thought aside, she gave a slight nod. "As you wish," she replied coolly.
Interrupted, Yun Leng's brow furrowed in displeasure. He waved a hand dismissively. "Young man, it is wise to leave some leeway. But since you insist, then life and death... shall be decided by fate."
"I have arrived as promised for our three-year agreement. Today, let us settle the grudges of the past. It is time for you... to return the humiliation you brought upon my Xiao Clan!" Xiao Yan's world had narrowed to Nalan Yanran. He gripped the hilt of the Heavy Xuan Ruler, drew it with a powerful whoosh that stirred the air, and spoke with deliberate force.
Nalan Yanran was not to be outdone. She raised her sword to her chest and unsheathed it. "My marriage is my own to decide," she replied coolly. "Three years have passed, and I still do not believe I was wrong. Perhaps my methods were improper, but if I had to do it again, I would make the same choice."
"Heh. Let's fight, Nalan Yanran!" Xiao Yan sneered, offering no further debate. An explosive surge of cyan Dou Qi erupted from his body. He stomped a foot, and his figure shot forward like a cannonball, a blur of motion streaking toward the woman opposite him.
Nalan Yanran held no trace of contempt for him. The moment Xiao Yan charged, she, too, unleashed her Dou Qi, becoming a phantom image that rushed to meet him.
In an instant, the two figures clashed in the center of the plaza.
Clang!
The massive ruler and the longsword collided.
A terrifying gale of Dou Qi-infused wind exploded from the point of impact, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The battle had officially begun.
Everyone present watched with rapt attention.
Yun Leng and the other Yunlan Sect elders frowned as they observed the evenly matched fight.
"This Xiao Yan... he has indeed recovered his former talent. From the looks of it, his strength is no less than that of the Yanran girl."
"Indeed. And for some reason, the young man gives me a sense of familiarity."
"Heh, so you feel it too?"
"Heh heh, old man Nalan, it seems your clan has suffered a great loss this time. Xiao Yan's strength and temperament are likely unmatched by any of the younger generation in the Imperial Capital."
"Alas..."
Listening to the discussion between Jia Xingtian and the others, a faint smile played on Zhou Changqing's lips.
Xiao Yan was currently wielding the Heavy Xuan Ruler, which suppressed his Dou Qi. Combined with his deliberate concealment, his displayed strength was only that of a two-star Dou Grandmaster.
He was rather looking forward to the expressions on these old men's faces when Xiao Yan revealed his true power—and his identity as Yan Xiao.
Heh, this was, after all, one of his foster son's most legendary grandstanding moments.