"I've been observing and tempering this kid's character for over two years, and I was just about to take him as my disciple. How did a fiancée suddenly pop up?"
"With a fiancée, doesn't that mean he now has a weakness?"
Yao Chen had a bit of a headache, unsure whether he should proceed with his plan.
Just then, he heard Xiao Yan speak. "If my talent returns and I can cultivate and increase my strength again, I will definitely find the truth for you."
"If a Dou King isn't enough, then I'll become a Dou Emperor. If a Dou Emperor isn't enough, I'll become a Dou Ancestor."
An extreme desire for strength, along with a stubborn determination to cultivate and grow stronger, erupted in Xiao Yan's eyes.
Catching this emotion, Yao Chen was greatly astonished. He couldn't understand why an "ant" who had never seen the vastness of the world would possess such ambition.
If Gu Han knew his thoughts, he would surely tell him that cultivating to seek the Dao was an obsession and an Eastern romance rooted deep in the souls of all descendants of Yan and Huang.
There was no chance on Earth, but having come to a world where one could cultivate, it would be a disservice to his status as a transmigrator not to see the view from the very top.
As for what level was considered high, it would at least have to be a realm where one could physically return to Earth!
After all, returning to one's hometown without achieving success is like wearing brocade at night!
"Regardless, it's a good thing to have this kind of ambition and goal," Yao Chen sighed in relief.
"Then, Brother Xiao Yan." Nalan Yanyun changed her form of address for Xiao Yan and even took the initiative to reach out and hold his hand. "Let's go back. We shouldn't keep the elders waiting. There will be plenty of time to get familiar with the Xiao Family."
As she spoke, Nalan Yanyun broke into a smile, her little face blushing slightly, making her seem a bit shy.
A young girl's blush speaks louder than any words. Xiao Yan's cheeks and ears also turned red, and he felt dizzy as if he had drunk too much.
But he didn't let go of Nalan Yanyun's hand. Instead, he clasped it back, and the two walked resolutely toward the Xiao Family's main discussion hall.
"Hiss!"
When Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanyun returned to the hall in such an intimate manner, Gu Han, who opened his eyes and saw everything, suspected that something had gone wrong with his cultivation and he was hallucinating due to Qi deviation.
The future Yan Di was taken down just like that!?
This Nalan Yanyun is really something!
"Good, good, good."
His gaze fell on Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanyun's joined hands. What else was there for Xiao Zhan not to understand? He felt greatly gratified.
Even if his youngest son remained a good-for-nothing forever, he would still live a better life than most ordinary people.
"Brother Xiao, we truly had the foresight to discuss the engagement in advance," Nalan Su said, also extremely satisfied.
Thus, everyone was happy, and it was a good outcome for all involved.
"Yan Er, Yanyun, the engagement will be in seven days. I will invite all the prominent figures in Wu Tan City to the family. Do you have any objections?" Xiao Zhan asked with a smile.
"We will follow Father's (Uncle Xiao's) arrangements," Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanyun replied in unison.
"Good, very good." Xiao Zhan's eyes grew a little moist.
It was unclear whether he was thinking of his deceased wife or was finally relieved about his youngest son's future.
In any case, the matter of the engagement was settled. The remaining tasks would naturally be handled by Xiao Zhan and the family.
Nalan Yanyun was a genuine Dou Fighter, her grandfather was a Dou King, her maternal family was the Nalan Family, and her older cousin was the Young Sect Master of the Cloud Mist Sect.
With this kind of status and background, the entire Xiao Family would not be careless in this matter.
Even if they didn't want to bask in the glory, it would be unpleasant if they incurred the Nalan Family's dissatisfaction.
The marriage contract was thus settled, and for now, everyone seemed very satisfied.
Xiao Zhan had people make preparations to host the Nalan Family party with great ceremony.
The Xiao Family also made no effort to hide this news, spreading it directly.
"Nalan Yanyun?"
At the Miteer Auction House, Ya Fei, who was the first to receive the news, showed a look of surprise, but after some thought, she nodded in approval.
"For Miss Yanyun to marry this Third Young Master of the Xiao Family is indeed something that will make everyone involved happy."
"Uncle Gu Ni, I imagine the Xiao Family's invitation will arrive soon. In seven days, we must prepare a generous gift."
"The Xiao Family, after all, has the foundation left by a Dou King, and now they are allied with the Nalan Family through marriage. We do indeed need to pay them more attention," Master Gu Ni nodded in agreement.
Ya Fei didn't respond. She was now more curious about Gu Han. "A genius from the Cloud Mist Sect, and with an ice attribute, perhaps..."
When the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families received the news, their first reaction was disbelief.
But when the Xiao Family sent people to deliver the invitations, they had no choice but to believe it, and for a time, their brows were furrowed with worry.
The Xiao Family's ancestral home was in Wu Tan City. Later, after making their fortune, they moved to the imperial capital to develop. At that time, the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families were obedient subordinate families.
But after the Xiao Family suffered a mishap and a group of the old, weak, sick, and disabled returned to Wu Tan City to develop, the two families chose to backstab them.
Unexpectedly, today the Xiao Family was going to form a marriage alliance with the Nalan Family.
"Prepare a generous gift, prepare a generous gift immediately!"
They didn't hope for their relationship to return to how it was, only that they wouldn't be held accountable in the future.
At the same time, in the Xiao Family's training grounds, the younger generation of the Xiao Family had surrounded Gu Han.
There was still some time before the evening meal, and the Xiao Family juniors had been ordered by their elders to cultivate. They were quite bold, however, and had latched onto Gu Han, the genius from the Cloud Mist Sect.
And although Gu Han appeared to have a cold temperament, he was "in reality" a person who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, so he did not refuse.
"Big Brother Gu, my name is Xiao Mei. Could I ask you to guide me in cultivating a Mystic Rank Battle Skill?" A very cute girl, whose pure appearance held a hint of charm, purer and more desirable than the pinnacle of "pure desire," came before Gu Han, her eyes full of anticipation.
"You may. Perform it for me to see," Gu Han nodded with a calm expression.
A smile blossomed on Xiao Mei's face. Then, she focused her full attention on performing the mid-level Mystic Rank Battle Skill she had mastered, the Wind Summoning Palm.
It looked quite impressive, but in Gu Han's eyes, it was riddled with flaws.
"Big Brother Gu, how was it?" Xiao Mei asked, both nervous and expectant.
"The essence of this Dou Skill should be this acupoint and this acupoint, coordinating the strike with a downward motion." Gu Han took out his sword, held it by the scabbard, and used the hilt to tap several acupoints on Xiao Mei's palm and arm.
"Try circulating your Dou Qi first, then focus on these two acupoints and strike with a palm that moves from high to low."
Xiao Mei's expression was serious as she followed Gu Han's instructions.
"Swish!"
Two gusts of wind pressure appeared. As Xiao Mei brought her raised hand down, she left four marks on the ground.
"Hiss!"
The Xiao Family juniors present all gasped in their hearts, "Terrifying to this extent!"
Previously, Xiao Mei could only produce one gust of wind pressure, and its power was only enough to sweep dust off the ground.
Unexpectedly, with Gu Han's guidance, not only did the number increase, but the power also grew immensely.
The key point was that Gu Han had grasped all this just by watching Xiao Mei perform it once.
At the side of the square, Xiao Yan, standing with Nalan Yanyun, swallowed hard. "Are all the disciples of the Cloud Mist Sect this terrifying?"
"Of course not." Nalan Yanyun secretly marveled at Gu Han's monstrous talent and said, "Senior Brother Gu Han's cultivation talent surpasses even my older cousin's. He ranks among the top in the entire Cloud Mist Sect. The Cloud Mist Sect recruits disciples from the entire Jia Ma Empire; not just anyone can get in."
Xiao Yan immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "If the Cloud Mist Sect is full of monsters like that, then my promise to you would have been the ravings of an ignorant man."
"With your past cultivation talent, you would have ranked quite high even in the Cloud Mist Sect," Nalan Yanyun comforted him.
Xiao Yan didn't feel happy; after all, it was only in the past.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang in his ear. "This talent is indeed not bad in the Jia Ma Empire."
"But if you look at the entire Dou Qi Continent, it's nothing special."
"Who!?" Xiao Yan instinctively looked around.
"What's wrong, Brother Xiao?" Nalan Yanyun asked with concern.
"Kid, don't make a scene," the aged voice appeared again. "This old man is in the ring on your hand."
"If you want to know why your cultivation has regressed over the past three years, go back to your courtyard now."
Xiao Yan's pupils shrank.