"Go on, get! Don't go spouting your nonsense here," Hai Bodong grumbled, rolling his eyes at Xiao Tian's dry wit. "I just happened to run into that old monster, and he insisted on a spar. That's how this mess started."
"Old Ice, who is this young friend?" Jia Xingtian asked, landing nearby. He studied the youth with curiosity.
Xiao Tian offered a polite, shallow bow. "Youngster Xiao Tian greets Elder Jia."
Jia Xingtian stroked his beard and nodded, though his mind was racing. I can't see through this boy's strength. That powerful aura I sensed earlier... it must have been his. No wonder a stubborn old fool like Hai Bodong treats him with such respect.
Beside him, Ya Fei felt her breath hitch as she stood between two legendary Dou Huangs. Sensing her unease, Xiao Tian reached down and squeezed her hand. The warmth of his palm acted like an anchor, and she instinctively leaned closer to him, finding a profound sense of security in his presence.
The subtle movement didn't go unnoticed. The crowd exchanged knowing looks, realizing just how deep their relationship ran. Nalan Jie, meanwhile, glanced between Yan Xiao and Nalan Yanran, a silent scheme forming in his mind. Yan Xiao isn't bad either...
"You old geezer, stop it," Nalan Yanran muttered, seeing right through her grandfather's matchmaking gaze.
Further back, Mu Zhan's face had turned from ashen to a bruised, volcanic purple.
"Alright, everyone, disperse," Jia Xingtian commanded. He scooped up the Little Princess and vanished.
Xiao Tian and Ya Fei were preparing to leave when a gloomy voice drifted up from beneath the tree. "Hey. Your name is Xiao Tian, right?"
Xiao Tian looked down, then descended from the branches, still holding Ya Fei by the waist. Seeing his hand resting on her curves, Mu Zhan's expression twisted into something feral.
"Can I help you?" Xiao Tian asked, already certain this was the hot-headed Mu Zhan.
"Mu Zhan, what are you doing here?" Ya Fei snapped, her voice dripping with disgust. This man had been a persistent plague in her life for years.
"Ya Fei, you've grown even more beautiful," Mu Zhan laughed ferociously. "I told you once: whoever dares to touch you, I'll cripple them."
His laughter was cut short. Before he could even blink, a hand clamped around his throat like a vice. Xiao Tian lifted him off the ground with a single arm.
"H-how..." Mu Zhan gasped, his eyes bulging. He felt his Dou Qi instantly suppressed, his legs kicking uselessly in the air. He couldn't move a muscle against Xiao Tian's grip.
"I didn't want to waste my time on a clown like you," Xiao Tian said coldly. "But you seem determined to die."
BOOM!
Xiao Tian slammed Mu Zhan into the earth with bone-shattering force. A web of cracks radiated from the point of impact, and Mu Zhan lay in the center of the crater, coughing up chunks of blood.
Xiao Tian raised his foot, intending to end it, when a voice called out from the sky.
"Young friend Xiao Tian, stay your hand! Spare his life, and the Imperial Family will owe you a favor." Jia Xingtian had returned, hovering just above with Princess Yao Yue.
Xiao Tian considered it. He had no grudge against the old man, and a favor from the Imperial Guardian was worth more than a dead fool. He shifted his aim, turning the killing stomp into a casual kick.
Mu Zhan was sent tumbling across the clearing like a ragdoll, crashing into a giant tree before slumping into a heap, blood pouring from his nose and mouth.
"Don't ever show your face to us again," Xiao Tian remarked, brushing a speck of dust from his sleeve. "Next time, there won't be an intermission."
Ya Fei looked down at the broken man and added a final blow. "You're pathetic, Mu Zhan."
Mu Zhan's eyes filled with terror and heartbreak. He sputtered another mouthful of blood and promptly fainted.
"Naughty," Xiao Tian teased, flicking Ya Fei's nose. He hadn't expected her to be so cold, but he liked it.
"Farewell, everyone." Xiao Tian cupped his hands to the lingering crowd, summoned his Golden Feathered Sky Wings, and soared into the sky with Ya Fei in his arms. Hai Bodong followed closely behind.
"Dou Qi Wings? Is he a Dou Wang?!" the crowd gasped.
"No," Nalan Yanran corrected, her eyes following the golden streak. "It's a high-level Flying Dou Technique. But his strength... even I wouldn't be his match."
Jia Xingtian watched them disappear, then sighed, flicking a healing pill into Mu Zhan's mouth. "Take him back to the Mu family. Tell them not to seek revenge. If they touch him, they deal with the Ice Emperor."
That night, back in the Eternal Dream Realm, Xiao Tian relaxed in a steaming bathtub. The events of the day felt like a distant memory as he watched Xiao Yi Xian and Ya Fei's playful banter.
"Achievement unlocked," he muttered with a grin.
The following morning, the group assembled. Today was the Grand Alchemist Convention, a massive event held once every eight years.
"Eighty percent of the empire's alchemists will be there," Ya Fei explained as they navigated the crowded streets.
Xiao Yan walked beside Hai Bodong, but his eyes kept drifting to Xiao Tian, who was walking ahead with three beautiful women—Xiao Yi Xian, Ya Fei, and Qing Lin. He secretly gave his brother a thumbs-up. Big brother really knows how to live.
The streets were packed with alchemists from all over the continent. Passersby looked on with reverence, but whenever someone's gaze lingered too long on the three veiled women, they would see the Fourth-Rank Alchemist badge on Xiao Tian's chest and quickly look away.