Hearing explosions erupt all around him, and feeling his body held secure in an embrace, it seemed someone was shielding him from the energy blasts.
"Teacher, is that you?"
Nalan Yanran murmured. Then she opened her tightly shut eyes.
As her eyelids slowly lifted, an unexpected face filled her vision.
A handsome face. Faint purple wings fluttered gently behind him.
It was Xiao Yan.
Yun Yun, in the meantime, had been pulled away to safety and set down upon the platform.
"You... why did you save me?"
Nalan Yanran asked, astonishment flooding her voice. Her heart swirled with doubt, confusion, and a trace of gratitude she had not even recognized herself.
"I saved you because I wished to. Had you died here, it would have caused me considerable trouble."
A complex emotion flickered through Xiao Yan's eyes.
Perhaps it was because of Lan Na. Or perhaps it was simply because if Nalan Yanran perished here, it would indeed bring him immense trouble.
Whatever the reason, Xiao Yan had chosen to endure the damage from afar and rush in to rescue Nalan Yanran.
Xiao Yan gently set Nalan Yanran down.
"The Three-Year Agreement is concluded. You no longer possess the strength to fight, Nalan Yanran."
Xiao Yan's voice, tinged with relief, rang out—release from past humiliation, and acknowledgment of three years of grueling cultivation.
"Yes. It is over. I have lost. In the past, it was indeed my own shortsightedness that caused me to underestimate you. But now, you have truly made me see you in a new light."
"I admit and accept that I have lost utterly. However, were I granted another chance, I would still choose to annul the engagement. My destiny is mine to command—not a matter for others to manipulate. I cannot bring myself to accept those absurd arranged marriages and spend my life alongside a stranger."
Gazing at the handsome face before her, watching the ordinary young figure from the Magical Beast Mountain Range and their recent interactions overlap within her mind, her eyes grew slightly unfocused, tinged with a hint of self-mockery.
"I do not think you were wrong to wish to annul the engagement. I dislike such arrangements as well. Where you erred was in the method you chose. Back then, you were governed solely by your own arrogance and gave no thought to anything else."
"Everything is finished now. You need not fulfill the absurd promise we made before."
Xiao Yan leaned close to her ear, his voice slow but resolute.
"I am sorry."
Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Nalan Yanran's face drained of color. It was true. Her arrogant past self had considered only her own affairs and had never cared for others.
Now, reality had forced her to understand with painful clarity just how excessive her actions had been back then.
"This matter is settled. You need not apologize to me. Who was right or wrong no longer holds meaning. Our agreement has ended, and you are not required to fulfill the old promise. Let today's defeat serve as the price of your initial arrogance and rudeness."
"Congratulations. You are free."
Xiao Tian looked at Nalan Yanran before him, his voice hoarse. He thought of Nalan Yanran as Lan Na, and he could not bring himself to be ruthless.
Nalan Yanran's expression was complex. The outcome she had desired three years ago now lay within her grasp, yet a vast part of her heart felt utterly hollow.
"Yes. The matter between Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan is concluded. However..."
Once they had finished speaking, the storm within the arena likewise subsided. Xiao Yan extended his hand and summoned the Xuan Heavy Ruler, guiding it back into his grasp and securing it upon his back.
---
"I never imagined Xiao Yan was Yan Xiao. I never dreamed this young man was not only exceptional in alchemy but equally outstanding in cultivation."
Fa Ma sighed, shaking his head as he observed the young man reining in his aura within the arena.
"Indeed. Such talent and potential are extraordinary."
Jia Xingtian's expression, standing nearby, was slightly peculiar.
Miteer Tengshan, however, remained thoroughly composed, even bearing a faint smile. Given Xiao Tian's relationship with Ya Fei, Xiao Yan could be considered one of their own. And Xiao Tian's talent was superior still.
Meanwhile, Nalan Jie, perched atop a tree branch, wore a dazed, flustered, and bitter expression. The branch and leaves beneath his feet trembled faintly, mirroring his current state of mind. Such a peerless genius had been shoved right out the door.
Nalan Jie seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. His face had grown considerably more ashen. This blow was undoubtedly immense, capable of shattering a man's very will.
"Regarding Xiao Yan, I am even more curious about his elder brother. If the younger brother is already so formidable, and he even surpassed Xiao Yan at the Alchemist Grand Meeting, I wonder if his cultivation talent is equally terrifying."
Jia Xingtian's words struck the ears of all present like a thunderclap. The group of old men instinctively turned their gazes toward Xiao Tian, who stood smiling upon the high platform.
Jia Xingtian's remark naturally carried an agenda of its own. The Misty Cloud Sect had long been a thorn in the royal family's side—their greatest threat.
Now, Xiao Tian was even bound to Yun Yun. There was also Ya Fei to consider. Hai Bodong and Xiao Tian were deeply familiar with one another, meaning the Mittel family and Xiao Tian were essentially aligned.
Considering Yun Shan, whose life or death remained unknown, Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Tian whose strengths he could not fathom, as well as Yun Yun and Hai Bodong...
Jia Xingtian felt his head was about to split apart.
This coalition might well be sufficient to topple his entire royal family.
---
"Damn that brat. He showed our Misty Cloud Sect not a shred of face."
Yun Ling's face was livid as he slammed his hand against the stone platform.
"Great Elder, what do we do now? Yanran has lost, and our sect's reputation has suffered alongside her."
An elder regarded Yun Ling with a bitter smile.
"Do not ask me. I do not know either." Yun Ling cast a cold glare at Xiao Yan's retreating figure.
At that moment, Yun Yun's figure materialized in the center of the plaza.
"Thank you all for coming to witness this contest. The outcome has deeply surprised me."
"It has also allowed us to behold the excellence shared between two geniuses. Xiao Yan, your talent is truly outstanding. You are welcome to visit our Misty Cloud Sect whenever you wish."
Yun Yun harbored no complaints regarding Nalan Yanran's defeat this time. In a duel between the two, one was her man's younger brother, the other her own disciple. They were both family.
The spectators suddenly grasped the reality. Damn it! Although the two were bound by a marriage-related challenge, if one factored in Xiao Tian and Yun Yun's relationship... was this not still a family dispute? It did not matter who won or lost. They were still family.
A stampede of mythical beasts thundered through their minds.
Yun Yun turned to Nalan Yanran and the many disciples still wearing expressions of reluctance. "I wish to tell you all that true powerhouses are not those who have never known defeat, but those who learn from their failures and grow continuously."
"Yanran, this defeat is a precious experience for you. You must learn to draw lessons from it, to understand your shortcomings, and then to cultivate with even greater diligence."
"In this world where strength reigns supreme, cast aside your absurd arrogance. One may possess integrity, but never hubris. Let this moment serve as a lesson for you all."
Through this contest, Yun Yun had also discerned the arrogance and self-importance festering among the Misty Cloud Sect disciples—some even believed themselves inherently superior.
If such an attitude were allowed to persist within the sect, the entire sect would gradually decline and might even face catastrophic ruin.
Yun Yun's gaze swept coldly toward Yun Ling, who sat cross-legged in his place. Essentially, Yun Ling managed the majority of the sect's affairs. She herself rarely intervened. Her teacher had also held Yun Ling in high regard.
Though she occupied the position of Sect Master, her teacher had still entrusted most of the authority into Yun Ling's hands.