Chapter 304: Gifting the Jade

"Boom!"

The crowd stared unblinkingly at the battle on the field; the vast majority were quite astonished that the battle between Xiao Yan and the Xiuluo Dutong Gu Yao could last to the point of being evenly matched.

One was a Six-Star Dou Zun, while the other was an Eight-Star; a gap of two full stars, and the stronger party was a member of the Ancient Clan, gifted with innate talent and mastery of numerous high-level Dou Techniques—such factors could completely plunge an ordinary Dou Zun expert into despair.

However, that person named Xiao Yan not only did not suffer a swift defeat, but instead fought the opponent to a standstill, directly turning the arena into ruins.

The Ancient Clan Elders who had originally not favored Xiao Yan all had their views of him changed to a certain extent at this moment.

However, Xiao Zhan and Yao Lao were exceptionally calm about this; Xiao Yan's combat power had already been tested before coming to the Ancient Clan.

And this was just a sparring match.

If today were a life-or-death battle, even if Xiao Yan were not the opponent's match, he still had one trump card left that could drag Gu Yao down with him, or at the very least, force a draw.

The subsequent situation of the battle could be described as full of twists and turns, with both the offensive and defensive sides constantly shifting; in the end, it was Xiao Yan who won by a narrow margin, relying on his combat experience from walking between life and death many times, bringing the curtain down.

The battle ended, yet many in the audience actually felt a sense of wanting more.

Xiao Han turned his head to look at the two: "How does it feel?"

"That Xiao Yan, apart from his level being slightly lower, is very strong in all other aspects!" Xian'er was silent for a long while before speaking.

Xin Lan and Xiao Han both stared at her in surprise; to be able to make the haughty Xian'er give such an evaluation, that kid Xiao Yan was worth it!

Just when the audience thought things had ended like this, a voice from the spectator stands drew the attention of the entire venue:

"Wait!"

"Hm?"

"Who is that?" Everyone followed the sound and saw a middle-aged figure standing up from the location where Xiao Yan and the others were.

Aside from the few who were prepared, even the Ancient Clan Elders responsible for maintaining the scene were taken aback by this sudden turn of events.

They did not understand why a guest would interrupt midway during the important moment of the Ancient Clan Coming of Age Ceremony, and looking at the situation, the person seemed to have come with Xiao Yan.

"Audacious, how could you be allowed to call a halt to our clan's Coming of Age Ceremony?" A sharp shout came, and two Ancient Clan Elders were seen walking over with faces full of rage.

Seeing the two, Xun'er's gaze turned cold, and she quietly said to Xiao Yan: "Brother Xiao Yan, they are Gu Qian and Gu Xu; these two old fellows are the main Elders who oppose us being together."

"Because of the presence of Elder Yao Lao, they find it difficult to make a move."

"This time, they are likely looking for an opportunity to suppress us."

"Suppress?" Xiao Yan chuckled, "I'd like to see how they plan to suppress me?"

He had lived this long and it was his first time seeing a Dou Zun try to suppress a Saint-level expert; this was like lighting a lamp in a latrine—courting death!

And Xiao Han was likewise watching the "performance" of the two Ancient Clan Elders with great interest.

Gu Qian and Gu Xu were, at this moment, as happy as Xun'er had described.

Originally, upon hearing of Xiao Yan's arrival, they had prepared to make things difficult for that ignorant brat of the Xiao Clan, but because the Medicine Saint had been following him closely, and faced with the former's transcendent battle record, they dared not act presumptuously even with the Ancient Clan as their backing.

Subsequently, Xiao Yan had even defeated the Xiuluo Dutong Gu Yao, in whom they had placed high hopes; this was no different from a loud slap to their faces, and the kind for which they had no way to retaliate.

But this was a case of "after the dark willows and bright flowers, there is another village"!

On such a serious and solemn occasion as the Coming of Age Ceremony, the nameless nobody who came with Xiao Yan actually did not know the rules; this was truly a heaven-sent opportunity!

"You..." Gu Qian and the other were just about to sternly rebuke this behavior and incidentally give the other party a small lesson.

However, the next moment, when they saw the ancient Jade Pendant rising before the "nameless nobody," all their words were swallowed back; their eyes widened, and they pointed at the pendant in shock.

"Th-th-this is..." The two looked at each other, thinking of the answer in their hearts, yet they dared not believe it.

It was not just them; the other members of the Ancient Race on the field were also in disbelief, rising in shock and staring motionlessly at the Jade Pendant floating on Xiao Zhan's palm; as members of the Ancient Race, they were all too familiar with this pendant.

"Tuoshe Ancient God Jade!" Gu Qian and Gu Xu's voices unconsciously softened, as if any slight clamor would be an insult to this supreme treasure of heaven and earth.

"It is actually the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade!" The group from the Yan Clan was likewise extremely shocked.

"Damn it, is the Xiao Clan actually preparing to hand the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade over to the Ancient Clan?" Hun Ya said coldly.

Encountering such a sudden change, even as a genius of the Soul Clan, he felt at a loss. It was obvious which was harder to seize: the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade from the fallen Xiao Clan or from within the powerful Ancient Clan.

Hun Ya could hardly suppress the impulse in his heart to rush out and forcibly seize it, but fortunately, his reason prevailed in the end.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, let alone trying to snatch the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade, even if he moved just a little, he would likely be killed on the spot.

He could clearly know this from the several tyrannical auras he sensed.

Xiao Han's strength was greater, and his perception was the clearest; the moment Xiao Zhan took out the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade, almost the majority of the attention in the world was focused on that palm-sized pendant.

Returning his gaze to the original position, Gu Qian and Gu Xu swallowed their saliva, their voices sounding slightly hoarse as they said: "Who might you be..."

Xiao Zhan smiled slightly: "Someone who has come to give a gift to friends of the Ancient Clan."

"I wonder if the friends of the Ancient Clan are interested?"

"Boom!"

"The Xiao Clan is actually really going to hand the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade to the Ancient Clan!"

The field immediately became noisy; this was the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade, which concerned the Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion, and it was just like that, obtained by the Ancient Clan?

Gu Qian and the other subconsciously took a step forward, but quickly sobered up and pulled their feet back. They were very clear about their own standing; the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade was not something an ordinary Elder could touch. They only needed to wait for someone of weight to come and take over.

"Clan Leader Xiao, you have truly given our Ancient Clan a great gift!" Just then, a melodious and aged voice echoed throughout the Ancient Clan square.

"Clan Leader Xiao?" Gu Qian and Gu Xu's expressions changed, then returned to normal; the person of the Xiao Clan who could produce the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade could only be the Xiao Clan Clan Leader.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zhan gazed calmly at the white-haired and white-bearded old man who had quietly appeared on the field, his tone indifferent: "Elder Tong Xuan, we meet again."

"I wonder if the Ancient Clan is satisfied with the meeting gift from my Xiao Clan."

Elder Tong Xuan's face twitched; even though he knew the inside story, Xiao Zhan's behavior of handing over the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade without a word still left him greatly shocked.

"Don't accept it... don't accept it..." The other members of the Ancient Race were all praying in their hearts; the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade, although not all were gathered, there was no difference between one piece and two, but they still hoped the Ancient Clan only had one.

At this time, Xiao Zhan spoke according to the prepared script, and everyone else listened carefully.

"As everyone knows, my Xiao Clan began to decline a thousand years ago, moving away from the Central Plains and residing in a small country in the Northwest Continent..."

This history was something that brought great shame and sorrow, but Xiao Zhan did not believe that hiding it was a good thing; actively uncovering the scar could better manifest courage.

At this moment, Xiao Zhan's tone shifted as he said: "However, even so, it still could not avoid the harassment of a certain faction..."

Speaking to this point, Xiao Zhan cast a faint glance toward the figure shrouded in a black robe in the corner; everyone present knew clearly that, besides the Soul Clan, who else could have been persistently hunting the Xiao Clan for so many years?

"Fortunately, thanks to the protection of the Ancient Clan, my Xiao Clan has been granted a chance to catch our breath..." This was to express gratitude to the Ancient Clan.

"My Xiao Clan feels powerless to safeguard the Tuoshe Ancient God Jade, and to prevent it from falling into the hands of villains, we hereby entrust it to the Ancient Clan for safekeeping starting today."

Xiao Zhan stared intently at Elder Tong Xuan, "I wonder if the Ancient Clan is willing to assist."

Everyone was very clear that this so-called "safekeeping" was merely a pretext; the Xiao Clan was indeed prepared to hand over the extremely precious Tuoshe Ancient God Jade to the Ancient Clan just like that.

And so...

Feeling the gazes of the entire room converging upon him, Elder Tong Xuan gave a bitter smile in his heart; he was only acting under orders from his superiors, after all.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly calmed his agitated emotions, and said in a voice that trembled slightly:

"The request of the Xiao Clan, my Ancient Clan accepts!"