Chapter 154: Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river! I am Lin Dong!

The Xiao Clan main hall.

Nalan Yanran looked at the Xiao Clan, who still refused to annul the engagement even after she had brought out the Qi Gathering Powder; she couldn't help but feel a surge of irritation in her heart.

She stared at the youth before her with a hint of disgust, laying her cards on the table directly, and asked, "What exactly do you want before you'll agree to annul the engagement?"

"If you think the compensation is too little? Fine, I can have my teacher give you another three Qi Gathering Powders. Furthermore, if you are willing, I can even allow you to enter the Misty Cloud Sect to study profound Dou Qi cultivation techniques."

"Is that enough?"

Hearing the tempting conditions Nalan Yanran laid out, the complexions of the three Elders of the Xiao Clan flushed a bit. They glanced at the box containing the Qi Gathering Powder placed on the table to the side, then looked at Xiao Yan, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Three Qi Gathering Powders—this could potentially bring the clan three Dou Zhe! They wished Xiao Yan would agree to the other party immediately!

Annul the engagement, so be it; as for face, if it's gone, it's gone.

If they couldn't secure the resources, then they would truly have nothing!

Besides, the one annulling the engagement wasn't their own descendant anyway.

After finishing these conditions, Nalan Yanran tilted her snow-white chin slightly, waiting for Xiao Yan's answer with the pride of a princess.

In her understanding, such conditions were enough to make any youth go crazy! Xiao Yan of the mere Wutan City Xiao Clan was nothing but a piece of trash at the third stage of Dou Qi.

Giving him these things was already an immense act of charity.

Before Xiao Yan could speak, the young girl in the purple dress sitting in the corner of the room lifted her head slightly, a flicker of killing intent appearing in her gaze as she looked at Nalan Yanran.

"I... really want to slaughter you!" Xiao Yan's teeth trembled as he let out these words, dripping with killing intent.

The young man beside Nalan Yanran heard this, and with a *clang*, he drew the long sword at his waist, pointing it straight at Xiao Yan.

"Yan'er, do not be rude!"

At the head of the hall, Xiao Zhan was also startled by Xiao Yan's actions and hurriedly shouted to stop him.

The Xiao Clan could not afford to offend the Misty Cloud Sect!

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, the ferocious and terrifying look on his face fading into calmness.

The Nalan Yanran before him was the darling of the Misty Cloud Sect; if he truly did something to her now, he feared it would bring endless trouble to his father, so he had no choice but to endure!

Seeing Xiao Yan calm down, the young man snorted coldly and sheathed his long sword.

"Xiao Yan, although I don't know why my actions made you so angry, you... should still annul the engagement!"

Nalan Yanran recovered from her initial shock, looked at Xiao Yan, and spoke coldly, "Please remember, my coming to the Xiao Clan this time was personally approved by my teacher, the Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect!"

"You can treat this as coercion, but you should also be clear that reality is just like this; there is nothing that is absolutely fair."

"Although I don't want to express anything, you are also clear about the gap between you and me. Between us..."

"There is basically no hope..."

Hearing these words from Nalan Yanran, a cold sneer appeared at the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth: "Miss Nalan, you should know how embarrassing it is for the other party when the woman breaks off an engagement in the Dou Qi Continent."

"Heh, my skin is thick, so it doesn't matter, but my father! He is the head of a clan; if he truly agreed to your request today, how would he manage the Xiao Clan in the future?"

"And how would he maintain his footing in Wutan City?"

Hearing this, the young girl looked up at Xiao Zhan, who suddenly seemed to have aged quite a bit, and felt a slight sense of apology in her heart.

She looked at Xiao Yan and said softly: "Today's matter was indeed a bit rash on my part. Today, I can temporarily withdraw the request to annul the engagement, but I need you to agree to a pact with me!"

"What pact?" Xiao Yan asked, frowning.

"I can delay today's request for three years. Three years from now, you come to the Misty Cloud Sect to challenge me. If you lose, I will annul the engagement in public."

Nalan Yanran spoke indifferently: "And by that time, I presume you will have completed the clan's coming-of-age ceremony, so even if you lose, it won't make Uncle Xiao's face too embarrassing. Do you dare to accept?"

"Heh, if I lose then, it indeed won't damage my father's reputation, but I, perhaps, will have to carry the name of a shameful failure for the rest of my life."

"This woman... is truly ruthless!" Xiao Yan had already thought of this outcome in his heart.

He looked at Nalan Yanran and shouted coldly: "Nalan Yanran, you don't need to put on such an overbearing posture. You want to break off the engagement simply because you think I, Xiao Yan, am a piece of trash who isn't worthy of you, this heaven-favored daughter."

"To speak bluntly, apart from your beauty, this young master doesn't think much of anything else about you!"

"The Misty Cloud Sect is indeed very strong, but I am still young, and I have plenty of time. I became a Dou Zhe at twelve years old, and you, Nalan Yanran, what stage of Dou Qi were you at when you were twelve?"

"That's right, I am indeed trash now, but since I was able to create a miracle three years ago, then in the years to come, why do you think I cannot make a comeback?"

Nalan Yanran's lips trembled slightly, but she understood that what Xiao Yan said was indeed the truth.

No matter how much of a piece of trash he was now, the fact that he became a Dou Zhe at twelve was absolutely real. At that time, she was only at the eighth stage of Dou Qi...

"Miss Nalan, for the sake of Elder Nalan, Xiao Yan offers you a few words: Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; do not bully the young because they are poor!"

Xiao Yan's resolute and cold words made Nalan Yanran's delicate body tremble slightly.

"Well said! Worthy of being my Brother Huohuo!"

Just at this moment, the door to the main hall was pushed open abruptly, and a youth of fourteen or fifteen with a cold face and an extraordinary temperament strode in.

He walked into the Xiao Clan main hall as if no one else were there, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yan in the center, filled with admiration.

Do not bully the young because they are poor! So cool!

Everyone in the hall looked toward the youth in unison, a trace of confusion appearing in their eyes.

The young man beside Nalan Yanran saw that the newcomer had no Dou Qi on his body, and seeing the confusion in the eyes of the Xiao Clan members, he immediately drew his long sword, pointed it at the youth, and questioned: "Where did this wild brat come from? This is no place for you to speak!"

"It is not your place to meddle in the affairs of our Misty Cloud Sect!"

"I am Lin Dong!" The youth glanced sideways at the young man with disdain. "Misty Cloud Sect? *Pfft*, just based on you, you can represent the Misty Cloud Sect?"

"Shen Cui, slap his mouth!"

The moment his voice fell, a silver-haired woman arrived from outside the hall, stepping through the air, and appeared directly before the young man.

"*Slap! *"

Before anyone in the crowd could react, the young man was slapped onto the ground, his teeth spraying out mixed with blood.

At this moment, the entire hall was deathly silent.

In the Dou Qi Continent, cultivation begins at the Soul Scholar stage, followed by Soul Master, Great Soul Master, Soul Elder, Soul Ancestor, Soul King, Soul Emperor, Soul Sage, Soul Douluo...

Every level has very distinct characteristics.

A Soul Master gathers Qi into a cyclone, a Great Soul Master has a Dou Qi gauze, a Soul Elder possesses Dou Qi armor, a Soul Ancestor can condense Dou Qi into objects, a Soul King can manifest Dou Qi wings, and a Soul Emperor can manifest high-tier Dou Qi wings, allowing them to stay in the void for a short time.

Only upon reaching the Soul Douluo level is Dou Qi endless, allowing one to walk through the air without manifesting wings!

This woman did not manifest Dou Qi wings just now and arrived by stepping through the air; she was clearly a Soul Douluo powerhouse, terrifying to this degree! The young man lying on the ground widened his eyes, but he dared not say another word. Although he was a disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect, the strongest person in the Misty Cloud Sect was currently only a Soul King.

Ge Ye, the seven-star Great Soul Master from the Misty Cloud Sect, was the same; after sensing the other party's pressure, he felt that if he made any move, he would die.

"This... Young Hero Lin, may I ask what business you have coming to my Xiao Clan?"

Xiao Zhan saw Lin Dong, who had appeared suddenly and suppressed the three people from the Misty Cloud Sect, and after hesitating for a moment, he stood up and asked with some respect.

He truly could not understand how a Soul Douluo could appear in this tiny Wutan City.

And this Soul Douluo seemed to be the bodyguard of that youth, obeying his every word.

"Uncle, please don't be so polite with me."

Lin Dong walked over to the seat that originally belonged to Ge Ye and sat down, smiling: "We are all family."

He waved his hand at Xiao Yan. "Brother Huohuo, continue. Today, your brother is here; I'd like to see who dares to bully you!"

Xiao Yan looked at the youth before him, his mind racing as he asked with some confusion: "You are...?"

"Five years ago, my parents were swallowed by magical beasts, and I was left wandering the streets. It was Brother Huohuo who gave me a few gold coins, allowing me to survive."

"Therefore, I have become who I am today."

A smile appeared on Lin Dong's face as he surveyed the crowd, then said softly: "Today is your stage; you continue first, and we will talk in private later."

After Lin Dong finished speaking, he didn't care about the waves his words had caused, picking up the tea that was still steaming to the side and sipping it leisurely.

【Ding, Martial Ancestor Lin Dong roleplay progress has reached 1%, rewarding one cultivation empowerment, rewarding the cultivation technique Desolate Scripture (upon initial practice, self-condense the Desolate Energy Seed)】

【Ding, Martial Ancestor Lin Dong roleplay progress has reached 5%, rewarding the Spirit Martial Art, Great Desolate Imprisoning Heaven Finger.】

Hearing the two notification sounds in his mind, the smile on Lin Dong's face became even more enthusiastic.

Xiao Yan thought carefully and discovered that he had indeed done such a thing back then, and quite a lot of it.

At this moment, seeing Lin Dong's face, the impression in his mind became clearer and clearer.

The other party's words had already stirred up a storm in his heart, but at this moment, he didn't know how to speak.

The momentum he had just built up was interrupted by Lin Dong's appearance.

The young man clutched his face, glanced at Shen Cui standing behind Lin Dong, and hid behind Ge Ye without a word, not daring to make another sound.

Nalan Yanran hadn't even reacted to Xiao Yan's words when Shen Cui's move left her at a loss.

Xiao Zhan's heart was also churning. After knowing the relationship between his son and the other party, his first thought was to let the other party help, to let that Soul Douluo powerhouse see what was going on with his son's inexplicably disappearing Dou Qi.

However, since the other party had spoken, he was very afraid of offending them, so he had to suppress the complicated mood in his heart and sit back in his seat.

"This youth, since he can have a Soul Douluo follow him, he must not be a person who just talks big!"

"I never thought that Yan'er's kind deed back then would receive such a reward." Xiao Zhan's gaze fell on Xiao Yan, filled with relief.

Lin Dong looked up at the silent crowd in the hall. "Have you forgotten your lines?"

"Miss Nalan, let me remind you: just now my Brother Huohuo said, 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; do not bully the young because they are poor!'"

Nalan Yanran had been pampered by others all her life; when had she ever been lectured like this by a peer?

Although the atmosphere was a bit strange, she was so angry that her head was spinning, and she didn't care about the Soul Douluo or anything else, directly shouting sharply at Xiao Yan: "What right do you have to lecture me?"

"Even if your talent was unmatched before, you are just a piece of trash now! I, Nalan Yanran, will just wait for the day you surpass me again!"

She looked at Xiao Yan and said angrily: "I can stop mentioning the annulment of the engagement today, but three years from now, I will wait for you at the Misty Cloud Sect. If you have the ability, let me see to what extent you can make a comeback!"

"If you can defeat me then, I, Nalan Yanran, will be your slave and servant for the rest of my life, all up to you!"

"Of course, if you are still such a piece of trash three years later, you will obediently hand over that marriage contract!"

Nalan Yanran, overcome with anger, didn't care about the relationship between Xiao Yan and Lin Dong and spoke directly in anger.

Xiao Yan was brought back to his senses by Nalan Yanran's words, and the anger in his heart surged up instantly.

He looked at the young girl with the pale face and laughed mockingly, "No need to wait three years; I truly have no interest in you at all!"

After speaking, he ignored the cold-faced Nalan Yanran, turned around abruptly, walked quickly to the table, and wrote furiously.

The ink fell, the pen stopped! Xiao Yan suddenly drew the short sword on the table with his right hand, and the sharp blade cut a bloody wound on his left palm.

The blood-stained palm left a glaring bloody mark on the white paper! Picking up this contract lightly, Xiao Yan let out a cold laugh, and as he passed Nalan Yanran, he slammed his palm heavily onto the table.

"Don't think that I, Xiao Yan, care much about you, this genius wife. This contract is not a contract to annul the engagement, but a letter of divorce from this young master banishing you from the Xiao Clan!"

"From now on, you, Nalan Yanran, have no connection with my Xiao Clan!"

"You... you dare to divorce me?"

Looking at the bloody handprint on the table, Nalan Yanran widened her beautiful eyes, saying in disbelief.

With her beauty, talent, and background, she was actually divorced by a piece of trash from a small clan?

This sudden change made her feel that it was too unreal.

Looking coldly at Nalan Yanran's stunned appearance, Xiao Yan suddenly turned around, knelt down on one knee toward Xiao Zhan, kowtowed heavily, bit his lip, and then said:

"Father, three years from now, Yan'er will go to the Misty Cloud Sect to personally wash away today's humiliation for you!"

Lin Dong watched this scene, sighing in his heart.

After waiting for Xiao Yan to stand up, he leaned over leisurely and whispered: "Brother Huohuo, why don't I have Shen Cui kill them? Destroy the bodies and erase the traces, saving you this trouble."

"If you are not feeling good about it, let's go to the Misty Cloud Sect now and wash the Misty Cloud Sect in blood?"

The three people from Nalan Yanran were stunned, their complexions turning bitter instantly.

Although Lin Dong's voice was very low, he didn't deliberately hide it. Everyone present possessed Dou Qi, their ears and eyes sharp, so they could hear this much! Nalan Yanran saw the swollen face of her dear senior brother beside her and looked at the stunningly beautiful Shen Cui to the side; her lips parted, her heart filled with bitterness.

However, having been pampered since childhood, she still couldn't open her mouth. Even though Ge Ye and Senior Brother Liu were frantically giving her eye signals, she pouted and turned her head to the side.

Asking her to apologize to Xiao Yan, this piece of trash? Impossible! Xiao Yan was silenced by Lin Dong's sudden words. He thought for a while and shook his head slightly: "Brother Lin, this is a matter between me and the Misty Cloud Sect."

"I am already very grateful that you could stand up for me."

"But I will personally avenge this humiliation they brought to my Xiao Clan!"

Hearing this, Ge Ye and the other two breathed a sigh of relief.

Ge Ye and Senior Brother Liu looked at each other, both regretting it deeply. If they had known that the Xiao Clan had such a massive backer, they wouldn't have come! Nalan Yanran also breathed a sigh of relief. Although she acted tough, she naturally didn't want to die if she could live.

Lin Dong knew that Xiao Yan was a very righteous person, so he didn't try to persuade him further on this matter.

With a wave of his hand, eighteen wooden boxes suddenly appeared on the table in front of him.

"These Qi Gathering Powders are my greeting gift."

The moment Lin Dong's voice sounded, everyone present gasped.

The three Elders of the Xiao Clan looked at the eighteen exquisitely carved wooden boxes, their eyes filled with greed.

"*Cough, cough, cough*, Xiao Yan, why don't you thank your Brother Lin quickly."

The Second Elder coughed and reminded him hurriedly.

The prejudice the three of them held against Xiao Yan had completely disappeared.

Let alone that Xiao Yan was at the third stage of Dou Qi, even if he had no Dou Qi now, having a brother like Lin Dong, who had such a noble status and could command a Soul Douluo powerhouse at will, he would always be the Third Young Master of the Xiao Clan!

Nalan Yanran and the other two suddenly felt their faces burning.

Compared to Lin Dong's generosity, their solitary Qi Gathering Powder made them look even more like people from a small place.

"Brother Lin, please put them away quickly." Xiao Yan frowned: "How could I, Xiao Yan, be a person who uses favors to seek rewards!"

"Brother Huohuo, this is a greeting gift I am giving to our Uncle; don't worry about this."

Lin Dong waved his hand, "I know you are upright, but how could I, Lin Dong, be an ungrateful person?"

"I have already found a way to solve the illness of your Dou Qi inexplicably disappearing!"

"What!?" Xiao Yan was greatly shocked, looking at Lin Dong, his eyes filled with excitement.

"Brother Lin Dong, what you said is true?"

If he wanted to wash away his humiliation, he had to face the problem of his disappearing Dou Qi.

But now Lin Dong said he already had a way to solve this problem.

How could he not be happy?

For a moment, the look in Xiao Yan's eyes toward Lin Dong was filled with gratitude.

At this time, Xiao Zhan, who was above, couldn't sit still either. He ran down hurriedly and bowed respectfully to Lin Dong: "Young Hero Lin, are your words true?"

As he spoke, Xiao Zhan's lips trembled slightly, the excitement in his heart hard to suppress.

For his son's strange illness, he had been so worried over these three years that his hair was almost white.

Now that he suddenly heard these words, how could he not be happy?

Xiao Xun'er, sitting in the distance, let her gaze wander between Shen Cui and Lin Dong, a golden light flickering slightly in her eyes.

She had observed for a long time but hadn't discovered anything unusual.

And at this time, Nalan Yanran couldn't sit still anymore.

She had just made her statement about the three-year pact, and as a result, the other party was about to rise up in an instant?

"Hmph, so what if you recover? With my master helping me, you can't catch up to me!" Nalan Yanran thought.

"Uncle, of course it's true!" Lin Dong looked at Xiao Zhan and was about to speak, but saw the other party suddenly raise his hand, interrupting his words.

After Xiao Zhan stopped Lin Dong's words, he looked at Nalan Yanran and the other two with an indifferent expression and said coldly: "The three of you, since your goal has been achieved, please return!"

Nalan Yanran and the other two knew that this was because the other party didn't want them to hear these secrets.

However, the three of them had long since intended to leave. After all, there was now a Soul Douluo in this hall who might make a move against them! Nalan Yanran bowed slightly to Xiao Zhan, took a deep look at Lin Dong and Xiao Yan, and walked directly toward the outside of the hall.

Behind her, Ge Ye and the youth who had been slapped into a pig's head by Shen Cui also followed hurriedly.

"Take the Qi Gathering Powder with you too!" Xiao Zhan waved his hand, and the boxes containing the Qi Gathering Powder that Nalan Yanran and the others had brought earlier were flung away by him.

Ge Ye reached out his hand, caught the box steadily, and smiled bitterly as he put it into his storage ring.

"Miss Nalan, I hope you will not regret today's arrogant behavior in the future."

"Also, don't think that you can run rampant just because you have the Misty Cloud Sect backing you. The Dou Qi Continent is very, very large, and there are not a few people stronger than Yun Yun..."

The moment Nalan Yanran and the other two were about to leave, Xiao Xun'er's voice sounded softly.

The three of them stopped in their tracks, their changing gazes cast toward the young girl in the purple dress in the corner who was gently turning the pages of a book.

As if sensing the three gazes shooting over, the young girl lifted her exquisite little face from the ancient pages, and a wisp of tiny golden flames suddenly emerged in her beautiful eyes, which were like autumn water.

Looking at the tiny golden flames in the young girl's eyes, Ge Ye's body trembled violently, and a look of terror instantly covered his aged face. His withered hands grabbed the confused Nalan Yanran and the youth, and they fled the Xiao Clan main hall as if running for their lives, running toward the distance.

After leaving the Xiao Clan very, very far away, Nalan Yanran asked with some confusion: "Uncle Ge, what's wrong?"

"Why leave so hastily?"

Ge Ye sighed leisurely, his face looking like a bitter melon.

"Yan'er, just now, I sensed the aura of a Strange Fire on that young girl!"

"A friend who has a Soul Douluo as a bodyguard, a genius young girl who possesses a Strange Fire..."

"This Xiao Clan is terrifying to this degree!!"

"If we don't leave faster, I fear we truly wouldn't have been able to leave today!"

Senior Brother Liu to the side heard this, his body trembled, and he took his steps even more rapidly.

Nalan Yanran was stunned, thousands of thoughts surfacing in her heart.

"Could it be that I really did something wrong?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 155 =====