Watching the youth slowly walk over, Xiao Mei and her companions stopped, their laughter and chatter dying down significantly.
The delicate young girls beside Xiao Mei stared wide-eyed at the youth who had once been hailed as the pride of the clan. The expressions on their faces were a complex mix of pity and something indefinable.
Standing where she was, Xiao Mei felt a bit flustered. Deep down, she often reminisced about the times she had chatted and laughed happily with this youth whom she had once admired with all her heart. However, reality reminded her that the gap between them was growing wider and wider. To waste her thoughts on a useless person was clearly not a smart move.
Her curved eyebrows furrowed slightly before immediately relaxing. Xiao Mei thought to herself with a touch of helplessness, *I'll just say hello. After all, he is still my cousin.*
Unaware of the thoughts in Xiao Mei's mind, Xiao Yan walked over lazily with his hands clasped behind his head.
Seeing the youth approach, a stiff smile formed on Xiao Mei's beautiful face. However, the youth's actions caused her half-formed smile to freeze, making her look somewhat ridiculous.
With his hands behind his head, Xiao Yan walked right past them as if no one was there. His indifferent gaze swept over the young girls without lingering for even a second.
Parting her rosy lips slightly as she watched his retreating figure, Xiao Mei was somewhat stunned. With her beauty, when had she ever been treated like this? A flicker of anger rose in her heart, and she couldn't help but call out, "Cousin Xiao Yan."
Pausing his steps slightly, Xiao Yan did not turn around. His tone was flat, as if he were speaking to a stranger: "Is there something?"
The calm and distant tone caught Xiao Mei off guard. She hesitated and shook her head. "No..."
Xiao Yan frowned slightly but didn't care. Shaking his head, he continued on his way.
Watching his figure disappear at the end of the path, Xiao Mei stamped her foot in frustration and continued walking forward.
Rounding a bend, Xiao Yan raised his head to look at the spacious hall before him. On the plaque hanging above the entrance, three large, crimson words were written in a flamboyant, calligraphic style: "Dou Skills Hall."
Hearing the cheers echoing from inside the Dou Skills Hall, Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised. This place was usually deserted; why was it so lively today?
Shrugging, Xiao Yan dismissed the thought and stepped inside.
As soon as he entered, waves of cheers from the young boys and girls washed over him.
The Dou Skills Hall was divided into two sections. The eastern side housed the clan's Dou Skills, while the western side was a fairly large training ground. At this moment, quite a few people on the training ground were eagerly watching a duel between two individuals in the center of the arena.
"Looking at the density of Cousin Xiao Ning's Dou Qi, he must have reached the eighth stage of Dou Qi."
"Hehe, Cousin Xiao Ning already broke through to the eighth stage of Dou Qi two months ago."
"Even though he is at the eighth stage, Cousin Xun Er is already at the ninth stage. It seems like it's practically impossible for Cousin Xiao Ning to win."
"Go, Cousin Xun Er!"
Hearing the amazed chatter of the crowd, Xiao Yan finally paused his steps. His gaze swept across the arena, eventually resting with some interest on a beautiful girl dressed in purple.
"Why is that girl in the mood to spar with someone today?" Xiao Yan wondered to himself. He stopped at the eastern side of the Martial Technique Hall and casually pulled out a black scroll. As he slowly unfurled it, several large golden characters came into view.
Huang Class, Mid-tier: Rock-Shattering Palm!
Leaning lazily against the bookshelf, Xiao Yan began reading the cultivation method for the Rock-Shattering Palm, his gaze occasionally drifting toward the intense battle on the training field.
The spacious hall seemed to be split into two entirely different worlds: the western side was filled with endless clamor, while the eastern side remained quiet and peaceful.
Xun Er's opponent was a youth. He was only about seventeen or eighteen years old and quite handsome, not much different in appearance from Jia Lie Ao from before.
The youth was named Xiao Ning, the grandson of the Xiao clan's First Elder. His cultivation talent was decent; at seventeen, he had already reached the eighth stage of Dou Qi. Within the clan, only Xun Er surpassed him.
Xiao Yan did not have much of an impression of this cousin of his. Whenever they crossed paths, they would merely exchange distant, perfunctory greetings before going their separate ways. Perhaps because Xiao Ning's grandfather and Xiao Yan's father did not get along, Xiao Yan could sense that this cousin harbored no goodwill toward him. Furthermore, due to Xiao Yan's three years of decline, this cousin had not gone out of his way to cause him any trouble during that time...
With a faint smile, Xiao Yan brushed aside these memories and returned to studying the Rock-Shattering Palm in his hands.
On the training field, Xun Er was like a pale purple butterfly, elegantly and nimbly dodging Xiao Ning's attacks. Her delicate, refined face maintained a calm and serene expression throughout.
As she casually deflected each of Xiao Ning's close-range strikes, Xun Er's gaze swept across the hall, suddenly coming to a halt.
Seeing the youth leaning against the bookshelf on the eastern side of the hall, a gentle, soft smile blossomed on Xun Er's elegant face.
The young girl's smile, as beautiful as a blooming flower, left the group of youths standing nearby dazed and spellbound.
"Cousin Xun Er, watch out!" Just as Xun Er was slightly distracted, an urgent shout from a youth rang out from the crowd.
Sensing the fierce force rushing at her from behind, Xun Er knit her brows slightly, her eyes darting back toward the youth standing by the bookshelf.
At the same time, Xiao Yan looked up. Seeing Xun Er about to be blindsided in the middle of the field, he raised an eyebrow, shook his head helplessly, and a trace of worry flickered in his eyes.
Meeting Xiao Yan's mock-reproachful yet worried gaze, Xun Er smiled and blinked her beautiful eyes. Then, her body suddenly shifted a step to the left. This small, uncanny step somehow managed to leave Xiao Ning's attack completely in the dust...
As her feet moved, a faint golden glow emanated from Xun Er's jade-like palm. With a move resembling "weaving through flowers to pluck a leaf," she slipped past the defense of Xiao Ning's arms and lightly pressed her palm against his chest.
Tapping her toes lightly against the stone floor, Xun Er gracefully spun backward to neutralize the rebounding force. She calmly watched as Xiao Ning stumbled back more than ten steps, his foot ultimately stepping out of the training field.
Seeing Xun Er defeat Xiao Ning with a single palm strike, the area around the training field fell quiet for a moment before instantly erupting into cheers and applause.
"Haha, Cousin Xun'er truly deserves to be called the number one genius among the clan's younger generation. You really are getting stronger and stronger." Having been knocked off the platform by Xun'er, Xiao Ning's expression remained unfazed as he walked up, wearing a warm and gentle smile.
Looking at the young girl before him, who was as beautiful as a lotus, the adoration in Xiao Ning's eyes was almost impossible to conceal.
Although they were cousins in name, Xiao Ning knew that most people in the clan were not closely related by blood, and Xiao Xun'er, in particular, shared no blood relation with him whatsoever.
Seemingly oblivious to Xiao Ning's burning gaze, Xun'er shook her head in a polite yet distant manner, saying softly, "Cousin Xiao Ning is being too modest." With that, without waiting for Xiao Ning to draw any closer, she smiled and walked over to the young man who was buried in a scroll on the east side of the hall.
As the center of attention in the hall, Xun'er's movements were naturally noticed by everyone. Their gazes followed her path, finally landing on the young man standing beneath the bookshelf.
To the burning gazes in the training hall, the youth seemed completely oblivious, remaining deeply immersed in his own world.