Jie Lie'ao turned slowly, a sinister smile playing on his lips: "Brother Liu Xi, may I have the pleasure of dealing with him myself?"
Liu Xi nodded with a smile, his hand making an imperceptible gesture forward. His voice carried a cold undertone: "If you see an opening, don't hold back."
Jie Lie'ao's eyes narrowed with amusement. Liu Xi's words brought to mind a private conversation he'd had with Jia Lie Bi. At the time, his father had just received news that Xiao Yan had recovered his cultivation talent. After a long, grim silence, he had spoken to Jie Lie'ao with uncharacteristic gravity: "If the Xiao boy ever accepts your challenge, show no mercy. Kill him on the spot if you can. If not, cripple an arm or a leg—at the very least, you'll eliminate a future threat to the Jia Lie Clan."
His father's words echoed in his mind, and the smile on Jie Lie'ao's face twisted into something more cruel. He cast a predatory glance toward Xiao Yan, who stood calmly some distance away. In his imagination, he could already see this so-called prodigy falling at his hands.
Jie Lie'ao's confidence was well-founded. Not only was he already a three-star Dou Warrior, but his cultivation technique was a high-grade Profound-tier Wind-attribute method—the Wind Roll Technique. Combined with the several Dou Techniques he had mastered, he could challenge an ordinary five-star Dou Warrior without fear of defeat.
By contrast, although Xiao Yan's talent had returned, his strength at the ceremony mere months ago had been only eight stages of Dou Qi. Even if he had improved somewhat since then, there was no way he could surpass him. Of this, Jie Lie'ao was absolutely certain.
He was not alone in his assessment. The surrounding mercenaries, and even Xiao Yu, shared his view. No matter how exceptional Xiao Yan's talent might be, the gap in their cultivation ranks was simply too vast to ignore.
"That brat is usually so clever—how could he fall for such a transparent provocation?" Xiao Yu's face was grave as she watched Xiao Yan shoulder his iron rod. She stepped forward, her voice sharp with frustration: "When did you become so reckless? You know you can't beat him, yet you accept the challenge? Are you tired of living?"
Xiao Yan shrugged lightly at her outburst: "The fight hasn't started yet. Who's tired of living remains to be seen."
"You..." Xiao Yu stamped her foot in exasperation. She strode forward, planting herself between Xiao Yan and his opponent, her slender legs cutting an elegant figure as she raised her green whip, which cracked sharply through the air: "Let me fight instead. I know you have potential, but that's for the future."
Xiao Yan stared at her back, genuinely surprised. He had never expected this woman who constantly bickered with him to be so protective in front of others. He scratched his head in bewilderment, his gaze drifting down from her slender shoulder, tracing the curve of her back, her narrow waist, her perfectly rounded hips, and finally those long, shapely legs that seemed almost impossibly perfect.
"Er... you used to wish someone would beat me senseless," he murmured, leaning forward until his chin nearly rested on her shoulder.
His breath against her ear made Xiao Yu's body stiffen instantly. A flush of pink crept up the tips of her ears. She drew a deep breath, her voice steady despite the barely perceptible tremor beneath: "You know your value to the clan. You cannot simply accept challenges from anyone. As your... cousin, I have every right to shield you from danger."
"What a strange thing to say." Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly, then stepped to one side, slipping past her as his grip tightened on the iron rod: "But never mind. I can handle my own affairs. You'd best step aside."
Without waiting for a response, he stamped his foot and launched himself toward the impatient Jie Lie'ao.
Xiao Yu's face went pale with alarm. She was about to lash out with her whip when Xun'er's soft, gentle voice reached her ear: "Cousin Xiao Yu, please trust Xiao Yan. He is not a rash man. He would never provoke a fight without confidence."
"Xun'er..." Xiao Yu turned to look at the smiling girl, hesitated, then finally sighed and nodded. But her hand remained white-knuckled on the whip's handle.
"Hehe, little bastard—today you'll regret this foolish decision." Jie Lie'ao watched Xiao Yan charge toward him, iron rod at the ready. A cold laugh escaped his lips as pale blue Dou Qi began to coalesce rapidly in his palms.
Standing his ground, he suddenly curled his fingers into talon-like claws. At the tips, wisps of azure Dou Qi coalesced into ten sharp spikes. With a savage grin, he swept his hands forward, the air splitting with a sharp, tearing sound as his claw-strike hurtled toward Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed as he detected the sound of air being torn. His left hand, slightly cupped, slashed downward toward the ground. An invisible burst of force struck the earth, and the recoil arrested his momentum instantly.
The watching mercenaries—men of considerable combat experience—cried out in surprise at Xiao Yan's deft control of his own momentum.
In the instant his charge halted, the iron rod left his hand without hesitation, hurtling toward Jie Lie'ao's skull like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Jie Lie'ao scoffed dismissively at the incoming weapon. His hand, wreathed in azure Dou Qi, caught the air before him, then shook. Several small, pale-blue wind vortices materialized from nothing.
The iron rod pierced through the vortices one by one, each robbing it of its force until, when it was barely half a meter from Jie Lie'ao's head, it clattered harmlessly to the ground.
The crowd groaned in collective disappointment. With his superior Profound-tier technique, Jie Lie'ao seemed practically invincible.