Watching Xiao Yan's merciless strike, Jie Lie'ao's face went deathly pale. Fear consumed his features entirely.
The street held its collective breath as the iron rod descended toward Jie Lie'ao's skull. Several onlookers gasped. Xiao Yan's decisive, unflinching ruthlessness had earned him a newfound respect in their eyes.
Xiao Yu stood frozen in place, her lips parted. Xiao Yan's willingness to kill—so casual, so matter-of-fact—shattered the gentle image she had always held of him. Never would she have imagined that the boy who bickered and joked with her could be so cold-blooded when pushed.
Every eye followed the arc of Xiao Yan's iron rod. But just as it was mere half a meter from Jie Lie'ao's head, a furious roar tore through the air like a thunderclap: "You Xiao brat! A friendly sparring match, and you resort to such brutality?"
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed. A cold smile touched his lips. The iron rod did not stop—if anything, it accelerated, driven by an even more savage force.
"Get out of my way!" The shout ignited the newcomer's rage. A piercing blast of wind screamed through the air like a streak of azure lightning, slicing clean through the iron rod's midpoint. The hardened metal parted as easily as silk, the severed edges smooth as polished mirrors.
Xiao Yan's expression shifted. Gritting his teeth, he drove the remaining half toward Jie Lie'ao's throat—but the azure force struck again. The fierce wind pressure made it hard to draw breath.
His pupils contracted. The iron rod, pressed with all his might, felt as though it were separated from its target by an invisible wall of wind. No matter how hard he pushed, it refused to descend.
His lips twitching with fury, Xiao Yan's right hand tightened on the rod. He pivoted his body, then suddenly twisted, launching the iron rod as a black blur toward the figure hurtling through the air.
"Hmph!" The figure snorted in displeasure at Xiao Yan's defiance. Both hands curled into claws, weaving a frantic pattern before him. Dense azure Dou Qi condensed into several pale-blue energy blades.
A flick of the fingers sent the blades flying, slicing the iron rod into a dozen fragments.
"So young, yet so vicious. Today I shall teach you a lesson on Xiao Zhan's behalf!" With the rod destroyed, the figure let out a cold laugh. Azure Dou Qi surged within both palms, forming a wind vortex beneath his feet that lifted him into the air. Then, like a cannonball, he dove toward Xiao Yan, a pale-blue wind blade materializing from thin air and shooting toward him.
The wind blade's pressure cleared the ground of every scrap of debris, leaving it spotless.
"Teach me a lesson? Who the hell are you? You'd better worry about your own son." Xiao Yan shook his head with a cold laugh. From the wind's elemental signature, he had already identified the attacker—Jia Lie Bi, Jie Lie'ao's father.
Calmly watching the wind blade hurtle toward him, Xiao Yan waited until it was five meters overhead. Then his palm struck the ground. Invisible force erupted from the earth, launching him skyward. He twisted in midair and landed safely on open ground some dozen meters away.
The wind blade missed, its edge carving a groove a full inch deep into the hard flagstone.
"Father! Kill him!" Jie Lie'ao's face was wild with joy as he spotted the figure descending from above. Then, his voice twisted with hatred: "Kill him!"
Jia Lie Bi touched down, his face dark as a thundercloud. His gaze swept over his son's shattered arm. His eye twitched, and killing intent flashed coldly through his pupils. Without a word, he stamped the ground and charged at Xiao Yan again: "Let me see what makes this Xiao prodigy so special!"
From Jia Lie Bi's appearance to Xiao Yan's retreat, only a heartbeat had passed. When the crowd realized that a Great Dou Master had launched a sneak attack against a junior, a chorus of jeers filled the air.
"Damn it, you old dog Jia! Have you no shame at all?" Xiao Yan's face was grim as he watched Jia Lie Bi charge again despite their vastly different ranks. He cursed aloud.
"Brat! You broke my son's arm. You think you can just walk away unscathed? Not a chance!" Jia Lie Bi stamped the ground. His body seemed to vanish, reappearing above Xiao Yan's head like a gust of wind. His expressionless face twisted with cruelty as his fist clenched, azure Dou Qi coalescing into a massive, swirling vortex.
"Damn—he's using a Profound-tier technique! Old dog Jia, you've disgraced your entire clan!" The overwhelming force radiating from Jia Lie Bi's fist made Xiao Yan's expression turn ugly. His hand quietly drifted toward the black ring on his finger.
Nearby, Xiao Xun'er's delicate features shifted as she watched Xiao Yan in danger. She exhaled softly, and golden flames began to rise in her autumn-water eyes. Pale golden Dou Qi gathered in her slender fingers, preparing to unleash a devastating strike.
But just as Xiao Yan was about to resort to his own trump card, and Xun'er poised to intervene, a thunderous roar exploded through the street: "You old dog Jia! My son Xiao Zhan's boy—is it for a mongrel like you to lay a hand on him?"
The words had barely faded when a figure cloaked in crimson flame burst from beyond the market. He stamped on a rooftop, and in a flash, he stood before Xiao Yan. His head tilted back, and a roar tore from his throat—within it, the unmistakable sound of a lion's cry.
"Lion Mountain Split!"
Xiao Zhan's face was savage. His iron fist, wrapped in surging crimson Dou Qi, hammered upward toward Jia Lie Bi overhead. The spectral head of a great red lion flickered into existence around his fist.
BOOM!
Red and azure collided with a deafening crack that left the crowd's ears ringing.
The two figures shuddered, then hurtled apart. As Xiao Zhan retreated, he grabbed Xiao Yan and pulled him behind him.
His feet skidded across the ground, each step leaving a visible imprint on the stone. The force of their clash was staggering.
Having dispersed the residual energy, Xiao Zhan fixed Jia Lie Bi with a cold glare: "Jia Lie Bi, you've truly sunk to fighting dogs. Attacking a junior—have you no dignity left?"
Jia Lie Bi's face was dark, his lip twitching. He pointed at his son on the ground: "He did this to my arm. Xiao Zhan, you will answer for this!"
"Answer? My foot! If my son hadn't been quick-thinking, he'd be the one lying there. Should I demand an answer from you then?" Xiao Zhan scoffed, his voice rough with contempt.
"The challenge was issued by your son. Everyone here can testify. In a challenge, broken arms and legs are perfectly normal. Why make such a fuss?" The fierceness in Xiao Zhan's face gradually gave way to a sly smile.
"You..." Jia Lie Bi's face twitched rapidly. Seeing the mocking stares from every direction, he realized he had missed his best chance to strike. Through gritted teeth: "Don't let me catch you off guard. Otherwise!"
"Same goes for you." Xiao Zhan's eyes gleamed with the same dangerous light.
"Fine! Just you wait!" Jia Lie Bi forced a furious laugh, stepped forward, and tucked his wailing son under his arm. He turned to leave. As he passed Liu Xi, the sight of the man's slack-jawed expression ignited his fury anew. Suppressing his rage with a deep breath: "Mr. Liu Xi. Let's go."
"Ah? That girl—" Liu Xi's reluctant gaze drifted toward Xun'er in the distance.
The corner of Jia Lie Bi's eye twitched violently. He nearly struck the fool dead on the spot. His fists clenched, then slowly relaxed. After a moment, he forced an ugly smile: "We'll discuss this at length when we return."
"Oh... very well." Liu Xi nodded reluctantly, his gaze lingering one last time on Xun'er's graceful figure before he followed Jia Lie Bi out of the market.
Xiao Zhan watched the retreating figures with a cold laugh. His gaze swept over the crowd, then settled on Xiao Yan, whose lips bore a faint trace of blood. His expression softened. He clapped Xiao Yan heavily on the shoulder, then smacked his lips regretfully: "Kid, you weren't ruthless enough. Jia Lie Bi only has that one son. If you'd kicked the lad's crown jewels into next week, old Jia would've gone mad on the spot. And when that happened, the three elders hiding outside would've had every excuse to gang up on him. What a pity."
Xiao Yan stared at his father, speechless. He rolled his eyes helplessly. Xun'er and Xiao Yu, standing nearby, turned crimson at the crude remark.
The watching mercenaries felt a chill run through them. The son's ruthlessness suddenly made sense—his father was even worse.