"Dou Master!"
Ge Ye's hand, holding the teacup, trembled slightly.
That young man was a Disciple he took in due to their relationship, and he was only ordinary among the younger generation of the Yun Lan Sect, but to possess Five-star Dou Practitioner strength at twenty years old was considered a minor Genius in the Gama Empire.
He didn't expect that this young man from the Xiao Family, who was younger than his Disciple, actually had Dou Master strength, enough to rival the direct Disciples of the Dou King Elders within the Sect.
He thought of himself, backed by the Yun Lan Sect, a force with a Dou Emperor overseeing it, and at eighteen, he was only a Nine-star Dou Practitioner.
This Xiao Family truly lived up to its name as one of the former Dou King Families of the Gama Empire; it still had some foundation.
Perhaps, what he did today was truly a mistake?
"Xiao Er, you've Broken Through!"
Xiao Zhan suddenly stood up, his eyes gleaming with wild joy.
My nephew has the potential of a Dou King!
"Cousin, you are too strong." Xiao Yan's eyes filled with admiration.
Unlike his own flamboyance, Chu Xiao had always deliberately hidden his Cultivation. Everyone only knew he was a Genius, but no one knew his specific strength.
He never expected, at eighteen, a Dou Master!
He felt honored!
"Just a fluke." Chu Xiao smiled nonchalantly, not thinking he was particularly amazing.
At the same age of eighteen, in the future, Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran would both be Great Dou Masters. His initial entry into Dou Master was truly just average.
Of course, he wouldn't belittle himself. After all, in terms of talent alone, he wasn't worse than the two of them. Xiao Yan, in particular, had Yao Chen, a Peak Dou Venerate, an Eighth-grade Alchemist, personally guiding him. As an Alchemist, he could perform Alchemy to consume pills himself and exchange for resources, and he also Cultivated the Burning Flame, a cheating Cultivation Technique that could devour different flames to become stronger.
Nalan Yanran also had a Dou Emperor teacher and the Yun Lan Sect, the number one power in the Gama Empire, as her backing. She originally had a Dou King grandfather and a Dou King Family in the Gama Empire as her background.
Wealth, companions, Cultivation Technique, and territory—he had nothing. Even if he showed Genius now, if he didn't have opportunities later, he was destined to be lost among the masses.
If he had recovered his memory earlier, he would definitely have gone to Canaan Academy with Xiao Yu to develop, instead of staying in the Xiao Family.
How wonderful would it be to use the Fallen Heart Flame, that cheat in the Inner Academy, to raise his strength?
Now, not to mention Breaking Through to Dou Spirit, reaching Great Dou Master would definitely be no problem.
With his background, to compare with those Geniuses in the Central Plains, only Canaan Academy could give him a chance.
However, these were all later matters. At this moment, he turned to look at the man behind Nalan Yanran: "Your posture just now, were you going to make a move against me?"
The handsome young man in white robes stiffened, then retreated a step without speaking, standing beside Ge Ye.
He was just a Five-star Dou Practitioner; how could he be a match for a Genius Dou Master?
"Now, do I have the right to educate you?" Chu Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly as he turned to meet Nalan Yanran's bewildered gaze.
"I…" Nalan Yanran's small mouth was slightly agape, unable to speak.
Chu Xiao took a step forward. Being over 1.8 meters tall, he looked down at Nalan Yanran, who was fifteen and not yet 1.6 meters tall.
"Young Miss Nalan, you said something that isn't wrong: on the Dou Qi Continent, the strong are respected. You are the eldest granddaughter of a Dou King Family, and you have Yun Yun, a Dou Emperor expert, as your teacher. Becoming a Dou King expert in the future is only a matter of time. If nothing unexpected happens, you can even become a Dou Emperor, or even stronger."
"Xiao Yanzi's talent and body have issues, perhaps he will never be able to Cultivate in his life. Do you, a future Dou King, or even Dou Emperor expert, have to marry an ordinary person just because of a childhood engagement?"
"Xiao Yanzi wouldn't do such a thing, nor would my uncle. Our Xiao Family isn't so shameless. Doing so would only bring more and greater ridicule to Xiao Yanzi and the Family."
Xiao Zhan immediately spoke up, "Nalan niece, since things have come to this, I will speak frankly. The matter of breaking off the engagement is humiliating. If my Xiao Family were to break off the engagement with your Nalan Family, then it would be you who loses face."
"I originally intended to wait until Xiao Yanzi's sixteenth birthday coming-of-age ceremony. If his talent still hadn't recovered, I would propose to dissolve the engagement on the grounds that he couldn't Cultivate and his future was bleak. That way, both the Nalan Family and the Xiao Family would save some face."
Nalan Yanran subconsciously took a step back, her face turning pale.
So, she was too impatient and complicated a matter that should have been easily resolved!?
"You are too arrogant." Chu Xiao's gaze sharpened as he spoke again: "You should know that my Xiao Family was still a Dou King Family more than ten years ago. The engagement between you and Xiao Yanzi was set by the two Family Elders, intending to form a good relationship between the two Families and deepen their connection."
"Even if you wanted to break off the engagement, you could have sent a letter or someone to inform us. Our Xiao Family wouldn't shamelessly cling on. But you, instead, came to Utan City with great fanfare, in your capacity as a Yun Lan Sect Disciple, to dissolve the marriage under everyone's attention. This is clearly an insult to my Xiao Family."
"After today, my Xiao Family will become a laughingstock. Do you think the Nalan Family will fare any better? You've also turned two Families that should have cooperated into enemies."
Nalan Yanran retreated several more steps, one hand resting on the table, barely preventing herself from falling to the ground.
Her pink lips trembled slightly. She placed her hand on her chest and said, "I just don't want my engagement to be tied to a man I don't know. What did I do wrong?"
"You didn't do anything wrong." A hint of sarcasm appeared in Chu Xiao's handsome eyes: "But all of this has a prerequisite, and that is for you to repay the Nalan Family's kindness. After all, you've enjoyed a life of luxury since childhood, you've had famous teachers guiding you since childhood, and even the opportunity you now have to display your talent, be noticed by Yun Yun, and be taken as her Disciple, is all because you are Nalan Yanran of the Nalan Family."
"If you were just the daughter of a shop owner, do you think Yun Yun would know who you are?"
"As a person, you cannot enjoy benefits without discussing responsibility. That is being an ungrateful wretch!"
The words "ungrateful wretch" drained all color from Nalan Yanran's face, and her whole body began to tremble.
"I'm not, I didn't, I just, boo hoo hoo…"
Nalan Yanran's eyes reddened, and tears streamed out, after which she ran out of the hall as if escaping.
Spoiled and pampered, held in everyone's hands, suffering from princess syndrome, how could she have experienced any of this?
Everyone: "…"
"Yanran!" The young man beside Ge Ye immediately chased after her.
"Cousin is too amazing." Xiao Yan's admiration grew even stronger.
At the same time, he understood a principle: you must have strength to make others listen to reason, and when there is no reason, you can choose not to listen to reason!
"Cough." Ge Ye put down his teacup and cupped his fist towards Xiao Zhan: "Patriarch Xiao, I have disturbed you today. I will convey the matter to the Sect Master exactly as it happened."
Saying this, he looked at the box placed on the table.
"Leave the Qi Gathering Powder." Chu Xiao spoke before Xiao Zhan: "This item is not compensation for breaking off the engagement, but compensation for Young Miss Nalan disregarding the years of friendship between the Nalan Family and the Xiao Family and damaging the relationship between the two Families, don't you agree, Elder Ge Ye?"
"It's only right!" Ge Ye immediately nodded, apologized again, then got up and left.
After he left, Chu Xiao, without surprise, once again became the center of attention.
"Uncle, I just Broke Through yesterday, and my Realm hasn't stabilized yet. I'll go back and continue my secluded Cultivation first." Chu Xiao didn't want to waste time here and planned to find a quiet place to organize his thoughts.
"Go to the Family's Heaven-rank Secret Chamber Number One." Xiao Zhan immediately took out a token and threw it, a smile plastered on his face: "Don't forget today is your birthday. Your aunt cooked personally, so come for dinner tonight."
"Then I wouldn't dare forget." Thinking of his aunt's temper, Chu Xiao's mouth twitched slightly.
He patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, exchanged a glance with the purple-robed girl not far away, and quickly left.
"My cheat seems to have arrived. I need to go check it out."
Chu Xiao almost walked with a swagger, disregarding all kinship.
As a Transmigrator, a cheat was the foundation of his standing.
Punching the Soul Emperor, trampling the heavenly evil god, none of it was a dream.
"Hmm?"
Chu Xiao's good mood didn't last long.
"What's the deal with this diary?"
"Who writes a diary when they're proper?"