Chapter 127: Mystic Ice Spiral Fist
"Tell me everything. What happened?"
Xiao Yuan pulled Xiao Yan aside and asked curiously.
"I don't really know either. That little princess insisted on dragging me here. I couldn't just pull my hand away and tell a girl to get lost, could I? Our clan plans to return to the imperial capital, so we're bound to deal with the royal family. Since I had nothing else to do, I figured I'd come and support you, Brother."
Xiao Yan shrugged helplessly. His soul power had grown stronger during the day, and when he participated in the test that afternoon, he unsurprisingly emerged as the top performer. The little princess had previously admired Liu Ling, the disciple of Alchemy King Gu He, but after witnessing Xiao Yan's unmatched performance, her admiration shifted toward him.
Moreover, in terms of appearance, Xiao Yan was not inferior to Liu Ling, and his free-spirited manner suited the princess's temperament.
"Looks like you did really well in the test, otherwise she wouldn't have noticed you."
Xiao Yuan wasn't surprised. But the Nalan clan probably wouldn't try anything tonight—things should go smoothly.
"Did Elder Hai come?"
Xiao Yan looked around curiously.
"Not sure. Probably off reminiscing with old friends," Xiao Yuan replied with a smile and shake of his head.
"If there's nothing else after the Alchemist Assembly, I plan to head to Jia Nan Academy. Do you have any other plans, Brother?"
Xiao Yan shifted the topic.
"I might head to the Misty Cloud Sect… but that's something for later."
Xiao Yuan rarely showed hesitation. He didn't finish his sentence.
Logically, he should visit Yun Yun at Misty Cloud Sect, but aside from her, there was also Yun Shan—and possibly people from the Soul Hall hiding in the sect. If a fight broke out, even with Yao Lao having recovered some strength, unforeseen dangers might arise. To be safe, it was best not to go, but that would mean breaking his promise to Yun Yun.
Still, no matter what, Xiao Yuan would never risk Yao Lao's safety for personal matters.
"Haha, Xiao Yuan, you're finally here!"
The voice of Mittel Tengshan rang out from afar. His enthusiasm made it sound like he was greeting an old friend, not a junior.
"Apologies for keeping the Elder waiting," Xiao Yuan said with a helpless shrug toward Xiao Yan, then turned around and smiled.
"Oh no, I'm not the host here, so I can't say I was waiting. Old man Nalan Jie is the one who's been waiting a while. Aren't you going to see him?"
Tengshan chuckled meaningfully.
"Elder, you jest. I'm just a junior—hardly worthy of such attention. If there were really something, I'm sure Miss Nalan would've called me over by now."
Xiao Yuan remained calm and unfazed.
"Here, I spent last night gathering the herbs Elder Hai needed. They're all stored in this ring. It's a high-grade Storage Ring. The Mittel Clan has only three of these. Two are with Elder Hai and myself, and now I'm giving you the third."
As he spoke, Tengshan handed over a beautifully crafted ring with a smooth jade-like sheen.
"Elder, this is far too valuable!"
Xiao Yuan was genuinely shocked. A high-grade Storage Ring was a rare treasure even in the Black-Corner Region—absolutely one of the Mittel Clan's most precious heirlooms. And yet, they were gifting it to him today.
"Don't refuse. Whether as an investment in your future, or in gratitude for finding Elder Hai and helping him recover his strength, you've earned it. Elder Hai's value to our clan far outweighs a mere ring."
With a serious expression, Tengshan shoved the ring into Xiao Yuan's hand.
"In that case, I'll accept it with gratitude!"
The ring was already in his hand. Declining further would be hypocritical, so Xiao Yuan stored it carefully.
"Alright, I'll leave you to chat with Ya Fei. I still need to go thank your brother, Xiao Yan!"
Tengshan waved casually and walked off, wearing a warm smile that shocked many in the hall. The usually stern elder was being so kind and respectful to two juniors? Could they be disciples from some powerful clan on a training journey?
"Tch, not easy being old..."
Watching Tengshan hurry off toward Xiao Yan, Xiao Yuan clicked his tongue. If he had to deal with such affairs every day, he'd go mad. Cultivation was definitely simpler.
Not far away, Nalan Jie's mood soured as he watched Tengshan grow close with both Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan. These were originally his people, yet now they were being roped in by the Mittel Clan. It was clear that the Mittel Clan would now hold the advantage among the capital's three great families.
Sigh…
Looking at Xiao Yuan laughing intimately with Ya Fei, Nalan Jie felt a knot in his chest. He turned away with a sigh, forcing himself not to look anymore.
"Yanran, why hasn't the Mu family arrived? I remember inviting them."
After scanning the hall, Nalan Jie approached Nalan Yanran, who was helping host guests after catching up with the princess, and frowned.
The Mu family, one of the empire's three major clans, was known for its battle maniacs and held great influence in the military.
"I heard Mu Zhan returned early from the northwestern border," Yanran replied, a strange look crossing her face.
"Mu Zhan? The one who fights and kills at a whim, and bullied all the noble heirs into submission? Practically the leader of the Crown Prince's faction?" Nalan Jie was stunned.
"Yes, that troublesome brute…"
"I remember he was quite obsessed with Ya Fei. When he left the capital, didn't he threaten that anyone who touched her would be killed?"
Nalan Su chuckled awkwardly, recalling the notorious scene from two years ago.
"Not sure how much he's changed after two years of border training… hopefully he's less unreasonable now."
Yanran sounded uncertain.
"I doubt it. He's probably even worse. We better keep an eye out—can't let guests get hurt at our banquet."
Nalan Jie stroked his white beard and glanced helplessly toward Ya Fei and Xiao Yuan.
"Yes, Father."
Nalan Su nodded and moved to make arrangements.
But just then, a fierce force suddenly burst out toward Xiao Yuan's back!
Nalan Jie, Nalan Su, and Yanran all sensed it instantly and turned their gaze.
At the quiet banquet table, Xiao Yuan was smiling as he shared amusing cultivation stories with Ya Fei. Just as he raised his cup to taste the wine, the sudden force—though not threatening—carried obvious provocation.
Without looking, Xiao Yuan waved his hand behind him. Black mist surged and condensed into a semi-transparent ice mirror that bounced the force back.
Then, with a gust of wind, Xiao Yuan floated upward, twisted midair, and launched a palm strike.
Low-tier Yellow Rank Technique: Stone Crushing Palm!
He didn't care who had attacked. The attacker's aura was just at peak Dou Shi—trash, in his eyes. Still, using such a basic technique was almost insulting.
The attacker tried to dodge, but Xiao Yuan's speed and physical strength rivaled that of magical beasts at the same level. The low-tier skill struck with the force of a high-tier one—too fast to evade, he had to take it head-on!
The attacker was confident, though. He summoned his Dou Qi and threw a punch, drawing gasps from many young elites present.
But the moment fists met, the attacker was instantly blown away—he couldn't even last a second.
Tap tap tap!
After several stumbling steps, the young man finally stabilized, glaring darkly at Xiao Yuan.
"Not bad, punk!"
Looking down at the footprint on his chest, he smiled coldly.
Xiao Yuan withdrew his leg, expression indifferent. "If you want to die, I'll oblige. I don't care who backs you—if I want to kill you, no one can stop me."
The guests grew even more curious. They all recognized this young man: Mu Zhan, the very person Nalan Jie and the others had mentioned.
"So he really is a great fighter!"
The princess swirled her wine and chuckled softly.
"Is that... Mu Zhan?" Many nobles around her went pale. Most had suffered under his hand before.
"Everyone in the capital knows he liked Ya Fei. When he left, he threatened to kill anyone who touched her…" The princess smiled faintly, eyes flashing with curiosity as she glanced at the white-robed Xiao Yuan. "Now that Ya Fei is taken, Mu Zhan must be going crazy! This is a good chance to see how strong Xiao Yuan really is."
"Mu Zhan, what the hell is wrong with you?!"
Recognizing the intruder, Ya Fei's face turned frosty.
"Ya Fei, you know this idiot?" Xiao Yuan turned to ask.
"He's from the Mu family, one of the three great clans. A madman. I left for training partly to get away from him."
Ya Fei gave a helpless smile. If not for meeting Xiao Yuan, she might've had to marry that brute for political reasons. The thought alone made her shiver.
Hearing this, the young man's blazing gaze landed on Ya Fei's angry face. He laughed, softening his tone, "Ya Fei, long time no see. You're even more beautiful now—no surprise, since you're my future wife..."
Even Xiao Yan, who had been watching silently, frowned. But since this was about his third brother and sister-in-law, he let Xiao Yuan handle it.
"Master Nalan, I apologize in advance. I'm young and hot-blooded—I just can't tolerate this!"
Xiao Yuan narrowed his eyes, then cupped his hands coldly toward Nalan Jie, who had been watching.
The next instant, his body shot forward. A burst of three-star Da Dou Shi power erupted, creating a powerful pressure. In a blink, he was in front of Mu Zhan, his fist surging with Dou Qi. Black ice crystals spiraled into a blade-like storm over his fist.
Mystic Ice Spiral Fist—a low-tier Xuan Rank technique Xiao Yuan had developed himself, a refined version of Ice Spiral Kill combined with Green Wind Spiral Fist.
Mu Zhan wasn't about to back down. Their brief clash had shown him Xiao Yuan's strength, but he hadn't expected him to be this powerful. Still, he wasn't a coward. He gathered Dou Qi and formed countless sharp green wooden spikes over his fists.
"Green Wood Thrust!"
With a low growl, his spiked fist slammed toward Xiao Yuan's icy spiral fist.
The moment they collided, the black ice storm tore through the green spikes like paper and swept toward Mu Zhan's body.
Panicking, Mu Zhan gritted his teeth and summoned a crude Dou Qi armor.
But before he could relax, icy energy exploded inside him. He spat blood filled with black ice crystals as the storm engulfed him completely.
Moments later, as the storm faded, a black ice sculpture stood where Mu Zhan had been.
Hiss—
Gasps filled the hall. All eyes were on Xiao Yuan, who calmly adjusted his slightly disheveled robe.
This white-robed noble's strength was truly terrifying!
(END CHAPTER)
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