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**
Xiao Yan's chest rose and fell slightly, his expression turning a little grim.
"Yanran, that's enough!" Nalan Jie finally spoke, his face dark and voice low. "Come back."
Ya Fei inwardly cried in frustration. She tugged forcefully on Nalan Yanran's sleeve, pulling her away quickly.
As the two women departed, the farce could finally be considered over.
Wei Yang leaned back against his chair and closed his eyes, no longer in the mood to speak.
This Nalan Yanran—not only was she proud, but also a bit too willful.
Seriously.
He transmitted a message to Xiao Yan: "It's a good thing this woman broke off the engagement. If you'd married someone like her, you'd have had nothing but trouble in the future."
Xiao Yan remained silent.
After a moment, he responded in a somewhat complicated tone, "Is that supposed to be comfort or sarcasm?"
Wei Yang shrugged and curled his lips. "A bit of both, I guess."
After a pause, he sent another voice transmission: "Honestly, you don't need to take it to heart. A woman like that—it's better the engagement's broken.
This is a world where strength is everything, where personal power reigns supreme. With our status as alchemists, what kind of woman won't we be able to find in the future? You're just hung up on your pride, that's all."
Xiao Yan replied with a bitter smile, "If it were you, could you let it go that easily?"
"Uh…" Wei Yang was momentarily speechless.
That logic wasn't wrong, but if any man encountered something like this, they'd likely brood over it as well. Letting go wouldn't come easily.
As the saying goes, people fight for dignity, and Buddha for incense.
Life and death might be small matters—but saving face is a big one.
This sort of thing was hard to judge clearly.
"Xiao Yan, keep your mindset open." Yao Lao's aged voice quietly sounded in Xiao Yan's mind, comforting him. "If you think about it from another perspective, isn't this a good thing? Without this engagement in your way, you and that Xun'er girl won't have any more obstacles between you."
"Xun'er?" Xiao Yan was stunned for a moment, and a trace of longing couldn't help but emerge in his eyes.
That girl, as pure as a green lotus—he hadn't seen her in so long.
Even during his downfall, she had always stayed by his side, never abandoning him, full of confidence and encouragement.
He wondered how she was doing now at Jia Nan Academy.
"Besides," Yao Lao added with a trace of pride in his voice, "When we get to Central Plains, with your identity as my disciple, what kind of heavenly genius girls won't you be able to find? Why linger over a girl from such a small place?"
"Senior speaks the truth," Wei Yang agreed.
The identity of a Yao Zun Zhe's disciple in the Central Plains was no joke.
Xiao Yan shook his head with a bitter smile, exhaled lightly, and said, "In a few days, once the Three-Year Agreement is fulfilled, this matter will be completely settled."
…
As the sun gradually moved across the sky, under the eyes of countless spectators, the grand conference's start time finally arrived.
Dong~
When a deep, ancient chime rang out across the plaza, the clamorous noise shooting skyward suddenly fell into silence.
As the echoing chime lingered in their ears, President Fa Ma slowly stood, his body trembling slightly, and stepped to the front of the VIP seats.
His gaze swept below, over the many alchemists seated behind the stone platform. These young faces were filled with energy and vigor.
All of these young people were under thirty years old—the future of the alchemy world within the Jia Ma Empire.
President Fa Ma couldn't help but show a trace of gratified smile.
At this moment, the over two thousand alchemists also lifted their heads, their eyes filled with reverence as they looked upon this elderly man, who possessed immense prestige in the Jia Ma Empire's alchemy world.
"In the name of the Alchemist Association of the Jia Ma Empire, I hereby declare—the Seventh Alchemist Grand Meeting, begins!"
Boom~
The crowd erupted in cheers, the roaring voices shaking the entire imperial capital.
The grand event had officially begun.
…
President Fa Ma looked at the seething square, and only after a while did he smile gently and say, "Now, will all participating contestants please take your seats."
Even though the square was so noisy that even the bell chimes were hard to hear—
President Fa Ma's light voice still somehow echoed clearly in everyone's ears, unmistakably.
Upon hearing his words, many alchemist figures immediately stood up from the VIP seats.
Most of these alchemists came from powerful factions or had been recruited by them. Backed by strong influences, these alchemists were generally stronger than those seated below.
The elevated platform was over ten meters above the plaza below. For many of the younger generation whose strength was only at the Dou Zhe or Dou Shi level, jumping straight down was naturally out of the question.
Thus, most people obediently chose to take the corridor along the sides of the VIP section, which led directly down to the plaza.
"Hehe, Miss Xian'er, Xiao Yan, Liu Ling, and Little Yue'er, please return to your designated spots," Fa Ma said with a smile. "Because of your outstanding performance in the internal test, those seats belong to you. They will also make you the center of attention today."
He pointed toward the very center of the plaza, where over ten massive greenstone platforms stood.
These platforms were not only much larger than the others in surface area, but they also sat slightly higher than the rest.
Such prominent and elevated spots naturally made anyone standing on them the focal point of the entire venue.
The four of them followed Fa Ma's gesture with their gazes, and their expressions varied as they took in the special seating.
Liu Ling, the personal disciple of Gu He, looked surprised but also a little excited.
The Little Princess was full of curiosity and eager to try it out.
Xian'er remained calm and indifferent, her expression serene.
Xiao Yan froze for a moment, then frowned slightly, but soon became unconcerned as well.
Unlike in the original story, he wasn't alone now.
Not only did he have the support of Yao Lao, but he also had Wei Yang as a powerful backing. What was there to fear?
Fa Ma glanced over the four and chuckled. "Hehe, go on now, young ones."
…
After a round of flashy entrances that displayed their individual abilities, the atmosphere at the venue was thoroughly ignited.
The arrival of the two beauties—Little Princess and Xian'er—particularly stirred the crowd. Not only did howls erupt from the VIP section, but the spectator stands opposite thundered with deafening cheers.
Among the four, Xian'er was undoubtedly the most dazzling.
Dressed in white with white hair, her ethereal, celestial aura drew countless eyes.
With a gentle tap of her toe on the platform, she floated down like a fairy from beyond the heavens, landing gracefully atop one of the central greenstone stages.
Immediately—
Whistles, applause, screams, and howls erupted across the plaza.
Her perfect entrance, combined with her stunning beauty and graceful aura, mesmerized countless men present. Many fell into a trance, utterly captivated by the fluttering white figure.
Meanwhile, the expressions of the bigwigs present turned more solemn.
As the saying goes: laymen watch the show, experts watch the technique.
Xian'er's display caught their full attention.
Most crucially, apart from Fa Ma and Jia Xingtian, no one present could see through Xian'er's strength. Even Hai Bodong, who had yet to recover to his peak, failed to discern her depths.
Jia Xingtian even trembled and nearly yanked out a handful of his beard.
He had been too focused on Wei Yang earlier and hadn't taken a good look at the white-haired woman.
Now that he did—good heavens—he was nearly scared to death.
Six-Star Dou Huang!
The key issue was: she was so young!
"Fa Ma, who is she?" Jia Xingtian asked through a sound transmission.
"Mm," Fa Ma nodded slightly, and his gaze unconsciously swept toward Wei Yang, his eyes full of implication.
As long-time friends, Jia Xingtian instantly picked up on the multitude of subtle messages in that glance.
He couldn't help but take a deep breath as understanding dawned.
No wonder that young man wasn't interested in the imperial family's two princesses. Turns out, he already had someone so extraordinary by his side.
Compared to her, those two princesses might as well be decorative vases.
Jia Xingtian kept his face impassive, but inwardly, he felt a bit vexed.
Fa Ma, meanwhile, looked like he was enjoying the show. It wasn't every day he got to see his old friend flustered—of course he was delighted.
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