Chapter 36

It's hard to imagine that the composed and elegant Xun'er would display such a shy and charming demeanor, her innocent and alluring appearance making Xiao Yan truly feel a different kind of allure.

After silently calling her a little demon in his heart, Xiao Yan vaguely responded, then, under Xun'er's amused gaze, he chose to flee in a rather unmanly manner.

Watching Xiao Yan leave in a flustered state, Xun'er covered her mouth and giggled, then looked herself over before casting her gaze toward the small pond beside the path.

Inside, the young girl stood gracefully, with bright eyes and white teeth, her gaze shimmering with allure and a hint of an indescribable charm.

"Really quite beautiful..." Xun'er twirled lightly, her rosy lips curling into a smug smile.

Not far away, a few young men from the family who had just walked over suddenly froze, their mouths slowly opening wide, their eyes filled with amazement as they stared dumbfounded at the beautiful girl admiring herself under the willow tree.

...

Fleeing back to his room in a flustered state, Xiao Yan finally let out a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, and chuckled bitterly, "This girl, when she grows up, will probably be even more enchanting than the auction house's Ya Fei..."

Sitting down at the table, Xiao Yan took a sip of tea, but the image of Xun'er's charming demeanor kept floating in his mind. With the gentle flutter of her eyes, Xiao Yan felt his heart grow warm.

Shaking his head fiercely, Xiao Yan cursed himself as a beast once again, then gradually calmed down those thoughts that made his heart race.

Shaking his slightly numb arm, Xiao Yan walked to the corner of the room, lifted out the large wooden tub filled with the foundation-building elixir, quickly removed his clothes, and jumped in.

The cold water enveloped his skin, a refreshing sensation washing away the fatigue in his bones.

His hand moved casually in the water, and Xiao Yan leaned lazily against the edge of the tub, his slightly rapid breathing gradually steadying.

Thinking about the shock he caused at the training ground today, Xiao Yan smiled faintly. Strength, indeed, is the most important thing in this world.

Rubbing his forehead, a cold and proud beautiful face suddenly flashed into his mind—Nalan Yanran.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and Xiao Yan murmured softly, "Two more years, right? You must wait for me, I will come to find you..."

The soft murmur, if not for the coldness in his tone, would have sounded like a sweet love whisper.

Recalling Nalan Yanran's condescending words and domineering attitude in the hall that day, Xiao Yan's fists slowly clenched, the humiliation almost impossible to erase...

"Ha, cultivation cannot stagnate. That woman... although proud, since she has been taken as a disciple by the Yunlam Sect's leader, her cultivation talent is certainly not ordinary." He chuckled, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Taking a deep breath, whenever he thought of that woman, Xiao Yan felt an unusual diligence in his heart. He then rallied his spirit, put away his lazy posture, assumed a cultivation stance in the tub, formed the hand seals, and slowly closed his eyes to meditate.

...

Since the test that day, Xiao Yan could clearly feel that the disdain and ridicule in the gazes of the clan members around him had automatically diminished, replaced by a sense of reverence.

For this kind of reverence, which he had only been entitled to enjoy three years ago, Xiao Yan remained indifferent, not showing any arrogant or self-satisfied demeanor.

The day after the test, Xiao Yan naturally kept his promise and spent a day playing with Xun'er, the person closest to him in the clan besides his father, whom he found it hard to refuse and did not want to refuse any of her requests.

After a day of relaxation, Xiao Yan's life returned to its usual peaceful and orderly state.

He practiced martial arts in the back mountain in the early morning, then returned home to cultivate Dou Qi, occasionally spending time with Xun'er and talking with his father, arranging his time segments in an orderly manner.

During this period, he occasionally encountered Xiao Mei in the clan, and hearing her sweet calls of "Cousin Xiao Yan," he would smile faintly and respond casually, always keeping a respectful distance from overly pragmatic women.

Today, she could treat him with respect because of his restored talent, but tomorrow, she could just as easily become cold and distant if his talent were to leave him. This kind of betrayal, he had experienced once, and that was enough.

...

A month passed quietly and leisurely, and in seven days, it would be the day of the Xiao family's Chengren ceremony...

With seven days left until the Chengren ceremony, Xiao Yan's wish to break through to the eighth level still showed no signs of progress, which was somewhat disappointing.

He tried again for two more days but still had no success. Disappointed, Xiao Yan relaxed his tightly scheduled cultivation time. However, just when he thought there was no hope of breaking through, an unexpected and delightful situation arose.

On the night two days before the Chengren ceremony, while sound asleep, Xiao Yan suddenly jumped up as if sleepwalking, without even taking off his clothes, and jumped straight into the wooden tub where the medicinal power was about to completely dissipate.

After a night of折腾, Xiao Yan finally opened his eyes groggily, and... he was dumbfounded to find that the breakthrough barrier that had troubled him for two or three months had been broken while he was half-asleep.

For this mysterious and somewhat comical breakthrough, Xiao Yan, after the initial surprise, could only laugh and cry, saying, "Damn!"

(Seeking recommendations! ^_^)