Chapter 51

Approaching the heavy gate, beside it, a dozen or so cold-faced guards were firmly blocking the entrance. At the corner of the gate, an expressionless old man sat on a chair, holding a pen and a thick ledger.

In front of the old man, a number of clan members were queuing up, each taking out the combat techniques they had found to be registered by the old man. Only then, under the cold and scrutinizing gazes of the dozen guards, did they squeeze out through the small gap.

This was a procedure for leaving the Combat Technique Pavilion. Xiao Yan and the others had been informed in detail before entering, so they were not surprised.

The combat techniques in the Combat Technique Pavilion were the result of the hard work of several generations of the Xiao family. These techniques were almost the foundation of the Xiao family's standing in the city of Utan, so the family had extremely strict protective measures for them.

The materials used for the combat techniques in the hands of Xiao Yan and the others were made from a special type of bamboo. This bamboo had a mother and a child part. The mother part was only the size of a palm, but the child part could spread over several dozen meters. Combat technique scrolls made from this material would be detected if they were taken out of the mother part's monitoring range, as long as the clan leader held the mother part.

The monitoring range of the mother part of the bamboo in the clan just happened to cover the entire Xiao family. Therefore, these combat technique scrolls would be detected as soon as they left the Xiao family. Of course, nothing is absolute; some powerful individuals could forcibly cut off this detection, but at that level, who would bother to steal some low-grade combat techniques...

After waiting for a while in the queue, it was finally Xiao Yan's turn. He stepped forward, took out the combat technique scroll from his chest, and handed it to the old man.

The old man took the dark red scroll from Xiao Yan, slightly stunned, and sized up Xiao Yan. He muttered to himself, "The 'Flame Burning' defense seems to have the strength of nine segments of combat qi. This kid actually managed to get it? He indeed has some foundation."

After registering the combat technique, the old man returned it to Xiao Yan and reminded him, "I assume you know the rules, right? Combat techniques cannot be taken out of the clan, or there will be severe punishment! Return the combat technique after one year! It must not be damaged."

Xiao Yan nodded casually, stepped aside, and leaned against the gate, waiting for Xun Er to register.

Xun Er smiled at Xiao Yan, extended her fair wrist, and handed over her combat technique.

Seeing Xun Er standing in front of him, the expressionless old man's face unusually showed a slightly respectful smile. He took the combat technique scroll with both hands and quickly registered it.

Standing to the side, Xiao Yan watched the old man's significant change in attitude and narrowed his eyes. He habitually curled his fingers. From the fact that this old man could manage the Combat Technique Pavilion, a restricted area, it was clear that his status in the clan was no less than that of the three elders.

Xiao Yan had also heard of the old man's reputation in the clan, Cold-Faced Man Xiao Han. This old fellow never gave anyone, even his own father, any face, his cold and stiff face like a muscle that had frozen.

However, this cold-faced man, who wouldn't even look at the clan leader, was so respectful in front of Xun Er, which made Xiao Yan even more curious about Xun Er's identity.

Rubbing his nose, recalling Xun Er's silence whenever her identity was mentioned, Xiao Yan could only shake his head helplessly. He looked up at Xun Er, who was smiling, and shrugged. The two of them squeezed out of the gate together.

Exiting the crowded gate, Xiao Yan took a few deep breaths of fresh air. The air in the Combat Technique Pavilion was indeed too stuffy.

"How was it, Yan'er?"

Seeing Xiao Yan and Xun Er come out, a figure slowly approached. His eyes glanced at the gate, but he smiled and asked softly.

Turning his head to look at his smiling father, Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, revealing a segment of the dark red scroll from under his sleeve, and said with a light laugh, "It's done."

Seeing the dark red color, Xiao Zhan finally breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes smiling, and said softly, "Good, it's in your hands."

Xiao Yan and his father exchanged a glance and both let out a satisfied laugh.

Xiao Zhan patted Xiao Yan's shoulder with his large hand and said with a smile, "Now that you have the combat technique, once you become a Fighter, you can truly cultivate combat qi."

Xiao Yan nodded with a smile, his hand in his sleeve touching the scroll, his eyes narrowing slightly. He murmured to himself, "Sigh, I wonder what special qualities the combat technique the teacher mentioned has? Heh, a combat technique that can evolve... does it really exist?"

"More bizarre than a Heaven-grade combat technique..." Recalling the arrogant words of the old medicine master, Xiao Yan shook his head with a bitter smile. The most advanced combat technique he had seen so far was the high-grade Earth-grade 'Flame Manipulation Technique' that Xun Er had taken out. To be honest, when he refused it, he really struggled for a moment. After all, such a level of combat technique was rare and hard to come by.

Rubbing his forehead, he suddenly regretted refusing Xun Er's kindness. However, since he had already said it, he couldn't bring himself to ask for it again, so he could only pray that the old medicine master wasn't pulling his leg. Otherwise, he would lose face.

"Hmph, just a high-grade Earth-grade, what's there to be so reluctant about? Although that little girl's identity is special, she's still too young to compare with my collection of combat techniques." Just as Xiao Yan was praying, the old medicine master's cold snort suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Finally, you're out..." Hearing the voice in his mind, Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, and a satisfied smile slowly spread across his lips. He had said so much in his mind just to force this old man to say something reassuring.

"Ah... you little fox, you actually tricked me..." When the old medicine master realized what Xiao Yan was thinking, he sighed, both amused and exasperated, and said helplessly, "Little guy, focus on your cultivation. Don't worry about the combat technique. It won't let you down. In the future, your achievements won't be lower than that little girl's. Her family... well, that's it."

Although the last sentence was a bit vague, Xiao Yan smiled and nodded. Since there was a guarantee, the face-saving issue was finally resolved. Next, he needed to focus on advancing to the Fighter stage. Only by becoming a Fighter would he have the qualifications to explore the vast world and... to find the 'daydreamed' Nalan Yanran...

(This week, I'll try to update three times. If there are any unexpected issues, I'll notify you in advance. A new week, I need your support, thank you, ^_^)