Feeling the powerful qi rising from Xiao Yan's body, Lan Yan's eyes flashed with astonishment. This young man, once so overlooked and mocked at Xiao Family, had truly changed beyond recognition. Her jade hands tightly gripped the pale green long sword, with gentle, flowing breezes swirling around the blade, forming spirals and drifting. Within the wind, sharp gusts of wind blades extended and contracted, occasionally bursting forth, leaving shallow yet noticeable grooves on the hard stone floor. The sword gradually rose higher, pointing steadily toward Xiao Yan, its sharp edge gleaming with a cold, brilliant radiance under the sunlight. As the qi surged from both of them, the atmosphere across the vast plaza instantly grew still and tense. The surrounding area fell silent once more, all eyes fixed upon the two of them. Many were eager to find out how far this once-ordinary young man had come after three years of dedicated cultivation. On the field, Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes, then exhaled deeply. As his gaze snapped open, streaks of emerald flame flashed across his dark pupils, and the aura surrounding his body grew deeper and more profound. Gripping the handle of the staff tightly, he felt the growing weight pressing through his hands. He lifted his eyes to gaze at the woman across from him—her posture slender and willowy—her eyes meeting his in the air. Both of them exchanged glances filled with complexity. "Fight! Lan Yanran! For three years!" As the shadow surged forward, the restrained roar that had built up over three years burst forth from her throat. Under the gaze of every person on the square, the shadow moved like an enraged beast, its dark, heavy staff lightly pressed against the ground, carving a long trail of sparks and deep grooves across the stone. Lan Yanran faced the advancing figure with a calm expression. Her cultivation was rooted in the Wind element, making speed and agility her greatest strengths. As Xiao Yan's attack approached within ten meters of her, she finally moved—lightly tapping the ground with her foot, her body swaying and dancing like a leaf caught in a strong wind, flickering and shifting in an instant to weave through the charging black figure. At the moment of intersection, her long sword naturally arced across, propelled by the momentum of her movement. Several slender wind blades detached from the blade and swiftly sliced toward Xiao Yan's neck. The swift, plunging stance suddenly halted. The massive black staff lifted slightly, and as it rang with a series of delicate chimes and small sparks, the several wind blades—though they had not even managed to impede Xiao Yan's slightest offensive move—vanished entirely. After deflecting the wind blades, Xiao Yan raised his gaze slightly, his calm eyes glancing past the graceful figure that passed by. With a sweeping arm motion, the heavy, powerful staff surged forward, striking horizontally behind him. The force of the impact pressed the flowing skirts of Na Lan Yan Ran tightly against her skin, accentuating the delicate willow-like curves of her waist. Feeling the pressing force of the breath emanating from behind, Nalan Yan raised her delicate brows, seemingly surprised by the other's keen perception. With a sudden, forceful thrust, her long, pale-blue sword cut through the still air, leaving a shimmering arc of jade-green light. The sharp tip of the sword, as if piercing through the very resistance of the air, struck crisply against the heavy, horizontally advancing staff with a clear, resonant sound. Upon impact, the immense strength carried by the staff caused the slender sword to bend into a remarkably dramatic arc—so sharply that it appeared on the verge of breaking. This sudden and dramatic bowing of the sword, so soon after initial contact, left several disciples from Yunlan Sect with expressions of astonishment. Though the sword, infused with qi, was capable of withstanding substantial weight, it was already bent at this very first point of contact, clearly demonstrating the extraordinary power of the black staff. Yet though the long sword had bent into such a daring arc, it had never broken. As the tip of the sword neared Na Lan Yan Ran's jade arm, she lightly stamped her foot on the ground, causing a surge of emerald light to blaze across the blade. This sudden surge of power violently propelled the heavy measuring rod aside. Leveraging the combined momentum of both, Na Lan Yan Ran launched herself into the air, her face serious. Her long sword suddenly began to tremble rapidly, then moved steadily. With each incremental shift of the sword, a solid, tangible sword-shaped afterimage remained behind. "Wind-Spirit Fragmentation Sword!" It was surprising to learn that Na Lan's senior had mastered such an advanced combat technique—ranked mid-level in the Xuān stage—indeed, truly admirable. "Heard that Na Lan sister, with just one year of practice, has already advanced to the point of being able to manifest five distinct sword forms—ah, I've been training for nearly two years and still only manage four... That's just the beginning. Na Lan sister is already employing such a level of technique, clearly aiming for a swift resolution. The Xiao family's young man must be in for a tough time." The heavy measuring staff was planted firmly into the ground. Xiao Yan raised his head, his eyes slightly narrowed as he watched the several energy afterimages gradually materialize, flowing and shifting with Lan Yanran’s sword movements. With his exceptional sense of perception, he could clearly sense the powerful energy contained within those afterimages. "Indeed, the young master of Yunlan Sect is no ordinary talent—such a potent combat technique, summoned at will..." Gripping the handle of the heavy measuring staff tightly, Xiao Yan slowly rotated his foot on the ground, then forcefully planted it down. A powerful burst of energy erupted at the point of contact, sending a wave of shock across the entire arena. As the energy blast surged, Xiao Yan used the rebound force to propel himself violently toward Lan Yanran in the air. Seeping out from the staff was a surge of azure qi, with strange, flickering flames mysteriously winding around its surface. However, under the veil of the azure qi, these flames remained nearly invisible unless one looked closely. Glancing at Xiao Yan charging upward from below, Na Lan Yan slightly furrowed her brows, yet her movement of the long sword remained unbroken. With a light tap of her feet against the void, a steady, pale blue aura surged from her soles, instantly forming a vast, sharp gust of wind blades that sliced fiercely toward Xiao Yan. As the sound of the drink settled, Lan Yanran's long sword suddenly pointed directly at Xiao Yan below. With a light tap of her foot upon the void, a gentle breeze emerged beneath her. Using this breeze, Lan Yanran swiftly retreated and darted backward. Meanwhile, the five ethereal remnants of energy that had lingered in the air above slightly trembled before shooting forth in a continuous chain toward Xiao Yan below. The energy blades sliced through the void as if tearing open space, branching out into pale cyan arcs from the tip of each blade. Five sword-shaped remnants linked end to end, forming a streak that descended like a meteor from the heavens. Her slender body spun halfway through the air, then gracefully settled like a white lotus, gently landing on the ground. Nalan Yan extended her hands horizontally. As her palms moved, the five energy fragments of the sword that had initially missed their mark suddenly turned their direction, once again piercing toward Xiao Yan, who was suspended in midair with no place to retreat. Staring at the energy fragments now rushing toward him, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned, then furrowed his brows. Glancing around, he realized that, without deploying his Purple Cloud Wings, he truly had no way to evade this swift and powerful attack. "Then, I shall meet it head-on." With this thought settled, the vibrant blue qi in his hands surged dramatically, radiating a sudden, overwhelming force that left countless onlookers in awe. Flames of blue light burst forth, and as the heavy staff swung with powerful momentum, it struck the energy fragments with great force, directly impacting them under the astonished gazes of the crowd. "Boom!" The two collided, and a fierce explosion of energy erupted above the void, casting an intense emerald glow that caused some spectators to instinctively close their eyes. Lan Yanran stood still, her gaze fixed upward. The brilliant light seemed to have no effect on her; her clear eyes remained focused on the point of impact. She was most familiar with the power of Fengling's spectral sword—her earlier strike had already been difficult for even a seven-star cultivator to withstand. If Xiao Yan could endure this one, she would be able to gauge, over the past three years, just how far he had progressed. Gradually, the emerald glow faded from the sky, and suddenly, a black silhouette surged forth, rushing directly toward Lan Yanran standing on the ground. The powerful gusts pressing against the air caused pain in the eardrums. The speed at which the black silhouette approached caused Lan Yanran's face to slightly pale. With a subtle point of her foot on the ground, her body slid smoothly, retreating nearly ten meters in an instant. "Boom!" The black shadow landed with a heavy thud, crashing squarely where Lan Yanran had previously stepped, instantly sending out a sharp crack across the square. As dust shot into the air, cracks spread outward from the swirling haze. Lan Yanran's retreating form gradually came to a halt, gazing calmly at the spot now shrouded in dust. For someone who practiced a wind-based cultivation technique, such speed of attack was unlikely to pose a significant threat. With a gentle sweep of her wide sleeves, a gust of wind materialized, sweeping across the square and lifting the dust. Just as the dust began to clear, Lan Yanran's eyes narrowed slightly, her aura surging powerfully throughout her body. As she swiftly retreated, her long sword swept in rapid succession, carving sharp, clean blades along the path behind her. “Hmph…” At the very moment Lan Yanran stepped back, a dark figure surged forth from the dust, this time moving at a speed nearly quadrupled compared to before. The sheer velocity caused the figure to shimmer, casting several fleeting shadows as it swiftly closed the distance to Lan Yanran. Her previously established wind blades, however, were completely shattered by the figure’s raw, forceful impact. The shadow lifted, revealing Xiao Yan's calm face. At that moment, his hands were clenched into fists, and the massive black Xuanzhong Scale had vanished entirely. With the rotational force from his body, the fist surged forward, generating a terrifying gust of wind that slammed hard into Lan Yanran's back. As the fist made contact, a sharp sonic boom echoed through the air—remarkably powerful. "Eight-Point Collapse!" A low roar surged within him, and the qi within his fist surged even further. To the astonishment of the Cloud Rhythm Sect disciples watching, the fist struck solidly against Lan Yanran's back. The force of the wind instantly sent Lan Yanran soaring like a kite severed from its string, her delicate form lifted into the air as if blown away by a gale, fragile as a flower caught in a storm. Exhaling slowly, Xiao Yan gradually spread his fists. With a simple hand motion, the black silhouette that had been flying toward Na Lan Yanran moments before shot straight toward him and plunged firmly into the green stone plinth before him. The broad shadow—what had previously captured Na Lan Yanran's attention—was revealed to be the Xuanchong Chi, the heavy measuring ruler. "Has Na Lan Sister been defeated?" Numerous onlookers stared in stunned silence at Na Lan Yanran, who now fell from the sky like a butterfly that had lost its wings, utterly astonished. Could it be that the young deputy master of Yunlan Sect had been defeated so easily? On the stone platform, the elders—including Yun Ling—watched Na Lan Yanran descend calmly. If she truly had been defeated so effortlessly, then the Yunlan Sect's rigorous training program must have been significantly underestimated.