On the plaza, everyone's gaze was fixed on Lan Yanran, slowly descending, though their individual expressions varied. "This young one seems quite promising," said Jia Xingtian, smiling as he glanced at Xiao Yan, then shaking his head. "Unfortunately, though the attack appeared powerful, it didn't inflict significant damage upon Lan Yanran. The Cloud Lake Sect's Flying Downy Technique truly lives up to its reputation." "Hm," murmured Fang Ma, nodding slightly, his eyes on Lan Yanran as she fell. "Lan's daughter isn't bad at all. It seems Yun Yun has put in considerable effort in training her over the past three years." Hai Bodo furrowed his brows, fixing his gaze on Nalan Yanran. After a moment, his brows suddenly arched upward. "Her energy is surging rapidly, and there's a clear hint of her breaking through the limits of a Battle Master—remarkably concealed strength. I never noticed it before. Indeed, the Yunlan Sect's secret techniques are truly exceptional." Jia Xingtian and Fama smiled. Regardless of how one might say it, as the designated successor to the next Yunlan Sect Master, Nalan Yanran had received training far beyond that of ordinary Yunlan disciples. With the added support of the Dan King, Guo He, and her own strong foundation, it was no surprise that she had already reached the level of a Great Battle Master at such a young age. "This battle is going to be quite intense," Fama remarked, eyes fixed on Xiao Jia's heavy black staff. "That young man from the Xiao family isn't to be underestimated, and his great black staff seems rather unusual." "Observe the air flow created when he lands—this ruler seems to carry considerable weight. Have any of you noticed that even after he releases the ruler, not only does his speed increase, but also the intensity and concentration of his qi bursts surge dramatically, all within an instant?" Indeed, Jia Xingtian, a warrior so formidable that even Hai Bo Dong holds him in high regard, has carefully observed even the subtlest movements of Xiao Yan upon landing. "Hm." Upon hearing this, Fama slightly nodded—likely sensing these changes himself. "Right now, it's clear this match will be a fierce contest. Yet what truly intrigues me is: what exactly has enabled this young prodigy to shed his 'waste' status within just three years, and to advance so swiftly, catching up with Nan Lan Yanran—whose cultivation has been meticulously nurtured by Yunlan Sect?" Jia Xingtian murmured, expressing his curiosity. "We, the Herbalists' Guild, have never had any prior acquaintance with him, so we've never conducted any investigation into his background." "Hama shook his head, his gaze sweeping across the field, and suddenly said, 'Nalan's girl is finally deploying her true strength.' Slowly descending toward the ground, Nalan Yanran unexpectedly hovered at a height of half a meter above the surface. With a gentle wave of her jade hands, she spun gracefully through the air before landing lightly on the solid cobblestone. Watching Nalan Yanran land without a single scratch, a wave of relief rippled through the crowd. Her eyes, carrying a tone of seriousness, fixed upon Xiao Yan, who remained calm and composed across from her. She softly remarked, 'You truly surprise me. No matter what, I at least believe you've grown beyond the mere waste of the Xiao family back then.' Though Nalan Yanran's words carried a touch of admiration, Xiao Yan offered no immediate reply. He simply glanced at her, feeling the faintly silvery energy rising steadily from within her. In his mind, he murmured softly, 'At last, you're beginning to reveal your true strength.' "As for the good and the bad of those days, I don't really feel like saying anything further," Lan Yanran slowly raised her arm, the long, pale cyan sword growing ever more luminous with a deepening azure glow, her gaze fixed steadily on Xiao Yan. "But now, as I represent Yunlan Sect and wish to uphold its reputation, I won't spare any effort..." As Lan Yanran's voice settled, the robes flowing over her body and her full head of silvery hair suddenly stirred without a breeze, a powerful aura rising steadily from within her. The sheer strength of this aura astonished the Yunlan Sect disciples around her, who gasped in surprise, murmuring in awe: "This aura... has Lan Sister truly reached the level of Grand Combatant?" From the expressions on the faces of the Yunlan disciples, it seemed even they were not fully aware of Lan Yanran's true strength. "It's truly impressive that Lan's niece has already reached the Grand Combatant level so young—what a remarkable achievement!" Mu Chen glanced at Na Lan Yanran, who radiated an impressive aura, and turned to smile warmly at Na Lan Jie, his voice laced with a touch of admiration. Though Mu Zhan had now reached the rank of Nine-Star Combatant, seemingly only half a step away from the Grand Combatant level, Mu Chen knew that this final stretch—this half-step—was exceptionally difficult to cross without the right fortune. "Mu Zhan's nephew isn't bad at all," Na Lan Jie said politely. Na Lan Yanran's sudden display of strength had eased his concerns. After all, Na Lan Yanran was always his family's own—should she lose today, not only would Yunlan Sect's prestige suffer, but his own Na Lan family would also feel embarrassed. Moreover, when they had first made the agreement, Na Lan Yanran had even passionately vowed that if she lost, she would serve as a servant to anyone. Just the thought of the esteemed Na Lan family's eldest daughter, the future successor of Yunlan Sect, becoming someone else's servant, made Na Lan Jie feel a little uncomfortable. "This girl..." Narang Jie exhaled slowly, gazing at Xiao Yanran who stood calmly in the center of the arena, her eyes fixed on Narang Yanran. "Ah, Xiao nephew, I'm truly sorry. This competition has involved so many elements that I'll have to be quite regretful—your victory will have to be somewhat compromised. I'll make sure Narang family provides appropriate compensation to your family in the future." Though Narang Jie's self-monologue seemed to suggest he wasn't overly optimistic about Xiao Yanran's triumph, it was understandable. Xiao Yanran was still under twenty, and no matter how exceptional his talent, achieving the rank of Grand Combatant at such a young age was no easy feat—especially considering he lacked the strong backing of a powerful family like Yunlan Sect behind him. Of course, under normal circumstances, this would indeed be true—had it not been for the Three-Stripe Azure Spirit Pill, Xiao Yan would have truly been stagnating below the Grand Battle Seer level. Unfortunately, however, Xiao Yan's situation is far from normal. Thus, Lan Jie's expectations in this regard are destined to fall short. Behind the stone pedestal at the center of the plaza, several elderly figures dressed in white robes were gazing intently at the two contestants, their eyes slightly half-open. From time to time, they exchanged quiet murmurs among themselves. "Since Yanran has already demonstrated her true strength, the match must be drawing to a close now. I'll just send off that Xiao family boy, and then I won't have to worry about it anymore." Yun Ling said calmly. Upon hearing Yun Ling's words, the white-robed elder couldn't offer any further remarks and merely nodded, turning his gaze toward the stone platform below. He suddenly spoke, "Ge Ye, what's wrong with you?" At the sound of his question, the moon-robed elder standing on the second step turned to face him. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that he was none other than Ge Ye—the one who had once gone with Nalan Yanran to the Xiao family to withdraw their engagement. At that moment, his expression was slightly unusual, and the source of his oddity seemed to be the young man currently on the platform. Since the very first time he had seen Xiao Yan appear in view, Ge Ye's expression had taken on this peculiar look. It was because he noticed that the young man before him bore a subtle resemblance to the enigmatic black-robed figure he had seen at the Mo family in Yancheng back then. "It's impossible... That mysterious figure is a Battle Emperor-level powerhouse. For Xiao Yan's age, even with extraordinary talent, it's absolutely, absolutely impossible to reach that level!" Shaking his head vigorously, Ge Ye tried to push away the absurd thought forming in his mind. Yet the two faces kept slowly merging. When, at a certain moment, they completely overlapped, Ge Ye stiffened, gasped for breath, and regained his composure, only to be startled to find his entire robe damp with cold sweat. "What's wrong with you?" Several cloud realm elders on the stone platform stared at Ge Ye, who was now drenched in cold sweat, furrowed their brows, and asked again with concern. "Nothing... nothing." Swallowed a lump of saliva, moistening the dry throat, Ge Ye hesitated for a moment before shaking his head, refusing to voice what was forming in his mind. Even though the two faces were remarkably similar, he still didn't believe that the enigmatic cloaked figure was Xiao Yan. If he truly possessed such strength, wouldn't he have been able to fight with ease against Yanran? "It must be a hallucination! Looking at him, he's at most at the Battle Seer level—absolutely impossible to be that mysterious cloaked figure!" With a deep breath, Ge Ye finally lifted his head and turned his gaze steadily toward the square. Staring at Na Lan Yanran, whose aura had now stabilized, Xiao Yan gently pursed his lips and murmured softly, "Indeed, around two-star Grand Combatant level... It's time to prepare for a final push." Twisting his neck slightly, Xiao Yan exhaled lightly, then firmly pressed the handle of his Xuanzhong Chi尺 into the floor. A surge of jade-colored combat energy erupted from his body like flames, surging violently before gradually subsiding. After a while, the jade-colored combat armor appeared clearly visible across the entire arena. "Combat armor... He's actually also a Grand Combatant!" As the solid, tangible armor stood out, a wave of gasps echoed throughout the stadium.