Chapter 16: The Transformtion of Nalan Yanran
Xiao Xun'er naturally needs no further introduction; she sees Xiao Feng as the most outstanding man in the world. In her eyes, even the young talents of the ancient clans can't compare to him, let alone Nalan Yanran.
Xiao Yan's confidence mainly comes from Yao Lao. With the "Nine Transformations of the Swirling Dragon" technique given by Yao Lao, Xiao Feng's cultivation method has already far surpassed Nalan Yanran. When Xiao Yan himself becomes an alchemist, he plans to refine some pills to enhance Xiao Feng's cultivation, ensuring that his elder brother's resources are no less than Nalan Yanran.
After bidding farewell to Xiao Yan and the others, Xiao Feng left the Xiao family and went to the market to purchase some survival supplies, such as food, water, and tents. Fortunately, a few days ago, Xiao Xun'er had given Xiao Feng a storage ring with a space of several hundred cubic meters. Otherwise, he would have had to carry large bags, which would have added a lot of trouble.
With Xiao Xun'er's intelligence, she likely anticipated that Xiao Feng would go out for training. That's why she gave him advanced combat skills and a storage ring. Truly, she is the best candidate for a virtuous wife and good mother!
In the Capital of the Jia Ma Empire, about ten miles away from the capital, there is a majestic mountain peak, a thousand feet high, called Yunlan Mountain. Yunlan Mountain is steep, with cliffs on three sides and only one path leading to the summit, making it a naturally easy-to-defend and hard-to-attack place.
Two miles away from the foot of Yunlan Mountain, there are fifty thousand imperial cavalry stationed there. Although they ostensibly guard the capital, it is clear to any observant person that they are guarding against the "tiger" outside the city—the Yunlan Sect.
Meanwhile, in the dense forest at the back of Yun Lan Sect, a young girl in black, wielding a sword, is fighting against five iron-clawed wolves with gray-black fur. Iron-clawed wolves are common first-tier magical beasts with combat power comparable to three or four-star fighters and are known for their group attacks.
Facing the encirclement of five iron-clawed wolves, the black-clad girl remains calm, dodging various vital attacks with agile movements. When she cannot avoid an attack, she trades minor injuries to kill the attacking wolf.
After more than ten minutes of fierce fighting, the five wolves, starved for two days, all lie dead at the girl's feet, but her arms and legs bear several hideous claw marks.
The girl, breathing heavily, expressionlessly takes out a healing pill and swallows it, then sits down to recover her strength and heal her injuries.
"Sigh..."
Watching from a distance, Ge Ye sighs helplessly. Since Nalan Yanran returned from Wutan City, she has become a different person, training with a level of dedication that is frightening. She used to prefer white clothes, but now she wears black because bloodstains are less visible on black.
After losing to Xiao Feng in Wutan City, Nalan Yanran realized her lack of practical combat experience. Upon returning to Yunlan Sect, she asked the elders to capture many first-tier magical beasts for her to practice with. Initially, she could barely handle one iron-clawed wolf, but now she can face five at once, increasing her combat power several times over.
Of course, this transformation in less than a month has come with much suffering. If she weren't the young mistress of Yunlan Sect, with enough pills to heal her and remove scars, she might have died from exhaustion or become disfigured.
Nalan Yanran's transformation hasn't gone unnoticed by the higher-ups of Yunlan Sect, silencing the previously critical elders. Although Nalan Yanran's loss to the weaker Xiao Feng brought shame to Yunlan Sect, her determination to improve was seen as a positive.
As Nalan Yanran meditates to heal, a female disciple of Yunlan Sect rushes over.
"Greetings, Elder Ge."
The disciple salutes Ge Ye and then bows to Nalan Yanran. "Senior Sister Nalan, Master Nalan Su has come to Yunlan Sect and wishes to see you."
"I understand."
Nalan Yanran slowly opens her beautiful eyes, expressionless. "Lead the way."
"Yes!"
Following the disciple, the three head to the reception hall.
In the spacious and bright hall, a middle-aged man with a somber face irritably taps the tea table with his fingers. Nalan Su was in a foul mood, having been beaten by his father, Nalan Jie, and practically chased to Yunlan Sect.
Nalan Su never expected his beloved daughter to sneak off to cancel her engagement with the Xiao family during his absence. Those who knew the details understood it was Nalan Yanran's impulsive decision, unrelated to the Nalan family. But to outsiders, it seemed the Nalan family was abandoning a poor family, wanting to break the engagement now that the Xiao family had fallen.
To make matters worse, Nalan Yanran lost to her intended fiancé, failing in the engagement cancellation and bringing disgrace to the Nalan family. Everyone knew Nalan Jie was extremely proud; the gossip about this was more painful than death to him, making him furious.
If not for Nalan Jie's health issues, he would have personally come to Yunlan Sect to teach Nalan Yanran a lesson.
"Father, why have you come to Yunlan Sect?"
Seeing her father's irritated face, a faint smile appears on Nalan Yanran's cold face.
"Do you think I wanted to come? It's because of you..."
Just as Nalan Su is about to get angry, he notices the injuries on Nalan Yanran's arms and legs, his face changing dramatically. "Yanran, how did you get hurt? Did someone in Yunlan Sect bully you? What is Yun Yun doing as your teacher?"
"Father, don't worry, no one bullied me."
Seeing her father's anxious concern, a warm feeling flows through Nalan Yanran's heart. She smiles and explains, "These injuries are from fighting iron-clawed wolves. They're just superficial wounds, and I've already taken healing pills. There will be no lasting damage."