9: Xiao Yan's Nalan also got carried away.

Wutan City, Xiao Family Market.

Several days had passed since the wrist-breaking incident that shook the entire city. The streets seemed to have recovered their former hustle and bustle, but anyone paying close attention could feel an undercurrent stirring.

The Jiale Family's stall remained arrogant. Liu Xi's rank two Alchemist robe was dazzling, but deep in his eyes, a trace of fear, one he hadn't even noticed himself, occasionally flashed —the shadow left by that common-clothed youth and his hand-chop that day was far deeper than imagined.

Xiao Yan did not appear in the market again. It was said he had locked himself in his room, seeing no one except for necessary meals. Xiao Zhan, the Patriarch, grew gloomier by the day, and an unshakeable dark cloud seemed to hang over the Xiao Family.

Meanwhile, the originator of all this was leisurely walking down another street in the market.

Li Ao had changed into clean, blue common clothes, still wearing that inconspicuous refined steel blade casually hung at his waist. His pace was unhurried, his gaze calmly sweeping over the shops and stalls on both sides, as if he were just an ordinary passerby.

But if anyone with keen senses were present, they would perceive a faint, sharp aura surrounding him, like a treasured sword still in its sheath —unleashed, yet making people dare not approach.

He was certainly not here to stroll around.

[Ding! Side Quest triggered: Fame Shakes Wutan.]

[Quest Requirement: Within Wutan City, use absolute strength to thoroughly crush and humiliate Liu Xi, the rank two Alchemist hired by the Jiale Family, stripping him of his reputation.]

[Quest Reward: 800 System Points, Black Iron Hegemon Body Second Stage Cultivation Acceleration Card (Seven Days).]

[Failure Penalty: Randomly decrease the proficiency of one cultivation technique mastered by the host.]

The system notification sounded in his mind, and Li Ao's eyes flickered. Crushing Liu Xi? That suited him perfectly. It was time to collect the interest from that day.

More importantly, he needed more points and acceleration cards to improve his strength as quickly as possible. Yun Yun was only the first step; in the Tagor Desert, an even "more important" target was waiting for him.

He confidently walked in the direction of the Jiale Family's stall.

At the same time, an elegantly decorated carriage slowly stopped at the market entrance. The curtain was drawn back, and a young woman in a moon-white dress stepped gracefully down.

She had a tall figure and stunning beauty, with an innate nobility and coldness between her brows. It was Nalan Yanran.

Elder Ge Ye followed closely behind, whispering, "Miss, do you really need to come to this market personally? That Xiao Yan..."

"I am not here for him," Nalan Yanran interrupted, but her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the depths of the market.

Two days had passed since she tore up the engagement cancellation letter, yet the turmoil in her heart, caused by Li Ao, had not subsided; instead, it grew more turbulent. The figure of that mysterious youth lingered in her mind like a haunting obsession.

Her stated reason for coming here today was to inspect the Cloud Mist Sect's properties in Wutan City, but in reality... she harbored a trace of expectation, one she didn't even want to delve into, that she might run into that person.

She stepped lightly into the market, her cold gaze seemingly casual, yet keenly capturing every trace that might correspond with that figure.

Destiny, sometimes, was just that coincidental.

Just as Li Ao unhurriedly reached the Jiale Family stall, Nalan Yanran happened to emerge from another fork in the road. Separated by dozens of meters, her gaze pierced through the bustling crowd and instantly locked onto the back of the youth in blue.

Her heart suddenly skipped a beat. It really was him!

In front of the stall, Liu Xi was enthusiastically boasting to the onlookers about his newly refined "Fire Condensing Powder," claiming it could help fire-attributed Dou Practitioners accelerate their cultivation, with effects comparable to a rank three medicinal pill.

The corner of his eye caught sight of Li Ao approaching. His voice abruptly cut off, the professional fake smile on his face instantly froze, and a trace of unconcealed fear flashed deep in his eyes. He instinctively took half a step back.

"You... what are you doing here again?" Liu Xi shouted, trying to sound fierce to mask his inner panic. The scene of his wrist being broken that day was still vivid, and he knew this youth was absolutely no ordinary person.

The surrounding crowd also recognized Li Ao, causing an immediate commotion, and murmurs buzzed through the air.

"It's him, it's him! The one who did that to Young Master Xiao Yan that day..."

"Why is he back? Looking for trouble with the Jiale Family?"

"Master Liu Xi seems really afraid of him?"

Li Ao ignored the surrounding noise. His gaze fell upon the bottles and jars on the stall in front of Liu Xi, and a trace of unconcealed mockery curled the corner of his mouth.

"'Fire Condensing Powder' comparable to a rank three medicinal pill?" He casually picked up a jade bottle, uncorked it, and sniffed it lightly at his nose. He immediately frowned, as if he had smelled something unpleasant. "Excessive fire phosphorus powder, insufficient age of the Vein Burning Grass, and even the most basic balance of chief, minister, assistant, and guide ingredients is a mess. How dare you take this kind of garbage out to deceive people?"

His voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly entered the ears of everyone present, carrying an undeniable certainty.

Liu Xi's face instantly flushed red like a pig's liver. Startled and enraged, he cried, "You... what nonsense are you spouting! You're just a brat, what do you know about the Way of Alchemy? How dare you talk rubbish here!"

"I don't know?" Li Ao put down the jade bottle, his gaze like a knife, stabbing straight at Liu Xi. "Then you tell me, isn't it true that three tenths excess fire phosphorus powder, while seemingly stimulating fire-attributed Dou Qi activity in the short term, will lead to scorched meridians and damage to one's foundation with long-term use? Isn't it true that the insufficient age of the Vein Burning Grass makes its medicinal power impure, and when mixed with fire phosphorus powder, it generates even more fiery toxins?"

With every question he asked, he took a step forward, and the sharp aura around him intensified, suffocating Liu Xi.

"You... you're slandering me!" Cold sweat poured down Liu Xi's forehead, and his eyes were frantic. Because everything Li Ao said was spot on! This was a deceptive trick he used to reduce costs and exaggerate the effects, believing no one in Wutan City could expose it, yet this youth saw right through it instantly!

"Whether it's slander or not, we'll know with a test." Li Ao's tone was still calm, but it carried the composure of someone in complete control. "Do you dare to personally consume a serving of your 'rank three comparable' Fire Condensing Powder in front of everyone? If, after consuming it, your Dou Qi circulates smoothly within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and you feel no burning pain in your meridians, I, Li Ao, will sever one of my own arms right here and apologize to you."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire place erupted in an uproar!

Sever his own arm! What a heavy wager this was!

Everyone's eyes instantly focused on Liu Xi.

Liu Xi's face went from red to white, and then from white to green, his body trembling uncontrollably. How could he dare to try it? He knew the consequences of what he refined better than anyone! Forget a full incense stick's time; his meridians would feel like they were on fire within half that time!

His silence and panic were undoubtedly the best answer.

The surrounding crowd instantly exploded.

"Master Liu Xi doesn't dare to try it!"

"Could what that kid said be true?"

"Is there really something wrong with this Fire Condensing Powder? The Jiale Family is too ruthless!"

"I knew it; how could a rank two Alchemist possibly refine a pill comparable to a rank three one..."

Voices of doubt and reprimand surged toward Liu Xi and the Jiale Family stall like a tide. The Jiale Family guards looked at each other, wanting to maintain order, but dared not move under the pressure of Li Ao's invisible aura.

Listening to the surrounding clamor and looking at Li Ao's cold, mocking eyes, Liu Xi felt a surge of fury rush to his head. The immense humiliation intertwined with the fear of his previous broken wrist pain caused him to instantly lose control!

"You little bastard! I'll fight you!"

He roared in anger, and the soul power of a rank two Alchemist mixed with the Dou Qi of a five-star Dou Practitioner erupted chaotically, forming a messy mental shockwave. At the same time, his palms glowed crimson like red-hot iron brands, slamming fiercely toward Li Ao's chest! He actually intended to use soul power interference to engage in close combat!

This sudden change, combined with the short distance, made it seem to onlookers that Li Ao had no way to dodge!

Not far away, Nalan Yanran's heart tightened, and she almost cried out in alarm.

However, facing this desperate, dying attack, Li Ao's eyes held only indifference.

He didn't even draw his blade.

Just as Liu Xi's palms were about to strike his chest, Li Ao's right hand shot out like lightning, arriving first despite moving later, and precisely clamped down on Liu Xi's wrist!

"Crack!"

The teeth-grinding sound of bone snapping rang out once more!

"Ah—!" Liu Xi let out a shriek even more miserable than last time, feeling as if his wrist had been crushed by iron pincers!

But that wasn't all!

Li Ao, gripping his broken wrist, pulled forward, while simultaneously driving his left knee, like an outgoing cannonball, fiercely into the area of Liu Xi's lower abdomen, the Sea of Qi!

"Bang!"

Amidst the dull thud, Liu Xi arched up like a shrimp, his eyes bulging. What he spat out was no longer a scream, but spittle mixed with stomach acid and streaks of blood! He felt as if his Dou Zhi Qi vortex was about to collapse and dissipate from that single knee strike!

Li Ao let go, as if dropping a bag of trash.

Liu Xi slumped limply to the ground, clutching his broken wrist and agonizing lower abdomen, his body curled up like a dying stray dog, emitting ragged gasps, no longer having the strength to wail.

All his pride as an Alchemist and his strength as a five-star Dou Practitioner were crushed into worthlessness before absolute power.

The entire scene fell silent.

Everyone was stunned by the clean, ruthless counterattack that happened in a flash of lightning.

The Jiale Family guards turned pale and were completely silent.

Li Ao didn't even look at Liu Xi on the ground. His gaze swept over the silenced Jiale Family members, finally resting on the pile of "Fire Condensing Powder."

"Garbage belongs where garbage should be."

With a casual wave of his hand, an invisible force swept through, sending all the bottles and jars on the stall crashing to the ground, shattering into pieces with a clatter. The powders and liquids flowed across the ground, mixing with the dust.

Having done all this, he acted as if he had only performed a trivial chore, turning around, preparing to leave.

His gaze casually swept out and met the beautiful eyes dozens of meters away, eyes filled with shock, complexity, and a trace of indescribable brilliance.

Nalan Yanran stood there, forgetting to breathe.

She watched him effortlessly expose the fraud, watched him crush the resistance with overwhelming force, watched him trample Liu Xi's dignity into the dirt like stepping on an ant, and then watched the calm, unwavering gaze he now directed at her, a gaze that seemed capable of piercing the human heart.

The noise of the market and the discussions of the crowd seemed to fade away at that moment.

In her world, only the figure of the youth in blue, standing proudly with a blade, remained.

Powerful, cold, mysterious, looking down on everything... completely different from all the young talents she knew.

An unprecedented stirring, mixed with awe, curiosity, and a strange emotion of being forcefully conquered that she hadn't even realized herself, wildly sprouted in her heart, instantly wrapping around her soul like a vine.

Li Ao looked at her dazed appearance, his expression unchanged. He simply gave a slight nod, considering it a greeting, and then, without lingering, turned and merged into the crowd, disappearing around the street corner.

It wasn't until his back completely vanished that Nalan Yanran seemed to snap back to reality, two patches of red uncontrollably rising on her cheeks, her heart pounding like a drum.

"Miss?" Elder Ge Ye's worried voice sounded beside her.

Nalan Yanran took a sharp breath, forcing herself to calm down, but her voice still carried a subtle tremor: "Elder Ge, let's... go back."

She needed to calm down properly and sort out her chaotic feelings.

On the other side, Li Ao was walking back to his temporary residence.

[Ding! Side Quest 'Fame Shakes Wutan' completed! Reward: 800 System Points, Black Iron Hegemon Body Second Stage Cultivation Acceleration Card (Seven Days) have been issued.]

Listening to the system notification, Li Ao's eyes were calm.

Liu Xi was just the beginning. Nalan Yanran's gaze was merely the expected reaction.

His steps were firm as he walked toward the dilapidated stone house.

Next, it was time to fully focus on breaking through to the Black Iron Hegemon Body's Second Stage.

The path to becoming stronger never ceased.