Chapter Sixteen: Xiao Ning

 As they watched the boy slowly walk over, Xiao Mei and the others stopped in their tracks, their playful laughter gradually fading away.

 The few delicate young girls beside Xiao Mei gazed with wide eyes at the boy who was once considered the family's pride, their expressions on their small faces hard to describe as either regret or something else.

 Xiao Mei paused in place, her heart a bit conflicted. Deep down, she actually wanted to chat with the boy who had once made her infatuated, but reality told her that the gap between them was only getting wider. It was clearly unwise to waste her thoughts on a useless person.

 Her arched eyebrows slightly furrowed, then quickly relaxed. Xiao Mei couldn't help but think in her heart: "I should at least say hello; after all, he is my cousin."

 Unaware of Xiao Mei's thoughts, Xiao Yan strolled over with his arms resting behind his head, exuding a lazy demeanor.

 Looking at Xiao Yan, who was just a stone's throw away, a smile was about to appear on Xiao Mei's delicate face, but the boy's actions froze that smile in place, making it look somewhat comical.

 With his arms resting on the back of his head, Xiao Yan walked past several girls without a care, his gaze straight ahead, showing no sign of reluctance.

 With her rosy lips slightly parted, Xiao Mei stared in astonishment at the boy's back. With her looks, when had she ever been treated this way? A wave of inexplicable shame and anger surged in her heart, and she couldn't help but call out, "Cousin Xiao Yan."

 Xiao Yan's footsteps paused slightly, but he didn't turn around. His tone was indifferent, like a conversation between strangers: "Something up?"

 The bland and unfamiliar tone left Xiao Mei momentarily stunned, and she weakly shook her head: "No..."

 Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, too lazy to care, shook his head, and continued walking forward.

 Watching the figure disappear at the end of the path, Xiao Mei stomped her little foot in frustration and then followed the same path.

 Turning a corner, Xiao Yan looked up at the spacious room before him, where the plaque displayed three blood-red characters: 'Douji Hall' in a flourish of dragon and phoenix.

 Hearing the shouts coming from Douji Hall, Xiao Yan was a bit surprised; usually, hardly anyone comes here, so why is it so lively today?

 Shrugging his shoulders, Xiao Yan casually turned his thoughts around and brushed it aside, stepping into Douji Hall.

 As soon as he entered Douji Hall, the cheers and applause from the boys and girls rolled in like a wave.

 Inside Douji Hall, it was divided into two parts: the eastern section was for storing family combat techniques, while the western part was a training ground of considerable size. At that moment, many heads were gathered around the training ground, eagerly watching the duel between the two competitors in the arena.

 "Looking at the concentration of Dou Qi from Cousin Xiao Ning's move, it seems he's already at the eighth stage of Dou Qi, right?"

 "Hehe, two months ago, Cousin Xiao Ning had already reached the Eighth Stage of Dou Qi."

 "Even though he has Eighth Stage Dou Qi, Cousin Xun'er is at the Ninth Stage, so it seems like Cousin Xiao Ning really doesn't stand much of a chance to win."

 "Go for it, Cousin Xun'er!"

 Hearing the amazed shouts from the crowd, Xiao Yan finally stopped in his tracks, his gaze sweeping over the training ground before finally landing with interest on the beautiful girl in a light purple dress.

 "What's this girl doing, taking the time to compete with someone today?" murmured to himself, Xiao Yan stopped at the east side of the hall, casually grabbed a black scroll from a nearby rack, then slowly unfurled it, revealing several large yellow characters on the back of the scroll.

 Intermediate Yellow Rank: Shattered Stone Palm!

 Leaning leisurely against the bookshelf, Xiao Yan read the training method for the Shattered Stone Palm, while occasionally glancing at the fiercely contested training ground.

 The spacious hall felt as if it had been divided into two worlds; the west side was filled with noise, while the east side remained quiet and peaceful.

 Xun'er」s opponent was also a young boy, but he looked to be around seventeen or eighteen, quite handsome, and not much different from the Galeo seen that day.

 The boy's name was Xiao Ning, the grandson of the elder of the Xiao family, with decent cultivation talent; at just seventeen, he had already reached the eighth stage of fighting energy, and within the family, only Xun'er could keep him in check.

 Xiao Yan didn't have much impression of his cousin. Whenever they met, it was just a casual greeting before they each went their own way. Perhaps it was because of the somewhat disharmonious atmosphere between their grandfathers and their fathers. Xiao Yan could always feel that this cousin didn't seem too pleased with him. Maybe it was also due to the depression he had shown a few years back. So, this cousin hadn」t bothered him over the past three years…

 With a faint smile, Xiao Yan shook off the memories in his mind and continued to practice the Fragmented Stone Palm in his hands.

 On the training ground, Xun'er was like a light purple butterfly, elegantly and swiftly dodging Xiao Ning's fierce attacks, her delicate and elegant little face maintained a calm expression throughout.

 Xun'er casually deflected Xiao Ning's close-range attack, her gaze sweeping around the hall before suddenly pausing sharply.

 Looking at the boy leaning against the bookshelf on the east side of the hall, Xun'er's calm little face revealed a faint, elegant smile.

 In the midst of the girl's fleeting elegant smile, the nearby onlooking boys couldn't help but be stunned.

 "Cousin Xun'er, watch out!" Just as Xun'er was slightly distracted, a boy's urgent voice suddenly came from the crowd.

 Feeling the fierce energy rushing toward her from behind, Xun'er raised an eyebrow, but her gaze once again swept to the boy beneath the bookshelf.

 At the same time, Xiao Yan also lifted his head, looking at Xun'er, who was suddenly ambushed in the center of the arena, frowning slightly and shaking his head helplessly, his eyes revealing a subtle concern.

 Seeing the hint of reproach and worry in Xiao Yan's brows, Xun'er playfully blinked her beautiful big eyes, then suddenly took a small step to the left, and with that single step, she oddly dodged Xiao Ning's attack perfectly...

 As she moved, Xun'er's delicate little hand, as tender as jade, emitted a faint golden light, like flowers breaking through leaves, penetrating through Xiao Ning's palm seals, and finally gently landing on Xiao Ning's chest.

 With her toes lightly tapping on the bluestone floor, Xun'er gracefully spun around, dissipating the repulsive force, looking faintly at Xiao Ning, who had retreated over ten steps, finally stepping out of the training ground with one last foot.

 Watching Xun'er defeat Xiao Ning with a single palm strike, the area around the training ground fell momentarily silent, and then suddenly erupted with cheers of admiration.

 "Hehe, cousin Xuanyin is truly the best among the younger generation of our family, getting stronger and stronger." Although he was knocked off stage by Xuanyin, Xiao Ning still wore a warm smile, stepping forward and gently saying with a smile.

 Gazing fixedly at the beautiful girl before him, whose beauty resembled a blue lotus, Xiao Ning's admiration was almost impossible to hide in his eyes.

 Although they were cousins by name, Xiao Ning knew that most people in the family did not have close blood relations, and Xuanyin had no blood ties to him at all.

 As if she didn't feel Xiao Ning's burning gaze, Xuanyin politely but distantly shook her head slightly and softly said, "Cousin Xiao Ning is too humble." After saying this, without waiting for Xiao Ning to continue to get close, she walked towards the boy in the eastern part of the hall, who was engrossed in a scroll, with a cheerful smile.

 As the center of attention in the hall, Kaoru's actions were naturally noticed by everyone, a pair of eyes followed Kaoru's path and finally landed on the boy beneath the bookshelf.

 To the scorching gazes from the entire training ground, the boy seemed oblivious, still lost in his own world.