What Do You Call a Benevolent and Reasonable Person in Xianxia? An Impossibility!

Nalan Yanran looked at Xiao Yan in front of her, her brows furrowed tightly, her fists clenched within her sleeves, and her eyes filled with an expression of unwillingness.

Just now, she couldn’t see Xiao Yan’s movements at all.

All she could see was her Grandpa seemingly waving his arms randomly. If it weren’t for Zi Yun’s reminder, she wouldn’t have noticed the shadow representing Xiao Yan.

However, even with Zi Yun’s reminder and her full concentration, she could only catch a glimpse of a shadow.

How could she still compete in this three-year agreement?

“Yanran, Yanran.”

“Huh? Ah.”

Nalan Yanran suddenly snapped back to reality. Nalan Jie looked at his distracted granddaughter with some concern in his eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” Nalan Yanran nodded slightly, stood up, and forced a smile. “Grandpa, please take Xiao Yan and the others to have breakfast. I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll head back to my room first.”

After speaking, Nalan Yanran turned and quickly left, completely forgetting her original plan to win Xiao Yan’s favor with a homemade breakfast.

Now, she wasn’t in the mood to care about that.

She had thought that her intense training over this period would at least make her not too far behind Xiao Yan, even if she couldn’t defeat him.

But now it seemed that she was still a joke, just like she had been in the Xiao Clan before.

This was a huge blow to Nalan Yanran.

Nalan Jie watched Nalan Yanran’s retreating figure and, thinking about the match between himself and Xiao Yan that she had just witnessed, seemed to guess something.

Immediately, a hint of helplessness appeared in his aged eyes, and he sighed lightly.

He knew his granddaughter’s competitive nature very well, especially since the three-year agreement was proposed by Nalan Yanran herself.

For Nalan Yanran, losing was acceptable. She wasn’t naive enough to think she would definitely win, and she wasn’t someone who couldn’t accept defeat. Moreover, losing didn’t mean she had to completely give up on Xiao Yan; the agreement was only about their engagement and not about ending all future interactions.

But Nalan Yanran absolutely couldn’t accept losing so thoroughly, without any ability to fight back.

From the few minutes of battling Xiao Yan using the modified 8 Extremities Burst, Nalan Jie could clearly understand that no matter what Nalan Yanran did, she couldn’t win against the current Xiao Yan.

Yes, the 8 Extremities Burst has side effects. After using it, Xiao Yan’s body falls into an immobile state, possibly unable to move for a period of time.

But what does that have to do with Nalan Yanran? More accurately, what does it have to do with the three-year agreement?

In a duel, the one who loses loses, even if the winner collapses right after the victory and sleeps for days, he is still the winner.

In Nalan Jie’s judgment, given the current situation, when Xiao Yan uses the 8 Extremities Burst, Nalan Yanran wouldn’t last three moves. Even he had difficulty defending against it, so with her current strength, she couldn’t possibly block it, let alone dodge it.

And Nalan Yanran herself was well aware of this.

Sigh… it’s my fault for raising her too stubbornly.

Nalan Jie shook his head lightly. When training Nalan Yanran in her early years, he did so with military standards, fostering her strong competitive spirit. He used to be very satisfied with this.

But now, it seemed that being too competitive wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

Nalan Jie turned his gaze to Xiao Yan and asked softly, “Xiao Yan, can you move?”

“Yes.”

Xiao Yan responded softly, then propped himself against the wall and stood up with great difficulty. His body was still trembling, but he gritted his teeth and managed to stand steadily, forcing a smile at Nalan Jie.

“I’m almost recovered.”

“…”

Seeing the twitching muscles under Xiao Yan’s clothes, a look of helplessness appeared in Nalan Jie’s eyes.

It’s not just Yanran, this boy is also incredibly stubborn.

Immediately, Nalan Jie turned and led the group to the dining hall for breakfast, deliberately slowing his pace to accommodate Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan also declined Xiao Yixian’s support, struggling to keep up with Nalan Jie, his body swaying as if he might collapse at any moment, causing Xiao Yixian and Qing Lin to worry and stay close to support him if needed.

Inwardly, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

This move has too many side effects…

Despite only using it for just a few minutes, it would take him at least ten minutes to fully recover.

In terms of power alone, the 8 Extremities Burst is no match for the Flame Splitting Tsunami.

But the Flame Splitting Tsunami is just a single strike and can be dodged.

As for the 8 Extremities Burst, Xiao Yan was confident that no one at the same level as him could dodge it.

The speed increase was so overwhelming that even Xiao Yan had difficulty controlling it, and those at the same level probably couldn’t keep up with his movements, let alone dodge.

However, the side effects were indeed troublesome.

The pain was not a problem; the key issue was that he couldn’t move after using it, which was critical.

In such a state, he was like meat on the chopping block, ready to be slaughtered.

But Xiao Yan didn’t want to use this move solely as a trump card.

(Senior Yao, I want to eliminate the side effects of this move. Do you have any good ideas?)

Xiao Yan asked Yao Chen in his mind. Yao Chen was silent for a moment before responding softly.

(Just use it as a trump card. Why are you so fixated on removing the side effects? If necessary, I’ll teach you more combat techniques. Don’t be so stubborn.)

Yao Chen was really speechless. Other disciples always asked their masters for resources, but her disciple always asked such questions. Did she really come across as stingy?

Hearing Yao Chen’s words, Xiao Yan responded softly in his mind.

(Senior Yao, this move greatly enhances my abilities. I don’t want to use it only as a last resort.)

(Please, I really need strength.)

Xiao Yan earnestly implored Yao Chen in his mind.

Every time he recalled his experiences during the Snake-People Tribe incident, Xiao Yan felt a chill.

Yes, the outcome was favorable; the Snake-People Tribe survived, and the Jia Ma Empire agreed to make peace with them.

But there was always an unease in Xiao Yan’s heart.

If he had been stronger at that time, he could have accomplished much more.

Throughout his half-year journey, Xiao Yan’s pursuit of the righteous path led him to a deeper understanding of power.

Power may not always need to be used.

But it must never be absent.

Xiao Yan’s profound realization of this principle came from the Snake-People Tribe’s Queen Medusa.

Without Queen Medusa’s nearly century-long reign of powerful military suppression, the Snake-People Tribe wouldn’t have lasted this long. Without her deterrence, the Tribe would have been devoured by neighboring nations, with the Jia Ma Empire standing by idly.

Without power, no one would listen to you, and you wouldn’t even have the value to make others help you.

Xiao Yan had understood this principle long ago, but it wasn’t until after the Snake-People Tribe incident that he truly comprehended it.

The most terrifying aspect of power is that it gradually consumes the holder’s true self.

Xiao Yan personally experienced this in Qingshan Town.

After killing Mu She, Xiao Yan even had the thought of killing everyone in Qingshan Town to eliminate future troubles. If Yao Chen hadn’t stopped him in time, he might have really done it.

Moreover, Xiao Yan was certain that he wasn’t the only one who had such evil thoughts after gaining power.

That was because the power itself had exceeded the control limit of their minds, making them feel omnipotent, believing they could do anything.

Xiao Yan was sure he would encounter many such people in the future.

And he understood that reasoning with them would be futile.

Only by suppressing them with greater power could he make them listen.

Whether they could be convinced was another matter.

But if he couldn’t even suppress them, all reasoning would be pointless.

Previously, Xiao Yan thought this was another form of survival of the fittest, which made him deeply resentful because he wanted to eliminate the survival of the fittest but could only rely on it.

But after the Snake-People Tribe incident, Xiao Yan understood.

His actions were not survival of the fittest.

True survival of the fittest stems from an internal surrender to power.

Whether the strong oppress the weak or the weak accept the oppression, it fundamentally recognizes the legitimacy of power and the notion that might makes right.

However, Xiao Yan is different.

Xiao Yan understands clearly when to use power and when not to. He has his own measure within his heart.

All along, Xiao Yan has cautiously acknowledged the legitimacy of using power, something the former Xiao Yan did unconsciously.

For this, Xiao Yan is genuinely grateful to his past self.

Power is merely a tool.

Those who follow the law of the jungle are slaves to power.

Once Xiao Yan understood this deeply, he no longer hesitated in his heart and boldly pursued his own strength.

Because Xiao Yan knows very well what his power is for.

To be able to suppress his opponents directly and undeniably with overwhelming power, Xiao Yan must always possess strength greater than his adversaries.

Thus, he will not pass up the opportunity to master the 8 Extremities Burst Dou Technique.

A trump card?

Xiao Yan does not need a trump card.

What he needs is to transform this trump card into a combat skill that he can use anytime.

He really needs this.

Upon hearing Xiao Yan’s plea, Yao Chen was momentarily stunned.

Yao Chen never expected that Xiao Yan would one day say to her, “I really need power.”

Because the fundamental intention behind Xiao Yan’s actions thus far has been to change the continent’s survival of the fittest.

For someone like him, unless he is seeking the right path, he would keep his distance from power.

But now, he…

Yao Chen’s brows furrowed slightly as she suddenly recalled the events in Qingshan Town, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.

However, in an instant, the worry in Yao Chen’s eyes disappeared without a trace.

Xiao Yan’s eyes were clear, and he was completely determined to obtain power by his own will.

Yao Chen remained silent for a while, a slight smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

She could clearly feel that after the incident with the Snake-People, her disciple’s view on power had subtly changed.

Previously, although he pursued power for the right path, he did so very reluctantly.

Even after the Qingshan Town incident, he genuinely began to fear power, fearing that he would become a slave to it.

But now, he has started to actively accept and seek power.

This is undoubtedly a good thing for Xiao Yan.

After all, the troubles Xiao Yan will face on his righteous path are too many. If his power is insufficient, he might find himself helpless halfway.

Now that Xiao Yan desires power so much, he will surely have a greater chance to solve future troubles.

Thus, this is very good.

“Heh…” Yao Chen chuckled softly, a hint of helplessness in her tone. “I really can’t do anything about you, my disciple. Since you have requested it so earnestly, as your teacher, I will naturally help you.”

“Rest assured, the side effects of this modified technique are difficult to eliminate, but not impossible. When you train later, I will help you overcome them.”

Hearing Yao Chen’s assurance, Xiao Yan was overjoyed and earnestly thanked her.

“Thank you, Senior Yao!”

Xiao Yan’s heartfelt gratitude warmed Yao Chen’s heart and brought her great comfort.

At this moment, Xiao Yan had truly grown compared to when he first left the Xiao Clan.

In Yao Chen’s eyes, Xiao Yan’s righteous path was too cautious. He had always tried hard to avoid making any mistakes, even unintentionally. The black aura in his heart had accumulated from this long-term caution.

Although he used power and taught his family to gain power, Xiao Yan himself didn’t realize that deep down, he had a prejudice against power.

Xiao Yan always believed that those with power were more likely to go astray and lose their true selves.

In a word, Xiao Yan’s perception of power was one of fear.

This “fear” included himself.

Yao Chen had noticed this early on but didn’t know how to advise him.

After all, the fact remained.

People lost to the allure of power were everywhere on the continent, leaving Xiao Yan no choice but to be prejudiced against it.

Although Yao Chen didn’t know how to correct this view, she knew it was wrong, especially since Xiao Yan wanted to break the survival of the fittest.

But now, Yao Chen finally didn’t have to worry about how to correct Xiao Yan’s view.

It seems the incident with the Snake-People greatly influenced Xiao Yan, enough to change his view on power.

Although Xiao Yan didn’t explicitly state his current view, Yao Chen was sure that without the fear of power, his righteous path would be much smoother.