bookbashuk Chapter 133 A Three-Year Agreement? Another Agreement to Set a New Step!
Chapter 133 A Three-Year Agreement? Another Agreement to Set a New Step!
Chapter 133 A Three-Year Agreement? Let's Set a Hundred-Step Agreement!
Nalan Yanran clenched her fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into her palms. Looking at Xiao Yan, she realized that she was already a Great Dou Master, but for some reason, she didn't even have the courage to speak in front of him.
She forced a haughty demeanor and said in a trembling voice, "Xiao Yan! What—what do you want?"
Xiao Yan gently shook his head, his gaze sweeping over her, then over everyone else in the hall, before finally settling on her: "The three-year agreement was originally a bet between us, but now it seems there's no need to continue."
"Is it unnecessary?" Nalan Yanran seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, or as if her most sensitive nerve had been hurt. She suddenly looked up, a trace of humiliation flashing in her eyes.
"Xiao Yan, do you think you can look down on me just because you're standing here? I, Nalan Yanran—"
"Do you think you have the right to make me fulfill that bet?" Xiao Yan interrupted her, his tone still calm, but carrying an undeniable air of authority.
Before he finished speaking, the pressure of his soul rippled slightly without warning.
There was no earth-shattering momentum, not even a torrent of outward-released fighting spirit, but only an invisible aura, like a slowly unfolding curtain, silently enveloped the entire council hall.
This imposing aura wasn't directed at anyone else, but was specifically aimed at Nalan Yanran.
But everyone felt that terror!
In an instant, Nalan Yanran felt as if an invisible mountain had pressed down on her, and a bone-chilling heaviness spread through her limbs and bones. Before she could react, the fighting spirit that had been released from her body instantly dissipated, and even breathing became extremely difficult.
Her proud cultivation as a Great Dou Master was as fragile as paper in the face of this aura.
"Thump!"
Nalan Yanran could no longer hold on; her legs buckled, and she knelt down, her moon-white robe covered in dust, a stark contrast to her usual noble image.
She stared wide-eyed in horror at Xiao Yan, her eyes wide with disbelief.
What kind of power is this?
Without even lifting a finger or using any battle qi, his mere aura rendered the young sect master, a Grand Dou Master, utterly powerless to resist?!
Everyone in the hall gasped in shock, their expressions changing drastically.
Yun Yun's pretty face changed slightly, and she subconsciously wanted to step forward, but was stopped by a warning shot thrown by Xiao Yan.
His gaze was calm and serene, yet it sent a shiver down her spine, causing her to freeze in place.
"That's my business."
Guhe and Yunling exchanged a glance, both seeing horror in each other's eyes.
Although they knew Xiao Yan was a Dou Zong, they did not expect that his control over his power had reached such a sophisticated level, that he could accurately lock his aura onto one person without affecting others.
"Your current strength is more than one level below mine."
Xiao Yan looked at Nalan Yanran kneeling on the ground, his voice still calm.
"A three-year agreement is about winning or losing. But when one side doesn't even have the right to let the other side make a move, the agreement becomes a joke."
He slowly stood up, and his invisible aura subsided. The pressure on Nalan Yanran vanished instantly. She collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, her face as pale as paper. The pride and stubbornness in her eyes were completely crushed at that moment.
"but."
Xiao Yan's gaze fell on Nalan Yanran, who was slumped on the ground. His calm voice echoed slowly in the silent council hall: "I can give you a chance."
Everyone in the hall stood in unison, even Yun Yun subconsciously held her breath, her eyes filled with confusion as she looked at Xiao Yan.
Nalan Yanran raised her head in a daze, her pale face still bearing the fear of being overwhelmed by the aura just now, and her once proud eyes were now filled with empty doubt.
"You and I are separated by a hundred steps."
Xiao Yan moved forward slowly, and with each step he took, the bluestone paving stones beneath his feet silently sank into a shallow mark. He stopped when he was a full hundred steps away from Nalan Yanran.
"From where you are now, it's no more than a hundred paces to me. If you can stand before me, I will automatically concede defeat in the three-year agreement," Xiao Yan then added with a smile.
"Of course, you can crawl over if you want."
"Admit defeat?"
Nalan Yanran's heart skipped a beat, and a faint flame suddenly ignited in her almost extinguished heart. She struggled to stand up, but the pressure suddenly came again, and her knees felt a sharp pain where they touched the ground. The word "admit defeat" was like a thorn, making her throat tighten—if she could just walk over there, she could win.
Nalan Yanran knew that this was absolutely impossible to do easily, but—that would be Xiao Yan admitting defeat.
It was this man, whom she had once broken off their engagement with and whom she considered a disgrace, who personally said he wanted to admit defeat.
Yes, I can't lose. I am the young sect master of the Yunlan Sect.
I just didn't react in time and didn't unleash my battle aura. If it were only a hundred paces, I would definitely have won!
"I..." She gritted her teeth, braced herself with her hands on the ground, and her battle aura gradually spread, transforming into armor that enveloped her graceful body, making this proud girl look like a female war goddess!
Her fingertips turned white from the effort, but she managed to stand up straight thanks to her battle aura armor.
Her moon-white robe was covered in dust, and the hem was torn in several places, making her look particularly disheveled. However, when she looked at the tall figure a hundred paces away, a resolute glint actually appeared in her eyes.
"Yes, I can do it."
With that thought in mind, Nalan Yanran took a deep breath and took her first step.
The fighting spirit struggled to circulate within his body, trying to resist the pressure that made every part of his body feel as if it were bearing a massive boulder!
The first step was manageable; the second, her legs felt slightly heavy; the third, cold sweat beaded on her back. She moved forward step by step, each step feeling like stepping on a red-hot iron, each breath accompanied by a burning pain.
But when she thought of the word "admit defeat," the reputation of the Nalan family, her teacher, the Yunlan Sect, and her years of arduous cultivation, she gritted her teeth and refused to stop.
One step, two steps... until the tenth step is taken.
"Huh?" Nalan Yanran's body suddenly felt heavy, as if three invisible mountains had suddenly pressed down on her back!
She groaned and stumbled forward half a step, almost falling to her knees again.
The fighting spirit within his body was like a candle flame caught in a whirlwind, instantly becoming chaotic. He felt waves of throbbing pain in his meridians, and even saw stars before his eyes.
"This is..." She looked down at her hands in shock. The fighting spirit that she could barely gather just now was like loose sand, impossible to assemble.
"The pressure increases threefold every ten steps." Xiao Yan's voice came on time, still calm, but with an undeniable coldness. "From the first step to the hundredth step, there are nine stacks, three times to the power of nine, which is a total of 19,683 times."
"Ten thousand—nine thousand—" Nalan Yanran murmured, repeating the number, her beautiful eyes suddenly narrowing.
She had only taken ten steps, already nearly collapsing under three times the pressure, but there were still ninety more steps to go, where she would have to endure six, nine, and so on.
Twenty-seven times to nineteen thousand times the pressure?
That's not walking a hundred steps, it's clearly heading into purgatory!
She suddenly looked up at Xiao Yan, who was a hundred paces away. His figure became both incredibly blurry and incredibly clear in her eyes.
He stood there quietly, without even moving his hand or using his fighting spirit, yet the invisible pressure held her firmly in place, making even her breath feel heavy with despair.
It was never an opportunity; Xiao Yan was simply using the calmest way to tell Nalan Yanran just how deep the chasm between them truly was.
She was so profound that he didn't even have the right to take a serious action; she was so profound that even giving her a "fair" chance had become an unattainable luxury.