Chapter 73: The Mountain Doesn’t Move, the Water Does

As the bride, Qiao Yanran did not arrive immediately. She could only go over after the elders of both families had settled things.

When she learned that the Lan Family had come to propose marriage first, and that Lan Jiaxin and Xu Yan had agreed to compete, she could no longer sit still and hurried towards the Martial Arts Arena.

"Miss, slow down, wait for me."

The maid followed behind, completely unable to keep up with Qiao Yanran.

By the time they arrived at the Martial Arts Arena, Xu Yan and Lan Jiaxin were already standing on the martial arts stage, surrounded by many people, and they blended in among them.

The maid comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, Miss. The young master is so powerful, he will definitely win."

A trace of worry hung in Qiao Yanran's beautiful eyes.

"Lan Jiaxin is at the Late Stage of Drawing Spirit, while Brother Yan is at the mid-stage of Drawing Spirit. He is at a significant disadvantage in terms of cultivation level."

"Ah?" the maid exclaimed.

Fortunately, there were many people present, and no one noticed her.

On the stage, Lan Jiaxin held a green long sword, while Xu Yan used a broad, thick saber. Holding the saber, the tall and imposing Xu Yan looked majestic and awe-inspiring, like a Great General.

"Make your move. I'll give you a chance to strike first, otherwise you'll just be taking hits later," Lan Jiaxin said with a hint of arrogance and pride in his tone.

Xu Yan's expression was normal, he didn't say much, and raised his hand to deliver a saber strike.

"Whoosh!!"

A saber energy several dozen feet long slashed down from above, its momentum like a rainbow, as if it would split the entire martial arts stage in half.

Lan Jiaxin was startled, not expecting Xu Yan's casual move to be so powerful, and quickly counterattacked.

"Bang!!"

The saber energy and sword energy collided in the air, creating a huge explosion. Many of the martial arts stage's floor tiles were shattered, and thick smoke immediately billowed, making it impossible to see what was happening on stage.

"Clang, clang, clang!!"

The sound of metal colliding came intermittently from the thick fog. In just a short moment, Lan Jiaxin and Xu Yan had already exchanged more than a dozen blows.

Originally, the Qiao family members were a bit worried about Xu Yan, after all, his cultivation level was indeed inferior to Lan Jiaxin's.

But after they exchanged blows, everyone could see.

Although Xu Yan's cultivation level was lower, his magic power was profound, and his practical combat experience was rich, completely making up for the gap in cultivation level.

For a time, the two fought back and forth, making it difficult to determine who was superior.

Lan Jiang, who was originally full of confidence, slightly furrowed his brow.

"He has some strength, but the gap in cultivation level is insurmountable. The outcome of this duel was already decided from the beginning."

Xu Qingzhou still had his hands behind his back and a smile on his face, looking calm and composed.

Hiding in the corner, Qiao Yanran saw her lover stabilizing the situation, and her hanging heart finally eased a little. At the same time, she was constantly cursing Lan Jiaxin in her heart.

Qiao Yanran had long since made an agreement with Xu Yan and had also clearly explained Xu Yan's situation to the Qiao family.

It was because the Qiao family knew that Xu Yan was second only to Xu Muge and Xu Luo among the younger generation of the Xu Family that they attached such importance to this marriage alliance.

It was just that neither Qiao Yanran nor the Qiao family expected that a disruptive Lan Family would suddenly appear.

Lan Jiaxin had met Qiao Yanran several times before and had indeed shown signs of admiration for her, but Qiao Yanran hadn't paid any attention. She didn't expect this guy to actually persuade his Father to come directly and propose marriage.

Now he was even fighting with her lover, so Qiao Yanran had already placed Lan Jiaxin on her opposing side.

She wished he would be defeated immediately so that she and her lover could finally be together.

"Violent Wind Triple Slash!!"

Xu Yan roared, gripping the saber with both hands, mobilizing the true essence throughout his body. The saber in his hand emitted a brilliant light, mixed with irresistible power, and slashed down.

After Lan Jiaxin used all his strength to barely block this strike, Xu Yan's offensive did not diminish, and there was an even fiercer second strike.

Lan Jiaxin felt as if he was facing a formidable enemy and quickly took out a Talisman, which transformed into a protective shield that blocked the second strike.

"Bang!!"

The protective shield exploded, and Lan Jiaxin retreated repeatedly, a look of fear appearing on his face.

Xu Yan's face was flushed. Gritting his teeth, he unleashed the third strike.

"Kill!!"

This strike of his was not only more powerful than before, but also contained a strong Killing Intent. This was the Killing Intent he had accumulated while fighting against bandits with Xu Luo in the Demon Cloud Mountain Range as part of the Bandit Suppression Squad.

This strike shocked all the surrounding Qiao family members who were watching.

When had the pampered Lan Jiaxin ever faced such a strong Killing Intent? His entire being was on the verge of collapse.

Lan Jiang on the sidelines was ready to make a move at any time to save his son. Fortunately, Lan Jiaxin hadn't been scared senseless yet and promptly took out a radiant shield to block in front of him.

"Bang!!"

"Crack…."

With a loud bang, the violent saber energy struck the shield. Invisible energy waves spread out like huge waves, kicking up a cloud of dust. Everyone around the Martial Arts Arena with slightly weaker strength was forced to retreat repeatedly.

The clothes of Xu Qingzhou, Qiao Tianchu, and the others were also flapping loudly in the wind.

The defensive Magic Treasure Lan Jiaxin took out was extremely powerful; it managed to block this thunderous strike.

But Lan Jiaxin was so scared by the strong Killing Intent and the saber that was so close that his eyes widened, and he froze there.

Xu Yan, who had used these three strikes, had consumed a great deal of his true essence. He took a step forward and directly kicked the stunned Lan Jiaxin flying, sending him crashing heavily to the ground.

"Ah…."

Xu Yan's kick also directly broke several of Lan Jiaxin's bones, causing him to groan in pain non-stop. His face still showed an expression of lingering fear.

Xu Yan knew that with Lan Jiang present, he couldn't kill Lan Jiaxin.

Furthermore, killing Lan Jiaxin would cause the Xu Family and the Lan Family to completely break ties and become enemies, which is why he did this.

His actions were approved by the higher-ups of the Qiao family. Several people whispered among themselves and nodded subtly.

"This child is indeed good. He is truly worthy of being the third person among the younger generation of the Xu Family."

"Yes, not only is he strong and has great potential, but his character is also very good. At crucial moments, he understands the overall situation and knows when to advance and retreat."

Especially the Qiao family's Great Elder, as Qiao Yanran's Grandpa, he was extremely happy to see such an excellent grandson-in-law. He stroked his beard and chuckled.

Xu Qingzhou's expression was calm, as if he had long anticipated the arrival of this scene.

In contrast, Lan Jiang had a gloomy expression, feeling both angry and embarrassed.

After all, this was the duel he had proposed, and his son had actually lost even after continuously using his trump cards.

Even with his thick skin, he felt his face burning, very awkward.

"Clan Leader Lan, now…"

Before Xu Qingzhou could finish speaking, Lan Jiang let out a cold snort, stepped forward, grabbed his disappointing son, turned around, and left.

"Mountains may not turn, but waters do. Our Lan Family remembers what happened today."

Watching Lan Jiang leave after uttering harsh words, Xu Qingzhou understood that their Xu Family had already formed an enmity with the Lan Family.

In fact, the enmity had already been formed from the moment they encountered the bride-snatching attempt, but now the resentment was even deeper.

As for the Qiao family, they all breathed a sigh of relief and secretly rejoiced.

If the Xu Family hadn't arrived just in time, the Qiao family really wouldn't have known what to do.

After all, the Lan Family had a deep background. If they had directly refused, the two families would have become enemies.

If they had agreed, it would have been a minor issue to wrong Qiao Yanran, but they were afraid of falling into some trap set by the Lan Family, as the two families were essentially hostile.

For the Qiao family, this outcome was a blessing in disguise.