The atmosphere in the Xiao Clan's main hall was heavy, thick enough to cut with a blade. To the elders and disciples gathered, this weight came from the prestigious guests seated at the head of the room: the Misty Cloud Sect.
To Xiao Yan—or rather, the soul named Ginga who currently inhabited this body—the weight was simply nostalgia.
'It's happening,' Ginga thought, standing in the corner. He ran a thumb over the rough fabric of his sleeves. 'The legendary Scene 1. The Engagement Annulment. I've watched this scene fifty times in the Donghua. I've read it in the manhua. Now, I'm living it.'
He glanced at his father, Xiao Zhan, who was gripping his chair with white knuckles, trying to maintain a polite smile while being insulted. Then, Ginga's eyes shifted to the girl.
Nalan Yanran.
She was beautiful, undeniable. Her robes were moon-white, her posture elegant, and her expression held that distinct, lofty arrogance of a genius looking at a bug.
'Sorry, Yanran,' Ginga thought, his eyes narrowing slightly. 'I don't have a body pillow of you back home. You aren't on the waifu list. That means I don't have to hold back.'
"Uncle Xiao," Yanran's voice rang out, clear and melodious. "My teacher has inquired about Grandfather Xiao. However... regarding the engagement..."
The hall went silent. The moment had arrived.
"The Misty Cloud Sect has strict rules," the elder beside her, Ge Ye, interrupted smoothly. "Yanran is the future Sect Leader. She cannot be married to a... commoner. Especially one whose talent has vanished."
He waved his hand. A servant brought forward a jade box containing the Gathering Qi Powder.
"This is compensation," Ge Ye said, his tone suggesting he was offering charity to a beggar. "It will help your clan cultivate a few younger disciples. It is a fair trade for the annulment."
Crash.
Xiao Zhan smashed his jade cup onto the floor. "The Misty Cloud Sect bullies us too far!"
The pressure in the room spiked. Ge Ye sneered, unleashing his aura. He was a Da Dou Shi (Grandmaster). The wind pressure alone forced the younger disciples in the room to stumble back, gasping for air. The difference in stars was absolute.
Except for one person.
Xiao Yan stepped forward.
He didn't walk with the hesitation of a cripple. He walked with the casual confidence of someone entering a ring he had studied for years.
"Yan-er, step back!" Xiao Zhan shouted, worried. "This is not a place for you to speak!"
"It's okay, Father," Xiao Yan said softly. He stopped in the center of the hall, facing Ge Ye and Nalan Yanran.
He looked at the 7-star Da Dou Shi elder. Ginga analyzed the situation. 'In Dragon Ball terms, his Power Level is maybe... 150? Decent for early game. I'm sitting at a Power Level of 5 (3rd Stage Dou Zhi Qi). Mathematically, I should be crushed.'
But Ginga grinned.
'But Ki isn't just about raw numbers. It's about control. It's about Intent.'
In this world, people projected their aura like a sledgehammer—sloppy and widespread. Ginga closed his eyes for a microsecond. He visualized the small, pathetic amount of Dou Qi in his body. He didn't let it flare out.
He compressed it.
He pulled every ounce of his spiritual energy (boosted by his reincarnation) and his Dou Qi into a tight, vibrating shell around his skin. It was the principle of a Ki Barrier, but inverted to protect his mind and presence.
"You want to cancel the engagement?" Xiao Yan asked, his voice calm.
Nalan Yanran frowned. Why wasn't he trembling? "Yes. The gap between us is too big, Xiao Yan. I am a phoenix in the sky. You are—"
"—grounded," Xiao Yan finished. "I get it."
He walked up to the table where the Gathering Qi Powder sat. He picked up the jade box. The elders held their breath. Was he accepting the bribe?
Xiao Yan looked at the pill. "Gathering Qi Powder. Fifth Tier Alchemist Gu He made this? It's... mediocre."
He tossed the box over his shoulder like it was trash. It clattered onto the floor, cracking open.
"You!" Ge Ye stood up, his Dou Qi flaring violently. "Insolent brat! You dare insult the pill god?!"
Ge Ye raised his hand, an invisible claw of wind pressure grasping toward Xiao Yan's throat.
'Here it comes,' Ginga thought. 'Don't fight the force. Sense the flow.'
Instead of bracing himself, Ginga shifted his weight. He had researched the Afterimage Strike theory. It was about moving at the exact moment the opponent blinked or shifted focus. He couldn't move that fast yet, but he could predict the trajectory.
He sensed the "Ki" (Dou Qi) gathering in Ge Ye's palm. He stepped two inches to the left.
The wind claw whizzed past his ear, cutting a lock of his black hair, but missing his neck entirely.
The hall gasped. A 3rd Stage Dou Zhi Qi had just dodged a Da Dou Shi's casual strike?
Xiao Yan stared directly into Ge Ye's eyes. He channeled his intent. In Dragon Ball, when Goku or Vegeta glared, the air shook. Ginga didn't have the power to shake the air, so he focused all his killing intent into his eyes.
Technique: Spirit Glare.
For a split second, Ge Ye didn't see a crippled boy. He saw a beast. A silhouette of a Great Ape roaring in the void. It was a trick of the mind, a hallucination caused by Ginga's overwhelming soul power projecting his "Dragon Ball" visualization.
Ge Ye flinched, stepping back involuntarily. "What... what was that?"
Xiao Yan ignored him. He walked to the desk, grabbed a brush, and slammed it into the inkstone.
Scritch. Scratch. Slash.
He wrote with furious speed. He grabbed the paper, bit his thumb, and slammed his bloody handprint onto it.
He turned to Nalan Yanran and flicked the paper. It flew through the air, stiffened by a tiny thread of Dou Qi—a trick of Ki Control—and landed perfectly in her hand.
"This is not an annulment," Xiao Yan declared, his voice rising, channeling the energy of every episode he had ever watched. "This is a Divorce Letter!"
Nalan Yanran's eyes widened. "You... you are expelling me?"
"Nalan Yanran," Xiao Yan said, raising three fingers. "Remember this day. Do not look down on the young for being poor!"
He took a deep breath, his chest heaving.
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west! The wheel of fortune turns! Three years from now, I will climb the Misty Cloud Sect mountain. And I will show you exactly what kind of 'waste' I am!"
He slammed his hand on the table, not using strength, but using a Ki Pulse—sending a shockwave through the wood fibers.
CRACK.
The solid oak table didn't break immediately. But a second after he lifted his hand, it split perfectly down the middle.
Silence. Absolute silence.
Xiao Yan turned his back on them. "Father, see the guests out."
As he walked toward the exit, his heart was pounding like a drum. His legs felt like jelly. That "Ki Pulse" and the "Spirit Glare" had drained 90% of his stamina. He was running on fumes.
But he kept his back straight. He had to look cool.
As he passed a pillar near the back exit, he saw a flash of green and gold.
Xun'er.
She was leaning against the pillar, her book forgotten in her hand. Her usually calm, indifferent eyes were wide open, shimmering with a strange light as she watched him. She had seen him dodge. She had seen the table break.
Ginga paused. He knew canon Xiao Yan would just walk past.
But Ginga stopped. He looked at Xun'er, gave a tired, lopsided grin—the kind Goku gave after a hard fight—and winked.
"Hey, Xun'er," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "Did I look cool?"
Xun'er blinked, her cheeks flushing a sudden, deep pink. The Golden Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame inside her seemed to flutter.
"Xiao Yan ge-ge..." she murmured, a small, beautiful smile breaking across her face. "You were... very cool."
'Target 1: Locked,' Ginga thought, as he stepped out of the hall and into the sunlight, ready to find a certain ring.
Hidden Stats:
Xiao Yan (Ginga): Dou Qi reserves depleted. Adrenaline: 100%.
Xun'er's Affection: +15 (Impressed by backbone/mystery).
Yao Lao (in the ring): Woke up 2 minutes ago. Currently confused why this kid's Dou Qi feels so... dense.