Starting as a supporting character in Doupo

"Another strange fire? No, it's a beast fire, I see."

"Merging with a different kind of fire? Unheard of."

A dazzling cyan-purple fire lotus appeared in front of Xiao Fan, who then threw it forcefully into the whale's mouth.

The originally graceful whale developed cracks all over its body after swallowing the fire lotus, and disintegrated and exploded in mid-air before even landing, stirring up bursts of water mist.

Xiao Fan shifted his gaze to Yue Yao opposite him and said softly, "Senior, you lost."

Yueyao maintained her elegant smile, giving Xiao Fan a faint smile before turning to the referee. "Congratulations, Junior Xiao Fan."

As the referee declared him the winner, Xiao Fan nodded to Yue Yao and was about to leave when Yue Yao suddenly called out to him.

"Junior Brother Xiao Fan."

Xiao Fan turned to look at Yue Yao curiously, and a blush rose on her face. "Junior Xiao Fan, you're really handsome," she said with a grin. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Forehead."

Xiao Fan was momentarily at a loss for words. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but suddenly felt Medusa's body, wrapped around his forearm, tighten slightly. Xiao Fan smiled slightly at Yue Yao.

"A girl is waiting for me." He then turned and left.

Yueyao stared blankly at Xiao Fan's departing figure, then after a moment, a smile appeared on her lips. "So that means there isn't one!"

Chapter 103 Arriving in time

When Xiao Fan returned to the stands, Xiao Yu, who was standing next to him, nudged him curiously. "What did Yue Yao want with you?" she asked, her face full of gossip.

Xiao Fan glared at her and said irritably, "It's nothing, they're just being polite."

Seeing Xiao Yu's disbelieving expression, Xiao Fan ignored her and turned back to watch the match. Xiao Xun'er, standing beside him, glanced at Xiao Fan, a mysterious glint in her eyes.

While the group was chatting and laughing, several more rounds of selection competitions had passed.

"Next match, Xue Beng from Class 3 of the Profound Rank will face Xiao Yan from Class 2 of the Yellow Rank."

Hearing the voices from the stage, everyone turned their attention to Ruolin's area. After all, Xiao Yan had already missed the last selection competition, and because of Xun'er, Xiao Yan's popularity in the academy was quite high.

"I'm sorry, mentor." Xiao Xun'er bit her lip and said helplessly, holding onto her mentor Ruolin's arm.

Ruolin glanced at the dejected Xiao Xun'er, but instead of blaming her, she comforted her. "It's alright, I expected this anyway." But the bitterness on her face betrayed her.

A young man had already walked onto the stands and was waiting quietly. The referee's gaze once again turned to the area where Class 2 of the Yellow Rank was located. Although he knew that Xiao Yan was not in the academy, the necessary procedures still had to be followed, and when the time was up, it would be considered that Xiao Yan had forfeited.

"Class 2 of the Yellow Class... Xiao Yan."

Just when everyone thought Xiao Yan wouldn't come, Xiao Fan suddenly turned to look at Xiao Xun'er and Instructor Ruolin, a mysterious smile appearing on his lips.

"he came!"

Instructor Ruolin looked puzzled upon hearing Xiao Fan's words. Xiao Xun'er was initially also confused, but then a joyful expression appeared on her face. "Yes, he's here."

Seeing that time was almost up, the referee on the stage had no choice but to announce helplessly, "Xiao Yan from Class 2 of the Yellow Rank has forfeited. The winner of this match is..."

Halfway through the speech, a huge black shadow flew in from outside the arena, interrupting the referee's announcement. The massive shadow crashed onto the ground of the martial arts arena, leaving it covered in cracks.

"Xiao Yan from Class 2 of the Yellow Class!"

A soft voice rang out from the martial arts arena, drawing everyone's attention to the dueling platform. A man in black robes stood beside a massive black Xuan Heavy Ruler; the voice came from him.

In a corner of the stands, Bai Shan saw Xiao Yan appear, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yan, his brows furrowing slightly, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes. "This is Xiao Yan?" he said, his brows furrowing, "He doesn't seem to have anything particularly outstanding about him."

In another corner, a woman in a red dress glanced at Xiao Yan with her bright eyes, pouted, and said indifferently, "This is the Xiao Yan that Xun'er can't forget? He doesn't even look as good as that Xiao Fan." Then she put her hands on her hips in dissatisfaction, "I'll go and defeat him when this is over, and make sure he stays away from Xun'er."

Hearing what the girl said, Hu Qian, who was sitting next to her, felt a vein throbbing on his forehead. He then gave her a sharp flick on the forehead and scolded, "Put away those inappropriate thoughts!" He then rubbed his temples and said helplessly, "I don't know why I raised you to be like this..."

On the competition stage, the referee glanced at Xiao Yan curiously, then announced loudly, "Now that Xiao Yan has arrived, the competition shall officially begin!"

Xue Beng looked at Xiao Yan standing next to Xuan Zhongchi, scanning him up and down. He seemed like an ordinary person, and he couldn't understand what Xun'er saw in him. He said indifferently, "You're Xiao Yan? You're not good enough for Junior Sister Xun'er!"

Xiao Yan shrugged at Xue Beng opposite him and said nonchalantly, "Maybe." After all, he had already prepared himself mentally before entering the academy. Even if he was not prepared for harsher words, Xiao Yan was not unprepared. At least these words were not considered insults.

But in order to prove that Xun'er's judgment was correct, I have to put on a good show!

Looking at Xue Beng opposite him, Xiao Yan said calmly, "Make your move!"

Xue Beng narrowed his eyes as he looked at Xiao Yan's calm demeanor. He flipped his hand, and a faint aura of battle qi swirled around him as he attacked Xiao Yan.

Seeing Xue Beng's attack, Xiao Yan curled his lips. "As expected, he's just a little brat who only knows how to fight over girls." In Xiao Yan's eyes, the opponent's attack was full of flaws, but since he wanted to prove himself, he naturally had to use the simplest and most direct method. So he released the Xuan Heavy Ruler he was holding, wrapped his right fist in a faint battle qi, and punched Xue Beng's fist.

The two fists collided in the air. Xue Beng's calm face was replaced by shock. The moment they made contact, the huge impact force from the fist shattered Xue Beng's attack. Then, Xiao Yan's fist slammed into Xue Beng's chest with unstoppable force.

Xue Beng was shot off the stage like a bullet by Xiao Yan's punch and fell into a coma.

The whole place fell silent for a moment.

With just one punch, Xiao Yan sent Xue Beng flying, a powerful response to all those who looked down on him.

"Class 2 of the Yellow Division, Xiao Yan wins!"

After a moment of silence, the referee announced his decision. Only after the referee's voice faded did the crowd in the stands come to their senses.

Xiao Yan ignored the commotion from the stands and looked directly at the girl in blue in a corner of the stands. Huh? Is that my senior brother? Never mind, Xun'er is more important.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Xiao Yan walked to the area where Class 2 of the Yellow Rank was located. Looking at Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Yan smiled slightly at her.

"Sorry, I am late."

Under everyone's gaze, Xiao Xun'er suddenly stood up from her seat and threw herself into Xiao Yan's arms. Holding Xiao Yan tightly, Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment, seemingly not expecting Xiao Xun'er to be so bold. Seeing the smiling look in Xiao Fan's eyes, he finally tightened his embrace around the girl's slender waist and buried his head in her hair.

"Ahhh, my Xun'er!" The girl in the red dress in the distance watched Xiao Xun'er bury her head in Xiao Yan's arms and let out a pitiful cry. "I don't know what's so good about these stinky men. They only think with their lower bodies. They'd be better off with me."

Hearing Hu Jia's words, Hu Qian, who was standing to the side, was so angry that he glared at Hu Jia and said, "After the competition, I have to put you in solitary confinement for a few days."

"Heh! I'll enter the inner courtyard after the selection competition," Hu Jia said nonchalantly, which made Hu Qian so angry that he wanted to hit her twice.

"Hey, have you two hugged enough yet..." Xiao Yu said quietly, looking at the two of them showing affection in public.

Xiao Yu's words interrupted their embrace. Xiao Xun'er came to her senses and realized that everyone around her was looking at her. Two blushes rose on her face, and she sat down next to Xiao Yu and buried her head.

Xiao Yan chuckled awkwardly, then looked at Xiao Fan. "Senior Brother." He then saw his mentor, Ruolin, looking at him with a resentful expression, and scratched his head helplessly, saying to her, "I'm sorry, Mentor, I'm late."

Instructor Ruolin looked at Xiao Yan with a deep gaze. "So you do realize you're late? Let me tell you, if it weren't for Xun'er, you would have been kicked out of Canaan Academy long ago. You should thank her properly."

Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er's eyes met. A faint smile appeared on their lips.

"I will!"

She then walked over to Xiao Fan and sat down, while Xiao Xun'er nestled in Xiao Yu's arms on the other side. During the subsequent competition, everyone's gaze still occasionally swept towards Xiao Yan in the stands, but Xiao Yan ignored those gazes, chatting with the girl beside him while exchanging words with Xiao Fan.

Chapter 104 Night Talk

In a secluded courtyard, Xiao Fan and his group sat together around a table.

Today's selection competition has ended, and mentor Ruolin told the participants that today's competition is temporarily over and they should go back to rest and prepare for the competition the next day.

As soon as Xiao Yan arrived at the academy, the group took the opportunity to gather at Xiao Fan's courtyard. Xiao Xun'er stayed close to Xiao Yan, and the two were very affectionate, which made Xiao Fan complain for quite a while.

Xiao Fan gave Xiao Yan a look and then returned to the pavilion first, followed by Xiao Yan.

Xiao Xun'er remained seated, occasionally chatting with Instructor Ruolin and Xiao Yu. She knew Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan must have something to discuss, as she had also received news of the changes in the Xiao family. She was also very worried about Xiao Yan, knowing how much Xiao Zhan meant to him; if something happened to Xiao Zhan, Xiao Yan would be devastated.

Inside the pavilion, Xiao Fan turned to look at Xiao Yan, patted him on the shoulder, and Yao Lao floated out from the ring on Xiao Yan's hand.

“Teacher.” Xiao Fan smiled and nodded at the old doctor.

"Senior brother, did you send Commander Han Jue to the Xiao family?" With no one else around, Xiao Yan became concerned about his father's whereabouts and voiced his guess.

Xiao Fan nodded slightly upon hearing this. He then said to the two of them, "Junior brother, don't be anxious, let me tell you." Xiao Yan calmed himself down and waited for Xiao Fan to speak.

Xiao Fan glanced at Xiao Yan and nodded in approval when he saw how quickly Xiao Yan had calmed down. Xiao Yan was becoming more and more mature.

"After we parted ways in the Tagor Desert, I originally planned to go to Mo City first, cultivate there for a while, and then go to the capital. That way, I could help you when you went to the Yunlan Sect. But unexpectedly, something happened along the way." After a pause, Xiao Fan continued.

"When I was passing through a mountain range, I encountered a mysterious Dou Huang chasing a soul entity." As he said this, Xiao Fan noticed that Yao Lao and Xiao Yan's expressions changed.

Without hesitation, Xiao Fan continued, "During their pursuit, I was forced into this battle. The mysterious Dou Huang used jet-black chains, which were fatal to that soul entity. Although that soul entity was able to exert the power of a Dou Ling, it still couldn't withstand the attack of the mysterious Dou Huang."

"I was captured not long after. I thought I would die there, but to my surprise, the Dou Huang didn't kill me. Instead, he took me away from the Jia Ma Empire and we eventually arrived in the Black Corner Region." As he spoke, Xiao Fan showed a lingering fear on his face.

"And so, I was forced to leave the Gama Empire. After arriving in the Black Corner Region, that Dou Huang took me to the territory of the Black Skull Tomb."

"The Black Skull Tomb?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan asked.

Xiao Fan nodded. "Later I learned that the Black Skull Tomb was just a subordinate sect of that force."

Hearing this, Yao Lao swallowed hard. "So Black Skull Tomb was one of their people. No wonder." He glanced at Xiao Fan and said, "Fan'er, continue."

"Later, that person told me his identity. He was from a force called the Soul Palace, and he called himself the Eagle Protector."

"The Soul Hall!" Xiao Yan's pupils contracted sharply. Yao Lao's face also darkened. Wasn't his current predicament also thanks to the Soul Hall?

"Teachers, do you know about this faction?" Xiao Fan asked, pretending to be aware of Yao Lao's identity.

Upon hearing this, Yao Lao sighed helplessly and then repeated the same explanation he had given Xiao Yan to Xiao Fan. After listening, Xiao Fan assured Yao Lao that he would definitely help Xiao Yan rebuild his body.

Then, at Yao Lao's prompting, Xiao Fan continued to recount his experiences, explaining how the Eagle Protector coveted the flames within him but could not obtain them, and how he forced Xiao Fan to join the Soul Palace, even leaving a mark on his mind.

Upon hearing this, the old doctor frowned and looked at Xiao Fan.

Xiao Fan smiled at Yao Lao and said, "Don't worry, Master. It seems that Protector Eagle left the Black Corner Region on some important business, and I took this opportunity to enter Canaan Academy. As for the mark he left in my mind, I have already refined most of it with my strange fire. I plan to keep it for now; it might come in handy in the future!"

Upon hearing Xiao Fan's arrangement, Yao Lao hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. Otherwise, he had planned to help Xiao Fan remove the imprint from his mind himself.

Then Xiao Fan said to Xiao Yan, "The disappearance of Protector Eagle this time should be because of the Xiao family."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan exclaimed in surprise, "The Xiao family? How could the Xiao family have offended the Soul Palace?" How could a third-rate family of the Jia Ma Empire have any connection with the pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent?