The Strange Flame Rekindles in Battle Through the Heavens

Chapter 16 Galeo

"Okay! Okay! Thank you! Thank you!" The vendor immediately smiled and took out a bag from the package to put Xiao Yan in. Just as the vendor was looking for a bag, a piece of black iron, slightly rusted with yellow soil, fell out of the package.

Xiao Yan frowned as he saw that the black iron piece was emitting a faint soul fluctuation.

"Could it be such a coincidence? Is this thing destined for me?" Xiao Yan thought to himself with some emotion.

"Little Yan, buy that piece of black iron, it's a good thing!" Yao Lao's voice rang in Xiao Yan's mind at just the right moment.

However, Xiao Yan didn't intend to spend any more gold coins. He casually said to the merchant, "I gave you at least fifty extra gold coins, so you should give me something in return!"

"Huh?" The vendor was clearly reluctant when he heard that he would have to give away some freebies.

"Hehe, don't worry, I won't bring anything expensive, I just want to buy some gifts for my Xun'er," Xiao Yan said with a smile.

Hearing that Xiao Yan wouldn't take anything valuable, the merchant was relieved and said with a smile, "Alright, please choose two items."

Under the slightly pained gaze of the vendor, Xiao Yan casually picked up a pretty light blue bracelet and the black coin, then handed a bag of gold coins to the vendor.

Seeing that Xiao Yan only took a bracelet worth a few gold coins and a piece of black iron that their mercenaries had dug up while digging a trap—which they considered trash—the merchants didn't throw away, adhering to the principle that even a small amount is still something. Furthermore, Xiao Yan readily handed over the gold coins, and the merchant's slight reluctance vanished.

"I've also taken a liking to this magic core." Just as the merchant was about to take the gold coins, a somewhat lewd voice rang out behind Xiao Yan.

Upon hearing the somewhat familiar voice, Xiao Yan frowned slightly and turned around to look back. He saw Galeo leading a dozen guards, walking towards him and Xun'er with an arrogant gait.

Just as Xiao Yan was about to speak, Xun'er interrupted, "Galieao, have you no shame? It was clearly Brother Xiao Yan who saw it first. Don't you know about first come, first served?"

The weather was rather hot and dry, which naturally made people irritable. Even Xun'er, who was usually very quiet, couldn't help but start to lose her temper.

Seeing Xiao Xun'er lose her temper, Galeo was visibly taken aback. He clearly hadn't expected the usually gentle and refined Xiao Xun'er to actually swear. However, his surprise was brief. Seeing Xiao Xun'er's true self only made Galeo more captivated, and he grew even more fond of her. He smiled faintly and said, "I recently need to craft a piece of jewelry, so I desperately need a wood-type magic core. If Miss Xun'er wants it, how about I give it to you for free after I've finished crafting it?"

Seeing that Galeo was actually pursuing Xun'er right in front of him, Xiao Yan's lips twitched. He stood up, handed the bracelet he had just bought to Xun'er, and said indifferently, "I will buy whatever Xun'er needs. There's no need to trouble Young Master Galeo."

Upon closer inspection, Galio noticed the bracelet in Xiao Xun'er's hand. Aside from being rather pretty, it was nothing special; clearly just a cheap knock-off, worth hardly a few gold coins. He immediately retorted sarcastically, "I wonder if Young Master Xiao Yan is stingy, or if he has a low status in the family? To only be willing to buy such cheap stuff for Miss Xun'er—how shabby! Hahaha!"

The guards who had come with Galeo joined in with mocking laughter, but the laughter didn't last long before it was as if someone had suddenly grabbed their necks. Everyone gaped, their astonished expressions utterly comical.

Xun'er quickly put on the bracelet and said excitedly, "What a beautiful bracelet! Thank you, Brother Xiao Yan! Xun'er loves it!"

"Hehe! I didn't expect Miss Xun'er to have such different tastes. I miscalculated." A look of jealousy flashed across Galeo's face. He waved his hand and ordered his followers to surround the entire stall.

"This bracelet doesn't belong to you yet! How much are these things? I'll pay double! You haven't paid yet, so don't accuse me of being unfair."

The merchant was clearly tempted when he saw that this young master was offering double the price, but he didn't immediately agree. Having spent years in the market, he knew that the best option was to wait and see, because neither side was easy to deal with, and offending either would make it difficult for him to survive in Wutan City in the future.

The merchant's choice was correct, because Payne arrived quickly with his patrol team, forcefully breaking through Galeo's encirclement to reach Xiao Yan. Whenever Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er went shopping, he would send someone to follow them from a distance, so that he could be there immediately if Xiao Yan encountered trouble.

Upon seeing Pain arrive, a smile appeared on Xiao Yan's lips. Pain, as expected of the patrol captain personally appointed by his father, was extremely considerate. This time, without Xiao Yan needing to be summoned, he proactively came to help Xiao Yan out of a predicament.

"Young Master, are you alright?" Payne asked respectfully.

"Hehe, I'm fine," Xiao Yan said with a smile.

Galeo was furious that Payne had ruined his plans again. Having learned his lesson from the previous lack of guards, he had brought a large number this time, and naturally, he didn't slink away like before. Instead, he sneered, "This magic core is mine nonetheless! Pay up!"

The guards who came with Galeo took out a heavy bag of gold coins and forcibly handed it to the merchant. The merchant felt bitter as he held the two bags of gold coins in his hands. He had never felt gold coins so hot in his hands before. He looked at Xiao Yan with a bitter smile.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, knowing that things couldn't end peacefully today. Even if he didn't buy the magic core, he still needed the black iron piece, so he couldn't back down. He said in a deep voice, "What do you want? Just say it."

"Hehe, that's straightforward! As long as you fight me, the win is yours, the loss is mine. I heard you easily defeated Xiao Ning, a seventh-level Dou Qi cultivator from your clan, a few months ago. You must be at least an eighth or ninth-level Dou Qi cultivator by now! With your current strength, you shouldn't be afraid, right? Or is this just a show orchestrated by your clan to get rid of your 'good-for-nothing' reputation?" Galeo laughed loudly. He had also heard about Xiao Yan's duel, but he only treated it as a joke, thinking it was a trick orchestrated by the Xiao family.

"Oh? Are you sure?" A playful smile appeared on Xiao Yan's face, because he sensed several powerful auras around him, one of which was slightly domineering, like a lion.

Seeing Xiao Yan's confident demeanor, Galeo's face revealed a hint of disdain, believing that Xiao Yan was merely bluffing. He had been at the ninth level of Dou Qi for a long time, while Xiao Yan had only reached the third level a few months ago. Even if he was a genius, how much could he improve in just half a year? He then waved his hand to disperse the guards, leaving an open space, and said with a cold laugh, "Stop bluffing. Your tricks can only fool children."

Xiao Yan waved for the guards to disperse, and Xun'er simply smiled and said, "Be careful," before walking to the side. She knew Xiao Yan's strength; even she could only fight him to a draw, let alone Jia Leo. Although they were both at the ninth level of Dou Qi, were they really the same?

The two stood in the center of the area guarded by the Xiao family and the Jia Lie family, their eyes meeting. Xiao Yan wore a confident smile, while Jia Lie'ao, seeing Xiao Yan's expression, assumed he was faking it.

The tall mercenaries and merchants gathered around to watch, while the shorter ones grabbed chairs and stood on them. Many people recognized Galeo and Xiao Yan, knowing that the young masters of the two great families of Wutan City were dueling, and naturally, they were eager to see the spectacle.

The two did not disappoint the onlookers. Galeo clenched his right fist, which was covered with a faint blue color, and took a step forward to attack Xiao Yan.

Upon seeing Galeo's attack, Xiao Yan's body tensed like a bow, his eyes narrowed, and his fists clenched.

As the two drew nearer, they simultaneously threw out their fists, each unleashing a deadly attack, aiming to kill the other in one blow.

"Eight Extremes Collapse!"

"Gentle Breeze Whirlwind Fist!"

With a cracking sound, the sound of bones breaking rang out, and Galeo spat out a mouthful of blood as his body flew backward.

Upon seeing Galeo blasted away by Xiao Yan's punch, the entire arena fell into a deathly silence. Everyone rubbed their eyes, thinking they had seen wrong.

"Hey! Am I dreaming?! It's really Galio who flew backwards, not Xiao Yan?" someone in the arena who recognized Xiao Yan and Galio exclaimed in surprise.

"It seems so! And I heard the sound of bones breaking. It seems that Young Master Xiao Yan broke Galeo's arm with just one strike." The person next to him said with wide eyes in astonishment.

"Wasn't it rumored that Young Master Xiao Yan lost his talent for cultivation and became a cripple? How could he be so powerful that he could send Galeo flying with a single punch? He must be at least a Dou Zhe!" Another mercenary raised his question.

"You don't understand, do you? Actually, I heard that Young Master Xiao Yan's cultivation talent hasn't been lost. All those previous rumors were just a smokescreen spread by the Xiao family. Because the young master's cultivation talent is too extraordinary, they were afraid of attracting the attention of those with ulterior motives, so they deliberately spread rumors that his cultivation talent was lost in order to protect him." A rather burly man said confidently, but this was just his guess.

"I see!" Upon hearing this explanation, everyone present had a sudden realization.

(End of this chapter)