"How could this be? Why was he so powerful?"
Ye Qingyun gritted his teeth and used every ounce of strength he had before he finally managed to raise his head.
What entered his sight was that young man—graceful and refined, utterly calm, regarding all things as mere straw dogs.
His eyes were filled with unwillingness and despair.
Too strong.
So strong that Ye Qingyun had no room to resist at all.
Showing off?
Qin Anlan did not have the habit of showing off and slapping faces.
Yet Ye Qingyun had already built the stage for him.
If he did not make a move, would that not waste Ye Qingyun's painstaking efforts?
At last, a faint smile appeared on Qin Anlan's utterly unconcerned face.
There was no need to think about it. Before long, everyone in Heavenly Firmament Academy—even throughout the Heavenly Flame Empire—would know.
Ye Qingyun had defeated the strong while weak, driving back Luo Feng, a Direct Disciple of Heavenly Firmament Academy, with a single move.
Yet Qin Anlan had pinned him to the ground, unable to move, with nothing more than an aura.
According to the protagonist's script, Qin Anlan would surely have been provoked by Ye Qingyun's taunts.
And taken the field to fight a great battle.
Not to mention that the original owner had only been at the Early Stage Emperor Sealing realm.
Though compared to Ye Qingyun, that weakling at the initial Purple Palace realm,
there was an entire major realm separating them.
But one should not forget who Ye Qingyun was.
As a Child of Destiny, what he excelled at most was defeating the strong while weak and striking back from desperate straits.
On top of that, he had the Old Man in the Ring.
Defeating the original owner would not have been difficult.
Unfortunately, Qin Anlan did not hold the script of an ordinary villain.
As the owner of the Heavenly Mandate Villain System, Qin Anlan could ignore the protagonist's halo.
Ye Qingyun's usual tricks were naturally ill-suited for Qin Anlan.
Qin Anlan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, still looking utterly calm and unruffled.
As though suppressing Ye Qingyun was no more than stepping on an insignificant ant.
Ye Qingyun, bedraggled and firmly suppressed by Qin Anlan,
had a pale face written over with boundless fury and overwhelming unwillingness.
Cold sweat streamed from him under the suppression, and his entire body trembled without stop.
Yet there was nothing he could do.
At that moment, the headmaster of Heavenly Firmament Academy and the current Left Prime Minister finally could not help speaking.
"As expected of the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis. You truly are the most outstanding heavenly prodigy of our Heavenly Flame Empire."
"Each generation brings forth new talent. Worthy nephew, you have truly brought honor to your father."
As he spoke, the Left Prime Minister could not help casting a sidelong glance at Ye Qingyun.
A mere Liu Ruxue—if she had to be sacrificed, then so be it.
The Left Prime Minister did not care.
But he still thought rather highly of Ye Qingyun, this young junior with exceptional talent and a quick, clever mind.
Unfortunately, Ye Qingyun did not know how to adapt at all.
Little did he know,
that what was too rigid broke easily.
Being excessively arrogant and domineering would earn one a harsh beating from society.
"Left Prime Minister, you flatter me. What little ability I, Qin Anlan, possess is utterly not worth mentioning before a true expert such as yourself."
Qin Anlan smiled calmly, with not the slightest trace of pride or complacency on his face.
He remained as composed as ever, serene and unruffled.
Even his words gave others the pleasant feeling of a spring breeze brushing over their faces.
Compared to someone like Ye Qingyun, who bared his fangs and claws, was arrogant and conceited, yet had little ability to speak of,
the methods and temperament Qin Anlan displayed were simply beyond Ye Qingyun's reach.
Even the Left Prime Minister could not help viewing Qin Anlan more highly.
With a figure like Qin Anlan emerging from the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate,
who knew whether it would prove a blessing or a calamity for the Heavenly Flame Empire.
Qin Anlan, however, discreetly glanced at Ye Qingyun.
To deal with a Child of Destiny like Ye Qingyun, one who loved showing off and slapping faces,
one merely had to seize hold of Ye Qingyun's trump card, and he would be helpless.
And Ye Qingyun's greatest trump card was not the Left Prime Minister, but the mysterious expert within his ring.
As long as that expert did not act,
a mere Ye Qingyun could not jump around before Qin Anlan at all.
As the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate, Qin Anlan could not possibly come to Heavenly Firmament Academy without a protector by his side.
Qin Zizai, an elder of the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate and a supreme powerhouse at the Late Stage Holy Lord realm, had accompanied Qin Anlan.
Qin Anlan had just sent Qin Zizai a voice transmission,
telling him to reveal just a trace of the aura of the Late Stage Holy Lord realm.
That alone was enough to intimidate the Remnant Soul expert within Ye Qingyun's ring.
Without the help of that Remnant Soul expert, events unfolded exactly as Qin Anlan had expected.
He easily pinned Ye Qingyun, this Child of Destiny, to the ground and rubbed his face in the dirt.
At this moment, Ye Qingyun was still utterly dumbfounded and had yet to react.
Why had his most capable assistant, that old man,
not only failed to save him when he was in danger, but even vanished without a trace?
It was as though he had never existed at all.
Noticing the bewilderment in Ye Qingyun's eyes, Qin Anlan sneered inwardly.
Did Ye Qingyun truly think the Old Man in the Ring was omnipotent and would help him for nothing?
In truth, the expert residing in Ye Qingyun's ring had never sincerely intended to help him.
Later in the story, he had even nearly killed Ye Qingyun.
Of course, that was a matter for later.
"It is my incompetence, Luo Feng. Not only did I fail to deal with Ye Qingyun, I even forced the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis to act personally. I beg the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis to punish me."
Seeing that Ye Qingyun had been completely subdued, Luo Feng stepped forward and cupped his hands toward Qin Anlan with a face full of guilt.
He had originally wanted to use Ye Qingyun as a stepping stone to cling to Qin Anlan, this towering tree, and become Qin Anlan's lackey.
Yet things had turned out quite the opposite.
Not only had he failed to deal with Ye Qingyun,
he had instead made himself into a laughingstock.
He had tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to bait it.
Luo Feng had utterly disgraced himself.
Yet Qin Anlan remained calm and merely smiled. "Brother Luo, there is no need to take this too much to heart. After all, this matter was caused by me, Qin Anlan."
"Brother Luo, it is already commendable that you stood up for me, Qin Anlan. How could I dare trouble you any further?"
"Thank you, Young Lord, for your magnanimity. But I would never dare presume to claim the title of brother."
The moment Qin Anlan uttered the word "brother,"
Luo Feng was so overwhelmed with emotion that he practically threw himself at Qin Anlan's feet. He was only one step away from kneeling and kowtowing.
He had never imagined that this Young Lord of the Divine Marquis would be so broad-minded and kind to others.
As the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis, he was someone who should have stood high above all others.
Yet he had never put on airs before little people like them.
After failing in his challenge against Ye Qingyun, Luo Feng had originally become a laughingstock throughout Heavenly Firmament Academy.
But once Qin Anlan called him brother, who in the entire Heavenly Firmament Academy would dare mock Luo Feng in the future?
Do not forget that even the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate addressed him as brother.
Who would dare show Luo Feng the slightest disrespect?
Luo Feng understood very well that Qin Anlan was deliberately supporting him, restoring his dignity, and ensuring that no one would dare look down on him.
This only made Luo Feng even more resolute in his thoughts.
He had to cling to Qin Anlan's thigh.
In Ye Qingyun's story, Luo Feng could also be considered a minor villain.
He possessed the Thunder Battle Body and had exceptional talent.
The Luo family he belonged to was also one of the first-rate Great Clans in the Heavenly Flame Empire.
They held a certain degree of power in the imperial court.
Thus, in the story, both Luo Feng and the Luo family were destroyed by Ye Qingyun, the Child of Destiny, becoming stepping stones beneath Ye Qingyun's feet.
Yet during the early and even middle stages of the story, Luo Feng and the Luo family exerted a tremendous influence on Luo Feng.
They could be considered minor villains, minor bosses, in Ye Qingyun's story.
And now,
with only a few words, Qin Anlan had made this little villain wholeheartedly submit and willingly join his ranks.
Before you continue