Pressured, Sword Douluo Arrives

Early the next morning, just as the first rays of dawn spilled over the academy's glazed-tile eaves, Wang Chuan finished his meditation and rose. The faint golden Soul Power lingering around him had yet to fully disperse when his mentor came looking for him with a grave expression. Without explanation, he brought Wang Chuan to the Academic Affairs Office—a place usually reserved for handling major disciplinary violations. Today, there were twice as many guards at the entrance as usual.

The moment he pushed open the door, Wang Chuan sensed that something was wrong. Four or five people stood inside. Three of them wore dark-blue Education Committee uniforms embroidered with silver patterns and sat behind a long table, their heavy gazes fixed on those below. The most conspicuous of them was Lucius Von Heinrich, standing in the corner. The dirt-stained school uniform he had worn when he was defeated yesterday had been replaced with a clean one, but the resentment and arrogance in his eyes had only grown stronger. He stared at Wang Chuan as though his gaze had been tempered with frost.

"Greetings, esteemed Education Committee members." Wang Chuan bowed according to academy etiquette, his voice calm and unruffled. The three committee members merely nodded faintly, their fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the table as they clearly waited for the key figure to speak.

No one noticed Wang Chuan's hand quietly clench at his side—he had vaguely guessed that this "summons" was far more than a simple review of a sparring match.

The scene returned to the Heilrich Family's private estate the night before. Lucius knelt in a study lined with cashmere carpeting. On the mahogany desk before him lay fragments of the feathered adornment that had been shattered yesterday. Caspar Von Heinrich, Lucius's father, stood with his back to him before the floor-to-ceiling window. His black noble attire made his already upright figure appear even taller, but the chill in his voice could freeze one to the bone. "Since when has a descendant of the Heilrich Family suffered such humiliation?"

Lucius lowered his head even further, his voice trembling with grievance. "Father, I was no match for him... He's only seven, yet his Soul Power is already at rank nineteen..."

"Rank nineteen?" Caspar abruptly turned around. His gilded cufflinks gleamed coldly in the candlelight. A flash of amazement crossed his eyes before it was replaced by calculating darkness. "He is indeed a rare talent. Your defeat was not unjustified, but we cannot swallow this insult." He walked over to Lucius and patted his son on the shoulder. "A noble's dignity cannot be cast aside. More importantly, useful people must be kept firmly in hand."

As soon as he finished speaking, Caspar picked up the silver stationery on the desk and wrote a line: "Tomorrow, I will go to the academy. Either that brat withdraws, or he signs the family's Vassal Contract. With our Heilrich Family backing him, he will rise even higher sooner or later. And our family can use his talent to restore our prestige."

Lucius suddenly raised his head, his eyes instantly lighting up as his earlier sense of defeat vanished completely.

Thus, when Caspar Von Heinrich stood before the Education Committee members now, his bearing was perfectly measured—he possessed both a noble's pride and the appearance of a reasonable man. "Esteemed committee members, I am not an unreasonable person. Sparring between students is commonplace in an academy, and I have no objections to it."

His tone abruptly shifted, and his gaze became sharp as it shot directly toward Wang Chuan, as though he wished to see through him. "But Wang Chuan dared to humiliate Lucius in public during the spar. He even refused to draw his longsword. If that is not contempt for the Heilrich Family, then what is? It is an insult to the entire noble class!"

At that, he softened his tone again and assumed the posture of making a concession. "I know the three of you cherish talent and cannot bear to punish such a gifted student. How about this? As long as Wang Chuan is willing to join our Heilrich Family and sign a Vassal Contract, today's matter will be forgotten. From then on, our family will provide for his academy resources and his future prospects. What do you say?"

It sounded like preferential treatment, but it was actually a naked threat and recruitment attempt. He was plainly trying to use the family's power to force Wang Chuan into submission.

Behind the long table, Education Committee member Zhi Lin finally spoke. His finger lightly tapped the tabletop, and though his tone sounded tactful, every word carried an edge. "Mr. Caspar, Wang Chuan may have acted bluntly during yesterday's spar, but he did not violate academy regulations. It cannot be considered an 'insult to nobles.' Moreover, he is a student officially admitted by Heaven Dou Royal Academy. How can we possibly allow a student to casually become a family vassal?"

At that point, Zhi Lin deliberately paused. His gaze seemed to drift toward the doorway, and his voice rose slightly. "Besides, the people behind Wang Chuan likely would not agree to him signing any Vassal Contract."

Though his words seemed abrupt, he was secretly warning Caspar—do not think that being a noble allowed him to act without restraint. Standing behind Wang Chuan were the current Crown Prince and Sword Douluo, two powerful backers. If this truly escalated, the Heilrich Family would gain nothing from it.

Standing where he was, Wang Chuan heard Zhi Lin's words clearly, and the stone weighing on his heart quietly fell away. Caspar's expression, however, stiffened at once, and a flicker of doubt flashed through his eyes. He had investigated Wang Chuan's background and only knew him to be a child from a poor family. How could he have such formidable backing?

The air in the room suddenly became even tenser. Even the candle flames seemed to sway faintly under the invisible pressure.

Caspar was, after all, an old fox who had spent many years navigating noble circles. In an instant, he detected something amiss in Zhi Lin's words. His mind weighed it carefully: the committee member's words might be true, but they could also be an empty bluff meant to frighten him. Yet he could not afford to gamble on it—if he provoked someone truly powerful, the Heilrich Family would not merely fail to restore its prestige; it might not even be able to retain its current standing.

He clenched the jade pendant hidden in his sleeve. Just as he was about to add fuel to the fire and use the family's old connections with the royal household to apply pressure and test them, faint footsteps suddenly sounded from the doorway. The steps were clearly light, yet they fell upon everyone's ears like thunder, crushing their breath away. Along with them came an overwhelming Soul Power pressure, golden light pricking their skin like fine needles.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood in the doorway with the light behind him. The hem of his moon-white robe swayed gently with his movements, and the Seven Kill Sword in his hand hung diagonally toward the ground. The dark patterns on its sheath glinted coldly in the morning light. He did not even look at the others in the room. His gaze fell only upon the father and son of the Heilrich Family. With a slight movement of his fingers, Soul Power surged forth like a tide.

Thud! Thud!

The two muffled impacts rang out almost simultaneously. Lucius did not even manage a groan before the pressure forced both his knees to the ground, cold sweat instantly soaking his collar. Caspar tried to hold his back straight, but the Soul Power pressing upon his shoulders was like ten thousand tons of stone. His leg bones creaked under the unbearable weight before he, too, crashed heavily to his knees, cracking the green bricks beneath him.

"You two nobles certainly put on quite the show." Chen Xin slowly walked into the room. His voice was calm, but every word seemed steeped in ice. "Bullying my disciple, Sword Douluo's disciple, and still daring to flaunt your noble airs in the academy? It was merely a spar, yet you insisted on forcing him either to withdraw or sell himself into servitude. Is this the 'noble dignity' of your Heilrich Family?"

"Master!" Wang Chuan's eyes lit up, and the tension on his face instantly faded. He hurried forward and bowed, unable to conceal the joy in his voice. "Why are you here?"

Chen Xin looked down at him, and the coldness in his eyes immediately disappeared. A faint smile curved his lips. "If I had not come, my fine disciple would have been forced to switch allegiances and become a vassal of the Heilrich Family. As your master, I could hardly stand by and watch you suffer such injustice."

Seeing this, Meng Shenji hurriedly stepped forward, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness. "Your Excellency Sword Douluo, we had already warned Mr. Caspar about this matter, but..." Before he could finish, he let out a soft sigh. The Heilrich Family had deep roots in noble circles. As Education Committee members, they could only offer indirect warnings and could not openly clash with the nobles.

Caspar had long since lost his earlier poise. Cold sweat streamed down his face as he struggled to raise his head, his voice trembling. "Your Excellency... My son and I were foolish and offended your esteemed disciple. We do not dare ask for your forgiveness. We only ask Your Excellency to show mercy and point out a way to ease your anger..." He understood clearly that for Sword Douluo to appear in person, Wang Chuan carried far more weight than he had imagined. If he stubbornly persisted now, his family would only be destroyed.

Chen Xin cast him a glance, his tone indifferent. "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect lacks neither gold nor silver, and we have no use for nobles like you who only know how to bully others with borrowed power. The one you offended was my disciple. How you should be dealt with should naturally be decided by him." With that, he turned to Wang Chuan, his eyes carrying a trace of expectation—he wanted the boy to understand that there was no need to yield in the face of bullying.

Wang Chuan met his master's gaze, and in that instant, he made his decision. He knew that if he showed mercy now, he would not only disappoint his master, but more people would use their status to provoke him in the future. He walked up to the father and son of the Heilrich Family, his voice calm yet carrying unquestionable resolve. "Since you enjoy using power to oppress others, then lose your right arms as a lesson. If you dare harbor any ill intentions toward me or anyone from the academy again, it will not be as simple as losing an arm."

Zhi Lin instinctively wanted to speak and stop him—severing someone's arm was far too harsh. But just as he opened his mouth, he met Chen Xin's gaze. There was no killing intent in it, yet it carried an unquestionable authority that made him swallow the words at the tip of his tongue.

The moment Wang Chuan finished speaking, Chen Xin lightly raised his wrist. The Seven Kill Sword instantly slid three inches from its sheath, and a sharp sword aura tore through the air. Everyone saw only a flash of cold light. When they looked again, Caspar and Lucius's right arms had vanished. The sword aura sealed their wounds so thoroughly that not a single drop of blood spilled. Their severed arms had been shredded into dust by the sword aura, leaving not even a fragment behind.

"Ah—!" Lucius finally cried out in pain. His face turned as white as paper as he clutched his wound and curled up on the ground. Caspar's entire body trembled in agony, yet he clenched his teeth and did not dare make another sound—he knew that being allowed to keep his life was already Sword Douluo's mercy.

"Th-thank you, Your Excellency Sword Douluo... Thank you, Lord Wang Chuan, for your mercy!" Caspar forced himself up from the ground, dragging Lucius, who was likewise in too much pain to stand steadily. He repeatedly bowed to Chen Xin and Wang Chuan. "My son and I... will take our leave now. We will never dare disturb you again!"

Chen Xin waved his hand, impatience in his voice. "Get out."

As though granted a pardon, Caspar hurriedly dragged Lucius away. The two stumbled out of the Academic Affairs Office in a miserable state, utterly unlike the haughty nobles they had been before. The Soul Power pressure in the room gradually dispersed. The three Education Committee members looked at the traces of blood on the floor—though the sword aura had dealt with most of it, marks still remained—then at Wang Chuan standing calmly beside Chen Xin. Their eyes grew more complicated. This child possessed not only astonishing talent, but a temperament far beyond that of his peers.