"Do you want to fight me?"
The speaker was Fang Lian, the future heir of the Fang Family in the Royal City and Fang Xuan's elder brother.
He still looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, but was actually in his early forties. He was Fang Runan's eldest legitimate son.
"You haven't even reached the Foundation Building Realm. You're not qualified to fight me."
Fang Lian gave him a cool glance, his pride plain to see, and insulted him in almost exactly the same way.
"Are you afraid?"
Fang Yuan's response consisted of just three simple words.
Fang Lian froze for a moment, as if he suspected he'd misheard, then laughed in anger.
Before he could speak, his hot-tempered younger brother behind him jumped in first.
"My brother would never be afraid of you. I'll fight you!"
"Quiet!"
Fang Yuan had been annoyed with Fang Xuan, who had been hostile toward him from the start.
Now the boy was buzzing in his ear nonstop, as if Fang Yuan had allowed him to get away with anything. Fang Yuan immediately joined his fingers like a sword and slashed through the air.
"Not good!"
Fang Xuan's pupils contracted sharply. He braced himself as if facing a formidable enemy.
The Sword Qi that had been less than half an inch long moments ago was now more than ten times stronger, stretching over ten zhang as it rushed toward him, its edge razor-sharp.
"That's a bit much."
Fang Lian's gaze turned cold. He waved his sleeve, and a torrent of True Essence surged out, easily dissipating the Sword Qi.
"You're asking for death!"
Once the members of the Fang Family from the Royal City came to their senses, they all glared furiously and released their auras, making the tables and chairs rumble.
"As if we're afraid of you."
The Prefecture City Fang Family were just as spirited. They stood their ground, ready to fight at any moment.
"Enough!"
Fang Zhongwu spoke slowly. He released no aura, yet his words carried an awe-inspiring authority that brooked no defiance.
"Behave yourselves in front of our ancestors."
Fang Runan also stopped the many elders who were about to fight, shouting at them sternly.
Still, his gaze kept drifting toward Fang Yuan.
"Since the rules of propriety have been laid down, we should follow them," Fang Zheng said.
Fang Xuan had lost face because of that sword strike and badly wanted to regain it, but Fang Lian stopped him with a look.
"You're no match for him."
Fang Lian wrapped his voice in True Qi and sent it into Fang Xuan's ear.
"How is that possible? He only got the better of me with a sneak attack. If I'd been prepared..."
Fang Xuan was unwilling to accept it. He tried to explain the unexpected turn of events to his elder brother, but was mercilessly cut off again.
"Get out!"
Fang Lian rose to his feet and stared straight at Fang Yuan. As he walked, the air seemed to split and part around him. It was an astonishing sight.
"Young Master!"
Though many elders were relieved that Fang Yuan had stepped forward at a crucial moment to restore the family's honor,
the fact remained—
Fang Lian was a Foundation Establishment True Person of long-standing renown. The gap between them was like a deep chasm. How could it possibly be bridged?
Fang Yuan had indeed fought on equal terms with Mad Blood Daoist, who was at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, and had even managed to injure him.
But they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes.
No one could predict what had happened in that battle.
They couldn't help worrying.
If it really comes to it, we'll give up the title of Main Family, one of the elders thought ruefully.
Fang Family Village had a dedicated fighting arena. It had been handed down from generation to generation and renovated over the years, giving it an old-world charm.
"I have to say, you've got guts."
On the arena, Fang Lian folded his arms and lifted his chin, looking down at Fang Yuan.
"But unfortunately, guts alone aren't enough. Without strength, they're worthless."
"Even the Ninth Prince can't defy heaven and challenge those above him like that. You don't stand a chance."
Fang Yuan's expression was cold. He simply asked, "Are you finished?"
"Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish!"
A frigid light shot from Fang Lian's eyes. He swept out his hand, and a torrent of True Essence surged forth, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy and pouring down like a tide.
Wave upon wave piled up like surging breakers at sea, threatening to drown Fang Yuan.
"Be careful, Young Master Fang Yuan!"
The arena below was already packed with villagers, and many more were still arriving one after another nearby.
Fang Family Village was sharply divided between those who had come here from the Royal City to live in seclusion and those who had withdrawn from the Prefecture City.
In ordinary times, they got along fairly well.
But now that they stood on opposing sides, their attitudes were entirely different.
"The difference between a Foundation Establishment True Person and someone in the Xiantian Realm is like the difference between heaven and earth. You should get down from the arena before you're hurt."
The words sounded as though they favored Fang Lian, but they were genuinely well-intentioned.
A cultivator in the Foundation Building Realm—
Their strength was so formidable that they were given the title of True Person. In the eyes of ordinary people, they were like immortals, capable of summoning wind and rain.
"So what if he's a True Person? It's not as if our Young Master has never fought one."
Some of the disciples in the crowd gathered for the ancestor worship had taken part in the campaign to destroy Green Ridge Stronghold. They spoke up for Fang Yuan.
Many people shook their heads repeatedly, thinking it was sheer fantasy. They didn't believe a word of it and couldn't be bothered to argue.
"How arrogant."
The overwhelming tide of True Qi looked fierce, but it was actually nowhere near as powerful as it seemed.
At most, it could crush ordinary cultivators at the Ninth Layer Houtian Realm.
Fang Yuan wouldn't even notice such a feeble attack.
Whoosh... Boom...
Fang Yuan still joined two fingers like a sword. A few inches of Sword Qi burst from his fingertips and tore through the tide of True Qi.
Then the razor-sharp Sword Qi not only failed to weaken, but expanded to over a hundred zhang, as though it would shatter space itself.
"What condensed True Qi. It can't be far from transforming into True Essence."
Fang Lian's expression shifted.
He had thought he'd already overestimated Fang Yuan's strength, yet had still used True Essence as soon as he attacked.
But now it seemed that Fang Yuan had spent at least a decade honing his True Qi at the Ninth Layer Houtian Realm.
But Fang Yuan was so young. How could he have had the time or energy to hone his cultivation to such a degree?
"Break!"
Seeing the Sword Qi about to reach him, Fang Lian cast aside his tangled thoughts and punched through the air. His True Qi surged without pause, instantly shattering the Sword Qi.
What shocked him was Fang Yuan's cultivation.
This level of strength wasn't enough to move him.
"Even if the entire family poured all its resources into him, it would be impossible to raise a cultivator from the fourth layer of the Houtian Realm to the ninth in such a short time."
Fang Lian looked doubtful. Only one possibility remained in his mind.
During the Azure Cloud Sect trial, Fang Yuan hadn't just escaped injury—he must have encountered a great opportunity!
"Lian'er!"
Just as Fang Lian's thoughts were racing,
an imposing call brought him back to his senses. He lifted his eyes and looked ahead.
Another beam of Sword Qi came slashing through the air, stretching three hundred zhang and carrying even greater power than the previous one.
An attack of this level could threaten him!
"Can someone in the Xiantian Realm really unleash this kind of power?"
The Fang Family villagers below the arena were dumbfounded. Even the many elders of the Fang Family from the Royal City stared in disbelief, rubbing their eyes.
"I once saw a Peak Houtian Realm cultivator who'd opened all one hundred and eight acupoints and tempered his True Qi for decades. Even he couldn't unleash anything this powerful!"
"Exactly. Those who choose to temper their True Qi are usually people who've been stuck in the Xiantian Realm for years, unable to break through."
"With his age and talent, how could his True Qi be so condensed?"
Seeing the astonished faces of the Royal City Fang Family, the members of the Prefecture City Fang Family felt immensely satisfied.
Especially the younger disciples who idolized Fang Yuan—they could hardly keep from cheering aloud.
"Your family's true dragon has certainly kept a low profile."
Dingguo Duke Fang Runan had been looking relaxed, but now he too began to take this match seriously. He turned to Fang Zhongwu.
"Your Fang Lian isn't bad, either."
Before you continue