Rules of the Challenge

Amidst the laughter and conversation.

On the stage, Fang Ke'er had already drawn her sword.

The blade pointed straight at Fang Yuan, swift as lightning, her figure light and graceful, like a butterfly spreading its wings—dreamlike and illusory.

"I said, I don't hit women."

Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly, not a trace of panic on his face. True qi coiled around his fingertips as he extended two fingers.

Clang... thud...

Under the shocked gaze of the crowd, Fang Yuan actually caught the sharp blade between two fingers, a crisp metallic ring echoing out.

His stance was as steady as Mount Tai, utterly unmoving, a hint of arrogance lingering on his face.

"Have you already broken through to the Xiantian Realm?"

Fang Ke'er tried to pull her longsword free, but no matter how her true qi surged, it had no effect at all.

The sword seemed clamped tight, as if welded in a vise.

Xiantian!

The people below the stage keenly caught that key word.

The entire audience was stunned, erupting into an uproar.

As of now, among the younger generation of the Fang family, only Fang Yuan alone had cultivated to the Xiantian Realm.

A fifteen-year-old Xiantian Realm powerhouse was a mountain crushing the younger generation of the Fang family, even a peak the youth of the entire prefectural city could hardly scale.

If Fang Ke'er's words were true, the Fang family's younger generation would gain another Xiantian expert—twin stars.

"You're not bad either, Houtian Ninth Layer, but you still need more practice."

The flicker of surprise in Fang Yuan's eyes quickly faded. His words seemed like praise, but were actually condescending guidance.

Of course, with his current cultivation, he truly had the right and the confidence!

"Fang Yuan didn't deny it—so it's true!"

The younger generation below the stage, amid their excitement, felt a deeper despair creep into their hearts.

Geniuses were always dazzling.

From now on, with resources tilted their way, the gap would only grow wider.

They might be geniuses in others' eyes, but before people like Fang Yuan, they could only serve as green leaves.

"Xiantian or not, break for me!"

Fang Ke'er channeled the true qi bursting from her dantian. Her wrist, fair as frost and snow, gave a sharp twist, instantly breaking free from Fang Yuan's restraint.

In that instant, her attacks came like relentless rain, the sword's edge aimed at Fang Yuan's vital points, showing no mercy.

"Fang Ke'er has improved a lot, but she still hasn't crossed that threshold—she won't be a match."

"If Fang Yuan weren't holding back and dodging, Fang Ke'er would have lost already."

"Fang Yuan's footwork has its merits, and Fang Ke'er's swordsmanship is quite profound—a rare chance to observe and learn."

The expressions of the crowd below varied—some delighted, some regretful, and others humbly studying.

"If you keep making trouble, don't blame me for getting rough." Fang Yuan said coldly, dodging attacks as he spoke.

He would stick to his principles, but that didn't mean he would endlessly yield and retreat.

Fang Ke'er ignored him completely, continuing to thrust her sword at Fang Yuan with a stubborn persistence.

Even a clay figurine has a temper.

Let alone Fang Yuan, who was immensely proud. He was about to mobilize all his true qi and blast Fang Ke'er off the stage.

Just then.

A calm voice rang out.

"Ke'er, stop for now."

Hearing that familiar tone, Fang Ke'er, whose demeanor was cold and aloof, broke into a faint smile and immediately halted her assault.

Seeing this, Fang Yuan retracted his aura and turned to look at the newcomer who had so easily interrupted the fight.

"Greetings, Young Master!"

The crowd below, the moment they saw Fang Yuan appear, their expressions lit up with excitement as they hurriedly bowed.

"I haven't seen the Young Master in a while—I need to get a good look."

"Seeing the Young Master's condition, he doesn't seem injured at all. I knew those rumors were false."

"He's already far away, stop drooling."

The Fang family's female disciples were especially thrilled. The sight of Fang Yuan turned them into a group of fangirls, like a massive idol meet-and-greet.

Fang Yuan stood about six feet tall, with a handsome face, eyes like stars, hair cascading to his waist, and a gentle temperament.

(PS: The chi in this book is standardized at 0.3 meters; ten chi equal one zhang, and one zhang is 3 meters.)

At first glance, one might mistake him for a gentle and refined scholar.

"Isn't it just that he's a bit better-looking, a bit richer, a bit stronger..."

Some male disciples, seeing the aloof goddess they admired acting so flustered, felt a sour twinge in their hearts and silently grumbled.

"Fang Yuan, have you forgotten the rules too?"

Fang Yuan, having stepped onto the arena platform, swept a cold glance over Fang Yuan and spoke in a slightly chilly tone.

"Greetings to the Young Master!"

Fang Yuan reluctantly bent his straight back and cupped his hands in salute.

The Fang family's rules were strict, absolutely forbidding anyone from overstepping their bounds; the lightest punishment was cutting off resources, while the heaviest was expulsion from the clan.

Fang Yuan's status as Young Master carried a certain weight, comparable to an elder of the clan, and peers were required to bow in greeting when they met.

"Are you hurt, little girl?"

With that, Fang Yuan paid him no further heed. He walked over to Fang Ke'er, ruffled her delicate, smooth hair, and spoke with a doting tone.

"I'm fine."

Fang Ke'er's reply was still brief, but everyone clearly caught a hint of tenderness in her voice.

"This is worse than killing me!"

Some disciples were utterly crushed, unable to bear this pain, and wept inwardly.

"Don't be so reckless from now on. It wouldn't be good if you hurt yourself anywhere."

Fang Yuan smiled, his gaze flickering faintly toward Fang Yuan.

"If anyone bullies you, just tell me, and I'll give them a good beating."

"It's only been a short while since I last saw you, and you've already reached the Houtian Ninth Layer. Next time, I'll prepare a Qi Condensation Pill for you."

The smile on Fang Ke'er's face grew even warmer. Her eyes were full of affection, and though her words were brief, they were exceedingly gentle.

"Thank you, Brother Fang."

No one knew how hard Fang Ke'er had trained after Fang Yuan left for the Azure Cloud Sect's trial.

She only wanted to keep pace with his steps...

Below the stage, it wasn't just the male disciples who were bitter; even the fair-skinned, beautiful female disciples felt a pang of heartache.

They wished they were the ones standing by Fang Yuan's side.

"This is truly infuriating."

If anyone was feeling the most miserable and stifled right now, it had to be Fang Yuan.

He had just been basking in the crowd's awe and envy, but now, no one paid him any attention at all!

All the spotlight was on Fang Yuan, and such a stark contrast was truly suffocating.

He had broken through to the Xiantian Realm!

The Xiantian Realm!

One of the youngest Xiantian Realm experts in the entire prefectural city!

"Young Master, you should have received my challenge, right?"

Seeing that he was still being ignored, Fang Yuan couldn't hold back any longer and took the initiative to bring up the topic.

"Your challenge—when did you issue it?" Fang Yuan turned his gaze and asked flatly.

"You didn't think that just making a public declaration of a challenge counted as a successful agreement, did you?"

Fang Yuan was stunned. Was there some other nuance to this? He had been in the Fang family for so many years and had never heard of it.

Just then.

The rotund Fang Man pushed through the crowd, climbed onto the stage, lifted his head to look at Fang Yuan, and said disdainfully.

"You two brothers really have no sense of propriety at all."

"The Young Master has a certain status and position. If you want a formal duel, you have to send an invitation letter—red background, black characters."

Fang Yuan's face was full of disbelief. He didn't recall this procedure; none of his previous duels had ever required it!

"If you wanted to challenge an elder, would you just shout it out in public like this?" Fang Man threw out a question that was a trap.

Fang Yuan wanted to retort, but the words stuck in his throat, and he could only remain silent.

"Times have changed. The proper etiquette can't be omitted," Fang Man said with a grin, feeling inexplicably pleased at seeing Fang Yuan stifled.

"Otherwise, any random cat or dog could issue a challenge."