Fang Yuan's Confidence!

Fang Yuan was left speechless.

Before the crowd, he absolutely could not lose his composure and bearing, much less break the rules.

Otherwise, he would be handing others a handle against him.

As the second most outstanding youth of the Fang Family after Fang Yuan, his talent, intelligence, and cultivation were all top-notch, and he quickly adjusted his mindset.

"He's just trying to delay the duel. What harm is there in that?"

Fang Yuan thought he had seen through the other's petty trick.

In this public setting, Fang Yuan had shown his face, and he had openly declared a challenge, with so many people watching from below.

Without a proper excuse, how could Fang Yuan both preserve his prestige and gracefully avoid the fight?

As he saw it, the only option left was to use the Young Master's status to apply pressure, citing tedious procedures as an excuse.

"How shrewd!"

Fang Yuan thought to himself, "It seems his injuries are far worse than I knew."

Given his status and strength, Fang Yuan knew far more than his peers, after all, he was practically the backup Young Master.

"But then again, a shattered dantian makes a drop in strength normal—losing nine-tenths of one's power wouldn't even be surprising."

Having reasoned all this out, Fang Yuan's expression once again turned aloof.

No matter what Fang Man said, his face remained unchanged; at most, he nodded in agreement.

At this moment, he could perhaps force a fight with Fang Yuan, toppling this unprecedented genius from his pedestal in full view of the crowd.

But Fang Yuan also had his own pride.

He would not, for the sake of momentary anger, take advantage of a wounded man to gain some twisted satisfaction.

Moreover, Fang Yuan was still the Young Master, with status and position to consider. Forcing a fight, even if he won, would be undignified.

It would also affect how the Fang Family elders viewed him in the future, hindering his development.

"Very well, then. I'll go back and write a formal challenge letter and deliver it to the Young Master in a couple of days," Fang Yuan said.

Such behavior and words aroused no suspicion from the crowd below; instead, they nodded as if this was only proper.

"Hold on!"

But at that moment.

Fang Yuan suddenly spoke, stopping Fang Yuan in his tracks.

"What advice does the Young Master have?"

"My time is limited. No need to pick another day. I'll give you a chance to challenge me right now."

These words caught Fang Yuan off guard. Wasn't he injured? Where did this confidence come from?!

The crowd below erupted, their faces filled with anticipation.

The two most outstanding youths of the Fang Family, after years apart, were about to cross hands again!

"This time, Fang Yuan has broken through to the Xiantian Realm. The fight will definitely be exciting."

"Xiantian?" someone sneered. "How long has the Young Master been at that realm? Who knows his true strength?"

"Fang Yuan is just humiliating himself. In the Young Master's current state, he could take on ten of him without issue."

A long-legged female disciple sneered, "I really don't know where he gets the nerve."

The disciple beside her was speechless but didn't refute.

Even though Fang Yuan had broken through to Xiantian, in most people's minds, he still couldn't compare to Fang Yuan.

A Xiantian Realm cultivator at fifteen—now two years had passed. How terrifying must his strength be?

Ever since Fang Yuan broke through to Xiantian, he seemed to have left his peers behind, rarely making a move in public.

"Since that's the case, forgive my impertinence."

Fang Yuan, knowing the inside story, agreed readily.

Even with miraculous medicines, it was impossible for Fang Yuan to recover from his injuries in such a short time.

"This might be my best chance to defeat him!"

Fang Yuan was proud, but not arrogant. He knew better than anyone how terrifying Fang Yuan's talent was.

If Fang Yuan were at his peak, he wouldn't be fully confident.

But now, no matter what tricks Fang Yuan pulled, he could cut through them all with a single sword!

"Stop!"

At that moment, a loud voice suddenly rang out from within the arena.

The crowd focused their gaze and saw an old man in a luxurious robe. Their expressions immediately turned respectful.

"Greetings, Elder!"

Fifth Elder gave a slight nod, his gaze not lingering on the disciples but falling instead on the two figures on the platform.

"Fang Yuan, the Family Head has important matters to discuss with you."

"This sparring session is canceled for now. We'll revisit it another day."

Hearing this, Fang Yuan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

He had been just about to make his move, and Fifth Elder happened to appear so "coincidentally."

And of all times, right at this moment, there were important matters to discuss?

Such blatant favoritism and protection truly stirred resentment and even jealousy in Fang Yuan.

"Oh, they almost crossed blows!"

"Miss this chance, and who knows when the next one will come."

Many spectators felt a deep regret; such a brilliant duel was rare, especially between two prominent figures of the younger generation in the family.

"It seems the rumors aren't false."

A few disciples' eyes flickered with a strange light. They had no confirmed information, but they knew of certain whispers.

Fifth Elder's actions indirectly validated some people's suspicions.

"Now that even Fang Yuan's challenge has been suppressed by the elder, maybe I'll have a chance to rise further in the future!"

Fang Yuan had been a mountain pressing down on his peers for far too long, too heavily.

Some had endured in silence for ages, and at this moment, they glimpsed a sliver of hope!

"Fifth Elder, could you allow me to spar with Fang Yuan first before I go see the Family Head?" Fang Yuan asked with cupped hands.

The moment Fifth Elder appeared, Fang Yuan knew he might have been observing from the shadows for a while, ready to step in and extinguish the flames.

But dealing with Fang Yuan required no buildup or restraint.

Though still at the Ninth Layer of the Houtian Realm, a true genius could easily cross realms to defeat an opponent.

Not to mention, he had done so before.

Seeing Fifth Elder's troubled expression, Fang Yuan smiled and said, "Everyone's been looking forward to this for a long time. It wouldn't be right to waste their time for nothing."

"It won't take long—at most, the time it takes to finish a cup of tea."

Fifth Elder sighed inwardly. He knew Fang Yuan's temperament well and had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

However, he cast a sidelong glance at Fang Yuan, one laden with deep meaning.

"The Young Master is truly approachable."

"A cup of tea's time—is the Young Master so confident? Fang Yuan is, after all, at the Xiantian Realm."

Fang Yuan's words moved the disciples below, momentarily breaking the invisible barrier and closing the distance between them.

But to Fang Yuan's ears, those words grated harshly.

"Brother Yuan!"

Fang Man, who was walking off the platform, turned his head back, his eyes filled with worry, concerned about Fang Yuan's physical condition.

In contrast, Fang Ke'er's beautiful eyes brimmed with unwavering confidence in Fang Yuan.

"Begin."

Once the platform was cleared, only the two of them remained, with Fifth Elder acting as the temporary referee.

Facing Fang Yuan, Fang Yuan dared not let his guard down in the slightest. He drew his longsword and tensed every muscle in his body.

"Ke'er, lend me your sword!"

Fang Yuan caught the light sword tossed by Fang Ke'er. It felt a bit awkward in his hand, but that didn't matter.

"You make the first move. Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't get the chance." Fang Yuan said calmly.

"Fine!"

Fang Yuan's eyes blazed with anger, a hint of humiliation stinging him, but he didn't refuse. His opening strike was fierce and swift.

"That's the Gale Nine Swords! It looks like Fang Yuan has already cultivated it to the eighth sword—impressive!"

The Gale Nine Swords was one of the Fang Family's high-grade sword techniques, extremely difficult to master, with each sword representing a new level.

Many elders had only reached the Grand Completion stage, but Fang Yuan was already approaching its peak, nearly at Perfection!

Facing the increasingly fierce sword shadows, Fang Yuan's figure flickered, his steps nimble and agile, even leaving behind afterimages.

"Phantom Step at the Perfection level." Fifth Elder's expression shifted, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

Body movement techniques were notoriously harder to cultivate than techniques of the same grade.

With Perfection-level Phantom Step, one could almost stand undefeated against opponents of the same realm.