Killing the Heart: How Old Are You, How Old Am I?

Xue Yao, standing on the steps of the main gate, suddenly let out a sigh.

It was a sigh filled with helplessness, and even a hint of amusement.

"What do you mean by that?"

Dugu Yan was stunned.

"Looking down on me?" Dugu Yan's voice rose sharply, her chest heaving violently with anger.

"No."

Xue Yao looked down at her from his vantage point.

His gaze was extremely calm.

It wasn't provocation, nor was it contempt. It was a look of pure... looking at a fool.

"I just think this so-called 'challenge' is truly too stupid."

Xue Yao spoke unhurriedly; his voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear on the quiet street.

"Stupid? You dare call me stupid?!" Dugu Yan was so angry that her willow-leaf eyebrows stood upright, and the poison mist at her fingertips trembled.

Xue Yao ignored her anger entirely.

He leaned forward slightly, looked straight into Dugu Yan's eyes, and asked in a flat tone:

"You are eleven years old, right?"

Dugu Yan replied instinctively: "So what if I am?"

"Good."

Xue Yao nodded and held up a finger.

"Then let me ask you. How old are you, and how old am I?"

"You are eleven, almost twelve. I am six. Your age is almost double mine."

Xue Yao's voice was cold, carrying an unquestionable logical force.

"You awakened your Martial Soul five years ago and are about to break through to become a level 20 Soul Grand Master. And I have only just finished three months since awakening my Martial Soul."

Having said this, Xue Yao paused.

His gaze slowly swept over Dugu Yan and the few lackeys standing dumbfounded behind her.

The corners of his mouth curled into an extremely sarcastic arc.

"A Soul Grand Master who has cultivated for five years and is almost twelve years old."

"Bringing a group of lackeys to aggressively block the front door of a six-year-old child who only awakened his Martial Soul three months ago."

Xue Yao emphasized the words "six-year-old child" heavily.

"And then, in front of the entire academy, you have the audacity to shout at me... that you want to 'challenge' me?"

Xue Yao chuckled.

That laughter was full of mockery.

"How are you even able to say the word 'challenge' out loud?"

"Is this a challenge? This is bullying the weak! You, a student from the intermediate academy, running to a kindergarten to pick a fight, and if you win, you go around the world bragging that you are invincible!"

"Old Senior Dugu was a hero his entire life; if you beat me, will that bring honor to Old Senior Dugu?"

BOOM!

These words were like crisp slaps, fiercely striking Dugu Yan across the face!

Every word pierced the heart!

The students watching the show were all stunned.

Before this, all of their thinking had fallen into a misconception.

Because Xue Yao wore the halos of "Number One Genius" and "Viscount Sky Wind," everyone subconsciously treated him as an opponent on equal footing with Dugu Yan.

But now, after being stripped bare by Xue Yao like this.

Everyone suddenly woke up.

That's right!

Xue Yao is only six years old!

A six-year-old brat who has only been in school for three days. You, an eleven-year-old senior, brought people to block his door to beat him up.

What kind of challenge is this? Isn't this just pure bullying?

And it's the big bullying the small, the old bullying the young!

"Pfft..."

In the crowd, someone finally couldn't hold it in anymore and let out an extremely faint chuckle.

This laughter seemed to be contagious.

"This... does seem rather absurd, doesn't it..."

"An eleven-year-old fighting a six-year-old... winning is dishonorable, and losing is even more embarrassing..."

"What Dugu Yan did today really lowered her standing..."

Whispers surged from all directions like a rising tide.

The gazes that were once filled with awe had now turned strange, amused, and even carried a hint of disdain.

The lackeys behind Dugu Yan flushed bright red. They wished they could crawl into a hole in the ground; some had already quietly stepped back, trying to distance themselves from her.

As for Dugu Yan, who stood at the very front, she had gone completely rigid.

She stood there, stunned.

That beautiful face of hers shifted from pale to the color of a ripe red apple in an instant. It was so red it looked like it might bleed!

She was consumed by shame and fury!

Xue Yao hadn't even made a move, nor had he summoned his martial soul.

With just a few sentences, he had stripped away her pride, the dignity she held so dear, and her self-righteous "challenge," leaving her with nothing!

The pride of a genius, the reputation of Poison Douluo's granddaughter—it had all been ground into dust!

"You... you..."

Dugu Yan pointed at Xue Yao, her finger trembling as if she were having a spasm.

She felt the malevolent fire in her chest, triggered by her toxins, raging back at her. Combined with the extreme humiliation, her vision began to blur.

She wanted to retort, to scream insults.

But what Xue Yao said was the truth. An ironclad fact!

She couldn't find even half a word to refute him!

"Do you still want to fight?"

Xue Yao looked at Dugu Yan, whose eyes were beginning to redden, and slowly delivered the final blow.

"If you insist on fighting, I'll oblige. At worst, by tomorrow, all of Tiandou City will know that Poison Douluo's granddaughter maintains her title as the top genius by bullying a six-year-old child."

"How truly glorious."

A lethal strike to the heart.

Completely broken.

"Xue Yao! You bastard!"

The tears in Dugu Yan's eyes finally spilled over.

With a choked, tearful curse, she abruptly retracted her martial soul and covered her burning red face with both hands.

She couldn't bear to stay here for even another second.

She shoved past her lackeys and, like a startled rabbit, pushed through the crowd and fled in a panic.

She didn't even dare to look back.

"Sister Yan! Sister Yan, wait for us!"

Seeing this, the lackeys no longer cared about saving face; they hung their heads in shame and scrambled to catch up.

The entrance to the Viscount Mansion, once tense and ready for a clash, fell silent in an instant.

Only a group of stunned onlookers remained.

Xue Yao stood on the steps.

Watching Dugu Yan's retreating figure, he shook his head speechlessly.

"Kids will be kids. Their mental fortitude is just too weak."

Did she really think fighting was all about trading soul skills?

In the face of absolute logical crushing, a few words were enough to cause social suicide.

Victory without drawing blood; first blood secured.

He hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Alright, everyone disperse. Go to class, go cultivate."

Xue Yao waved at the students outside who were still staring in a daze.

Then, he turned around.

With a "bang," he shut the heavy mahogany doors.

Leaving the crowd standing there in the wind, utterly bewildered.

From this day on, in the legends of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, besides the title of "top genius," there was now one more.

The mouth of this six-year-old boy was sharper than the blade of a Title Douluo!

The farce of Dugu Yan fleeing in a panic had spread throughout the entire Heaven Dou Royal Academy by the end of the afternoon.

By evening, even the noble circles of Tiandou City had heard whispers of it.

For a time, the glorious deed of a "six-year-old child scolding an eleven-year-old genius until she cried" became the talk of the town for everyone after their meals. The title of "Number One Genius" held by Xue Yao was not trampled upon; instead, because of this crushing victory, it became even more unfathomable.

However, Xue Yao, the person involved, could not laugh at all at this moment.

Inside the hall of the Viscount Mansion.

Xue Yao had just finished bathing and was wearing a set of dry, comfortable clothes. He held a gold-embossed invitation in his hand, his brows locked tightly together.

The material of the invitation was extremely exquisite, pressed from a rare type of agarwood, carrying a faint, soothing, and refreshing fragrance.

At the signature line, a golden Swan seal was stamped neatly.

That was the symbol of the Heaven Dou Empire royal family.

"The Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe."

Xue Yao stared at the name on the invitation and muttered it under his breath. A trace of deep apprehension flashed in the depths of his eyes.