Becoming the Focus

But in the next moment, pairs of eyes, almost simultaneously, focused on Yang Chen. Without a doubt, Yang Chen, who had forcefully defeated the prodigy cultivated by a behemoth like the Redcoat Gang, had become the focal point of this Coming-of-Age Ceremony.

This level of attention far exceeded everyone's initial expectations.

Generally, no matter how outstanding a young prodigy was, it wouldn't cause infatuated girls to fight with red eyes. Such a scene, where they fought with red eyes, was something rarely seen even in the Coming-of-Age Ceremonies of various clans over four or five years.

For such a prodigy, the word 'outstanding' was no longer sufficient to describe them.

But now, things were different.

Yang Chen's appearance had completely made the girls from other clans' eyes turn red.

"Daughter, you've seen Yang Chen's achievements. His future is bound to be limitless. Although your father knows you're shy, you should still try. What if Yang Chen particularly favors your personality? Yang Chen is a hot commodity. Even though you're a girl, it's better to be proactive if you can."

"Daughter, if you can win Yang Chen over, even the Clan Head will have to be respectful to us. For our small clans like ours, don't even think about marrying into the major clans. However, this Yang Chen is no worse than the prodigies cultivated by the major clans."

Many elders who brought their daughters to the Yang Family's Coming-of-Age Ceremony to select a worthy son-in-law, after seeing the results, began to admonish their precious daughters.

Before the Coming-of-Age Ceremony even concluded, Yang Chen had become the object of countless people's affections and rivalries.

Yang Heng's father, standing amidst the crowd, was originally comforting the disgraced Yang Heng. Upon seeing Yang Chen defeat the arrogant Xu Hu, he gasped.

The man sighed, "Yang Heng, remember this from now on, you must never provoke Yang Chen again. He is no longer someone you can afford to provoke. If you provoke Yang Chen again, even with your father's status in the Yang Family, I won't be able to protect you."

Yang Heng's face was filled with malice, and it was unclear if he had taken his father's words to heart. He merely let out a soft hum. However, the coldness in his gaze towards Yang Chen did not diminish at all.

Now, the person who should regret it the most was Zhou Huaiyi, who had once betrayed Yang Chen.

He now watched Yang Chen defeat Xu Hu with overwhelming strength, becoming the most outstanding prodigy of the Yang Family and the most dazzling presence at today's Coming-of-Age Ceremony. His intestines were green with regret.

One must understand that the evaluation of a prodigy's status within the family was, nine times out of ten, determined at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony stage.

No matter how impressive Yang Heng and Yang Wu were in the past, they had both been defeated at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony. Could they expect much care from the family now?

He had originally thought that hitching himself to Yang Heng's wagon was an incredibly wise choice.

But now, it seemed he had made an utterly foolish choice.

Yang Chen was destined to soar to the heavens today, becoming a prodigy that the Yang Family would wholeheartedly nurture.

He couldn't understand why his brain had malfunctioned at the time and chosen to betray Yang Chen. What tangible benefits had he gained from betraying Yang Chen? Yang Heng had given him nothing, and had even treated him completely as a subordinate, with treatment worse than when he was with Yang Chen.

At least with Yang Chen, he could still receive something called 'respect'.

Even if, even if he had stayed by Yang Chen's side for just two more months and shown his loyalty, it would have been enough for him to prosper today. But it was those two months that he chose betrayal.

What was the point of saying all this now?

It was all too late, all too late.

Meanwhile, Yang Caidie, leading her sisters, rushed out of the crowd and came to Yang Chen's side.

"Treasure, are you alright? Are you injured?" Yang Caidie asked with great concern.

Yang Chen smiled and said, "Sister, do I look like I'm injured?"

"That's good, that's good," Yang Caidie said, finally relieved.

Just as Yang Chen was about to say something, he suddenly noticed someone looking at him and turned around. He then discovered that the sisters Yang Caidie had brought were all throwing flirtatious glances at him, which made him both amused and exasperated. He could only pretend not to see them.

He had been betrayed by the woman closest to him. Although he hadn't given up on the idea of marriage and having children, it wasn't easy for him to trust others so readily.

This was a hurdle, and he was still struggling to overcome it.

Yang Jinhe's attitude towards Yang Chen also underwent a drastic change. He said gently, "Yang Chen, well done."

Second Master Yang and Fourth Master Yang also laughed heartily, "Yes, Yang Chen, well done."

"Clan Head, Second Master, Fourth Master, you flatter me. Earlier, Yang Chen was merely lucky," Yang Chen said with a smile.

"Lucky? You tore off Xu Hu's arm. Seeing the expression of the Third Master Bandit, I couldn't help but want to laugh. Yang Chen, you did well!" Fourth Master Yang, with his forthright and direct personality, was practically clapping his hands in approval.

Were they kidding?

If it weren't for Yang Chen, the Yang Family would have lost face and suffered this loss today, and they could only have endured it.

What else could they do? Were they going to confront the bandits head-on?

Could they win?

Therefore, losing face was unavoidable, and they could only blame themselves for their inability to regain their honor.

However, just when they all thought they had lost all face today, Yang Chen's fight with Xu Hu had not only completely crushed him but also resulted in victory, even tearing off one of Xu Hu's arms. Such an outcome was beyond everyone's expectations.

Most importantly, Yang Chen had helped the Yang Family regain its honor, and that was the most crucial thing.

No matter how furious the Third Master Bandit was, they dared not actively attack the Yang Family over this matter because they were in the wrong. As long as they were in the wrong, the Twelve Great Clans would definitely help the Yang Family, and the Redcoat Gang would be in an awkward position.

"Yang Chen, your performance today exceeded even my expectations. Not only do you have outstanding attainments in the art of alchemy, but your martial cultivation has also far surpassed my imagination," a hearty voice suddenly rang out. It was Li Youyan, who had appeared in everyone's sight without anyone knowing when.

"Senior Li!" Yang Chen exclaimed in surprise.

Yang Jinhe said gently, "It seems Brother Li indeed knows this Yang Chen boy."

"Heh heh, perhaps it's fate. Speaking of which, I had considered cooperating with the Yang Family, but today, with the appearance of the Redcoat Gang, I didn't dare to speak up. I am truly ashamed. I hope Brother Yang can understand." Li Youyan took a deep breath.

Yang Jinhe waved his hand, "Brother Li, you jest. I can understand your feelings."

Even though the two families were cooperating, they were not family after all. If the enemy was those formidable bandits, it was normal for Li Youyan to not dare to help. After all, Li Youyan also had to consider his own family. If the Bandit Gang were to visit the Li family another day, how could Li Youyan possibly endure it?

The Li family's path was through merchant guilds, and the gap in strength between them and the Yang family was still a generation behind.

"It is truly beyond my ability to repay you, Brother Yang, for understanding my feelings. How about this, after the Coming-of-Age Ceremony concludes, I will choose this auspicious date to announce our full cooperation with the Yang family," Li Youyan said gently.

Upon hearing this, Yang Jinhe was overjoyed. "Haha, good, Brother Li, it's settled then. It seems our Yang family needs to conclude this Coming-of-Age Ceremony quickly."

He found Yang Chen more and more pleasing to the eye now.

It could be said that if not for Yang Chen, the Yang family would not only have lost face today, but Li Youyan might have even refused to cooperate with them due to their setback.

The reason Li Youyan hadn't halted the cooperation now was precisely because the Yang family hadn't suffered losses at the hands of the Redcoat Gang today, wasn't it?

"Alright, due to the earlier incident, this second combat segment will be suspended," Yang Jinhe said, not bothering to continue. After all, Yang Chen's victory in securing the crown today was no longer a point of contention.

Immediately, Yang Jinhe announced, "Next, bring out the weapons!"

With a bang, a group of Yang family servants carried in the weapon racks filled with swords and sabers.

"Yang family disciples who are about to come of age today, if you are deemed adults, you will no longer be playing with mere parlor tricks of fists and kicks. True warfare is a bloody kill, and in such battles, having a suitable weapon is crucial!"

The old servant announced loudly, "Next, you will each select a weapon that you feel is suitable for you, and that will signify your complete adulthood!"

This was the final segment of the Yang family's Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and also a segment everyone greatly valued, because choosing a weapon represented the path each individual would take in their martial arts journey thereafter.