Uproot the Grass and Eliminate the Roots

Countless eyes stared at the corpse nailed to the stands, as the murmurs merged into a buzzing roar that seemed to pierce the clouds.

Chen Duhu was dead!

A top-tier powerhouse who had ruled Tianyuan City for decades.

Just like that, he was dead.

Killed by a sixteen-year-old girl!

Whether ordinary spectators or lofty members of the elite, everyone watched this scene in utter disbelief.

"My god..."

"What kind of monsters are those two? They actually killed a sixth-rank powerhouse!"

"With Chen Duhu dead, can the Darkmoon Battle Group still hold onto its position as the number one battle group!?"

"Tianyuan City's skies are about to change!"

"..."

Some were shocked, some bewildered, and some thrilled.

With Chen Duhu dead, the Darkmoon Battle Group would inevitably struggle to retain its position as the number one battle group.

This was an opportunity to reshuffle the deck! Those with strength and ambition had all caught the scent of something unusual.

Others were afraid.

On the second level of the stands.

Chen Ping had witnessed Chen Duhu being killed by Ling Aoshuang with his own eyes.

Fear, grief, and rage churned wildly in his chest. He wanted to rush out and fight the two of them to the death, but in the end, fear prevailed.

He could not die.

He had to live.

Only by living could he take revenge!

"I'll make you wish you were dead...!"

Venom surged in Chen Ping's eyes. Gritting his teeth, he hunched over and hurried toward the exit amid the surrounding chaos.

Escape! As long as he escaped this place, there was still hope!

Just as he was about to succeed.

Whoosh!!

A sharp whistle tore through the air behind him.

The blood in Chen Ping's body instantly froze.

He whipped around and saw an ice-blue spear trailing a bone-chilling gleam as it shot toward him, so fast that he did not even have time to think of dodging.

Splat!

The ice spear pierced through his chest, sending his entire body flying before brutally nailing him to the wall of the stands.

Chen Ping looked down in stunned disbelief at the bowl-sized hole in his chest.

Blood foam spilled from his mouth.

His head slowly drooped.

Chen Ping.

Dead!

The uproar throughout the arena abruptly fell silent for an instant before erupting into an even fiercer commotion.

"Even Chen Duhu's son was killed!"

"They're wiping out the entire family!"

"That girl is ruthless!"

Lu Qingshan could no longer remain seated.

He abruptly rose to his feet and smashed the table before him with a palm strike. The aura of a seventh-rank powerhouse erupted without restraint.

"Enough!"

His voice was filled with rage suppressed to its limit. "You've gone too far!"

Jiang Chuan raised his head and looked at the city lord on the platform, his gaze as calm as a stagnant pool.

"Too far?"

He chuckled softly. "Chen Duhu openly violated the tournament rules and attacked a contestant in front of tens of thousands of people. Why didn't I hear City Lord Lu say he had gone too far?"

Lu Qingshan's face twitched violently. He had indeed intended to intervene at the time, but he had not made it in time.

Still.

Even if he had acted, the outcome would not have been any different.

He could hardly severely punish one of his subordinates over a first-rank professional, could he?

Jiang Chuan continued, "When the mighty number one battle group in Tianyuan City joined forces to set up a scheme against a young girl and forced her to sign a contract of sale, why didn't I see City Lord Lu step forward to uphold justice then?"

"All I did was ensure he received the punishment he deserved..."

"How was that too far?"

The entire arena erupted in an uproar.

Those words were far too blunt.

It was practically a public slap across Lu Qingshan's face.

Lu Qingshan's expression shifted repeatedly. If anyone else had dared to speak to him like that, he would have acted long ago.

But when facing Jiang Chuan.

He did not dare.

In truth.

He had only stood up to say a few words for appearance's sake.

If he had truly wanted to stop it, he could have intervened when Ling Aoshuang made her move instead of watching Chen Ping get killed.

Chen Duhu had at least been one of Tianyuan City's elites. If his offspring was wiped out and Lu Qingshan did not even make a statement, where would his authority as city lord be?

What would his other subordinates think of him?

Unfortunately.

The two young people across from him did not understand social conventions at all!

Not only did they refuse to take the out he offered them, they even turned the tables and left him unable to save face!

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, a gentle voice came from nearby.

"That's enough."

Zhou Yuan stepped forward to mediate.

Smiling, he said, "You are all prominent figures in Tianyuan City. What does it look like for you to argue here and let tens of thousands of people laugh at you?"

Lu Qingshan snorted coldly and said nothing.

Zhou Yuan then turned to Jiang Chuan and gave a slight nod. "Little brother, could we speak somewhere private?"

Jiang Chuan calmly glanced at him and likewise gave no response, but the meaning in his eyes was obvious.

Who the fuck are you?

Seeing this, Yuan Ziyi could not help but laugh. This Mr. Jiang truly had a terrible temper; he did not even take Tianyuan City's two regional authorities seriously.

She quickly said, "Mr. Jiang, there are too many eyes and ears here. This truly is not the place to talk."

"Chen Duhu is already dead."

"Whatever other requests you have, we can discuss them carefully."

What she meant was that Jiang Chuan could take this opportunity to make a reasonable and legal haul, rather than openly defy the Federation's authority.

Jiang Chuan could understand it, and naturally, the other two could as well.

Yet neither Lu Qingshan nor Zhou Yuan seemed particularly surprised.

In their view.

Jiang Chuan was simply flexing his strength in an attempt to gain a say in matters.

Otherwise, why would he publicly kill a high-ranking battle group leader... It could not possibly be that he had truly flown into a rage for a beauty, could it?

Only then did Jiang Chuan nod in agreement.

Inside the arena was a private meeting room not open to outsiders.

The room was not large, with a long table in the middle.

The five of them took their seats.

Zhou Yuan took the initiative to speak. "Now that everyone is here, let's get straight to the point."

He adjusted his glasses and expressed goodwill toward Jiang Chuan. "Chen Duhu attacked a contestant and disrupted the order of the tournament. He died for his crimes. I believe no one here has any objection to that."

Of the five people present.

Four were delighted by Chen Duhu's death.

There was no need to mention Jiang Chuan and Ling Aoshuang. Zhou Yuan could use this to weaken Lu Qingshan's power, while Yuan Ziyi could seize the chance to take over the Darkmoon Battle Group's business.

Only Lu Qingshan's face twitched.

But he said nothing.

The man was already dead.

No matter how dissatisfied he was, he could only endure it for now.

Zhou Yuan continued, "The Darkmoon Battle Group is now leaderless. We need to send people to take over as soon as possible to prevent greater trouble, so..."

"I have no interest in getting involved with the Darkmoon Battle Group."

Jiang Chuan suddenly interrupted him. "I came here only to confirm who gets the admission slots."

Zhou Yuan smiled. "Miss Ling is the champion of this tournament. That slot rightfully belongs to her."

Jiang Chuan asked, "What about the other one?"

"Which one?"

Zhou Yuan did not understand for a moment.

Jiang Chuan reminded him, "Chen Ping is dead."

Zhou Yuan paused before replying, "According to the rules, the Darkmoon Battle Group may recommend another candidate, or City Lord Lu and I may discuss it and redistribute the slot."

He emphasized the latter part very clearly.

The implication was that this matter had nothing to do with Jiang Chuan. He was not part of Tianyuan City's ruling class and had no right to directly interfere in the allocation of admission slots.

Jiang Chuan neither confirmed nor denied it.

In fact.

He had already achieved his goal.

He had Yuan Ziyi's recommended admission slot, while Ling Aoshuang had received the reward she deserved. Both of them could enter Stellar Crown Academy. This was the best possible outcome.

However.

Chen Ping's slot was also of great use to him.

Zhou Yuan waited for a moment. Seeing no response from him, he had no choice but to continue. "Mr. Jiang, helping Miss Ling secure the champion's slot was your own ability, but Chen Ping's slot..."

"I want it."

Jiang Chuan said calmly.

The meeting room fell silent. Lu Qingshan suddenly looked up, no longer able to suppress his rage. "You want it? What gives you the right? Who do you think you are!?"

Zhou Yuan also said, "Stellar Crown Academy only has a thousand admission slots available to the public each year. They are distributed among hundreds of cities across the country, and some small cities do not even receive one."

"Tianyuan City gets five only because it is located at a strategic crossroads and receives special treatment from the Federation."

"If you want to take one..."

"You must at least give us a reason."

His tone remained gentle, but when it came to crucial interests, he had no intention of yielding even an inch.

Jiang Chuan looked at him, then at Yuan Ziyi.

Yuan Ziyi gave a slight shrug, indicating that there was nothing she could do.

Jiang Chuan said, "I said from the beginning that I would not take a single share of the Darkmoon Battle Group's assets. I only want this admission slot."

As soon as he said that.

Everyone's expressions turned subtle.

With Chen Duhu dead, the Darkmoon Battle Group he left behind was an enormous piece of the pie.

Rumors outside claimed that the Yuan Family behind the Artisan Pavilion controlled half of the city's wealth.

In truth.

The Darkmoon Battle Group was the true colossal entity that possessed half of Tianyuan City's wealth!

Its businesses were spread throughout the city. It had dozens of fixed assets alone, including shops, mines, and secret realms, while its liquid funds were an astronomical figure!

And whether it was Lu Qingshan,

or Zhou Yuan,

both had already assumed that Jiang Chuan was here to claim his share of the pie.

His words truly took them by surprise. Lu Qingshan calmed down and stared at him. "Are you serious?"

"If I wanted those things, I could have taken them over the moment Chen Duhu died. There would have been no need to sit here wasting words with you."

Those were arrogant words.

But the three people present all knew that he was speaking the truth.

With the strength he had displayed earlier, if he truly wanted to seize the Darkmoon Battle Group's assets by force, no one in Tianyuan City could stop him.

Yet he had not done so.

Zhou Yuan narrowed his eyes and reassessed the youth before him.

"Only the admission slot?"

He sought confirmation.

Jiang Chuan said, "I have no interest in Tianyuan City's power games, nor do I want to develop any influence here."

Zhou Yuan immediately broke into a smile and shot Lu Qingshan a meaningful look. "If that's the case... then it's easy to discuss!"