Thoughts Unburdened

"Madman!"

"Do you know what you're doing?!"

"You're cutting yourself off from the Martial Hall!"

Angry shouts erupted from the crowd. They couldn't believe that Zhang Feiyu, who had always been so timid and subservient around them, would actually have this kind of courage!

Su Bei, however, paused for a moment, a smile curling on his lips.

My path just got a lot wider.

He could tell that this group of second-generation rich kids had been aiming to humiliate Zhang Feiyu from the start. As for himself, he was merely a tool for their humiliation, a part of their game – they had never taken Su Bei seriously.

If it weren't for the mission.

Su Bei honestly wouldn't have bothered getting involved in something like this. The nine Hall Masters each had their own factions, and it wouldn't be surprising if these nine people, sitting together, could form eighty group chats – this was also why Wuji Martial Hall could only be considered a major power, and still had a significant gap compared to truly top-tier forces.

Su Bei didn't do anything that didn't benefit him.

It was just that they had made requests repeatedly, and Su Bei had no choice but to seriously injure them.

While the path of a Martial Artist might not have the concept of inner demons like cultivation, it did have the idea of a clear mind.

It was like rowing upstream; if you don't advance, you fall back.

If one's mind isn't clear, how can they practice martial arts?

In any case, Su Bei's mind was much clearer now.

As for the consequences, the Martial Artist Assessment was just around the corner. Every Martial Artist Assessment was a major event, and those top-tier forces would naturally not miss it.

After obtaining the Emperor Sun Aura, Su Bei figured that even if he didn't get first place in the Martial Artist Assessment, securing a top spot shouldn't be a problem. At that time, he could choose a force to join.

Of course, that wasn't foolproof. There were many Martial Artist Assessments held across the regions each year, and the top-ranked geniuses were as numerous as carp crossing a river. It was impossible for them all to be recruited. On the other hand, offending a legendary Martial Artist because of one genius seemed like a losing proposition.

But Su Bei didn't really care.

If the sky falls, the taller ones will bear it. Zhang Feiyu's actions had clearly shifted the conflict internally within the Martial Hall.

They were all internal personnel of the Martial Hall. Let the Third Hall Master and the Ninth Hall Master fight it out themselves – the best way to resolve a conflict was to escalate it.

The more people involved, the safer Su Bei would be.

While he was thinking.

Zhang Feiyu didn't stop his actions. He ran to another person lying by the wall and clawed at them again, leaving them with injuries that exposed bone, making everyone's hearts pound.

Su Bei watched with great interest. They had only known each other for a little over half a month, but today he truly realized that Zhang Feiyu was also an interesting person.

After finishing everything, Zhang Feiyu leisurely called out towards the door.

"You two, come in."

The door was pushed open.

The giant and Zhao Pei walked in with confused expressions. The first thing they saw was Sun Zicheng, lying on the ground, his fate unknown.

Their expressions instantly shifted from confusion to shock, and then to fear.

"Young Master Sun?!"

The giant flashed and appeared beside Sun Zicheng. After checking his breathing, he quickly took out a potion from his bosom and poured it into Sun Zicheng's mouth. Only when his breathing stabilized slightly did he scan the crowd:

"What happened?"

They were separated by just a wall, and it hadn't been long. How had their young master ended up like this?!

The Martial Artist Assessment was just around the corner. If this delayed things, he, as the bodyguard, would be unable to escape responsibility!

"It was him!"

"I did it."

Zhang Feiyu spoke first, "The Martial Artist Assessment is coming up. Brother Sun wanted to test my strength, but I didn't expect him to be so weak. It's truly my fault."

"You're spouting nonsense! Su Bei was the one who did it!"

The giant's temples throbbed. Looking at his almost unrecognizable young master, he simply couldn't believe this was a so-called sparring session.

However, everyone present was of noble status. Even if they wanted to do something, they wouldn't dare to act rashly.

"Hurry and send Brother Sun for treatment! If there are any lingering effects, can you bear the responsibility?"

The giant now understood that this might not be something he could meddle in. He got up, picked up Sun Zicheng, and rushed out.

"Senior Brother Zhao, please also send the person by the wall for medical attention."

As the two reached the doorway, Zhang Feiyu's voice rang out from behind them: "These two are like my sworn brothers. Make sure to use the best medicine!"

The giant and Zhao Pei both paused, then walked out even faster.

"To all senior brothers and sisters, I apologize for my poor hospitality today. After the Martial Artist Assessment, Feiyu will host a banquet to entertain you all again." After the outsiders left, Zhang Feiyu cupped his hands and said to the remaining people.

At this point, the remaining people had no intention of staying here.

"Hmph!"

"Zhang Feiyu, I will report everything that happened today to the Martial Hall truthfully!"

"And Su Bei..."

"You're on your own!"

Zhu Xuan walked past Su Bei, a hint of pity in her eyes. She almost spoke, but only managed a sigh before leaving.

While she had imagined Su Bei fighting back and impressing her, she never expected his counterattack to be so fierce and explosive.

Just thinking about Su Bei's ferocious posture moments ago made her long legs involuntarily cross. What would it be like if... if that hit me...

After everyone else had left.

Of course, they were polite enough to close the door behind them.

Zhang Feiyu slumped onto the ground, looking at Su Bei with a bitter expression. "Brother Bei, I've caused a huge problem."

"Weren't you quite fierce just now?" Su Bei said nonchalantly, even teasing him. "I thought you were actually going to kill someone."

Zhang Feiyu's face remained bitter. "What could I do? I'm desperate too."

"Tell me about it."

Su Bei ignored his complaints and asked curiously, "Your status shouldn't be that low, right?"

Why was he acting like a nobody in front of those people?

Of course, Su Bei didn't say that out loud, but his expression made it obvious.

"First of all, Sun Zicheng's father is above me."

Zhang Feiyu sighed lightly. "Secondly, I'm an illegitimate child, and for some reason, my mother is also very unpopular in the Martial Hall, so..."

Su Bei finally understood.

This explained everything.

Su Bei had even guessed that the Ninth Hall Master might be dead, or perhaps gravely ill with no hope of recovery. Chen Wansheng was like an old friend entrusted with his only son, taking him away from the center of power to focus on seeking the position of Grand Hall Master...

He had overcomplicated things.

So he was just completely unfavored. That made sense.

As for being an illegitimate child, that was too common.

In his past life, even wealthy merchants could have more than one illegitimate child. In a world where individual strength was paramount, it was even more so.

Having companions on both sides was the norm; "illegitimate child" was a rather unfamiliar term.

"But that Sun Zicheng is different from me,"

Zhang Feiyu's expression turned a bit more serious. "Although the Third Hall Master doesn't have many children, Sun Zicheng was born late in life and is his most beloved son."

"His older brothers and sisters are also quite strong, and they dote on this younger brother.

"After beating him up like that today, my life won't be easy from now on. The Third Hall Master's family is known for holding grudges... sigh."

As he spoke, Zhang Feiyu couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Su Bei looked confused. "What are you afraid of?"

No matter what, he was still the Ninth Hall Master's son. Even if he was unfavored, he wouldn't be killed for such a small matter. At most, it would be a minor punishment.

That would make the Ninth Hall Master a laughingstock.

Who would dare to work with him then?

"Look, it's like this."

Su Bei tried to analyze the situation for Zhang Feiyu:

"Even though you offended Sun Zicheng today, it might not be a bad thing for you. You're unfavored, but perhaps there's some conflict of interest? Is your mother a master strategist in these power struggles?"

"In short, there are many people in the Martial Hall who want to harm you, which is why you have an expert like Chen Wansheng accompanying you."

"But by doing this to Sun Zicheng today, you've openly offended the Third Hall Master's faction. They won't be able to make a move against you anymore."

"Because if anything happens to you, they will be the prime suspects, making you safer."

"Huh? Is that so?"

Zhang Feiyu looked utterly bewildered. "Then if I call them back right now and stab each of them, won't I be invincible?"

Su Bei: "..."