At Ju Zi's threat, Xu Tianyuan murmured an "Oh," tilted his head slightly, and looked toward the window behind her.
Through the window, he could see a red sun appearing in the east.
Sunlight seemed to stream into the room and fall across his face.
The golden light gilded his handsome features with a warm glow.
"After thinking it over, I believe there are only two paths left now."
Xu Tianyuan said, "Either I kill you right now and eliminate any future trouble, or you submit to me instead and act as my spy."
"I'm a kindhearted man, so I won't choose for you. You can pick your own path."
Ju Zi heard every word clearly and finally confirmed that he did indeed seem serious. He wasn't joking.
Although she had no idea where Xu Tianyuan's confidence came from.
Given the circumstances, however, it seemed strength would have to do the talking.
Ju Zi had a temper of her own. Faced with such provocation, anger naturally rose in her heart.
She felt she needed to teach Xu Tianyuan a lesson.
Even if he was the sixth prince, she had Xu Tianran backing her.
As long as she kept things within bounds, it should be fine.
"Fine. I choose the first path."
"Come kill me, then."
Disdain filled Ju Zi's eyes. She took a Soul Tool shaped like a handgun from inside her clothes and steadily aimed it at Xu Tianyuan's thigh, ready to pull the trigger at any moment.
"What a truly mistaken choice."
Xu Tianyuan remained utterly unmoved before the muzzle. He didn't even blink.
"You should know that I'm the sixth prince of the Sun Moon Empire. Even if I really killed you, the matter would simply be swept under the rug."
"I'm not like that bastard Xu Tianran, dreaming of taking the throne and worrying about every little thing."
"Even if this offends the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, I don't care."
"After all, you're only a student."
At that moment, Xu Tianyuan's demeanor changed. His old flippancy vanished, replaced by an intense, oppressive presence.
He had been forced to pretend to be useless to stay alive in his early years, and he had long since come to loathe Xu Tianran.
Ju Zi had chosen to stand on Xu Tianran's side. What did it matter if he killed her?
This wasn't a question of whether Ju Zi had provoked him, done anything wrong, or deserved to die.
Simply put, anyone connected to Xu Tianran would have their accounts settled, one by one.
Yes, this was unreasonable. It could even be called the indiscriminate slaughter of innocents.
But that didn't matter.
He had never considered himself a good person.
With absolute strength, why should he care what ants thought of him?
Besides, the things Xu Tianran had done were far more ruthless.
"Xu Tianyuan, you're too arrogant!"
Ju Zi's anger reached its peak. Without further hesitation, she pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The gunshot exploded through the living room.
The instant Ju Zi pulled the trigger, only one thought remained in her head: teach him a lesson.
She hadn't intended to kill Xu Tianyuan.
After all, she wouldn't dare kill a prince even with ten times the courage, nor was there any need.
All she wanted was to make this careless, flippant sixth prince understand.
She wasn't someone he could trifle with, either!
The bullet fired by the Level 3 Soul Tool tore through the air, heading straight for Xu Tianyuan's thigh.
In Ju Zi's estimation, that shot would leave a bloody hole at the very least.
For a rank twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster taking a shot from a Level 3 Soul Tool, lying on the floor crying would count as a dignified outcome.
Xu Tianyuan sat on the sofa without moving a muscle.
He wasn't even looking at Ju Zi.
Just then, the bullet struck.
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring immediately sounded through the living room.
The metal bullet hit his thigh and flew straight off, striking the wall and chipping away a small patch of plaster.
Xu Tianyuan glanced down at his trousers. There was a hole in them, but only a white mark on his skin and a faint tingling sensation.
"Tsk."
He clicked his tongue.
Ju Zi's gun hand froze in midair. Her eyes went perfectly round, and her mind buzzed.
A Level 3 Soul Tool! This thing could tear a chunk of flesh off a Soul Elder, yet it hadn't even broken the skin of a rank twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster?
That defied all reason.
Gritting her teeth, she fired another volley.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Several bullets flew out, one each for his chest, arm, stomach, and forehead. Rain and dew fell on every spot equally, without a hint of favoritism.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
The result was exactly the same.
Bullet after bullet bounced off and rolled across the floor with a metallic clatter, still steaming, spinning a couple of times before stopping.
Xu Tianyuan bent down and picked up a bullet, turning it over between his fingers. It had already deformed.
"Pretty fine workmanship. Just a little lacking in power."
He casually tossed it aside, and the bullet rolled into a corner with a tink.
By now, Ju Zi's palms were drenched in sweat.
She knew exactly how much her abilities amounted to.
She was in the thirties, had a food-type martial soul, and was nearly a Level 3 Soul Engineer. Among her peers, she might be considered outstanding, yet a useless good-for-nothing had taken several of her bullets head-on without even furrowing his brow.
This wasn't just absurd. This was absurdity fucking opening the door for absurdity.
Absurdity had come home!
There was absolutely no chance of winning!
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Seeing Ju Zi's dumbfounded expression, Xu Tianyuan could more or less guess what the girl was thinking.
Although he hadn't activated his muscle-beast form, the morning sunlight had already slanted through the floor-to-ceiling window and spread across his body.
His sun martial soul passively absorbed light and heat, and his physical capabilities had already risen considerably. Though his current physique was only comparable to a Soul Elder's, it was more than enough to withstand close-range fire from a Level 3 Soul Tool.
He sighed, silently grumbling to himself.
Sixteen years of pretending to be useless, day after day, and I've acted my way into becoming the whole Sun Moon Empire's universally acknowledged benchmark for spoiled wastrels. Does that count as a tremendous methodological victory?
The victory is real enough, but the side effects are a real pain, too.
Now every stray cat and dog dares to shoot at me.
"I don't believe it!"
With reddened eyes, Ju Zi fired several more shots.
Xu Tianyuan finally lost his patience.
He stretched lazily, his joints cracking twice, then slowly stood and walked toward her, step by step.
Ju Zi instinctively backed away. Her heel hit the coffee table, and she nearly fell onto her backside.
"Stay away from me!"
The moment Ju Zi had seen the bullets on the floor clearly, her will to fight had shattered completely.
Without another word, she turned and ran. She was quick-she was a Soul Master, after all-and reached the doorway in just a few strides.
Unfortunately, it was useless.
She had barely taken two steps when a chill touched the back of her neck, and her whole body was lifted into the air.
With one hand clamped around the back of her neck, Xu Tianyuan effortlessly hoisted her off the floor. Her toes hung half a foot above the ground, and her hands flailed wildly in the air, leaving her utterly bedraggled.
"Why are you running?"
His tone was mild, even carrying a hint of distaste. "I haven't finished talking. You're being awfully unprofessional as an audience."
Ju Zi struggled a couple of times, flailing her arms and legs, but the more she kicked, the weaker she grew.
Xu Tianyuan released his hand and simply tossed her onto the floor, then dusted off his palms.
"Now let me see just how loyal you are to Xu Tianran."
He raised his hand and slapped her.
Smack!
Crisp, loud, and resounding.
The blow snapped Ju Zi's head to one side, leaving her dizzy and seeing stars. A line of blood immediately seeped from the corner of her mouth, and her ears filled with a buzzing drone.
Only one thought flashed through her mind: I'm done for. Am I about to meet my great-grandmother?
Before you continue