Su Zhenyu caught the iron ball in his arms!
The iron ball slammed into his chest with tremendous force. He fell involuntarily, blood pouring from his mouth and nose!
"Zhenyu!"
Su Song sprang to his feet and landed beside Su Zhenyu in the blink of an eye.
He moved the iron ball aside and used his power to protect his grandson's heart meridian!
Then he took out a pill and put it in his grandson's mouth!
Su Song soon discovered that nearly all his grandson's ribs were broken, and his heart and lungs had suffered grave injuries. It was no exaggeration to say his life hung by a thread!
Immediately afterward, Xi Zhaoqu and Su Ying hurried over, one after the other.
Su Ying was full of regret. She was the one who had urged this nephew from her birth clan to find a chance to attack Lin Heng!
She had thought that if an accident occurred at the martial arts tournament, it would be difficult for the king to be too harsh, especially given Su Zhenyu's exceptional status!
But she had not expected Su Zhenyu to use such a direct method as throwing an iron ball at him!
Still less had she expected Lin Heng not only to catch the iron ball but to use it to strike and injure Su Zhenyu in return!
"Grand commander, I was careless just now!"
Xi Zhaoqu hurriedly apologized.
He was presiding over the martial arts tournament and had been present the whole time. He was responsible for ensuring the safety of these young people!
"Hmph!"
Su Song handed Su Zhenyu over to his son, then looked angrily at Lin Heng to the east.
"Little prince, how could you deliberately attack and injure someone?"
Su Song demanded loudly.
He too had never imagined that Lin Heng's strength would be so formidable. But surprise was one thing; his most cherished grandson had nearly been smashed to death, and he had to demand an explanation!
"Grand commander, your grandson deliberately threw it at me first. I just struck back, that's all!"
Lin Heng spoke casually.
"The little prince happened to be standing opposite Su Zhenyu. It was perfectly normal for him to throw the iron ball in your direction. How can you say he deliberately threw it at you?"
Su Song pressed him bitterly.
"Whether he did it on purpose or not, I threw it at him on purpose. What are you going to do about it?"
Lin Heng retorted without the slightest courtesy.
Back then, his mother, Liu Ling'er, had been bullied plenty by the Su Clan. Even while she was pregnant, the Su Clan had sent people to assassinate her. His mother could forgive that hatred, but he could not!
If one repaid evil with virtue, how should one repay virtue?
"Your Majesty, please uphold justice for Su Zhenyu!"
Su Song truly did not dare attack a prince in public, so he could only throw this thorny problem to the king, Lin Changqing!
Lin Changqing felt a headache coming on!
If Lin Heng had also claimed that he had not done it on purpose, Lin Changqing could have dealt with the matter easily. But Lin Heng had openly admitted that he had deliberately thrown the ball at Su Zhenyu!
Doing it deliberately and doing it accidentally were two entirely different matters!
Only then did everyone present finally recover from their shock!
Some, like Su Song, looked toward the king, Lin Changqing, waiting to see how he intended to resolve the matter.
Others whispered among themselves.
In the academy's area to the east, the elite students were discussing it with particular fervor!
"Is that really the kind of strength a three-year-old can possess? That's terrifying!"
"No wonder the little prince could easily withstand the pressure in the first round of selection. He's practically a divine beast cub!"
"I'm jealous as hell! When I was three, I could barely walk steadily!"
"Su Zhenyu really is impressive. If the little prince hadn't acted just now, he would have been the center of everyone's attention, and they would have marveled at his cultivation talent!"
"Who was it that said the little prince was nothing to brag about?"
"Someone even said the little prince withstood that pressure because he was sitting down!"
"The goddess's son having a stronger physique and greater strength is perfectly normal. It's hard to say what he'll be like in the future. He might not even measure up to us!"
The student who said this was named Lin Feng.
Lin Feng was not only a member of the Chishui Royal Clan, but also the strongest student currently at Chishui Academy!
He was only twenty-seven, yet his cultivation had already reached the Ninth Grade of the Martial Ancestor Realm. He was just one step away from advancing to the Martial King Realm!
With his royal background and formidable strength, the many academy students naturally did not dare contradict him.
Most of those seated on the stone steps to the south were representatives of the various major sects within the Chishui Kingdom.
There were sect elders, as well as outstanding disciples selected by their sects to take part in the elite martial arts competition!
Among them was a sect called the Black Tiger Sect, which had been fortunate enough to recruit a martial arts genius more than ten years ago.
It was fortunate because the vast majority of martial arts geniuses aspired to become academy students rather than disciples of a sect.
This genius of the Black Tiger Sect was named Xue Jing. After more than ten years of training by the Black Tiger Sect, his cultivation had now reached the Eighth Grade of the Martial Ancestor Realm!
Xue Jing had attended the martial arts tournament once before, two years ago. At the time, he had only just entered the Martial Ancestor Realm. Facing the many Martial Ancestor Realm students of Chishui Academy, he had no advantage, and his final result had been less than satisfactory.
Neither he nor the Black Tiger Sect as a whole had accepted that result, so he had come again this year!
"Xue Jing, what do you think of this little prince?"
The person asking was the sect master of the Black Tiger Sect, who was also Xue Jing's master.
"Master, he truly is no ordinary child!"
Xue Jing answered in a muffled voice, "But he's only a three-year-old child. His strength is immense, but the goddess must have used a divine ability to strengthen his physique before she ascended. That doesn't mean his cultivation is particularly high or that his combat strength is particularly formidable! At his age, it's doubtful whether his meridians have fully developed, and he should have had even less exposure to martial techniques!"
"Mm! There's some sense in that!"
The Black Tiger Sect's master nodded, then stroked his beard and said, "Xue Jing, let me remind you once more: no matter whom you face, you must never underestimate them! Even a three-year-old child might pose a considerable threat to you!"
"I understand your teaching, Master, but without anyone else helping him, I don't think a three-year-old child could pose much of a threat, even if that child is the son of a God Realm expert!"
Although Xue Jing's answer was respectful, it carried a hint of defiance.
After pondering for a long time, Lin Changqing finally spoke. "Lin Heng, did you really throw the ball at Su Zhenyu on purpose?"
By asking this, he clearly wanted Lin Heng to change his answer.
"That's right!"
Lin Heng curled his lip and replied, "I'm not like those people from the Su Clan. They dare to act but don't dare to own up to it, and everything they do is sneaky!"
"Your Majesty, the little prince has gone too far. Not only did he attack and injure someone, he's insulting people too. Please punish him severely!"
Su Ying could not help making the request vehemently.
"Consort Su, grand commander, leave the king out of the matters between your Su Clan and my mother and me!"
Lin Heng said bluntly, "My mother has already ascended. If you want revenge or want to wipe away your humiliation, come at me!"
Hearing this, Lin Changqing frowned again and asked in great displeasure, "Lin Heng, are you sure you don't need me and the entire royal clan to protect you?"
His own son had said in public to leave him out of the matter, so of course Lin Changqing was unhappy!
You're my son. Shouldn't I look after you and protect you?
"I'm sure I don't need it!"
Lin Heng gave Lin Changqing no face.
Back then, when his pregnant mother had suffered one covert attack after another, Lin Changqing had done nothing to punish the people responsible!