The dazzling sunrise shone through the sea of cloud, but the atmosphere atop the Western Mountain was strange and stifled.

The way Xiang Tianqiu and company saw it, Yue Changyuan’s words had effectively exposed all of Su Yi’s secrets.

Facing Su Yi now, everyone’s attitudes had already shifted.

Zhou Zhili, Zheng Tianhe and their allies were bewildered. They’d only just learned how bleak Su Yi’s position as the third young master of the Su Family was!

But Cha Jin was only increasingly confused. Upon learning of Su Yi’s background, she assumed that Su Yi most likely possessed so many unbelievable secret abilities due to his connection with the Su Family.

But now it seemed obvious that that wasn’t the case!

That meant that Su Yi undoubtedly had additional secrets, secrets that no one else knew even now!

When she considered this, Cha Jin couldn’t help but gripe inwardly. Young Lord, Young Lord, just how many secrets are you hiding?

Meanwhile, as Su Yi watched all of this play out, he remained as indifferent as ever. He didn’t so much as shift in his wicker chair.

However, in his heart, he sighed. No wonder that even after reawakening the memories of my past life, this obsession remained in my heart. No wonder I’m still filled with such hatred for the Jade Capital’s Su Family.

It turns out…. That in their eyes, I’m that pathetic….

But that’s fine.

One of these days, I’ll head to the Jade Capital, sever this obsession, and be done with it! A hint of murderous light streaked through the depths of his gaze, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

Xiang Tianqiu chuckled and looked at Zhou Zhili. “Your Highness, now, you have no one left at your disposal besides Mu Zhongting. If you still refuse to lower your head, we’ll have no choice but to follow the Great Zhou’s old rules and decide this through military might.”

Upon its establishment, the Great Zhou declared a simple rule: when unresolvable controversy arose in governmental affairs, military might would determine victory and defeat. 

This might seem a bit barbaric, but this was a mundane nation where warriors were held in the highest regard. A clash of fists was undoubtedly the simplest and most effective method to resolve disputes.

Of course, the nation’s long-established, deeply intertwined factions and influential figures wouldn’t resort to throwing away all pretenses of cordiality unless they absolutely had to.

Take now, for instance. Whatever else you might say about him, Zhou Zhili was still an imperial prince.

Xiang Tianqiu could only increase the pressure on him, step by step. He was unwilling to use force unless all else failed.

And now, a decree had prevented Chang Guoke and Qing Jin from intervening. 

Xue Ningyuan had chosen to betray his former allies.

Zheng Tianhe’s status as a distant relative of the imperial family had taken him out of play.  

Even Su Yi’s origins had been laid bare.

Looking at Zhou Zhili now, he had no one left but Mu Zhongting!

This was undoubtedly the time to decide whether or not to resort to military force!

Zhou Zhili fell silent, and his expression changed uncertainly.

He subconsciously glanced at Su Yi. The prince looked dejected and defeated, but also faintly hopeful and expectant, like a man on the verge of drowning and grasping desperately at straws.

His rationality told him that decisively giving up was the smartest thing he could do, but he was unwilling. If he simply lowered his head, he’d become nothing but a stepping stone for his second brother, and it would become far harder for him to rise again!

As a result, he placed all his remaining hope on Su Yi’s shoulders. He knew it was irrational, but he still wanted to take this gamble.

However, Su Yi only asked, “After undergoing this tribulation, tell me: why do you think you lost?”

Zhou Zhili fell silent for a while, then said bitterly, “I lost in far too many ways. I failed to realize the complexities…”

Su Yi shook his head. “No, you lost because you’re too weak!”

With that, he rose from his wicker chair and swept his gaze across everyone in attendance, a hint of mockery tugging at his lips. “With sufficient strength, what need would there be to organize some nonsensical tea party just to deal with bunch of clay chickens and porcelain dogs? You could suppress the opposition and be done with it.”

It was just one simple, casual, carefree declaration, yet it came across as utterly proud and contemptuous. It seemed Su Yi didn’t take Xiang Tianqiu and his allies the least bit seriously.

In response to Su Yi’s arrogant bearing, Xiang Tianqiu and his companions’ expressions darkened.

How lofty were their statuses? Any one of them could shake the entire province with a single stomp of their feet!

When had anyone ever seen them as clay chickens or porcelain dogs?

Only Cha Jin’s eyes lit up, and her heart filled with excitement. Is the Young Lord finally going to take action?

“Third Young Master, I’ve already heard a bit about what you’ve been up to, and I know that your cultivation hasn’t just recovered; they say you already have Qi Accumulation Realm cultivation and power sufficient to contend with Grandmasters. But do you really think that paltry little bit of skill means you can be so brazen?” Yue Changyuan snorted coldly, then shot to his feet and pointed his feather fan at Su Yi. “Don’t forget what the family head once told you: ‘If you dare use the Su Family’s name to your own ends, immediate execution!’”

Xiang Tianqiu and his allies’ hearts shook. How much must Family Head Su hate his son to have issued such a heartless order?

But this declaration also filled them with excitement.

They all understood a little about Su Yi. They knew that although he looked young, he was in fact incredibly strong.

But with Family Head Su’s declaration in the mix, so long as Su Yi got himself involved in this, he’d effectively be disobeying his father’s orders. Then, they would inevitably hunt him down!

Zhou Zhili’s heart sank. Family Head Su Hongli’s words had always carried an enormous weight. Since he made such a declaration, he’d surely dare carry it out.

Under these circumstances, wasn’t asking Su Yi to assist him no different from making him fall out with his family?

“Brother Su—” Zhou Zhili couldn’t help but call out to him.

However, Su Yi immediately cut him off. “Do you think I’m afraid of the Jade Capital’s Su Family?”

Zhou Zhili’s expression froze.

Yue Changyuan was so angry that he laughed. “Third Young Master, if the rest of the clan heard you say that, they’d want nothing more than to skin you alive! I urge you to be good and stay put. Don’t do anything foolish and ignorant, or else….”

Su Yi glanced at him. “Or else what?”

Murderous intent arose on Yue Changyuan’s face. “Third Young Master, consider the consequences carefully. Once we take action…..”

“Cease this endless nattering!” Su Yi frowned and cut him off. “Get down on your knees, or I’ll grant you death. Choose!”

The entire mountaintop fell so deathly silent, you could hear a pin drop. None of them would ever have guessed Su Yi would be so domineering. He didn’t even take Yue Changyuan, a lofty representative of the Su Family, the least bit seriously!

But Zhou Zhili felt as if his blood were boiling. His sense of defeat and humiliation, his concerns and his despondency, all of them seemed to scatter to the winds, replaced with indescribable excitement.

The sight of Su Yi’s fearless, despotic bearing helped Zhou Zhili make up his mind. This time, he would act crazy too. He’d fight with everything he had, regardless of whether he won or lost!

The prince’s expression was dark and imposing. He gnashed his teeth and said, “Yue Changyuan, right? Should I, Zhou Zhili, one day rise to power, I won’t let you or anyone close to you off, no exceptions!”

Every word was booming and forceful, with a decisive, frenzied air. 

When they saw this, Xiang Tianqiu and company’s expressions shifted. Even they didn’t want a prince to bear a deep grudge against them! Otherwise, they would have long since resorted to violence to resolve today’s matter.

Yue Changyuan’s pupils constricted, and he laughed coldly. “Sixth Highness, how many scions of the imperial family are there out there? Quite a few have greater talent and stronger character than you. Do you really think you have hope of rising to power?”

He paused, then said flatly, “Take today as an example. In this contest against the second prince, you already have no power left to reverse this situation.”

He then stepped forward, stopping when he was just thirty feet from Su Yi. His gaze instantly turned cold and grim.

“Third Young Master, I’ll give you a choice too. Either you scram and get the hell off this mountain or I… cripple you, then drag you back to the Jade Capital for punishment!”

His clothes fluttered in the wind, and with a clang, he drew the saber hanging from his waist. His entire aura immediately transformed, and his murderous intent soared into the air, dispersing the nearby clouds!

Everyone’s gazes gathered on him.

Su Yi instantly burst into mocking laughter, then turned to look at Cha Jin. “Keep an eye on my chair; don’t let the wind blow it off the cliff.”

After a brief, stunned pause, Cha Jin hurriedly nodded.

But Su Yi’s words and behavior made Yue Changyuan feel as if he’d suffered an enormous humiliation. His expression instantly darkened. “Third Young Master, you’ve truly disappointed me….”

Before the words had even left his lips, he suddenly swung his saber.

Whoosh!

It swept forth like a radiant, snow-white waterfall. The saber’s dazzlingly bright carried terrifying saber qi as it effortlessly tore through the air.

The thirty feet between Yue Changyuan and Su Yi was now nothing but radiant saber qi and limitless sharpness!

When Xiang Tianqiu saw this, even he couldn’t help but look stunned.

This was what they meant when they said “when a professional took action, the truth of their abilities was immediately obvious."

This single attack was a full display of the Jade-Faced Saber Monarch’s bearing and skill, as well as his foundations as the man who’d once taken second place in the imperial martial examinations. 

“You’re throwing your life away.” Su Yi’s gaze was calm and indifferent. He stretched out his finger and flicked.

It was the simple, understated power of a single finger, yet it struck like an unblockable hammer, slamming into the sharp, sweeping, seemingly unstoppable saber qi.

Immediately afterward, a dense series of booms went off. All thirty feet of saber qi, an attack he’d put his entire Grandmaster-level cultivation into, crumbled and burst. 

The energies splashed, then dispersed like rain!

At the same time, Su Yi stepped forward and stretched out his finger as if it were a sword. He sliced through the air.

Kssh!

A streak of light flashed by like a sudden bolt of lightning. 

A light, ethereal wisp of sword qi flew through the air, emanating eye-catching Dao Force intermingled with subtle hints of the inscrutable charm of the Grand Dao.

Yue Changyuan’s hair stood on end, and his expression shifted dramatically.

He’d long since known that Su Yi was no ordinary Qi Accumulation martial artist. He’d even heard from Xiang Tianqiu that Su Yi had slain Grandmasters before.

Thus, when he attacked just now, he held nothing back. That attack represented the true pinnacle of his power.

He would never have guessed that Su Yi could, with a single, understated swing of the finger, shatter his saber qi as if it were nothing but rotting wood.

He almost dared not believe his eyes.

And now, as Su Yi’s sword qi slashed toward him, he felt an instinctive terror course through him.

In response to the incoming, potentially fatal energies, he didn’t hesitate to go all out.

He called upon every last drop of power he had, holding nothing in reserve!

“Spirit Thunder Saber Breach!”

His saber rumbled like thunder and burst with radiant light, as if it were on fire, then swung, sudden and furious.

Then, beneath the crowd’s stunned gazes, the saber swing Yue Changyuan had held nothing back to unleash silently split in two in the face of that single wisp of sword qi.

The sword qi cut through it as effortlessly as if were made of tofu.

Crunch!

Immediately afterward, that fully spiritual, extraordinary saber cracked, splitting directly in two.

And that swift, dreamlike streak of sword qi infused with the profound charm of the Dao effortlessly sliced into Yue Changyuan’s unprotected body.

A streak of bright red blood started from his head, then spread straight down him, down his nose, past his lips and jaw, then onto his chest.

“You….” Yue Changyuan’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but his body had already split down the midline. Both halves thudded to the ground with a waterfall of blood.