“Yes, sir.” The man in brocade robes turned to leave.

Su Yi’s gaze then swept across the servant girls. “You should leave too. I have some things to discuss with these sectmates of mine.”

The manager waved, then led the serving girls away in a hurry.

“All you need to do is watch from the sidelines,” said Su Yi to his companions. “Leave everything else to me.”

Before long, Chen Jinlong and his companions surged into the room. The manager silently closed the door behind them.

“Su Yi! It really is you!” When he saw Su Yi seated at the head of the table, Chen Jinlong’s eyes widened. His last thread of hope that this was just some misunderstanding shattered, and his face went rigid.

The others looked as if they’d seen a ghost too.

“Feng Xiaofeng!” Nian Yunqiao’s expression darkened, and he looked confused and uncertain.

Who would have guessed that Yan Chengrong was actually right?

It was simply unbelievable!

People they’d disdained as mere cripples were now sitting proudly in a banquet hall even they were unqualified to enter!

The gap between reality and expectation was huge. How could they accept all of this at once?

Yu Qian’s petite frame froze. Astonishment was written all over her sweet, adorable face. She subconsciously asked, “Senior Apprentice Brother Feng, just which influential character brought you all here?”

A trace of bitterness and hatred rose on Feng Xiaofeng’s brow as he said coldly, “I’m not your senior apprentice brother, and I haven’t been for quite some time. Why should I answer you?”

Yu Qian’s expression froze. She sighed, but said nothing.

Even so, her words served as a warning to her companions. They looked around the room, but to their confusion, they saw no trace of any such “influential character”!

“Junior Apprentice Brother Su Yi, I wouldn’t have guessed that you of all people could dine here.” Chen Jinlong got his emotions under control, sighed with emotion, then laughed, “If I do the math, it’s been about a year since we last saw each other. If Yan Chengrong hadn’t said you were here, I never would have dared believe it.”

Yan Chengrong coughed drily. “Senior Apprentice Brother Su Yi, aren’t you going to invite us to sit down? This is no way to treat your guests.”

Huang Qianjun snickered. “Kid, do you need me to help you recall what you said at the entrance to the House of Prosperity?”

Yan Chengrong’s words choked in his throat. 

Chen Jinlong was inwardly losing his temper, but on the outside, he smiled and said, “It was surely just a misunderstanding. Let’s not discuss that. We’ve just come to see Su Yi and Feng Xiaofeng, but we don’t plan to stay long.”

Su Yi just sat there, fidgeting with a suet-colored jade cup. He seemed casual and at ease. His expression was calm, and he didn’t say so much as a single word.

But his calmness seemed utterly arrogant, and it only made Chen Jinlong and his companions angrier.

Whatever else you might say, they’d come for a visit of their own volition, yet Su Yi was just sitting there, not reacting at all. This was a blatant affront to their dignity!

This entire situation was just too strange and too far out of the ordinary. Otherwise, they would have lost their tempers by now. 

Chen Jinlong repressed back his rage and forced a smile. “Junior Apprentice Su, it seems we’re not welcome here, so we’ll be on our way.”

He was inwardly full of regret. If he’d known it would be like this, he would have listened to Li Moyun and stayed behind. Coming here was reckless, no different from inviting his own humiliation.

The others felt uncomfortable too. None of them wanted to linger here either.

“Hmph. What are you so self-satisfied over?” Yan Chengrong couldn’t help but mutter. “So what if you get to sit here? You’re still nothing but a waste, aren’t you? You’ll never be able to cultivate again for the rest of your life!” He then turned and was about to leave with Chen Jinlong and the others when Su Yi finally spoke up.

“You showed up uninvited, and now you just want to leave?” he said flatly. “Just what kind of place do you think this is?

Chen Jinlong whipped around, his eyes practically crackling with electricity and his expression dark. “Su Yi, what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

The others were displeased to begin with, so when they saw that Chen Jinlong seemed to have lost his temper, they turned around too. All of them looked at Su Yi, their expressions decidedly unfriendly.

“Su Yi, Yan Chengrong is right, you know! You lost your entire cultivation. So what if you can dine on the ninth floor? You’re still no warrior!” mocked a pretty girl in a cold voice. “Also, we didn’t come here looking for trouble. This is still the House of Prosperity! Not even major powers would dare cause trouble here!

When they heard this, Chen Jinlong and his cronies felt a thrill of pleasure. 

The realization that there was no major power in attendance unwittingly made them much calmer.

And the pretty girl’s words served as a reminder. Indeed, the person before them was nothing but a waste. Their attitudes silently shifted.

Although they still didn’t dare cause trouble, they were now full of confidence, and they recovered a bit of their initial sense of superiority.

How could a waste compare to a true martial artist?

Nian Yunqiao laughed coldly, then brazenly looked Feng Xiaofeng up and down. “Think about it! If our Junior Apprentice Feng had really turned his fate around by clinging to some powerful backer, would he still be dressed in such worn-out shabby rags?

“Look at him! That crappy old wheelchair is covered in mud. Is that the look of someone who’s recently risen to prominence?” When he said this, he could no longer hold back laughter.

The others were initially stunned, and the look in their eyes turned strange. He’s right! If Su Yi and his posse really rose to prominence overnight, why is Feng Xiaofeng still dressed in rags? He looks no different from the beggars out on the streets!

It’s not just Feng Xiaofeng, either. The young man next to him is gaunt and sallow-faced. Plus, he looks panicked, reserved, and uncomfortable. He’s obviously just some street kid from the lowest rungs of society!

This discovery dispelled much of their doubt, and their gazes filled with playful mockery, pleasure, and excitement.

“Tell me, guys. Were we just about to let those two wastes pull one over on us?” asked someone, clearly enraged.

Yan Chengrong said with obvious ill intent, “No, it’s true that they’re wastes, but it’s also true that this is the ninth floor of the House of Prosperity. It’s a real head-scratcher.”

Chen Jinlong asked directly, “Su Yi, how about you explain yourself?”

A cold smile hung on his lips, and his gaze was rife with disdain. He was in high spirits and ready to fight; he no longer felt any of his earlier confusion, stifled anger, or dread.

Su Yi’s expression remained calm. He drained his suet-colored glass, then rose to his feet and strolled toward Chen Jinlong.

His gaze was deep and inscrutable. It was calm, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

When they saw Su Yi walking towards them, Chen Jinlong was briefly stunned, as if he suspected Su Yi was about to do something.

But when he saw those emotionless eyes, an inexplicable chill coursed through his heart, and goosebumps rose on his skin.

In that moment, he sensed a life-threatening danger approaching, and, practically on instinct, he drew his sword and pointed it at Su Yi. “Stay where you are!”

But even before he finished shouting, Su Yi stretched out the index finger of his right hand and tapped on the blade.

Crack!

Chen Jinlong’s longsword could cut through iron as if it were mud, yet it cracked instantly, shards scattering in all directions.

The wrist with which Chen Jinlong held his sword cracked a moment later; Su Yi had broken it with a single finger, with just the vibrations transmitted through the metal!

“You…!’ Chen Jinlong cried out in agony. He tried to dodge, only for Su Yi to press down on his shoulder.

Bang!

An irresistible force bore down on Chen Jinlong. His knees gave, and he knelt on the ground, colliding with the red carpet with a dull thud.

His sword shattered!

His wrist broke!

He’d been forced to his knees!

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

The entire room went deathly silent. 

Nian Yunqiao, Yan Chengrong, and the others were scared senseless.

Chen Jinlong was an inner sect disciple of Blueriver Sword Manor, and he was the strongest of their group, with a cultivation at the peak of the Refining Bone Stage. Just one more step and he’d begin Qi Accumulation. 

Yet now, he seemed as fragile as paper mache. Su Yi had suppressed him effortlessly!

Of course they were stunned! Who wouldn’t be?

Even Feng Xiaofeng couldn’t help but gasp. He’d only learned today that Su Yi had recovered his cultivation.

But he never would have guessed that even Chen Jinlong, an elite of the inner sect, would seem so weak by comparison!

Feng Xiaoran’s big eyes sparkled like crystals as she stared fixedly at Su Yi’s tall, detached silhouette. Her little face was full of nothing but admiration and infatuation. 

In stark contrast, Huang Qianjun just laughed coldly. He was a silkpants, so he understood other silkpants better than anyone.

The way he saw it, this bunch’s behavior was even worse than his had been back in the day.

When he saw Chen Jinlong struggling, Su Yi merely glanced at him coolly. “If you dare get back up, I’ll kill you.”

It was just a single sentence, gone in an instant, but it contained chilling murderous intent. Chen Jinlong tensed up, and a chill coursed through his heart.

“Su Yi, this is the House of Prosperity! You dare cause trouble here? Aren’t you afraid to die!?” Yan Chengrong shouted, and his expression changed dramatically.

By now, which of them hadn’t realized that Su Yi wasn’t the waste they thought he was? His cultivation had long since recovered, and moreover, he’d become incomparably terrifying!

This realization was like a sucker punch. They felt as if they’d taken a blow to the head, and it was hard to accept all of this at once.

Whap!

Before Yan Chengrong could even react, Su Yi slapped him viciously, right across the face. He spun a full three circles in place before collapsing to the floor, his left cheek collapsed in on itself, swollen, and red. Blood poured from his mouth and nose as he shrieked like a slaughtered pig. 

He was just about to say something when he felt the tip of a sword pressed to his throat. When he looked up, he saw Su Yi holding Mortal Edge, his gaze calm and indifferent. “If you aren’t afraid to die, go ahead. Shout and see what happens.”

Yan Chengrong shuddered, his jaw clamped shut.

“Run! Go call for help!” bellowed Nian Yunqiao. He turned and fled. 

“Did I say you could leave?” As his indifferent voice rang out, Mortal Edge let out a clear sword hum, then stabbed.

Splurt! Splurt!

Nian Yunqiao felt a sharp, agonizing pain in his knees, and he thudded to the ground. His kneecaps had been cut clean off, taking a good deal of skin and flesh with them. Blood poured down his legs.

“Ah——!” Yu Qian was right beside Nian Yunqiao, so terrified that the blood drained from her beautiful face. She shrieked, her petite frame rooted to the spot. She no longer dared move a muscle.

When the others saw this, they dared not act randomly either. All of them were pale with fright.

“Su Yi, there’s no grudge between us! Why must you treat us like this?” said a beautiful girl in a quavering voice. She was the one who’d mocked him earlier, saying that this was the House of Prosperity and that even if Su Yi had found himself a backer, there was no way he’d dare cause trouble.

But now, she was so scared, she was on the verge of mental collapse. Her eyes brimmed with panic. 

“No grudge?” asked Su Yi, his tone flat. “Isn’t there a price to pay for aiding and abetting others’ misdeeds?”

He raised Mortal Edge, then used the flat of the blade like an iron whip, striking the girl in the face.

Whack! 

Her cheekbone shattered, and teeth flew through the air. She shrieked in agony and landed not far away, her face covered in blood. She was in too much pain to crawl back up.

When Huang Qianjun saw this, he couldn’t help but gasp. How ruthless! He doesn’t even hold back against pretty girls!

“Su Yi, what exactly do you want?” Chen Jinlong knelt on the ground and roared in fury, rage and resentment written all over his face.

Yan Chengrong, Nian Yunqiao, and the others were, without exception, practically mad with anger too. 

The Mountain and Sea Palace was quite big, but the smell of blood had already started permeating the air. It was so dense, it was almost suffocating.

Every last gaze was fixed on Su Yi.

The youth’s robes were blue tinged with green, like jade, and he stood there holding his sword.

As indifferent as a god.