BOOM!
A massive explosion echoed.
Blinding light, accompanied by wisps of fiery Spiritual Energy, spread outward.
Dust and smoke billowed, sending sand and stones flying.
The terrifying Qi Force bent the surrounding small trees in half and left the flowers and grass in utter devastation.
Through the dust, two figures each staggered back dozens of paces.
Longtian only felt his vitality churning, while He Chao spat out two mouthfuls of blood with a loud COUGH, dropping to one knee with a withered expression!
It was glaringly obvious who was stronger.
In an instant, the entire courtyard fell dead silent!
Everyone stared at Longtian, dumbfounded, as if they had just seen a ghost!
It was unbelievable—simply unimaginable!
If they could comfort themselves by thinking Longtian had always been hiding his Cultivation progress, what about the Seven Luminaries Fiery Fire Fist?
Could he have learned the Martial Skill long ago as well?
But it had only been half a month since Longtian first obtained the manual.
“A Demon, a true Demon!
Hahaha, to think that the He family has produced a Demon!”
The He family ancestor could no longer maintain his composure.
No one knew better than him exactly when Longtian had started learning Martial Skills.
He originally assumed Longtian might have just grasped the basics of the first stance of the Seven Luminaries Fiery Fire Fist.
But now, it was clear he had vastly underestimated the boy’s strength.
Longtian hadn’t just learned the first stance—he had brought the first three stances to Great Success!
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to unleash the Three Luminaries Burning Eye right after He Chao initiated the One Star Stabbing Eye.
This was the first time in many years that the ancestor had lost his cool.
“A genius.
Sir, this Sixth Young Master is simply a genius in Martial Arts.” At this moment, even Elder Gu was shocked by Longtian’s talent.
“Enough.
The match ends here.
I believe everyone has seen the outcome with their own eyes.
I declare Longtian the victor of this battle.”
The ancestor’s voice snapped the dazed crowd back to reality, including He Chao in the center of the courtyard.
“No, Grandfather!
I haven’t lost!
I haven’t lost!
I’ve even learned the second stance!
Longtian, go to hell!
Seven Luminaries Fiery Fire Fist: Two Luminaries Blinding Eye!”
He Chao could not accept the fact of his defeat.
He still hadn’t unleashed his strongest punch.
Two radiant orbs appeared, immediately hurtling toward Longtian.
Longtian furrowed his brows.
Since He Chao was so ungrateful, there was no need to hold back anymore.
However, just as he was about to make his move, a figure blocked his path.
It was none other than the He family ancestor.
“Enough.
I said you lost, so you lost.
Scram back and properly reflect on yourself.
If you can’t even face defeat, how can you ever succeed?
It seems you’ve all grown too accustomed to your privileged lives here.
Starting this year, the younger generation of the He family must go to the Wilderness Forest to train every two years, accompanied by an elder.”
The ancestor’s voice carried a hint of genuine fury; He Chao’s performance had deeply disappointed him.
He felt that the He family had lived in comfort for far too long, making the youths believe they were peerless and invincible.
The moment they faced defeat, they acted as if they had suffered the ultimate worldly humiliation.
“You must all understand that failure is not terrifying,” the ancestor continued.
“Fearing failure is what’s truly terrifying!
You must forge ahead against the current!
In this regard, you should all learn from Longtian.
Did he give up on himself?
Look at him now—he is doing just fine, and has even trampled all of you, who thought yourselves so superior, beneath his feet.
“All of you, go back and reflect.
If everyone in the He family constantly strived for self-improvement, how could the Sun family have kept us suppressed all this time?
You’ve simply enjoyed easy days for far too long.”
Facing the ancestor’s scolding, everyone in the He family dared not breathe heavily or raise their heads.
“Alright, everyone go back.
Longtian, come with me.”
After a long pause, the ancestor waved his hand to dismiss the crowd.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he spoke to the departing He Yibo.
“Yibo, I know you are deeply grieved by Qing Feng’s death.
But I hope you won’t let sorrow cloud your mind.
The one who truly killed Qing Feng was you.
It was your sheltering and spoiling that made his mind so fragile.
If you had allowed him to experience some setbacks from a young age, he wouldn’t have taken things so hard and committed suicide.
Moreover, the dead have passed on.
You should take good care of the living.
You still have a daughter named He Wanqing.
Do not forget that.”
The ancestor’s words made He Yibo shudder violently.
He heavily favored sons over daughters, almost treating He Wanqing as if she didn’t exist.
This was exactly why Wanqing frequently played with Longtian.
Even though she was He Yibo’s daughter, she barely felt any fatherly love.
Wanqing could understand Longtian’s feelings, and Longtian could understand hers.
Standing in the corridor and overhearing the ancestor’s words, Wanqing’s face turned red as her heartbeat began to race.
However, He Yibo merely cast a glance at her.
Without saying a single word, he turned and walked away, leaving her heart filled with desolation.
“Don’t be sad.
Even though your brother is dead and your father doesn’t really want you, you still have me.
I’m your brother, closer than blood.”
PAT PAT.
Longtian had appeared beside Wanqing at some unknown point, patting her shoulder.
“Don’t even try to coax out my tears!” He Wanqing stomped her foot and ran away in a fluster.
Longtian shrugged helplessly.
“Clearly touched, yet she refuses to admit it.”
With that, he turned to catch up with the He family ancestor.
Just as he was about to leave with him, a disdainful voice rang out.
“Hold on…”
Turning around, he saw that the speaker was actually He Tong.
“Grandfather, Sixth Brother has improved so quickly.
Although your grandson is untalented, I also wish to see just how much Sixth Brother has grown these days.
Perhaps even I am no match for him.”
He Tong’s words sounded polite but carried an aggressive edge.
The hidden meaning in his statement was incredibly obvious: no matter how much Longtian had grown, he would still end up trampled under He Tong’s feet.
It seemed He Chao’s defeat had finally broken He Tong’s composure.
He wanted to show their grandfather that no matter how talented Longtian was, he would always be a defeated opponent in his hands.
Longtian narrowed his eyes.
He knew He Tong was deliberately putting him on a pedestal to provoke him into accepting a challenge.
But Longtian was no fool.
Barely defeating He Chao was hard enough; fighting He Tong would be an absolute loss.
He would have to be an idiot to accept.
Longtian wasn’t the type to get carried away by a single victory.
“Eldest Brother, you’re being too polite.
I know my own limits.
How could I possibly be a match for you?”
“You were able to defeat He Chao relying on your Fifth-Layer Cultivation, so defeating me probably wouldn’t be too hard either.
You’re being far too modest.
Could it be that you’re afraid, not daring to fight me?”
He Tong refused to let it go.
He desperately wanted to crush Longtian’s spirit and show him the immensity of heaven and earth.
Longtian frowned slightly and glanced at the He family elders.
None of his uncles had stepped in to stop He Tong from issuing the challenge.
Their silence only proved that the older generation also wanted to see Longtian taught a lesson.
Longtian thought, “Damn it, they want to see me make a fool of myself?
No way.”
Longtian couldn’t be bothered to talk nonsense to Tong He Tong anymore.
He turned to the He family ancestor and said, “Grandfather, let’s go.”
Seeing Longtian ignore him, He Tong grew somewhat angry.
“Longtian, are you truly afraid?”
“Afraid?
I don’t even know how to write the word ‘afraid’.
I’m not accepting the challenge because I’m not stupid.
If you really want to fight me, I’ll make it crystal clear today.
Ten days.
Within ten days, I will formally challenge you.
Just make sure you aren’t too scared to accept when the time comes.”
Longtian’s tone was as arrogant as ever.
“Good!
Excellent!
Ten days it is.
I’ll see what kind of tricks you can pull off in ten days.” He Tong was infuriated.
As the number one youth of the He family, he was actually being looked down upon by Longtian.
The idea that Longtian could surpass him in just ten days was a complete joke.
With a cold snort, He Tong turned and left the courtyard.
After He Tong left, He Qingzhu approached Longtian, fixing him with a Leng Ao stare.
She said indifferently, “Spend these ten days waiting for your death.”
With that, completely ignoring Longtian’s reaction, she swayed her hips and slowly vanished from his line of sight.
In her eyes, Longtian was nothing but a clown who didn’t understand the massive gulf between the Sixth Layer and the Seventh Layer.
She could finish him off with one hand, let alone He Tong, who was infinitely close to the Eighth Layer.
“Fuck.
A pure-looking but filthy-minded bitch.
Give me ten days, and I’ll blind your damn eyes.” Despised so blatantly by He Qingzhu, a surge of rage flared in Longtian’s heart.
“Longtian, let’s go,” the He family ancestor finally spoke up.
“Right away, Grandfather!” Longtian happily trotted after him.
A few breaths later, the crowd had mostly dispersed.
The only ones left in the center of the courtyard were the blankly staring He Chao, along with his sister and mother, who hadn’t left his side.
“Brother…” He Qingyu looked at him with worry.
She completely understood how terrible He Chao felt right now.
“Chao, don’t overthink it.
Your grandfather is right; victory and defeat are common occurrences for a warrior.
Failure isn’t terrifying; fearing failure is what’s truly terrifying.
If you feel unwilling and frustrated about being defeated by Longtian, then put your effort into Cultivation instead of standing here dazed like a fool.
Furthermore, I don’t want you to do anything stupid.
I don’t want to see a second He Qingfeng in the He family.”
He Yi’s voice rang out.
Even though she was just as worried about He Chao’s current state, she refused to show it.
“Perhaps our generation really has coddled the juniors too much.
How can flowers raised in a greenhouse ever fend off the tigers, leopards, and wolves of the wilderness?”
The He family estate had many courtyards.
The one belonging to the He family ancestor wasn’t the largest, but it appeared rustic and tranquil.
The courtyard featured miniature mountains and flowing water, with pavilions and terraces scattered throughout, giving it a unique charm.
Following behind the ancestor, Longtian noticed that the old man remained entirely silent.
Feigning concern, Longtian broke the ice.
“Grandfather, do you think He Chao will be unable to handle the blow and commit suicide like He Qingfeng?
If that happens, won’t Fourth Aunt try to kill me out of rage?”
The ancestor knew Longtian lacked patience and decided not to tease this grandson he had rarely seen.
“The descendants of the He family aren’t that fragile.
But if they truly are that weak, so what if they die?
I’ll just have those disappointing wretches give birth to a few more.
They’re still young anyway; they can still have kids.”
COUGH COUGH.
Longtian’s brow twitched.
The ancestor’s response was a bit too ruthless.
“Alright, let’s put that aside and talk about you.
Take this Healing Pill first.” The ancestor suddenly turned to look at Longtian, his typically deadpan eyes gradually rippling with emotion.