The
Xiao Family’s Main Hall
was
deathly silent
.
Xiao Feng lay
sprawled on the floor
, his cheek
red and swollen
, his entire body trembling.
He had
never been humiliated like this before.
Just yesterday, he had
crippled Xiao Li
with his own hands. He had declared him
a waste
, a
dead man walking
.
Yet now, the very person he thought had been
finished
stood above him—
stronger than ever.
"This… isn't possible."
Xiao Feng
gritted his teeth
, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his skin.
He had spent
years cultivating
, struggling to reach his current level.
But
Xiao Li, who was supposed to be crippled, was already stronger than him?!
"HOW?!"
he roared, his voice shaking with disbelief.
Xiao Li’s expression remained
calm
, his
eyes cold and unreadable.
"You talk too much, Xiao Feng."
He raised his foot—
THUD!
—and
stomped down on Xiao Feng’s chest.
CRACK!
A scream tore from Xiao Feng’s lips as he felt something
snap inside him
.
Pain shot through his ribs
, but the worst part was the
humiliation.
He—
the supposed heir to the Xiao Family
—was being
stepped on like a worm!
"Xiao Li, you dare?!"
One of the
Xiao Elders
, an old man with a long white beard,
slammed his hand on the table
.
"Unfilial child! You dare attack your own family in the main hall?!"
Xiao Li didn’t even glance at the elder.
His foot
pressed down harder
, making Xiao Feng gasp in pain.
"Where was your righteous talk when my own family left me for dead?"
The elder’s face
twisted
, but he had no response.
Because
Xiao Li was right.
No one had lifted a finger when Xiao Feng had
beaten and crippled his own brother
.
Now, seeing
Xiao Li return with overwhelming strength
, they were suddenly acting
righteous
?
"Hypocrites,"
Xiao Li muttered, his voice laced with disgust.
He lifted his foot, stepping away from Xiao Feng, who lay
panting, humiliated, and enraged beyond reason
.
At the highest seat in the hall,
Xiao Zhen
, the
Patriarch of the Xiao Family
, finally
spoke
.
"Enough."
His voice was calm—
too calm.
Xiao Li turned his gaze toward his father.
Unlike the
elders and disciples
, Xiao Zhen showed
no anger, no surprise, no warmth.
Just
cold indifference.
"Xiao Li,"
he said,
"you are still alive. That is unexpected."
"Disappointed?"
Xiao Li replied.
A few gasps were heard from the clan members.
Xiao Li’s
words were like a dagger
, cutting straight through the unspoken truth.
Xiao Zhen had abandoned him.
Xiao Zhen’s gaze didn’t waver.
"You were crippled. It was only natural that the family would no longer waste resources on you."
"Waste resources?"
Xiao Li chuckled, shaking his head.
"I was your son."
The
room fell silent again.
Xiao Zhen didn’t flinch.
"Blood alone does not make someone worthy of this family."
Xiao Li’s
fist clenched
.
He had
expected this reaction.
He had known
his father wouldn’t suddenly welcome him back with open arms.
Even so…
To hear it so plainly, so
heartlessly
"Then I suppose I should thank Xiao Feng for crippling me?"
Xiao Li asked, his voice sharp.
Xiao Zhen didn’t answer immediately.
"You were too arrogant before,"
he finally said.
"You had talent, but you lacked patience. Perhaps losing everything was the lesson you needed."
A mocking smirk crossed Xiao Li’s lips.
"A lesson, huh?"
Xiao Feng, still struggling to stand,
grinned despite the pain.
"That’s right, brother,"
he sneered.
"You should be thanking me for making you understand your place—"
BOOM!
Xiao Li
vanished
from his spot, appearing in front of Xiao Feng in an instant.
Before anyone could react—
CRACK!
His fist
smashed into Xiao Feng’s face
, sending him flying across the hall.
Xiao Feng
slammed into the stone wall
, blood spurting from his nose and mouth.
He collapsed onto the floor, groaning in agony.
The room
froze
.
Xiao Li lowered his fist, his
calm expression never changing.
"Let me make one thing clear,"
he said, his voice filled with quiet authority.
"I am no longer the same person you crippled."
He turned his gaze toward
his father
.
"And if you believe I need to prove myself to this family again..."
He took a step forward, his
Qi swirling around him
—powerful, overwhelming,
far beyond what a mere Qi Refining disciple should have.
"...then I will do it the way I know best."
His
eyes burned with cold determination.
"Through absolute power."