A
heavy silence
filled the Xiao Family’s Main Hall.
Xiao Li stood
calmly
, his gaze sweeping across the room filled with
elders, disciples, and nobles
—all of whom had, just yesterday, considered him
dead and worthless.
Xiao Feng
lay motionless
on the floor, groaning in pain, his
face swollen and bloodied
. The once-proud heir of the Xiao Family, humiliated in front of everyone.
Yet the
most terrifying thing
was not Xiao Feng’s defeat—
It was the
aura radiating from Xiao Li.
This was
not the crippled young master
they had cast aside.
This was
a monster.
And
no one
understood how he had become this powerful
so quickly.
Xiao Zhen, the
Xiao Clan Patriarch
, remained
silent
as he observed his son.
For the first time in years, a flicker of
interest
appeared in his usually cold eyes.
"Your cultivation... It is far stronger than before."
Xiao Li smirked.
"Disappointed?"
Murmurs spread through the gathered family members.
"How did he regain his cultivation?"
"Could it be that he found a hidden treasure?"
"This is impossible!"
One of the
Xiao Elders
, an old man with long white hair, stepped forward, narrowing his eyes at Xiao Li.
"You should be dead,"
he said coldly.
"You were crippled beyond recovery. No medicine, no technique, no divine intervention should have been able to bring you back."
Xiao Li’s gaze met the elder’s.
"And yet, here I stand."
The elder’s
face darkened
.
"You dare disrespect the family elders?"
Xiao Li let out a
low chuckle
.
"Respect?"
His eyes gleamed with mockery.
"Did you respect me when you stood by and watched me be crippled?"
The
elder’s face twisted in anger.
But before he could respond—
Xiao Li’s
gaze shifted to his father.
"Let’s not waste time."
He straightened his posture, his voice
calm, yet commanding
.
"I challenge Xiao Feng for the position of First Young Master of the Xiao Family."
The entire
hall erupted in chaos.
"What?!"
"He just returned, and he dares to challenge Xiao Feng?!"
"Does he have a death wish?!"
Xiao Zhen’s eyes
narrowed
, his expression unreadable.
"You wish to reclaim your position?"
Xiao Li’s smirk deepened.
"Wasn’t it you who said that only the strong deserve their place in this family?"
A flicker of amusement passed through Xiao Zhen’s gaze.
"Very well."
He raised his hand, silencing the
uproar
in the hall.
"Tomorrow at dawn, in the Outer Courtyard, Xiao Li will face Xiao Feng in an official duel."
"The winner shall claim the position of First Young Master."
The Xiao family members
whispered among themselves
, their expressions filled with
anticipation and disbelief.
A cripple who had
miraculously recovered… challenging the supposed heir of the family?
No one could predict how this would end.
But
one thing was certain—
Tomorrow, the
Xiao Family would witness a battle like never before.
That night, Xiao Li sat
cross-legged in his courtyard
, his
eyes closed
as he focused on his cultivation.
[1000x Cultivation Speed Activated]
A surge of
Qi flooded into his body
, refining itself at a speed that would take
other cultivators months, if not years, to achieve.
[Qi Refining Stage 3 → Stage 4]
[Qi Refining Stage 4 → Stage 5]
Xiao Li’s body
trembled
as an overwhelming
wave of energy
coursed through him.
In just
one night
, he had already reached the
fifth stage of Qi Refining.
His
power skyrocketed.
His
control over Qi sharpened.
By the time the
first rays of dawn appeared
, Xiao Li
stood up
, his eyes burning with determination.
"Xiao Feng… Today, I will end you."
The
Outer Courtyard
was packed with Xiao Family members, all eager to witness the duel.
Some were
curious
, others
eager to see Xiao Li fail
, and a few were simply
terrified of what he had become.
At the
center of the courtyard
, Xiao Feng stood with
his sword drawn
, his face
still bruised from yesterday’s humiliation.
"You should have stayed dead,"
Xiao Feng spat, his voice filled with venom.
Xiao Li
smirked
, his hands still lazily resting at his side.
"Are you sure you’re in any position to be giving me advice?"
Xiao Feng’s
fists clenched
, his anger boiling over.
"Enough talk! Let’s see if your so-called 'return' is anything more than a joke!"
Xiao Zhen, seated at the
judge’s platform
, raised his hand.
"The duel between Xiao Li and Xiao Feng will now commence."
"Begin!"
BOOM!
The moment the words left the Patriarch’s mouth,
Xiao Feng charged forward, his sword flashing with sharp Qi energy.
"DIE!"
His blade cut through the air with
deadly precision
, aiming straight for Xiao Li’s throat.
But—
Xiao Li didn’t move.
He simply
stood there
, watching.
At the last moment—
WHOOSH!
Xiao Li’s
figure vanished.
The next thing Xiao Feng knew—
A
fist
slammed into his stomach.
"GUH!"
Xiao Feng
staggered back
, his eyes wide in shock.
Xiao Li stood
behind him
, his expression unreadable.
"Too slow."
The Xiao Family
gasped in disbelief.
"What speed…!"
"I didn’t even see him move!"
"How is this possible?!"
Xiao Feng’s
mind reeled
.
"How… how did you dodge that?!"
Xiao Li tilted his head.
"Dodge?"
His
smirk widened.
"I didn’t need to."
Xiao Feng’s
face paled.
"W-What?!"
Xiao Li slowly
raised his hand
, a faint golden glow swirling around his fingers.
"My turn."
And then, in the blink of an eye—
BOOM!
Xiao Li
disappeared
.
Before Xiao Feng could even react, a
devastating force
slammed into his chest.
CRACK!
Xiao Feng’s body was sent
flying
, smashing into the ground with an earth-shaking impact.
Dust
exploded
into the air.
When it finally cleared—
Xiao Feng
lay motionless
, his sword shattered beside him.
The
Xiao Family fell into complete silence.
No one could believe what they had just witnessed.
A single
strike.
That was all it took.
"I…"
Xiao Feng
tried to speak, but coughed out blood.
Xiao Li slowly walked forward, towering over his fallen brother.
"You thought you were strong."
"You thought you had won."
His eyes
burned coldly
.
"You were wrong."
And with that, he
turned away.
"This duel is over."
The Xiao Family
sat in stunned silence.
Xiao Feng—
defeated.
Xiao Li—
unstoppable.
The
young master had returned.
And this was
only the beginning.