"A mineral vein indeed, and a medium-grade one at that! It was worth wasting the prime of my youth. As for the Xie Family, that fool Xie Wentian—if I hadn't resorted to tricks, how could you have ever abandoned that cheap woman Li Qingyun? But now, hmph, Xie Guannan still wants to take over? How could Xie Wentian possibly give it to you? It's hilarious."
"Xie Wentian! It's one thing for you to live in a daze, but don't drag me down with you!"
Xie Guannan seemed to have struck a raw nerve, causing Xie Wentian to fly into a rage. "Are you trying to the death of me?"
Tears instantly welled up in Xie Guannan's eyes as he shouted angrily, "Ever since I was four years old, Grandfather has never come back to see me. This Su Rongyue came into our home and hurled insults at me every day, and you did nothing! Do you get a sense of accomplishment out of tormenting me?"
"I..." Xie Wentian also held back a single tear, though very discreetly.
"Forget it. You're grown up now; it's time for you to take over family affairs. Very well, you shall have the mineral vein to manage as you see fit. Ever since your grandfather disappeared, I've had no heart left to run the affairs of our Xie Family."
"What? Xie Wentian, that fool, how could he? Just like that, he's handing it over to him?" Su Rongyue said with an ugly expression. "What kind of bewitching soup did this little bastard feed his father?"
"Go on and do as you please, child. What if you mess it up? At worst, we'll just move!" Xie Wentian said, as if placing a huge bet.
Although Xie Guannan knew his family possessed a medium-grade spirit mineral vein, he truly had no idea where it was.
"Where is our Xie Family's vein?"
"You punk, you don't even know where it is, yet you come asking me for the mining rights."
Xie Guannan offered an awkward smile.
"Patriotic Lord, this is bad! The Patriarch of the Zhao Family has forced his way into our estate!" A servant burst breathily through the entrance.
Xie Wentian let out a sigh, his expression shifting and his brows furrowing in helplessness. "What must come will finally come! Let's go and meet the Zhao Family!"
Xie Guannan followed closely behind, while taking note of Su Rongyue's retreating back, though his expression remained calm. Zhao Yang coming to cause trouble was a trivial matter that could be dealt with casually.
However, Su Rongyue was too big of a variable. It was hard to tell whether she had been sent by the Su Family. Xie Guannan's impression of the Su Family's influence was very vague; on the surface, they were comparable in strength to the imperial dynasty, but his intuition told him things were by no means that simple.
*Su Rongyue, this person must not be left alive!*
Father and son followed the servant to the gates of the Xie Family estate.
They saw a dense crowd gathered outside, watching the commotion.
"What's going on here? Why have the people of the Zhao Family come to the Xie Family?"
"Haven't you heard? The An Family of the Liuyun Dynasty came to call off the engagement, and now the Zhao Family is here to kick a man while he's down."
"Is that really true? Ah, the Xie Family has Senior Young Master Xie—truly a misfortune for the household!"
"You can say that again."
......
"I hope the Zhao Patriarch has been well lately. Your young master is certainly full of spirit!" Xie Wentian said politely, his face cold as he looked at the head of the Zhao Family.
"Xie Wentian, don't play dumb! A few days ago, your son, the Senior Young Master Xie, beat my Zhao Yang in the street, leaving him unable to get out of bed for days. How do you propose we settle this score?" the Zhao Patriarch shouted sternly.
"Nan'er, is this true?!" Xie Wentian turned to ask Xie Guannan.
Xie Guannan's expression turned ugly. They truly twisted right and wrong without a second thought.
"Unbelievable! Wasn't it the Zhao Family's second young master who brought people to beat up Senior Young Master Xie that day? How did it become the other way around in the Zhao Family's mouth?"
"That's right, I saw it too."
"The Zhao Family is utterly shameless. I see they're just here to pick a fight."
A few people in the crowd whispered among themselves.
Naturally, the Zhao Patriarch heard these discordant voices and swept a cold glare in their direction.
Instantly, the onlookers lost their nerve; they lowered their heads, closed their mouths, and dared not utter another word.
"Zhao Patriarch, that day it seemed to be your second young master bullying my Guannan. How did it become my Guannan bullying your second young master in your telling? Isn't this sheer extortion?" Xie Wentian said in a deep voice.
"Zhao Yang, do you only dare hide behind your father? What's wrong? Coward?" Xie Guannan spoke in a cold voice.
"What nonsense are you spouting! Who says I don't dare?!" Zhao Yang said with disdain.
"Nan'er, this Zhao Patriarch is an Early-stage Void Transformation cultivator of the Third Realm! I am no match for him! Mind your measure!" Xie Wentian whispered quietly to Xie Guannan.
Xie Guannan nodded, then spoke directly to Zhao Yang: "Zhao Yang, a battle between you and me—let's settle victory, defeat, and life and death all at once. How about it?"
"Nan'er, no!" Xie Wentian tried to stop him.
"Good!" The Zhao Patriarch clapped in approval.
*Zhao Yang broke through to Mid-stage Qi Condensation just these past few days!* the Zhao Patriarch thought to himself. *How could a good-for-nothing trash like you without any cultivation possibly match my son? You're courting your own death!*
Xie Guannan's challenge played right into the hands of the Zhao Family.
"Has this Xie Family young master lost his mind? He's a good-for-nothing trash! Look at Zhao Yang by contrast—how formidable his aura is!"
"Truly, I'm not going to watch anymore. What suspense is left in this match? Truly, a newborn calf is not afraid of the tiger!"
"If he can win, I'll go marry Cuihua next door," said a burly man who was carrying a chair and picking his foot.
"Did Cuihua ever provoke you?" A person nearby cast a look of utter disdain.
"Besides, with a high-quality fellow like me, Cuihua would surely be infatuated with me," the foot-picking burly man said with a confident smile.
Those around him all turned away and retched.
"Zhao Patriarch, don't you dare interfere later on! It won't look good for your reputation if word gets out," Xie Guannan goaded him in an undertone.
"Let's go to the Jianghai City Arena!"
The crowd relocated to the Jianghai City Arena.
High in the void.
"Xiaoluo, my dear, this brat is somewhat reckless!" an elderly man dressed in luxurious yet understated attire said calmly.
Beside the old man stood a woman of breathtakingly pure and beautiful features, tall and well-proportioned, brilliant yet noble. Her natural black hair hung down freely, with just a few stray strands swaying in the breeze.
"Grandfather, he's not like that at all! Besides, he dared to save people belonging to you and me even when he was only at Early-stage Qi Condensation! That's called bravery!" Dictionary Qiangluo shook her great-grandfather's arm and acted coquettishly, looking like a little child.
If Xie Guannan had noticed, he would most likely have muttered: *What a massive contrast in personalities!*
"Oh dear, oh dear, Xiaoluo, you're making a fuss," Dictionary Sheng said with a loving smile.
"Hmph, I am not." Dictionary Qiangluo lifted her little chin and stubbornly refused to admit it.
.....
On the Jianghai City Arena.
Xie Guannan wore a black robe, his hair fluttering without wind, a hint of murderous intent revealing itself in his eyes.
*Didn't you always bully me? Good, today I'll thoroughly toy with you!* Xie Guannan thought to himself.
*Now that I've broken through to Mid-stage Qi Condensation, how could a piece of trash like you possibly be my match?* Zhao Yang thought to himself.
An elderly man in plain robes walked over slowly and spoke in a measured tone: "I am the manager of this Jianghai City Arena. Do both parties confirm they are engaging in a life-and-death duel?"
Zhao Yang spoke up first: "Of course!"
"And you?" the old man asked Xie Guannan.
Xie Guannan replied indifferently: "As you please!"
"Damn it, what did this kid just say? 'As you please'? That's way too casual!"
"This is a life-and-death duel! Does he not take it seriously at all?"
Before long, a voice rang out: "Xie Wentian, how can you not look out for your son? How could you let him fight a life-and-death duel?!" Su Rongyue walked over angrily, tears in her eyes.
Just as Xie Wentian was about to explain, Xie Guannan spoke up: "Su Rongyue, stop putting on a hypocritical act! I don't have a mother like you!"
Hearing Xie Guannan's words, Su Rongyue was stunned for a split second before a smile crept onto the corners of her mouth. *You little bastard, you'd better die up there.*
"Xie Guannan, even your mother is hoping you'll die. You truly are unloved by your father and unwanted by your mother—how pathetic and laughable!" Zhao Yang shouted harshly.
The surrounding crowd also broke into a chorus of jeers.
"He agreed to it—how could he refuse?!"
"If he didn't accept the challenge, he'd be a coward!"
Su Rongyue was already overjoyed, watching the scene as if it were a play.
Xie Guannan cast a look of utter contempt at Su Rongyue, then turned and drew a mortal-grade short blade from his storage ring!
"What? A broken little dagger?"
"The Xie Family is truly destitute. Aren't there any decent weapons they can pull out?"
"It seems the Xie Family has truly fallen."
The crowd's gazes fell upon the short blade in Xie Guannan's hand, revealing looks of scorn.
"Patriarch! The young master is fighting a life-and-death duel, and you just give him a battered knife like that?! Quickly give your own matched sword to the young master!" The family steward was about to go crazy with anxiety. This was a kid he had raised with his own hands; though his path had gone somewhat crooked before, now it seemed he had finally gotten back on the right track.
"Oh, oh, oh!" Xie Wentian slapped his forehead and hurriedly retrieved his prized sword from his storage ring. The sword emitted a silvery-gray glow throughout, and its hilt was forged from top-tier materials—evidently a superior precious tool.
"Son, catch the sword!" Xie Wentian hurriedly tossed the sword in his hand toward Xie Guannan.
Xie Guannan caught the sword with one hand, then fixed his gaze on Zhao Yang opposite him.
"So what if it's a precious tool? I have one too! Even with a precious tool, you can't defeat me! My cultivation has already broken through to Mid-stage Qi Condensation!" Zhao Yang curled his lip in disdain.
He then pulled a completely red saber from his storage ring—likewise a superior precious tool.
"Look, the Zhao Family's second young master has a precious tool for a saber. As expected, the Zhao Family is the true major clan of Jianghai City. The Xie Family, hmph, hilarious."
"Don't say that; the Xie Family's folks at least have a precious tool they can trot out."
Xie Guannan stood there calmly, his eyes ignoring the crowd entirely.
He merely spoke indifferently to the arena manager: "Can we begin now?"
"Once both parties are ready, naturally you may begin," the old man said calmly, stroking his beard.
Zhao Yang sneered, "Are you in that much of a hurry to go seek death?"
"The one who dies will be you!" Xie Guannan said blandly, his tone sounding as though he were passing judgment on a criminal.
Zhao Yang suddenly launched an attack, the tip of his saber pointing straight at Xie Guannan's heart. In the flash of a flint, Zhao Yang's figure had already closed in on Xie Guannan.
Xie Guannan raised his sword to block. Sword light flashed like the wind; saber and sword met, sending a flurry of sparks flying.
Xie Guannan's stance did not sway backward by even a fraction of an inch.
"Impossible! How could you possibly block it?! This is impossible!" Zhao Yang refused to believe it, his voice bordering on a roar.
"Look at that! The Xie Family young master actually blocked it."
"Hmph, Young Master Zhao Yang wasn't using his spiritual power. The moment he uses even a shred of spiritual power, that Xie Family young master will definitely be sent flying."
"I have a feeling the Xie Family young master might not be that weak."
......
"Xiaoluo, my dear, why does everyone keep saying this kid is a good-for-nothing? Clearly, he is on par with the other person in cultivation," Dictionary Sheng pointed at Xie Guannan and asked Dictionary Qiangluo beside him.
Dictionary Qiangluo gazed infatuatedly at Xie Guannan and said, "Grandfather, I told you so! He is definitely worthy of me! It's just that his starting point was a bit later than others; his talent is no worse than anyone else's."
*As expected of the man I've set my sights on—he's just so strong!*
Dictionary Sheng helplessly shook his head beside her.
...
The next instant, Xie Guannan moved like lightning, swiftly drawing his blade back and delivering a horizontal slash.
With a panicked expression, Zhao Yang withdrew his saber to block, but the force behind this strike was too immense. He failed to withstand it and was driven back several steps by Xie Guannan's single sword strike.
"Impossible! Did the Xie Family young master take a stimulant or something? Such incredible strength!"
"The Zhao Family's second young master was merely testing him. Don't rush; the ultimate move is still coming."
"Look! What is the Zhao Family's second young master doing?!"
They saw Zhao Yang raise the red saber high above his head.
The very next moment, thunder rumbled across the sky, and purplish-red lightning manifested.
Immediately following, it was drawn downward.
The convergence point was precisely that red saber in Zhao Yang's hand.
Where the purplish-red thunder gathered, stray bolts of lightning overflowed, forming a miniature lightning domain.
The members of the Xie Family broke out in a cold sweat for Xie Guannan, while Su Rongyue wore a smile.
Xie Wentian clenched his teeth tightly, his brow furrowed.
The Zhao Family Patriarch wore a smile on his lips, confidence written all over his face, before speaking out: "This is our Zhao Family's renowned ultimate technique, the Lightning Light Slash! It can borrow the power of thunder for one's own use, and every strike is accompanied by thunderbolts."
"Little brat of the Xie Family, let's see how you block this strike."
Yet Xie Guannan showed neither tension nor fear!
He slung his sword behind his back, closed his eyes, and simply raised a single finger, pointing it straight at Zhao Yang.
Being pointed at like this provoked Zhao Yang to the point of fury, and he roared, "You piece of trash, how dare you point at me like that and speak to me! I'll give you a taste of your medicine right now!"
"Lightning Light Slash!"
Zhao Yang leaped into the air, the lightning along his saber blade swelling and flowing outward unrestrainedly, carrying a powerful and deterrent pressure.
"Is this Xie Family young master not planning to block at all?"
"I bet he's just frightened out of his wits and doesn't dare take this move."
"Block or not, it's death either way. He probably figures dying on his feet has more style!"
"Nan'er, get out of the way!" Xie Wentian roared at the top of his lungs!
Zhao Yang's saber drew closer and closer. Xie Guannan slowly opened his eyes.
"Imprison the heavens and earth, seal men in their tracks!"
Half of Xie Guannan's spiritual power vanished in an instant, and Zhao Yang was simultaneously frozen mid-air.
Seizing the moment, Xie Guannan delivered a spinning kick that sent Zhao Yang flying.
He crashed backward dozens of meters, smashing heavily into a stone pillar, which instantly became webbed with cracks.
The thunder on the saber suddenly dissipated into nothingness.
One could easily imagine just how immense the force behind Xie Guannan's strike had been.
"Yang'er! Are you alright?!" the Zhao Patriarch asked anxiously.
Xie Wentian wore an astonished expression, having never imagined that Xie Guannan had actually mastered this cultivation technique.
*Imprison the Heavens and Earth!*
Xie Wentian's jaw dropped wide open. He stared at Xie Guannan standing in the arena and the Zhao Family's second young master, Zhao Yang, who had been kicked flying to the ground, disbelief written all over his face.
"What just happened?!" The grand steward was utterly bewildered.
"He learned that cultivation technique my father brought back—*Imprison the Heavens and Earth, Seal Men in Their Tracks*," Xie Wentian sighed with emotion.
"Wasn't that a mutilated cultivation technique? I still remember you trying to comprehend it back then, but you never succeeded," the grand steward said with a smile.
"Indeed, Third Uncle. Back then, you even laughed at me for half a day!"
.....
"Spatial arts? Rather interesting," Dictionary Sheng muttered to himself.
"Too handsome! When he saved me back then, he used this exact same trick, though the duration he froze time for was different," Dictionary Qiangluo said with little stars in her eyes.
"Ahem!" Dictionary Sheng said nothing; this granddaughter of his was beyond saving.
"She's about to drown in the river of love!" Dictionary Qiangluo teased.
"Hmph, no I'm not," Dictionary Qiangluo stubbornly defended herself.
.......
Zhao Yang coughed up a mouthful of blood, then struggled to his feet. He glared fiercely at Xie Guannan and sneered, "Don't get cocky! Your consumption of spiritual power must be immense! You're going to get what's coming to you soon enough!"
"Hm!" Xie Guannan merely replied with a single syllable.
Zhao Yang stood up and directly unleashed his full cultivation base: Mid-stage Qi Condensation, 6th layer.
"The Zhao Family's second young master broke through to Mid-stage Qi Condensation at such a young age—his future is bound to be limitless."
"Rubbish, limitless future? Who knows who was just kicked flying so far away? You're really just a brainless fanboy."
"Did you not see the Xie Family young master's methods? He directly disrupted Zhao Yang's Lightning Light Slash!"
Xie Guannan remained expressionless upon hearing this.
He slowly allowed his own Mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivation base to leak out.
"Look! The Xie Family young master is also at Mid-stage Qi Condensation."
"I told you the Xie Family young master wasn't a good-for-nothing trash without cultivation! You guys just wouldn't believe it, you bunch of fanboys!"
"Heh, the Zhao Family's second young master cultivated their family's Lightning Light Slash at such a young age. How could his talent ever compare to that Xie Family young master's?"
"You're truly blind! Did that Lightning Light Slash just now touch a single hair of the Xie Family young master? If you can't read the situation, go home and play in the mud with the toddlers—that kind of game doesn't distinguish between noble and base!"
Hearing this, Xie Guannan paid no mind to the crowd's looks and words. By contrast, Zhao Yang's face flushed crimson and turned extremely ugly as he tightened his grip on the saber in his hand.
When it came to maturity and steadiness, Xie Guannan could be considered an ancestral-level figure. The treasure hunts of his past life all required this very virtue of steadiness!
So what if you were strong? Lunging for things too early would only result in being ambushed and ending up in mutual destruction, whereas Xie Guannan, with his lower cultivation, could sit back and reap the fisherman's profit.
On the arena!
Zhao Yang suppressed his anger and mobilized the spiritual power within his body.
The next instant, red lightning once again manifested around Zhao Yang, and his formidable spiritual power transformed into thunderous might. This time, he wasn't drawing down outside lightning; his own spiritual power was turning into thunder.
Xie Guannan inwardly muttered in speechlessness: *Come on, why do you have to be so full of dramatic flair?*
"Xie Guannan, today I'll let you taste the feeling of being devoured by lightning!" Zhao Yang shrieked in a hysterical roar.
Immediately following, a three-meter-long scarlet lightning saber-qi condensed before Zhao Yang!
"Nan'er, get out of the way!" Xie Wentian's robust voice echoed from behind Xie Guannan.
Unflustered, Xie Guannan casually tossed the sword in his hand to the side.
"What is he doing? Why is he discarding his sword?"
"Hmph, seeing that he can't win, he must have given up."
"The Xie Family's senior young master must have a trump card! It was just like that before!"
"Before, it was because the Zhao Family's second young master hadn't fully condensed his attack. With a saber-qi this large, how could the Xie Family young master possibly block it?"
"Wentian, what is Nan'er doing? Why did he throw away his sword?" asked the grand steward, who was addressed as Third Uncle, with a puzzled expression.
Xie Wentian fell silent and shook his head; at this point, he found himself somewhat unable to see through his own son anymore.
*Father's silver sword really wouldn't have been able to withstand this strike!*
"Zhao Yang, I did underestimate you after all!"
Xie Guannan hadn't expected that this Zhao Yang, who bullied him all day long, actually possessed such strength. He had indeed underestimated him.
Following that, Xie Guannan retrieved Dictionary Qiangluo's treasured sword from his storage ring!
The sword body was elegant and slender, and markedly narrower than Xie Wentian's sword.
"What kind of sword is that? Why does it look like a sword meant for a woman?"
"That's right, the size of this blade clearly isn't something a man would use."
.....
High in the air!
"Oh dear, Xiaoluo, my dear, why did you give him everything?!" Dictionary Sheng covered his face with his hand in resignation.
"Grandfather, I'm already his anyway, so giving him a sword is no big deal, right? Right?!" Dictionary Qiangluo acted coquettishly.
Seeing that her great-grandfather didn't say anything, Dictionary Qiangluo shook his arm and said, "Grandfather is the best to me, right? Huh? Mmh!"
"I really give up on you."
As the branch patriarch of the Dictionary Clan's Myriad Treasures Pavilion, if he stomped his foot anywhere else, the heavens and earth would tremble; yet right now, stamping his foot in frustration, he only had one little granddaughter and could only spoil her!
---
On the arena, Xie Guannan held the Xuan Sword, spiritual energy surging all around him.
Fallen leaves drifted down with the wind.
Though not yet autumn, it felt even more autumnal than autumn itself.
A gust of wind instantly condensed into a vortex around Xie Guannan.
.....
At this moment, Dictionary Sheng completely flipped out! His brows furrowed deeply!