The silence was broken by a calm, steady voice.
"If both Sect Leaders permit," Zhu Xian said evenly, stepping forward, "I am willing to challenge Fang Tian. Right here. Right now."
The words fell like a stone into still water.
Zhao Mei blinked.
"…You?" she asked before she could stop herself, genuine confusion slipping through her composed exterior.
Qin Shi Huang's smile did not change, but his eyes sharpened almost imperceptibly.
Watching Zhao Mei carefully, as if weighing her reaction more than the proposal itself.
Zhao Mei noticed it and immediately, her expression smoothed out, all traces of surprise vanishing behind the calm mask of a sect leader.
The hall sank into complete silence and no elder dared to speak.
This was not a moment for opinions. It was a moment where a single wrong word could shatter fragile balance.
At the center of it all, Fang Tian had not once broken eye contact with Fang Yuan.
Not since the moment they entered, Fang Yuan felt it clearly.
