"Why aren't you speaking?"
Ling Xiao tilted his head back and drained the tea in his cup.
From start to finish, Ye Qingchan hadn't said a word.
She'd already learned Ling Xiao's background from her father—and also knew her father intended to arrange a marriage between the two of them.
Facing a young noble from the Holy State, she dared not offend him in the slightest.
"Whatever Young Master says is what goes."
At this moment, the proudest young lady of Xuanjian Sect was behaving with extreme humility.
"Interesting."
Ling Xiao gave Ye Qingchan a meaningful glance. In her eyes, he saw no trace of perfunctory compliance.
Clearly, she was a woman with great depth of character.
Of course, if she'd stubbornly defended Chu Yang just now, Ling Xiao would have felt resentment—even been tempted to kill her on the spot.
In that sense, she was also a very smart woman.
"Boom!"
In the center of the square, Chu Yang and Xiao Ge's figures finally clashed.
In an instant, terrifying sword auras tore through the air, swirling into wind vortices that swept outward in all directions.
Many disciples standing nearby immediately summoned glowing spiritual auras around themselves, straining to resist the erosion of those fearsome sword energies.
"Chu Yang is probably in grave danger."
As the disciples watched the two figures at the heart of the wind vortex, their eyes were filled with deep shock.
One was Xuanjian Sect's current top prodigy; the other was an unparalleled genius who'd climbed to the peak of the Sword Path and proven his talent.
Naturally, their clash was terrifying.
But no matter how talented Chu Yang was, his cultivation was still three small realms lower than Xiao Ge's.
Thus, no one in the entire square believed he could gain the upper hand in this confrontation.
"Pfft!"
But!!!
Just as the sword auras in the air gradually faded, everyone stared in stunned disbelief as one of the figures was sent flying backward, crashing to the ground.
It was Xiao Ge!!!
In contrast, Chu Yang stood with his white robes fluttering sharply in the wind. Golden light shimmered along the blade of his sword, and he looked like a sword immortal descended from the heavens—unrestrained and graceful.
"How is this possible?!!"
Even Xuanjian Sect's Sect Master and several elder swordmasters felt a flash of surprise on their faces, clearly stunned by this outcome.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Ye Qingchan's lips. She quietly glanced at Ling Xiao.
But to her astonishment, Ling Xiao's face showed no trace of shock—instead, there was an indescribable sneer.
A flicker of panic suddenly rose in Ye Qingchan's heart.
She realized she couldn't fathom what this young master was thinking at all.
At times he was deep and solemn, at others frivolous—as if everything in the world was under his control!
As for this result, Ling Xiao was naturally not surprised.
He'd written so many plots where the Chosen One trampled on sycophants—this was nothing new.
And sensing the change in Ye Qingchan's expression, the smile on Ling Xiao's face only grew wider.
Truly a mutual affection between a young man and woman.
But as a villain, one must have the demeanor of a villain.
Showing off and humiliating others—wasn't he more skilled at that than Chu Yang?
He'd been humiliating people since he was born; most of his waking hours were spent showing off!
"Chu Yang! I'll kill you!!"
On the other side, Xiao Ge had been defeated with a single sword strike. His eyes suddenly flushed scarlet for no apparent reason.
Clearly, he'd never expected Chu Yang to be this strong—one sword alone had left him with quite serious injuries.
"Brother Xiao!"
Ling Xiao suddenly spoke up, stopping Xiao Ge just as he was about to pounce on Chu Yang. He casually pulled out a medicinal pill from his robes and tossed it to him.
"This is a Grade-3 Spirit-Concentrating Elixir. Rest for a moment, Brother Xiao."
"Young Master…"
Xiao Ge caught the pill. A whiff of medicinal fragrance wafted into his nose, and his heart trembled—he felt as if every bone in his body had gone limp with comfort.
The elixir itself didn't matter!
What mattered was that Young Master Ling Xiao had called him "Brother Xiao"!
Brother Xiao!!
A young noble from the Holy State had called him "Brother Xiao"!!
The joy of a sycophant is sometimes this simple and unadorned.
"A Grade-3 Elixir?!!"
Gasps of amazement instantly erupted across the square.
In the Northern Wasteland, Grade-3 elixirs weren't some heaven-defying treasure, but they were by no means common.
Yet Young Master Ling Xiao had just tossed one to Xiao Ge like it was nothing.
His manner was as casual as if he were throwing away a mundane object!
"Thank you, Young Master! Your generosity leaves Xiao Ge overwhelmed with gratitude."
Xiao Ge's face wore an expression of extreme flattery. Though he spoke of being "overwhelmed," the joy in his eyes was genuine.
Even many of the surrounding disciples couldn't hide the envy flashing in their eyes.
If they'd known taking a single sword strike would earn them a Grade-3 elixir, they would have rushed up to teach Chu Yang a lesson too!
Xiao Ge hesitated for a moment, then, under the envious gazes of everyone present, popped the elixir into his mouth.
"Hum."
Next, something unexpected happened.
Xiao Ge, who had been weakened by his injuries a moment earlier, suddenly erupted with dazzling golden light!
In just a short moment, his aura had directly broken through from the peak of the Xuling Realm to the Spirit Awakening Realm!!
"Gulp."
The entire square fell silent in an instant!
Everyone looked at the young man in black standing before the main hall, their eyes filled with intense longing.
What do cultivators care about?
Treasures and heavenly opportunities!
But those are all external things!!
Only having a strong cultivation realm allows one to survive in this world.
Once on this path, everyone struggles to cultivate and improve their realm. Yet this Young Master Ling Xiao had casually given a pill that let someone break through a realm?!!
In the Tianman Continent, cultivators were divided into nine realms: Body Refining, True Essence, Taihe, Xuling, Spirit Awakening, Soul Sea, Xuanqing, Illusion Breaking, and Immortal Ascension.
The Xuling Realm, in particular, was a critical turning point in cultivation.
Many people remained trapped here for life, making no further progress.
And just now…
No one cared anymore why Chu Yang was so strong.
Everyone was thinking about how to build a good relationship with this mysterious Young Master Ling.
Even Ye Liuyun (the Sect Master) subtly glanced at his daughter.
If…
If Ye Qingchan could really be with this young master, it wouldn't just be a blessing for her—it would be an enormous fortune for the entire Xuanjian Sect!
In recent years, the sect had been declining steadily. This wasn't just because the disciples lacked talent, but also because Xuanjian Sect's strongest Supreme Elder was approaching the end of his lifespan (preparing to ascend or die).
In this world where the weak are prey to the strong, once a sect loses the protection of its strongest powerhouse, its fate is bound to be tragic.
Ling Xiao looked satisfied at the reactions of everyone in the square.
This is the life of a stepping stone—pure comfort!
At the very least, he didn't have to deal with people mocking or despising him everywhere he went, like the protagonist.
He also didn't have to risk everything, exhaust his trump cards, and stage a comeback against all odds every time he was in trouble.
As a villainous stepping stone, all Ling Xiao needed to do was calmly enjoy everyone's admiration—and then… crush this Chosen One before him with absolute strength!
"Heh, Young Master Ling, I'm afraid you've been amused by this farce. I'll send someone to capture this traitor right away!"
To be honest, Ye Liuyun's old face was burning with embarrassment right now.
Today, when Chu Yang climbed the Sword Path, he'd invited powerful figures from many nearby forces to watch the ceremony.
After all, a sufficiently brilliant prodigy could also deter those malicious forces in the short term.
But he'd never imagined that while Chu Yang was indeed brilliant, he'd also dealt Ye Liuyun a humiliating slap in the face.
Not only had Chu Yang announced he would leave the sect, but he'd also openly provoked this mysterious Young Master Ling by name!
"No need. Since he wants to fight, I'll give him a chance."
Ling Xiao set down his teacup and looked up at Ye Qingchan. "Miss Qingchan, what do you think—between me and him, who is stronger?"
"This humble one dares not presume to judge!"
Ye Qingchan froze for a moment, then lowered her head in alarm.
Dares not presume to judge?
Ling Xiao smiled.
In other words, she thought he might not be a match for Chu Yang