Seeing Jiang Zuo defeated by Jiang Chen in a single move.
At that moment, everyone present held their breath.
That's right. Everyone was dumbfounded.
Jiang Zuo's father, Jiang Men; Jiang Gan; and all the clan members who supported Jiang Men stared blankly, unable to process the sight of Jiang Zuo being sent flying by Jiang Chen's palm strike.
"How could this be?"
"Why?"
"Is... is he still the cripple whose Martial Vein was stolen?"
"Heavens, this is unbelievable! I can't be dreaming."
At that moment, everyone was frozen in shock.
It was as if the scene had been seared into their minds, replaying over and over again.
"Shocked" and "stunned" were not enough to describe how they felt.
Jiang Men shot to his feet.
"Bastard."
He roared and flew to his son Jiang Zuo's side.
"SPFFT..."
Jiang Zuo coughed up a mouthful of blood, splattering it onto his father, Jiang Men.
His eyes were filled with utter confusion.
"I lost... I lost just like that?"
He forgot all about his father, his head turning to stare at Jiang Chen instead.
Jiang Chen stood in the center of the grand hall, his presence as commanding as a tempest. He was the focal point of the entire room.
Arrogant and untamable.
His posture was as sharp as a blade, his aura like the will of the heavens.
Jiang Zuo spat out another mouthful of blood. Jiang Chen's final palm strike hadn't hit his abdomen directly, but a relentless residual power continued to assault his body from within.
It left Jiang Zuo grievously injured, his body wracked with tremors.
THUD!
He pointed at Jiang Chen, trying to speak, but his vision swam and he collapsed, unconscious.
Jiang Men hurriedly picked up his son and stood up.
He glared furiously at Jiang Chen.
"You've gone too far..."
He began to berate Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen said coolly, "You should deal with your son's condition before you run your mouth."
Jiang Men may have been his second uncle, but this Jiang Chen was not the same person he once was.
He had no goodwill for those who had tried to force his father to abdicate his position.
Fuming, Jiang Men carried Jiang Zuo to the side. Jiang Gan and the others quickly gathered around them.
Jiang Men quickly began transferring his own pure, dense Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi into Jiang Zuo.
As expected, Jiang Zuo regained consciousness a moment later.
But his face was deathly pale.
"Son, how are you?"
Jiang Zuo shook his head.
"Father, I'm fine."
He then got to his feet and looked at Jiang Chen again.
His eyes were filled with horror.
Jiang Men breathed a sigh of relief. At least his son was okay.
He then turned his glare back to Jiang Chen.
"Jiang Chen, you waste! Didn't you go too far?"
Though he spoke harshly, he was inwardly reeling. What truly shocked him was how Jiang Chen, who had lost his Eighth-Grade Martial Vein, could suddenly unleash such immense power.
The most terrifying part was that his son, with his Cultivation of a Martial Artist Seventh Heaven, was no match for him.
Jiang Gan also leaped to his feet, beside himself with anger.
But Jiang Chen was unconcerned, his expression indifferent.
He announced, "Who's the waste? Are you blind?"
Jiang Men froze for a second. It seemed Jiang Chen was, in fact, not a waste.
'How could someone who defeated my son be a waste?'
Still, he demanded angrily, "What trick did you pull?"
Jiang Chen waved his hand dismissively. "Enough. I defeated your son, which proves his skills are inferior. There's no need for more nonsense. Let's get back to the matter at hand."
"You all said I was a waste. Who else wants to challenge me?"
He scanned the crowd, not even bothering to waste more breath on Jiang Men.
In a world where the strong are revered, a loser is just a loser.
A moment ago, they were all calling him a waste. Now, most of them had knowingly shut their mouths.
This was a slap in the face, delivered by strength.
This was the exact effect Jiang Chen wanted.
And indeed, seeing how formidable Jiang Chen was—defeating Jiang Zuo, a genius clan member at the Martial Artist Seventh Heaven—left them all speechless.
Many even began to realize that this whole tempest over changing the Patriarch would likely end the very moment Jiang Chen revealed his power.
After all, it seemed Jiang Chen had returned to his days as a prodigy.
Jiang Han and his wife, Xiao Yun, stared with wide eyes.
They were utterly unable to believe their son could unleash such terrifying Combat Power.
One move. He had defeated Jiang Zuo, a Martial Artist Seventh Heaven, in a single move.
As for Jiang Han, after his initial shock...
...he quickly composed himself.
He knew it was time to turn the tables.
A smile spread across his face.
He felt a surge of pride. He didn't know why his son had become so much stronger, but it was a wonderful thing.
He was overjoyed.
"Ahem..."
Jiang Han cleared his throat and announced loudly, "Everyone has witnessed what just happened."
"I won't waste words. If anyone from the younger generation wishes to challenge my son, now is your chance."
He was brimming with confidence and in high spirits.
His words were a slightly mocking challenge to the rest of the family.
Not long ago, these very people had pressured him to the breaking point.
Now, his son had created a huge reversal. It was time to put the clansmen in their place.
As expected, the younger clan members all shrank back.
Even the strongest among them, Jiang Zuo, had been defeated. If they went up, they would only be signing up for a brutal thrashing from Jiang Chen.
Seeing that no one moved,
Jiang Han looked at Jiang Men.
A brilliant smile lit up his face.
In contrast, Jiang Men's face was ashen, the color of liver. His son, too, clearly wore a look of utter defeat.
But Jiang Han wasn't about to pass up the chance to rub salt in Jiang Men's wounds.
He smiled faintly. "Jiang Men, would your son like to spar with my son again? I'm sure my son will go easy on him this time."
Jiang Men's face turned a shade of bruised purple.
"Hmph!"
He snorted angrily.
"Enough, Jiang Han. You win."
He stopped arguing with Jiang Han, knowing the tide had turned against him.
He was no match for Jiang Han, and his son was no match for Jiang Han's son. Competing for the Patriarch's seat had become a fool's errand.
The others who had previously supported Jiang Men were now filled with regret.
Now, without another word of nonsense,
...their expressions changed one by one.
They rushed to say to Jiang Han, "That was all just a farce."
"Please don't take it to heart, Patriarch. After all, we were all thinking of the family's best interests."
"Heh heh, we still feel that Jiang Han is the most suitable to be Patriarch."
"That's right, I agree. There's no need to change the Patriarch. All this changing back and forth is pointless and only hurts the harmony within the clan."
"This was all Jiang Men's idea from the start! It had nothing to do with us."
Jiang Men's face grew even darker, twisting into an ugly mask.
Just like that, he had been sold out by his own clansmen in the blink of an eye.
They were like weeds on a grave, swaying with the slightest breeze.
He was so angry he nearly coughed up blood.
The humiliation was unbearable.
Jiang Han waved his hand.
"Enough. We are all family. Let's let this matter pass."
"Jiang Men, I hope you won't be having any more of these little schemes."
Jiang Men nodded his head.
"I understand. The Patriarch's teachings are correct."
He hadn't expected Jiang Han to be so lenient. Otherwise, he would have surely been skinned alive in the Jiang Family.
He hurriedly said to Jiang Zuo, "Jiang Zuo, quickly apologize to your elder brother and admit your mistake."
Jiang Zuo gritted his teeth.
He quickly forced a smile.
"Big Brother, I... I was just joking earlier. Please don't take it to heart."
Now he had changed his tune, calling him "Big Brother."
Jiang Chen didn't want to make things difficult for Jiang Zuo. He was a member of the Jiang Family, after all, and the family would need all its members in the future.
He waved his hand.
"It's fine. The Jiang Family can only be strong if we are united."
Jiang Zuo nodded repeatedly.
"Big Brother is absolutely right."
He revealed a fawning smile.
The turmoil over changing the Jiang Family's Patriarch ended in an instant with Jiang Chen's show of power.
It came as quickly as it went.
「In the courtyard.」
Jiang Han and Xiao Yun looked their son, Jiang Chen, up and down.
"Son, has your Martial Vein returned?"
Xiao Yun asked in astonishment.