Jiang Chen had suddenly appeared and defeated Jiang Yun in a single move.
The entire hall was stunned, and the atmosphere turned eerie.
Jiang Chen stood alone in the center of the grand hall. Draped in a purple greatcoat, he still looked incredibly frail.
But he had undeniably altered the entire atmosphere within the Jiang Family.
No one was talking about replacing the Patriarch anymore.
Instead, all eyes were on Jiang Chen.
"Wasn't his Martial Vein stolen?"
"That's right. Jiang Yun is an expert at the Martial Artist Fourth Heaven. How could he possibly have defeated him?"
"Could it have been a sneak attack? Did he use some underhanded trick?"
Everyone was utterly shocked.
Confronted by Jiang Chen,
even Jiang Men, who coveted the position of Patriarch, was momentarily at a loss for words.
Finally, it was Jiang Men's son, Jiang Zuo, who suddenly stepped forward.
He roared, "Jiang Chen, you good-for-nothing!"
"How dare you use a dirty trick to ambush Jiang Yun."
"Otherwise, how could a waste like you possibly defeat Jiang Yun, a Martial Artist at the Fourth Heaven."
His eyes were filled with utter contempt for Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen may have used some bizarre trick to defeat Jiang Yun, but Jiang Zuo was different. His Cultivation was at the Martial Artist Seventh Heaven, making him the absolute strongest of the younger generation.
Therefore, Jiang Chen's schemes and tricks were completely useless against him.
It would be a great boon to him if his father, Jiang Men, were to become the Patriarch.
So naturally, he had to step forward now to win back face for his father. He couldn't let Jiang Chen ruin his father's plan to seize the Patriarch's seat.
With that, he strode directly toward Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen's expression remained as tranquil as an old well.
He watched as Jiang Zuo approached.
He sneered and said, "Jiang Zuo, you're nothing but a dog to me. You were before, you are now, and I hope you will be in the future, too."
Jiang Zuo was enraged.
"Good. Very good. You still dare to be so arrogant in my presence."
Jiang Zuo laughed, his eyes sweeping over the assembled clan members.
A wicked smile suddenly crossed his face.
"Since you're so arrogant, Jiang Chen, I am challenging you today, in front of everyone in the family."
"Do you dare to accept?"
He planned to grind this good-for-nothing Jiang Chen under his heel in front of everyone.
That way, the current Patriarch Jiang Han's position would be completely indefensible.
At his words, the entire hall grew excited.
Many immediately shouted in excitement, "Jiang Chen, accept Jiang Zuo's challenge!"
"That's right! Accept it if you're a man!"
"Tch, I knew it. He definitely won't dare to face Jiang Zuo."
No one believed Jiang Chen would accept the challenge.
Jiang Men, Jiang Gan, and the other experts in the family remained silent as they saw Jiang Zuo step forward to teach Jiang Chen a lesson, simply watching the spectacle unfold.
In fact, they were extremely satisfied with Jiang Zuo's performance.
Only Jiang Han and his wife, Xiao Yun, looked grim.
Xiao Yun scolded Jiang Zuo, "Jiang Zuo, you're taking this too far! You know perfectly well his Martial Vein was stolen, and that he's no match for you now!"
Before she could finish, Jiang Zuo immediately cut her off.
He sneered, "Hold on. I need to make a correction. What right does he have to be my elder cousin? Hah!"
He spat viciously on the ground without a shred of courtesy.
His face was a mask of contempt.
Xiao Yun's expression turned even more foul.
She said furiously, "You know my son's condition, yet you still challenge him."
"You've gone too far! Chen'er is no match for you."
As a mother, Xiao Yun was deeply protective of her son.
How could she let her son fight someone like Jiang Zuo, a Martial Artist at the Seventh Heaven?
She shuddered to think what would happen if Jiang Zuo made a move. What if he took her son's life?
These people were capable of anything now.
Jiang Zuo laughed. "Wasn't he so impressive a moment ago? He defeated Jiang Yun, after all."
"Since that's the case, it isn't too much for me to challenge your son, Jiang Chen, is it? Is there any family rule that forbids challenging a fellow clansman?"
He was utterly confident that defeating Jiang Chen would be no trouble at all.
Finally, Jiang Han stood up.
He snapped at Jiang Zuo, "You scoundrel! Don't you think you've gone too far?"
Jiang Zuo was his own nephew, yet here he was, cornering his son. It was absolutely outrageous.
As he spoke, a powerful aura flared to life around him.
He was clearly furious.
Jiang Zuo's expression shifted slightly.
Jiang Han was the Patriarch, after all. His Cultivation was not to be underestimated; he had already reached Martial Master Third Heaven.
Seeing Jiang Han stand up,
Jiang Men suddenly stood up as well.
His Cultivation: Martial Master Second Realm.
With a mocking expression, he said, "Elder Brother, a little sparring among the younger generation is no big deal, is it?"
"You're not going to shelter your son and keep him from facing the world, are you?"
"Even if you can protect him for a time, how can you protect him for a lifetime?"
"Besides, my son is only suggesting a spar. He's not going to do anything to your son."
Jiang Men rattled off a series of platitudes, though his words were dripping with sarcasm.
Jiang Gan also stood up, smirking wickedly. "Jiang Han, you're the Patriarch. If your own son doesn't dare accept a challenge from a fellow clansman, then perhaps you should abdicate your position."
The other clan members chimed in with agreement.
The situation instantly grew tense and hostile again.
Jiang Han was furious.
"You..."
He pointed at the clan members, his body trembling with rage.
But the others paid him no mind.
"I accept the challenge."
Just then, Jiang Chen suddenly spoke.
He had seen right through these clan members.
They were nothing more than a bunch of snobs.
There was only one way to deal with people like this: use overwhelming strength to put them in their place.
Only then would they naturally quiet down.
Any other method would be useless.
Jiang Chen said to Yiyi, "Hold my greatcoat."
He shrugged off his greatcoat. Yiyi hurried over and took it from him, but she didn't dare to linger in the center of the hall and quickly ran to the side.
As a Maid, she didn't even have the right to stand in the great hall.
If she hadn't been with Jiang Chen, she would never have dared to even enter the hall.
Clutching Jiang Chen's greatcoat tightly, she began to pray for him.
"Haha! You've got guts. You're worthy of having once been my elder cousin."
Hearing Jiang Chen accept the challenge, Jiang Zuo was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.
The other clan members were clearly just as surprised.
All eyes turned to Jiang Chen in astonishment.
"Heh, Jiang Chen's temper hasn't changed a bit."
"But this isn't his world to rule as a spoiled young master anymore. Times have changed."
"Next up, Jiang Zuo will surely make him grovel on the ground like a dog."
Xiao Yun and Jiang Han hastily spoke up.
"Son, don't! You're no match for him."
They knew these people's intentions all too well. If Jiang Chen fought, the consequences would be unthinkable.
But Jiang Chen had agreed so rashly, catching them completely off guard.
That was why they tried to stop him.
But Jiang Chen suddenly stood ramrod straight.
Gone was his sickly appearance. His entire being was now like a sword about to be unsheathed—sharp and powerful.
He gave his parents a slight smile.
"Father, Mother, don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
"A clansman has challenged me. As the Patriarch's son, it would be a joke for me to refuse the challenge."
He looked at Jiang Zuo and beckoned.
"Come on, Jiang Zuo. I'll let you have the first move."
"Today, in front of everyone, I'm going to show you who the real waste is."