Blinding sunlight shot in from the doorway, forcing Jiang Chen to squint.
Five figures appeared in his line of sight.
When he saw who it was, his expression faltered. "Jiang Rui? Who gave you permission to enter my room?"
Five Jiang Family disciples stood in a row at the entrance, led by none other than Jiang Rui.
Jiang Rui's father had once broken the family rules, and as punishment, Jiang Taixu had crippled one of his hands and expelled him from the Jiang Family.
Coupled with the fact that Jiang Chen was close to Jiang Ziyou, Jiang Rui had viewed him as a thorn in his side ever since they were children.
But in the past, before anyone had awakened their Martial Souls, Jiang Chen's Martial Arts Talent was unmatched among his peers. This made Jiang Rui extremely wary and afraid to provoke him.
Today, however, Jiang Rui saw that Jiang Chen had only awakened a Yellow Tier First Grade Martial Soul—the feedback from which wasn't even enough for him to enter the Martial Arts First Stage. That was why he dared to show up at his door so aggressively.
Jiang Chen's face darkened as he stared at Jiang Rui. "Jiang Rui, who gave you the nerve to barge into my East Wing Courtyard?"
"Hahaha, Jiang Chen, do you still think you're some feared genius? Pfft! You're just a piece of trash with a Yellow Tier First Grade Martial Soul. Believe it or not, I could crush you with one hand!" Jiang Rui declared smugly. The True Qi of the Martial Arts First Stage erupted from his body as he stomped, shattering the wooden door on the floor.
"Crush me with one hand?"
Jiang Chen sneered. "Jiang Rui, have you forgotten what happened three months ago when you provoked me? I beat you so badly you were stuck in bed for half a month."
"You…"
Jiang Rui's face darkened.
Before anyone awakened their Martial Souls, they could only cultivate their physical strength. And in that regard, Jiang Chen's Martial Arts Talent was simply heaven-defying.
He had mastered more than a dozen Superior Martial Skills, and he could beat Jiang Rui so thoroughly that he couldn't even fight back.
It was important to understand that before awakening a Martial Soul and becoming a Martial Artist, one could only practice from among the Superior, Middle, and Lower Three Levels of Martial Skills. Only after becoming a Martial Artist could one begin to cultivate Entry Tier Martial Skills, such as Yellow-Tier Martial Skills, Profound-Tier Martial Skills, and so on.
One could only imagine how terrifying Jiang Chen's Martial Arts Talent was, for him to have mastered a Superior Martial Skill before even awakening his Martial Soul!
But on second thought, Jiang Rui relaxed. 'Damn it! So what if you learned a Superior Martial Skill? You only awakened a trash Yellow Tier First Grade Martial Soul, while I have a Yellow Tier Fifth Grade! And now I've even entered the Martial Arts First Stage Realm. I could pulp you with my raw strength alone!'
"Heh, that confident, are you? Then make your move," Jiang Chen said coolly.
"If you're looking to die, don't blame me for being merciless! Besides, Ziyou already gave me permission to deal with you. Even if I kill you, no one will give me any trouble!"
Jiang Rui sneered, his expression turning savage as he suddenly moved.
He moved like a cheetah, impossibly fast.
In an instant, he was in front of Jiang Chen, a fist smashing violently toward him.
The disciples who had come with Jiang Rui looked on with a mixture of pity and contempt.
"Brother Rui is a master who has entered the Martial Arts First Stage Realm. That punch will probably kill Jiang Chen!"
"If he doesn't die, he'll be crippled for life!"
As the words of the other family disciples echoed in his ears, a smug look spread across Jiang Rui's face.
However, the smile on his face didn't last long.
"You're courting death!"
A brilliant light flared in Jiang Chen's eyes. A thunderous roar escaped his lips as he clenched his fingers into a fist and smashed it straight into Jiang Rui's.
Fist met fist.
It was a direct, head-on clash.
BOOM—
A dull thud exploded like a clap of thunder, followed by a sickening crunch.
The smile on Jiang Rui's face froze. His features twisted into a savage grimace.
"ARGH!"
Jiang Rui shrieked, spitting out a mouthful of blood as his body flew backward like a broken kite, crashing heavily to the ground.
His entire right hand had been turned into a mangled pulp of flesh and bone. His right arm was broken in three places, with shattered bones piercing through the skin, gushing blood that dyed his entire limb red.
"What?"
"How is this possible? Jiang Rui is a master of the Martial Arts First Stage! How could Jiang Chen defeat him with a single punch?"
"Didn't they say Jiang Chen awakened a Yellow Tier First Grade Martial Soul? That he's trash? How can he be this strong?"
"This level of power… he must be at the Martial Arts Second Stage at least, right?"
The disciples who had followed Jiang Rui stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with fear and utter disbelief.
Even Jiang Chen was surprised. 'I'm this strong? It must be because of the Profound Yellow Undying Technique. It really is a Heaven-Defying Divine Technique!'
Nearby, Jiang Rui clutched his mangled right hand, his face contorted in a ferocious snarl. "Jiang Chen, you piece of trash, you dare to injure me?"
"I'm trash? Then what does that make you, who couldn't even take a single punch from me?"
Jiang Chen glanced at him, the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking sneer.
"You… you…"
Jiang Rui's face went white with rage as he glared at Jiang Chen.
He wanted to retaliate, but the sight of Jiang Chen's clenched fist made a flicker of fear appear in his eyes, and he instinctively backed away.
"Pathetic,"
Jiang Chen sneered. "You said just now that Jiang Ziyou sent you to cause trouble for me?"
"Why should I tell you?" Jiang Rui snapped.
"Because I'm stronger than you!"
Jiang Chen snorted, stepping forward. "Tiger Subduing Fist!"
This was the Superior Martial Skill, Tiger Subduing Fist. It was an incredibly powerful technique, the punch striking like a tiger pouncing on its prey.
"Block it!"
Jiang Rui's expression changed drastically. His True Qi surged as he tried to block Jiang Chen.
But it was all in vain.
BOOM—
The fist smashed into Jiang Rui's shoulder, shattering it completely. He screamed as he was sent flying, crashing hard onto the ground.
Jiang Rui lay on the ground like a boneless heap, his eyes wide with horror. "H-how is this possible? You… you broke through and became a Martial Artist? That's impossible…"
"Nothing is impossible."
Jiang Chen shot him a cold glance before turning to the other four disciples. They scrambled back in a panic, terrified of provoking him.
"A bunch of cowards."
Jiang Chen snorted, a cold light flashing in his eyes. 'Jiang Ziyou, and to think I treated you like my own sister. For six years, I taught you Martial Skills day and night, even giving you most of the Nourishing God Pills my father left for me. I never imagined you could be so cruel, cutting ties with me the moment you saw my Martial Soul was only a Yellow Tier First Grade. I could forgive all of that, but you should never have sent Jiang Rui to make trouble for me!'
His face grim and filled with fury, Jiang Chen stalked toward the door.
But just then, a cold and detached voice, seemingly unconcerned with worldly affairs, drifted in from outside. "There's no need to go anywhere. If you have something to say, you can say it here."
In front of the East Wing Courtyard, a beautiful figure stood, poised and elegant.
She was staring right at him with icy eyes.
Jiang Chen stopped in his tracks, the coldness in his eyes intensifying. "Jiang Ziyou, I want an explanation!"
"An explanation? I don't think that's necessary."
Jiang Ziyou shook her head, casting a faint glance at Jiang Chen. "Jiang Chen, I never thought a salted fish like you would ever flip over. To think you actually broke through to the Martial Arts First Stage Realm. What a pity, though. Your Martial Soul is only Yellow Tier First Grade. We are destined to live in different worlds. In consideration of all the years you diligently taught me Martial Skills, and for all those Nourishing God Pills, I won't make things difficult for you. Here is one thousand taels of silver. Take it and leave the Jiang Family."
Even though he had already suspected it, seeing Jiang Ziyou's cold and ruthless demeanor firsthand still sent a chill through his heart. He spoke, his voice strained, "Jiang Ziyou, I spared no effort teaching you Martial Skills, and I gave you precious Nourishing God Pills. In your eyes, is all of that only worth a thousand taels of silver?"
"Not enough? Then I'll give you five thousand!"
She paused, raising a slender, jade-like hand to brush a lock of dark hair from her temple. Her black eyes were filled with a lofty indifference and scorn. "Jiang Chen, I'm doing this for your own good. You should understand by now that you have no future on the Martial Dao. Rather than continue on as a piece of trash everyone despises, you'd be better off taking the fortune I'm offering you. Go to the countryside, be a local landlord, and live out the rest of your life in peace."
"Trash? A local landlord? Live out my life in peace?"
Jiang Chen silently repeated her words, and then he suddenly laughed.
"Hahaha! Ridiculous! Truly ridiculous! So that's all I am in your eyes? A piece of trash?"
"When you were clinging to me, pestering me to teach you Martial Skills and begging for Nourishing God Pills, why didn't you say we were from different worlds back then?"
"Isn't it just because I awakened a Yellow Tier First Grade Martial Soul and have no more use to you that you decided to cast me aside? 'Once the cunning rabbit is caught, the hunting dog is boiled for stew. Once the birds are gone, the bow is put away.' I understand the principle. You don't have to be so hypocritical. It's disgusting!"
Jiang Chen laughed, but his voice was laced with deep despair. Looking at Jiang Ziyou's merciless face, he took a deep breath and said gravely, "You don't have to go to such lengths to drive me away. Since you can't stand me, I will leave. I, Jiang Chen, have not yet fallen so low that I need to live under another's roof, dependent on their whims."
"If you won't have me, then some other place will. I just hope that years from now, you won't regret what you've done today!"
Jiang Chen sneered, then held his head high and strode out.
'Leave the Jiang Family?'
'He never really cared about it.'
'If his father hadn't instructed him when he left the Saint Martial Order that he could only claim it and go to the Saint Martial Sword Sect after awakening his Martial Soul, he would have left Yandu City long ago to search for him.'
'Now, the actions of Jiang Ziyou and her father had completely broken his heart. He no longer had any attachment to this place.'
However, before Jiang Chen could even step out of the room, he heard Jiang Ziyou's cold, merciless voice again. "If you're going to the Elder Pavilion to collect the Saint Martial Order, I'd advise you not to waste the trip."
"What do you mean?"
Jiang Chen froze, a strong sense of unease rising in his heart.
Jiang Ziyou said flatly, "After I awakened my Profound Tier Ninth Grade Martial Soul, the Elder Pavilion approved my application. They've decided to give the Saint Martial Order to me."
"What? That's impossible…"
Jiang Chen spun around, his face twisted in a furious snarl like an enraged tiger. He roared, "The Saint Martial Order is what my father brought back for *me*. It belongs to me! What right do you have to claim it as your own?"
"What right? The right of the strong! The right of someone who awakened a Profound Tier Ninth Grade Martial Soul! While you… you're nothing but a piece of trash with a Yellow Tier First Grade Martial Soul!"
Jiang Ziyou's face was cold and merciless. She enunciated the final words, "piece of trash," with particular weight, adding smugly, "After I take first place at the four families' gathering during the Yulan Festival, I will take the Saint Martial Order to the Saint Martial Sword Sect and rise above the common masses. As for you, you are doomed to a life of mediocrity!"
Her words struck Jiang Chen like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
He staggered back, his eyes burning with incandescent rage. "Jiang Ziyou, aren't you afraid of retribution for this?"
"Retribution? Hahaha! That's just a powerless curse the weak hurl at the strong!"
Jiang Ziyou flicked her wrist, tossing a silver note into Jiang Chen's hand. "This is a silver note for five thousand taels. It's enough for you to buy a house in the countryside, get married, and have children. As for the Saint Martial Order, you can forget about it!"
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Jiang Chen's fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked. He ground his teeth, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Jiang Ziyou.
That single silver note felt like the world's most vicious taunt, a brutal slap to his heart and his dignity.
HUUUUH—
Jiang Chen let out a long breath, his boiling anger slowly subsiding. His voice became flat. "Jiang Ziyou, you know how important the Saint Martial Order is to me. I told you before. Going to the Saint Martial Sword Sect was my father's hope for me, and it's the only way I have to find him. What you're doing now is destroying that hope and cutting off my only path to finding my father."
"Jiang Ziyou, I, Jiang Chen, will never forget what you have done today. I will carve it into my very bones."
Jiang Chen raised the silver note and threw it back in Jiang Ziyou's face. Ignoring her murderous expression, he turned resolutely and strode toward the door. "You want to take first place at the four families' gathering during the Yulan Festival, is that it? Fine. I'll wait for the gathering. I will defeat you in front of everyone and take back what is mine with my own two hands!"
"The Saint Martial Order is mine. Anyone who dares to covet it, I will kill!"