Many had even completed full-body Bone Tempering, making them pillars of the Martial Dao throughout Great Zhou.
Yet Lu Shang barely seemed to move.
With nothing more than a casual flick of a sleeve arrow, he pinned the strongest Martial Artist among them to the ground and said with a faint smile, "I’m in a good mood today and don’t want to go on a killing spree in public. You’d best know what’s good for you!"
This single move stunned quite a few people.
The many Martial Artists, who had been charging forward aggressively, all froze in place.
Their eyes held a new wariness as they looked at Lu Shang.
The fact that he had a registration book for the martial arts tournament proved his bone age was under fifteen. Yet, no one present had ever heard of such a terrifying young man in the Jianghu of Great Zhou.
Lu Shang ignored the group of Martial Artists, whom he saw as nothing more than weeds. His gaze fell back to the red-faced Li Yuanqing on the ground as he said with a smile, "Second Prince, surely you remember our bet now? As long as you’re willing to submit to me as your master, there will be a place for you in the future of the Jiuzhou Continent..."
"Of course, you can try to back out of it. However, you’ve been struck by my technique. If you don’t receive my treatment within three days, you’ll explode like a bomb—BANG! It will be a miserable death!"
Li Yuanqing didn’t feel like his injuries were that severe. However, a strange energy was constantly coursing through his body, destroying the power he had so painstakingly accumulated.
As a result, he failed to stand up despite trying several times.
Lu Shang chuckled and held up a hand. "Don’t be in such a rush. I can give you seven days to think it over. After seven days, I will come find you again!"
With that, he turned to leave.
But just then, he noticed a young man of about ten had appeared behind him at some point, watching him with an expression that was not quite a smile.
Lu Shang felt the scene was eerily familiar. ’This is how I treated Li Yuanqing just moments ago,’ he thought.
His eyes filled with vigilance as he sized up the youth not far away.
For some reason, a subconscious part of him sensed danger.
He didn’t panic, however. Instead, he spoke with deliberate calm. "Good dogs don’t block the path. Are you a good dog or a bad one? Or would you rather be a dead one?"
Li Chang’an was in no hurry. He scrutinized him for a moment before speaking. "Heh, your Cultivation Method seems a little different from everyone else’s. You don’t just cultivate the Martial Dao, do you? It doesn’t look like an Immortal Skill, either. So what is it? Did you create your own Cultivation System?"
At these words, Lu Shang’s nonchalant expression changed drastically. His entire body tensed in an instant. He stared at Li Chang’an for a long time before speaking, his voice laced with shock and fear, "Who are you?"
Seeing his reaction, Li Chang’an knew that even if he wasn’t completely right, he was close enough. He couldn’t help but laugh. "You injured my brother and threatened to cripple me. Now I’m standing right in front of you, and you don’t even know who I am? That’s arrogance at its absolute peak!"
Lu Shang’s composure was beginning to crack.
The moment Li Chang’an spoke, he felt as if his secrets had been laid bare.
It was as if, before this young man, all the trump cards he prided himself on simply didn’t exist. He had the distinct illusion of standing naked before a terrifying monster.
Listening to Li Chang’an’s roundabout words, it took him a long moment to process it all. He stammered, full of shock and disbelief, "You... you’re the Crown Prince of Great Zhou, Li Chang’an? How is that possible?"
It was no wonder he was so startled.
After all, in the outside world, Li Chang’an’s reputation as Crown Prince wasn’t exactly stellar.
Any of the other princes was more popular with the people than he was.
So, to suddenly learn that this unfathomably powerful Crown Prince of Great Zhou had appeared before him... it would have been strange if Lu Shang wasn’t completely unsettled.
The conversation between the two had drawn the attention of the other Martial Artists.
However, because Li Chang’an was in plain clothes today, the vast majority of those present couldn’t recognize his true identity.
Li Chang’an paid the others no mind and shot a glance at Li Shiran, who was watching anxiously from the nearby stands.
Li Shiran immediately ran down and hurried to help Li Yuanqing up from the ground.
After confirming that Li Yuanqing’s life wasn’t in immediate danger, Li Shiran looked to Li Chang’an. "Big Brother, what do you want to do with this guy?"
Hearing Li Shiran call Li Chang’an "Big Brother," Lu Shang finally confirmed that the man before him truly was the current Crown Prince of Great Zhou. His expression darkened.
At that moment, Li Chang’an was blocking his path, while High-tier Martial Artists from the Great Zhou Imperial Court had sealed off the other directions.
But Lu Shang wasn’t worried about escaping.
He could leave whenever he wished.
The one thing Lu Shang couldn’t figure out was how the supposedly illiterate Crown Prince of Great Zhou knew so much.
’Was it just a lucky guess?’
’Impossible!’
’Unless he knew me intimately, there’s no way he could have hit the nail on the head with his first words.’
’To feel so completely exposed after just a single meeting... He’d never experienced anything like it before!’
Li Chang’an gestured for Li Shiran to take Li Yuanqing and leave.
Only then did his gaze return to Lu Shang. He continued his inquiry, "What was that technique you used on my brother? Could you show it to me again?"
His tone was perfectly level.
It was as if he were genuinely discussing matters of the Martial Dao with Lu Shang.
But to Lu Shang, it was nothing but a blatant provocation.
Lu Shang’s expression was hideous. He stared at Li Chang’an for a long moment before saying through gritted teeth, "Fine. Since you have a death wish, I’ll grant it for you today!"
With that, he lunged forward, preparing to strike.
But after just two steps, he seemed to hear a sudden command. His expression flickered through several changes. After a moment of internal conflict, he ultimately stopped, turned, and tried to flee into the crowd.
Seeing him try to flee, Li Chang’an smiled. He took a single step and blocked his path. "What’s wrong?" he asked, his voice low and eerie. "Weren’t you so arrogant a moment ago? I’m standing right here. How can you just run away without a fight?"
The surrounding Martial Artists had also heard the conversation on the stage and now knew Li Chang’an was the Crown Prince.
Now, seeing Li Chang’an block the fleeing Lu Shang in a single flash of movement, they all wore expressions as if they were seeing a ghost in broad daylight.
’What on earth is going on today?’
’How could so many bizarre events, the likes of which aren’t seen even once in decades, all happen on the same day?’
...