His words were the very definition of arrogance. It was as if he were pointing at the nose of every member of the Royal Family present and calling them useless trash.
He was giving a perfect demonstration of the saying, "I’m not targeting you; I’m targeting everyone here."
And while he wasn’t wrong,
those present were naturally indignant.
Immediately, a member of the Royal Family who was on bad terms with the Eldest Prince sneered, "Oh? Since the Eldest Prince claims we are all trash, does that mean you’re not a child of the Royal Family?"
Another clan relative’s eyebrows shot up as he said angrily, "The Eldest Prince isn’t the Emperor yet, but he already holds the Clan Relatives in such contempt. If His Majesty passes away and you ascend the throne, wouldn’t you become completely lawless?"
These were very serious words.
One could even say he was blatantly trying to drive a wedge between the Emperor and the Eldest Prince.
But the Eldest Prince wasn’t the least bit intimidated. Instead, his expression turned icy as he said coolly, "Heh, I can understand why my esteemed uncles are so heated in front of their nephew. However, the Four Great Upper Sects of the Jianghu have been growing closer in recent years. What exactly are they plotting? Are you all deaf and blind? Can you not see?"
His tone was light, but his words were even more piercing. He continued, "Or are my esteemed uncles simply pretending to be deaf, blind, and oblivious?"
The moment he said this,
the entire Martial Arts Arena fell silent. All the members of the Royal Family shut their mouths, furious but not daring to speak.
It was clear to anyone with eyes what the Four Great Upper Sects, who had been growing closer over the years, were planning.
How many cultivation resources did the Great Derivation control? How much wealth had it amassed?
In the past, when the Royal Family of the Dayan Dynasty was flourishing, the Four Great Upper Sects had been more wary and wouldn’t have dared to covet the Great Derivation’s position. But in recent years, the younger generation of the Imperial Family has been in decline, with only a few elders from the old guard left to hold the line.
If not for the current His Majesty marrying a woman from the Li Family to be his Empress and fathering the Eldest Prince, the Four Great Upper Sects would act with even more impunity.
The Eldest Prince was so smug, even daring to publicly humiliate the Royal Family, not only because he was the de jure Crown Prince of the Dayan Dynasty, but also because he had a top-tier family backing him.
While the Li Family couldn’t compare in scale to the Four Great Upper Sects, it was still a paramount force in the Jianghu and a key factor in maintaining the balance of power in the Great Derivation’s domain.
Seeing the Royal Family fall into a dead silence confirmed his unique status within the Great Derivation.
Finally satisfied, the Eldest Prince’s tone softened slightly. He smoothed his robes and said, "Let me see if the Iron Guards have improved at all in the last three years!"
With that, he leaped into the air and flew directly onto the Martial Arts Arena.
He immediately engaged an Iron Guard at the Second-Tier Realm in combat.
Among all the Princes, the Eldest Prince was the only one who dared to proactively face an Iron Guard. Nothing else aside, that courage alone was worthy of praise.
Although the members of the Royal Family present were inwardly furious, feeling he was far too presumptuous, they couldn’t help but nod slightly in approval.
Clearly, whether they were willing to admit it or not, the Eldest Prince was the most suitable successor for the position of the next Emperor Yan.
In terms of both status and spirit, the Eldest Prince was far superior to the other Princes.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
"CRACK..."
On the Martial Arts Arena, the Iron Guard’s attacks were fierce. Every punch and kick that struck the ground blasted out a crater the size of a human head.
Under its ferocious assault, the Eldest Prince was steadily forced back, but he always managed to hold on, never suffering defeat.
The time it takes for an incense stick to burn passed quickly.
The Iron Guard on the stage continued its frenzied, seemingly tireless attacks.
Cold sweat had begun to bead on the Eldest Prince’s forehead, and his hands, feet, and several other parts of his body ached terribly from the puppet’s iron-like fists and feet.
Yet he still refused to admit defeat, gritting his teeth and continuing to dodge and weave.
It was only then that the old man, who had been sitting cross-legged at the highest point of the Martial Arts Arena like a piece of deadwood, finally opened his eyes. He glanced at the sweat-drenched Eldest Prince below, nodded slightly, and said, "Passable."
Hearing that single, simple word, the Eldest Prince’s face lit up with unconcealable joy. The will that had been sustaining him finally gave out, and within a few moves, he was sent flying by the Iron Guard.
But even as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth,
his expression was still one of excitement.
If not for the other disciples of the Royal Family watching, he probably would have thrown his head back and let out a triumphant roar.
Of the six Grandmaster ancestors of Great Derivation, the most influential was this Pillar of Heaven before them, who resided at the very top of the Imperial Palace’s pavilion.
Normally, it wasn’t just juniors like him; even his father, Emperor Yan, rarely got to see this ancestor.
Only during the clan competition would this figure emerge to dispatch the Iron Guards and inspect the cultivation progress of the clan’s younger generation.
For the Eldest Prince, who had already earned the approval of two ancestors, gaining this one’s recognition meant the throne was practically his, as long as nothing unexpected happened!
The Martial Arts Arena, which had fallen quiet, was now filled with a low uproar!
Clearly, none of the Clan Relatives had expected the Eldest Prince to last so long under the Iron Guard’s assault, let alone that the notoriously strict Primordial Ancestor would give him the single word of praise, ’Passable’.
The other Princes who coveted the throne all looked as if they were mourning their parents, regretting their own lack of courage to step forward earlier.
Of course, with their insufficient cultivation and lack of combat experience, stepping up would have only resulted in them being sent flying with a single punch. It would have caused no stir, only brought them shame.
...
Not far away, Li Chang’an had also witnessed the entire battle between the Eldest Prince and the Iron Guard.
However, his focus wasn’t on the Eldest Prince, but on the Iron Guard he was fighting!
’Based on my senses, those figures in black robes over there aren’t living people at all, but lifeless Puppets!’
’To be able to refine a Puppet to be indistinguishable from a real person, showing no signs of stiffness or slowness in combat... This Grandmaster who sits atop the Imperial Palace, who has been the Guardian of the Great Derivation for decades, even centuries, is truly extraordinary!’
Seeing the sharp glint in his eyes, he seemed eager to try.
The Eldest Prince, who happened to be passing by, couldn’t help but sneer, "Well, if it isn’t my Twelfth Brother. I heard you spent two years as a Sweeping Book Boy in the Library Pavilion and somehow managed to get a Waist Token from one of the Six Patriarchs. What, are you planning to use those same little tricks on the Martial Arts Arena today?"
He glanced at the Waist Token at Li Chang’an’s waist, recalled his mother’s prior warning, and naturally grew extra wary of Li Chang’an.
Seeing his fake smile, Li Linlin stepped in front of Li Chang’an, like a mother hen protecting her chick, and said, "Elder Brother, you’re almost an adult, aren’t you? And you’re still picking on a three-year-old child? Won’t you be ashamed if word of this gets out?"
Stung by her retort, the Eldest Prince’s expression turned ugly. He opened his mouth, but found he had nothing to say. With a cold snort, he flicked his sleeves and departed.
Li Chang’an paid no mind to the barbed exchange between the two.
He pursed his lips, took two light steps, and vanished from the crowd. By the time anyone noticed him again, he was already standing on the Martial Arts Arena.
And standing opposite him was an Iron Guard Puppet at the realm of a First-class Master!
"BOOM!"
A sound like a clap of thunder suddenly erupted.
The very ground of the Martial Arts Arena seemed to tremble slightly.
Below the stage, many members of the Royal Family were still marveling at the Eldest Prince’s brilliant performance, whispering to each other about whether they should change their attitude and fully support his ascension.
But that muffled, thunder-like boom, along with the aura unique to a First-class Master that filled the air, brought their discussions to an abrupt halt.
They all instinctively looked toward the source of the sound.
When they saw clearly what was happening on the Martial Arts Arena, everyone looked as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight, their pupils trembling uncontrollably!
—They saw that the Twelfth Prince, Li Chang’an, who had been the talk of the town recently, had appeared on the Martial Arts Arena at some unknown point and was now fighting an Iron Guard that radiated the aura of a First-class Master!
The three-year-old Twelfth Prince fighting a top-tier First-class Master of this era?
Had the world gone mad, or had they?
Upon seeing the situation on stage clearly, every clan relative wore an expression of existential doubt. Their first reaction wasn’t amazement, but to rub their eyes fiercely.
The Iron Guard wouldn’t hesitate just because Li Chang’an was a child. To it, anyone who appeared on the Martial Arts Arena was a target.
Thus, the moment Li Chang’an appeared, the Iron Guard raised its fist and smashed it down toward him.
Before the small mountain that was the Iron Guard, Li Chang’an’s tiny, tender figure looked like a small boat in a raging storm, liable to be swallowed up at any moment.
However, just as all the Clan Relatives thought Li Chang’an had lost his mind and was seeking death, about to be smashed into a meat paste in an instant...
...Li Chang’an dodged the Iron Guard’s sandbag-sized fist as easily as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.
The resulting gale didn’t even touch the corner of his robe.
And the sound everyone had just heard, like a muffled clap of thunder, was the massive boom of the Iron Guard’s fist striking the ground!
Bricks were sent flying, shooting out in all directions, only to be pulverized by an invisible aura as they neared the edge of the arena.
Therefore, all the Clan Relatives below could see was a blur, followed by the appearance of a huge, several-meter-wide crater in the center of the Martial Arts Arena, from which dust was still rising...
But even so, the Clan Relatives were all completely dumbfounded.
???
What the hell? What just happened?!
The exchange between the two had been so fast that the vast majority of people present couldn’t follow it, either with their eyes or their thoughts.
But regardless of what they were thinking, the battle on the stage continued.
Li Chang’an, at the very center of the iron fist’s attack, was not only unharmed but had even used the opportunity to get close to the Iron Guard. His gaze was like lightning as he carefully observed the traces of Qi flowing across the Puppet’s surface.
[With your Heaven-defying Comprehension, you have observed the nodes and traces of Qi circulation within the Puppet and successfully comprehended the Puppet Control Technique!]
Feeling the information that had suddenly appeared in his mind, Li Chang’an was quite satisfied. After composing himself and observing for another moment, he swiped down sharply with his fingers formed like a blade.
"CRACK!"
A faint cracking sound was heard.
A half-inch deep gash appeared on the Iron Guard’s incredibly hard surface. Instantly, the previously rampaging Iron Guard froze, as if its power source had been cut off.
Li Chang’an hadn’t done anything complicated; he had simply shattered one of the Iron Guard Puppet’s core nodes. For a Puppet, this spot was like a vital point on a human. Once damaged, the Energy could no longer circulate smoothly, causing it to "shut down."
...