Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Shadow in the Night

At the very top of the jet-black Zhenjiang Stele, the two words "Jiang Chen" shone with brilliant light.

It was like a series of invisible slaps, viciously striking the faces of everyone who had declared Jiang Chen couldn’t possibly surpass a height of one hundred feet. Nearly everyone in the million-strong crowd felt a fiery sting on their cheeks.

"Th-this is impossible!"

"Didn’t the Jiang Family say Jiang Chen was trash? That he awakened a Yellow Tier First Grade Martial Soul and only stepped into the Martial Arts First Stage two months ago? What kind of fucking lie was that?"

"Fuck! I’d heard that after Jiang Taixu disappeared, everyone in the Jiang Family shunned Jiang Chen. I used to think it was just a rumor, but it looks like it was all true!"

"Jiang Tai and the others are so ungrateful, aren’t they? If it weren’t for Jiang Taixu back then, the Jiang Family would have been wiped from Yandu City long ago. And now they treat Jiang Taixu’s descendant like this?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"This is how great families are. There are only eternal interests, no room for sentiment or loyalty at all."

"Jiang Tai and Jiang Ziyou just got their faces slapped swollen!"

The million-plus people all burst into waves of discussion, causing an unimaginable commotion.

Every single one of these words reached the ears of Jiang Tai, Jiang Ziyou, and their group, making their expressions grow increasingly ugly.

Xu Ying had a teasing look on his face as he mocked with a smile, "Patriarch Jiang, is this your so-called trash? If someone like him is considered trash, can your Jiang Family even produce any real geniuses?"

Lin Shengfeng said nonchalantly, "Patriarch Xu, you should say a little less. Can’t you see Patriarch Jiang’s face is already the color of pig liver?"

"Hahaha, Jiang Tai, oh, Jiang Tai. I heard you personally expelled Jiang Chen from the Jiang Family? Hmm, I happen to have a little niece who’s of marriageable age. I’m thinking about whether I can recruit this young man, Jiang Chen, into my Chen Family as a live-in son-in-law!" Chen Tianrun said mockingly, raising an eyebrow, his eyes filled with mirth.

Sima Tao frowned, his gaze toward Jiang Tai now holding a hint of mockery.

Jiang Tai had been so adamant before, telling him that Jiang Chen was nothing but trash. To be so blatantly slapped in the face now was rather interesting.

Jiang Tai’s expression was incredibly foul. He had previously been so adamant, declaring Jiang Chen to be trash.

But in the end, Jiang Chen had set a new record, viciously slapping him in the face. This made the killing intent in his heart flare violently. Glaring fiercely at Lin Shengfeng and the others, Jiang Tai said in a grim tone, "So what if he reached three hundred feet on the Zhenjiang Stele? Don’t you all forget his talent—he’s just a piece of trash with a Yellow Tier First Grade Martial Soul. What accomplishments could he possibly have in the future?"

"Not to mention he only broke through to the Martial Arts First Stage Realm at fifteen. I’m afraid the absolute peak he can reach in this lifetime is the Martial Arts Ninth Stage."

Jiang Tai’s words made the others pause. They then recalled that Jiang Chen’s Martial Soul was only the weakest Golden Needle Martial Soul, and expressions of pity appeared on their faces. Then they heard Jiang Tai continue with a proud look, "What’s more... my daughter, Jiang Ziyou, is just waiting for the Yulan Festival to end. She will then head to the Saint Martial Sword Sect and achieve a superior status. As for Jiang Chen, do you really think he can threaten my daughter’s position?"

As soon as he said this, everyone who had been mocking Jiang Tai fell silent.

It was just as he said.

Jiang Ziyou was about to achieve a superior status in the Saint Martial Sword Sect, her future prospects limitless. As for Jiang Chen, at most, his moment of glory was here at the Zhenjiang Stele.

With his trash-level talent of a Yellow Tier First Grade Martial Soul, he was ultimately destined to be left behind.

Sima Tao nodded to himself with a smile. "Patriarch Jiang is absolutely right. For Miss Ziyou to become a disciple of the Saint Martial Sword Sect is the greatest honor for our Yandu City. In the future, we will have to rely on Miss Ziyou to look out for us!"

"But of course!"

Jiang Tai nodded with a chuckle.

But if one looked closely, it wasn’t hard to see that his gaze remained fixed on Jiang Chen, a sinister chill hidden in the depths of his dark eyes.

「At the same time...」

Jiang Chen had already landed back on the altar. The corner of his mouth curved into a cold, mocking smile as he looked at Jiang Ziyou and the others, taunting them bluntly, "Oops. It seems I accidentally surpassed your record!"

"Damn it!"

"Jiang Chen, don’t get carried away! A mere Zhenjiang Stele test is nothing!"

"So arrogant! He doesn’t know his own limits..." Lin Yu and the other geniuses were furious, their faces flushing red as they roared at Jiang Chen.

They had all looked down on Jiang Chen before, mocking him without restraint. Now that they had been slapped in the face, these arrogant geniuses felt utterly humiliated.

Jiang Ziyou was the calmest one of them all. She narrowed her eyes, staring at Jiang Chen. After a moment, she let out a slow sigh, her ethereal voice ringing out, "Jiang Chen, why must you do this? With your level of talent, even if you give it your all on the path of the Martial Dao, you will never achieve much. Why do you insist on making things so difficult for yourself?"

"Making things difficult for myself? No, no, no. I quite enjoy the thrill of pursuing the Peak of the Martial Dao!" Jiang Chen said with a wave of his hand.

Jiang Ziyou sighed. "Still so stubborn. Did you think I wouldn’t know? Your father left behind many profound Martial Arts Secret Manuals. You must have practiced some of the Secret Skills within them to put on such a stunning performance, right? But those Secret Skills that boost your cultivation in a short time all have severe side effects. They are nothing but unorthodox, wicked methods!"

"I advise you to just give up! I can still honor the promise I made you before. I’ll give you a generous sum of wealth, let you go to the countryside to be a rich landowner, and live a life of comfort and plenty. Wouldn’t that be a better life?"

Jiang Ziyou leaned forward slightly, her eyes locked on Jiang Chen as she spoke.

Her words were filled with immense arrogance and cold beauty, as if a lofty queen was issuing a decree to a humble commoner, bestowing charity upon Jiang Chen.

But she seemed to have forgotten that from the very beginning, it was she who had been using Jiang Chen, deceiving him, and even trying to eliminate him at all costs, all to usurp everything that rightfully belonged to him.

"Hahaha! Ridiculous. How utterly ridiculous!"

Jiang Chen laughed in fury. "Jiang Ziyou," he said coldly, "cut the hypocritical act. I saw through your venomous nature long ago. I’ve told you before: no one can take what belongs to me, Jiang Chen. Everything you schemed so hard to snatch from me, I will take back with my own two fists."

With that said, Jiang Chen leaped off the altar, walked toward the main area of Yandu City, and disappeared into the crowd.

Jiang Ziyou’s face turned pale as she stared at Jiang Chen’s departing back. Her hands clenched tightly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. ’You ungrateful fool. Since you insist on doing this the hard way, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Jiang Chen, you brought all of this on yourself!’

With Jiang Chen’s departure, the commotion he had caused slowly died down.

Qian Duoduo stood on the altar, cleared his throat, and announced, "Everyone, all the geniuses of our Yandu City have now inscribed their names upon the Zhenjiang Stele. Next, you will all have one day to prepare. At noon tomorrow, all the young experts who surpassed a height of one hundred feet will gather here before heading to the battlefield to hunt Demon Beasts!"

"The rest of the evening belongs to all of us! The bonfire festival begins now!"

At Qian Duoduo’s command, a signal rocket shot toward the heavens, instantly bursting into a brilliant firework against the darkening Celestial Vault.

On the ground, the million-strong crowd of experts gathered around clusters of bonfires, beginning the night’s celebratory festivities.

As for the young geniuses who had surpassed the one-hundred-foot mark on the Zhenjiang Stele, they returned to their respective families or factions to rest and recuperate, preparing for the Demon Beast hunt that would begin the next day.

But what no one noticed was that in the dark of night, a figure quietly slipped away from the Jiang Family’s camp, following the direction Jiang Chen had taken...