The crowd laughed, because in their eyes, what Yang Qi said was simply inconceivable. In this profit-first society, all anyone cared about was personal gain. They didn’t give a damn about the suffering of the lower classes; their only concern was how much they could benefit. Even if people froze to death on the roads, what did that have to do with them?

Therefore, Yang Qi’s words failed to resonate with them. He hadn’t expected them to accept his philosophy anytime soon, nor did he need them to. They just had to follow his rules to get things done.

"To be honest, you’re still too young, too naive," the King of Jingnan said dismissively. "Do you think we don’t see people suffering and dying? See families destroyed and lives lost? But, so what? Their suffering enriches us. Isn’t that for the best? Without those poor wretches, where would we be?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, all of them thinking Yang Qi was out of his mind.

"I don’t care if you understand or accept it," Yang Qi said, slamming his hand on the table. "What I say goes. Do it my way, or get out of Thunder City and get out of Jingnan Prefecture."

"Heh, then you’ll have to make us submit," the King of Jingnan said with a wave of his hand. Just then, Shockwave Palm spoke into his earpiece, "Come in!"

The next moment, a group of about eight hundred people surged in from outside, including the top one hundred experts from the True Martial White Tower. Every single one was a master, a Grandmaster Level existence. This was the Jingnan Royal Mansion’s trump card—the White Tower Guards!

The vast room was instantly packed solid. However, this was only a fraction of their forces. In addition to the White Tower Guards, all the Martial Artists cultivated by the Jingnan Royal Mansion within the True Martial White Tower had also arrived, surrounding the place completely. At a single command from the King of Jingnan, a volley of arrows would fly, turning Yang Qi and his companions into human pincushions.

Seeing this, those who were kneeling stood back up. An individual’s strength was ultimately limited; even the strongest would eventually tire. Numbers were crucial. After all, no one had ever seen someone who could shatter mountains and rivers with a single punch. Even for a Martial Arts Overlord, killing a fierce tiger with one blow was an incredible feat. A lone tiger is no match for a pack of wolves.

"Kid, why don’t you try acting so arrogant now?" Wang Hai sneered, getting to his feet with a smug look at Yang Qi.

SWISH! A streak of sword light flashed through the air, piercing Wang Hai’s knee. "I didn’t say you could stand up. Who else wants to try?"

This single sword strike frightened everyone into kneeling again. Is this kid a lunatic? How can he not be scared with so many of us here?

"King of Jingnan, why bring out this rabble? To die?" Yang Qi asked, shaking his head. "I’ve already said that I don’t enjoy fighting and killing, and I especially dislike one-sided slaughter. This is just boring."

"Are you scared?" the King of Jingnan laughed. "It’s alright. Young people make mistakes; it’s understandable. I’ll give you a chance to repent. You must work for me, swear an oath of allegiance, and kneel before me as my subject. If you do, I might consider letting you live."

In the King’s view, with his four top masters and so many White Tower Guards, Yang Qi and his group had no chance of escape. No matter how powerful they were, they would meet their end here. Critically, the King of Jingnan himself and Heavenly Slaughter Sword were formidable Third-Rank Overlords—experts who would be considered top-tier even in a place like Sea City. Therefore, the King of Jingnan was certain they had already won.

Yang Qi shook his head. "With all these good-for-nothing troops of yours, I don’t even need to lift a finger. I really don’t know why you bothered dragging them here. It’s just going to make cleaning the floor a hassle later."

At these words, everyone was stunned. Is this young man truly insane? To call so many experts ’good-for-nothings’ and a ’rabble’?

"Since you’re so arrogant, we’ll settle this according to the rules of the Jianghu," the King of Jingnan declared. "If you can beat us into submission, we will all obey you. If not, the Star Shining Society and the Qifei Group will both be ours."

"Heh, that simplifies things," Yang Qi chuckled. "I will fight alone. On your side, you can send anyone you wish—anyone present here is fair game."

Hearing this, the King of Jingnan grew furious. Heavenly Slaughter Sword grew furious. Shockwave Palm grew furious. The Undying Barbarian King grew furious! This brat is too much! He has no respect for us at all. He’s practically begging to die!

"Kid, won’t you reconsider? It’ll be too late for regrets soon," the King of Jingnan warned, frowning.

"Heh, regret?" Yang Qi sneered. "The only ones who will have regrets are you. I will make you understand that numbers don’t always mean strength; sometimes, they’re just a burden. To avoid harming the innocent, let’s change venues. I think the arena in your True Martial White Tower would be perfect."

"Change venues!" The King of Jingnan waved his hand, and everyone left the room, heading for the arena on the one-hundredth floor.

The arena on the one-hundredth floor was specially constructed. It was far sturdier than the one on the ninety-ninth floor and could withstand much more punishment, so there was no fear of it being destroyed. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

On the arena platform, Yang Qi beckoned with his finger. "Come on. Bring it on."

"Hmph, you asked for this! Don’t blame us for using our numbers against you," the elder of the Black Wolf Sect said, waving his hand. Aside from the Jingnan Royal Mansion, the other five families all sent out their experts. Each family contributed over a hundred people, totaling more than five hundred Martial Artists. They were preparing for a war of attrition.

"A war of attrition is boring," Yang Qi said nonchalantly. "Just come at me all at once. It’ll save time."

"Grant him his wish! Attack together!" the elder of the Black Wolf Sect roared. The pent-up hatred from having been forced to kneel earlier now completely erupted.

The entire crowd surged toward the arena platform, but Yang Qi simply smiled. A Cultivator is the last person who should fear being mobbed by a rabble.

Ice Condensing Technique!

In an instant, ice spread from Yang Qi’s feet, enveloping the entire arena. The warriors charging toward him suddenly found their feet frozen to the floor. By the time they thought of retreating, it was too late. Their bodies were rapidly being encased in ice.

Initially, the King of Jingnan and the others had believed that even if Yang Qi was strong, a lone tiger couldn’t stand against a pack of wolves. He would surely be overwhelmed and be forced to take hits. But the moment the fight truly began, they realized just how naive their thinking had been. This method of combat was completely different from anything they had imagined.

Five hundred Martial Artists didn’t even get the chance to approach Yang Qi before they were all frozen in place. He had shown mercy by not freezing them solid, merely stripping them of their ability to fight. Otherwise, every last one of them would have been finished.

One second. It took only a single second to defeat over five hundred people. This couldn’t even be called a battle!

"Surrender, or die," Yang Qi said, his gaze sweeping over them coldly.

"We surrender! We surrender!" The crowd, already frightened to death and feeling their legs go numb from the cold, hurriedly conceded. In our eyes, Yang Qi isn’t human. He’s a terrifying demon, an insurmountable foe we could never hope to defeat!