The laughter that escaped Bai Zihan’s lips was neither loud nor exaggerated, but it was enough to make the already tense atmosphere even more suffocating.
His tone dripped with mockery, his expression one of utter disdain as he lazily leaned back in his seat.
This left many people, including Zhao Chen and Li Feng, utterly baffled.
They had expected Bai Zihan to be furious or at least offended—but instead, he was sitting there, laughing like a madman.
“Haha…”
He chuckled again, shaking his head as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.
His sharp gaze swept across the room before landing on Zhao Chen.
“Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?”
His words immediately silenced the murmurs around him.
Zhao Chen’s smile stiffened for a fraction of a second before quickly regaining its usual elegance.
Zhao Chen was the genius of the Zhao Clan, and there wasn’t anyone who didn’t know him or dared to disrespect him the way Bai Zihan just had.
Moreover, he had been carefully steering the conversation to pressure Bai Zihan into accepting the challenge and hadn’t expected Bai Zihan to turn the tables on him like this.
Even Bai Xueqing struggled to counter Zhao Chen’s eloquence, yet Bai Zihan couldn’t care less about appearances.
Instead, he met Zhao Chen’s words with outright hostility and rudeness.
“Hehehe… And those who are saying that I should accept the challenge—step forward. I promise I won’t destroy your clan!”
Bai Zihan said, his tone carrying an unmistakable threat.
It was clear that he wasn’t pleased with those who dared to support Zhao Chen and his ideas.
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire hall fell into a dead silence.
Who would dare step forward now? Who could guarantee that Bai Zihan wouldn’t follow through on his threat?
Seeing Bai Zihan taking control of the situation and asserting his dominance, Zhao Chen stepped forward, attempting to steer the conversation back in his favor.
“Young Master Bai, isn’t it inappropriate for you to threaten others just because you don’t like their opinion? Isn’t that the very definition of tyranny?”
Zhao Chen’s voice was steady, his expression unreadable.
Bai Zihan clicked his tongue and lazily rested his cheek on his palm.
“Zhao Chen, do you really think I can’t see through your little ploy? You must be even dumber than you look if you believe I’d play along.”
Even Zhao Chen’s expression flickered slightly.
“Young Master Bai Zihan! What do you mean by that?”
Zhao Chen tried to feign ignorance.
Bai Zihan scoffed.
“You hide behind flowery words and pretend to be polite, but all you’re doing is trying to pressure me into accepting this idiots challenge.”
Zhao Chen’s expression remained calm, but his eyes flashed dangerously.
“Young Master Bai, I don’t understand what you’re trying to imply. This is merely a fair—”
“A fair challenge?”
Bai Zihan interrupted, sneering.
“Spare me the nonsense. Since when was it my responsibility to entertain a fool’s delusions?”
He stretched lazily, making it seem like the entire situation bored him.
“Li Feng wants me to fight? And for what? Just because he’s throwing a tantrum over an engagement that has nothing to do with him? Why the hell should I entertain his whims?”
A murmur rippled through the crowd again.
Bai Zihan smirked.
“Oh, Li Feng, you really think you’re the protagonist in some tragic love story, don’t you? ‘Oh, my love, I cannot bear to see you with another man! I must challenge him to prove my feelings!'”
Bai Zihan placed a hand on his chest in mock sorrow before rolling his eyes.
“What a joke!”
Laughter erupted from a few people in the crowd, though they quickly quieted under the weight of the tension.
Li Feng’s face turned red with anger.
“You—”
Being mocked so openly, Li Feng couldn’t hold back his rage.
His entire body trembled as he glared at Bai Zihan, pointing a shaking finger at him.
“Bai Zihan! Don’t go too far!”
Li Feng spat.
“Haha… Too far? So you barging into my engagement and challenging me isn’t going too far?”
Bai Zihan shot back, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Bai Zihan, I just want to get over my love for Miss Chu Ziyan. Or are you scared to fight me?”
Li Feng provoked, his frustration reaching its peak.
Previously, he wanted to fight Bai Zihan because of his clan’s orders, but now, he genuinely couldn’t wait to beat him up.
“Haha… Why should I dirty my hands fighting a sore loser? If you want to prove something so badly, why don’t you go find a mirror and fight yourself?”
The hall fell into stunned silence.
No one knew what kind of pill Bai Zihan had taken to give him the audacity to look down on both the geniuses of the Li and Zhao Clans—especially when he was considered the greatest waste of the Bai Clan.
Not only was Bai Zihan blatantly disregarding them, but he was also insulting them time and time again.
Even Chu Ziyan was surprised by Bai Zihan’s boldness.
After all, even she had to be cautious with her words when speaking to them, yet Bai Zihan had no filter whatsoever.
(At least, you have some guts!)
Chu Ziyan thought to herself. Her impression of Bai Zihan rose slightly, though he was still the same arrogant young master in her eyes.
However, his arrogance didn’t waver even in front of the giants of the Desolate Heaven Empire.
It was ironic.
When Bai Zihan treated servants and weaker people with this same attitude, he was seen as a bully.
But when he showed that same arrogance toward the two strongest clans and their most talented descendants, suddenly, he was no longer a tyrant—he was a man of courage.
Same behavior, different audience—yet the way people perceived him changed entirely, even though he treated everyone the same.
Bai Zihan lazily leaned back, his gaze indifferent.
“And what’s the reward for this fight? If I lose, I have to cancel the engagement… but if I win, I just get to keep it?”
He scoffed.
“Are you kidding me? Isn’t this a complete loss-loss situation for me? Zhao Chen, you’re not stupid enough to think this is a fair challenge, right?”
That being said, having his engagement canceled wasn’t exactly a bad thing for him.
But if it happened under these circumstances, it would cause problems for his clan—and while Bai Zihan didn’t care much about his clan’s troubles, he did care about how it would affect his own life.
His father would make sure he suffered for losing.
Besides, there was no way he was going to let the Li and Zhao Clans achieve what they wanted so easily.
Bai Zihan knew that even if his cultivation was suppressed to match Li Feng’s, there was no way he would lose.
But accepting the challenge just like that?
No!
He had to squeeze every last bit of value out of Li Feng and Zhao Chen first.
Knowing how desperate they were to humiliate him and force him into accepting the challenge—along with their confidence that Li Feng would win—Bai Zihan was certain they would offer a worthwhile reward to make him agree.
(I am going to play along with your games but it ain’t going to be for free!)