Mei Yunhe’s face went pale as ash.
He shot forward like a flash, nearly tripping over himself as he rushed between Mo Yichen and Bai Zihan, forcing out a panicked smile.
“Y-Young Master Bai! Please, forgive this rudeness! T-this young man is… is Mo Yichen! A close friend to our clan—a benefactor, even! He once saved our disciples from a demonic beast raid! I don’t know why he’s acting out like this!”
He turned to Mo Yichen with gritted teeth, his voice lowered but still tense.
“Mo Yichen! Stop this madness at once! How dare you show disrespect to the esteemed Young Master of the Bai Clan?”
Mo Yichen flinched, caught off guard by Mei Yunhe’s words.
He’d always been treated with respect—he’d even helped the Mei Clan more than once, and right now, he was still trying to help them.
So why was Mei Yunhe talking like this?
Then it hit him—it had to be because of Bai Zihan. The fear in Mei Yunhe’s eyes… he wasn’t angry, he was scared.
Maybe… maybe Mei Yunhe was the one trying to protect him—even though Mo Yichen was the one who thought he was doing the protecting.
“Clan Leader, I appreciate your concern but I can take care of myself.”
Mo Yichen replied.
Mei Yunhe’s face twitched.
(What do you mean you appreciate my concern? Please stop angering Bai Zihan!)
But before Mei Yunhe could say anything to Mo Yichen, he stepped forward again.
“I don’t care what kind of monstrous background he has.”
He said, pointing directly at Bai Zihan.
“I won’t just stand by while someone tramples over others like some petty tyrant.”
The words echoed like a slap through the Main Hall.
A ripple of gasps ran through the Mei Clan.
Mei Yunhe almost choked on his own spit. He turned beet red—not from pride, but fury.
(This idiot! Why the hell is he provoking the Bai Clan?! Does he think he’s doing some noble deed?!)
’You goddamn moron, you’re gonna drag us all down with you!’
Mei Yunhe screamed internally, but forced a tight smile in front of Bai Zihan.
He turned, about to kneel and beg again—maybe plead for mercy—but Mo Yichen cut him off with a raised hand.
“I said I won’t back down.”
He then looked straight at Bai Zihan, eyes steady with a flame burning behind them.
“I challenge you. One-on-one. Right here, right now!”
Mo Yichen declared righteously.
“If I win, I want you to leave the Mei Clan alone!”
The entire hall went dead silent.
Even the Bai Clan elders looked like they were looking at an idiot.
Was this brat insane?
Why would Bai Zihan even accept such a ridiculous request?
Everyone still believed Bai Zihan was only at the Core Formation Stage, while Mo Yichen was clearly radiating the aura of a Golden Core cultivator.
The gap in strength was obvious.
There was no benefit in accepting. The outcome was practically predetermined—so why bother?
They expect Bai Zihan to angrily order them to kill Mo Yichen.
Bai Zihan raised an eyebrow, amused by how typical this scenario was.
The protagonist, knowing he’s at a disadvantage with no powerful background, pulls one last trick.
Challenge the “weaker” young master of the enemy faction, poke at their pride, make them accept, then beat them down and walk away with glory—leaving the young master disgraced.
Even when the young master should have the upper hand, fate bends to the protagonist’s will.
Mo Yichen was following the script perfectly.
If he succeeded, he’d earn the Mei Clan’s gratitude, boost his reputation, and make Bai Zihan look like a joke.
Bai Zihan leaned back in his seat, chuckling softly.
“Is that so?”
He tapped the rim of his teacup thoughtfully.
“Honestly, I wasn’t planning to play around today. Bit busy crushing a clan into the dirt, you know?”
A flicker of sword intent sparked from Mo Yichen’s blade.
“Scared?”
Bai Zihan let out a soft laugh.
“Cute!”
Mo Yichen was still trying to provoke him into accepting that ridiculous challenge—one with zero upside.
If he were one of those typical third-rate villains with more pride than brains, he probably would’ve taken the bait just to save face and underestimate the so-called protagonist.
Just then, one of the Bai Clan elders leaned in and whispered urgently.
“Be cautious, Young Master. This one isn’t just some random upstart. We’ve heard of him—Mo Yichen. He has been said to have defeated Three Golden Core Stage cultivators at the same time. We even considered recruiting him ourselves as he doesn’t seem to belong to any faction.”
The Bai Clan Elder was desperately trying to keep Bai Zihan from accepting the challenge in a fit of anger.
He—and the others—knew full well that the moment Bai Zihan agreed, the Bai Clan would end up losing face.
Instead of turning the Mei Clan into a warning for others, they’d become the ones humiliated.
“Oh?”
Bai Zihan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Now that was interesting.
Mo Yichen’s story arc was clearly heating up.
He was in that classic stage—his rep and cultivation exploding right before facing his first true boss.
Was Bai Zihan that boss?
He didn’t think so.
Maybe a third-rate villain. Definitely not final boss material.
Even in Bai Xinyue’s story, where their fates were deeply intertwined, he didn’t think he was her main enemy.
Just someone she needed to bulldoze for a power-up before taking on the real villain.
Maybe the Bai Clan as a whole was the final challenge.
But him? No way.
Anyway, Mo Yichen still had a long way to go before becoming invincible but his attitude was already arrogant, matching a third-rated villain.
Maybe he’d never suffered a real setback before. Or maybe he was just that confident in his strength—or rather, in his weapon.
A low, dangerous grin spread across Bai Zihan’s lips.
“Alright,” he said, standing up slowly and dusting off his sleeves.
“You want a duel? Fine. I’ll amuse you.”
Bai Zihan accepted.
He normally wouldn’t go along with the protagonist’s game, but this time, he was curious.
Could he, with his current strength, actually beat Heaven’s Chosen?
Would fate let him win? Or would some divine plot armor force him to lose?
Would the protagonist pull some last-minute miracle and win with 1 HP left?
And most importantly—could he kill Heaven’s Chosen?
If he found that answer, it would help him later. Besides, Mo Yichen only had one Fate Star.
Even if there was some backlash for killing him, it wouldn’t be too serious—not like offing a five-star protagonist.
Anyways, Bai Zihan thought that it was a good opportunity.