Chapter 136: Lin Qi’an: “I Didn’t Sleep a Wink Last Night, Too Tired. Let’s Do This Another Day.”
In the Inner City, a fierce battle raged atop the challenge ring, with crowds of onlookers watching eagerly, curious to see who would ultimately secure the right to challenge the Beiyang Prince.
“Move aside, let me through!” Li Xuan landed powerfully on the ring, sending two cultivators flying with a single palm strike, leaving them coughing up blood.
“Who is this guy? He’s so strong!”
“His aura… is he at the peak of the Celestial Realm?”
“Is there really someone this powerful among the younger generation? The Prince was only in the early Celestial Realm!”
“Pfft, don’t be ignorant. The Prince’s battle strength can’t be measured by his realm alone.”
“But who is this guy? Which sect does he belong to? I’ve never seen him before.”
The man on the stage proclaimed, “My name is Li Xuan. If you wish to challenge me, come up together!”
“What boldness, to invite multiple challengers at once?”
“That’s just too arrogant!”
Quickly, a few more challengers rushed onto the stage, but Li Xuan defeated them all with ease, not even needing to draw his weapon. At that moment, the audience fully grasped the strength of the young man on stage.
And so, Li Xuan began his journey of defending the ring. As long as he defeated all challengers, he would earn the right to face Lin Qi’an!
…
While Li Xuan fought arduously in the ring, Lin Qi’an was already at Zhao Qingmeng’s residence, enjoying tea in the courtyard and chatting leisurely.
“You don’t know who he is?”
“Probably someone my father promised something to. That old man always causes trouble and has added to Brother Lin’s burdens,” Zhao Qingmeng said irritably.
Referring to the Tai’an Emperor as “that old man”—impressive…
To outsiders, Zhao Qingmeng was every bit a regal princess, but in front of Lin Qi’an, she was like a clingy little girl, sweet and affectionate.
“Oh, Brother Lin, you came to my residence first thing upon arriving in Tai’an City. If my sister finds out, won’t she be upset?” Zhao Qingmeng asked, blinking mischievously.
“Why are you acting so sly?”
“I’m worried about you! Oh, do you know where I live? I’m afraid you’ll get lost at night.”
“Who said I’d be visiting at night?” Lin Qi’an chuckled, both amused and exasperated.
“It’s been so long since we last met, and you’ve probably spent countless nights with your maidservants. Aren’t you going to spare some attention for your younger sister?” Zhao Qingmeng pouted, crossing her arms with a displeased look.
“Alright, alright. Just make sure you’re this confident tonight.”
…
As evening approached, Li Xuan thought he would dominate without any obstacles. After defeating over a hundred challengers, everyone became wary of this brute, and no one dared to step onto the ring anymore.
Just when people assumed Li Xuan would secure the right to challenge the Prince, another figure stepped forward.
“Ye Yun, requesting a match!”
Destined Child Ye Yun versus Destined Child Li Xuan—both were at the peak of the Celestial Layer!
A fierce battle erupted between them, each shocked by the other’s strength, forcing both to reveal their trump cards and go all out. They fought until the skies darkened, both ending up injured before finally calling a truce.
In the end, Li Xuan won by a narrow margin, but he was left battered, his clothes torn and bloodied.
“Who would’ve thought my first battle after leaving the mountain would be this tough…”
“But at least I won, which means I get to challenge Lin Qi’an, hehe…”
Ding! Destined Children Ye Yun and Li Xuan are both critically injured; both lose 300 Destiny Points.
Receiving this notification, Lin Qi’an laughed to himself. Without even lifting a finger, they were already wearing each other down?
But he didn’t dwell on it for long. Tonight, he had to keep Zhao Qingmeng company and nurture their bond…
…
The next morning, Lin Qi’an walked out with a yawn, stretching leisurely.
Su Xueni was already waiting nearby. She whispered, “Your Highness, that man has been waiting at the gate all night.”
“So determined?”
The guards were holding Li Xuan back, preventing him from barging into the princess’s residence. Outside, a crowd had gathered, all curious to see what the commotion was about since Li Xuan had been shouting for Lin Qi’an to come out and fight since before dawn.
“That guy’s pretty strong, I’ll admit. Yesterday, he won over a hundred matches and barely encountered any resistance!”
“Yes, but he seems a bit mentally unsound, constantly insisting the princess is his fiancée.”
“Ha! A toad dreaming of swan meat. I wonder how the Prince will deal with him?”
“If I were the Prince, I’d beat him to the ground and shut him up!”
People murmured and speculated among themselves. Finally, the door to the princess’s residence opened. Seeing the white-robed Prince step out, the crowd’s noise quickly subsided.
“Why does His Highness look so tired?”
“Not sure… he’s even yawning while walking.”
One glance at Li Xuan’s state nearly shocked Lin Qi’an into a laugh! Li Xuan was covered in wounds, his clothes were in tatters, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was gritting his teeth with fury.
Did he go that hard?
“Lin Qi’an… you’re finally out!” Li Xuan spat out, his voice simmering with rage. “Now, will you fight me?”
“Sorry, but I didn’t sleep a wink last night. I’m exhausted—how about another day?”
Not a wink of sleep!
Hearing this, Li Xuan’s heart felt as if it had been stabbed with a needle!
Pointing at Lin Qi’an, his eyes were wide with fury and disbelief. “You… what did you two do all night?!”
“Oh, not much. We just spent the night discussing life and dreams,” Lin Qi’an replied casually, prompting a ripple of laughter among the onlookers.
A man and a woman, spending the night together—what else could they have been doing? Debating philosophy or discussing world affairs? This guy was acting like a total clown!
“You… you two…” Li Xuan staggered back a few steps, his face twisted with disbelief. “She’s my fiancée—how could you?!”
While he was out fighting tooth and nail, his enemy was spending the night with his fiancée. In modern terms, it was like working hard to earn money while the man next door looked after his wife at home.
Who could tolerate that? His heart shattered, and his state of mind took a sudden shift.
“You’re right. We’re just friends. Don’t worry,” Lin Qi’an said with a mocking smile.
“Damn you… damn you!”
Ding! Li Xuan’s mental state has taken a hit. -100 Destiny Points. Host gains +1000 Villain Points.
In his rage, Li Xuan’s brutish temper was fully activated. He drew his long blade, releasing the terrifying aura of a Sacred Rank weapon. The power forced the crowd to retreat, their hearts racing in shock.
“A Sacred Weapon… this pauper actually has a Sacred Weapon!”
“So he didn’t even use his full power yesterday!”
“Interesting. He’s not just some ignorant country bumpkin!”
But just as everyone was in awe of Li Xuan’s Sacred Weapon, something unexpected happened…
Li Xuan froze.
The crowd fell silent.
Everyone’s jaws dropped in shock.
Li Xuan was now surrounded by four swords, each one positioned to strike from a different direction. Each sword radiated the aura of a Sacred Weapon, locking him in place!
“The Prince… is controlling four Sacred Weapons at once?”
“This is the first time I’ve seen the Prince in action, and it’s terrifying!”
“No wonder stories of his deeds have spread far and wide. His reputation is well-deserved!”
Li Xuan was trapped within a cage of swords—one at his right leg, another at his left arm, one at his neck, and one pointed at his chest. Each blade’s aura alone was enough to threaten his life.
“I’m giving you a chance to go back to your master. Killing you too quickly would just be boring,” Lin Qi’an said with a faint smile.
His tone was calm, but it cut even deeper. To Li Xuan, it felt as though Lin Qi’an was sparing his life as a courtesy to his master. The notion that Lin Qi’an could kill him any time he wanted shattered his once “invincible” mindset.
“Haha, I told you. The Prince may be at a lower realm, but his combat strength is on another level.”
“If the Prince wanted to kill him, it wouldn’t even take an effort. He’s just choosing to ignore him.”
“Hurry up and thank the Prince for sparing your life!”
Though Li Xuan felt resentful, he knew he was in poor condition. Once he’d recovered, he vowed he wouldn’t lose again.
“Lin Qi’an, mark my words. The humiliation I suffered today—I’ll repay you double in the future!” He spat out the classic vow of a defeated protagonist and stormed off furiously.
Lin Qi’an knew that his next stop would likely be to find his Great Emperor master and complain about what had happened. Timing-wise, Lin Qi’an’s father and his entourage should soon arrive in Tai’an City as well.
When it came to family backing, he had nothing to fear
——
Sure enough, Li Xuan staggered his way back to find Gu Jingyun, like a child returning home to report being bullied.
“Master… that Beiyang Prince was too much!”
Gu Jingyun was resting in the inn, waiting for someone and uninterested in trivial matters. He glanced at his bedraggled disciple.
“How did it go?”
“He stole my fiancée! He deserves death!” Li Xuan explained through gritted teeth, detailing the incident with every implication of humiliation.
Gu Jingyun could read between the lines.
He was utterly humiliated. His fiancée was taken, and even his attempt to fight was a failure. How could this be anything but shameful? And worse still, he had lost to Lin Weixuan’s son—a bitter and intolerable disgrace!
“In the future, when you’re out and about, don’t tell anyone I’m your master. I can’t afford to lose face like this.”
“Master! I was just careless. I fought over a hundred battles before challenging him, so I wasn’t at my peak!”
“Enough.” Gu Jingyun snorted coldly.
He didn’t care about other matters, but if the Tai’an Emperor was going back on his promise, that was a lack of respect. The agreement to marry his daughter to his descendant wasn’t one he’d let slide.
Especially since he’d lost the woman he’d once competed for with the Sword Emperor. Now his disciple couldn’t even outmatch the Sword Emperor’s son. The humiliation was relentless.
“I’ll go to the Tai’an Emperor myself!”