"Seventeen years have passed, yet Great Zhou hasn't changed much."
Su Lingchen spoke lightly.
"Master, where are we going?"
Zhuang Lin asked.
"That's a question you should answer."
Su Lingchen said, "You're the one from Great Zhou. Where can we find Yang Cheng? You should know better than me."
Zhuang Lin thought for a moment, then said, "According to the information from my Zhuang clan, Yang Cheng isn't in the imperial capital, and he's already left Mozhou. That means he's very likely in Chanzhou."
"The Xu clan of Chanzhou has deep ties with him. Perhaps we can check the Xu residence."
"Then we'll go to the Xu clan."
Su Lingchen said, "I'm already eager to see just how outstanding this future disciple of mine really is."
Xu clan.
At the front gate.
Several guards were chatting idly.
"Wang Wu, was that battle in Hetian Town really that incredible?"
The others all turned their eyes to a guard with thick eyebrows.
Wang Wu said proudly, "Of course it was."
He had been lucky enough to run an errand for the clan in Hetian Town and happened to witness the great battle between Yang Cheng and Chu Xuzhi.
After he returned, even the clan head and the young miss called him over and asked him for countless details.
These days, the rest of the clan had been flocking around him.
Although he had already recounted the events of that battle countless times, the Xu clan members never tired of hearing it.
He felt this was the luckiest moment of his life.
"Wang Wu—no, Brother Wang—tell us the story again."
The others begged.
Their obsession with this battle was not only because of their admiration for Yang Cheng, but also because they knew Yang Cheng had deep ties with the Xu clan.
The stronger Yang Cheng became, the more secure the Xu clan's status would be.
"Ahem, fine, I'll tell it again."
Wang Wu cleared his throat and said, "You don't understand. That battle was truly earth-shattering and ghost-crying."
"That Chu Xuzhi, hailed as the number one genius of the Western Regions, at first didn't even put our Crown Prince in his eyes."
"And what happened? Heh, once they actually fought, he was no match at all…"
The others listened, eyes bright, clapping and cheering from time to time.
"Wang Wu, is it true that the Crown Prince really shattered a mountain with one sword?"
Someone asked.
In truth, Yang Cheng had only cut apart an artificial mountain. But from Wang Wu's mouth, it had become a real mountain.
At first he had just exaggerated, but after repeating it so many times, he even started to believe it himself.
"Of course it's true."
Wang Wu's eyes widened. "You weren't there, so you can't imagine how shocking it was."
"There are legends of sword gods who can move mountains with one sword, cut rivers, overturn seas, suppress demons, command gods, pluck stars, shatter cities, and open the heavens. I think they must have been describing our Crown Prince."
"I think the Crown Prince isn't even human."
One guard said.
"You dare insult the Crown Prince?"
The others glared at him furiously.
"No, I mean the Crown Prince isn't human, he's a Sword God."
The guard quickly explained.
"Hahaha, now that's right."
Wang Wu laughed loudly. "The Crown Prince's strength already surpasses this age. Perhaps only a Sword God can describe him."
"Well said."
The others cheered in agreement.
"Crowning this age? Comparable to a Sword God?"
A cold voice suddenly rang out. "The Wasteland Realm is nothing but a tiny mayfly world. Before you say such things, have you asked the countless sword cultivators of the myriad realms?"
"Who are you?"
Wang Wu's face twisted in annoyance at being interrupted.
The other guards also turned sharp eyes toward the speaker.
The words carried clear disrespect for the Crown Prince.
They saw then a twelve-year-old youth standing at the gate with his hands behind his back. Behind him was a tall, imposing man wearing a bamboo hat.
"In the path of martial cultivation, the greatest taboo is arrogance and conceit. To achieve a little and already be full of pride…"
The youth said calmly, "By praising Yang Cheng so much, you'll only make him arrogant and misjudge his own strength. You're not helping him—you're harming him!"
"Shut your mouth!"
Wang Wu shouted angrily. "Crown Prince Yang killed even Chu Xuzhi. Does his strength need our praise? That's not boasting, it's the truth."
"Chu Xuzhi?"
The youth's eyes were cold. "That useless brat never mastered his arts properly. Yang Cheng killed him, and you dare look down on the heroes of the myriad realms because of that? Is that not the same as a frog in a well?"
"What a joke! Chu Xuzhi was a Ninth-Layer Martial Saint. Who do you think you are, to spout such nonsense here?"
Wang Wu barked.
The other guards clenched their fists, clearly taking the boy for some troublemaker.
If he dared insult the Crown Prince again, they wouldn't mind giving him a harsh beating.
"I'm not anyone special. But as Chu Xuzhi's master, I at least know my disciple well enough."
The youth's voice remained calm.
"You—Chu Xuzhi's master?"
Wang Wu and the guards all looked at each other in shock.
If it had just been this twelve-year-old boy saying it, they would never have believed him.
But the man standing behind him was huge-boned, skin like bronze, clearly a powerhouse.
That powerhouse treated the boy with great respect, which made them hesitate.
"This gate's restriction is somewhat interesting."
At that moment, the youth looked toward the Xu clan's main gate.
Wang Wu's heart stirred, and he decided to test him further.
"You say you're Chu Xuzhi's master, then you must be very strong."
He said, "The restriction on our Xu clan's gate was laid by our grandaunt. If you have the ability, then don't let us open it—step into the Xu clan yourself."
"Step into the Xu clan? What difficulty is that?"
The boy smiled faintly, then slowly closed his eyes.
"This guy… pretending to be mysterious…"
One guard frowned.
Before he finished speaking, Wang Wu clamped a hand over his mouth.
The next instant, that guard's eyes flew wide, mind going blank.
In their sight, the boy suddenly opened his eyes, raised one foot, and stepped down.
Boom!
The streets for who knew how many li around shook violently.
In that instant, not only Wang Wu and the guards, but everyone nearby was stunned.
A fissure spread out from beneath the boy's foot, racing forward with terrifying speed.
In just a moment, the crack reached the Xu clan's main gate.
With a sharp crack, the gate—reinforced with Hu Po's restriction, strong enough to block most Martial Saints—split straight down the middle.
A few breaths later, all returned to silence.
Bang!
Then the Xu clan's main gate collapsed into countless fragments.
Only then did the crowd outside see that the fissure had already stretched deep into the Xu clan, splitting all the way through to the main hall.
Wang Wu and the guards trembled violently.
What kind of existence was this?
The ground beneath their feet was still shaking, making it hard to even stand.
Before such a figure, they were no different from ants.
It seemed the reason he hadn't gotten angry at their earlier offense wasn't because of a good temper.
More likely, it was the same reason people don't bother stepping on ants—because it wasn't worth the effort.