Without much thought, Zong Shou drew his sword, his eyes slightly open, pupils crimson: "If you want to break the engagement, then I will beat you!"

A profound silence descended once more within the stone hall. Xuan Yuan Tong’s eyes turned slightly cold, but then he caught a wave of cloying alcohol fumes washing over him. Looking closely at Zong Shou again, he saw that not only were his cheeks flushed, but his eyes lacked any focus. Only then did his expression soften; remembering Zong Shou hadn't cultivated internal energy and had drunk so much, he was likely just drunk. Nevertheless, Xuan Yuan Tong couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile: "Young Lord, this world ultimately respects strength. No matter how aggrieved or dissatisfied you are, you need sufficient power, sufficient influence, to have dignity. But you possess neither right now. How can you possibly beat me? This matter of the engagement is settled. I will compensate you properly later..." Zong Shou, however, offered no further reply. With a dull, heavy gait, clutching the Thunder Fang Sword in his hand, he strode directly across the ceremonial table toward Xuan Yuan Tong.

These words felt vaguely familiar, as if he had heard them before, yet the feeling of discomfort intensified. The last vestiges of reason in his mind could no longer suppress the urge. All he wanted was to find someone and engage in a fierce fight, to pummel these noisy people until he could vent the suffocating frustration burning in his chest.

Respect the strong? Indeed! Whether a thousand years hence or in this very era, those with supreme martial prowess controlled everything—it was the same! Yet these people never seemed to grasp who the truly strong ones were.

If they insisted on emphasizing respect for strength, then he would speak with his sword and his fists!

Initially, the people in the hall paid no mind, merely watching with cold sneers. It was only when Zong Shou, with the powerful stride of a dragon, reached sixty paces from Xuan Yuan Tong that they each knitted their brows. They wondered if Zong Shou had truly gone mad from distress.

Only Hu Zhong Yuan and Zong Yuan’s eyes lit up with intense anticipation. They inwardly mused that a good show was about to unfold. There was no thought of intervening in their chests; instead, they harbored a sense of schadenfreude.

The words spoken just now had thoroughly displeased them as well.

Chu Xue, however, hesitated, unsure how to handle the escalating situation.

When Zong Shou advanced another ten paces, Luo Yan’s eyes snapped open in anger: "You are presumptuous!"

The oppressive array of the Spiritual Formation here suppressed the venting of internal energy outwards. Luo Yan simply leaped out, moving to Zong Shou's side, and flung his sleeve directly towards him. He intended to teach the sharp-tongued, reckless Young Lord a painful lesson. The voluminous sleeve swept out like a sheet of tempered steel.

Xuan Yuan Tong’s gaze sharpened slightly. While he was displeased with Zong Shou, he felt Luo Yan was going too far and was just about to speak out and stop him, when his eyes suddenly locked in place, unable to shift.

A faint shimmer of sword light suddenly flashed in Zong Shou’s hand. With what seemed like the most casual of strokes, he cleanly sliced Luo Yan’s sleeve right at the cuff. Then the sword light snapped back, directly slamming the flat of the blade—Pa!—into Luo Yan’s face. "Get lost! This Young Lord is going to beat someone; don't block my way!"

He had managed to retain just enough composure not to decapitate Luo Yan on the spot. He then continued stepping forward, moving toward the opposite side.

Luo Yan staggered back several steps before regaining his footing. He spat out a mouthful of bloody foam mixed with several broken teeth.

After a moment of stunned bewilderment, his eyes turned crimson. He let out a low growl, like a wild beast losing all reason, and immediately snatched up the Ancient Sun Axe from behind him, bringing it down in a heavy chop toward Zong Shou.

The movement was as swift as a startled rabbit, like a star shooting across the sky. Those surrounding him were still reeling in shock and completely caught off guard. By the time they reacted, the axe light was already above Zong Shou's head—immensely powerful yet lightning fast, leaving almost no room for evasion.

Even Chu Xue and Hu Zhong Duo felt a chill in their hearts, sensing danger. But then they saw Zong Shou shift his stance, narrowly avoiding the blade by what seemed like millimeters. His Thunder Fang Sword struck out again.

"I said don't block my path, you brainless fool, get out of the way!"

The sword light twisted and weaved, piercing directly through the shadow of the axe. The onlookers' vision was obstructed, and they couldn't discern what had happened, only to hear another heavy Pa! The flat of the Thunder Fang Sword once again struck Luo Yan viciously across the face. This time Zong Shou hit harder, shattering the side of his cheek!

Luo Yan retreated over ten paces this time, nearly all sixteen teeth on the right side completely pulverized.

Utterly beaten into a stupor, he stood motionless on the spot.

In the hall, Xuan Yuan Tong and Zhu Jun Hou and the others were left with expressions of utter disbelief, their features frozen in shock.

Though they couldn't see clearly, their spiritual senses perceived the exchange, making them even more aware of how extraordinary that sword strike was. It appeared simple and unadorned, yet in that instant, it underwent several transformations, leaving one completely unable to track its intent. They also knew that although Luo Yan’s internal energy was suppressed, his physical strength remained, and his martial foundation was exceedingly profound, having steeped himself in the 'Presence' of martial arts for a long time. Even within the Iron Gang Hall, ten or a hundred ordinary Innate Martial Masters would not match him.

Could that last sword strike have been merely a coincidence? No, if it were an ordinary person, just the aura of the Black Tortoise Sect alone would have been unbearable, let alone the ability to draw a sword. But weren't the rumors saying the Qian Tian Son of Heaven, Zong Shou, had no martial arts cultivation?

Luo Yan slowly recovered his senses, but a fierce glint returned to his eyes, his expression turning utterly savage. "Heh heh! Very good, today I will slay you!"

He crouched low, flashing forward ten zhang like a leopard. The axe light flared again, aiming directly at Zong Shou's chest and abdomen.

Xuan Yuan Tong involuntarily sat upright, tensing, ready to leap forward and save him at any moment. Then he saw Zong Shou's sword light flash again, this time meeting the massive axe head directly.

Clang!

A piercing metallic resonance echoed sharply through the Iron Gang Hall. The scene Xuan Yuan Tong had imagined—Zong Shou’s sword being knocked flying by the axe—did not materialize.

Instead, the sword was pressed down onto the giant axe, and Zong Shou used the leverage to spring upwards. With incredible agility, he evaded the blow. Then, in mid-air, the sword light struck again, this time landing heavily on Luo Yan's skull!

A massive force of several thousand jin erupted instantly. Even with Luo Yan’s Black Tortoise physique, his true qi being entirely suppressed, he could not withstand it. He pitched forward, collapsing onto the ground.

"Why won't this stop?"

Zong Shou pouted with extreme impatience, about to step past the fallen man. Then, a subtle shift occurred in his mind. In his hazy consciousness, he recalled the insults this man had hurled at him earlier—they seemed truly vile. A cold smile touched his lips, and he abruptly halted. This person was treacherous and bore grudges easily. If he hadn't remembered before, it was one thing, but now that the memory was clear, how could he possibly let it go?

The flame burning in his chest, once ignited, would not be easily extinguished.

Just as Luo Yan gathered every ounce of his strength to rise again from the ground, Zong Shou drove his sword out fiercely once more. With a heavy Peng!, it struck Luo Yan’s head again, slamming him back to the floor.

"Did you just call me trash? Always using that word, don't you ever get tired of it? Forget it, adding a piece of scum is a bit of novelty, so I won't press you. You said that since your Xuanshan City reneged on the agreement, there was nothing I could do? Well, I'm beating you up now. What are you going to do about it?"

When Luo Yan managed to support himself on his limbs, attempting to stand once more, Zong Shou suddenly lashed out with a kick, sending him flying several zhang. Luo Yan was already dazed and groggy, only able to grit his teeth and hiss repeatedly, "I'll kill you! I definitely must kill you!"

"Kill me? With your meager skills, who can you kill?"

Zong Shou gave a cold sneer. For a moment, he forgot Xuan Yuan Tong and walked directly in front of Luo Yan. As the man stood up and swung his axe again, the sword in Zong Shou's hand traced another arc of light.

This strike landed on the back of Luo Yan’s hand. With a light crack, the Ancient Sun Axe was knocked clear from his grip.

"You're using the Eight Desolations Axe technique? Such a supreme axe art, and you wield it like this—it truly sullies that profound skill. With this little bit of ability, why are you putting on such airs? Do you really think you're that powerful? My Uncle Hu, even at the same realm, could defeat you ten times over, and I never saw him..."

Hu Zhong Yuan immediately broke into a broad smile. As a son, he was naturally delighted to hear Zong Shou praise his father, especially when it came from the Young Lord’s mouth, making it all the more precious.

Meanwhile, nearly everyone in the hall was left looking bewildered. Luo Yan, despite being a Black Tortoise Grandmaster, was now sprawled on the ground, being struck with the flat of a sword by Zong Shou. The man whom everyone believed viewed Luo Yan as an ant, Zong Shou, now stood tall, coldly looking down at Luo Yan, waving his sword, his entire demeanor radiating an aura of 'I am extremely displeased.'

What was even harder to accept was that, even now, none of them could gauge the depth of his ability. Merely through variations in swordsmanship, he had completely suppressed Luo Yan.

Zong Yuan looked on with pity, feeling both fortunate that he hadn't been subjected to such a beating from Zong Shou that day—it would have been a complete loss of face—and worried. Given the Young Lord's temperament, angering him might result in being publicly displayed, tied up at the city gate for three days. It seemed better to be more cautious in the future.

"You claimed this world respects strength. Now, between you and me, who is truly strong and who is weak?"

Zong Shou struck Luo Yan with his sword for almost every sentence he spoke.

At this point, the surrounding crowd finally reacted. Zhu Jun Hou was the first to frown, leaping forward.

"Young Lord, please stop!"

As the warning left his lips, he was already close, a short halberd appearing in both hands, sweeping out. There was no killing intent, but it stirred up a wave of fierce blade light, intending to force Zong Shou away. Tan Tao followed closely behind, his twin Mandarin Duck Blades also slashing swiftly.

A cold glint flashed in Zong Shou’s eyes. He suddenly turned, his entire figure, along with the sword in his hand, becoming illusory, seeming neither real nor unreal, shifting between solidity and mist.

At this moment, Xuan Yuan Tong couldn't help but have his eyes bulge slightly; he tightly gripped the wine cup in his hand until it shattered into dust.

"Is that Sword Intent?"

As the phantom sword shadows flashed from Zong Shou’s hands and stabbed outwards, it was clearly a martial intent that bewildered and enchanted the mind!