"Still quibbling here? As long as it doesn't violate the oath, why fear a vicious oath! Moreover, are my terms truly that harsh? I laid mine out plainly, whereas your conditions are to accept any terms you propose, at any time, without question, three times over. Everyone here has eyes; ask them, whose terms are harsher! What did your second brother just say? Didn't he swear in the name of the Zhan family that if I avoided the fight, there would absolutely be no place for me, Mo Junye, within the Misty Illusory Mansion? Speaking of overbearing, who is truly more overbearing?" Jun Moxie continued his pursuit.

"I—I didn't mean it that way just now. I was merely afraid Brother Mo would refuse the challenge, and I misspoke. The Zhan family has elders above and older brothers beside them. What right does Zhan Yushu have to represent the Zhan family? I absolutely had no intention of coercing Brother Mo." However, today's battle is long past being solely about my Zhan family; it concerns the future pillar of the entire Illusory Mansion. Even if Brother Mo deliberately avoids the fight, it is still arrogant. Why stoop to villainy!" Zhan Yushu, proving to be quick-witted, instantly shifted the focus.

"Villain? Who the villain is, I believe everyone present already knows perfectly well! I will only reiterate one point: As long as you agree to the terms I have set, the match can begin immediately. It's the same old story—the decision rests in the hands of you two brothers. I understand why you hesitate to commit; it's simply because you know you lack the necessary weight. That, at least, shows some self-awareness..." Jun Moxie sneered: "I say you two are just small fries in the Zhan family who can't make it to the main table, yet you still refuse to admit it! You keep boasting about how great the Zhan family is... Now look at this: over a mere qualification to enter the Spirit Herb Garden, the two young masters dare not agree instantly... Shame on you for your self-praise just moments ago! I truly doubt how many of the promises you've made before can actually be kept! Bah!" At this moment, Young Master Jun was utterly relentless, fixing the two men with a gaze of bone-deep contempt, treating them like paupers trying to swell their faces to look rich: "Then what conditions do you have the audacity to propose to me? Do you even qualify? You are daring to impose terms on the possessor of an ancient and rare Ethereal Physique! Don't you feel ashamed? Dreaming of taking advantage of this great genius? It's simply a toad lusting after swan meat! You've completely misjudged your hearts! Bah, haha, bah, haha, bah..." In an instant, the Zhan brothers flushed red, yet remained helpless and unable to retaliate!

Now the matter was abundantly clear: they had proposed difficult conditions for the other party, and the other party had agreed! But facing the counter-conditions proposed by the opponent, they themselves dared not agree, or perhaps lacked the authority to do so. Since they lacked the qualification in the first place... then proposing a contest with all sorts of harsh conditions was nothing short of a farce, sheer 'toad lusting after swan meat,' lacking both grace and character... Across the way, atop a tavern, two old men sat quietly in opposite rooms. In the center of the room, an incense burner slowly burned, its pale smoke coiling straight upward. Compared to the commotion across the street, this space held only profound stillness!

"This little fellow with the Ethereal Physique is indeed no ordinary figure. I fear Yushu and Qingfeng will certainly gain no advantage under his hand..." one of the old men murmured softly, his eyes slightly closed.

"Indeed, these brothers have had things too easy these past few years, making them naturally overestimate themselves. It's good to use this opportunity for some tempering," the other elder replied, seated cross-legged, without even lifting his eyelids.

"But the condition he set, what is your assessment? Agree or not agree?" The former elder fixed his gaze on Mo Junye's otherwise ordinary face. At this moment, the owner of that face was unleashing a torrent of abuse upon the two rising stars of the Zhan family, saying everything vile possible, leaving the two utterly crimson-faced but unable to retaliate... "This condition, it's actually fine to agree to it." The cross-legged elder still hadn't opened his eyes: "The reason Yushu and Qingfeng dare not agree is because this matter involves too much; they do not hold enough authority to decide. Remember, power is something that dictates a person's spirit!" "But looking at it from another angle, agreeing to this condition is inconsequential. As Mo Junye said, as long as one wins in the end, what does swearing an oath matter? Besides, that boy has absolutely no hope of victory," the old man stated calmly: "So what if an oath is made now? When victory and defeat are clearly decided shortly, who will remember this matter? Even if someone does recall it, they will only praise Yushu and Qingfeng for their courage in daring to agree to such terms! This will actually benefit them." "But what if they lose?" the first elder worried: "Anything is possible." "There is absolutely no possibility of losing!" The cross-legged elder finally showed an expression, a slight curl on his lips forming a mocking smile: "Furthermore, even if they did lose, it's only one spot to enter the Spirit Herb Garden. Our Zhan family might still secure it! Letting him enter once, what of it? Even if he were lucky enough to resonate with the Sacred Tree, that would only mean the Miao family loses influence, which is a good thing for our Zhan family, as the Miao family would consequently be aligned against that boy!" "Even if this boy becomes our enemy in the future, he won't possess overwhelming strength for at least three to five hundred years! If we discover things are amiss, eliminating him would be as easy as flipping our hands," the elder reasoned. "Our current primary target is the Illusory Mansion, not the Ethereal Physique! This point must be seen clearly. If one lacks even this insight, how can one achieve anything great?" "Yes! You are right," the first elder, though seemingly similar in age to the speaker, held an exceedingly respectful demeanor, like a junior before a senior... "However, this possessor of the Ethereal Physique is far more than just a cultivation prodigy! This person must be controlled more strictly!" the elder finished, then closed his eyes.

The elder beside him pondered the statement, then moved his lips slightly, transmitting a message telepathically to Zhan Qingfeng.

"Good! We agree to this condition!" Zhan Qingfeng opposite immediately feigned indignation, leaping to his feet and shouting: "I presume there are two more conditions. Best to state them all at once! Delaying will only make me look down on you!" In his heart, however, he breathed a secret sigh of relief—so the Old Ancestor was here today... Today was surely secure. But he also felt a pang of regret: I wonder if my performance just now disappointed the Old Ancestor?

"What spirit!" Jun Moxie applauded: "In fact, the second condition is nothing major, even simpler. If I win, you two brothers must kneel and kowtow to me ten times, calling me 'Grandpa' ten times!"

"You!" Zhan Yushu's eyes instantly flared red with anger: "What kind of condition is this? Although your Profound Qi cultivation isn't high, relying on your Ethereal Physique, you are now a figure of standing in the Illusory Mansion! How can you propose such a base condition?" "We agree!" Zhan Qingfeng abruptly cut off Zhan Yushu, staring fiercely at Jun Moxie, spitting out harshly: "As long as you can win!" This condition, while more humiliating, wasn't something inherently impossible to fulfill, so it had to be accepted!

"Straightforward! As for the third condition, it's also simple. I'll copy your method: if I win, I can make any single demand of the Zhan family, and you must agree to whatever it is!"

"It must be done! And this demand has no time limit. I will present it whenever I wish; if I don't feel like presenting it, even if you beg me, I won't bring it up." Jun Moxie spoke it all in one breath. The three conditions, while seemingly extremely harsh, appeared quite simple if one focused only on the surface.

"This condition is unacceptable. You are alone, with few ties, whereas our Zhan family involves countless people. If you demand our entire family commit mass suicide, must we listen to you?" Zhan Yushu's eyes darted, and he immediately cried out.

"You are so greedy for life that even if I made that demand, it would be useless," Jun Moxie shook his head: "Do I look like such a fool?" Both brothers cursed internally: He does, he absolutely does!

The terms settled, the next step was finding witnesses. Naturally, witnesses were readily available. Out of the Eight Great Families of the Illusory Mansion, descendants of six were present, along with Miao Xiaomiao. Seven heavyweight witnesses were thus established!

The cultivation of each of these seven individuals was not trivial; all had reached the profound levels of Supreme or above. While this level of cultivation might not warrant a second glance from true powerhouses, for their age group, it was commendable!

Coupled with the massive influence behind them, calling them heavyweight witnesses was no exaggeration!

To demonstrate complete impartiality, Miao Xiaomiao specifically ordered everyone to immediately summon peak figures from every profession to bear witness. To prevent the possibility that those present had already been bought off by the Zhan family, Miao Xiaomiao decisively invited ten more people!

This resulted in a contest, ostensibly between (spoiled young nobles), becoming astonishingly grand—a total of seventeen witnesses! And not one of them could be overlooked... "Hmph, hmph, hmph..." Zhan Yushu looked at Jun Moxie and let out a triumphant snort.

"Heh, heh, heh..." Jun Moxie looked back at the Zhan brothers and also gave a sinister chuckle.

Both sides were confidently certain of victory, indulging in secret self-satisfaction.

Everyone in the hall felt a surge of energy: the good show was finally about to begin!

Then, someone brought brush, ink, paper, and inkstone—the Four Treasures of the Study. The conditions tied to the match were penned by Miao Xiaomiao. With the whoosh-whoosh-whoosh of the brush, calligraphy sprang onto the paper instantly. Zhan Yushu and Zhan Qingfeng were already impatient; they immediately made an oath, vicious and sharp, bit their fingers, wrote blood letters, and pressed their bloody handprints.

As this Young Master Mo, the bearer of the Ethereal Physique, followed suit, the bloody document in the hall instantly added a layer of grim horror and tension to the atmosphere of the competition!

It is now 1:00 AM, and I'm continuing to work overtime...