“Well, how courteous of you. You actually showed up in person?”
Su Chen smiled cheerfully.
“I thought you could only appear as a shadow.”
The Emperor of Dayan’s expression flickered slightly as he cast a cold glance at Su Chen, thinking to himself: ‘Just who is this man?’
‘I’m the ruler of an entire nation. Even with a clone empowered by humanistic qi and guarded by the Golden Dragon of Protection, I was still shattered by a single punch from him.’
The Emperor turned his gaze to Ruo Ximeng, who stood obediently at Su Chen’s side.
Ruo Ximeng looked right back at him.
Her eyes were clear and pure, untouched by even the faintest trace of malice.
“Ruo Ximeng.”
He silently mouthed her name, and a complicated expression flickered across his face.
His younger sister had been a once-in-a-generation genius.
Born with the rare Dragon Phoenix Physique, her talent ranked among the highest in the world.
Not only that, her birth aligned perfectly with Heaven’s will.
She was a child of destiny, the Phoenix Daughter, carrying a fate blessed by the heavens.
But years ago, all of that was stripped away—just to benefit him.
According to the prophecy from the Astronomical Bureau, he was destined to lead Dayan to rise as an imperial dynasty—the Supreme Emperor of a new age.
And she? She was merely a stepping stone.
So he extracted her sacred bone, stole her bloodline, and forcibly took her fate.
He locked Ruo Ximeng in the deepest depths of the royal prison, condemning her to eternal darkness.
It had all seemed so justified.
After absorbing her entire foundation, his own cultivation soared.
In just a few years, he achieved results others couldn’t reach in decades.
He had almost forgotten her existence—forgotten the guilt that once gnawed at him.
But now, she stood before him once more.
And she looked at him without a trace of hatred.
[Why? Why don’t you hate me?]
[You should hate me!]
Just like back then—when everything was taken from her—she had looked at him with the same gaze.
And in that moment, he had never felt more wretched, more monstrous.
There is a kind of grace so immense, it turns into resentment.
A fierce glint passed through the Emperor’s eyes.
“I did nothing wrong. I will never be wrong!”
“I am the future emperor of Dayan. For you to offer everything to me—is your honor!”
“Besides, the prophecy was right. Reality has proven it.”
‘And also…’
‘Why?’
‘Why should someone so innocent and kind possess the kind of talent that countless others sacrifice their lives to obtain?’
This world—
In the end, it belongs to the strong.
And I am that strong one.
The thought burned ever brighter in his heart.
The Emperor of Dayan stared intensely at Su Chen and Ruo Ximeng.
‘I am the ruler of a nation.’
‘I deserve the finest talents and bloodlines this world has to offer.’
‘Even if she’s my sister.’
‘Even if I took her sacred bone, even if I stole her bloodline—she has no right to complain.’
‘Even if I kill her, she should accept it willingly, without resistance.’
A tidal wave of jealousy completely drowned out the Emperor’s reason.
“You… do you dare give me three years?”
He stared at Su Chen.
This was the strongest opponent he had ever faced.
With a wave of his hand, Su Chen shattered Demon Prison Mountain.
With a few steps, he laid waste to the royal treasury.
With a single punch, he destroyed the Emperor’s empowered clone.
But—
Battle intent surged in the Emperor’s heart.
From prince to king, he had never lost a single war.
And this time…
Would be no exception.
“Three years? What for?”
“Three years from now, I want to challenge you to a duel.”
“You want to fight me?” Su Chen raised an eyebrow, looking slightly surprised.
“That’s right!”
The Emperor of Dayan stood tall, radiating pride. “What? Are you scared?”
“Scared? Of you, with that strength that got you sent flying by a single punch?”
Su Chen looked genuinely speechless.
The Emperor’s face was unnaturally pale from the loss of power and vital energy, but at that moment, his eyes burned with unwavering confidence.
“You’re afraid of my potential!” the Emperor declared arrogantly.
His eyes gleamed with conviction, and his posture was proud and upright—clearly, he meant every word.
“I can’t tell if you’re confident or just delusional.”
Su Chen shook his head.
“Not everyone qualifies to challenge me.”
“If you really want to fight, go fight my disciple.”
“Your disciple? Who?”
“Right in front of you.”
Su Chen gently patted Ruo Ximeng’s shoulder.
The answer was obvious.
“Are you mocking me?” the Emperor’s face twisted in rage.
“You want me, an emperor, to fight her—a useless weakling?”
“Argh—!”
With a scream, the Emperor’s body was sent flying, dragging a trail of broken ground over ten meters long.
As the dust settled, he struggled to his feet, his figure battered and bruised—undeniably, it was the Emperor of Dayan.
Su Chen calmly retracted his foot.
“You think I was asking you?”
“I was informing you.”
His tone was flat and emotionless, yet it sent a shock through the entire crowd.
The Emperor gritted his teeth, his eyes wild like a defiant wolf.
“You’re strong, I admit that—but she’s just a waste. If you send her, you’re bound to lose.”
Despite his sorry state, he still spoke with cold certainty.
“You people are fools—only idiots would believe my disciple is trash.”
“And what else would she be?” the Emperor sneered.
“Her foundation is ruined. She can’t even cultivate. Three years from now, she’ll still be an insect beneath my feet!”
***
“Such foolish, mortal thinking.”
“All shine and no substance. Some people can be dressed in gold and jewels but still stink of filth beneath.”
Su Chen gently brushed Ruo Ximeng’s hair.
Under her admiring gaze, he smiled faintly.
“But others, even when covered in dust, are still destined to shine.”
“My chosen disciple is destined to become the brightest star in the heavens—a once-in-a-millennium empress, sovereign of all realms, unrivaled beneath the skies.”
The Emperor of Dayan gave Ruo Ximeng a scornful glance.
“And what makes you so sure of that?”
Su Chen looked at him like he was a complete fool.
“Because I’m stronger than you. Because crushing you is like crushing an ant. Because I chose her—and not you.”
“!!!”
The Emperor’s expression froze.
A girl from the tenth level of Demon Prison Mountain—the most terrifying place of all—how could she have suddenly been rescued by this mysterious powerhouse?
Could it be… she really did still have some terrifying hidden potential?
***
[System Message]
[Host, your disciple is one hundred percent a useless waste.]
[That Emperor, on the other hand, is a genuine prodigy. He has the Azure Dragon bloodline, is protected by the national dragon qi of the Dayan Empire—his monthly cultivation progress is worth more than ten years of effort for ordinary people.]
[There’s no one in the world more gifted than him. And your disciple? Her foundation is broken, she has zero cultivation ability. He’s been tempered with top-grade resources for years…]
[Ruo Ximeng fight him?]
[In terms of talent, foundation, cultivation, vision, heritage… she’s outclassed in every possible way.
Give her not just a year, even a hundred years—she’ll never win. She’s doomed to lose.]