Chapter Forty-Seven: Flip the Table and Fight!

“......”
As soon as Liu Ji spoke, the atmosphere instantly fell silent. Everyone who was paying attention was stunned, their faces filled with deep suspicion and astonishment.

Sun Hao’s expression darkened as he heard these words; he could feel a surge of anger swelling in his chest. As a student of the Imperial Heaven Academy, he naturally possessed a sense of pride. He had attended this martial debate with a cold, aloof demeanor, viewing the others from a superior height. After all, among all those present, he was the only one admitted to the empire’s most prestigious academy, was he not?

In fact, the others had indeed gone out of their way to curry favor with Sun Hao, which only served to inflate his arrogance further. Yet now, Liu Ji was openly humiliating him, labeling him as nothing more than a useless waste. This challenged both his status and his pride!

He took a deep breath and then, suddenly, forced a smile. “Since brother Liu sees me as a waste, might I ask—have you, as you claim, tempered your meridians with spiritual energy? How is your cultivation progressing?”

Everyone turned their gaze to Liu Ji, their eyes equally laced with doubt, and their expressions grew increasingly uneasy.

The method Liu Ji had described earlier—using wild spiritual energy to temper the body’s meridians—was exceptionally difficult. If even Sun Hao, the so-called “waste” of Imperial Heaven Academy, could not master it, then wouldn’t that make the others less than a waste themselves?

So, they were eager to hear if Liu Ji had indeed used wild spiritual energy to temper his meridians, and how his progress was. Or perhaps he did not dare at all?

Nonsense!
I’ve already tempered several meridian points!
Liu Ji grumbled inwardly, though his face was troubled and he seemed unsure of how to respond. After all, such things could not be spoken openly to this crowd.

But Sun Hao was not so easily deterred. Seeing Liu Ji’s hesitation, he thought to himself, “Today, I must expose the truth!”

Just as Sun Hao was about to speak, Sun Zi’ang burst out laughing. “Seeing our young master Liu’s reluctance to answer, could it be he himself doesn’t dare?”

He laughed loudly, but the others did not join in. Everyone knew perfectly well: Sun Zi’ang only dared to provoke Liu Ji repeatedly today because of Sun Hao’s presence.

Among these young men, their conflicts rarely resulted in broken arms or legs, and their elders seldom intervened, perhaps only scolding them afterwards. So, Sun Zi’ang relied on his older brother, recently returned from Imperial Heaven Academy, feeling emboldened—an example of a dog relying on its master’s power, believing that with his brother there, he had nothing to fear from Liu Ji.

Although no one laughed out loud, many inwardly sneered, and those who were not on good terms with Liu Ji even curled their lips in mocking disdain.

Watching Liu Ji being ridiculed, Mu Wan-jun, standing nearby, frowned slightly. If Liu Ji made no move, his reputation as the young lord would suffer greatly today, and he would surely be mocked behind his back in days to come.

“Sun Zi’ang, hold your tongue!”
Zhang Yi-han stepped forward, admonishing sharply, then smiling warmly. “We’re all friends here, no need to let things get so tense, right?”

He approached Liu Ji and said, “Brother Liu, Sun Zi’ang really is a bit... too blunt. Don’t take it to heart!”

Liu Ji pushed Zhang Yi-han aside, then walked up to Sun Zi’ang and gazed down at him with a cold, expressionless face. Seeing Liu Ji’s icy demeanor, Sun Zi’ang’s heart skipped a beat, and he stammered, “What... what do you want?”

“I believe that a person should have self-awareness. Why do some people always want to provoke the tiger?” Liu Ji suddenly remarked, then smiled, “Would you say such people are courting death?”

“What do you mean?” Sun Zi’ang’s unease grew.

“I mean...” Liu Ji said, then suddenly grabbed the thick wooden table beside him and, with a loud crash, smashed it down onto Sun Zi’ang’s head.

“Ah!”
A piercing scream erupted. Sun Zi’ang clutched his bleeding head, writhing and howling on the ground, his cries as miserable as a slaughtered pig.

Liu Ji looked down coldly, his jaw clenched. “Why do you always insist on opposing me? I ignore you, yet you think I’m afraid? Is that it?”

Some people are truly vile, mistaking tolerance for cowardice and pushing their luck. Clearly, Sun Zi’ang was such a person.

Dealing with such pests, the simplest way is to ignore them; but if they become too annoying, just swat them down.

“......”
Everyone stared, mouths agape, faces filled with shock as if they had seen a ghost. No one expected Liu Ji to be so fierce!

He didn’t even hesitate to strike—and right in front of Sun Hao!

Even Mu Wan-jun was stunned, her lips slightly parted in surprise.

“Liu Ji, you’re courting death!”

Sun Hao was furious. Liu Ji had dared to smash a table onto his brother’s head right before his eyes. Was he being disregarded entirely?

Bang!
The next moment, Sun Hao stomped the ground, launching himself rapidly behind Liu Ji, his fist clenched tightly, swinging with a gust of force directly at Liu Ji’s back. This punch, driven by rage, held nothing back.

“Brother Sun, stop!”
Zhang Yi-han’s face changed dramatically.

Sensing the danger behind him, Liu Ji didn’t hesitate; instantly, he activated the Supreme Heavenly Steel Art, spiritual energy circulating through his body, condensing into a steel-like aura in his palm. Though it seemed slow, all this happened in a flash.

He spun around and punched.

Bang!
The two fists collided, a wave of force sweeping outward. Both men staggered backward; Liu Ji retreated a dozen steps before regaining his balance.

Sun Hao, by contrast, only stepped back a few times, but his astonishment was no less. He hadn’t expected Liu Ji to withstand his punch.

It must be noted: that punch, fueled by rage, was delivered with full strength, and Sun Hao’s cultivation had already reached the early Micro-Star realm.

Yet Liu Ji managed to block his full-force punch. Clearly, this fellow possessed real skill—he had hidden his strength after all!

His thoughts raced; he charged again like a leopard, intent on vengeance. No matter what, Liu Ji had made his brother bleed in front of everyone. This grudge could not be ignored.

No matter who Liu Ji was!

He rushed up to Liu Ji, his blood surging, and unleashed another punch straight at Liu Ji’s face, the fierce wind of his fist rushing forward.

Seeing the rapidly approaching fist, Liu Ji’s body tensed, his blood racing, the steel aura converging in his palm.

If a fight must be had, then so be it!

......

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