"Dad, the Azure Blood Qilin Seal can't be destroyed!" Feng Xi blurted in alarm.
"Shut up!" Feng Xuan barked furiously, glaring at Feng Xi with undisguised disappointment. He suddenly realized just how vast the gap was between his son and this young man before them.
Had he been too indulgent in the past? Feng Xuan reflected inwardly.
Over on the other side, Yang Kai spoke up again. "It seems Lord Feng can't come up with one billion mid-grade Source Crystals. What a shame — just moments ago you were going on about how the Wenqing Sect was wealthy and powerful, and this junior, a backward bumpkin who's never seen much of the world, was hoping to broaden his horizons. But it seems… tsk, tsk, tsk. Elder Bing Yun, since they can't afford the price, then let's go ahead and chop!"
Bing Yun gave a slight nod and raised the longsword high.
Feng Xuan's face had turned ashen. He hurriedly said, "Fine, one billion it is."
It was only one billion mid-grade Source Crystals — it wasn't that he couldn't produce them. The reason he'd been refusing was that he didn't want Yang Kai leading him around by the nose. He was a Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivator, after all, and being manipulated by Yang Kai in front of so many people was simply too humiliating. But now he had no other choice. Whether he wanted to or not, he had to agree.
"How decisive! Lord Feng is truly a man of action — I admire that about you!" Yang Kai laughed heartily.
Even someone as composed as Bing Yun broke into a faint sweat upon hearing this, thinking to herself that this kid really had no shame.
Feng Xuan's face remained cold as he said, "I can give you the one billion mid-grade Source Crystals, but I have one additional condition."
Yang Kai snorted. "Lord Feng, are you still dreaming? Do you think you're still in any position to haggle with me? Hand over the Source Crystals first, then we'll talk."
Feng Xuan regarded him with a mocking look. "Won't you even hear what my condition is before flatly refusing?"
Yang Kai answered with disdain, "Nothing good ever comes out of a dog's mouth. I'm not interested in listening." As he spoke, he thrust a hand toward Feng Xuan and barked, "Payment first, goods second — stop dawdling."
Feng Xuan suppressed his fury and said coolly, "My son suffered a setback at your hands the other night. Young man — when you fall, you get back up from where you fell. My son wishes to challenge you today. I wonder if this young brother has the guts to accept?"
As if to underscore his father's words, Feng Xi took a step forward, gazing down at Yang Kai with an air of superiority. His eyes were filled with contempt, a far cry from the trembling cowardice he'd shown the other night.
Feng Xi did not think Yang Kai was particularly formidable. The reason he'd taken such a beating the other night was simply that Yang Kai had been riding on the coattails of Ice Heart Valley's Emperor Realm cultivators. They had never actually faced each other one-on-one.
As the Young Sect Master of the Wenqing Sect, Feng Xi practiced the most powerful techniques and secret arts in the world, and he wielded Artifacts of tremendous might. Among cultivators of the same realm, virtually no one was his match.
In a fair one-on-one duel, Feng Xi was confident he could best anyone.
Over the past couple of days, the Wenqing Sect had completely lost face. To reclaim even a shred of dignity, the only path was to strike at Yang Kai — the very person who had started all of this.
Feng Xuan and Yao Zhuo could not directly attack Yang Kai. If they made a move, Ice Heart Valley's Emperor Realm cultivators would never stand by idly, effectively igniting an all-out war between the two Sects.
The only possibility was to have Feng Xi challenge Yang Kai, then publicly crush him, restoring the Wenqing Sect's honor.
Feng Xi clearly understood what his father was scheming, and though the two of them hadn't discussed it beforehand, he immediately stepped forward with a provocative expression.
Yang Kai glanced at him and grinned. "Young Sect Master, you might not be his real son."
Feng Xi froze for a moment, then caught on. His face twisted with rage. "All you can do is run your mouth!"
Yang Kai replied with scorn, "If you were really his son, why would Lord Feng be so eager to send you out to die?"
Feng Xi's face darkened. "Do you dare look down on me? If you've got the guts, then let's settle this on the duel stage. The winner takes Zi Yu — the loser gets out of the Northern Territory and never returns!"
Over on the side, Zi Yu furrowed her brow in displeasure. "What does this have to do with me?"
This Feng Xi was truly something — dragging her into this out of nowhere, which was rather infuriating. But then she recalled how Yang Kai had run his mouth the other night, declaring in front of a crowd that she and he had already pledged themselves to each other. She suddenly realized this was nothing more than a jealous squabble.
Still, those words had just been Yang Kai's excuse. Afterward, not a single one of her martial aunts had brought the matter up again — they clearly all understood the truth of it. But Feng Xi had actually taken it seriously. His intelligence was genuinely concerning.
On that basis alone, Zi Yu could never harbor any feelings for Feng Xi.
"Hand over the Source Crystals first. Lord Feng wouldn't want to go back on his word, would he?" Yang Kai ignored Feng Xi's provocation entirely and turned back to shout at Feng Xuan.
Feng Xuan let out a cold laugh, produced a prepared spatial ring, and said, "The Source Crystals are all in here. But why is the young brother changing the subject? Could it be that you're afraid of my son? If you are, simply apologize, and my son — who is quite magnanimous — may well forgive you."