Chapter Seventy-Two: Sparring

The icy tone, laced with an unmistakable chill, made even Su Yi’s scalp prickle. Especially after immediately recognizing the speaker, the bitterness clouding his face deepened. Truly, what one fears most always comes to pass. Of everyone in Changling City, it was with the Auben family that his enmity ran deepest and most direct—after all, they had once brazenly dispatched a battle cultivator to attack him.

With his current strength, Su Yi indeed lacked the means to stand against the Auben family in its entirety. Yet, truth be told, their underhanded schemes were hardly honorable or worthy of public scrutiny. Zhong Yuan’s prolonged absence must have left Auben Shan plagued with suspicion.

Exhaling deeply, Su Yi composed himself, turned, and met his adversary’s gaze. “So it’s the Auben patriarch. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Standing behind Su Yi was none other than Auben Shan, who had just left the auction hall. Already in a foul mood because of Lie Chen, his fury only intensified at the sight of the man who had harmed his son. His voice was icy and menacing: “Su Yi, your arrogance knows no bounds. You dare appear before me after injuring my son!”

“You think I want to run into you?” Su Yi rolled his eyes inwardly. He had spent the entire morning wandering the city precisely to avoid this man, yet fate had thrown them together in the end—truly, nemeses are destined to cross paths.

Glancing at the hostile Auben Shan, Su Yi’s tone grew heavier. “That day was a fair duel—life and death were the challenger’s risk. Many can attest to this. Patriarch Auben, your accusation seems a bit one-sided.”

He had long understood that in this world, “reason” was tied to strength. Su Yi knew there could be no reconciliation between them, but all he could do now was engage in empty formalities.

“Fair?” Auben Shan snorted coldly. “If it were truly fair, how could a cripple without a trace of battle energy have injured my son? I don’t know what trickery you used, but it must have been some despicable, underhanded scheme!”

Auben Shan had never believed that Su Yi—whose battle energy vortex was supposedly destroyed—could rival Auben Yu’s strength. He had always suspected some trick was at play. While it seemed unlikely, he found it even harder to believe Su Yi had regained his power. Just now, sensing no battle energy from Su Yi, he became more convinced. To hide one’s battle energy so perfectly before him would require a strength greater than his own, and he would never believe Su Yi was a Douluo master.

The only logical conclusion was that Su Yi still could not cultivate or use battle techniques. Though Auben Shan vaguely sensed some change in him, he paid it no mind—after all, without battle energy, what could Su Yi possibly accomplish?

When Auben Shan exposed his current state, Su Yi merely raised an eyebrow, unsurprised. In fact, it would be more shocking if Auben Shan hadn’t noticed. For a novice to conceal their strength before a Douluo—such a thing was pure fantasy.

“Still, it seems Auben Shan hasn’t seen through my true power…” Su Yi mused. By now, his physical strength alone was comparable to a level ten battle cultivator, and more importantly, it was well hidden—without fighting, he appeared utterly ordinary.

No sooner had Auben Shan blocked his path than Lie Chen, Lord of Qiete, and others arrived. They were surprised to witness the confrontation, having just discussed Su Yi’s recent out-of-character behavior.

Pausing for a moment, Lie Chen glanced at the still-gloomy Auben Shan and tilted his head to ask Lie Ren beside him, “Are you certain Su Yi has regained his strength?”

“Well… I only saw him defeat Liu Xuan…” Lie Ren, who felt a trace of schadenfreude at Su Yi’s predicament, tensed at his father’s question. “Also… Miss Grey was present. She saw as well…”

Standing next to the Lord of Qiete, Grey nodded slightly. “Indeed, I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Oh? Yet I sense no battle energy from Su Yi.” Lie Chen’s gaze fixed sharply on Su Yi, then turned to the city lord. “Surely you sense the same?”

Lie Chen’s words startled both Lie Ren and Grey. No battle energy? Then how had Su Yi defeated a third-level cultivator like Liu Xuan? Could it all have been a ruse, nothing but a sham?

Their eyes flickered with uncertainty. Grey sent her father a questioning look, and the Lord of Qiete, after Lie Chen’s remark, frowned in confusion. “Lie Chen is right. I too sense no battle energy from Su Yi. Could it be he has not advanced to become a battle cultivator?”

After hearing his daughter’s account, the city lord had naturally assumed Su Yi had made a breakthrough—otherwise, such feats would be impossible. Yet the current situation left him genuinely perplexed.

Hearing her father’s confirmation, Grey’s expression changed slightly. A trace of doubt marred her beautiful features as her gaze lingered on Su Yi. Now would be the perfect opportunity to determine whether his strength was real or not. If it was all a lie…

A sneer played on Grey’s lips. Then I’ll look down on you completely, Su Yi.

Seeing Su Yi remain silent, Auben Shan sneered, “Cat got your tongue? I must have hit the mark—you did use base trickery!”

“You overstate things, Patriarch Auben,” Su Yi replied, his tone growing cold. “What sort of trick could allow someone without battle energy to defeat Auben Yu so easily? Frankly, I’d like to know myself.”

His words were laced with irony, belittling Auben Yu in the process, which only made the murderous light in Auben Shan’s eyes burn fiercer. “Don’t think that just because the auction house is backing you, you can do as you please! I will see that my son’s debts are repaid in full!”

“So the father steps in because the son cannot?” Su Yi shook his head and shrugged, laughing coldly. “I hope that’s not Auben Yu’s idea—if it is, I’ll be thoroughly disappointed in him.”

Su Yi’s blunt words drew sharp breaths from Lie Ren, Grey, and the others. They hadn’t expected him to speak so brazenly to Auben Shan, almost as if he were deliberately provoking him. When had Su Yi become so bold?

Regardless of whether Su Yi had regained his strength, even a battle cultivator would be courting death by antagonizing Auben Shan. Leaving aside the family’s power, Auben Shan himself was a fourth-rank Douluo, easily capable of killing Su Yi with a wave of his hand!

Lie Chen and the Lord of Qiete were surprised as well, but both shook their heads inwardly. It was clear they saw little hope for Su Yi. In their positions, such words might be permissible; for Su Yi, whose status and strength paled in comparison, it was nothing short of reckless.

“Still lacking in prudence,” the city lord thought, shaking his head.

“Hmph. Su Yi, not only is your background questionable, but it seems you lack proper upbringing as well. Perhaps I should discipline you in your parents’ stead!”

Auben Shan’s voice, low and strained with suppressed fury, grew menacing as a violent surge of battle energy radiated from his body. “Remember this well: there are some words you’re not qualified to speak, some deeds you’re not qualified to attempt. If you do, you will pay the price!”

Sensing Auben Shan’s mounting power, even Lie Chen and the city lord changed expression. They hadn’t expected him to actually attack Su Yi. As a Douluo master and clan head, to strike a youth would be the height of bullying.

Faced with the oppressive force emanating from Auben Shan, Su Yi’s own expression turned grave. The prospect of Auben Shan truly attacking was a surprise, but what concerned him more was the sinister soul lurking within his own body.

Ever since becoming aware of that evil presence, Su Yi had felt as though a shadow always hovered behind him—cold, eerie, and unsettling. Now, Auben Shan’s domineering threat and murderous intent seemed to ignite the rage of that spirit, filling Su Yi with a violent and uncontrollable urge. Though he struggled to suppress it, his resistance was visibly weakening—his hands even trembled slightly, itching for action. When he spoke again, his voice was edged with icy menace.

Just as Auben Shan’s battle energy began to coalesce, a captivating and melodious voice suddenly rose among the crowd—

“Patriarch Auben, are you perhaps planning to spar with Su Yi here and now?”