The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

"Please wait here, I'll go and fetch the young lady."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Xie Yutang again.

"Young Master Yutang, please come with me."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yutang stood up and respectfully bowed to Granny Feng.

"Yes, Grandma Wind."

His attitude was completely different from how he treated Jiang Xuan.

Granny Feng led Xie Yutang away from the main hall and headed to the inner courtyard.

The atmosphere in the hall seemed to relax a bit after the two left, but it also became more subtle.

Jiang Xuan stood alone in the center of the hall, feeling the various gazes cast upon him from all sides—curiosity, scrutiny, disdain, and apprehension… His gaze swept over the seats on both sides. On the left were the scions of powerful families from the Forbidden City, with Xie Yutang's empty seat as the head, and on the right were the scions of Yanxia City, including Wen Mingxiu and Qi Yunxiao. The main seats were empty, clearly reserved for the host of this place.

He touched his nose, then suddenly spoke, his voice carrying clearly throughout the hall.

"Grandma Wind told me to wait here. I wonder... is there a place for me in this hall?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it startled everyone.

This kid... he's really not holding back!

Before leaving, Granny Feng did not specify a seat for him. Normally, he would either stand and wait or find a corner to stay in.

To ask such a direct question would be considered extremely impolite by these scions of powerful and wealthy families who value etiquette and rules.

Sure enough, the scions of the powerful families in the Forbidden City openly displayed their disdain, as if they were looking at a country bumpkin who didn't know any manners. Although Wen Mingxiu, Qi Yunxiao, and the others were wary of Jiang Xuan, they secretly grumbled at his "lack of manners" but dared not show it.

Jiang Xuan seemed oblivious to the disdainful looks he received. He glanced at the seats on either side and found that there were indeed no empty seats, not even a spare cushion. The head seat was empty, but he naturally wouldn't sit there.

He shrugged and walked straight to the open space on one side of the hall near a pillar, where there were no chairs on the smooth floor.

He casually lifted the hem of his robe and sat cross-legged on the ground, his posture relaxed and natural.

What's even more astonishing is that he casually picked up a bottle of untouched, obviously valuable spirit wine and an empty wine glass from a low table next to him, filled it up, and leisurely sipped it.

His expression was serene, and his movements were unhurried, as if he were sitting not on a cold floor, but on a comfortable couch; and drinking not the spirit wine served at someone else's banquet, but plain water from his own home.

This scene made everyone's eyes twitch.

"vulgar!"

"Absolutely rude!"

"As expected of someone from a remote, remote place, they don't know the rules!"

Low snickers and whispers arose among the scions of powerful families, their gazes toward Jiang Xuan growing even more disdainful.

They were of noble birth and received the strictest etiquette training from childhood. Jiang Xuan's behavior was simply unbearable in their eyes.

Wen Mingxiu and the others were filled with apprehension. They felt that Jiang Xuan's actions were too bold, and they were also afraid that he might cause trouble if he got upset. So they could only keep their eyes down and pretend they didn't see anything.

Just then, in the seats of the aristocratic scions, a young man dressed in a magnificent brocade robe with a somewhat arrogant air suddenly turned his gaze to Qi Yunxiao opposite him, and asked in a loud voice with an undisguised sense of superiority.

"Hey, you there, from the Qi family, right? Just who is this 'Master Xun' from your Yanxia City? He's so arrogant, sending such an impolite disciple. Does he think he looks down on the host here?"

The young man's name was Huang Jianxiong. He came from a low-ranking aristocratic family in the Forbidden City. At the age of sixteen, he was young, arrogant, and conceited. Seeing Jiang Xuan's "arrogance" and hearing that he was just a disciple of some master, he couldn't help but want to take advantage of the situation to put Jiang Xuan down and also show off his own presence in front of everyone.

Qi Yunxiao's face stiffened immediately upon being called out, and he inwardly groaned in despair.

He steeled himself and carefully chose his words to explain.

"Young Master Huang, you may not know this, but that Master Xun... is a mysterious spirit pattern master who has recently risen to fame in our Yanxia City. His techniques are unique, and even our spirit pattern master Fang Yu from the Spirit Pattern Master Guild praised him highly, saying he has the potential to be a grandmaster. However... his whereabouts are unpredictable, and his temperament is quite eccentric; he dislikes seeing people. As for this Brother Jiang Xuan..."

He glanced at Jiang Xuan, who was sitting on the ground leisurely drinking, and really didn't know how to continue his story.

Upon hearing this, Huang Jianxiong's lips curled into a deep sarcasm, and he sneered.

"The bearing of a grandmaster? Based on the fact that he taught such a crude, rude, and uncouth disciple? I think he's all talk and no action; his true nature is that he's morally corrupt!"

His voice was loud enough to clearly echo throughout the hall, his words aimed directly at Jiang Xuan and the mysterious "Master Xun".

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense!

All the scions of powerful families wore mocking smiles, ready to watch the show.

Meanwhile, Wen Mingxiu, Qi Yunxiao, and other disciples of Yanxia City felt a chill in their hearts, realizing that things were going to get bad. They were all trembling with fear, afraid that Jiang Xuan would suddenly launch an attack and demolish the Cuiming Pavilion as well.

Just as tensions were about to rise, Jiang Xuan, who was sitting on the ground, slowly drank the last bit of spiritual wine in his cup. Then he raised his head and looked calmly at Huang Jianxiong, who had an arrogant expression on his face. Instead of anger, he showed a smile that was not quite a smile.

He gently put down his wine glass; his voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange penetrating power, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"I'm sitting here drinking my wine, what's it to you? You start spewing nonsense the moment you open your mouth, questioning my master's character. What, didn't your parents teach you to watch your mouth when you're out in public?"

As soon as this statement came out, the whole hall was shocked!

Everyone stared at Jiang Xuan in disbelief. No one had expected that his counterattack against Huang Jianxiong's provocation would be so direct, so... vulgar! It was practically like a street thug hurling insults!

The arrogance and sarcasm on Huang Jianxiong's face froze instantly, then turned into a raging fire! He had never been insulted in public like this before, especially when his parents were involved!
"you wanna die!"

Huang Jianxiong slammed his hand on the table in front of him, and the hard ironwood table shattered into pieces instantly under his angry palm, with wood chips flying everywhere! He suddenly stood up, his spiritual energy surging around him, and a powerful aura instantly locked onto Jiang Xuan, his eyes fierce and revealing his killing intent!
Jiang Xuan remained seated cross-legged on the ground, even having the leisure to pour himself another half cup of wine.

He could naturally tell that Huang Jianxiong was no ordinary person. The fact that he could sit at the same table as Xie Yutang, the Little Swordsman, meant that the powerful clan behind him was not to be underestimated.

But so what? In Jiang Xuan's mind, there are only two kinds of people in this world: enemies and friends, or temporarily unrelated passersby. As for the other party's power and status, he didn't care much. Since Huang Jianxiong had taken the initiative to provoke him and uttered hurtful words, he naturally had to retaliate in kind, without any politeness.

"Looking for death?" Jiang Xuan raised his eyes, looking at the furious Huang Jianxiong, his ambiguous smile deepening.

"I think you not only have a foul mouth, but your temper is even more awful. You're like a firecracker, ready to explode at the slightest provocation."

"I'll kill you!"

Huang Jianxiong had never been treated with such humiliation, especially by someone he considered a "country bumpkin." His reason was instantly consumed by rage, and his body shone with a bright blue light as he lunged forward without regard for anything else.

"Brother Jianxiong, wait!"

Just then, a young man with a slightly effeminate face, dressed in a golden brocade robe, reached out and stopped Huang Jianxiong.

The young man's gaze swept over Jiang Xuan, carrying a hint of condescending scrutiny and indifference, and he said indifferently.

"Why do you need to do it yourself to deal with such ignorant peasants? You'll only get your hands dirty."

He changed the subject, turning his gaze to Wen Mingxiu, Qi Yunxiao, and the others across from him, whose faces had turned pale, his tone carrying a hint of amusement and coercion.

"Gentlemen of Yanxia City, this man is so arrogant, openly insulting Brother Jianxiong, which is tantamount to disgracing the people of the Forbidden City. As the local lords, are you just going to sit idly by and let a lowly scion from a poor family run wild here?"

Upon hearing this, the faces of Wen Mingxiu, Qi Yunxiao, and all the other disciples of Yanxia City turned deathly pale!
The golden-robed youth was putting them on the spot! He was forcing them to take a stand, even forcing them to take action against Jiang Xuan!
But... how could they possibly deal with Jiang Xuan? Remembering the bloodshed in front of the Guanchao Pavilion that night, and the family's stern warnings, how could they possibly have the guts? Besides, even if they were all tied together, they probably wouldn't be a match for Jiang Xuan!
Qi Yunxiao's expression shifted, but he finally steeled himself, cupped his hands in greeting to the golden-robed youth and Huang Jianxiong, and said in a dry voice.

“Young Master Huang, Young Master Jin… it’s not that we are unwilling to help, it’s just that… we are simply not up to the task. We… are no match for him.”

He felt his face burning with shame as he said those words, but he was willing to lose face rather than face that ruthless Jiang Xuan directly.

The other young men from Yanxia City also lowered their heads, not daring to meet the gazes of the powerful young men from the Forbidden City, their faces filled with grievance and helplessness.

They cursed Jiang Xuan a thousand times in their hearts. This jinx brought trouble wherever he went!

"waste!"

Seeing this, Huang Jianxiong laughed in anger, his cold eyes sweeping over the people of Yanxia City.

"A bunch of useless bastards! You can't even handle a country bumpkin, you deserve to stay stuck in this poor, remote place your whole lives!"

He no longer relied on these "landlords," and abruptly turned his head, his murderous gaze locking onto Jiang Xuan once more, his voice as cold as ice.

"Boy, kneel down now, kowtow and apologize, and I might consider crippling your cultivation and leaving you with a whole corpse!"

He was surrounded by a faint blue light, which was an extremely pure wood-attribute spiritual energy, yet it contained a sharp killing intent, clearly indicating that the cultivation technique he practiced was extraordinary.

Jiang Xuan seemed to have heard something funny and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh? So, according to you, you're going to kill me whether I apologize or not?"

"To insult the reputation of my clan is a capital offense! This is the lightest punishment imaginable!"

Huang Jianxiong said arrogantly, his tone filled with the unique sense of superiority and indifference to life typical of scions of powerful families.

"is it?"

Jiang Xuan slowly stood up, patted off non-existent dust from his robes, and spoke in a calm tone.

"Unfortunately, I am a guest invited by Granny Feng to repair her young lady's musical instruments. Are you sure you want to kill me here?"

"Were they sent by Granny Feng?"

Huang Jianxiong scoffed, his face full of disbelief.

"You? A vulgar and rude bastard, you dare to repair things for the master of this place? What a joke! Don't use Granny Feng as a shield! No one can save you today!"

"It seems there's no point in talking."

Jiang Xuan helplessly shrugged.

"Then what are you waiting for? Make your move and let me see if this high and mighty scion of a powerful family can actually do anything, besides being good with words."

"you wanna die!"

Huang Jianxiong was completely enraged and could no longer restrain himself. He suddenly rushed forward like a bolt of blue lightning, his right hand's five fingers bent into a claw, and with a sharp whooshing sound, he aimed straight for Jiang Xuan's face!
"Huang Family Secret Technique - Hidden Dragon Claw!"

With a single claw strike, a surge of azure spiritual energy erupted, transforming into a solid dragon-shaped aura. The claw's wind was fierce, seemingly capable of tearing through the air, its power extremely terrifying! The spiritual energy within the hall was stirred, emitting a whooshing sound.

Wen Mingxiu, Qi Yunxiao, and the others gasped in shock upon feeling the power of that claw! Although Huang Jianxiong was arrogant, his strength was indeed formidable; the power of this claw far surpassed that of an ordinary cultivator at the Gang Realm!
Jiang Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He could sense that Huang Jianxiong's cultivation was also at the Human Gang Realm, but the purity and depth of his spiritual energy, as well as the martial arts intent contained in this claw, were far beyond what his peers in Yanxia City could compare to! The foundation of the Forbidden City's powerful clans was indeed extraordinary!

But he showed no fear. Facing this fierce claw, he advanced instead of retreating, and the "Storm Millstone" within his body suddenly accelerated its rotation, with pure and domineering spiritual energy surging towards his right fist like a volcanic eruption!

He didn't use any fancy martial arts techniques; he simply threw a punch!
This punch concentrated all his strength, his spiritual energy highly compressed. Wherever his fist passed, the air emitted a muffled sonic boom, like a condensed storm, fiercely meeting the azure dragon claw!

"boom!!"

The fists and claws collided, producing a deep, thunderous sound!

The violent aftershocks of the spiritual energy exploded outwards from the two of them! Nearby tables and chairs were instantly shattered, with wood chips and porcelain fragments flying everywhere!

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Jiang Xuan swayed slightly before regaining his footing, the floor beneath his feet completely undamaged.

Huang Jianxiong's face turned pale, and he groaned. He uncontrollably staggered back seven or eight steps, each step leaving a clear footprint on the clean floor, before he could barely steady himself. His blood and qi were churning and his breathing was disordered.
A single, decisive blow will immediately reveal the difference in skill!

The hall fell into a deathly silence!
Everyone stared at this scene with wide eyes and disbelief.

Huang Jianxiong... he actually lost? He was knocked back by that poor kid they looked down on with a single punch?
The mocking smiles and sneers on the faces of the aristocratic scions in the Forbidden City froze instantly, replaced by deep astonishment.

Wen Mingxiu, Qi Yunxiao, and the others were utterly shocked! They knew Jiang Xuan was strong, but they hadn't expected him to be this strong! Even geniuses from powerful families within the Forbidden City were no match for him at the same cultivation level? (End of Chapter)