Dad, you don't get face from others, you lose it yourself!

That terrifying pressure, enough to crush the eternal blue heavens, came quickly and left just as fast.

Like a tide, it quietly receded.

In the backyard, that peace and harmony returned once more, as if that scene of a god or demon descending had never happened.

Lu Chengfeng felt his entire body relax.

That terrifying pressure, which had nearly crushed every inch of his bone and every drop of his blood, vanished.

He regained control over his body.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

He gasped heavily for air, his chest heaving violently like a drowning man who had just been dragged ashore.

Cold sweat had long since completely soaked his specialized combat uniform, clinging tightly to his body and outlining the muscle lines that were constantly trembling due to extreme Fear and humiliation.

Disgrace!

An unprecedented, bone-deep, utter humiliation!

He, Lu Chengfeng!

A military Prodigy who had crawled his way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood!

A supreme powerhouse at the Peak of the ninth level of the Meridian Opening Realm!

The most popular candidate to succeed the position of Marshal in the future!

Today, he had actually... actually been suppressed so hard by someone's Aura that he fell to the ground, without even forcing the opponent to lift a single finger!

He had even fainted on the spot because he couldn't withstand that massive mental shock!

If this were to spread... he, Lu Chengfeng, would completely become the laughingstock of the entire Dragon Xia Kingdom—no, the entire world!

Slowly, with an incredibly stiff motion, he climbed up from the ground.

The sharp pain coming from his knees was far less intense than the pride in his heart that had been brutally torn apart.

He looked up at the youth who still stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent.

He opened his mouth.

He wanted to say something.

He wanted to throw out some harsh words.

He wanted to reclaim even a sliver of Face for himself.

But.

The moment his gaze met Lin Yuan's eyes—which were as calm as an ancient well, as if looking at an ant.

All the harsh words, all the unwillingness, all the anger... were instantly and completely swallowed by an even larger emotion called 'despair'!

He had lost.

Lost utterly.

Lost completely.

Lost so badly that he couldn't even produce a single thought of resistance.

Finally.

Lu Chengfeng merely squeezed an ambiguous, short muffled groan from the depths of his throat.

"Hmph."

Then, he abruptly turned around.

He didn't say another word.

With steps that were still somewhat unsteady yet carried a hint of resoluteness, he fled this place of humiliation that he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Lin Yuan watched his wretched departing back and merely let out another lazy yawn.

"Sigh, another poor soul with a shattered Dao Heart."

"I say, can't you people just let me be a salted fish in peace?"

"You just have to rush over to find trouble for yourselves."

"Why bother?"

He shook his head and lay back down on the creaking armchair, preparing to continue his great cause of an unfinished afternoon nap.

However.

Just then.

A figure appeared at the moon gate of the backyard.

It was the Great General Protecting the Nation, who had just sent off Xiao Zheng and witnessed the whole process, his square Face now as black as the bottom of a pot.

Lin Jianguo.

“...”

Lin Jianguo looked at his rebellious son, who acted as if nothing had happened and was preparing to lie down and sleep again.

He felt his blood pressure start to soar uncontrollably again.

His chest felt stifled.

"Lin Yuan!"

He practically spat out the name through gritted teeth.

Lin Yuan turned over with extreme impatience, not even bothering to lift his eyelids.

"What?"

"Do you have any idea who you just drove away?!"

Lin Jianguo's voice was trembling with anger.

"One is a favorite of the Marshal, the youngest general with real power in the military!"

"The other is the number one person of the military's younger generation, hailed as the future God of War!"

"The Marshal sent them with immense sincerity, representing the entire military to show goodwill to our Lin family!"

"And the result?"

"Look at you!"

"One was struck by a few of your words until he lost his soul and questioned his life!"

"The other was directly beaten until he knelt and fainted, his Dao Heart collapsing!"

"You... you aren't leaving any Face for your father at all!"

"How am I supposed to go to the military in the future? How am I supposed to Face the Marshal?!"

Lin Jianguo grew angrier as he spoke, the veins on his temples throbbing as if they might burst at any moment.

However.

The response he got was Lin Yuan's increasingly impatient voice.

"So noisy."

"Face?"

Lin Yuan finally sat up slowly.

He glanced at his exasperated father, his lips curling into an undisguised sneer.

"Is Face something given by others?"

"Isn't it earned by oneself?"

"That guy named Lu whatever-his-name-is came here on his own to flaunt his power before me and brought humiliation upon himself."

"I merely granted him his wish."

"His skills were inferior; he knelt, he fainted, and his Dao Heart broke—those are all his own problems."

"What does it have to do with me?"

"What does it have to do with you?"

Pfft—!!!

Lin Jianguo almost spat out a mouthful of old blood on the spot.

The finger he pointed at Lin Yuan trembled like a sieve.

"Rebellious son! You rebellious son!"

"You... you..."

He sputtered for a long time, only to find that he couldn't find a single word to refute him!

Because everything this rebellious son said was actually the truth!

Indeed!

It was Lu Chengfeng himself who had come to provoke him with a heart full of disdain and arrogance!

He was the one who said he would take three of his moves!

In the end, he couldn't even take one move before being insta-killed!

Who... could be blamed?

One could only blame him for being too weak!

And blame this son of his for being too damn freakish!

"Sigh..."

Lin Jianguo suddenly felt very weary.

All his anger turned into a deep sense of powerlessness at this moment.

He waved his hand, seemingly aging ten years in an instant.

"Fine, fine."

"I won't bother with you anymore."

"Do whatever you want."

"Anyway, if the sky falls, that old fellow, your grandfather, will be there to prop it up."

He just wanted to leave this place of heartbreak as quickly as possible now.

He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he really wouldn't be able to resist putting on a show of 'filial piety' through a physical brawl.

Just then.

Ding—!

A crisp notification sound that only Lin Yuan could hear rang in his mind.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully crushing the pride of a 'Striver' and defending the supreme dignity of 'Lying Flat'!]

[Reward obtained: Heaven-Grade Top-Tier Formation—Nine Tribulations Heaven Derivation Sword Formation!]

The corners of Lin Yuan's mouth curled up in satisfaction.

Not bad.

Another Heaven-Grade Top-Tier Cultivation Technique!

Paired with his Cangming Sword Intent, from now on, he would possess an incredibly powerful sword Formation!