44: Stay seated and don't move. I only have three points to make.

The midday sun filtered through the window frames of the main hall, casting dappled shadows on the Golden Nanmu Wood floor.

The air was as heavy and oppressive as a sponge soaked through with water.

Inside the Su Family main hall, the atmosphere was tense to the extreme.

Su Jingyuan stood below with a group of Elders, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, even his breathing was intentionally kept extremely light.

In the guest seating area of the great hall,

over a dozen figures sat casually.

They didn't intentionally release their pressure, but that sense of superiority originating from their level of existence was like massive mountains, pressing down so hard that the Su Family members could hardly breathe.

Yongyao Imperial Court.

These four words represented the supreme will of this world.

Especially the young girl sitting at the very head.

Ninth Princess, Ji Lanxi.

She leaned lazily against the back of her chair, playing with a snow-white spirit cat in her hands. Her pale gold phoenix eyes scanned the surroundings nonchalantly, as if she were looking at a group of livestock for sale.

Behind her,

a grey-robed old man sat with his eyes closed, resting his spirit. He had no Aura at all, appearing like an ordinary old farmer.

But Su Jingyuan didn't even dare to glance at him.

Saint King!

This was a genuine, bona fide powerhouse of the Saint King realm!

Besides him, there were over a dozen Saint guards in golden armor. Each of their Auras was as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea, their gazes filled with disdain.

This was the prestige of the Imperial Court.

For a mere power evaluation, they had deployed a terrifying lineup sufficient to sweep through the entire Sacred Ruins Continent.

"Tap, tap, tap."

A series of unhurried footsteps broke the deathly silence in the hall.

The light at the entrance dimmed slightly.

Su Xuanchen had arrived.

He was still wearing those starlight robes, hands behind his back, his expression as calm as if he were strolling through his own back garden.

Facing those dozen or so terrifying gazes that could make an ordinary Saint kneel in submission,

he didn't even blink.

Even the frequency of his steps didn't change in the slightest.

Ignored.

Complete and total ignorance.

Su Xuanchen walked straight through the hall, ignoring the pleading looks from Su Jingyuan and the others, as well as the sharp gazes of the golden-armored Saints.

He walked up to the primary seat.

There, only one chair had been placed, intended for the Ninth Princess.

But the moment he stepped onto the dais,

Hum!

Starlight flashed.

A grand armchair forged entirely from Astral Essence Gold appeared out of thin air.

Its position was perfect.

It sat exactly side-by-side with the Ninth Princess.

Su Xuanchen swept his large sleeve, turned, and sat down.

His movements were smooth and natural, as if it were only right and proper.

Quiet.

The hall instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Su Jingyuan's eyes were nearly bulging out of his head, and his heart almost leaped out of his throat.

Old Ancestor... that is the Imperial Court's Princess!

She is a figure who represents the Face of Great Emperor Yongyao!

You actually dare to sit as an equal with her?!

"Presumptuous!"

A roar exploded in the hall like a clap of thunder.

A young Saint sitting below the Ninth Princess slammed the table and stood up.

This person's name was Zhao Tiangang, a Prodigy of the Imperial Court's younger generation with a cultivation of the second-tier Saint realm. He was normally extremely proud and arrogant.

He stared fixedly at Su Xuanchen, the fury in his eyes almost bursting out.

"A mere Saint from a backwater Family dares to sit side-by-side with Her Highness?"

"Who gave you the nerve?!"

"Get down!"

Boom!

A violent, crimson Saint Might erupted from his body, transforming into a ferocious Flaming Lion. It opened its bloody maw and lunged at Su Xuanchen to devour him!

He didn't hold back at all with this strike.

He wanted to give the Su Family a show of strength and, more importantly, show off in front of the Ninth Princess.

The Ninth Princess didn't speak.

She continued stroking the cat, a hint of an amused smile even appearing at the corners of her mouth.

She also wanted to see

just how capable this Su Xuanchen, who was rumored to be wildly arrogant, actually was.

Facing the terrifying Saint Might rushing toward him,

Su Xuanchen sat in his chair without even changing his posture.

He only slowly raised his right hand.

He extended his index finger.

And lightly tapped the air.

"Noisy."

Puff!

With a soft sound,

that aggressive Flaming Lion was like a punctured bubble, instantly shattering into a sky full of sparks.

Immediately following that,

Su Xuanchen's palm flipped over, and he delivered a slap across the void.

The movement had no flourishes;

it was pure spiritual energy crushing everything in its path.

Slap!

A crisp slapping sound echoed through the hall.

"Ah—!"

Zhao Tiangang let out a shrill scream.

His entire body was like a fly being swatted away, flying backward from his seat and slamming hard against the hall's rigid adamantine stone pillar.

Boom!

The stone pillar shook, and countless cracks spider-webbed across it.

Zhao Tiangang slumped to the ground, half of his cheek completely collapsed, and a mouthful of teeth mixed with blood sprayed across the floor.

He struggled to stand up, only to find a domineering star power rampaging through his body, sealing all of his Meridians.

Instantly defeated!

A second-tier Saint Prodigy couldn't even withstand a single move!

Inside the hall,

those golden-armored Saints who originally had mocking expressions all changed their countenances drastically, instinctively grasping the weapons at their waists.

Even the grey-robed Saint King behind the Ninth Princess, who had been resting with his eyes closed, snapped his eyes open.

A sharp light flashed through them.

Such strong control!

Su Xuanchen withdrew his hand, picked up the teapot on the table, and unhurriedly poured himself a cup of spirit tea.

Steam curled upward.

He blew on the tea leaves, not even glancing at the dog-like Zhao Tiangang.

His tone was flat.

"If you dare to strike again, I will slay you."

These words were spoken casually,

but no one doubted their truth.

That chilling killing intent hidden beneath the calm made every Saint present feel a cold shiver down their necks.

"Clap, clap, clap."

A series of crisp claps rang out.

Ninth Princess Ji Lanxi sat up straight, placing the spirit cat from her arms onto her lap. In those pale gold phoenix eyes, a hint of seriousness finally appeared.

"Splendid."

"Saint Su truly lives up to his reputation."

She waved her hand, stopping the guards who wanted to rush forward.

"Stand down."

"Saint Su is teaching you the rules. Why haven't you thanked Saint Su yet?"

Although those golden-armored Saints were full of resentment, they could only retreat to their original positions due to the princess's command.

Ji Lanxi turned her head, her gaze burning as she stared at Su Xuanchen beside her.

On that exquisitely beautiful small Face was a bit of curiosity, a bit of inquiry, and a bit of the arrogance belonging to the imperial Family.

"However, I am very curious."

"Su Xuanchen, why do you dare to be so arrogant?"

"Do you know that the slap just now didn't just hit Zhao Tiangang's Face, but also the Face of my Yongyao Imperial Court?"

"Are you not afraid that with one command from me, I will flatten your tiny Su Family?"

A threat.

A naked threat.

Combined with the grey-robed Saint King's looming, terrifying pressure, the air in the entire hall seemed to freeze.

Su Jingyuan's legs were shaking.

It's over.

The negotiations are about to fall apart!

However,

Su Xuanchen only took a light sip of tea and set the cup down.

"Arrogant?"

He turned his head, looking into Ji Lanxi's oppressive eyes, and smiled faintly.

"Your Highness overstates it."

"I am merely being reasonable."

He held up three fingers.

"First."

"This is the Su Family, and I am the Su Family Old Ancestor."

"The host following the guest's convenience is the host's cultivation; the guest following the host's convenience is the guest's duty."

"As the host, it is only natural for me to sit here."

"Allowing you to sit with me is giving you Face; it is not a reason for you to be superior to me."

Ji Lanxi was stunned for a moment.

This twisted logic... actually sounded somewhat reasonable?

Su Xuanchen retracted one finger.

"Second."

"Your dog was barking wildly on my territory and even tried to bite me."

"I only gave him a slap and didn't take his life."

"This is called tolerance, and it's giving the Imperial Court Face."

"If it were any other place, he would already be a corpse."

In the distance, Zhao Tiangang, who had just managed to crawl up, heard this and was so enraged he spat out a mouthful of blood, nearly fainting again.

Su Xuanchen raised his last finger.

At this moment, his gaze suddenly became sharp.

"Third."

"A Saint must not be insulted."

"Though I, Su Xuanchen, come from humble beginnings, this cultivation of mine was fought for tooth and nail."

"Never mind you."

"Even if your father, Great Emperor Yongyao, were to arrive in person, as long as he hasn't planned to kill me right now,"

"then I have the right to sit here."

"If I am provoked, even if it is the Imperial Court's Princess..."

Su Xuanchen leaned forward slightly, his pitch-black eyes staring straight into the depths of Ji Lanxi's pupils.

His voice was low, carrying a chilling intent that made one's heart skip a beat.

"I can still slay her."

Boom!

As soon as these words were spoken,

Ji Lanxi felt a cold chill rush from the soles of her feet straight to the crown of her head.

Her heart thudded uncontrollably.

She looked at the man right in front of her.

In those eyes, there was not a hint of reverence, only a calm indifference toward life and death.

He was serious.

This madman really dared to kill her!

She had only felt this kind of sensation from one person.

And that was her father, the Great Emperor Yongyao who ruled over billions of territories!

"Phew..."

Ji Lanxi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the tremor in her heart.

She wasn't angry;

instead... she was even more excited.

In the Imperial Court, everyone was deferential to her, treating her like fragile porcelain.

No one had ever dared to speak to her like this.

And even fewer dared to look at her with such a gaze.

This man... is a bit interesting.

"What a 'Saint must not be insulted'."

Ji Lanxi suddenly laughed.

This smile was like a hundred flowers in bloom, brilliantly beautiful beyond compare.

"Su Xuanchen, you have successfully piqued my interest."

"However..."

Her tone shifted, and the smile in her eyes took on a hint of craftiness.

"Just having a sharp tongue isn't enough."

"If you want me to recognize your status, you still have to show if you have the strength."

Su Xuanchen ignored her testing.

He withdrew his gaze and picked up his teacup again, concealing the sharp light that flashed through his eyes.

Just now,

the System's notification sounds had been ringing in his mind one after another.

[Ding! Top-tier target detected!]

[Name: Ji Lanxi]

[Identity: Ninth Princess of the Yongyao Imperial Court]

[Physique: Nine Phoenix Sacred Body (Pure-blood True Phoenix descendant, unawakened, can evolve into the Immortal Phoenix Physique)]

[Fate: Purple Gold Grade (Destined by Heaven, the bearing of an Empress)]

[Suggestion: This woman is an excellent candidate for a Dao Companion. If the host can win her over, you can borrow the Imperial Court's Luck to soar to the heavens!]

Su Xuanchen's finger lightly rubbed the edge of the teacup.

Nine Phoenix Sacred Body.

purple-gold destiny.

This setup was even a notch higher than Gu Lingshuang's Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Body!

Especially that "Immortal Phoenix Physique"... Su Xuanchen's heart beat twice in an unseemly manner.

Covetous.

He was indeed covetous.

But he quickly calmed down.

Right now, his cultivation had only just reached the sixth-tier Saint realm.

Although with the 'Myriad Tribulations Battle Method' and various trump cards, he could easily crush a ninth-tier Saint, and even using the 'Nine Tribulations Secret Codex' he could go toe-to-toe with that grey-robed Saint King.

But that was his limit.

The Yongyao Imperial Court was a colossus with unfathomable foundations.

If he were to make a move on this Ninth Princess now, the Su Family would likely be razed to the ground by the Imperial Court's armies the very next day.

"Endure."

"Develop steadily, don't be reckless."

"Wait until I Breakthrough to Saint King, or even Quasi-Emperor..."

Su Xuanchen silently calculated in his heart.