Chapter 91: Strength Unleashed, Power Reserved
The moment Su Tianhao's figure appeared at the entrance, recognition spread through the crowd like wildfire.
"There! That's Su Tianhao!"
"The Second Young Master has arrived!"
"Look at him—he doesn't seem nervous at all!"
"Of course not! He defeated Ye Wenjie, didn't he?"
"But Su Jian is stronger than Ye Wenjie. This won't be so simple!"
Eyes from every corner fixed upon the young man in azure robes who stood at the entrance with the bearing of someone completely unbothered by thousands of gazes. Su Tianhao's lips curved into a faint smile. He stepped forward—calm and unhurried, each footfall deliberate.
"What an impressive lad. Mindset and talent like that is truly rare..."
The speaker was a man seated at a high corner of the viewing platform—long disheveled hair, dull ordinary robes like a common laborer, yet his strikingly handsome face and sharp, penetrating eyes seemed to see through everything around him.
Lu Qingran. The Ghost Eye Appraiser who had assisted Su Tianhao in selling his beast materials just weeks ago.
At this moment, his usual indifferent expression was gone. His eyes gleamed with genuine anticipation—like a connoisseur about to witness a rare masterpiece unveiled. From the day Su Tianhao had aroused his interest, he had decided to follow through until the end.
As Su Tianhao made his way toward the stage, the crowd parted instinctively. Some moved out of respect. Some out of fear. Some out of unconscious recognition that they were witnessing something significant.
The morning sunlight caught his golden eyes as he ascended the steps—making them glow with inner fire, twin suns captured in human form. Shadowfang hung at his waist, the dark blade seeming to drink in light rather than reflect it, like a void given shape.
On the opposite side of the platform, Su Jian stood waiting. Pristine white robes, expression radiating confidence bordering on arrogance. Chest out, chin raised—every inch proclaiming the rightful heir.
Xie Ling had taken her position among the family disciples' section, her green robes and carefully unreadable expression making her nearly invisible despite her considerable beauty.
Thirty meters of space separated the two young men. It felt both infinite and insignificant.
Su Jian's brown eyes locked fiercely on Su Tianhao's figure, gaze radiating battle intent that practically crackled in the air.
However, Su Tianhao's response left him utterly enraged and frustrated.
Instead of reciprocating his challenge as one would expect, Su Tianhao stood nonchalantly—sparing Su Jian's obvious challenge no attention whatsoever, as if he were completely beneath notice.
"Su Tianhao!" Su Jian growled, hands clenching into fists at his sides.
"Huh?" Su Tianhao turned at last, his gaze as calm as a still lake beneath moonlight.
The calmness only infuriated Su Jian further—like pouring oil on flames.
"Looks like you've become too arrogant from your little accomplishments these past few weeks!" Su Jian shouted, voice dripping with contempt.
"Arrogant?" Su Tianhao raised an eyebrow. "I just don't see the point in barking before the battle begins. If you're so eager to prove something, let your fists do the talking—if they can."
Hiss!
The crowd sucked in a collective breath—like a thousand blades unsheathed at once.
"Such a sharp tongue... quick, venomous, and not something you wanna mess with."
The speaker was a towering middle-aged man with gruff features and a wild, untamed aura—tangled hair, unkempt beard streaked with white, eyes sharp with years of rough experience and countless battles.
Zhan Kuang. The mysterious figure who had presided over Su Tianhao's confrontation with Ye Wenjie two weeks ago. Su Tianhao had been the first young man to pique his curiosity in all his years—it was only natural he would come to witness this match.
"This Su Tianhao is even more overbearing than the rumors say."
Hmph.
"It's not overbearing—it's pure arrogance!"
"No matter what, Su Jian is still the Young Master of the Su family. To be openly dismissed like that is going too far."
Su Jian wasn't feeling elevated by the crowd's sympathy at all. He was fuming with rage that threatened to explode like a volcano.
"You dare belittle me?" Su Jian said with a wicked smile, barely restrained fury in his voice. "Let me show you how much you've overestimated yourself!"
BOOM!
Visible ripples appeared in the air where Su Jian stood, his pristine white robes whipping violently in the sudden wind. His aura exploded outward like a dam bursting its banks—flooding the stage with raw, oppressive power.
"6th level Martial Disciple Realm!"
The words carried across the entire arena like a war drum, stirring awe and tension in equal measure.
The one who first gave voice to that shock was none other than Ye Wenjie—seated among the ordinary folk in dark hooded robes, quietly spectating from the shadows.
Moments ago, he had been quietly savoring the anticipation of Su Jian's inevitable loss followed by Su Tianhao's fall from grace when the Blood Shadow Assassins struck. But Su Jian's strength reveal hit him harder than any physical blow.
Su Jian was his greatest rival in Oakwood City. A stumbling block, a thorn he had always sought to surpass. But now—
"He's actually reached the 6th level while I'm still stuck at the 4th?" Ye Wenjie mumbled, struggling to accept the reality before him.
'It's all Su Tianhao's fault. If it hadn't been for him, I would have achieved a breakthrough long ago.' Ye Wenjie cursed inwardly, venomous hatred fixing on Su Tianhao.
Before their match, he had been close to reaching perfection in his martial arts technique. That breakthrough would have led to reaching the 5th level naturally. At least he wouldn't be so far inferior to Su Jian now.
But ever since his humiliating defeat, he had fallen into obsession—abandoning everything else for revenge, even contacting the Blood Shadow Assassin Group out of desperation. Who would have thought his own actions would become a hindrance to his cultivation?
'I must kill him as soon as possible, or Su Tianhao will definitely become my heart demon!'
Heart demons were inner obstacles born from powerful negative emotions—fear, regret, obsession, hatred. Left unresolved, they could hinder mental clarity, stall breakthroughs, or cause loss of control during cultivation. For some, they became permanent scars on the soul.
While Ye Wenjie churned through dark thoughts, the rest of the audience erupted.
"Young Master Jian has actually broken through to the 6th level?!"
"As expected of a six-star talent!"
"That Su Tianhao is doomed! Ye Wenjie was only a 4th level Martial Disciple—this is a different matter entirely!"
"This is getting more interesting," Lu Qingran said from his high seat, anticipation dancing in his usually bored eyes.
On the highest viewing platform, Su Liang's face split into smiles.
'Show that Su Tianhao no mercy, Jian'er!' he thought—but didn't dare say it aloud. Instead he turned to Su Yuan with a cocky smile. "Fifth Elder, what do you think now?"
Su Yuan's voice remained measured and tranquil. "I stick to my previous words, Second Elder. Until their fists clash, no outcome can be truly predicted."
Hmph.
Su Liang snorted in barely contained disdain. 'Keep pretending. It's only a matter of time.'
"Patriarch, you really have an outstanding son," Su Qingfeng said warmly. "The Qingyun Sect examination is still two months away, yet he's already at the 6th level. As long as he breaks through to the 7th before then, his place as an outer court disciple is assured."
Su Huiqing nodded—but his gaze never left the arena where his two sons stood face to face like fire and water, destined to clash.
Su Yuntian glanced at Su Tianhao with a peculiar glint in her cold eyes. Her thoughts remained entirely her own.
---
Su Tianhao remained utterly unfazed—glancing at Su Jian with the same casual indifference, as if the world collapsing around him would hardly warrant concern.
He had seen through Su Jian's cultivation base the moment he'd set eyes on him. But he wasn't intimidated. The current Su Tianhao was already stronger than a Peak-stage Martial Disciple. Why would a 6th level Su Jian give him pause?
"So what if you're at the 6th level?" Su Tianhao said calmly, voice cutting through the air like a blade through silk—sharp, clear, and utterly dismissive.
"You're still not my match."