Strike First to Avoid a Hundred Strikes!

Translator: CinderTL

Yang Xinli took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket and placed it on the table. "This is the Spirit Ascension Pill. Brother Xu, you must have heard of it, right?"

Xu Sanyan reached out and took the bottle, curiously opening the stopper to sniff it. A strong, pungent odor assaulted his nose, making him frown. "This pill... has it gone bad?"

As he spoke, he poured out the pill. Inside the bottle was only one pill, blood-red in color with faint golden cloud patterns on its surface. It looked quite impressive, though somewhat sinister.

Yang Xinli shook his head with a smile. "The Spirit Ascension Pill is like this. Although it smells unpleasant, it is highly beneficial for martial artists. Brother Xu, why not give it a try?"

Xu Sanyan hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn't dare to take it. He pushed the bottle back. "I cannot accept such a gift without merit. Lord Yang, please take it back."

Yang Xinli didn't press further. Instead, he pulled out a letter from his pocket. "This is a letter written by my third brother. Please take a look, Brother Xu."

Xu Sanyan glanced sideways and was about to reach for the letter when suddenly, an arrow shot through the door, aiming directly at the letter in Yang Xinli's hand.

The arrow arrived in a flash, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, indicating its immense force. If it had hit, Yang Xinli's right hand would have been crippled.

"Hmph!"

Xu Sanyan snorted, flicking his sleeve. In an instant, a surge of Inner Qi erupted, shattering the arrow into pieces and reducing the wooden table in front of him to splinters.

The tavern erupted into chaos as patrons scrambled to flee. In the blink of an eye, only their table remained.

The Shopkeeper hid behind the counter, on the verge of tears. They hadn't even paid their bill yet.

"Clap, clap, clap... As expected of a Celestial Realm Martial Expert, your reflexes are truly swift."

At that moment, a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar walked in, clapping with a smile. Behind him was a young man holding a bow, looking to be around fourteen or fifteen years old. The arrow that had just been shot must have come from him.

The young man looked Xu Sanyan up and down with a haughty expression. Seeing Xu Sanyan's shabby clothes, he couldn't help but feel a sense of disdain. How could someone like this have reached the Celestial Realm?

Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow. Who were they? And did they not know who he was?

"Give me one reason not to kill you."

Xu Sanyan spoke calmly. If their answer didn't satisfy him, there might be two more corpses on the ground.

Yang Xinli finally snapped out of his shock, both startled and furious. He shouted, "Yang Xinyu! Are you trying to kill your own brother?"

He hadn't been able to react to the arrow at all. If it hadn't been for Xu Sanyan's intervention, he would have been seriously injured.

The young man smirked, unbothered. "Heh, fourth brother, you're fine, aren't you? Besides, it's your own fault for being so weak. I only used seventy percent of my strength. Couldn't you handle that?"

Yang Xinli was furious. Yang Xinyu, relying on his natural talent and the favor of their father, had developed an arrogant and domineering personality. He actually dared to attack his own brother.

The middle-aged scholar smiled and spoke in a pretentious manner, "Fifth Young Master is still young and doesn't know any better. Please don't take it to heart, Fourth Young Master."

Yang Xinli snorted, turning his head away, unwilling to engage with them.

Xu Sanyan, however, understood the situation. This young man was the fifth son of Prince Rui. That old man sure could produce offspring.

Xu Sanyan turned to the middle-aged scholar. "He has Prince Rui backing him. What about you?"

The scholar was taken aback but quickly smiled. "Ah, my memory fails me. I am Wang Chengming, serving as the Pacification General under Prince Rui. Greetings, Chief Xu."

Wang Chengming deliberately addressed him as "Chief Xu" to remind Xu Sanyan that he was merely a chief now.

Xu Sanyan smiled. "Is that all?"

Wang Chengming was puzzled, not understanding what he meant. "I was entrusted by the Eldest Prince to accompany the Fifth Young Master in welcoming you, Chief Xu."

Xu Sanyan nodded slowly. "Don't you have a powerful father or something?"

Wang Chengming was confused. "What do you mean, Chief Xu?"

Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes. "What I mean is, if you don't have a powerful father to protect you, you might not leave this city alive today."

Wang Chengming's heart skipped a beat. He was only at the Peak Stage of Qi Refinement. If Xu Sanyan was determined to kill him, there was no one in the city who could protect him except Bai Wuxia.

But what he didn't know was that even Bai Wuxia couldn't protect him.

Wang Chengming didn't believe Xu Sanyan would dare to kill him. After all, he was a general under Prince Rui. He forced a smile. "Chief Xu, you must be joking. I am here on the orders of the Eldest Prince."

Wang Chengming tried to use the Eldest Prince to pressure him.

Xu Sanyan shook his head gently. "Is that your final words?"

Wang Chengming's expression froze. He felt that this madman might actually do it. If he had known, he wouldn't have encouraged the Fifth Young Master to give Xu Sanyan a hard time. Now, it was too late to regret. He could only suppress the panic in his heart and shout with a false bravado,

"I am a general under Prince Rui! How dare you threaten me?!"

Xu Sanyan clenched his fingers, and Inner Qi surged. A long sword from nearby flew into his hand. "You made the first move. I'm just defending myself, aren't I?"

This move stunned everyone. Telekinesis was a skill only a Celestial Realm Martial Expert possessed!

The two Yang brothers couldn't help but show envy, while Wang Chengming's face could no longer hide his panic. "If you kill me, Prince Rui won't let you off! The Eldest Prince won't let you off either!"

Beside him, Yang Xinyu pursed his lips, no longer displaying his earlier arrogance. He had thought this man was a country bumpkin who could be easily manipulated, but he never expected him to be a ruthless killer who would draw his sword at the slightest provocation.

Xu Sanyan's lips parted. "Tell it to the King of Hell."

In the blink of an eye, a cold blade light flashed, illuminating the dim tavern. Wang Chengming clutched his neck, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Gurgle... Fifth Young Master... save... me..."

Wang Chengming reached out helplessly towards Yang Xinyu. He didn't want to die. He still had so much to live for, and he had just married several beautiful concubines he hadn't even had the chance to enjoy.

But it was too late. Wang Chengming collapsed to the ground, his eyes gradually losing their light.

Yang Xinyu stared in shock at Wang Chengming's lifeless body, a wave of fear washing over him. "He's... dead?"

He never expected Xu Sanyan to actually kill someone.

Wang Chengming, who was stronger than him, couldn't even block one strike and died just like that?

Is this... the power of the Celestial Realm?

Xu Sanyan sheathed his sword. In truth, Wang Chengming wouldn't have been able to withstand a single move from him even if he hadn't drawn his sword. He did this to intimidate the two Yang brothers and everyone else watching.

Strike first to avoid a hundred strikes!

If you don't use overwhelming force from the start, others will think you're weak and easy to bully, and trouble will keep coming.

"Fifth Young Master, is there anything else?" Xu Sanyan glanced sideways at Yang Xinyu.

"N-no... nothing else," Yang Xinyu stammered.

"Then please leave. And do me a favor—pass a message to the Eldest Prince for me."

"Of course," Yang Xinyu swallowed hard, unconsciously using a respectful tone.

"Even if the Eldest Prince doesn't think much of me, there's no need to send someone like this to humiliate me."

Xu Sanyan naturally couldn't admit that he had killed Wang Chengming to establish his authority, so he shifted the blame onto Wang Chengming, who was no longer in a position to defend himself.

"I'll make sure to deliver the message. Then I'll take my leave."

"Farewell," Xu Sanyan nodded.

Only after seeing his nod did Yang Xinyu dare to turn and run. After all, he was just a fourteen-year-old boy standing before a man who could take his life at any moment. It was only natural for him to feel uneasy.

(End of the Chapter)

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