Chapter 20: I Shape My Own Fate
Chapter 20: I Shape My Own Fate
The entire hall fell deathly silent. It was as though everyone was forcing themselves to believe they had heard wrong… that it was merely a hallucination.
The geniuses gasped in disbelief, their faces pale and stiff. Xiao Lan froze completely, his usual mischievous and rash temperament suppressed by sheer shock. Even in his wildest imaginations, he would never dare speak back to an elder—let alone in such a manner. His twin sister, Xiao Li, stood dumbfounded, her lips parting as though to speak, yet no words left her mouth.
Xiao Han’s face darkened, fists clenched tight as his gaze locked on Xiao Chen. “How audacious…” he muttered under his breath, his heart thundering in his chest.
“Brother Chen…” Xiao Rongyu whispered in a trembling voice. Her amber eyes shimmered with a storm of emotions she dared not voice aloud. Among the younger generation present, only she truly understood Xiao Chen… yet even she had not anticipated this.
As for the other geniuses, fear had gripped their hearts so tightly that none dared utter a word.
The First Elder blinked slowly, his aged face twitching. For a brief moment, even he appeared lost in disbelief. Xiao Chen’s words had struck him like thunder. Never in the family’s history had a junior dared speak so brazenly to him.
“This brat…”
Feeling the air grow heavier with tension, Elder Xiao Mei’s expression paled. She quickly stepped forward, attempting to intervene before the situation spiraled beyond control. Her usually composed voice trembled slightly as she forced a gentle smile.
“First Elder… please, the child is still young… hot-blooded. Perhaps he doesn't understand the gravity of his words. Let us not deepen the conflict within the family. Cooler heads must prevail…” she pleaded, bowing slightly.
But the First Elder remained unmoved. His eyes, sharp as blades, fixed on Xiao Chen with pure disdain. “Hmph… You call that arrogance ‘youth’? It’s nothing but open defiance. There's no place for such disrespect in this family.”
Still, Elder Xiao Mei clenched her fists in frustration. She could not bear to watch things escalate. Yet no matter her efforts, the First Elder remained resolute.
And then—
A cold, mocking voice suddenly echoed across the grand hall, slicing through the silence like a knife.
“First Elder, don’t waste your breath on him! Since no one is willing, this humble one shall personally teach him respect!”
The voice belonged to none other than Deacon Mo.
With a twisted grin, his short figure stepped forward. His disheveled hair and unkempt beard made him resemble a beggar more than a deacon, but the wicked glint in his eyes betrayed the cruelty he concealed.
His gaze locked onto Xiao Chen, filled with smug disdain. He jabbed a finger toward him and barked, “You… just who do you think you are? You dare insult an elder of the Xiao Family? You must be punished according to family law!”
Without further warning, Deacon Mo’s aura erupted with fury.
“Since no one else will do it, I—Xiao Mo—shall teach you proper respect!”
Boom!
The very air trembled as his cultivation burst forth—Middle Stage Martial Master Realm!
“Die!” he roared. Spiritual iQ surged violently around his arm, condensing into a monstrous, razor-sharp eagle claw. With terrifying speed, he lunged toward Xiao Chen like a predator descending on its prey.
“Brother Chen!” Xiao Rongyu cried out, her eyes wide with horror.
But Xiao Chen didn’t flinch. His expression remained cold, resolute. Without hesitation, his own aura erupted in defiance, sweeping across the hall like a violent storm.
Peak Stage Martial Soul Realm!
The crowd gasped.
Yet what truly stunned them was not the cultivation level—but the suffocating weight of his aura. Despite being a realm lower, Xiao Chen’s presence crushed Deacon Mo’s like a mountain pressing against a breeze. It was primal. Dominant. Untouchable.
Behind him, unseen by most, the Heavenly Yin-Yang Dragon phantom shimmered into existence. Majestic. Terrifying. Its vast silhouette loomed above him, exuding a pressure that seemed to echo from ancient times.
As Deacon Mo’s eagle claw closed in, Xiao Chen’s eyes turned to ice. He stepped forward, spiritual iQ coating his fist like crystalline steel. Then—
He struck.
Boom!
A blinding burst of light engulfed the hall. The resulting shockwave exploded outward, shaking the entire foundation.
In the next instant—
Bang!
Deacon Mo’s body was sent flying like a ragdoll, faster than he had charged. He crashed hard against the marble floor, sliding several feet before finally stopping. Blood dripped from the corner of his lips as he collapsed onto his knees, trembling uncontrollably.
The hall fell into another deathly silence.
No one could believe what had just occurred.
“Impossible…” Deacon Mo gasped, his face pale as ash. He tried to lift his head but failed. His body trembled with disbelief.
How could a Peak Martial Soul junior overpower a Martial Master like him?
---
“Impossible!!” the First Elder roared, his voice thundering across the hall like a storm. His expression twisted in disbelief, the wrinkles on his face deepening like dried cracks in the desert.
“What?!” Elder Xiao Feng staggered backward two steps, clutching his chest as if stabbed in the heart. His lips quivered, and for the first time, his calm demeanor shattered. It felt as though the very world he knew was collapsing around him.
The entire hall remained frozen, not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Every gaze was locked onto Xiao Chen as if they were looking at a phantom.
But no one reacted as wildly as Xiao Yang.
“No! This cannot be! It’s a lie! It must be a lie!” he shrieked, staggering back as madness overtook him. The once calm and dignified elder now looked like a broken puppet. The veins on his neck bulged as he laughed hysterically, a wild, broken sound. Just moments ago, he had basked in visions of his son's ascension—of the Patriarch’s seat falling into his grasp. He had seen it all so clearly. But now…
“It’s all gone… gone!” he howled like a wounded beast.
“What… what is happening?” Elder Xiao Jian murmured, confusion clouding his aged eyes. Even his decades of experience failed to make sense of what he had witnessed.
Madam Xiao Ru, who had remained calm thus far, could no longer hide her astonishment. Her old eyes trembled as she stared at Xiao Chen. “How can this be? The boy we all deemed trash… now exploding with such power?”
It was then that realization hit them like lightning.
“Heaven Rank Martial Spirit… and at its Peak, no less!” Patriarch Xiao Hao’s voice trembled with disbelief—then suddenly broke into laughter.
“Hahahahaha!”
All the suppressed rage, pain, and helplessness he had felt moments ago vanished like morning mist under the sun. Replacing it was unrestrained joy and pride. His eyes gleamed as he gazed at his son.
“And not just that… it’s a Divine Beast Martial Spirit!”
The words struck like thunder in the ears of everyone present.
Elder Xiao Mei stood frozen. Her hands visibly trembled. “This boy… it wasn’t just his aura. In a single night, he awakened a Peak Heaven Rank Divine Beast Martial Spirit… and his cultivation soared to the Peak of the Martial Soul Realm…” She swallowed hard, staring at Xiao Chen as though trying to glimpse the truth of an unfathomable mystery. “His foundation… it’s terrifying. I cannot even imagine how he accomplished this.”
The Third Elder, who rarely spoke, finally opened his mouth. His voice was low, solemn.
“Peak Heaven Rank… That is the pinnacle of Martial Spirit potential. Even in the mighty Elemental Dao Sect… such a talent would be considered near-mythical.” He sighed deeply and resumed his bead counting—though his fingers trembled ever so slightly.
The younger generation of geniuses were utterly crushed.
“I… Impossible…” one of them whispered, his voice hollow with despair. “That was a Martial Master… and he flung him like a broken doll. We’re supposed to be the pride of this generation… but the gap… it’s monstrous.”
Xiao Han’s eyes widened, his pupils trembling. His mouth opened, but no sound came.
“I thought… I finally surpassed him… thought I had won. But now… I can’t even chase him anymore…”
Xiao Lan, the most unruly among them, dropped to his knees. “He crushed a Martial Master…” His voice cracked. “Brother Chen… what kind of monster have you become?”
His sister, Xiao Li, stared with wide, shimmering eyes. “Was he ever really just one of us… or was he always far above, merely hiding his light?”
Xiao Boyan clenched his fists, his knuckles white. “I was preparing to celebrate Xiao Han’s victory tonight… to toast a new era…” he muttered bitterly. “What a joke… what a cruel, cruel joke this turned out to be.”
None of them dared speak anymore.
Xiao Chen had become a mountain they could no longer see the peak of—a dragon awakened from slumber.
Then, through the heavy silence, a sweet voice trembled softly.
“Brother Chen… I knew something wasn’t right that day… I’m so glad… so very glad you did it.” Xiao Rongyu’s eyes shimmered with tears as a gentle smile curved her lips.
Xiao Chen turned to her slowly, his frosty gaze softening for just a breath. “Thank you,” he murmured. A faint smile graced his lips—but only for a heartbeat—before his eyes turned back toward the elders.
Suddenly, the air shifted again.
Xiao Chen’s aura surged with renewed strength. His voice rang out, calm but unyielding, every syllable carved from iron.
“Listen carefully, all of you. I do not care what decisions you made behind my back. I care not for your schemes… nor your judgments. What I know… is that I shape my own fate.”
As the final word fell, an invisible force swept across the hall, shaking the walls faintly as if the heavens themselves bowed to his will. His voice carried the conviction of one baptized by Long Tianyi’s immortal will—by a soul that once defied the heavens.
No one dared to speak.
No one dared to stop him.
And so, Xiao Chen turned. His black robes billowed like wings as he walked toward the exit, each step steady and resolute—like a dragon soaring into the heavens.
He left behind only stunned silence and awestruck gazes.
Long after his figure vanished, the hall remained still.
For they had all just witnessed the rise… of a legend.