Chương 17: Long Live the Su Clan!

The courtyard was filled with sneers and mocking whispers from the crowd. Xiao Xuan kept his expression calm, his hands resting loosely at his sides as he walked toward the imposing black obsidian monument. Just as he reached the base of the artifact, a tall, armored figure stepped forward, blocking his path. It was Commander Su Ming. Xiao Xuan stopped mid-step, blinking. What does he want? Su Ming turned his back to Xiao Xuan.

He clasped his hands and bowed toward the Patriarch's high platform, and projected his voice with a thick layer of Qi so it echoed across the entire estate.

"Clan Leader! If you will permit me, I would like to say a few words before the Young Master tests his cultivation." The courtyard instantly fell into a deathly silence.

"You may speak," Su Zhongtian replied, his deep voice carrying a note of curiosity. Beside him, First Elder Su Zhongyong narrowed his eyes, wondering what the elite commander was plotting.

"We all know that Young Master Xiao had never cultivated before joining the Su Clan," Su Ming declared boldly, his voice ringing with certainty.

"Therefore, judging him by the same metric as those of us who have trained since childhood is inherently flawed."

"Go on," Su Zhongtian said, sitting up slightly straighter.

"As warriors, we chase cultivation as our singular goal. Those with high talent naturally have an advantage over those with lesser talent. That includes myself," Su Ming continued.

"But the path of martial arts requires more than just a large Qi pool. It requires a martial heart. It requires the will to stand when every instinct tells you to run." Su Ming was a highly respected figure; his words carried weight. Su Ming turned slightly, sweeping his gaze toward the VIP section.

"A warrior with great strength who flees from danger is nothing but a coward. Any man can strike a beast when he knows he is stronger." He let his eyes linger on the Gu Clan delegation for a fraction of a second. Gu Wentian's face instantly tightened in ugly, humiliated rage, fully aware the commander was referencing his son's cowardly retreat at the market.

"But Young Master Xuan has raised the bar for all of us," Su Ming said, turning back to face Xiao Xuan directly.

"You stood your ground against a frenzied beast while possessing the body of a mortal. A beast that could have crushed you in an instant." He clasped his hands and offered Xiao Xuan a crisp, martial bow.

"Beasts fear cultivators like us because we only meet them with violence. Perhaps because you possessed no cultivation, the beast sensed your pure intent and calmed down." He rose to maintain eye contact with Xiao Xuan, his hands still clasped.

"Regardless of what outcome this artifact gives today, you have shown the courage of a true warrior. It is a lesson for every warrior here, that the strength of the fist isn't always the answer to everything. You have my utmost respect." Xiao Xuan stared at the handsome commander. Wow. His threat assessment of the beast incident is logical. He's an honorable martial arts nerd. The tens of thousands of people in the audience were now staring at Xiao Xuan with conflicted, baffled eyes.

Xiao Xuan let out a soft chuckle.

"Commander Su… was that a compliment, or did you just politely call me weak in front of everyone?" he asked, his tone deadpan. Su Ming's stoic, majestic aura stiffened.

"No… no, Young Master," he replied hastily, shaking his head fiercely.

"It was meant with absolute respect." Xiao Xuan laughed out loud, breaking the tension.

"I'm just messing with you, Commander. You are a sharp man, and I appreciate the sentiment." Xiao Xuan clasped his hands and offered a polite bow in return. The crowd watched in disbelief. Su Zhongyong and the other branch family elders had grim looks on their faces.

"But you really don't need to worry about me losing face today," Xiao Xuan said. Stepping past the elite commander, he confidently walked up to the towering black stone. He placed his right palm flat against the cold, runic surface. One second passed. Two whole seconds passed. The stone remained dead and dark. A few murmurs of mockery began to ripple through the back of the crowd. Up on the platform, First Elder Su Zhongyong let out a quiet sigh.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The managing elder beside the monument shook his head, preparing to dismiss him.

"Xiao Xuan, twenty years old, no—" THRRUM. The massive obsidian stone vibrated, emitting a deep, low hum that shook the floorboards of the platform. A warm, earthy glow surged upward through the carved lines. Instantly, the first crystal node on the side flared to life, illuminating the platform in a brilliant, blinding yellow color. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see if it would push higher. The surge settled, and the single yellow crystal remained steadily lit. The managing elder's eyes widened.

He stared at the glowing stone, then down at his parchment, his voice cracking as he shouted the result.

"Xiao Xuan! Qi Tu (Qi Disciple) Rank… 1st Stage!" … The night before the Clan Screening. Inside his dimly lit chamber, Xiao Xuan was drenched in a cold sweat. He sat cross-legged on his bed, his face pale from exhaustion. Using his psychic perception, he had been relentlessly scraping at the hardened impurities clogging his meridians, desperately trying to pave a clear path to his first star. It's taking way too long, he thought, breaking his focus with a heavy sigh.

At this pace, I won't even finish clearing the entrance before the sun comes up. What the hell should I do? He fell backward onto the soft mattress, staring up at the intricate wooden ceiling. His mind raced, frantically sifting through the hundreds of web novels he had translated back on Earth. Scraping the meridians clean is like trying to empty a lake with a spoon. And trying to forcefully ram the Qi through the blockage is just going to rupture my internal organs. What if…?

Xiao Xuan shot back up into a lotus position and closed his eyes. His psychic perception showed him that the blockages varied in density. He didn't need a perfectly clean, wide-open tunnel. Gathering some of the newly accumulated Qi, he channeled it through the openings already present in the smaller blockages and approached the next dense blockage. This time, instead of spreading his energy wide to scrape the walls, he used his psychic focus to compress the Qi into a microscopic, needle-like point.

He used that Qi pressure to drill a tiny, pinpoint hole straight through the center of the impurity, then slowly moved it back and forth to increase the gap, just enough for a small amount of Qi to pass through smoothly. He could pass Qi into his first star much faster. And the more Qi he accumulated inside the star, the more internal pressure he could generate to passively widen those tiny holes from the inside out. … The crowd could not process the announcement.

There was no loud shouting, no cheers; instead, only a collective gasp followed by complete silence. He has Qi?! The famously crippled son-in-law has stepped onto the path of cultivation?! Up on the high platform, the elders of the branch family and the VIP guests sat frozen in shock. Tang Zefei alone had a small smile playing on her lips, her eyes sparkling with quiet amusement as she casually sipped her tea. Beside her, the towering figure of Bao Kun leaned forward, his chair groaning under his massive frame.

As a man who lived and breathed for the martial path, his eyes lit up with unrestrained thrill.

"Hahaha! Excellent! To forge a foundation from absolutely nothing—that requires a monstrous will!" Bao Kun boomed, his deep voice carrying a predatory excitement.

"This boy's martial heart is tougher than refined iron! I like him!" Sitting quietly next to the giant, Bao Ling'er offered a small imperceptible nod. Her gentle eyes locked onto Xiao Xuan, acknowledging his newfound strength with a silent sliver of respect. Within the main family's ranks, the atmosphere shifted. Clan Leader Su Zhongtian's tense shoulders dropped, his broad chest swelling with pride. While Matriarch Liang Shufen let out a long sigh.

Su Luoyang maintained her icy, pristine exterior, but the tight, nervous knot in her chest vanished. Next to her, Su Luoyao was grinning from ear to ear as she happily bounced on her heels. Fat tears of joy streamed down Wei Tu's cheeks, soaking his collar. He wiped his nose with his sleeve, whispering fervent prayers of thanks to the heavens. Standing just behind the two Su sisters, Xinyue looked as if she had just watched a corpse climb out of a grave.

All of her petty insults, her deliberate sabotage, and her constant mocking of his 'delusional' attempts to cultivate flashed before her eyes. Looking at the stunned silence of the crowd, Xiao Xuan pulled his hand back from the stone, thoroughly satisfied. Standing a few feet away, Su Ming was staring at the glowing crystal speechless. He quickly snapped his mouth shut, bowing deeply once again, his voice carrying a new layer of awe.

"Congratulations, Young Master. It seems you have humbled us all once again." Up on the throne, Su Zhongtian leaned back in his grand chair. He turned his head slowly, locking eyes with First Elder Su Zhongyong, who looked as if he had just been physically struck in the chest.

"Xiao Xuan has shown incredible diligence, wouldn't you agree, Zhongyong?" the Clan Leader asked, a dark smile spreading across his face. The First Elder forced a stiff, dull nod, his voice choking in his throat.

"Yes… indeed, Brother." Xiao Xuan returned to his seat while Su Ming excused himself back to the ranks. Once Xiao Xuan had settled, Second Elder Su Jiang stepped forward to the edge of the platform. His face was rigid. He again projected his raspy voice with Qi.

"Hear my words! The heavens have witnessed our strength! The annual Su Clan Screening has reached its glorious conclusion! May our martial foundation remain ever unshakable!" As the echoes of the Second Elder's voice faded, Clan Leader Su Zhongtian stood up. His majestic Qi Huang (Qi Emperor) aura flared slightly, demanding silence and attention.

"Clan members, warriors, and honored guests!" Su Zhongtian's voice resonated warmly across the training grounds.

"Today, we have witnessed the unyielding spirit, the courage, and the immense talent of our younger generation. I extend my deepest gratitude to Divine Alchemist Tan, Executive Tang, Clan Leader Bao, and Clan Leader Gu for gracing our humble estate with their esteemed presence!" He paused, letting his gaze sweep over the thousands of hopeful, exhausted youths in the courtyard.

"To reward the extreme dedication displayed today, I hereby decree a special reward! All participating disciples who successfully passed the screening shall be granted one hour of unrestricted access to the Su Clan Treasury! You are permitted to select and retrieve one martial art or cultivation technique of your choice!" For a split second, the courtyard was dead silent. Then, it erupted. A deafening roar of joy shattered the sky.

Thousands of young warriors cheered until their throats went hoarse, their faces flushed with excitement as they fell to their knees, bowing deeply toward the high platform.

"We thank the Clan Leader! Long live the Su Clan!"