At the entrance of Xia Feng Academy, Ye Chen's simple and brutal punch sent Young Master Wu flying, completely disfiguring him. This sudden scene deeply stunned everyone present.
Fierce!
No one expected him to actually strike. The other party was an elite disciple of Xia Feng Academy, even if only a student of the Huang-tier Academy, he still belonged to Xia Feng Academy. Wasn't he afraid of offending Xia Feng Academy?
After all, Xia Feng Academy was the largest gathering place for geniuses within the entire Xia Feng Kingdom, assembling the most talents and receiving support from the royal family. Implicitly, it could be said to be part of the royal household.
Offending Xia Feng Academy was, in effect, offending the entire royal family—a grave crime.
However, many soon shook their heads. Young Master Wu was, at most, just a member of Xia Feng Academy and could in no way represent the entire academy, let alone the royal family. They were overthinking it; this was at most a dispute among the younger generation.
Ye Chen walked up to Young Master Wu, looking down at him from above. He cast a cold glance at the young master, who was writhing on the ground in pain while clutching his face, and said indifferently, "Too much nonsense. Can't you understand human speech? I told you to move aside, but you refused. You only listen after getting beaten up. How pathetic!"
The surrounding crowd was dumbfounded, unable to help but wipe a cold sweat. Just who was this kid? He actually dared to insult Young Master Wu like this. Wasn't he afraid of completely and utterly offending him?
Though others might not have realized it yet, since Ye Chen had already struck, it meant he had thoroughly offended him. There was no possibility of reconciliation now.
Since he had already offended him, then he might as well offend him completely.
Witnessing Ye Chen's arrogant attitude, the two other young masters accompanying Young Master Wu dared not step forward to challenge Ye Chen, fearing he might also take the opportunity to deal with them. That would be a great injustice.
They hurriedly helped the injured Young Master Wu up, asking with concern, "Young Master Wu, are you alright?"
Young Master Wu covered his bloodied face, glaring venomously at Ye Chen, and said hatefully, "You brat, you have some nerve! You dare to hit me? Do you even know who I am? Today, I'll make sure you die—"
Thud—
Another dull sound rang out. Ye Chen merely flicked his sleeve, releasing an invisible, powerful force that struck Young Master Wu with a thud. He was sent flying as if struck by lightning, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood. Faint, subtle sounds of bone fractures could be heard as he collapsed to the ground.
This scene once again shocked everyone. Their gazes toward Ye Chen were now filled with awe. This mysterious youth truly had no taboos.
Ye Chen said disdainfully, "Threatening me? That depends on whether you have the strength for it. Clearly not a match, yet still spouting threats to save face. I must say, your intelligence is truly pig-like—beyond cure."
Pfft—
Many in the crowd couldn't help but laugh out loud. Those words were just too fitting.
"You—" Young Master Wu was both furious and humiliated. Who was he? Being publicly insulted like this was even more painful than the physical blows. He wanted to issue another threat, but the words stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
Because when he met Ye Chen's icy, snow-cold gaze, he felt a bone-chilling coldness rise from the depths of his heart. A sudden, all-encompassing coldness enveloped him, making him tremble with fear.
At that moment, he felt as if he were being watched from above by an incredibly terrifying beast, observing his every move. If he dared to defy its will, he would vanish from this world in an instant.
Because he sensed that the other party wasn't speaking falsely but stating a plain fact.
If truly necessary, Ye Chen would kill him without the slightest hesitation.
All of this filled Young Master Wu with terror and dread. Just who was this person? How could he give him such a terrifying feeling? Not even those elite disciples from the Heaven-tier Academy had ever made him feel this way.
At that moment, a luxurious carriage suddenly came to a stop with a clatter before the gates of Xia Feng Academy. The carriage was spacious and opulent, adorned with intricate gold-thread patterns, exuding nobility and grandeur.
Even the horses pulling it were no ordinary steeds but Cloud-Snow Steeds with coats as smooth as silk, pure and extraordinary—an extremely rare breed of fine horse, not something money alone could buy.
Clearly, the person in the carriage was no ordinary individual, either wealthy or noble. Otherwise, they wouldn't have Cloud-Snow Steeds as draft animals.
"Could this be... His Highness's carriage?" Seeing the carriage appear, Young Master Wu suddenly said with some excitement.
"Right, it must be His Highness's carriage. In the entire Xia Feng Academy, aside from that Highness, no one else would ride in such a precious vehicle," the two noble young masters beside him couldn't help but grow excited.
His Highness? Could it be a prince or princess from the royal family?
Ye Chen pondered briefly, realizing this answer was most likely correct, though he didn't know which prince or princess it was.
The luxurious carriage pulled by Cloud-Snow Steeds instantly became the focus of everyone's attention, so conspicuous that all couldn't help but speculate about the identity of the person inside. To have Cloud-Snow Steeds as draft animals, they must be someone of exalted status.
Some had even begun guessing whether it was a certain prince or princess from the royal family.
With a creak, the gilded carriage door swung open, revealing a glimpse of the luxurious interior within: brocade silks, gold and silver jade cups, precious ornaments—everything one could imagine, all priceless treasures that made people envious.
A handsome and dashing young man stepped out, no more than twenty years old, yet tall and stalwart. Dressed in a fitting and noble purple robe, he appeared even more elegant and handsome.
His fine brows carried a proud, heroic air, and his imposing demeanor, stemming from his noble bloodline, could not be concealed. A single glance was enough to tell he was a young master of extraordinary origins, making many feel inferior and ashamed in comparison.
Handsome and outstanding, full of vitality, the moment he appeared, many nearby women couldn't help but exclaim, their eyes shining, drawing attention.
The heroic young man gave a gentle smile to those around him and waved slightly, immediately causing many to exclaim in shock and awe.
"Ah, it's the Thirteenth Prince! I never expected him to come."
"It's actually the Thirteenth Prince appearing. Wasn't he said to be in seclusion recently? How rare to see him emerge."
"The Thirteenth Prince's appearance this time might be related to that matter."
On the street, everyone was buzzing with discussion, revealing the identity of the heroic young man: the thirteenth son of the current king of the Xia Feng Kingdom's royal family, a descendant bearing the noble royal bloodline.
No wonder he was so luxurious and grand, able to use rare steeds like Cloud-Snow Steeds as draft animals. Only a royal descendant could have such extravagant means; even ordinary nobles and aristocrats lacked this capability.
But that wasn't all. More importantly, this Thirteenth Prince was no ordinary prince but a martial arts genius with exceptional cultivation talent, renowned throughout the kingdom and highly regarded by the world.
He had displayed remarkable cultivation talent from an early age, officially beginning cultivation at eight. In just eight years of cultivation, he achieved the Xiantian realm at sixteen—an astonishingly young age and a proud accomplishment.
Even when viewed across the entire Tian Du Continent, this was a remarkably proud achievement. Among the younger generation of the Xia Feng Kingdom, only that peerless monster Ye Chen, who had suddenly fallen from grace two years ago, could completely overshadow him in this regard.
However, Ye Chen shook his head slightly. His memory of this Thirteenth Prince was rather vague, perhaps because the halo of genius that had once surrounded him was too dazzling. All the geniuses in the entire Xia Feng Kingdom paled in comparison before him, their own once-notable halos stripped away, leaving his impressions of other geniuses hazy.
But whether then or now, it remained the same: so-called geniuses were still not worth mentioning in his eyes.
When the Thirteenth Prince saw Young Master Wu, he couldn't help but frown his raised sword-like brows and said, "Wu Changwei, what exactly happened here? How did you get injured?"
Young Master Wu's full name was indeed Wu Changwei. Hearing the Thirteenth Prince's inquiry, he no longer cared about anything else. He rushed forward, knelt down, and began tearfully pleading, "Your Highness, the Thirteenth Prince, you must seek justice for this humble subject."
The Thirteenth Prince wore a warm, spring-like smile that made people feel at ease. "Speak. What exactly happened? If it wasn't your fault, this prince will certainly seek justice for you. You can rest assured of that."
Wu Changwei pointed at Ye Chen and said angrily, "Your Highness, it was that lowly commoner! He attacked me without any reason, causing severe injuries. I beg Your Highness to uphold justice and righteousness and seek justice for this humble subject."
"Oh—" The Thirteenth Prince let out a meaningful "oh," his gaze falling upon Ye Chen. In that instant, his eyes suddenly became piercing, making people dare not look directly.
Yet at that same moment, Ye Chen's gaze also turned piercing, blazing and aggressive.