"Can you fight?"
Chen Yuan’s words momentarily caught Fang Minghai off guard. He thought Chen Yuan had reluctantly made the offer out of loyalty, unwilling to watch the Fang Family fall into ruin. Minghai was about to dissuade him, but on second thought, Chen Yuan was not a reckless person. If he dared to speak up, he must be confident. Could it be...
Minghai’s eyes widened slightly as he hurriedly asked, "Junior Brother Chen, have you comprehended Hidden Force?"
Chen Yuan smiled and nodded. "That is correct. In terms of Stage alone, I should be on par with the He Yunhan you mentioned. I should be able to put up a fight."
With their Stages being equal, there was nothing to fear. Elephant Bone Perfection gave him plenty of confidence. Even if Yunhan possessed hidden trump cards, Chen Yuan would have no problem protecting himself.
As expected!
Joy instantly filled Minghai’s eyes, and he let out a long-absent laugh. "Junior Brother Chen, you truly are a peerless genius. To achieve Bone Refining Great Success and comprehend Hidden Force in less than a year of martial arts training puts me to shame."
When he chose to sponsor Chen Yuan, he never expected the young man to progress at such a divine speed. After all, Minghai himself had yet to comprehend Hidden Force.
He paused, his tone shifting to slight concern. "Junior Brother Chen, I appreciate your intentions. However, He Yunhan is ruthless. You have only just broken through. If you are not confident, do not force yourself."
Having just experienced the death of his cousin, Minghai could not help but worry. If Chen Yuan also died at Yunhan’s hands, he would not know how to live with himself.
Chen Yuan smiled faintly. "Senior Brother Fang, do not worry. I know what I am doing. Even if I cannot defeat him, I can still escape with my life."
Seeing his confidence, Minghai stopped trying to persuade him. "Junior Brother Chen, the Fang Family will engrave your loyalty and willingness to help in our hearts. The two families might already be discussing peace terms. We must leave right now before it is too late."
He naturally hoped Chen Yuan could win back a round for the Fang Family. That way, they still had a chance to compete! Chen Yuan nodded, and the two quickly hurried toward Wankou Mountain.
Wankou Mountain earned its name from its resemblance to the mouth of a bowl. The mountain was not high, featuring sparse woods and jagged, bizarre rocks. Following the recent discovery of a mine, camps had sprung up across the desolate landscape in an instant.
Inside a large tent, two distinct factions sat in a tense standoff.
One group was led by Patriarch Fang Zhengde. Standing behind him were his son Fang Tingjiang, Minghai’s father Fang Zhengqing, and a crowd of Fang Clan Members alongside the Nursing Home. Lv Mingyuan, who had previously fought Chen Yuan, was also among them. Everyone in their ranks wore grim expressions.
On the opposite side sat the He Family. Their leader was a lean, seasoned middle-aged man with distinct, powerful sinews on his hands—He Tianxiong, the master of the He Family.
Behind him stood his family members, various Tributors, and the Nursing Home. Among them was a young man with his arms crossed over his chest. He wore an arrogant expression, his narrow eyes coldly sweeping over the Fang Family. This was He Yunhan, the most outstanding disciple of the He Family’s current generation. Having just beaten a Fang Family prodigy to death in a duel yesterday, he was currently brimming with high spirits.
Tianxiong spoke indifferently. "Patriarch Fang, you are a smart man, so I will not beat around the bush. Looking at the current situation, you will undoubtedly lose if we continue fighting. There is no need to further damage the harmony between our two families.
"Let us both take a step back. If you concede now and surrender the mining rights, I will give you ten percent of the profits. I will also forgive all your offenses from the past few days."
At its core, all the fighting and killing was for profit. He wanted to finalize the deal right now and eliminate any unexpected variables.
Zhengde’s expression looked awful. In the past, he would never have agreed. They had expended tremendous effort to discover this mine; why should they hand it over? However, with the death of their clan’s prodigy, the momentum had entirely left them.
He spoke in a deep voice. "Brother He, isn’t ten percent too little? I can invest manpower and resources to help you mine it. I hope to receive twenty-five percent."
The only thing he could do now was fight for as much profit as possible.
Tianxiong’s face turned cold as he replied flatly. "Patriarch Fang, it seems you still do not understand the situation. Continuing this fight will do nothing but delay our mining operations by a few days. Do you truly think you can win?
"Offering you ten percent is already the utmost limit of my benevolence. If your Fang Family wishes to continue warring against my He Family in the future, I am happy to oblige.
"But I hope you think carefully—with your current strength, can you really defeat us?"
His methods in leading the He Family to this point were naturally not weak. Although he promised ten percent, the actual amount given would be entirely up to him. Once the He Family used this mine to develop further, would the Fang Family dare complain even if they didn’t get a single penny? He was simply employing a stalling tactic to take the mine without shedding any more blood.
Anger surged in Zhengde’s heart. This was a naked threat—he was pushing them too far! But he could only endure it. Indeed, just as Tianxiong said, the Fang Family no longer even had the capital to fight to the bitter end. Agreeing to the proposal seemed to be their best option.
Right at that moment, a Fang Family member walked swiftly into the tent and whispered a few words into Zhengde’s ear.
Zhengde’s expression shifted slightly. "Brother He, please excuse me for a moment."
Soon after, two figures strode inside. It was the newly arrived Minghai and Chen Yuan. Zhengde stood up to converse quietly with Minghai, while the Fang Clan Members formed a tight circle around them.
Lv Mingyuan looked at Chen Yuan, the man he had narrowly lost to before, with a hint of surprise. He wondered what Brother Chen was doing here at a time like this.
"Minghai, and you, young man, are you truly confident in defeating He Yunhan?" Zhengde asked seriously.
If they resumed the fight, that ten percent profit would vanish, and they would deepen their blood feud with the He Family. He would only consider taking this gamble if there was at least some hope of winning.
Minghai spoke sternly. "Patriarch, He Tianxiong is treacherous and cunning. He has gone back on his word countless times and cannot be trusted. Since we have already torn away all pretenses to this extent, why not fight?"
Chen Yuan then spoke up. "Patriarch Fang, I have a fifty percent chance of success. If you trust me, let me try."
One should never make absolute promises. Fifty percent confidence was more than enough.
Zhengde had already been suppressing a bellyful of rage. After learning of Chen Yuan’s strength, he instantly made his decision. He walked back to Tianxiong and spoke coldly, "Brother He, another hero has come to aid our Fang Family. Consider your previous proposal void. Does your He Family dare to accept this challenge?"
Tianxiong frowned slightly. He guessed that the young man who just entered was a helper hired by the Fang Family. To issue such a challenge, the kid likely had some skill. However, there was no way Tianxiong would be afraid. They still had a margin for error. And as long as they won this battle, the ownership of the mine would completely fall to the He Family, as per their prior agreement.
He replied calmly, "Why wouldn’t we dare? State the background of your helper."
Everyone’s gaze gathered on Chen Yuan. He took a step forward, cupped his hands slightly, and announced, "Huo Courtyard, Heart Intent Six Harmonies Fist, Chen Yuan. I have practiced martial arts for over ten months, reached Bone Refining Great Success, and initiated Hidden Force."
Hearing this, Tianxiong’s brow furrowed. He had heard of Chen Yuan before as Minghai’s sponsored martial artist. He had only paid him brief attention. After all, the boy hadn’t been practicing for long and wasn’t considered a threat. He never expected him to have already reached Bone Refining Great Success and initiated Hidden Force.
Tianxiong stood up and went to the back to discuss the matter. The person he consulted was naturally the He Family prodigy, Yunhan.
"Yunhan, this Chen Yuan has decent talent. What do you think? Are you confident?" Tianxiong asked.
A cold light flashed in Yunhan’s eyes. "His talent is decent, but what I love most is hunting geniuses!
"Daring to stand up for the Fang Family right after comprehending Hidden Force... I will personally send him down to the Yellow Springs for reincarnation and completely break the Fang Family’s spine. Patriarch, please make sure you let me fight."
The fact that Chen Yuan comprehended Hidden Force faster than he did stirred up a bit of jealousy within him. However, he wouldn’t waste jealousy on a dead man.
Tianxiong nodded slightly. "Alright. Go all out. I have your back."
He also had great confidence in Yunhan. The two then walked back toward the Fang Family.
Yunhan looked down upon everyone and spoke indifferently. "He Family, He Yunhan, Tendons and Bones Separating Hand. I have practiced martial arts for over a year, reached Bone Refining Great Success, and initiated Hidden Force.
"That trash who went down to the Yellow Springs should know my strength best. I advise you not to choose to fight me. Otherwise, you can go ahead and prepare for another funeral."
He was arrogant to the extreme, entirely disregarding the Fang Family. Of course, these words also held a hidden provocation; he was worried Chen Yuan wouldn’t dare fight him.
Zhengde’s gaze fell upon Chen Yuan, who gave a slight nod. The Patriarch then replied, "It is understandable for young people to be hot-blooded, but it is still unknown which family will be hosting a funeral. We accept this match."
As the master of a family, he wasn’t about to let a wet-behind-the-ears brat provoke him. However, the Fang Clan Members behind him were filled with righteous indignation. Killing their prodigy was one thing, but laughing and using it as a topic of conversation made them wish they could tear Yunhan to pieces.
At this moment, they pinned all their hopes on Chen Yuan, praying he could create a miracle and beat Yunhan to death!
With both sides agreeing to the duel, they dispensed with the idle chatter and moved outside the tent to the clearing where the previous match had taken place. A crisp spring breeze brushed past, bursting with vitality.
Yunhan, however, sneered. "Chen Yuan, just yesterday, I personally beat the Fang Family’s trash to death. You won’t be an exception. HAHAHAHA!"
His blood was already boiling. He couldn’t wait to snap Chen Yuan’s neck.
"I also have something to tell you," Chen Yuan said flatly.
"Oh?" Yunhan raised an eyebrow, teasing, "Are they your last words? Let’s hear them."
"You are about to die," Chen Yuan said softly.