Chapter 50: A Kind of Pride, A Kind of Confidence

In an instant, those who had intended to make a move extinguished their thoughts, and those who were about to strike halted their steps. And that man... in flowing robes with cloud-like sleeves, his hair as white as snow, with a serene and unhurried demeanor, still wore his smile.

He seemed to have changed not at all.

Yet the others, every single one of them, looked at him with entirely different eyes—gone was the disdain, gone was the contempt, replaced solely by shock and terror.

They simply could not comprehend when such a figure had emerged in the pugilistic world.

The grand hall was profoundly quiet, suddenly sinking into a deathly stillness.

Ren Yi stood there just as he had moments before, gazing toward Matriarch Shen, seemingly waiting for her to change her mind.

Though Matriarch Shen still wore her familiar smiling expression, not a shred of actual warmth remained in her eyes, and her hands, hanging by her sides, appeared to tremble slightly.

At that moment, a figure stepped out from the crowd...

This man was named Xu Qingteng, the most beloved disciple of the Wudang Sect's grandmaster. Unmatched in both fist techniques and swordsmanship, and possessing supreme lightness skills, it was said that when he unleashed his swordsmanship, it was entirely devoid of any mortal aura. Rumor had it that he had "surpassed the master to excel beyond," and he had been hailed as the "Number One Sword under Heaven"!

"Does the honored guest not feel he has gone too far?"

Ren Yi said indifferently, "Perhaps..."

Seeing him remain composed and entirely unchanged, Xu Qingteng said coldly, "Do you truly believe your martial arts have reached a realm where you are invincible beneath the heavens?"

Ren Yi smiled faintly, "I should think so!"

Hearing this, he too laughed, a laugh full of mockery and chill, and declared, "I possess the Thirty-Three Linked Life-奪-Swords."

Ren Yi asked in mild surprise, "Do you believe yourself different from them?"

"Humph!"

With a cold snort, Xu Qingteng spoke no more. A flash of sword light, swift as lightning, thrust straight toward Ren Yi!

Not long ago, another had drawn their sword in much the same way, but that person's strike could not possibly compare to this one. This thrust came entirely without a trace; no one could discern how he had executed it, nor from where the blade had materialized.

The sword light was as fast as lightning, and everyone was startled by its brilliance. In the blink of an eye, this thunderous strike had reached within an inch of Ren Yi's throat.

Yet, as the sword flashed, the blade suddenly stopped. It halted as swiftly and abruptly as it had been thrust, yet with an even more elusive, incomprehensible suddenness.

This "halt" was in truth far more astonishing than the "thrust," for the lightning-fast sword had been miraculously checked by merely two fingers.

If no one dared claim they could block that sword, then no one could possibly describe just how wondrous those two fingers were. Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, they simply would not have believed it.

Under Xu Qingteng's horrified gaze, those two fingers gave a gentle twist, and the sword snapped.

Ren Yi smiled and said, "You are no different from them!"

Xu Qingteng's eyes grew somewhat vacant and lost; his pride had been shattered along with his blade.

Ren Yi paid him no further heed, took two steps to his right, and said to Matriarch Shen, "Does the elder still refuse?"

Matriarch Shen looked at him, and aside from anger, her clouded eyes flickered, seeming to harbor a growing hesitation.

"If the more than three hundred martial arts peers present were to join forces... does Young Master Ren truly believe he can withstand them?"

The young gentleman standing beside the Matriarch finally spoke. His demeanor was very refined, making him look rather like a scholarly gentleman. Yet a long sword hung at his waist, and even before making a move, his hand rested upon the hilt.

His words seemed to awaken everyone present. The quiet hall suddenly erupted into a clamor of voices.

"Young Master Lian is right. In single combat, perhaps none of us are his match, but if we all attack together, should we fear him?"

"Indeed, let us not be cowed by him."

"Humph! To deal with such a villain, there is no need to abide by the rules of the martial world."

"..."

Feng Siniang, who had been watching the spectacle with rapt attention, could not help but worry for this man. She furrowed her delicate brows and muttered under her breath, "Is this arrogant brat truly not afraid of death? Is Shen Bijun really that alluring? Is he willing to throw his life away?!"

Feng Siniang was both exasperated and anxious, yet utterly helpless.

Even so, Ren Yi merely offered a faint smile, looked toward that young man, and asked, "Are you Lian Chengbiy?"

The young gentleman replied, "I am indeed Lian Chengbiy!"

Ren Yi asked, "Do you think I will lose?"

Lian Chengbiy looked at him with a deeply perplexed gaze, smiling as he asked, "Does your excellency still believe you can win?"

Ren Yi shook his head slightly, emitted a soft sigh, and said, "There is a kind of pride you simply cannot understand, because it is called being invincible beneath the heavens. There is a kind of confidence you will never comprehend, because you are utterly incapable of experiencing it."

His soft, gentle, understated voice drowned out every other sound.

For a moment, only these calm words echoed and reverberated through the hall...

All at once, everyone froze in place... Then, Ren Yi reached out with a beckoning hand, and a long sword from the ground flew straight into his palm.

A sword! He knew how to wield a sword?!

No one had known that Ren Yi could also use a sword. With the weapon in his hand, his entire persona seemed to undergo a startling transformation.

Suddenly, he appeared aloof and high above, looking down upon others with utter contempt.

Suddenly, he became peerlessly arrogant, wearing a smile of extreme disdain.

An aura of absolute dominance over the world radiated from his very being, and the complexions of everyone present began to turn pale... It felt as though an invisible hand had gripped every single person by the throat.

Then, he spoke these words: "Gentlemen, fare well!"

The sword was raised...

At that very spark-swift fraction of a second, someone roared, "Stop! Stop at once!" It was the Matriarch—Matriarch Shen shouted the command to halt!

Following that cry, Matriarch Shen seemed to lose all her strength; her figure wavered, and she sank back into her seat.

Ren Yi lowered his hand once more, and the sword naturally fell with it. Yet the very instant he lowered his hand, countless people began to gasp for breath uncontrollably, and countless others realized, with a start, that their entire bodies were drenched in cold sweat.

This was the lingering terror of surviving a brush with death... Though he had not yet swung the blade, at that exact moment, at that split second, everyone felt as though they had walked through the gates of Hell.

An unspeakable terror, an unspeakable dread.

Matriarch Shen murmured, "Ren Yi, Ren Hengzhi! This old woman has lived to this age, yet I have never seen a young man like you. Good, very good, exceedingly good!"

Ren Yi said softly, "My apologies to you, Elder."

Matriarch Shen laughed heartily, "You remain as polite as ever... You do not deceive people simply because you disdain to do so. You have never regarded the people of this world in your eyes at all, have you!"

Ren Yi nodded in agreement, "Matriarch speaks truly! Whatever Hengzhi desires, he will take by force. If I make a move, truly no one beneath heaven can stop me."

Matriarch Shen let out a heavy "humph." Shifting her gaze to Lian Chengbiy, she said, "Child, it is this old woman who has failed you."

Lian Chengbiy smiled and shook his head.

Matriarch Shen shook her head as well, muttering, "To think that I..."

Before she could finish, Ren Yi interrupted, "Matriarch need not blame herself; you have already saved their lives."

Ignoring the glare the old woman shot him, he continued, "You may all leave now. Please!"

Hearing his words, some felt resentful, some unreconciled, some unwilling—yet not a single person dared to linger a moment longer. The numerous guests stepped forward one after another to bid farewell and take their leave of the host family.