Chapter 54: The Last Line
Su Tianhao narrowed his golden eyes at Ye Wenjie, the puzzle pieces finally snapping into place.
'I see... He's wary of me and wants to confirm my true cultivation level before he strikes. I never expected him to be this cautious.' Understanding bloomed cold and clear.
But he was unwilling.
The entire reason he'd cultivated the Shrouded Dragon Veil was to mask his true cultivation base—precisely to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Once his realm was revealed, Ye Wenjie would manufacture some twisted justification to attack him. At that point, Su Tianhao would be forced to use his full strength, revealing his ability to fight several minor realms above his level. That capability would naturally arouse greed. Powerful experts would come hunting, desperate to uncover his secrets by any means necessary.
Su Tianhao knew this all too well.
'I've always wanted to avoid such situations... but now I have no choice.' A helpless smile ghosted across his features. 'If I hesitate, I'll be accused of cultivating a demonic technique. If I give in, I'll be forced to reveal my true strength and bring exactly the attention I've been avoiding.'
Trapped in a dilemma with no clean options.
Sensing his hesitation, Ye Jianping chuckled softly, adding fuel to the flames with deliberate provocation.
"What is it? Why the hesitation?" His voice dripped with mock concern. "Could it be... you really have cultivated a demonic technique after all?"
His words resonated through the tavern, drawing collective gasps. Eyes throughout the crowd turned cold, staring at Su Tianhao with dawning suspicion.
Su Tianhao exhaled slowly, voice calm despite the pressure bearing down from all sides.
"Since it's come to this... there's no point in hiding my cultivation base."
'If I'd managed to cultivate the Shrouded Dragon Veil to Small Success, I wouldn't need to worry about my true strength being discovered even if I revealed my spiritual energy flow,' he thought with genuine frustration. 'Too bad I've only just started.'
Just then, a voice rang out dripping with mockery.
"Why are you still wasting time? Unveil your aura already!"
It was the hawk-eyed youth—one of Ye Wenjie's most loyal followers.
At those words, every eye in the tavern fixed upon Su Tianhao. Bodies shifted subtly as spiritual pressure began emanating from dozens of cultivators simultaneously. These patrons weren't ordinary citizens—most were experienced experts and battle-hardened mercenaries who'd survived countless life-or-death encounters. Their combined aura was suffocating, enough to make any ordinary Martial Disciple's knees buckle.
They showed no restraint. After all, demonic cultivation was a grave matter.
Ye Wenjie glanced at Su Tianhao, a triumphant smile spreading across his charming features. A sharp, predatory glint flashed through his slanted eyes like lightning in a storm.
Hmph.
Su Tianhao's snort cut through the oppressive atmosphere like a blade through silk. He sat there with a resolute look in his eyes, completely unaffected by their combined pressure—a mountain unmoved by mere wind.
After all, he carried the bloodline of a Supreme Dragon and the vast accumulated experience of two immortal beings within his inherited memories. How could the intimidation tactics of city mercenaries pose any real threat to someone like him?
BOOM!
His aura exploded outward without warning, startling everyone present. Wind whipped violently around him, azure robes fluttering dramatically. The cups and plates on his table trembled and rattled against the wood.
He rose smoothly to his feet, golden eyes gleaming with unmistakable pride.
"So..." His voice carried clearly across the now-silent tavern. "How are you planning to apologize?"
His gaze locked directly onto Ye Wenjie with cold challenge.
"This—!"
The patrons snapped back to their senses, eyes widening with awe and disbelief.
"He really is a 1st level Martial Disciple!"
"And his aura... it's considerably stronger than most at his realm!"
"No wonder he managed to defeat Ye Jianping!"
Several voices rang out in surprise. Though the evidence stood plainly before them, some still harbored skepticism. It was simply too unbelievable for someone everyone had dismissed as trash to advance at such shocking speed.
"From peak Martial Apprentice to Martial Disciple Realm in just two weeks?" someone called out. "Such cultivation speed rivals even six-star talents!"
Breakthroughs between major realms were undoubtedly the most difficult hurdles any cultivator faced. For someone who'd awakened with zero measurable talent to achieve this in a mere two weeks defied all conventional understanding.
But as the ancient saying went: seeing is believing.
Now that they'd witnessed it with their own eyes, the crowd had no choice but to accept reality. For a moment, the demonic technique accusation seemed forgotten entirely. They stared at Su Tianhao with peculiar expressions—shock, confusion, and dawning reevaluation mixing together.
Was this really the trash everyone thought he was?
'From peak Martial Apprentice to Martial Disciple in two weeks?' Su Tianhao thought with mild amusement. 'I wonder what their expressions would be if they knew the truth.'
After all, he hadn't advanced from the peak of Martial Apprentice Realm to Martial Disciple in two weeks. He'd advanced from the 4th level of Martial Apprentice Realm all the way to 1st level Martial Disciple. Such an achievement was truly staggering. If word spread, powerful experts would come sniffing for answers like wolves catching the scent of blood—some to rope him into their forces, others to dissect his secrets through more direct methods.
No matter which scenario unfolded, he had no desire to draw that kind of attention.
"So he really is just at the 1st level of Martial Disciple Realm..."
Ye Wenjie's murmur was barely audible, yet his slanted eyes flashed with barely concealed malicious intent—like a serpent spotting wounded prey.
"Wait a minute!"
A loud voice cut through the scattered conversations. All eyes turned toward the source—a huge middle-aged man with distinctly gruff features, tangled hair, an unkempt beard streaked with white, and the wild, untamed aura of an uncaged tiger. He radiated the rough presence of someone who'd spent years surviving brutal conflicts.
"The kid doesn't seem to have cultivated any demonic technique based on his aura," the man said, voice booming like thunder. "By rights... shouldn't Young Master Wenjie apologize as promised?"
Heads nodded throughout the crowd immediately.
"That's right! Young Master Wenjie promised to apologize if Su Tianhao was proven innocent."
"Now that he's cleared his name—surely he's not planning to go back on his word?"
Hearing the chatter, Ye Wenjie's expression remained perfectly calm and unreadable—but his followers couldn't maintain their composure.
"Young Master has to apologize? To Su Tianhao?" The hawk-eyed youth gritted his teeth in barely controlled fury.
"This—" The two maids murmured simultaneously, fists clenched at their sides—unable to bear watching their Young Master lower himself, yet bound by propriety and circumstance.
Ye Jianping's face darkened considerably—though not for the same reason as the others. He wasn't particularly upset about his Young Master having to apologize. What truly worried him was that if that happened, the entire matter would simply end. He would lose his chance at revenge entirely.
He absolutely couldn't allow that.
Summoning every shred of courage he could muster, Ye Jianping stepped forward with large, decisive strides.
"Su Tianhao!"
He came to a stop mere foot away—close enough to see the golden gleam in those unsettling eyes.
"You want my Young Master to apologize before you? Tell me—are you even worthy of such respect?!"
"Oh?"
Su Tianhao glanced at Ye Jianping with dismissive indifference before turning his attention back to Ye Wenjie entirely.
"Wenjie..." His tone was almost conversational. "Looks like you've let your dog slip its leash again."
A ripple of collective gasps swept through the tavern.
Ye Jianping's expression turned monumentally ugly, face flushing an unhealthy shade of red.
"You—!" He trembled with rage, finger pointed accusingly. "Don't get too cocky! You actually think the Young Master would apologize to trash like you? Delusional!"
Su Tianhao's frown deepened as he finally deigned to acknowledge Ye Jianping directly, his voice dropping to an icy temperature.
"Your Young Master personally agreed to apologize if I was proven innocent. What does any of this have to do with you?"
His golden eyes flashed dangerously.
"I am not so easily bullied."
The warning in those words was unmistakable—a line drawn in blood.
"Hehehehe..."
Ye Jianping laughed coldly, utterly dismissing the threat as empty posturing.
"In this world, the strong prey upon the weak. If you're being bullied, blame only your own pathetic weakness!"
"I see."
Su Tianhao's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits before he turned deliberately toward Ye Wenjie, who had been observing the entire exchange with mild, almost entertained amusement.
"Do you agree with him?" Su Tianhao asked, his voice carrying an eerie, unsettling calm.
"I don't see anything wrong with his logic."
Ye Wenjie's smile was the picture of reasonableness as he made a gracious gesture with one hand. "How about I compensate you with something else instead? Name your price."
Yet despite his reasonable words, his eyes were filled with naked provocation and mockery—deliberately goading.
The surrounding patrons exchanged knowing glances.
"Indeed, the strong prey upon the weak. That's just the way of cultivation."
"Young Master Wenjie is a six-star talent and the Ye family's most outstanding young master—how could he possibly apologize to someone like Su Tianhao?"
"The kid is surprisingly strong, but he just got lucky with a fortuitous encounter. Young Master Wenjie is already a 4th level Martial Disciple. The gap is simply too vast."
"Young Master Wenjie is being more than reasonable by offering alternative compensation."
Seeing public opinion shift firmly in his favor once more, Ye Wenjie smiled inwardly with deep satisfaction. All his carefully laid plans were proceeding smoothly—and ironically, it was Ye Jianping's outburst that had sealed the deal.
'Although I already had a backup plan... it wouldn't have gone through without some reasonable justification. Looks like Jianping isn't completely useless after all.'
He glanced at Ye Jianping from the corner of his eye with newfound appreciation. He'd been seriously considering cutting ties with the troublesome follower after this incident concluded. But Ye Jianping stepping forward at this crucial moment had proven his continued usefulness. Ye Jianping couldn't possibly have imagined that his impulsive act of desperation had just become his last line of saving grace in Ye Wenjie's estimation.
Ye Jianping, for his part, was glaring hatefully at Su Tianhao—his mind consumed entirely by thoughts of revenge. Nothing else mattered anymore.
---
Su Tianhao's frown deepened as he sensed the shift in public sentiment. If it were truly avoidable, he genuinely didn't want to fight. Such a confrontation would inevitably expose his real combat strength—exactly what he'd been trying to prevent.
But this wounded something far more fundamental than tactical concerns.
Every dragon possessed a reverse scale—that one spot which, if touched, would trigger absolute fury regardless of consequences. For Su Tianhao, that reverse scale was his pride and dignity.
'How dare they brand me as weak?' His thoughts turned cold as ice. 'We'll see who's truly weak in the end.'
Ye Wenjie studied Su Tianhao with that infuriatingly smug smile still plastered across his face.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Could it be you're dissatisfied with my generous offer?"
Before Su Tianhao could respond, Ye Jianping's voice cut through like a blade.
"Hmph! If you're dissatisfied, then fight!" His tone was deliberately provocative. "Fight and maintain your dignity as a man—if you even have any!"
The words were calculated for maximum effect. He desperately wanted Su Tianhao to battle Ye Wenjie. That was the only path to the revenge he craved—the only way to extinguish the burning hatred consuming his heart.
Ye Wenjie's eyes lit up at the perfectly timed provocation. He couldn't help but nod slightly in appreciation.
"What do you say?" He turned fully toward Su Tianhao, his smile appearing genuinely friendly—though it completely masked the cruelty lurking beneath. "Do you want to fight? I swear on my honor—if I lose, I'll apologize. The entire crowd bears witness to this oath."
He paused deliberately, letting the moment stretch.
"So... what do you say?"
Su Tianhao met Ye Wenjie's gaze directly, golden eyes filled with an icy coldness that seemed to drop the temperature in the immediate vicinity.
When he finally spoke, his voice rang out with absolute finality—like words carved from frozen hell itself.
"You want a fight?" A dangerous smile curved his lips.
"Then you've got one."