Banquet Hall.
Each of Xiao Mengyu’s words was like a bomb dropping into the room.
No one spoke.
Only the music continued playing.
Every musician stared at the sheet music in front of them as if it contained secrets that determined their life or death, not daring to lift their heads.
The female reporter no longer dared to take notes.
The male reporter carried his equipment to the corner, set it on fire, and burned it while crying.
No one paid him any attention.
But he still felt it wasn’t enough—he snatched the microphone from the female reporter, took out both of their phones, and threw them into the fire.
Some people shifted uneasily.
The once-eager noble heirs stood frozen, silent.
Madam An’s face was livid.
Yet Xiao Mengyu’s voice remained as calm as a deep lake:
“Oh, I also have recordings and photos. Want to see them? I can send them to you.”
“—And a video of Song Qingyun saying she wants to marry you.”
“For real? Wow, that’s explosive! Send it to me, quick!” Shen Ye said.
“Then I’ll send it?”
“Send.”
The two fiddled with their phones for a moment.
Shen Ye looked up excitedly, glanced at Madam An, then burst out laughing:
“Madam An, you really have sharp judgment—she actually found out the truth!”
“Fake,” Madam An spat out the word quickly, her speech accelerating. “Those videos must be fabricated. They were edited. Besides, Qingyun would never harm anyone—she’s widely recognized as the model of the new generation! She’s the student council president of Sky Cobalt High!”
“There are countless noble heirs who can testify for her!”
The moment she finished speaking—
Many noble heirs stepped forward, chattering in support of Song Qingyun.
Shen Ye suddenly stopped smiling and, taking in the scene before him, said with a sigh:
“You great noble families already have every advantage—you’ve studied various inheritances since childhood, honed your ‘comprehension’ and ‘resonance’… yet the only thing you do before an exam is bully commoner students.”
“—Beating them black and blue just to boost your own evaluations.”
“At first, I thought you were just cold-blooded.”
“But now I see—you’re not even human.”
“After all, casually ordering the deaths of tens of thousands… how could that possibly be something humans do?”
“—Don’t you think so, Madam An?”
Madam An stood there, motionless, like a stone statue.
Her upbringing and experiences made it impossible for her to act rashly in front of so many people.
In this absurd and bizarre moment—
A voice suddenly rang out:
“Zhao Qianjun of the Zhao family from Hedong invites Shen Ye of the Human Martial Group to spar.”
The noble heirs sprang into action.
Leading them was a young man with an arrogant expression.
The moment he finished speaking, he charged straight at Shen Ye.
Qian Rushan was about to step in but was held back by the noble elder who had apologized earlier.
“Just a little sparring among kids, Chief Qian—you’re being too meddlesome.”
The elder smiled kindly.
Qian Rushan found himself unable to move.
In the blink of an eye—
A massive sword shadow shot skyward, splitting the entire banquet hall in two before vanishing into the night.
Zhao Qianjun, barely grazed by the sword shadow, was sent flying, crashing into a wall, and coughing up blood.
“Shen Ye hadn’t finished speaking—you were very rude.”
Xiao Mengyu, holding her sword, spoke indifferently.
Silence.
The noble heirs stared at the divine sword Luoshui in her hands, feeling the killing intent radiating from her. None of them dared to take a single step forward.
—With their level of strength, they could tell: anyone who moved now… Xiao Mengyu would truly kill them.
Her brother had died because of this!
The victim was right here—did they really want to go up and fight to the death?
They hesitated.
The noble elder couldn’t hold back any longer and was about to step forward when Qian Rushan clamped a hand on his shoulder.
“Just a little sparring among kids—you’re being too meddlesome, sir.”
Qian Rushan spoke in a low voice.
Meanwhile—
Madam An had retreated to the side and was instructing a middle-aged man beside her: “Request immediate approval from Kunlun to seal off all news of this and block those two’s phones.”
“The request is in progress!” The man frantically worked his phone, sweating profusely. “But—it’s been denied!”
Madam An shook her head. “Impossible. It has never refused a request from the Song family before—I’ll talk to it myself.”
She took the phone and spoke: “It’s me. Do as I said. Block this incident.”
A polite yet warm male voice responded from the phone:
“Apologies, but I cannot fulfill this request.”
Madam An was stunned. Instinctively, she asked, “Why? Haven’t similar requests always been approved?”
“The freshman enrollment of the Three Great High Schools is one of the most important events in human society.”
“It represents the development level of human strength in the coming years, so the entire selection process must showcase humanity’s positive spirit.”
“At this moment, every student’s tarot card is activated.”
“The Tarot Tower is also observing the entire event.”
“At this crucial juncture, I must not intervene, lest I influence the course of events.”
A shadow flickered through Madam An’s eyes.
Shen Ye keenly sensed something.
He looked toward the crowd—only to see a young man in white emerge and stand beside Madam An.
“I’ve long heard of Miss Xiao’s extraordinary swordsmanship, and now that I see it in person, it truly lives up to the name.”
“I originally came here just to attend the entrance banquet.”
“But—since you’re looking for a fight, I’ll entertain you.”
With that, the young man took a few steps forward and entered the center of the hall.
The crowd whispered among themselves.
Shen Ye also felt that this person looked somewhat familiar.
Ah—
That young man is ranked fourth on the “Newcomer” leaderboard, isn’t he?
What was his name again?
The first place was too dazzling, so I didn’t pay much attention to the ones below. I don’t remember.
“You want to fight me?” Xiao Mengyu asked.
“Come on, fifth place. I’ll show you why I’m ranked higher than you,” the young man in white said.
Xiao Mengyu snorted and was about to step forward when Shen Ye grabbed her.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Mengyu asked.
“Something’s off,” Shen Ye said.
“What’s off?” the young man in white asked.
Shen Ye took out a card, pressed it against his palm, and showed the front to everyone:
“She is currently in a fight with me and cannot fight you.”
“You could just admit defeat and be done with it,” the young man in white said with a laugh.
“Why should I admit defeat?” Shen Ye asked.
“You think you’re stronger than her?” the young man in white countered.
“Xiao Mengyu, we’re not fighting him!” Shen Ye turned to her and said.
The young man in white let out a cold laugh and said:
“Miss Xiao’s strength is far beyond what she just showed. She’s qualified to fight me. Besides… even her uncle’s words couldn’t command her. Why should she listen to you?”
Xiao Mengyu had been about to draw her sword, but upon hearing this, she sheathed it and stepped behind Shen Ye.
“Shen Ye is right. I listen to him,” Xiao Mengyu said indifferently.
Shen Ye finally let out a breath of relief.
A black, triangular-headed venomous snake coiled around the young man in white.
Xiao Mengyu was a Sword Saint, yet she seemed unable to see the snake.
If they really fought, she would definitely be at a disadvantage.
“You don’t even dare fight me, yet you insist on showing off here?”
The young man in white sighed and said, “Come, kneel before Lady An and apologize properly. Otherwise, you won’t make it through tonight.”
The black snake slithered down from his body, landing on the red carpet and slowly making its way toward Xiao Mengyu and Shen Ye.
Xiao Mengyu’s eyes narrowed slightly as she slowly turned to Shen Ye.
—Even now, you’re not going to make a move?
Shen Ye’s heart clenched again.
He stared at the approaching black snake—
No way.
At such a grand and formal banquet, was there really no one who could see that snake?
Impossible!
Yet no one spoke up, let alone stepped forward.
So that’s how it is…
This must have been tacitly allowed.
Such were the ways of noble families.
All of it unfolded in this silence, where no one intervened.
Shen Ye felt a mix of emotions as he rubbed the card in his hand and flipped it over.
A line of small words appeared on it:
“Dead man.”
“You’ve offended the great noble families. You are doomed.”
Shen Ye couldn’t help but chuckle.
This card was amusing—every time he looked at it, it cursed him.
But it didn’t matter—
Some things couldn’t be stopped by the threat of death.
“Xiao Mengyu,” Shen Ye said.
“Hm?” Xiao Mengyu looked up at him.
“I forfeit,” Shen Ye said.
“Is this necessary?” Xiao Mengyu asked.
“Trust me,” Shen Ye said.
“…Alright,” Xiao Mengyu replied.
Both of them looked at the card in their hands.
A line of small text appeared on the back:
“Battle concluded. Shen Ye forfeits. Xiao Mengyu wins.”
Xiao Mengyu took a step back.
Shen Ye stepped forward, staring at the young man in white.
“Xiao Mengyu just defeated me. If you want to fight her, you have to beat me first. Do you have a problem with that?”
“Oh? A second-star weakling dares to step forward?” The young man crossed his arms. “Fine. Beating you can at least earn me some points and serve as a warm-up. Let’s fight.”
“State your name,” Shen Ye said.
“You’re not worthy of knowing it,” the young man replied.
“Is that so?” Shen Ye asked.
“That’s right,” the young man said.
The black snake slightly turned its head, no longer fixated on Xiao Mengyu. Instead, its vertical pupils locked onto Shen Ye as it slowly raised itself from the ground—
The battle erupted in an instant.
Shen Ye suddenly leaped forward, his hands crackling with continuous lightning as he struck at the air.
The black snake whipped its body sideways, its tail lashing with full force at Shen Ye’s palm.
A thunderous crack rang out.
The spectators saw Shen Ye striking at empty space, unable to understand why such a loud impact had occurred.
But the expressions of the high-ranking figures seated in the distance changed drastically.
“Impossible.”
“He can see it?”
“—Is this for real?!”
“Heavenly Eyes? Awakening them at this age?”
The crowd murmured in hushed voices.
