Chapter 3: The Death Sentence

But what of reaching the fifth level of Innate? Before experts of the ninth level, one is still but an ant.

In this world, the martial path is divided into six great realms: Innate, Palace Entry, Profound Connection, Spirit Sealing, Transcendence, and Saintly Ascension. Each realm is subdivided into nine stages, with the first as the lowest and the ninth as the highest.

The elders of the Xia family present were all at the ninth stage of the Innate realm.

Several of them were already burning to take action and teach Xia Jiuxuan a lesson. But before they could move, the middle-aged man with the handlebar mustache exploded in rage.

“What use are you all? You’ve ruined my master’s plans! I’ll have all your heads rolling!”

“And what are you supposed to be?” Xia Jiuxuan’s gaze swept over, sharp as a blade, fixing on the mustached man.

“You blind fool, I am the attendant of Master Xu Wendan! Even if your Xia family still had its master, he wouldn’t dare be arrogant before me, let alone now when you’re leaderless. How dare you insult me?”

The mustached man's strength was meager, only at the second stage of Innate. Yet, his status as an attendant to an alchemist made him insufferably proud.

For in this world, an alchemist’s standing far surpassed that of any martial artist.

Before his words had even faded, Xia Jiuxuan’s figure flickered; in a flash, he rained dozens of slaps across the man’s face.

In an instant, the man’s cheeks swelled grotesquely, making him look like a pig’s head.

“You dare strike me!” The man was utterly incredulous—a mere youth dared lay hands on him.

“I dare not only to beat you, but to kill you as well!”

Before entering the hall, Xia Jiuxuan had already overheard the man’s words. He had intended to feed Xia Jiuxuan’s own niece to the ice silkworms. Though the chief instigator was Xia Zhong, anyone plotting such venom against his niece had crossed Xia Jiuxuan’s most sacred line.

Alchemist or not, he deserved to die.

“Stop, Xia Jiuxuan! I warn you not to compound your mistakes!” an elder barked.

“Old dog, why don’t you tell me what you mean by ‘compounding my mistakes’?” Xia Jiuxuan seethed.

“You, as elders of the Xia family, dared sell the clan master's own granddaughter to a venomous alchemist to feed to ice silkworms. How vile, how depraved! I’ll settle this score with each of you—none shall escape.”

His glare swept over them, cold and unflinching.

“What a joke. You? Just a dying cripple,” the elders scoffed.

A little wretch hiding a scrap of strength—did he think he could overturn the heavens?

Xia Jiuxuan wasted no more words. He leapt forward.

With a resounding crash, his fist exploded the mustached man’s skull.

“You!”

The elders’ faces went pale, bodies trembling. Had this lunatic truly slain an alchemist’s attendant? The heavens would surely change!

“Wretch! If not for the fact that you must be kept alive for Young Master Zhong to execute personally in order to set an example, I’d kill you here and now. Your life may be spared, but pain will not be!” one elder proclaimed.

In truth, Xia Jiuxuan had survived this long only because of Xia Zhong’s orders. For him to take the clan master’s seat justifiably, killing Xia Jiuxuan in the upcoming clan challenge was the cleanest way. Thus, he’d only ordered Xia Jiuxuan to be humbled, not killed on the spot.

To Xia Zhong, the position of clan master was already in the bag. Keeping Xia Jiuxuan alive only made things more amusing.

“Elder Xia Huifeng, break his spine—just don’t kill him, lest there be trouble explaining to Young Master Zhong,” another elder instructed.

“I know what I’m doing,” Elder Xia Huifeng replied, soaring forward.

He hovered above Xia Jiuxuan, slamming down with a palm strike said to split mountains—its power formidable.

Xia Jiuxuan felt the pressure. His body was still frail, his peerless skills unable to be fully unleashed. It was like trying to wield a colossal sword with a baby’s strength.

But Xia Jiuxuan did not retreat. To do so would be to invite grave injury.

His eyes flashed coldly. The first form of the Supreme Nine Palms thundered upward.

A deafening roar rattled the great hall; clouds of dust billowed.

To everyone’s shock, Elder Xia Huifeng was sent flying, crashing into the wall and shattering it to pieces.

“Impossible!”

None could believe it. The perennial cripple had repelled a ninth-stage Innate master with a single strike.

Just how deeply had he concealed his strength?

“Well? Why the pause? Keep attacking! If you don't kill me today, next time it’ll be your lives on the line,” Xia Jiuxuan’s gaze was as murderous as ever, nothing like the timid youth of old.

In truth, forcing such a high-level martial art had already inflicted grave internal injury upon him. A few more attempts and his body might well collapse.

Yet even if forced to a life-and-death struggle, Xia Jiuxuan would not yield. At worst, he’d burn his very soul to annihilate these old traitors. The price—decades spent repairing his soul—was not enough to make him back down.

Faced with his unwavering stare, the elders felt a chill in their hearts. Who knew what other hidden cards he might possess?

None dared act rashly.

“Hmph. Xia Jiuxuan, you’re a dead man walking. Killing you would only dirty our hands. Now get out.”

“Oh? Then I’m afraid I must disappoint you old dogs,” Xia Jiuxuan replied coolly.

“Ha! You ignorant fool. Clearly you don’t know Young Master Zhong’s true identity. Let me shatter your last hope. Young Master Zhong’s elder brother has found him, and he’s returned to his real family. He is the direct grandson of an elder from the Hidden Sect—he was stolen as a child and ended up here in Dragon Cavern City, raised by your father.”

“Do you even know what the Hidden Sect means? They are on par with the Immortal Martial Imperial Family! What are you before them? You’re as good as dead!”

“Are you done spewing nonsense?” Xia Jiuxuan sneered.

He knew this world too well. A mere sect was less than nothing in his eyes. How laughable that these decrepit fools revered such an unknown sect as something sacred.

“Seems you’re the sort who doesn’t fear boiling water. In half a month, I’ll watch you die miserably at Young Master Zhong’s hand.”

“There’s no need to waste words on this dying man. We’ll let Young Master Zhong decide when he returns,” the leading elder declared, and the elders prepared to leave.

“Stop right there!”

To their surprise, Xia Jiuxuan leapt onto the clan master’s throne.

“What? With your meager skills, you think you can stop us?”

A cold laugh escaped Xia Jiuxuan’s lips.

“Why the rush to leave? The clan master has yet to pass judgment on you.”

His voice grew solemn:

“I hereby pronounce that Elder Xia Huifeng, for colluding with traitors and harming clan members, is sentenced to death, to be carried out in seven days.

“Elder Xia Huiyuan, for colluding with traitors and harming clan members, is sentenced to death, to be carried out in seven days.

“Elder Xia Huiyun, for colluding with traitors and harming clan members, is sentenced to death, to be carried out in seven days.

...”

Whether present or not, any Xia clan elder with treachery in his heart was judged in turn.

“Ha! Ridiculous!”

“He’s lost his mind.”

“To think he takes himself seriously.”

The elders listened to Xia Jiuxuan as though he were babbling nonsense. To them, he was nothing but a pitiful, deranged fool.

Who would take his words for anything real?