Outside the Zhenwu Academy, within a luxurious manor:
Sun Wenxiong reclined in a chair, quietly reading a scroll.
Sun Wenyuan paced back and forth within the courtyard, his restless demeanor betraying the anxiety that consumed him. It was clear that he was waiting for something.
"Brother, aren't you even a little anxious?" Sun Wenyuan couldn't help but ask.
"What is there to be anxious about?"
Sun Wenxiong replied indifferently, his gaze still fixed on the scroll.
In truth, only he knew that he was barely able to focus on the text. He was just as uneasy, though he kept his composure.
At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed, followed by the arrival of a Sun clan warrior into the courtyard.
Both brothers turned in unison to look.
"Where is Sun Tianqi?"
Sun Wenyuan asked impatiently as he saw the newcomer.
"Reporting to the second young master... Tianqi... he is dead," the warrior responded, a sorrowful expression on his face.
Upon hearing this, Sun Wenyuan's eyes widened in shock.
Sun Wenxiong stood up, the scroll slipping from his hands to the floor.
"How could this be?"
Unable to maintain his usual calm, Sun Wenxiong's voice rose in anger as he immediately demanded,
"Sun Tianqi is a Tenth Rank Martial Master and has mastered the rare Cold Claw Technique. His temperament is steady, and he always plans his moves carefully. Even an ordinary Grand Martial Master could fall victim to his schemes. How could he die at the hands of a newly promoted Martial Master? And with so many Black Water Bandits aiding him!"
"Yes, and what of those Black Water Bandits? Over twenty Martial Masters—surely they can't all be dead?" Sun Wenyuan also came to his senses.
"They are all dead," the Sun clan warrior nodded helplessly. "And after inspecting the scene, I found that they were all slain by Wei Yi."
Upon hearing these words, both Sun Wenxiong and Sun Wenyuan exchanged a stunned glance.
The man speaking was like Sun Tianqi—one of the Sun clan's loyal family-born warriors, trustworthy and devoted to the Sun clan. He certainly had no reason to deceive them.
Could it really be true? Did more than twenty Martial Masters die at Wei Yi's hands?
How could that be possible...?
For a brief moment, both brothers were struck with shock and unease, a cold chill creeping into their hearts.
Yes, Wei Yi's ambush was a scheme devised by them, the two brothers.
"Brother, what should we do?" Sun Wenyuan's voice trembled. Hearing that Wei Yi had killed so many of their men, he was overwhelmed with fear. His face turned pale, and he asked nervously.
"What's there to panic about?"
Sun Wenxiong snapped, his tone stern. As the elder, he quickly regained his composure.
"Sun Tianqi disguised himself as a Black Water Bandit. Even if Wei Yi killed him, he will think the Black Water Bandits were behind it, with no connection to us."
"But... what if one day he finds out?"
Sun Wenyuan still trembled with fear. He was genuinely scared of Wei Yi now.
"It will never happen," Sun Wenxiong said coldly, his eyes filled with malice. His conflict with Wei Yi ran too deep, and there was no possibility of reconciliation. The higher Wei Yi's talent and strength grew, the greater the threat he posed to him.
"Sun Tianlin," he suddenly turned to the Sun clan warrior.
"Yes, sir."
"Take this letter to the family. Ask Uncle Dong and Leader Liu to come immediately. The details are in the letter."
"Brother, what are you planning?"
Sun Wenyuan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That's right. Uncle Dong and Leader Liu are both Grand Martial Masters. If they join forces with a few other Martial Masters, I want to see if Wei Yi can escape then!" Sun Wenxiong's eyes gleamed with ruthless killing intent, so chilling that even Sun Wenyuan, his own brother, shuddered with fear.
Since more than twenty Martial Masters couldn't stop him, what if two Grand Martial Masters and several others joined forces?
...
At this moment, Wei Yi was blissfully unaware of Sun Wenxiong's ruthless scheme.
Though he had guessed that Sun Tianqi might be linked to the Sun clan, he had no time to confront the Sun brothers now. He had more pressing matters to attend to—the struggle for the position of Wei Family's Young Master.
The Sun brothers could wait; he could exact revenge on them whenever he chose. Furthermore, his strength was increasing rapidly, and the longer he delayed, the better his chances would be. Therefore, there was no rush in dealing with them.
However, the position of Young Master could not wait.
If he delayed even a few days, someone else might take the position, and by then, it would be far harder to reclaim. The Three Elders would never easily relinquish a position once it was in their grasp.
Thus, Wei Yi wasted no time in deciding to return to his family.
...
The Wei Family was one of the most powerful and influential families in Jinling City, with immense strength and authority. Calling them a local hegemon was no exaggeration—even the City Lord had to treat them with respect.
The Wei family's direct and collateral lines together numbered over a thousand.
Adding in vassal martial artists, servants, and miscellaneous staff, the total number of people within the Wei family was nearly ten thousand.
When Wei Yi and Uncle Wu returned to the family in such a grand manner, it certainly attracted much attention. Everyone could easily guess that Wei Yi's return was related to the ongoing struggle for the position of Young Master.
Although news of Wei Yi's ability to cultivate had spread back to the family, it was mostly limited to the higher echelons. The average family members were still unaware, and to them, Wei Yi was still the useless young master who couldn't cultivate.
Thus, many were curious—what was Wei Yi hoping to achieve by returning?
What could a useless young master do to compete for the position?
Did he really think he could still retain his position as Young Master...?
As these thoughts crossed their minds, many could not help but secretly laugh at his misfortune.
In this world, where martial artists ruled and strength was everything, only true power commanded respect. Though Wei Yi held the status of the family's only heir, without strength, no one would take him seriously.
"Young Master, we must hurry. The Patriarch says the selection may begin today," Uncle Wu said anxiously.
If it weren't for the urgency, he wouldn't have arrived at Zhenwu Academy so early in the morning. In fact, he had left Wei Family in the middle of the night.
It was no easy task for someone his age to be running around.
However, such matters could only be entrusted to the most trusted person; otherwise, a delay could ruin everything.
Upon hearing Uncle Wu's words, Wei Yi nodded.
It was already afternoon, and time was indeed running short.
"Where are the Patriarch and the Three Elders now?"
Wei Yi asked, pulling aside a young member of the Wei family.
But as soon as he grabbed the young man's arm, the Wei family member snapped, "Wei Yi, who do you think you're grabbing? Do you have any manners? If we're talking hierarchy, I'm still your cousin."
Wei Yi's expression darkened immediately.
Now he understood why the previous "Wei Yi" never wanted to return to the family—the position of Young Master was a farce, and anyone could defy him at will.
"Wei Qing, what are you doing? The Young Master is still the Wei Family Young Master! How dare you disrespect him?"
Uncle Wu scolded angrily.
However, Wei Qing showed no fear. Instead, he arrogantly lifted his chin.
"Hmph, he may be the Young Master now, but not for long. I'm a Ninth Rank Martial Apprentice, and how could I bow to someone who can't even cultivate?"
Slap!
Before he could finish speaking, Wei Yi slapped him across the face, sending him flying.
At this moment, the entire courtyard fell silent.
Countless onlookers stared in shock, their eyes wide.
Wei Yi ignored their stares and turned to another Wei family member, coldly asking, "Where are the Patriarch and the Three Elders?"
His voice was calm, but to the ears of the other person, it was like a command that pierced through their soul.
Seeing Wei Qing lying on the ground, dazed from the slap, the man didn't dare hesitate. He immediately responded,
"The Patriarch and the Three Elders are at the Dongyuan Pavilion. They seem to be discussing the selection of the Young Master."
"Thank you."
Wei Yi nodded.
Without another word, he headed straight for the Dongyuan Pavilion.