Chapter 136: Martial Saint, Mere Trash

“Brother Yannan! It has been many days since we last met. Your cultivation seems to have advanced considerably!”

“Brother Tianjun, you are no slouch yourself.”

The two men gazed at each other, their eyes devoid of any other presence.

For within Upper Lake, no one could compare with them!

Here, Su Yannan and Shen Tianjun were supreme beings!

Everyone else scarcely dared to breathe too loudly. After a long while, Shen Tianjun finally spoke.

“Time truly flies. In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed!”

Su Yannan nodded.

“Indeed. Ten years. I fear Jiangnan has already forgotten the name of Su Yannan!”

It was a casual remark, yet everyone present could not help but tremble.

The threat hidden within his words was self-evident.

Clearly, the Martial Saint Su was furious!

The Su family had stood proudly above Jiangnan for a hundred years. When had it ever suffered such humiliation?

A direct member of the family had been murdered inside the Su estate. The Su family’s legitimate granddaughter had been carried away and forced to serve as a maid. The gates and dignity of the Su family had been trampled beneath someone’s feet!

How could Martial Saint Su endure such disgrace?

Shen Tianjun smiled calmly.

“Brother Su, there is no need to lose your temper. That boy is so arrogant simply because he does not know the extent of your strength. In a moment, all you need to do is kill him with your own hands before the assembled heroes of Jiangnan. That will be enough.”

Su Yannan nodded, his expression proud.

“I will skin him alive and tear out his tendons, so that the might of the Su family may be restored!”

Everyone from the Su family was instantly invigorated, their eyes reddening with excitement!

This was Su Yannan—the pride of the Su family! With him present, anyone who dared provoke the Su family would have nothing left but regret!

“Brother Su, you and I have competed for several decades. Once you have crushed that ant, why not take this opportunity for us to exchange blows again? What do you say?”

“Certainly. But I wonder how far Brother Shen’s strength has advanced over these past decades.”

Shen Tianjun chuckled.

“Then you may judge for yourself in a moment, Brother Su.”

Their exchange sent a wave of shock and uproar through the crowd!

Most of those present had come merely to behold Su Yannan’s true appearance. They had no particular interest in Ling Xiao.

After all, no one believed Ling Xiao qualified to be Su Yannan’s opponent.

Everyone knew perfectly well that Ling Xiao was not even worthy of being crushed by one of Su Yannan’s hands.

But Su Yannan’s confrontation with Shen Tianjun was another matter entirely!

These two were the most renowned experts in Jiangnan and Jiangbei, and they had shared a relationship that was equal parts rivalry and friendship for several decades.

A decisive battle between them—that was the true contest between masters!

That was a feast rarely witnessed even once in ten years!

The crowd was bursting with excitement. No one had expected that their visit to Upper Lake would bring them such an unexpected reward.

They had struck it rich!

Just then, a young figure slowly approached from a short distance away. Someone in the crowd recognized him and immediately shouted,

“Look! That’s the young man who broke into the Su estate yesterday!”

“He really dared to come! I thought he would be so terrified that he’d flee with his tail between his legs!”

“This brat has no idea how close he is to death. He probably wants to use a battle with Martial Saint Su to raise his own reputation. But he has miscalculated—he simply does not possess the strength to fight Martial Saint Su!”

The old master of the Su family hurried forward and whispered into Su Yannan’s ear,

“Third Brother, that is the boy.”

Su Yannan narrowed his eyes, and everyone else turned their gazes toward Ling Xiao as well.

Countless eyes fell upon Ling Xiao in unison. The pressure bearing down on him was unimaginable!

Yet there was not the slightest trace of fear or apprehension on Ling Xiao’s face.

It was as though he had already enjoyed this sort of attention countless times before.

A hint of admiration appeared in Shen Tianjun’s eyes.

Young men like Ling Xiao were rare in this day and age. If he could take the boy as his disciple and guide him properly, he would surely become a great figure in the future!

Unfortunately, Ling Xiao had offended Su Yannan. If Shen Tianjun accepted him as a disciple, it would undoubtedly amount to declaring himself an enemy of the Su family.

To offend a decades-long friend, all for the sake of a young man, would be a losing bargain.

Thus, he sighed softly and thought no more of it.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Ling Xiao did not approach Su Yannan. Instead, he walked straight onto the surface of the lake.

His feet touched the water as though they had landed upon a calm mirror. Not a single ripple sank him beneath the surface.

The sight instantly drew a collective gasp from the crowd.

“My heavens, how impressive!”

“He can actually stand on the water with both feet, as though walking on solid ground! It’s terrifying!”

“Unbelievable—truly unbelievable! Is this the power of a martial artist?”

“He is no ordinary martial artist anymore. He is a genuine expert! No wonder he dared to oppose Martial Saint Su. His strength really is extraordinary!”

The crowd looked upon Ling Xiao with envy, but Su Yannan and Shen Tianjun remained utterly calm, showing no trace of surprise or alarm.

Su Yannan in particular merely snorted coldly.

“A cheap trick like that is hardly worth showing off. Utterly laughable!”

Only then did he place his hands behind his back. He stamped one foot against the ground, and his body soared dozens of yards into the air before he landed in a single bound at the center of the lake.

In an instant, all of Upper Lake seemed to tremble.

The surface, previously calm and still, erupted into raging waves.

The crowd drew another collective gasp, their faces filled with utter terror!

Compared with Ling Xiao’s display, Su Yannan’s feat was like heaven compared with earth. They were not even on the same level.

Terrifying! Simply terrifying!

This was the strength a Martial Saint ought to possess!

Before Su Yannan, Ling Xiao’s seemingly miraculous technique appeared so small, so laughable.

A graceful figure hurried through the crowd and ran to the old master of the Su family.

“Grandfather.”

“Yanran, you’re back? He didn’t do anything to you, did he?”

Su Yanran drew several deep, ragged breaths before replying,

“He didn’t harm me. He abducted me only to lure Third Granduncle out. He has some grudge against him.”

“Hmph! That fool has a death wish. So what if they have a grudge? How dare he provoke the Su family, how dare he challenge the might of a Martial Saint! He is certain to die!”

Su Yanran nodded, then turned her gaze toward the lake, watching the two men standing proudly upon its surface.

But at that moment, she suddenly felt dazed.

The young man standing on the lake looked so young. His immature face suggested that he might not even be as old as she was.

For some reason, her heart suddenly began to race.

If one set aside the present circumstances and considered Ling Xiao’s strength alone, then throughout all of Jiangnan, surely there was not a single young prodigy capable of defeating him.

After all, despite his youth, he already possessed the qualifications to fight her Third Granduncle—to fight the Martial Saint whose name resounded throughout Jiangnan!

He truly was a menace to women.

After a moment, however, she shook her head and sighed.

Even if he was handsome and possessed exceptional talent, what did it matter?

Very soon, he would become a corpse all the same.

What use was there in being powerful once one was dead?