Chapter 758 - 403: This Very Moment (Part 2)

That cauldron was his Lifebound Magical Treasure. It was now damaged, and he himself had sustained serious injuries from that last attack. He was in no condition to fight again.

’This guy...’

His eyes were locked on Yang An, his face filled with utter disbelief.

’How can he be this strong?!’

"Seize him!"

But he refused to be humiliated in front of his master. He might be a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator who had just lost to someone at the Golden Core Stage, but he wasn’t the only disciple present—nor was he the only one at the Nascent Soul Stage.

’This kid has to pay!’

At his command, the cultivators in the hall swarmed to surround Yang An, glaring at him with menacing intent.

Yang An remained perfectly still, a smile playing on his lips as he watched them.

’If they want to use their numbers against me, he wasn’t afraid. As far as he was concerned, these guys are nothing but pushovers.’

"That’s enough. Stand down."

But just then, a voice rang out in the hall, causing the cultivators surrounding Yang An to freeze.

Elder Chang Wang had spoken. No emotion could be discerned in his tone, but that was precisely what frightened the disciples under him.

When their master was truly angry, this was how he sounded.

The cultivators obediently returned to their places, but the looks they shot Yang An were still filled with resentment.

Yang An’s gaze shifted to Chang Wang. The earlier attack had clearly been an attempt to intimidate him. A shame it had failed so spectacularly.

"You’re far too arrogant. I’ve never seen a disciple like you in the entire estate."

Elder Chang Wang spoke, a hint of what looked like pity in his eyes as he looked at Yang An.

"I’ll take that as a compliment, Elder."

Yang An chuckled, readily accepting the "praise."

"Generally speaking, those who are too arrogant and high-profile don’t live very long. But I appreciate talent, so I will give you one last chance.

Take one blow from me. If you can withstand it, I will no longer press the matter. I can even grant you the position of a Guardian in the estate and teach you the subsequent Cultivation Techniques.

If you fail, I won’t let you die. I’ll save you, but you will become my Direct Disciple."

Elder Chang Wang didn’t ask whether Yang An accepted, because this wasn’t a negotiation. Whether Yang An agreed or not, he would have to face the blow.

But upon hearing Elder Chang Wang’s words, Yang An was so amused he burst out laughing.

’Since when does a Divinity Transformation cultivator—someone barely comparable to a Zombie God—get to give *me* an ultimatum?’

Yang An’s reaction made Elder Chang Wang frown.

"Are you ready?"

Elder Chang Wang clearly had no intention of giving Yang An any room to weasel out of it and prepared to strike.

But just then, Yang An blurted out.

"I have no intention of taking a blow from you. Besides, it’s not challenging enough. How about this? You take one blow from me. If you can withstand it, then I will become your Direct Disciple. How about it?"

BUZZ—

His words left everyone in the hall utterly stunned.

If his earlier arrogance made them want to teach him a lesson and show him his place, now Yang An was, in their eyes, nothing more than a brainless poser, someone so ostentatious he was practically suicidal.

"He’s doing it on purpose!"

"He’s turning the tables! Instead of taking a blow from Master, he’s making Master take one from him. That way, not only does he avoid getting hurt, he can also lose to Master in a ’logical’ way and become his Direct Disciple! That bastard..."

One of the cultivators suddenly piped up.

It might seem delusional, but it would earn him a lot of prestige before becoming Master’s Direct Disciple.

This statement immediately astonished the other cultivators.

Indeed, compared to simply accepting an Elder’s offer, fighting the Elder and becoming his disciple after "losing" was far more prestigious.

The man could easily defeat Senior Brother Qin, which proved his strength was nothing to scoff at. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a prodigy.

This single explanation brought a sudden realization to the crowd, but it only made their attitude toward Yang An more disdainful.

’Yang An couldn’t believe these guys were overthinking it so much. His goal wasn’t to become Elder Chang Wang’s Direct Disciple. He had consistently believed that none of these people were worthy of being his master.

All he wanted was to be as high-profile as possible to attract the attention of the true higher-ups. Only then could he achieve his real goal.’

Hearing Yang An’s proposal, even Elder Chang Wang was taken aback for a moment before he burst into a laugh born of pure exasperation.

This was the first time he’d ever met someone for whom "arrogant" was too weak a word.

’In his eyes, Yang An might have defeated his disciple with ease, but that didn’t mean he was qualified to face him.

The gap between the Nascent Soul and Divinity Transformation stages was immense. A cultivator who hadn’t reached Divinity Transformation could never truly comprehend it.

But he had to admit, Yang An’s sheer, arrogant pride made him all the more interesting.

This kid had achieved this level of strength less than a month after joining. He was truly a prodigy.

If his temperament could be refined, he would undoubtedly achieve great things in the future.’

"Fine. I accept. You may make your move."

Elder Chang Wang readily accepted Yang An’s proposal. He would now show this young man that even the most brilliant genius had to tuck their tail between their legs when facing a truly unreachable power.

The other cultivators hadn’t expected their master to actually agree.

’This is bad! He’s actually letting that bastard’s plan succeed!’

Standing among the cultivators, Steward Liao, also one of Elder Chang Wang’s disciples, instinctively wanted to step forward and dissuade him. But he hesitated and ultimately remained where he was.