30: The Useless Son-in-Law (Part 11)

A fair, slender hand.

The owner of this hand was Su Yun.

"You..."

The cruel smile on Wang Teng's face instantly froze, turning into shock.

He tried to pull his hand back.

It wouldn't budge.

The hand was like a brand of glowing Divine Iron seared onto his wrist, completely immovable. His Spirit Transformation Realm, Fifth Level spiritual power was like a stream flowing into the sea before the opponent, unable to stir even a ripple.

A sense of humiliation rushed into his heart, and Wang Teng was furious.

He roared frantically in his mind: "Impossible! How can a cripple who suffered Qi Deviation possess this kind of power!"

"You're courting death!"

He clenched his other hand into a fist, unleashing his Spirit Transformation Realm, Fifth Level spiritual power without reservation. The fist wind whistled, smashing fiercely towards Su Yun's temple.

The moment Wang Teng's mind was violently shaken, Liu Xinrun, who was behind him, moved.

Liu Xinrun reacted extremely fast. Without the slightest hesitation, the instant Wang Teng was restrained, his figure moved like a phantom, circling to Su Yun's side and rear.

At some unknown point, a poisoned, dark green dagger appeared in his hand.

He completely concealed his Aura, transforming into the most lethal viper, silently stabbing toward the vital point of Su Yun's back!

Just as the tip of the dagger was about to touch Su Yun's clothes.

Su Yun still did not turn around.

He simply kept restraining Wang Teng's wrist, while his other hand casually waved backward, as if swatting an annoying fly.

Slap!

A crisp, loud sound of a slap abruptly exploded over the mining area.

Liu Xinrun's entire body shot out like a streak of blood, mixed with seven or eight broken teeth, drawing a tragic arc before heavily crashing into a boulder dozens of meters away, his life status unknown.

Only at this moment did Su Yun's gaze finally fall upon Wang Teng's face.

They were eyes as calm as an ancient well, devoid of anger or killing intent, holding only indifference.

Wang Teng felt a chill run through his body under that gaze.

Su Yun's wrist moved slightly.

"Crack!"

An extremely crisp sound of bone cracking rang out.

"Aargh—!"

A shrill scream finally tore through Wang Teng's throat.

Su Yun released his grip and kicked Wang Teng in the abdomen, sending him rolling beside the mud-like Liu Xinrun, as if kicking away roadside trash.

He did not spare them another glance.

He bent down, helped the heavily injured Old Servant Su up, and fed him a Medicinal Pill.

"Old Servant Su, you did very well."

Su Yun helped Old Servant Su stand steady, then turned around, his gaze sweeping over the trembling guards.

A chilling voice spread throughout the entire mining area.

"Go back and tell your masters: the Black Stone Spiritual Mine belongs to my Su Family."

"If you dare stretch your claws again, it won't be as simple as breaking a hand."

In the distance, atop the crown of a towering ancient tree a thousand meters away, an old man dressed in gray cloth saw everything clearly. Turmoil surged in his cloudy eyes.

Finally, all his emotions condensed into a long, trembling sigh.

"Heaven protects my Su Family!"

The old man's figure flashed and disappeared... The news of Su Yun's powerful return and his single-move suppression of the Geniuses from the Wang and Liu Families spread like wildfire throughout the Heavenly Fire Imperial Capital within a day.

Coincidentally, the quinquennial "Imperial Capital Genius Assembly" was about to be held. This was originally a grand event for the Imperial Family to review the strength of the younger generation of various Families. Su Yun's resurrection immediately drew high attention from the Imperial Family, though their intentions behind this attention were unclear.

The other major Families were also filled with curiosity and apprehension toward Su Yun, and they all dispatched their strongest Geniuses, preparing to test Su Yun's depth at the Assembly.

Undercurrents were already surging quietly beneath the Imperial Capital.

Su Family, Deliberation Hall.

Su Tiancheng looked at his calm and composed son, his expression heavy with seriousness.

"Yun'er, this Assembly is extraordinary. The Imperial Family and the other Families will all be watching you. Your return has revealed immeasurable strength, but the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind..."

Su Yun interrupted him.

"Father, I understand. If they want to watch, let them watch their fill."

He calmly said: "I will use this opportunity to subdue all those with ill intentions in one go. I will display my cultivation base at the 'Eighth Level of Spirit Transformation Realm'."

Su Tiancheng was stunned, then immediately understood his son's plan.

He needed to display enough talent to establish the Family's prestige, yet also strategically conceal some strength to avoid touching the Imperial Family's most sensitive nerves.

He nodded and said no more... The Imperial Capital Genius Assembly arrived as scheduled.

The process had no suspense.

Su Yun, displaying the Eighth Level of Spirit Transformation Realm, swept through the competition, defeating every opponent with a single move. The gaze of the entire audience shifted from initial shock and suspicion to numb astonishment.

Everyone wanted to see the showdown between him and the universally recognized strongest competitor of this Assembly—Prince Long Xuan.

Long Xuan, Ninth Level of Spirit Transformation Realm, possessed an Innate Spiritual Body, and was hailed as a Genius rarely seen in the Imperial Family for a century.

The final battle began.

"Boom!"

Long Xuan unleashed his full Aura. Golden Dragon-shaped Spiritual Power enveloped his body, and a terrifying pressure, like a mountain, pressed down on Su Yun.

In contrast, Su Yun only maintained the Aura of the Eighth Level of Spirit Transformation Realm, appearing inferior under that overwhelming might.

As soon as the battle began, Su Yun fell into a disadvantageous position.

Under Long Xuan's fierce, storm-like attacks, he could only continuously dodge, looking extremely distressed, as if he might lose at any moment.

The high-ranking officials of the various Families in the audience began whispering.

"It seems Su Yun's limit is here."

"In the end, he's still not as profoundly gifted as the Prince. A difference of one Realm is a world of difference."

Long Xuan failed to secure a quick victory, and his patience gradually wore thin.

"The game is over!"

He roared in anger, deciding to stop toying around, and unleashed his strongest trump card.

"Nirvana Dragon Breath!"

A beam of destructive light, containing the embryonic Law of the Half-Step Spirit King Realm, shot out from his mouth, instantly locking onto Su Yun. The entire space seemed to freeze!

Everyone believed the victor had been decided.

Just one thousandth of a second before that world-destroying beam was about to engulf Su Yun.

Su Yun, who had been "distressedly" dodging all along, stopped moving for the first time.

He raised his eyes, which were as calm as an ancient well.

Facing that terrifying attack, he did not mobilize stronger power; he merely extended a single finger.

Under the incomprehensible gazes of everyone present, Su Yun's finger pointed with extreme precision at the very tip of the "Nirvana Dragon Breath" beam.

There was no earth-shattering explosion.

That terrifying Dragon Breath, like a punctured balloon, began to disintegrate and dissipate inch by inch from his fingertip, turning into scattered light particles.

Long Xuan was struck as if by lightning, frozen on the spot. The backlash from his ultimate technique being broken caused him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Su Yun retracted his finger, still standing exactly where he was, as if he had done nothing at all.

The entire venue was dead silent, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

The Emperor, seated high above, suddenly rose from his Dragon Throne, his face filled with disbelief.

This son... absolutely cannot be allowed to live!

... The Assembly concluded, and Su Yun won the Championship without any suspense, shaking the entire Imperial Capital.

That night, the Imperial Family's celebration banquet concluded.

Su Yun declined all attempts at recruitment and walked alone on the road back to the Su Family.

When he reached a secluded corridor, the surrounding space was suddenly sealed by an invisible force.

Four phantom-like figures emerged from the shadows. Their Auras were unfathomable, and every single one far surpassed the Realm Su Yun had "displayed."

Cold, emotionless killing intent completely locked onto Su Yun.

The voice of the black-clad leader was hoarse, like metal grating.

"We are acting on orders to eliminate a Genius. Su Yun, your path ends here."

The killing moves of four Spirit King Realm experts attacked simultaneously from four directions, sealing off all avenues of retreat.