Volume One, Chapter 20: A Single Move to Victory

He let out a sharp exhale and charged toward Su Yuan. The moment his body leapt into the air, his right fist thundered forward with such force it seemed as though the very air around him would shatter.

Witnessing this, everyone’s expressions subtly shifted. Lu Changqin, ranked seventeenth on the Earth List, was truly formidable—his strike extraordinary.

The elder ministers, including Luo Changfeng, looked away with discomfort. The Emperor of Chu sighed deeply, bowing his head.

Only Su Ming and Consort Lu, along with Mu Yunchen, observed the arena with amused anticipation. They were eager to see Su Yuan either killed or crippled.

At that instant, just as Lu Changqin rushed forward, Su Yuan twisted his body into a bizarre posture and swiftly dodged to the side.

Simultaneously, in the blink of an eye, one of his hands pressed against Lu Changqin's neck, while the other gripped the back of his head.

Amid the stunned gazes, a crisp, snapping sound echoed. Lu Changqin’s head was twisted unnaturally, his body frozen mid-punch as he lunged forward.

Su Yuan released his grip and drifted back. The moment he landed, Lu Changqin's body surged forward, his head grotesquely contorted.

The arena fell into a suffocating silence. Everyone stared blankly at Su Yuan’s calm face, as if struck dumb.

They had expected Su Yuan to be killed or maimed, yet never imagined he would dispatch Lu Changqin with a single move.

Almost instantly, many rose in shock, eyes wide with disbelief. The first to stand were the Emperor of Chu and Mu Yunchen, followed by Su Ming and Consort Lu, then the assembled ministers and the competing scholars and warriors.

They forgot to breathe, mouths agape, fixated on the eerie scene unfolding on the arena floor.

Su Yuan stood composed as Lu Changqin lay lifeless—a broken neck.

One move. Su Yuan had slain the seventeenth-ranked Earth List warrior in a single strike.

Impossible!

The silence persisted, heavy and deadened. No one could recover for a long while.

The visual impact was overwhelming, the turn of events so unexpected that no one could believe it was real.

The top martial combatant from last year, a master nearing Grandmaster status—gone just like that!

He had entered the arena with such pride, and now died in such disgrace and tragedy.

"Ah... Su Yuan, I will kill you..." a fierce roar erupted from the spectators in Daqing. Lu Xingkui’s eyes glistened with sorrow.

He dashed from the stands and arrived at the arena within moments.

Staring at his brother’s twisted head, his eyes bloodshot, his body trembling.

At that moment, everyone finally snapped back to reality, their gazes filled with dread and deep apprehension as they turned toward Su Yuan.

The Emperor of Chu and Su Ming swallowed hard, especially Su Ming, who was so frightened he nearly lost control.

He could never have imagined Su Yuan’s terrifying extent.

If Su Yuan provoked them, he wondered if he could survive—even with several semi-Grandmasters protecting him.

"Su Yuan, you use such cruel methods. Today, I will kill you to avenge my brother!" Lu Xingkui looked up at Su Yuan, his eyes burning with deadly intent.

Su Yuan’s cold gaze met that of his old enemy, a surge of killing intent rising within him.

It was this man who had once crippled him. He still remembered that arrogant, disdainful, mocking expression as he trampled on Su Yuan’s head.

His decisive killing of Lu Changqin was meant to draw this man out. He had long awaited this revenge!

"Lu Xingkui, do you remember what happened six months ago? Honestly, I’ve wanted to kill you for a long time too! Do you know why I killed your brother? Because I wanted you to come up here and die!" Su Yuan smiled coldly, his voice like a sinister echo from the depths of hell.

Enraged, Lu Xingkui suddenly realized the truth: the killing intent in Su Yuan’s eyes replaced his earlier caution.

Though stronger than his brother, a near Grandmaster, he was still not a true Grandmaster.

Snapping back to his senses, Lu Xingkui tried to retreat from the arena.

But Su Yuan gave him no chance. In an instant, he surged forward, and as Lu Xingkui leapt to escape, a single punch struck him.

Startled, Lu Xingkui raised his elbows to block, but the overwhelming force sent him crashing onto the arena floor with a heavy thud.

The platform groaned under the impact as Lu Xingkui spat a mouthful of regurgitated blood.

Witnessing this, everyone’s expressions darkened. Mu Yunchen’s face twisted with rage as he shouted, "Su Yuan, how dare you..."

He could feel Su Yuan’s overwhelming killing intent.

Su Yuan looked up coldly at Mu Yunchen, a sneer curling on his lips. "Prince Mu, what do you mean by that? Aren’t contests here for life or death? Why is it only allowed for you to kill, but not for me to strike? Isn’t that shameless and despicable?"

No sooner had he spoken than he was already before Lu Xingkui.

At this moment, Lu Xingkui barely had the strength to deny he wasn’t fighting in the arena.

But before he could speak, Su Yuan grabbed his hand and twisted it forcefully. His arm bent grotesquely; one hand was broken, then the other.

The pain from six months ago—Su Yuan wasn’t about to let Lu Xingkui die so quickly.

Lu Xingkui screamed in agony, wanting to protest, but the pain robbed him of speech.

Su Yuan lifted him and stomped down, breaking both his legs with cracking sounds.

Everyone stared in shock at Su Yuan’s brutality, their hearts gripped by chilling fear.

No one expected Su Yuan to be so ruthless, so decisive, so mercilessly savage.

Mu Yunchen’s eyes bloodshot with fury. He roared, "Su Yuan, you’re courting death! You dare kill Lu Xingkui? His master won’t let you live..."

Lu Xingkui’s master was the tenth-ranked Heavenly List warrior—Grandmasters all—ten in total, each renowned and terrifyingly powerful.

Su Yuan looked coldly at Mu Yunchen and said lightly, "Is that so? Then... I’ll kill to show you..."

No sooner had he spoken than he seized Lu Xingkui’s head. With Lu Xingkui’s terror and despair mounting, Su Yuan twisted his neck as he had his brother’s.

Lu Xingkui’s eyes widened in shock, filled with fear and regret as his pupils dilated, losing all light.

He never imagined that after humiliating Su Yuan and even attempting to kill him, his own fate would be worse.

Whether he regretted not killing Su Yuan six months ago, or regretted provoking him at all, no one could say.

Su Yuan tossed the lifeless body aside and fixed a cold gaze on Mu Yunchen, his eyes blazing with killing intent.

At that moment, he truly wished to charge and eliminate Mu Yunchen as well.

But he did not.

No matter how strong he was, he was still only one man.

To reclaim his wife, he needed not just personal strength, but absolute power and his own faction.

If he recklessly killed Mu Yunchen, endless pursuit would follow, and he would have no place to stand even in Great Chu.

One man’s strength was always limited.