Xiang Ming took a deep breath and said, "Su Yi, I admit you're formidable. We underestimated you earlier."
With a cold glint in his eyes, he continued, "But don't forget, this is Tianyuan Academy. If things escalate, you won't get away unscathed!"
Zheng Muyao's heart skipped a beat. Indeed, this was Tianyuan Academy. If those old guys saw the scene unfolding before their eyes, the consequences would be unimaginable!
"As long as you stop now, I can guarantee that today's matter will be settled. Otherwise..."
Xiang Ming's gaze turned icy, and before he could finish his sentence, his threat was already evident.
Su Yi took a step forward.
"Are you determined to remain obstinate?" Su Yi asked.
Xiang Ming's face changed slightly, and he drew his sword from his waist with a resolute sound.
In a flash, Su Yi's figure abruptly appeared in front of Xiang Ming, like a bolt of lightning, and he swung his right hand.
Smack!
Xiang Ming received a slap across his face, causing him to stagger and almost fall to the ground. His handsome cheek turned red and swollen.
"How dare you hit me?" Xiang Ming exclaimed indignantly, his eyes wide open.
Smack!
Another slap landed on Xiang Ming's face. The force was so fierce that his cheekbone collapsed, blood spurted from his mouth and nose, and his handsome face became swollen like a pig's head.
With a thud, he fell to the ground, crying out in pain. His disheveled hair added to his furious and desperate appearance, unable to believe what had just happened.
Not far away, Zheng Muyao gasped.
Xiang Ming!
One of the top ten outstanding figures among the Inner Sect disciples, a late-stage Qi Gathering cultivator, an unparalleled martial arts genius!
Coupled with the fact that he was the son of the governor, he was as dazzling as a privileged son in Tianyuan Academy.
But now, in Su Yi's hands, Xiang Ming was like a clump of mud, completely powerless to resist his kneading.
What startled Zheng Muyao even more was that Su Yi seemed completely indifferent to the consequences...
Tianyuan Academy, the son of the governor—everything seemed like an illusion to him!
Zheng Muyao herself often caused trouble and was regarded as a little troublemaker. But at this moment, even she felt a tingling sensation on her scalp, shocked by Su Yi's unbridled methods.
"Kneel down properly," Su Yi stood in front of Xiang Ming, looking down at him.
Xiang Ming hoarsely said, "Su Yi, you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Su Yi grabbed his neck, lifted him off the ground, and then ruthlessly threw him down like a stake.
Thud!
On his knees, Xiang Ming knelt firmly on the ground.
An indescribable sense of humiliation surged within Xiang Ming, leaving him dumbfounded.
Who was he?
The son of the governor, a talented figure renowned throughout Tianyuan Academy. But now, he was forced to kneel, losing all his dignity!
"If I hadn't promised not to take your lives earlier, you would be dead by now," Su Yi's eyes were indifferent.
Silence fell over the entire scene.
The suppressed disciples of Tianyuan Academy were all as if they had lost their souls, miserable and quiet.
Watching these scenes unfold, Zheng Muyao had only one thought in her mind: Thankfully, she didn't provoke Uncle Su in the carriage today; otherwise, the outcome would have been equally tragic...
Incredible!
She had never encountered such a domineering and despotic person in her life. There was an arrogant aura about him, as if he looked down on everything, and his strength was unfathomable!
"It's been half an hour," Su Yi silently calculated the time.
"This..." Suddenly, a surprised voice sounded from afar.
Su Yi turned around and saw Wen Lingzhao returning.
"How could this be..." Wen Lingzhao's cold and icy face revealed an uncontrollable astonishment.
Before, she had left in anger, but halfway there, she faintly heard a clamor of challenges. She stopped and listened intently for a moment.
However, due to the distance, she could only vaguely hear some exclamations and commotion.
At that moment, her first thought was that Su Yi must have been beaten!
After all, this was the Shenxiao Peak where the Inner Sect disciples gathered. The scenes where Su Yi had provoked her earlier were witnessed by everyone, and it was inevitable for them to consider Su Yi as an enemy.
This judgment left Wen Lingzhao conflicted.
The arrogant and ignorant scenes that Su Yi displayed earlier infuriated and disappointed her. But at the thought of Su Yi being beaten because of it, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of compassion.
Regardless, they were still husband and wife in name. If Su Yi were to be beaten and she stood by idly, it wouldn't be good for her reputation.
In the end, Wen Lingzhao gritted her teeth and returned.
However, she never expected to witness such a scene upon her return.
Those fellow disciples, either kneeling or lying down, in all sorts of miserable and wretched postures!
It almost made her think that her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Especially when she saw Xiang Ming, with his bruised and swollen face, collapsed cheekbones, and disheveled hair, kneeling beside Su Yi. Wen Lingzhao was completely stunned.
She was well aware of Xiang Ming's formidable cultivation and his prestigious status. Even among the big shots in Tianyuan Academy, no one would easily offend Xiang Ming.
But Wen Lingzhao never expected that the son of the governor would kneel in such a humiliating manner!
And Su Yi... He was the only one in the field who was unharmed.
For a moment, she stood there, completely dumbfounded.
What... What is going on?
Perhaps worried that Wen Lingzhao would misunderstand, Zheng Muyao said crisply, "Senior Sister Lingzhao, they were not only shouting for Uncle Su to apologize to you, but they also constantly provoked him and tried to force him to yield through battle. As you can see, they all ended up kneeling. It's not Uncle Su's fault at all. They brought this upon themselves."
Hu Jiao, Meng Tuo, and the others showed a mixture of shame and anger, unable to argue.
Xiang Ming kept his head low, seemingly unwilling to let Wen Lingzhao see his humiliated state.
"How is this possible..." Wen Lingzhao's gaze became trance-like.
In her understanding, Su Yi had only restored his cultivation a month ago and won first place in the Longmen Competition. At that time, his cultivation was only at the Blood Shifting Realm. How could he become so powerful in just a month?
Wen Lingzhao felt like her understanding of things was being shattered, finding it difficult to believe.
"Go and fetch paper and a pen," Su Yi glanced at Zheng Muyao, who shuddered and hurriedly took action.
She trembled inwardly, realizing that Uncle Su was really determined to divorce her!
Upon hearing Su Yi's words, Wen Lingzhao suddenly became clear-minded, widening her eyes and saying, "Do you think... I came back to agree to sign that contract with you?"
Su Yi's expression remained calm as he said, "You have seen the current situation and should realize that no matter who comes today, it won't change my mind."
Pausing for a moment, he added, "Of course, you still have less than half an hour to consider."
Wen Lingzhao took a deep breath, pushed aside her inner turmoil, and gazed coldly, saying, "I can tell you right now that I will handle our marriage myself, and my mind will never change!"
Su Yi furrowed his brow, then relaxed it and said, "Very well, since you're so stubborn, I'll write the contract by myself."
"Do you not find this absurd?" Wen Lingzhao's voice grew colder.
Su Yi remained indifferent and said, "Absurd? You claim to be the victim of this marriage, but when you left home on the day of our wedding, did you ever consider how humiliating that was for me? From that day on, everyone in Guangling City mocked me, Su So-and-So."
Wen Lingzhao was taken aback and fell silent.
"After a year apart, you returned with someone like Wei Zhengyang, who had a grudge against me even back in the Qinghe Sword Palace. Do you think that's not excessive?" Su Yi's gaze turned cold.
Wen Lingzhao's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she said, "I had no idea about the enmity between you back then. Besides, there was nothing between me and him."
"If there were something, you probably wouldn't have lived to see today," Su Yi said calmly. "I acknowledge your aversion and rejection of this marriage, and I appreciate the effort you've made to dissolve it. I'm not interested in dwelling on the past, but today, we must come to a resolution between us."
Pausing for a moment, he continued, "You can continue to be a representative of the Tianyuan Academy, or you can enjoy the pursuit of any man you desire. As for me, Su Yi, I will rid myself of the identity of being a 'burdensome son-in-law.' It's better for everyone."
Wen Lingzhao couldn't help but let out a long sigh and said, "If things could be resolved so simply, I would have done it a long time ago. But in my opinion, the so-called contract you're talking about right now is just a useless piece of paper. It can't change our marriage at all!"
She felt like she was going crazy.
This guy truly didn't understand the laws and regulations that Da Zhou had set regarding burdensome sons-in-law!
Or perhaps he truly doesn't understand that without the approval of the Su family in Yujing City, no one can do anything to dissolve this marriage.
"As long as it's a decision made by me, Su So-and-So, it is more effective than any worldly laws and regulations. If you don't believe it, you can try," Su Yi said, but before he could continue, a deep and thunderous voice resounded:
"What's going on here? Why are you all kneeling on the ground?"
As the voice echoed, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe strode over. His hair was as black as ink, his complexion fair, and his aura imposing and awe-inspiring.
Behind him followed an elderly man dressed in Confucian robes and a man with a long sword on his back, his beard floating gracefully.
"Master!" Xiang Ming became excited as if he had caught a lifeline.
The other young men and women who were kneeling down were first startled, but soon they all showed ecstatic expressions.
The middle-aged man in the brocade robe was none other than Wang Jianchong, Xiang Ming's mentor and the Deputy Palace Master of the Tianyuan Academy. He was a Grandmaster at the Triple Perfection of the Martial Dao!
"Disciple greets Master Wang," Wen Lingzhao's heart trembled, snapping out of her anger and giving a slight salute.
Wang Jianchong nodded with a gloomy expression and, seeing that Xiang Ming and the others were still kneeling, couldn't help but say angrily, "Why are you still kneeling? Stand up!"
Xiang Ming and the others finally woke up from their daze and stood up as if from a dream.
Su Yi didn't stop them. They were just minor characters not worth bothering about.
"Someone tell me what's going on here?" Wang Jianchong spoke with a voice as cold as electricity, his gaze fixed on Su Yi.
The elderly man in Confucian robes and the man with the floating beard also looked at Su Yi, their expressions icy.
Even if they didn't know the situation, how could they not see that Xiang Ming and the others were clearly suppressed and forced to kneel by this youth in a green robe?
Su Yi stood with his hands behind his back, ignoring Wang Jianchong and the other two. He casually glanced into the distance and saw Zheng Muyao rushing over, holding paper, pen, ink, and inkstone in her hands.
Su Yi's slightly furrowed brow finally relaxed.