At this moment, nearly every guest in the square was stunned by Jiang Chen's audacity.
In the Shenwu Continent, strength determined status, and the weak had no voice. Even though Jiang Chen was the son of Jiang Wuya, once the most powerful man in Cangshan City, that fact meant nothing now. Jiang Wuya's absence made the situation worse, and many believed that even if he were present, he wouldn't hand over the Jiang family's leadership to a "waste" like Jiang Chen.
No one could fathom where Jiang Chen found the courage to openly challenge Jiang Qianhe for the position of family head.
"Jiang Chen, are you saying that you alone are qualified to inherit the position of family head?" Jiang Qianhe's eyes locked onto Jiang Chen, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Isn't that obvious?" Jiang Chen replied calmly, meeting his gaze without flinching.
"Very well," Jiang Qianhe said, his tone turning colder. "Since you, the so-called young master, claim to be worthy of the patriarch's seat, I'll give you a chance to prove yourself!"
Jiang Qianhe's eyes shifted to a young man among the crowd. "Jiang Xing, come forward!"
As his words fell, a 16- or 17-year-old boy with a cold demeanor leapt onto the platform, standing beside Jiang Qianhe.
"Jiang Chen," Jiang Qianhe continued, "words alone won't make you the head of the Jiang family. Here, strength is the only measure of worth."
"You should know the person standing next to me. This is Jiang Xing, the most talented member of the Jiang family's younger generation."
"If you can defeat Jiang Xing and prove yourself as the strongest of your generation, I will acknowledge your right to become the head of the Jiang family!"
A sinister glint appeared in Jiang Qianhe's eyes as he spoke. He sneered down at Jiang Chen and added, "Do you have the courage to face Jiang Xing?"
Jiang Xing was widely recognized as the foremost genius of the Jiang family's younger generation. Six months ago, he had become an inner disciple at Lingyun Martial Arts Academy and had since reached the third stage of the Qi Protection Realm. Jiang Qianhe was confident that Jiang Xing would crush Jiang Chen, permanently removing any threat he posed.
"Jiang Qianhe is playing dirty," someone in the crowd muttered.
"Indeed," another replied. "Jiang Chen is still stuck in the Body Tempering Realm. How could he possibly defeat Jiang Xing? This is just bullying."
Sympathetic glances turned toward Jiang Chen. Many believed he had walked straight into a trap.
"So, this old dog even brought Jiang Xing back for this," Jiang Chen murmured, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watched Jiang Xing on the platform.
"Jiang Chen," Jiang Xing called out coldly, his voice echoing across the square. "The position of patriarch concerns the future of the Jiang family. If you truly think you deserve it, come up here and fight me."
Jiang Chen smirked disdainfully. "Jiang Xing, you're just a lapdog trained by that old dog Jiang Qianhe. Do you think you can challenge me?"
"You're not even qualified to make me act."
"If you want to fight me, defeat my maid first."
With that, Jiang Chen glanced back at Meng Qingxue and ordered calmly, "Go up there and deal with him."