The Su Family's main courtyard stood within the heart of Dongtai Prefecture City's inner city.
Unlike the bustling streets of the outer city, the inner city was considerably quieter. The roads were wide and clean, while enormous residences occupied large sections of land behind high walls protected by formations.
Among them, the Su Family estate was one of the most imposing.
The family had existed within Dongtai Prefecture for generations and had developed into an enormous clan with countless branches spread throughout the surrounding regions.
Within the family itself were five major divisions.
The Medicine Division was responsible for cultivating spiritual herbs, refining medicines and maintaining the family's medical resources.
The Martial Division trained the family's martial artists and supplied experts to protect the clan's interests.
The Commerce Division controlled the family's businesses and managed their vast wealth.
The Formation Division maintained the defensive formations surrounding the family's properties while also studying various ancient formations.
Finally, there was the Intelligence Division.
Its members rarely appeared publicly, yet they were responsible for gathering information throughout Dongtai Prefecture and the surrounding regions.
The guards stationed outside the main entrance belonged to the Martial Division.
Every one of them possessed considerable martial cultivation, and their expressions remained stern as they stood beneath the enormous stone gates.
Within the main courtyard, however, the atmosphere was anything but peaceful.
Several elders sat around a long wooden table.
At the head sat the Su Family Patriarch.
He was a middle-aged man with dark hair and a calm expression. His fingers rested upon the armrest of his chair while his eyes remained lowered.
He had been silent for quite some time.
The elders around him were not nearly as calm.
"Seventy-ninth place."
One elder slammed his palm against the table.
"That girl has actually entered the Human 100 Martial List."
Another elder's expression was equally ugly.
"This is no longer merely a matter of the Liu Family."
"Liu Ruyan has become a Core Disciple of the Jade Sword Palace, and now she has entered the Human 100 Martial List."
"Her future is completely different from what it was several years ago."
A third elder sighed.
"The situation has changed too quickly."
The Human 100 Martial List.
It was a list whose existence had always been controversial throughout the Martial Continent.
More than a thousand years ago, a mysterious force had suddenly released the list.
No one knew who controlled it.
No one knew how they obtained their information.
Even the most powerful factions had attempted to investigate its origins, yet none had succeeded.
Many martial artists disliked the list.
Some considered it arrogant for an unknown organization to judge the younger generation of the entire continent.
Others questioned the criteria used to rank its members.
Yet despite all the criticism, there was one undeniable fact.
The Human 100 Martial List was extremely accurate.
Over the centuries, countless martial artists had appeared on it.
Almost every person who reached the higher positions eventually demonstrated astonishing talent.
Even those who were initially underestimated had eventually proven themselves.
As a result, despite publicly criticizing the list, almost every major faction secretly paid close attention whenever a new name appeared.
And today, a familiar name had appeared.
A jade slip displaying the latest ranking sat upon the table.
"Liu Ruyan — 79th Place"
"Affiliation — Jade Sword Palace Core Disciple"
The room fell silent whenever the elders looked at those words.
Finally, one elder broke the silence.
"So what should we do?"
His gaze moved around the room.
No one immediately answered.
The question wasn't truly asking what they should do.
Everyone already understood the problem.
Liu Ruyan and Su Yang had been engaged since birth.
Their fathers had made the arrangement when the two families were still extremely close.
At the time, neither family could have imagined that one of the children would become a martial prodigy while the other would be unable to properly cultivate.
Now...
The difference between them had become enormous.
Liu Ruyan was a Core Disciple of the Jade Sword Palace.
She had entered the Human 100 Martial List.
Her future was almost guaranteed to be extraordinary.
Su Yang, on the other hand, had been born with several severely blocked Innate Acupoints.
For years, the young master of the Su Family had been unable to properly cultivate martial arts.
The engagement that had once been considered a blessing had gradually become an embarrassment in the eyes of outsiders.
An elder slowly stood.
"Since the matter has reached this point..."
He looked directly toward the Patriarch.
"...the decision should naturally come from you."
The Patriarch's eyes finally lifted.
There was no anger in them.
Only deep thought.
Everyone understood the hidden meaning behind those words.
The Patriarch had been the one who had originally agreed to the engagement.
Now that the situation had changed, it was also his responsibility to decide how the Su Family should respond.
Before he could speak...
"Patriarch!"
A hurried voice suddenly sounded from outside.
The doors opened.
A Su Family guard rushed inside.
He immediately bowed.
"Patriarch, a group of people from the Jade Sword Palace has arrived."
The atmosphere instantly changed.
"How many?"
"Several."
The guard hesitated.
"They're wearing Jade Sword Palace disciple robes."
"And..."
His expression became slightly uneasy.
"They don't appear to have come with friendly intentions."
The Patriarch slowly stood.
A faint pressure immediately spread throughout the room.
"Let's go."
The elders followed him.
Within moments, the entire group hurried toward the receiving hall.
The receiving hall was located near the front of the estate.
By the time the Patriarch arrived, several guards were already standing to the side with pale expressions.
Their weapons remained in their hands.
Yet none dared approach the visitors.
The reason became obvious immediately.
A group of three stood within the hall.
At the center was a young woman.
She wore the white and azure robes of the Jade Sword Palace.
Her beautiful features remained calm while a faint sword intent naturally surrounded her body.
Liu Ruyan.
She had changed considerably since the last time the Su Family Patriarch had seen her.
Behind her stood an elderly woman.
Her robes were also marked with the emblem of the Jade Sword Palace.
Beside the elder stood a young man.
His appearance was handsome, though the faint arrogance between his brows made him considerably less pleasant to look at.
The moment the young man saw the Su Family Patriarch enter, he immediately stepped forward.
He cupped his fists.
"Junior greets Senior Su."
The Patriarch didn't respond.
His gaze instead shifted toward the guards.
Several had clearly been pushed aside while others were nursing minor injuries.
His expression immediately darkened.
A powerful aura erupted from his body.
Boom!
The atmosphere inside the receiving hall became heavy.
Peak Xuan Gang.
The pressure swept toward the three visitors like an invisible wave.
The young man's expression changed.
His body instinctively stiffened.
However, before the pressure could reach him completely...
Another powerful aura erupted.
The elderly woman behind Liu Ruyan stepped forward.
Her Xuan Gang surged outward, colliding directly with the Patriarch's aura.
Boom!
The two forces collided within the hall.
The surrounding tables trembled.
Several cups shattered.
The Patriarch's eyes narrowed.
The elderly woman also frowned.
Her cultivation was clearly comparable to his, yet the clash wasn't completely equal.
A faint strain appeared across her face.
The Patriarch's aura was slightly stronger.
Neither side continued increasing the pressure.
After several breaths, both withdrew their forces.
The receiving hall finally returned to normal.
The Patriarch's expression remained cold.
The elderly woman quietly adjusted her sleeve.
Neither had suffered an actual injury.
But everyone present understood the meaning of the exchange.
The Su Family Patriarch was stronger.
At least in terms of pure Xuan Gang cultivation.
One of the Su Family elders stepped forward.
His gaze swept across Liu Ruyan and the two people behind her.
"Miss Liu."
"You arrived at the Su Family without informing us beforehand."
"May I ask what brings the Jade Sword Palace here?"
His tone was polite.
But there was no warmth within it.
The young man immediately opened his mouth.
"We came because..."
Liu Ruyan raised her hand.
The young man stopped.
She stepped forward herself.
Her gaze met the Su Family Patriarch directly.
"I came to discuss something concerning my engagement with Su Yang."
The hall immediately became silent.
Several Su Family elders exchanged glances.
Although they had already expected this possibility, hearing the words directly still caused their expressions to change.
The Patriarch remained expressionless.
"You came here..."
"...to discuss the engagement?"
Liu Ruyan nodded.
"Yes."
Her voice was calm.
"I believe there are some matters that should be settled before they become a greater problem."
Behind her, the arrogant young man smiled faintly.
The Su Family elders noticed that smile.
Their expressions immediately became colder.
This wasn't simply a discussion between two families.
The Jade Sword Palace had clearly come here with confidence.
And the reason was obvious.
Liu Ruyan was no longer the same girl who had been engaged to Su Yang at birth.
She was now the seventy-ninth-ranked martial artist on the Human Martial List.
A Core Disciple of the Jade Sword Palace.
A rising star of the younger generation.
The Su Family Patriarch stared at her for several breaths.
Then his gaze shifted toward the young man standing behind her.
He immediately understood.
This matter wasn't going to end with a simple conversation.