Xu Ke did not conceal his murderous intent. Qian Jun, in turn, did not hide his mockery.

A lowly commoner from a small frontier city, thinking he's hot stuff just because of some martial prowess he scraped together from who-knows-where? He wants to contend with me, a top genius? He even dares claim he'll kill me? How ignorant! Utterly clueless!

"Xu Ke, it seems you've never learned the saying, 'There are always mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond people,'" said Huang Zhendong, naturally not missing the chance to kick a man while he was down.

Xu Ke raised an eyebrow and turned to Huang Zhendong with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "I'm talking to Wong Ting's dog. What does it have to do with you?"

"Or are you also one of Wong Ting's dogs?"

Huang Zhendong's eyes bulged, and he instantly exploded with rage. "What did you say?!"

The Huang Family indeed had an excellent relationship with Wong Ting. But the Huangs, who considered themselves allies, despised being called Wong Ting's dogs more than anything. Now that Xu Ke had struck right at their sore spot, how could Huang Zhendong not be furious?

Sitting beside Huang Zhendong, Huang Sheng moved his lips but ultimately said nothing.

Nearby, Vice Alliance Hierarch Yuan Shang had initially wanted to use his position to stop the quarrel, but seeing Xu Ke gaining the upper hand, he was happy to watch the show.

Qian Jun simply ignored Xu Ke's insinuation, scoffing, "Xu Ke, what skill is there in just running your mouth? Cultivation is the only thing that matters."

Xu Ke didn't even lift his eyelids. "Right. So why have you been talking nonstop since you walked through the door? If you really want a piece of me, wait for the competition. This is the Martial Alliance, not a place for you to spout hot air. Anyone who didn't know better would think you became one of the Top Ten Warriors just by talking."

Qian Jun's face turned livid. "You!"

Xu Ke ignored him. The fact was, he had been sitting there peacefully when Qian Jun came over to make threats. It was hardly surprising that Xu Ke retorted.

Just as Qian Jun was about to retaliate, Elder Lin Zhongtian hastily intervened. "Alright, now is not the time for this. The adjudication concerning Li Lang is the most important matter. Everyone, please take your seats."

He was afraid that if he didn't step in, Xu Ke would anger Qian Jun to the point of coughing up blood. Elder Lin was trying to help Qian Jun.

But Qian Jun shot Elder Lin a fierce glare, his eyes full of rage, before striding over to sit with Huang Zhendong's faction.

This left Elder Lin utterly baffled. I'm clearly trying to help you, so why the hell are you looking at me like that?

Elder Lin almost jumped up in frustration. He had no idea that he had just cut Qian Jun off at the exact moment he had finally thought of a comeback. The retort was now lodged in his chest, unable to be vented or swallowed. He felt utterly suffocated.

...

After Huang Zhendong and Qian Jun begrudgingly sat down, the adjudication against Li Lang began.

Elder Lin quickly got to the point, reading from the dossier about the incident. "Regarding the case of Li Lang's intentional murder of Chang Yi, Sun Luo, and Kang Chenghua two days ago, the cause of the incident is as follows: the parties involved had conspired to kidnap Xu Yi..."

"The evidence is as follows: surveillance video footage…"

After finishing his reading and presenting the evidence, Elder Lin looked at the Ye Family and Li Shichuan. "Do you have any objections?"

"We have no objection to the facts," Li Shichuan and Ye Yunfeng said, shaking their heads in unison.

As for Huang Zhendong's faction, they were even less likely to raise any objections.

Li Lang listened, his palms sweating. Although Li Shichuan had told him everything was settled, he was still terrified.

Next, Elder Lin asked, "Does the opposing side wish to reconcile, or shall we proceed with punishment according to Martial Alliance regulations?"

"We wish to reconcile," Huang Zhendong stated indifferently.

Qian Jun and a reluctant Kang Chenghua also nodded.

Huang Zhendong spoke. "Our condition is that the Ye Family pays fifty million within three months."

Qian Jun added, "Thirty million."

Kang Chenghua followed, "Ten million."

Even though the Ye and Huang Families looked down on Kang Chenghua, they still gave him his due share. These conditions were stated openly for the Tianhai Martial Alliance's benefit; their more private agreements remained unspoken.

Lin Zhongtian turned to Ye Yunfeng. "Does the Ye Family have any objection to these conditions?"

Ye Yunfeng shook his head, casting a subtle glance at Xu Ke.

At that moment, Xu Ke wore that same smile that wasn't quite a smile. Seeing it, Ye Yunfeng's expression was one of pure frustration.

Even though he "knew" the real murderer was Li Lang... and ninety million was nothing to the Ye Family Corporation... how could he possibly be happy seeing Xu Ke's gloating expression?

It was time for Peng Hetong to play his part. "Alright, that being the case, please sign the settlement agreement. The Tianhai Martial Alliance will place Li Lang under supervision for a period of two years. Li Lang, you are required to attend ideological education at the Tianhai Martial Alliance weekly, you must report any travel outside of Tianhai, and..."

He recited a long list of regulations, all concerning the Martial Alliance's control over Li Lang.

Meanwhile, the representatives from the Ye Family, the Huang Family, Qian Jun, and the Kang Family all reviewed the pre-prepared agreement and signed it.

After the signing was complete, Li Lang finally stood up. His legs were so weak they trembled as he walked toward Li Shichuan. Over the past few days, he had been certain he was a dead man. Even now, he couldn't believe Xu Ke had actually let him off the hook.

Peng Hetong continued reading, "...and so, I declare this adjudication concluded. The settlement agreement, confirmed by the Tianhai Martial Alliance, is authentic and valid, and must not be violated."

The four parties stood up, ready to leave. As they departed, each of them cast a cold, dark glance at Xu Ke, who had been an onlooker the entire time.

To be honest, in their hearts, they felt that everyone present today was a loser. The only exception was Xu Ke, who had not only watched the show from the sidelines but had also killed a man and gotten away with it. How could this not infuriate them? They hadn't tasted such bitter frustration in a very long time.

But just as they were about to step out the door, Xu Ke, who had been enjoying the drama, suddenly stood. "Elder Lin, Vice Alliance Leader Yuan, Chief Peng, I wish to hold the Huang Family, the Ye Family, the Li Family, the Kang Family, and Wong Ting's faction accountable."

"I request that Elder Lin have them all remain."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's expression changed drastically.

Lin Zhongtian and Peng Hetong, who were tidying up the documents, were completely blindsided. Why would Xu Ke suddenly decide to hold them accountable now?

Only Yuan Shang remained unperturbed, sitting in his chair without so much as a twitch. He had known all along that Xu Ke was about to make his move.

"What did you say?!" Qian Jun's face contorted with outrage.

He was all set to go prepare for the competition, eagerly awaiting the moment he could crush Xu Ke. But now Xu Ke was turning around to sue him?

"You five parties conspired to kidnap my sister and coerce me into releasing Chang Yi and Sun Luo. Do you not think you need to take responsibility for that?" Xu Ke said calmly.

He and Tang Yingchang rose and sat down where Huang Zhendong had been moments before, observing the group with cold eyes.

"Bullshit! What does this have to do with me? I just got to Tianhai!" Qian Jun raged.

The remaining parties, however, instantly turned pale. Kang Chenghua, in particular, was so enraged his eyes practically turned green.

He killed my son, and now he wants to hold me responsible? Is there anything more humiliating in this fucking world?!

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