Chapter 9

"Father!" Li Zifeng was more excited than ever before. The Yanhuang Academy was his dream, and now he was just one step away from it.

"Good performance." Li Yanfeng patted his shoulder. He was not a man of many words, but every word he spoke carried great weight.

"It's all thanks to Father's guidance." Li Zifeng hurriedly said.

It was now the moment to reveal the results. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Li Yanfeng faced the entire city and formally announced, "Today, I officially declare that Li Zifeng is to be the heir, the successor of Lihuo City."

"Zifeng, even with your current achievements, you must not be arrogant. In the future, be cautious in your words and actions, and take each step firmly." There was a rare look of pride in Li Yanfeng's eyes.

This announcement was enough to stir the hearts of everyone present, as it indicated that the city lord had completely abandoned the former heir. This also meant that Li Tianming, who had won everything here four years ago, would now disappear, as if he were dead.

"Congratulations to the city lord, congratulations to the heir, double joy! With the Yanhuang Order, it's triple joy!" The commander of the city guard, 'Zhao Ding,' stood up on the Wind Listening Pavilion and led the congratulations.

Everyone was watching Li Yanfeng, and no one noticed that a young man in white suddenly stood up in the corner and walked toward the Wind Listening Pavilion!

The Wind Listening Pavilion was not far, and the young man in white moved very quickly. In the blink of an eye, he jumped onto the Wind Listening Pavilion.

No one was foolish enough to disturb Li Yanfeng's joyous moment with his son, so no one stopped him. By the time they noticed, it was too late.

"Li Tianming..."

When people saw the young man's face clearly, they were stunned, and their voices trembled.

No matter what, this young man, who was a stain on Lihuo City, should not have been here, especially at this critical moment when he had been stripped of his heir status and his younger brother had just inherited it!

More importantly, today was the day of City Lord Li Yanfeng's wedding. On this joyous day, for someone like him, who was like a rat in the street, to walk to the focal point, it was as if a pile of shit had landed on the Wind Listening Pavilion.

For a moment, the whispers of the crowd sounded like flies buzzing in their ears.

"What is he doing here? He has no brains at all?"

"What do you expect from someone like him? He can't do anything decent."

"The city lord must be very angry. After all, it's his wedding day. Fortunately, Li Tianming's sick and crippled mother didn't come."

"Someone should drag him away quickly."

In the eyes of the people, Li Tianming seemed to have become a heartbroken, irrational person who had lost his heir status.

But they underestimated Li Tianming.

He was not here for the heir position today. He had no attachment to this position or to the entire Lihuo City.

When he lifted his head, Li Yanfeng had already turned around. He narrowed his eyes, and in the next moment, a terrifying aura pressed down on Li Tianming.

The Li Yanfeng before him seemed to have transformed into a giant beast that blocked the sky, looking down at him coldly from a high place.

If it had been a few days ago, Li Tianming would have collapsed on the ground, unable to move.

But now, he was a beast master of an ancient chaotic giant beast. Even in the face of such overwhelming pressure, the nobility of his bloodline allowed him to hold his ground. Even if the path ahead was like a swamp, he persisted and walked to Li Yanfeng's presence!

"Are you crazy! Someone, drag him away quickly. A beggar has come here." Li Zifeng's face darkened. He was about to receive the Yanhuang Order, and being interrupted at this moment naturally put him in a bad mood.

Hearing Li Zifeng's order, many guards immediately came forward, including Ma Chaoyuan, who was sweating profusely, as he was the gatekeeper today.

But Li Yanfeng waved his hand, and the guards retreated. He was a man who valued his reputation above all else. Since Li Tianming had appeared, dragging him away would be too embarrassing.

Don't be fooled by Li Yanfeng's gentle demeanor. Li Tianming knew him well. The more gentle he was, the more he despised Li Tianming at this moment.

"Just focus on your recovery. Why are you here? Zifeng has such a bright future. As his elder brother, you can choose to support him." Li Yanfeng's voice was so soft that the entire crowd fell silent.

At least in front of so many people, he couldn't show favoritism.

"Zifeng is doing well. He has a natural talent for cultivation, better than I was. However, before he receives the Yanhuang Order, I want to give him one more test." Li Tianming's tone was very calm. He had not lost his mind or become hysterical as people imagined.

They were having an equal conversation, with hidden tensions, but at least they hadn't lost their composure, which would have made the situation very awkward and a laughingstock.

Today was a joyous day, and face was the most important. On the Wind Listening Pavilion, there were also friends from other cities, from Yan Capital, and even from the Thunder Venerable Mansion.

"Li Tianming, what kind of joke are you playing? You're just a pile of mud, and you want to give me a test?" Li Zifeng was anxious. It was very unpleasant to have a pile of shit land on him during a glorious moment.

"On a joyous day, speak with manners. Are you so afraid that you're worried you can't pass my test?" Li Tianming asked with a smile.

To be honest, it was hard to imagine they were having such a conversation. In such a stark contrast of circumstances, the one who should be calm and composed should be Li Zifeng, and the one who should be in tears should be Li Tianming.

"Stop fooling around and go back to rest." When Li Yanfeng said this, it meant he had lost his patience. His expression was gentle, but his eyes were very dangerous.

This was a warning. If Li Tianming continued to disrupt, he would have to lose some face. After all, Li Tianming's identity was special, and if he chose to fight to the death, he could still make Li Yanfeng lose face.

He hadn't expected this mother and son to be so ungrateful. He had already given them a chance to leave safely.

"I'm not joking. I'm not yet twenty, and I still meet the eligibility rules for the Yanhuang Academy's final selection. The rules don't say that I can't receive the Yanhuang Order again after getting it four years ago!" Li Tianming looked straight into Li Yanfeng's dangerous eyes and firmly declared his true purpose to the crowd.

This statement caused a stir, and then there were cruel laughs.

"This child has gone completely mad after so many blows," said the city guard commander, Zhao Ding.

"He must have lost his mind. How could your people let him in? This is going to be a big problem," said the Lihuo Academy's master, 'Gao Qingyuan.'

"I think he wants to die, so he's trying to take revenge on the city lord."

"What a white-eyed wolf. Has he forgotten who raised him? The incident at the Yanhuang Academy was his own doing, so who can he blame?"

For a moment, there was a flurry of comments. People thought Li Tianming had achieved his goal; he had indeed made Li Yanfeng feel embarrassed at this moment.

Everyone knew how much Li Yanfeng valued his reputation!

The only one who could laugh was Li Zifeng. After a moment of shock, he burst into laughter, "Brother Tianming, are you trying to challenge me with your mortal body, so I can kill you and you can die with honor?"

"Will you accept my challenge?" Li Tianming asked.

"Of course, I have no problem with that. But you're not a child anymore. After losing, don't roll around on the Wind Listening Pavilion!" Li Zifeng knew the situation was awkward, and his father was not handling it well.

So after speaking, he quickly said to Li Yanfeng, "Father, don't worry. I won't kill him. I'll symbolically defeat him and drag him away. Since he's targeting me, it's appropriate for me to handle it."

He believed this approach would help his father, as having his father or others drag Li Tianming away would give outsiders the impression of 'unfairness.'

"Be careful." Li Yanfeng naturally didn't want the trouble to escalate. Given the strength disparity, Li Zifeng was more than capable of easily defeating and dragging him away.

With his companion beast dead and his beast essence almost depleted, how could a mortal defeat a seventh-level beast master?

After saying this, he no longer looked at Li Tianming and leaped onto the Wind Listening Pavilion, smiling at the guests, "Everyone, I apologize for this embarrassment. You've all heard about my son's issues. Indeed, family matters should not be aired in public."

"City Lord Li, don't be embarrassed. Every family has its own troubles. This child doesn't understand your good intentions, and we, as parents, have done our best," said a dignitary from Yan Capital.

"Fortunately, Zifeng is quite ambitious. My lord, let Zifeng handle it. He will teach Tianming the lesson of turning back to the right path," said Li Yanfeng's second wife, 'Madam Mo.'

As for Madam Huang, she knew Li Tianming had recovered some of his strength, but since she hadn't mentioned it at first, she couldn't say it now.

"Lord Liu?" After taking his seat, Li Yanfeng noticed his new wife looking at the Wind Listening Pavilion with interest.

"Brother Feng, your eldest son, though he has lost his companion beast, seems to have a calm and composed demeanor," said Lady Liu, her eyes sparkling.

"Just pretending. I know him well," Li Yanfeng's inner volcano was boiling, but his anger was hidden beneath his gentle and refined exterior.

"Brother Feng, don't be angry. Just watch the show. Everyone knows what this child has done, and no one will judge you for it," said Lady Liu in a soft voice.

"You understand me." Li Yanfeng narrowed his eyes and watched the scene.

As expected, the two sons were now facing off, needle against wheat.