The middle-aged man thought long and hard, still feeling that Qin Chuan couldn't be allowed to live, but he hadn't yet truly realized the situation was spiraling out of control.
The others understood what he meant; although Bei Chu Gong had lost, the younger generation of the Bei Chu family still had members, but he hesitated about whether to continue letting them test the waters.
The younger generation of the Bei Chu family were naturally unhappy and resentful. They were the number one family, and no power or family in the Five Continents could be considered worthy of their attention.
Besides, a young junior—even one of the Eight Dragons of the younger generation—they would just laugh it off, seeing it as child's play, utterly insignificant.
Previously, Qin Chuan had easily defeated one of the Eight Dragons, which had initially caught the eye of the younger generation of the Bei Chu family, but that was just a fleeting impression; they didn't realize Qin Chuan could stand above them.
Yun Zhong Fei Long was one of the Eight Dragons, but not the strongest. They just hadn't expected Qin Chuan to clash with the Bei Chu family so quickly.
The result shocked the younger generation of the Bei Chu family. Bei Chu Shao was one thing, but Bei Chu Gong had been defeated, and arguably in a single move, utterly pathetic.
This situation forced them to take it seriously, mainly because Hall Master Wu was involved. If this young man were to suddenly decide to stand up for Hall Master Wu, it would ultimately cause trouble.
Even so, the Bei Chu family didn't feel threatened by Qin Chuan; they simply disliked trouble, and being a large family, the larger the family, the more prepared they were.
The young people were competitive and concerned with their reputation. The Bei Chu family's main hall was now filled with young people, all outstanding members of the family.
"Brother Lang, what do we do? Brother Gong lost, and without any suspense. What is Qin Chuan's strength?" a young man asked, frowning.
"Regardless of his strength, we have to try. We can't just give up like this, otherwise, how can we face anyone?" a slightly burly young man said.
He was Bei Chu Lang, a more dazzling figure than Bei Chu Gong. Most importantly, his abilities were unique; he wasn't of ordinary cultivation, but could defeat opponents far beyond their current level.
Therefore, the young people of the Bei Chu family had high expectations for him.
Although Bei Chu Lang wasn't the highest-ranking among the young people, if anyone could achieve unexpected victories and remain unpredictable, it would undoubtedly be Bei Chu Lang.
"Brother Lang, are you confident?" someone asked.
Bei Chulang actually lacked confidence, but he couldn't say he had none. He desperately wanted to fight; as a martial artist, he possessed a strong fighting spirit.
Bei Chulang shook his head: "Really not. This young man is a bit strange. I'll give it a try. If I can't win, I'll have to ask Ugly Sister to step in."
"Ugly Sister?"
"If Brother Lang can't beat him, only Ugly Sister can probably defeat him. I just don't know if Ugly Sister will even intervene," another young man said, frowning.
Hearing this, the others fell silent. Bei Chulang sighed and said, "If I lose, I'll ask Ugly Sister to help."
...
Qin Chuan was living a very comfortable and carefree life. With Zhao Han by his side, he spent his days indulging in carefree revelry.
Zhao Han had also gradually adapted. Perhaps because they didn't know when they would separate, she almost never resisted Qin Chuan.
Whether day or night, as long as Qin Chuan wanted, she would cooperate, even agreeing to things she never dared to dream of. Things she
never dared to imagine before, she could now do easily and freely—that was a change.
Qin Chuan appeared carefree, but he was actually quite attentive to his surroundings, especially to Palace Master Wu, as he worried about retaliation.
The next day, Qin Chuan received a challenge from Bei Chulang of the Bei Chu family, also to be fought in the martial arts arena.
The challenge was clear: if you agree, we'll fight on the arena; if you don't, I'll go back to you.
This was a challenge that couldn't be refused; there was no question of refusal, only a different method of combat.
Qin Chuan naturally agreed. He and the Bei Chu family definitely needed to reach a conclusion. Although this wasn't the last time, it should be a phase.
He had easily defeated Bei Chu Gong, and the younger generation of the Bei Chu family would likely only need to appear three more times before their reign ended.
At that point, he should be careful; the tallest tree in the forest catches the most wind. Only then would his performance truly earn the Bei Chu family's attention.
Qin Chuan knew he had taken a risk and shouldn't have acted so early, but seeing Palace Master Wu being bullied like that, he couldn't resist.
The other party was going too far. If he weren't currently outmatched and unable to resolve the situation, he would have killed Bei Chu Shao directly.
Well, he'd take it one step at a time. He should be able to protect himself now; he should focus on improving his strength.
His martial arts foundation courses were still ongoing and progressing smoothly, subtly changing Qin Chuan's strength every day.
Not only was his combat strength increasing, but his overall power was also being condensed into an essence, and his cultivation level was rapidly rising.
His formation godhood should be about to break through as well. If it were just a breakthrough in talismans, the formation godhood might take a little longer, but if it were a breakthrough in formations, especially if both talismans and formations were broken through, then the formation godhood breakthrough would be much faster—at least a week, and no more than twenty days.
The next day was also the day of Qin Chuan's duel with Bei Chu Lang, scheduled at the martial arts arena.
Although it wasn't officially advertised, many people were still paying attention to the news, so it was already widely discussed even before the fight.
"The Bei Chu family has lost face big time this time. Two Bei Chu family members had their legs broken, and by young people no less! The Bei Chu family's reputation as the number one family is just empty words!"
"The Bei Chu family is determined to regain their honor by challenging them again, but I doubt it. Qin Chuan can easily defeat Bei Chu Gong; even Bei Chu Lang might not be able to."
"I feel the Bei Chu family is in a dilemma. Even if they win today, their reputation will be damaged. If they lose again, it will be a complete disgrace."
"Here he comes! Bei Chu Lang is here!"
Despite the shouts, the crowd automatically made way for Bei Chu Lang as he stepped onto the fighting platform, as only a quarter of an hour remained before the duel.
Bei Chu Lang stood on the platform, his eyes slightly closed, not searching for Qin Chuan.
Time passed slowly.
"Where's Qin Chuan? He's not not coming, is he? Surely not!"
"Could he be too scared? Is it because of some special reason? Could he have already disappeared?"
"Don't talk nonsense, do you want to die?"
"Could the Bei Chu family have used some shady means to make Qin Chuan disappear to save face?"
More and more people felt that this was very likely.