The Heavenly Emperor's Chariot moved smoothly through folded space.
Feng Hao was about to turn away when—
A foreign fluctuation brushed past his perception.
Not power.
Not hostility.
A system signal.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Hm?"
He didn't look down.
He didn't focus on the Son of Heaven.
Instead, he focused on the distortion itself.
System Interference Detected
A faint blue-gold panel appeared in Feng Hao's vision.
Not summoned.
Triggered.
[System Notice]
External System Detected
Classification: Player-Bound Auxiliary System
Nature: Rule-Assisted Behavioral Reinforcement
Status: Active
Compatibility: ❌ (Foreign Authority)
Feng Hao paused.
"…Another one."
He had seen systems before.
This one felt… noisy.
Partial Scan — Restricted
The panel shifted.
[Attempting Cross-System Observation…]
▸ Identity: Hidden
▸ Host Level: Obscured (Tier 7 Range)
▸ Core Function: Boasting / Authority Conversion
▸ Energy Source: Audience Recognition + Comparative Superiority
▸ Growth Method:
• Verbal Domination
• Status Humiliation
• Psychological Overreach
▸ Threat Evaluation: Low (Direct)
▸ Long-Term Variable: Unstable
Feng Hao raised an eyebrow.
"A boasting-type system…"
He glanced faintly toward the hall below—but only as one might glance at background scenery.
He still did not know who the host was.
Only that the system existed.
Live Feed — Passive Observation
Another line appeared.
[Passive Monitoring Enabled]
Current Action:
▸ Attempting Authority Gain via Verbal Superiority
▸ Target: Regional Authority Figure
▸ Resistance Detected
▸ Authority Gain: Minimal
Feng Hao listened again to the conversation below.
Not the words.
The feedback.
Every time the Son of Heaven tried to boast— The system flared.
Every time Xu Yan responded calmly— The system stuttered.
"…Interesting," Feng Hao murmured.
"This one needs reaction to grow."
One of the dragons shifted slightly, sensing his focus.
"You don't even know who he is," an elder's voice echoed faintly through a communication talisman.
"I don't need to," Feng Hao replied.
System Evaluation — Feng Hao's Perspective
The panel updated once more.
[System Comparison Result]
External System Type: Dependent
▸ Requires acknowledgment
▸ Requires contrast
▸ Suffers authority backlash when ignored
Host Risk Profile:
▸ Overconfidence bias
▸ Ego-linked progression
▸ Vulnerable to absolute authority environments
Conclusion:
Non-threat unless cultivated improperly
Feng Hao closed the panel.
No suppression.
No interception.
No correction.
Just understanding.
"…So you grow by being louder than others," he thought.
"Unlucky."
Below — The Boasting System Feels It
Inside Tian Yu's mind, his system flickered.
[Warning]
Authority Feedback Loop Detected
Source: Unknown
Proximity: Extreme
Classification: Unable to Define
Tian Yu frowned slightly.
For the briefest moment, his confidence wavered.
Then it stabilized.
"…Must be interference from this region," he muttered.
He had no idea—
That his system had just brushed against something
that did not need acknowledgment to dominate.
Above — Decision Made
Feng Hao turned away fully now.
"No need to reveal myself," he said calmly.
"Let him keep talking."
The Heavenly Emperor's Chariot accelerated gently.
The system signal faded into the background—still monitored, still noted.
A variable.
Not yet a piece.
End of Scene — Quiet Foreshadowing
Far behind them, Tian Yu laughed again.
But this time—
His boasting felt thinner.
And somewhere deep inside his system, a new line quietly logged itself:
[Unknown Apex Authority Detected]
Recommendation:
Avoid comparison.
He didn't notice it.
Yet.
Below the Chariot — The Line Is Crossed
The hall had gone quiet.
Too quiet.
Yu Lianchen was still smiling, fan half-open in his hand, confidence practiced to perfection.
"…so in my Tier Seven Dynasty," he continued casually, "even a casual disciple would never tolerate such loose governance. Honestly, I'm surprised this region hasn't already—"
Bang.
The sound wasn't loud.
But it was final.
Xu Yan's foot hit the stone floor.
The Divine General slowly stood.
The air locked.
Not pressure.
Authority.
Yu Lianchen's system flared instinctively.
[Boasting System — Authority Gain Attempt]
Target: Regional Lord
Status: BLOCKED
Reason: Absolute Territorial Authority
Xu Yan looked at him.
Not angrily.
Not coldly.
Just… clearly.
"You may boast about yourself," Xu Yan said evenly.
"You may boast about your dynasty."
He took one step forward.
"But you do not boast about this region."
Another step.
"And you do not imply weakness in the Nine God Dynasty."
Yu Lianchen's smile stiffened.
"General Xu, surely you're overreacting. I meant no disrespect. I was simply speaking factually—"
Xu Yan raised a hand.
The hall's formations shifted.
Not activating.
Aligning.
"That," he said calmly, "was your last sentence here."
Outside the Domain — Arrogance Meets Reality
Yu Lianchen staggered to his feet.
His robes were torn. His pride even more so.
The border barrier of the region shimmered behind him—cold, silent, final.
He turned back once, teeth clenched.
"…Just a Divine General," he muttered.
"A dog guarding another man's territory."
His gaze darkened.
"My father's dynasty rose from dust to Tier Twelve Mortal," Yu Lianchen sneered.
"And it was thanks to that Nine God Emperor."
He laughed bitterly.
"And yet his subordinates dare kick me out?"
In his mind, the Boasting System pulsed uneasily.
[Boasting System]
Host emotional instability detected
Recommendation: Withdraw further
"Shut up," Yu Lianchen snapped internally.
He straightened his back.
"In the end," he said coldly, "I am still a Son of Heaven."
The Divine General Moves
The next moment—
Space behind Yu Lianchen folded.
Xu Yan was suddenly there.
No announcement. No killing intent.
Just presence.
Yu Lianchen's pupils shrank.
"You—!"
Xu Yan looked at him quietly.
"Leaving quietly would have been the wise choice," he said.
"But arrogance rarely knows when it has already lost."
Yu Lianchen laughed nervously.
"What? You already kicked me out. What more do you want?"
Xu Yan's eyes lowered.
"To remind you," he said calmly,
"that mercy was already given."
The Punishment
Xu Yan raised one finger.
No technique name. No formation.
Just territorial authority, condensed and refined.
The space around Yu Lianchen's abdomen twisted.
Yu Lianchen screamed.
"AAAGH—!"
Inside his body—
His dantian shook violently.
Cracks spread like spiderwebs across its foundation.
The Boasting System screamed warnings.
[CRITICAL WARNING]
Core cultivation structure under attack
▸ Full destruction probability: 68%
▸ Emergency stabilization engaged
Xu Yan frowned slightly.
"…Resistant?"
He pushed a fraction more.
CRACK.
Half the dantian collapsed.
Not shattered completely.
But torn.
Broken.
Cultivation essence leaked uncontrollably.
Yu Lianchen fell to his knees, vomiting blood.
His cultivation dropped instantly—realm slipping, foundation trembling.
Xu Yan withdrew his finger.
Silence returned.
Judgment Without Hatred
Xu Yan looked down at him.
Expression unchanged.
"I don't know what gives you confidence," he said.
"And I don't care."
He turned slightly, as if the matter was already over.
"But remember this."
Yu Lianchen coughed, blood staining the ground.
Xu Yan's voice carried calmly:
"Your father's dynasty exists because the Nine God Dynasty allows it."
"You exist because His Majesty does not bother noticing you."
A pause.
"This," Xu Yan added,
"is the cost of forgetting your position."
Aftermath — A Broken Son of Heaven
Xu Yan vanished.
No threats. No finishing blow.
Yu Lianchen lay there, shaking.
Inside his mind—
[Boasting System Status]
▸ Dantian: 47% destroyed
▸ Cultivation efficiency: SEVERELY REDUCED
▸ Authority Confidence: CRITICAL
Warning:
Host must avoid further confrontation with Nine God Dynasty assets
Yu Lianchen laughed weakly.
"…Half," he whispered.
"Only half…"
But his laughter turned hollow.
Because he knew—
A damaged dantian was worse than death for a cultivator like him.
He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms.
"…That Divine General," he hissed.
"…doesn't even know who I am."
And far away—
On the Heavenly Emperor's Chariot—
Feng Hao looked forward, not backward.
He never learned Yu Lianchen's name.
And he never needed to.
Because to him—
That encounter had already ended
the moment it stopped being worth his attention.
Three Days Later — The Price of Kneeling
Yu Lianchen did not leave the region.
He couldn't.
The moment Xu Yan withdrew his hand, a domain-seal settled over him like invisible chains. No aura. No pressure. Just an unspoken rule:
You stay.
He was confined inside the Divine General's palace—not in a dungeon, not in chains, but in a quiet side hall with plain stone floors and no formations aiding cultivation.
That alone was cruelty.
For a cultivator with a half-destroyed dantian, stillness was torture.
Inside the Palace — Silence as Punishment
Yu Lianchen sat cross-legged, sweating.
Qi leaked from his abdomen no matter how carefully he tried to circulate it. Every attempt at stabilization felt like pouring water into a cracked vessel.
The Boasting System stayed unnervingly quiet.
No prompts.
No rewards.
No encouragement.
Just silence.
On the second day, Yu Lianchen finally understood something that made his chest tighten.
They're not afraid of my system.
They don't even know it exists.
To them, he wasn't a variable.
He was a mistake.
Outside — A Father's Knees
On the third day—
The sky outside the Divine General's palace darkened slightly.
Not from pressure.
From decision.
Yu Lianchen's father arrived.
Yu Tianhe.
Dynasty Lord of the Heavenly River Mortal Dynasty.
Once a nobody.
Now a Tier 12 Mortal Dynasty Lord—a position he could barely comprehend, much less control.
He did not enter proudly.
He knelt.
Right at the palace gates.
No formation shielded him.
No attendants stood beside him.
He pressed his forehead to the ground.
Again.
And again.
And again.
"Divine General Xu Yan," he called hoarsely, voice cracking.
"This one begs for mercy on behalf of his unfilial son."
There was no response.
So he kept kneeling.
Cultivators gathered at a distance, none daring to speak.
An hour passed.
Then two.
Yu Tianhe's knees bled.
His voice grew raw.
"I know my son was arrogant."
"I know he forgot who lifted our dynasty from dust."
His forehead struck stone again.
"But this one begs you—please spare his life."
Inside — The Decision
Xu Yan stood by a window inside the palace, hands behind his back.
A palace aide hesitated nearby.
"General… should we—"
Xu Yan raised a hand.
He listened.
Not to the words.
To the tone.
Finally, after three days and three nights—
Xu Yan turned.
"…Open the hall."
The Release
The seal on Yu Lianchen dissolved.
He nearly collapsed when it lifted.
Two guards escorted him outside.
Yu Lianchen saw his father first.
Kneeling.
Bleeding.
His eyes widened.
"…Father?"
Yu Tianhe didn't look up.
He just said quietly:
"Kneel."
Yu Lianchen froze.
Then—slowly—he did.
Pain shot through his damaged dantian as his knees hit the stone.
Xu Yan stepped forward.
He looked at Yu Lianchen once.
Just once.
"You're alive," Xu Yan said.
"That is mercy."
He turned his gaze to Yu Tianhe.
"You raised him poorly," Xu Yan continued evenly.
"But you remember fear."
Yu Tianhe's voice trembled.
"This one will discipline him. With his life, if needed."
Xu Yan shook his head.
"No."
He gestured lightly.
The palace gates opened outward.
"Take him," Xu Yan said.
"And leave this region."
A pause.
"Immediately."
Thrown Out
The wind shifted.
A gentle—but absolute—force wrapped around Yu Lianchen and his father.
Not violent.
Not cruel.
Just final.
They were carried beyond the regional border and released.
Yu Lianchen stumbled, coughing blood.
Yu Tianhe caught him.
Behind them—
The region's barrier closed silently.
No glare. No warning.
Just separation.
Final Words
Yu Tianhe bowed deeply toward the sealed sky.
"Thank you… Divine General."
No answer came.
Because none was needed.
Yu Lianchen clenched his teeth, humiliation burning hotter than pain.
"…He didn't even consider me a opponent" he whispered.
Yu Tianhe looked at his son, eyes heavy.
"That," he said quietly,
"is why you survived."
Far away—
In the heavens—
The Heavenly Emperor's Chariot continued its slow return.
And Feng Hao remained unaware that a Son of Heaven had nearly ruined his own fate.
Because to Feng Hao—
That story was already too small
to ever reach him.