NOVEL WEB Chapter 26: The first Strike!
Fang Yuan stood perfectly still, hands clasped behind his back, smiling casually as his uncle's fist roared toward his face like a comet.
Boom!
The impact rang out across the courtyard like a war drum.
But what followed… was silence.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Fang Wei stood frozen, his fist still pressed against Fang Yuan's cheek—unmoving.
Fang Yuan, on the other hand, looked… completely untouched.
He blinked once, slowly, then tilted his head with a playful grin.
"Oh my, Uncle," he said, voice light and amused. "You didn't have to go easy on me."
Fang Wei stared at him in disbelief.
There wasn't a single mark.
Not even a ripple of damage on Fang Yuan's robe.
The realization hit like a slap: his attack hadn't even pierced the spirit shield.
The spirit shield—the most basic layer of spiritual defense for cultivators.
It was naturally formed, invisible to the eye but present the moment one reached the Qi Transformation stage.
While not invincible, it could absorb moderate damage, and at higher cultivation realms, it was strong enough to block fatal blows altogether.
But to not even crack it?
A Peak Golden Core Realm cultivator… unable to dent the spirit shield of someone at half-step into Nascent Soul?
Impossible.
And yet—it had just happened.
The phoenix soul pavilion buzzed with murmurs and speculation.
"There must be an artifact…"
"No, I didn't sense any fluctuations."
"Is his cultivation deeper than we thought?"
Fang Guo stepped forward, his voice suspicious and sharp.
"Fang Yuan." He didn't even bother to use the title of Family Head anymore. "Do you have any protective artifacts on you right now?"
Fang Yuan smiled pleasantly. "I'm no fool, Elder Guo. But if you're truly worried… go ahead, inspect me."
Then his eyes glinted, and he added with a lazy grin, "Of course, to avoid any accidental planting of evidence, I'll have Aunt Jingyi inspect you first."
The corner of Elder Jingyi's mouth twitched upward ever so slightly. She didn't say a word, but the message was clear.
Fang Guo's face stiffened, and just as he was about to speak, Fang Wei cut in quickly.
"There's no need," he said firmly. "I've already confirmed—all Fang Clan artifacts remain untouched in the treasury."
The air shifted.
Oh?
Fang Yuan raised an eyebrow, his voice dripping with irony. "How convenient. So even rogues can wander around our sacred grounds unsupervised now?"
His tone was light, but the implication was razor-sharp: Only the Family Head had access to the treasury.
That meant Fang Wei had been snooping—likely more than once. And that was legally punishable under the Fang family rules.
Fang Guo's face darkened, and though he returned to his seat without another word, his eyes stayed fixed on Fang Yuan.
He must be cheating. That thought clawed at his mind like a maddened beast.
There's no way that boy blocked the punch… unless… unless—
Meanwhile, Fang Yuan turned back to Fang Wei with the same infuriating smile.
"Uncle, ready for the second strike?" he asked cheerfully. "Please, no need to hold back this time."
He tapped his stomach lightly.
"Look here, the most vulnerable part of the human body. Completely exposed. My hands are still behind my back. Don't miss this golden opportunity."
Fang Wei's breath came ragged.
And in that silence, Fang Yuan's voice—mocking, melodic, full of cruel humor—felt like a cricket chirping in the dead of night.
It grated on his nerves.
"Shut up!" Fang Wei roared, his voice breaking with rage.
But Fang Yuan didn't flinch. He laughed softly, tilting his head.
"Oh, that's not very noble of you. Swearing in front of the elders? And to your junior? Is that how you plan to lead the Fang Family?"
More gasps.
The crowd was no longer laughing. They were watching.
And wondering.
How had a "half-step Nascent Soul" blocked a berserk-fueled, peak Golden Core attack… and smiled through it?
There had to be a trick.
There had to be something at play.
But only Fang Yuan knew the truth.
Inside, he chuckled to himself.
"Oh, I'm no half-step anything. I'm a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, and you're just a loud insect throwing tantrums at a mountain.
Tell me—have you ever seen a single ant bite an elephant to death?"
Fang Wei clenched his fists, his fury mounting.
The embarrassment of his failed first strike still echoed in his bones, but now—now he was done holding back.
He began to charge up.
Fang Wei's aura exploded, golden arcs lashing the air like furious serpents. His rage no longer simmered—it boiled.
This second strike would not miss. It would not fail. It would not be mocked.
This time… he would crush that smug smile.
Above, in the elevated pavilion, the Crown Prince rested his chin on one hand, eyes locked on Fang Yuan.
His brows were slightly raised not in shock, but in interest.
"Teacher Ian," he said lightly, "how do you suppose he walked away unscathed?"
Ian's reply came with his usual stoic tone. "The spirit force blocked the attack."
The Crown Prince chuckled, his eyes still watching the figure below. "Then that raises the question—was Fang Yuan strong… or was Fang Wei weak?"
"I am unqualified to judge that," Ian replied softly, his gaze not on the fight, but on Fang Yuan himself.
Meanwhile, below the pavilion where the Four Great Families were seated, an argument quietly stirred among the clan heads.
He Long leaned in first, his eyes sharp and voice low. "Matriarch Lin Xi, what are you thinking? You would willingly give up your claim to the Spirit Pond?"
But Lin Xi only smiled, serene as always.
"No," she said simply.
Zhao Ming frowned. "Then why would you openly support Fang Yuan?"
She gave them a look of innocent confusion, her fan gently fluttering open.
"To have a share in the Spirit Pond, of course."
Her answer was so disarming, so casual, it nearly left them speechless.
Zhao Ming's brows furrowed deeper. He Long's lips thinned.
While the three of them muttered and schemed in low tones, Wu Shun sat further back in his seat, arms folded.
His eyes hadn't left Fang Yuan once.
With every passing moment, his annoyance deepened.
His gaze sharpened.
His jaw clenched.