Sun Zhong couldn't help but be impressed.
His young master was far more complicated than he'd appeared.
This was no spoiled, brainless playboy like the rumors made him out to be—his political maneuvering was razor-sharp.
With just a few casual words, he'd turned Li Yang and Zhao Kun against each other, setting them up to tear each other apart.
It was clear now: that reputation for being a womanizing rake had been nothing more than a smokescreen.
After all, the Sun family was one of the Twelve Duke Houses of the Qianyuan Empire, decorated for extraordinary merit. How could any of their direct descendants be a useless fool?
Sun Qian was well aware of the curious gaze Sun Zhong was directing at him from behind, but he paid it no mind. His eyes remained cold and calm as he watched Li Yang and Zhao Kun rolling around on the floor, trading blows.
For all their screaming and flailing, neither of them was fighting to kill—they were holding back, stalling for time.
No doubt they were waiting for reinforcements to arrive.
With a mess this big, there were definitely members of the Zhao and Li families in the crowd who'd already slipped away to send word back to their clans.
「So they're not completely brain-dead after all. Good.」
Sun Qian sneered, seeing right through their little charade.
But so what?
Not even the King of Heaven himself could save them today.
「Since neither of you has anything useful to say, I'll be the judge,」 he said flatly.
「Director Qi—drag these two out and shoot them both.」
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
Li Yang and Zhao Kun froze mid-brawl, their faces draining of all color. They'd never dreamed Sun Qian would actually go this far.
Even Qi Wei was stunned speechless.
Shooting both heirs to Magic City's great noble clans in one go? This was a declaration of total war—there would be no going back from this!
Not even his boss, the Director of the Magic City Security Bureau, would dare to pull a stunt like this!
For all his ambition and recklessness, Qi Wei hesitated now.
And to think it was all over a woman—a woman neither of the two had even touched.
「What's wrong, Director Qi?」 Sun Qian's voice was icy as he fixed Qi Wei with a piercing stare. 「Are you scared?」
Wanting to climb the ranks but refusing to get his hands dirty—what use was a dog like that?
If a dog didn't even obey its master's orders, it deserved to be put down.
Oh no!
Qi Wei's body jolted as if struck by lightning, and he cursed himself silently for his stupidity.
The Li and Zhao families were powerful—but only within the borders of Magic City.
The Sun family, however, was rooted in the imperial capital itself—a colossus that towered over the entire Qianyuan Empire.
The two were not even in the same league.
If he could secure the Sun family's backing, the position of Director of the Magic City Security Bureau would be child's play. In fact, he might even have a shot at moving to the capital someday, taking on an even more prestigious role.
Compared to that, offending the Li and Zhao families was a trivial matter.
Besides, he'd heard rumors that this Young Master Sun held a special place in the Sun family's heart, doted on by everyone from the top down.
Breaking out in a cold sweat, Qi Wei snapped back to his senses.
「No problem at all, Young Master Sun!」 he said, his voice ringing with renewed conviction. 「Since you've given the order, I'll personally pull the trigger myself!」
To fully cement his position as Sun Qian's loyal dog, he couldn't afford to delegate this task to anyone else. This had to be his personal gesture of fealty.
Watching Qi Wei stride toward them without hesitation, no trace of doubt left in his eyes, Sun Qian nodded faintly, satisfied.
「Looks like he's worth keeping around. The chance of him being part of the mastermind's faction is practically zero.」
Yes—his real goal in forcing Qi Wei to do this wasn't just to test his loyalty.
It was also to see where his true allegiance lay.
「Wait! Director Qi! What do you think you're doing?!」 Li Yang shrieked, scrambling backward on his hands and knees as Qi Wei approached. 「You're insane! The Li family will never let you get away with this!」
「Are you out of your mind?!」 Zhao Kun echoed, his voice cracking with terror. 「Kill me, and the Zhao family will hunt you down to the ends of the earth!」
Faced with the prospect of imminent death, the two young masters forgot their feud in an instant, united by their fear.
But Qi Wei paid them no heed, his eyes fixed solely on Sun Qian, waiting for his final confirmation.
Just as he raised his hand to signal his men to move in, the air in the room suddenly rippled like water.
「Spare them, Young Master Sun!」
「Young Master Sun! Please show mercy!」
Two ancient, weathered figures materialized out of thin air, one after the other.
The first to arrive was none other than the Patriarch of the Li family.
Hot on his heels was the Patriarch of the Zhao family.
Fourth Layer Saint Realm!Fifth Layer Saint Realm!
The imposing auras of the two Saint Realm powerhouses surged forth, heavy and oppressive, threatening to crush the very air in the room.
The pressure was so intense that everyone present—from the guests to the Black Robe Enforcement Team members—buckled under it, dropping to their knees in an instant, gasping for breath.
「So it's you.」
Sun Qian's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze locking onto the Li family patriarch with calm recognition.
Though this was their first face-to-face meeting, he instantly recognized him as the mysterious figure who'd lured Sun Zhong away during his first simulation.
And the masked assassin who'd ambushed him in the second simulation.
Clearly, the old man had been here all along, hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.
He'd only deigned to reveal himself now that Li Yang's life was on the line—and the Zhao family patriarch had arrived to back him up.
「Oh no!」
Qi Wei's pupils constricted sharply, his entire body breaking out in cold sweat as a bone-chilling killing intent washed over him.
Trapped under the combined gaze of two Saint Realm powerhouses, even a Sixth Layer Transcendent like himself felt utterly powerless. He stumbled backward several steps, his face turning as white as a sheet.
BOOM!
Before the killing intent could reach Sun Qian, Sun Zhong stepped forward silently, positioning himself between Sun Qian and the two patriarchs.
BOOM!
A terrifying aura erupted from Sun Zhong's body—far more powerful than either of the two clan leaders'—crashing down on them like a tidal wave.
「Hmph!」
Sun Zhong let out a cold snort.
The shockwave of spiritual energy sent the Li and Zhao family patriarchs flying backward, their bodies slamming into the invisible barrier of the room and bouncing off.
「Seventh Layer Saint Realm?!」
Both patriarchs let out simultaneous gasps of shock, their eyes widening with disbelief.
They'd never dreamed the Sun family would assign a Seventh Layer Saint Realm powerhouse to protect a mere playboy like Sun Qian!
The Saint Realm was divided into nine layers, each layer unlocking new, profound abilities.
A Seventh Layer Saint was practically a top-tier powerhouse in the entire city of Magic City—far outclassing both of them combined.
If it came to blows, even working together, they stood no chance against Sun Zhong.
In an instant, the two patriarchs' expressions shifted, a mix of shock and unease flickering across their faces.
They'd originally planned to rely on their seniority and cultivation to intimidate Sun Qian into backing down, saving their grandsons' lives with a show of force.
But now? That plan was completely off the table.
To have a Seventh Layer Saint Realm protector at his beck and call—Sun Qian's status within the Sun family was clearly far higher than they'd ever imagined.
Offending him now would be a catastrophic mistake.
While the Zhao family patriarch was reeling from the shock, the Li family patriarch's heart sank like a stone, his fists clenching tightly behind his back.
This is a disaster.
Sun Qian's cold gaze swept over the two newly arrived patriarchs, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
「Heh. So you two old codgers showed up,」 he said, his voice dripping with disdain. 「Planning to pull the 'respect your elders' card? Using your cultivation base to throw your weight around and give me a hard time?」