"Isnāt it obvious? Since he failed to even score a win, what use does he have to us anymore? He failed to live up to our expectations, so weāll give that spot to Yi Chen instead.
Anyway, this spot belonged to him in the first place, but because of the special circumstances, I had chosen to give it to Wei Tian. So, it doesnāt make much of a difference ..." Feng Haoran said as a matter of fact.
"No, Patriarch, it does," the Second Elder said immediately and continued, "Weāve already made a promise, so wonāt going back on it affect our clanās reputation?" The Second Elder argued.
Seeing that he was still trying to argue, Feng Haoran narrowed his eyes and said, "Then why donāt you give up one of your disciplesā spots. Weāll provide that to Yi Chen instead."
"This..." an uncomfortable expression formed on the Second Elderās face when he heard this proposal. It was apparent that he didnāt wish to do that.
"Hmph!" Feng Haoran snorted and said, "Donāt think I donāt realise that youāre deliberately trying to make things difficult for that brat because of his connection with Feng Lei.
I donāt give a damn regarding your animosity with Feng Lei, and Iāve almost given you a free hand in dealing with him as you like until now.
However, youād better not go after Yi Chen. Heās a treasure for our clan. The more we nurture him, the more fruit he will bear for us. Just from what he had showcased today, itās obvious that heās going to get into the Heavenly Azure Dragon Sect.
Just imagine all the riches which will flow into our clan once he gets a prominent position there."
The moment Feng Haoran finished those words, he paused as if trying to imagine the sea of resources which awaited him in the future. The next instant, his expression sharpened, and he addressed the Second Elder in a stern tone.
"So, you dare not do anything to him. You understand?"
Seeing that there was a delay in the Second Elderās acknowledgement, Feng Haoranās Qi escaped his body and placed an enormous pressure on the Second Elderās body.
"Y-Yes...Patriarch. I-I wonāt dare..."
The Second Elder responded with a pained expression, and only then did Feng Haoran release his pressure from him.
However, that wasnāt the end. Turning towards the First and Third Elder, Feng Haoran repeated.
"Itās the same with you two as well! You may have a hundred things you donāt like about Feng Lei, but you better not target Yi Chen, otherwise you will have to face my wrath...you understand?"
Learning a lesson from what had happened previously to the Second Elder, the two of them immediately acknowledged.
"I understand, Father!"
"Yes, I understand Father-in-law..."
Both answered the next instant simultaneously.
Meanwhile, Yi Chen was already inside the carriage and was returning to the clan.
"We finally have the opportunity to get back on those He clan bastards!"
Feng Min exclaimed in the carriage with anger apparent in her words.
Sensing the anger and hatred in her tone, Yi Chen finally asked the doubts he had been harbouring in his mind all along.
"While I know that it was the He clan which defeated the Feng Clan in last yearās tournament and took our rank, I donāt quite understand what they did to garner so much of our hatred."
"Itās all because of that He Peng!" Feng Min roared the next instant and said, "In his match against my sister last year, even though my sister was already on the verge of defeat, instead of allowing her to admit defeat, he publicly disgraced her!"
"Disgraced? Miss Ning, is this true?" Yi Chenās eyebrows instantly rose when he heard that term, and he instantly looked towards Feng Ning, who had been maintaining her silence all this while with a questioning expression.
Biting her lips, Feng Ning answered, "Yes. When I was out of my Qi and wanted to admit defeat, he tightly grabbed me by the neck and prevented me from doing so.
Since the He clan was a new entrant to the Major clans, they wanted to establish their dominance in front of everyone, and He Peng used me to create that effect.
He slapped me tens of times in front of all the spectators and had only stopped when I had lost my consciousness."
Although Feng Ning was able to coherently state everything as if it hadnāt happened to her but to someone else, the bitter expression on her face clearly conveyed how she truly felt.
"This! How can that bastard still call himself a man?" Yi Chen exclaimed with anger rising in his heart as he remembered witnessing the earlier interaction that the snake-eyed bastard had had with Feng Ning.
He took a deep breath to control himself the next moment.
āItās good that I didnāt know about this earlier...I really would have done something extreme if not for that.ā He thought to himself.
To his angry exclamations, Feng Ning just smiled and said, "Itās alright, Brother Chen. By defeating them in tomorrowās match, Iāll set things right."
Although her voice was low as she said that, her eyes were brimming with conviction.
Suddenly thinking of something, Yi Chen asked, "Since Sister Ning was defeated by him last year, do you still have confidence in defeating him now?"
To this question, Feng Ning smiled bitterly and said, "As much as I want to get my revenge, with my current abilities, Iāll have to wait a few more years.
Iāve only managed to enter the Sixth Level a month ago, but He Peng had already entered the Sixth Level last year, just a few months after the Inter-Clan tournament.
So, thereās still a big gap in our abilities."
"T-Then how are you going to fight him tomorrow?" Yi Chen asked with a concerned expression.
"I wonāt" A smile formed on Feng Ningās expression as she said, "Just like how the minor clans tried to take advantage of the rules to go against us, weāll also be doing the same tomorrow.
Since we are the lower-ranked clan, we have the right to choose any one of the three cultivators on the He Clanās side.
Aside from He Peng, who is the strongest on the He Clanās side, Iām confident in defeating the other two, including He Son, whose abilities I was able to clearly assess after seeing his match against Wei Tian.
Although heās strong, since he has already shown me his trump card, Iām confident about defeating him."
"Ah, I understand," Yi Chen nodded his head in understanding, and while glancing at Feng Ningās confident expression couldnāt help but think to himself.
āNow that we are at an advantageous position, it indeed does feel good.ā
The discussion on the carriage soon shifted to other miscellaneous stuff as the rattling carriage finally entered the Feng Clanās territory and dropped Yi Chen and Qin Yao outside Elder Leiās residence.
"Letās freshen up and prepare our dinner," Yi Chen suggested as he was done with waving his hand towards Feng Ning and Feng Min.
"Yes, Iām starving as well." Qin Yao replied the very next instant while massaging his stomach.
With similar thoughts, the two turned around the next moment and entered the residence.