Shen Liqian turned toward Shen Junce.
The old man burst out laughing, his Qi kicking away the piles of snow atop him.
He rose to his feet and stared at Shen Liqian with a wide smile.
He looked neither shocked by Shen Liqian's strength nor as if he felt disrespected.
"You're aiming for the Chief's position, Shen Liqian?
"As expected of Lexi's son!
"Haha!"
Unwilling to lose even to Shen Lexi's son, Shen Junce kicked off the ground and rushed at his new opponent.
Shen Liqian matched him, charging in unarmed.
As they were a breath from colliding, Shen Liqian summoned his Spirit Seal Sword and slashed through Shen Junce's blind spot, neatly severing his left arm.
Silence sank deep into everyone's hearts.
The sound of the old man's arm plopping into the snow was louder than any echo.
Shen Liqian drove an elbow into him to stop a counter and forced him back a few steps.
He stared at him again.
Staring at the bloody stump, Shen Junce momentarily failed to register what had just occurred.
"Did you just summon a sword?"
It meant Shen Liqian could have killed him just now but chose not to.
After all, Shen Junce would now be wary of this trick and wouldn't fall for it a second time.
"Yes.
"That was my main move to finish you off, but that is no longer necessary."
Not a word sounded arrogant.
It was Shen Liqian's decisiveness and truth speaking through his sword and actions.
No more words or declarations, only actions.
Strangely, Shen Junce's smile hadn't left his face.
"Let's put that to the test!"
He gripped his sword in one hand and leaped at Shen Liqian.
Their blades clashed several times in rapid exchange.
It looked like only a few moves, but Shen Liqian blocked at least fifty slashes and cuts.
Sparks popped around him as he twisted his sword and turned his blade to parry Shen Junce's Sword Claws.
Onlookers' faces quickly shifted from incredulous to hopeful, as Shen Liqian stood steady like a noble swordsman while Shen Junce threw himself around him to test different angles and feints.
All of it failed against Shen Liqian!
Like a snake, Shen Liqian's sword slithered up from below, slashing across Shen Junce's chest and spilling a surge of blood.
His cool eyes stared deep into the old man's soul.
"You're still smiling," he said.
Shen Junce's bestial smile widened.
"Doesn't it concern you that I'm pushing you back with basically no cultivation base?"
"That only makes this fight even more thrilling!"
He raised his sword and pointed its tip at Shen Liqian's face.
The feelings he'd bottled up poured out.
"It's unthinkable for anyone like you to appear in this shithole!
"Stranded amidst mountains overlooking us like slave masters, there's no hope for any of us!
"Women live to breed!
"Men live to hunt and do hard labor!
"And as a family, we're all confined to our houses, battling against winter, summer, autumn, and spring!
"None of us can ever dream of seeing past those mountains or of climbing them!
"We are reduced to cultivation with no purpose other than survival!
"Still, you're here!
"A cultivator who can see past those mountains!
"How could I not be thrilled to fight you when I'm fighting for my only purpose?!"
Shen Liqian and the entire clan flinched upon hearing those words.
It was a bitter truth.
He is wrong, but he is not lying.
No one could deny the truth in his words.
Clan Chief's Manor was the only place that offered more, but it was far from the kind of luxury that made the Chief's position feel worth it.
Shen Liqian swallowed his bitterness and squared his shoulders.
"Your purpose… is my mother?"
"What else could I aim for but the love of my life?
"I waited… and waited… and waited until another woman entered my heart and helped me make the decision to plot against my own brother.
"That's a sin I will pay for in the afterlife.
"However, so long as I am alive, I will strive to grasp that love.
"It makes my life worth living."
Having nothing else to say, Shen Junce readied his stance and rushed in.
Time seemed to slow for Shen Liqian.
The truth behind his clan's condition and Shen Junce's goals weighed on him.
Yet, when Shen Junce came within reach, Shen Liqian didn't hesitate.
Twisting his wrist, he delivered a ruthless slash that neatly severed Shen Junce's head, sending it rolling across the snow.
The old man's headless corpse tumbled forward at Shen Liqian's feet.
Blood and adrenaline surged in Shen Liqian.
And time flowed normally again.
Shen Liqian looked down at his uncle's head, then gripped his sword and lifted his gaze to everyone.
He traced the faces of those now staring at him, all holding their breath, their expressions solemn.
Once the elders of the Shen Clan nodded and struck their left palms with their right fists, bowing low to Shen Liqian, the rest of the clan smiled and repeated the gesture, all bowing to the new Clan Chief.
"We pay our humblest respects to the next Chief of the Shen Clan, Shen Liqian!"
[You have completed your first main quest—Become the Shen Clan's Chief.]
Not yet.
Shen Liqian's eyes momentarily glazed over, then he swallowed hard and inhaled deeply.
I feel like crying…
The threat is over… and we can all start moving toward a better future.
But it's a moment I mustn't waste.
I can't show any weakness to others, as my father never did.
I must use this momentum to show them hope and the future.
Shen Liqian sheathed his sword, lifted his chin, and turned toward the mansion that now officially belonged to him.
He stopped at the entrance and turned, taking in the sight of his clan members.
I will change this place.
"Today, I have broken the shackles holding me down.
"And today is the day the Shen Clan takes its first step toward a better future, for it has been entrusted to me!"
Old and young clan members alike clenched their fists and looked at the youngest Clan Chief with deep respect, his words stirring hope and resolve within their hearts.