"There's nothing else to consider. You came to cancel the engagement, and I've already agreed," Su Zhan said calmly, his gaze fixed on Su Chengyun.
"Now that you've achieved your goal, what else is there to think about?"
"I..." Su Chengyun's face turned bitter with regret.
Who said Su Zhan was trash?
At only sixteen years of age, he had already reached the middle stage of the Qi Sea Realm and mastered four martial arts techniques to absolute perfection. If someone like him could be called trash, then who else in the world could possibly be called a genius?
Su Chengyun felt overwhelming frustration. He wanted to hunt down everyone who had spread those slanderous rumors about Su Zhan being worthless and beat them to death with his own hands!
If it weren't for those malicious lies, how could he have come here today to cancel such a promising engagement?
Without this cancellation, Su Zhan's extraordinary talent would have lifted the entire Tancheng Su family to unprecedented heights! It wasn't impossible that they could have become one of the most powerful families in the entire Xia Nation!
But now, he had come to sever ties with a terrifying genius like Su Zhan...
Desperate to salvage the situation, Su Chengyun immediately attempted damage control. "Young Master Su Zhan, please forgive this old fool for being misled by slanderous rumors! After meeting you today, I realize you are nothing like what they claimed. You are truly an extraordinary genius!"
Su Chengyun paused momentarily, then brought the still-confused Su Zhaoyue forward with an ingratiating smile. "What perfect fortune! My granddaughter here is a heavenly beauty, while you are a heavenly genius. You two are like an ideal couple blessed by the heavens themselves! Yes, you are absolutely perfect for each other!"
The elders of the Tancheng Su family immediately joined the chorus of praise.
"Precisely! Absolutely correct! Young Master Su Zhan, you possess incredible talent while Miss Su Zhaoyue is both beautiful and pure—you two are indeed a perfect match!"
"We never imagined that Young Master Su Zhan was the hero who saved us in those remote mountains! The Su family owes you an eternal debt of gratitude. Now, through this divine opportunity, let us unite our families through marriage! The Tancheng Su family will provide an exceptionally generous dowry for this wedding!"
"Young Master Su Zhan is such an amazing genius that only Miss Su Zhaoyue could be worthy as your perfect companion!"
Flattering praise poured forth from every direction.
The elders of the Qingcheng Su family, including Su Tianhai, watched in complete bewilderment.
What's happening here?
Just moments ago, the Tancheng Su family delegation had been insufferably arrogant, but the instant Su Zhan appeared, they transformed into fawning sycophants desperately trying to curry favor with him?
Their attitudes had changed faster than the weather!
Listening to their shameless about-face, Su Zhan remained perfectly composed as he asked, "Are you truly decided against canceling the engagement?"
"Absolutely! Without question!" Su Chengyun replied immediately.
The elders nodded frantically, terrified of missing this golden opportunity to establish a relationship with Su Zhan!
"So you're not canceling the engagement..."
Su Zhan's lips curved into a faint, cold smile. "But I want to cancel it!"
"What do you mean?" Su Chengyun's forced smile vanished as his voice began to stammer.
"You from the Tancheng Su family can cancel the engagement with me, and naturally, I can also cancel the engagement with you," Su Zhan replied with cutting indifference. "There's no need for further discussion. Today, this engagement is not being canceled by the Tancheng Su family, but by our Qingcheng Su family!"
He turned slightly toward Su Tianhai. "Father, please bring me the marriage contract!"
"Gladly!"
Su Tianhai responded with obvious satisfaction, retrieving the previously prepared marriage contract and placing it in Su Zhan's hands.
"From this day forward, I have no relationship whatsoever with the Tancheng Su family!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Zhan channeled his true qi and tore the marriage contract to pieces with violent finality!
The faces of every Tancheng Su family member turned beet red with humiliation.
Initially, they had been the ones coming to cancel the engagement, but now the situation had completely reversed—they were the ones being rejected!
"If the Tancheng Su family wishes to keep their copy of the marriage contract as a memento, by all means do so!" Su Zhan glanced at Su Chengyun, whose face reflected endless regret. "After all, it's nothing more than a meaningless piece of paper now!"
"Su Zhan, there's something I want to say to you."
At that moment, Su Zhaoyue, who had remained silent throughout the entire exchange, suddenly spoke up.
"Please go ahead."
"Can we speak privately?"
Su Zhan studied Su Zhaoyue's expression for a moment before nodding.
The two of them walked together to the small garden outside the reception hall.
"Su Zhan, even though you've proven to be truly outstanding, I would still have withdrawn from this marriage even if you hadn't taken action first," Su Zhaoyue began slowly. "I've always believed that marriage should be a lifelong commitment between people who truly care for each other. At most, we can only be considered childhood playmates. Do we really harbor romantic feelings for one another? Clearly not."
"Since there are no genuine feelings between us, this engagement should indeed be canceled. However, there's another reason I supported ending this arrangement."
After a moment of contemplation, Su Zhaoyue smiled with slight embarrassment. "If the rumors about your limited talent had been true, maintaining an engagement with me would only have brought tremendous danger to your life. In Tancheng City, I already have many admirers among the young masters of prominent families. I didn't want my reputation to endanger you unnecessarily. But after witnessing your abilities today, I realize my concerns were completely unfounded."
"I see."
Su Zhan kept his eyes focused on Su Zhaoyue's face. After confirming that she wasn't fabricating her explanation, his opinion of her improved considerably.
Although he harbored no fondness for the Tancheng Su family as a whole, Su Zhaoyue herself had given him no reason for animosity.
"If that's truly the case, then this outcome benefits everyone involved."
"Everyone benefits..."
Su Zhaoyue smiled bitterly, nodding with visible difficulty before retrieving a black token from her storage bracelet and extending it toward Su Zhan.
"This is a violation token that can breach the protective formation of the Core Yuan Expert's Ruins in Liang Province. The defensive formation has entered its weakness period once again. If you're willing, I would like to invite you to explore it together as my token of gratitude for saving our lives!"
The Core Yuan Expert's Ruins...
Hearing this name triggered a memory from Su Zhan's inherited knowledge.
This ruin wasn't particularly secretive—many cultivators throughout Liang Province knew of its existence. However, the formation protecting it was extraordinarily powerful, deterring anyone from attempting entry.
Eventually, a formation expert discovered that every three years, the protective array entered a period of weakness. During this vulnerable window, cultivators could enter using a violation token created by Liang Province's most skilled formation master.
Of course, this ruin could only be entered by cultivators below the Yuan Condensation Realm. Anyone of higher cultivation would immediately trigger the formation's lethal defenses upon entry, dying without a trace!
The price of a single violation token was approximately 3,000 spirit stones—more expensive than most ordinary spiritual weapons!
"Very well."
After weighing the potential benefits and risks, Su Zhan immediately agreed. His current cultivation technique was becoming inadequate for his rapidly advancing power level, and the ruins might contain a more suitable replacement method.
"Excellent! We'll meet at the eastern entrance to the ruins in five days! That's when the formation will be at its absolute weakest!"
"Agreed."
After exchanging additional details about their planned expedition, they returned to the reception hall.
Su Chengyun, who had been waiting anxiously, assumed Su Zhaoyue had gone to repair their damaged relationship with Su Zhan. When he saw her return, he asked in a hushed, hopeful voice, "How did it go, Zhaoyue?"
"Everything is settled, Second Grandfather. Let's return home!"
"What about the engagement?"
"Canceled. Our two families are no longer bound by any agreements."
Although Su Zhaoyue's voice sounded clear and pleasant, to Su Chengyun's ears it struck like lightning from a clear sky!
"Young Master Su Zhan, perhaps we could—"
"I didn't plan to invite you for dinner, so you may leave now," Su Zhan interrupted with cold finality.
"Sigh..."
Su Chengyun looked between Su Zhan and Su Zhaoyue before releasing a heavy, defeated sigh.
When he had assumed the position of patriarch years ago, he had sworn to revive their family's fortunes and elevate them to unprecedented heights.
But today, through his own foolish decisions, he had personally discarded the greatest opportunity for their family's revival...