Reason Or Force

The next morning, Lac Van had lost some of the tension from the night before, though it could not yet be called completely peaceful.

The first light of day spread across the medicinal fields, while thin dew still clinging to the leaves reflected into countless tiny points of light. The people of the settlement continued their work as usual. Some checked the water jars, some harvested medicinal plants, and others carried baskets of freshly picked spiritual herbs toward the processing area.

No one gathered to whisper among themselves, but from time to time, eyes still turned toward the central cluster of tents.

Hao Nhien had risen very early.

The Fire Spirit Sword rested horizontally before him while he slowly wiped the blade with a piece of cloth.

There was hardly any dust on it.

The movement simply helped the thoughts in his mind become clearer.

Today, he would enter Heavenly Eye City.

All four Deputy City Lords would be present.

There would be no shortage of peak-Foundation cultivators inside that hall, and there would certainly be even more people outside.

One wrong decision could turn a confrontation of words into bloodshed within only a few breaths.

Hao Nhien was not particularly worried about whether he himself could leave.

He still had the Cosmic Ark.

He still had Thunder Burst.

If he were truly pushed into a dead end, he had never lacked methods for a life-and-death situation.

What he did not want was for a hall full of people to become a burial ground simply because matters that could still be explained clearly were instead allowed to turn into violence.

His fingers paused against the blade for a moment.

Then Hao Nhien stored the Fire Spirit Sword away.

Behind him, Quan Nha had already finished preparing without him noticing.

She carried only a small bag and looked nothing like someone about to walk into a place that might become a battlefield.

Hao Nhien looked at her.

“Confident?”

Quan Nha walked over.

Instead of answering immediately, she wrapped her arms around him.

“Anywhere is fine, as long as we go together.”

Hao Nhien smiled slightly and held her a little tighter.

“Good.”

The two stepped outside together.

Luu Ho was already waiting.

Lanh Hoa stood beside him as well.

The wound on his shoulder had not fully healed, but his posture was already as straight as usual.

Behind them stood several young men from Lac Van.

No one had summoned them, but nearly everyone who could afford to leave their work for a short while had come.

Hao Nhien looked across their faces one by one.

“Keep everything here running as usual. There is no need to change anything because of what happens today.”

Luu Ho nodded.

“Understood.”

Lanh Hoa said little and only lowered his head slightly.

A short while later, a familiar aura appeared outside the settlement.

Huu Liet came alone.

The people under his command remained outside Lac Van as they had the night before, while he himself still carried the same tall, imposing presence, his steps firm and heavy.

Hao Nhien looked at him.

Huu Liet looked back, his gaze lingering a little longer than it had yesterday.

He did not immediately mention Duong Long.

He only asked,

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

Huu Liet was silent for a moment before saying,

“I spoke with him last night.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

He did not ask how it had gone.

Huu Liet did not explain further either.

“Let’s go.”

The three left Lac Van on flying swords.

Nearly half a day later, Heavenly Eye City appeared at the edge of the horizon.

Its enormous walls stretched beneath the late-morning light, while the roads leading toward the city grew increasingly crowded.

Hao Nhien was still Giai Nhien.

At least until someone capable enough tore that mask away.

Huu Liet led the two directly toward the central district.

They passed through two layers of inspection before entering a wide stone plaza.

At the far end stood a massive hall.

It had no grand signboard, but the two rows of guards outside were enough to make it clear that ordinary people had no place here.

The moment Hao Nhien approached, he noticed that most of the people standing outside were Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Quite a few had already reached the late stage.

The man in front stepped out.

His gaze first swept across Huu Liet before settling on Hao Nhien and Quan Nha.

“Stop.”

Several people behind him advanced at the same time.

No one drew a weapon, but their positions unconsciously tightened.

Quan Nha frowned slightly.

Hao Nhien remained still.

Huu Liet spoke.

“Step aside.”

The man in front cupped his hands.

“Deputy City Lord, according to the rules, someone under suspicion—”

“I said step aside.”

Huu Liet took one step forward.

His peak-Foundation aura did not fully erupt, but it was enough to silence the man before him.

“He is under suspicion, not convicted.”

“Today is a confrontation, not an escort.”

“There are four Deputy City Lords inside. If we are still afraid that he will cause trouble right in front of all four of us, then there is no need to hold this confrontation at all.”

The man’s expression stiffened.

In the end, he stepped aside.

“Please.”

Huu Liet entered.

Hao Nhien and Quan Nha followed behind.

The hall was vast, with a high ceiling and cold gray stone flooring.

Four seating areas were clearly separated.

The other three Deputy City Lords had already arrived.

Ta Minh sat slightly farther back, his expression calm, his eyes revealing little.

Tien Phong sat upright, leaning slightly forward, his aura not concealed very deeply.

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Trung Vu was the quietest of them all.

From the moment Hao Nhien entered, his gaze simply observed in silence, missing very few details.

Huu Liet walked into the center of the hall.

“Today is not a trial.”

Tien Phong frowned slightly.

Huu Liet continued,

“He has not been convicted. He is still under the protection I formally granted.”

“If you want to ask questions, ask them.”

“But do not treat him like a prisoner.”

Tien Phong gave a faint, cold smile.

“Huu Liet, you’ve only just entered and already want to decide the rules?”

“I’m only reminding you of rules that already exist.”

“This man is suspected of being connected to Duong Long’s disappearance.”

Tien Phong looked at Hao Nhien.

“You still want him standing here like a guest?”

“Then prove he is guilty.”

Huu Liet answered.

“If he is, I won’t interfere.”

“If he isn’t, you don’t get to force him.”

Their gazes met.

Neither yielded.

Hao Nhien stood behind them and listened long enough before stepping forward himself.

“I came to Heavenly Eye City as a merchant.”

“I have a contract with the Medicine Pavilion, pills supplied to military logistics, and a protection order issued by a Deputy City Lord.”

“If you want to ask about the period I was away from Lac Van, I can answer.”

“If you want to ask about my business dealings, I can answer those as well.”

“But until you prove that I committed a crime, do not treat me like a prisoner.”

The corner of Tien Phong’s mouth lifted slightly.

“And if I insist on keeping you here?”

Hao Nhien looked at him.

“I suggest you think carefully.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No.”

“A reminder.”

Tien Phong asked,

“Is there a difference?”

Hao Nhien smiled faintly.

“I came here to talk.”

“If you use reason, I’ll use reason.”

“If you insist on using force, I’m not completely unfamiliar with that either.”

His gaze slowly swept across the hall.

Tien Phong raised an eyebrow slightly.

Trung Vu still said nothing.

Ta Minh merely watched in silence.

Tien Phong did not become angry.

That very calmness made Hao Nhien even more cautious.

He had the feeling the other man was waiting for him to reveal more.

Sure enough, Tien Phong waved a hand.

“Loi Hung.”

A figure stepped out from behind.

The man was tall and broad, his arms nearly a full size thicker than those of an ordinary person.

Every step caused the aura around him to tremble slightly.

Peak Foundation Establishment.

Loi Hung stopped in the middle of the hall.

“Deputy City Lord.”

Tien Phong said,

“Giai Nhien’s records do not match what he displayed last night.”

“Test him.”

Huu Liet immediately frowned.

“Tien Phong.”

“Only a test.”

Tien Phong looked at him.

“No killing.”

Huu Liet turned toward Hao Nhien.

Hao Nhien only smiled slightly and stepped forward.

“If it’s only one person, I’ll accept.”

Loi Hung said nothing.

He stomped against the stone floor and charged.

His body was massive, but his speed was not slow in the slightest.

A fist came straight forward.

There was no complicated technique, only terrifying weight.

Hao Nhien did not evade.

He stepped forward and answered with his own fist.

Boom!

The air between them exploded.

Hao Nhien retreated less than half a step.

Loi Hung slid slightly backward.

The man’s gaze changed immediately.

At that exact instant, the Soul Sword flashed within Hao Nhien’s soul.

There was no light.

No sound.

Only a brief moment in which Loi Hung’s soul and body fell out of rhythm.

Hao Nhien stepped forward.

A second fist struck directly into his chest.

Boom!

Loi Hung was sent flying more than ten zhang.

His feet dragged two long marks across the stone floor before he finally stopped.

He did not fall.

But when he raised his head, clear shock had appeared in his eyes.

Hao Nhien remained where he was.

“Enough?”

No one answered immediately.

Tien Phong looked at Loi Hung, then back at Hao Nhien.

“Not yet.”

Huu Liet’s expression turned cold.

“Tien Phong.”

Tien Phong remained calm.

“I want to know how much more he is hiding.”

Hao Nhien heard every word clearly.

He laughed.

As expected.

Tien Phong did not only want answers about Duong Long.

He wanted to know who the man standing before him truly was.

Tien Phong raised one hand.

“Three.”

Three figures stepped out.

Their auras erupted simultaneously.

All three were peak Foundation Establishment.

This time, Huu Liet genuinely stepped forward.

“You’re going too far.”

Hao Nhien raised a hand to stop him.

“It’s fine.”

Huu Liet turned toward him.

Hao Nhien looked at the three people ahead.

“I also want to see where my current limit is.”

Huu Liet studied him for a moment before finally stepping back half a pace.

Tien Phong said,

“Take him alive.”

The three moved simultaneously.

None charged recklessly.

From the very first step, they separated into three angles, clearly intending to seal every route of escape.

Hao Nhien understood the moment he saw it.

If he allowed their combined formation to close completely, the danger would rise rapidly.

He could suppress one peak-Foundation cultivator.

Two still would not worry him too much.

But three people coordinating properly was something else entirely.

The purpose today was not to prove that he was stronger than everyone.

He only needed the four people before him to understand one thing.

Trying to hold him by force would not be cheap.

With a thought—

A massive object appeared behind Hao Nhien.

The Cosmic Ark, in its dwelling form, descended into the middle of the hall.

Boom!

An attack coming from behind struck directly against its outer defense.

The surface of the dwelling only rippled once before immediately stabilizing.

Every gaze in the hall changed at once.

Hao Nhien did not turn around.

He already knew the result.

Spirit Wings erupted.

His body instantly changed direction, while his flying sword shot out at the man on the left.

Clang!

The opponent swung his saber and blocked the flying sword.

But at that same instant, Hao Nhien was already in front of him.

Too fast.

The man only had time to raise his saber horizontally before his chest.

Hao Nhien’s fist slammed directly into the blade.

Clang!

The saber bent violently and smashed backward into its owner’s chest.

The man was sent flying.

But Hao Nhien had no time to pursue.

Two more attacks were already closing in from behind.

He turned immediately.

The Fire Spirit Sword appeared in his hand.

Firelight erupted along the blade.

One horizontal slash.

Clang!

Two collisions nearly overlapped.

The recoil forced Hao Nhien several steps backward.

The two opponents across from him gained no advantage either, but their combined formation had not yet been fully broken.

The flying sword circled back from outside, forcing one man to twist aside.

Only a small opening.

Hao Nhien used Spirit Wings again.

His body flashed between the two men, and his palm struck the shoulder of the one who had just avoided the flying sword.

The man was forced backward.

But the third had already closed in.

A heavy fist struck Hao Nhien’s side.

He twisted in time to avoid most of the force, but the blow still landed.

His body slid sideways more than a zhang.

Blood and Qi rose slightly in his chest.

Three peak-Foundation cultivators fighting together were indeed not something he could casually suppress.

Hao Nhien steadied himself and wiped the thin trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

Instead of dimming, his eyes became brighter.

The three opponents did not immediately rush him again.

The first man he had knocked back had returned to position, but his breathing was clearly heavier.

The other two had also realized that the opponent before them could not be overwhelmed in the usual way.

Tien Phong watched the entire exchange, his gaze becoming deeper by the moment.

Hao Nhien looked at the three men, then at the Cosmic Ark occupying part of the hall behind him.

He had demonstrated enough.

Continuing would only turn the test into a real fight.

Hao Nhien raised one hand.

A small sphere appeared in his palm, only slightly larger than the tip of a finger.

Thunder Burst.

There was no brilliant light.

Nor did Hao Nhien need to immediately explain what it was.

The faintest fluctuation spreading from its surface was enough to make several people inside the hall change expressions instantly.

Trung Vu reacted first.

His gaze moved from the Cosmic Ark to the small sphere in Hao Nhien’s hand, then remained there for a long time.

Tien Phong narrowed his eyes as well.

Ta Minh, who had remained calm from beginning to end, finally sat a little straighter.

Hao Nhien lightly rolled Thunder Burst between his fingers.

“Perhaps none of you have seen this thing directly.”

He looked around.

“But two names should still exist in your reports.”

No one spoke.

Hao Nhien slowly said,

“Ly Vinh.”

“Han Minh.”

The atmosphere inside the hall changed instantly.

Tien Phong’s smile disappeared.

Ta Minh lost his detached expression entirely.

Trung Vu looked at Hao Nhien as though several scattered pieces in his mind had finally begun connecting.

Hao Nhien looked at the four Deputy City Lords.

“At that time, I was only early Foundation Establishment.”

Several guards behind them unconsciously tightened their grips on their weapons.

The three peak-Foundation cultivators in front of him did not advance.

“I do not want to use this inside the hall.”

His voice was calm.

“Not because I’m afraid to.”

“But because at this distance, more people would die than anyone here wants to count.”

No one argued.

Hao Nhien continued,

“I came here to talk, not to kill.”

“You wanted to test me.”

“I let you test me.”

“If this continues, then from this point onward, it will no longer be a test.”

The three people before him did not immediately look toward Tien Phong.

But none moved forward either.

Tien Phong stared at Hao Nhien for a long time.

Huu Liet stood behind him and remained silent.

Ta Minh still sat where he was, though his gaze was no longer what it had been at the beginning.

And Trung Vu—the man who had spoken least from the very start—finally rose slowly to his feet.

He did not look at Tien Phong.

Nor at Huu Liet.

Only Hao Nhien.

“Flying sword.”

“Fire sword.”

“Burst movement technique.”

He paused.

“And another form of attack that makes an opponent lose rhythm for a brief instant.”

Hao Nhien’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Trung Vu was not finished.

“And now, something that left traces at the scene where Ly Vinh and Han Minh died.”

Each sentence came slowly, like a man placing the final pieces into their proper positions.

At last, Trung Vu looked directly at Hao Nhien.

“Giai Nhien does not exist.”

The hall fell completely silent.

“Quan Hao Nhien.”

He paused.

“Clan Chief of the Hoa Ky.”

Quan Nha stood beside him without moving.

Huu Liet said nothing.

Tien Phong’s gaze had turned completely cold.

Ta Minh looked at Hao Nhien as though reassessing everything that had happened from the beginning.

Hao Nhien looked at Trung Vu for a while.

Then he smiled.

“Correct.”

Only one word.

No denial.

No explanation.

The aura inside the hall changed instantly.

More than ten people circulated their True Qi at once.

Several weapons gave faint tremors.

Huu Liet shouted,

“Stay where you are!”

His voice rolled through the hall.

No one charged immediately.

Tien Phong stared at Hao Nhien.

“Then Duong Quang…”

“Is dead.”

Hao Nhien answered at once.

Tien Phong slowly stood.

The aura around him began to rise.

Hao Nhien remained where he was.

“I killed him.”

He made no attempt to avoid responsibility.

“But before I drew my sword, he had already swallowed a forbidden pill.”

“It forcibly raised his combat strength close to the Golden Core threshold for a short time.”

“The price was his own life.”

Tien Phong looked at him.

Hao Nhien continued,

“He knew the consequences and still chose to use it.”

“He wanted to trade his life for mine.”

Hao Nhien lightly pointed toward his own chest.

“He almost succeeded.”

A long silence followed.

“But in the end, I was the one who lived.”

Tien Phong clenched his hand.

Huu Liet did not step in front of Hao Nhien.

But neither did he move back toward the other three Deputy City Lords.

Trung Vu continued observing.

Ta Minh still did not interfere.

Hao Nhien looked at all four.

“Now you know who I am.”

“And you know what I can do.”

He stored Thunder Burst away again.

“So let us return to the original matter.”

Tien Phong laughed coldly.

“The original matter?”

“Duong Long.”

The atmosphere in the hall changed again.

Tien Phong looked at him.

Hao Nhien said,

“Alive.”

All four men’s gazes changed at once.

Even Huu Liet, despite already knowing from the previous night, looked toward Hao Nhien.

Hao Nhien continued,

“I captured him.”

“But I did not kill him.”

“I also spoke with him.”

Tien Phong stepped forward half a pace.

“What do you want?”

Hao Nhien did not answer immediately.

His gaze moved across the four Deputy City Lords one by one.

Tien Phong was the one directly tied to Duong Long and Tien Thanh, and the one who had deliberately forced him to reveal his hand today.

Huu Liet had chosen to stand behind the protection he had promised, but had never truly considered Hao Nhien one of his own.

Ta Minh had observed far more than he had spoken and had yet to reveal which direction he would lean.

Trung Vu had used everything he saw to strip away the identity of Giai Nhien piece by piece.

Four people.

Four parts of Heavenly Eye City’s authority.

But behind them stood something deeper.

Something Hao Nhien had wanted to see from the very beginning.