The entire hall remained in stunned silence, the tension still thick in the air.
Though the fight had ended, the consequences of Bai Zihan’s overwhelming victory rippled through the crowd.
“To think… Bai Zihan was this strong all along?”
All the Bai Clan’s servants, who had always seen Bai Zihan as an idle young master who only preyed on the weak, swallowed hard.
The way Bai Zihan had beaten Li Feng was far worse than how he would treat them.
At the very least, it was somewhat reassuring to know that Li Feng, the young master of the Li Clan, had suffered more than them, mere servants.
The Bai Clan’s elders, particularly Bai Feng, who had always looked down on Bai Zihan, wore expressions of disbelief.
Of course, there were also those elders who didn’t particularly side with Bai Feng—some of whom were pleasantly surprised and even happy that Bai Zihan, their heir was strong.
But most of them were different.
If Bai Zihan wasn’t weak, then with his marriage to Chu Ziyan, removing him from the position of heir would become nearly impossible.
“How is this possible?”
Bai Feng muttered under his breath.
All these years, Bai Zihan had been nothing but a troublemaker in his eyes—someone unworthy of inheriting the Bai Clan’s legacy.
But now… he had crushed Li Feng, one of the most promising young cultivators in the empire, with almost laughable ease.
Although Bai Zihan had lowered his cultivation level to match Li Feng’s, that still didn’t change the fact that he had completely overwhelmed him.
Even Bai Tianheng was pleasantly surprised and proud.
At first, he had thought Bai Zihan was planning to lose on purpose to escape the engagement, yet instead, he had thoroughly beaten Li Feng.
This made him incredibly proud.
However, one question remained—just how had Bai Zihan become this strong?
As far as Bai Tianheng knew, Bai Zihan had an ordinary physique, perhaps even weaker than most, since he rarely trained seriously.
On the other side of the hall, Bai Xueqing widened her eyes in disbelief.
She had always thought Bai Zihan was arrogant for no reason, relying on his father’s status rather than his own abilities.
Yet, the reality before her was undeniable.
“How did he get so strong? Or was he hiding his strength all along?”
She had known Bai Zihan since the day he was born, and she was certain that the latter’s sudden strength was impossible.
If he had been hiding his power all along, he would have had to conceal it since childhood.
Yet, the reality before her told a different story. His strength was undeniable—far beyond what was typical for someone at the Core Formation Stage.
Within the same cultivation realm, he was much stronger than what was considered normal.
Even she, the greatest genius of the Bai Clan, wouldn’t claim she could defeat Li Feng as easily and decisively as Bai Zihan had, even if she suppressed her cultivation to Li Feng’s level.
Yet, her younger brother—who was always lazy in training and had shown no progress for years—had achieved exactly that.
She couldn’t help but feel as though everything she had believed about Bai Zihan had been turned upside down.
And then, there was Chu Ziyan.
Her suspicions had been correct.
Since Bai Zihan’s confrontation with Bai Jian, she had wondered if he was secretly hiding his true strength—if, in reality, his power was far greater than what everyone assumed.
Now, the truth was laid bare for all to see.
“So you really were hiding it, Bai Zihan.”
A soft smile played on her lips, her eyes flashing with an unknown emotion.
Then—
“Let us proceed with the engagement ceremony.”
Bai Tianheng’s authoritative voice cut through the murmurs.
All eyes turned toward the main stage, where the engagement between Bai Zihan and Chu Ziyan was about to officially take place.
***
The tension in the hall shifted. Though the fight had ended, the engagement was far from a simple formality.
Now, every guest viewed Bai Zihan in a new light.
The once-dismissed young master had proven himself to be terrifyingly strong.
Of course, that didn’t mean his status had suddenly risen to that of a genius—his cultivation was still relatively low.
After all, no matter how physically strong Bai Zihan was, without cultivation talent, he was still destined to be weak in the long run.
The Li Clan, still fuming from their humiliating loss, could only grit their teeth.
Not only had their plan to ruin the engagement failed, but they had suffered a huge humiliation.
And the Zhao Clan, particularly Zhao Chen, was left frustrated—this was far from the outcome they had planned.
Moreover, their Heaven-grade Artifact, Celestial Feather Fan was also taken away by Bai Zihan.
But regardless of anyone’s thoughts, the engagement ceremony proceeded.
The grand stage at the center of the hall was quickly rearranged.
Golden lanterns lit up, casting a warm glow over the intricate decorations.
Jade pillars lined the stage, bearing the Bai Clan’s emblem, and an incense burner exuded a fragrant, calming mist.
The guests, still whispering among themselves, turned their attention toward the main stage.
Bai Zihan stepped forward lazily, as if he didn’t care about the grand event unfolding before him.
He adjusted his sleeves with a smirk, completely at ease despite the weight of countless gazes.
Chu Ziyan walked toward the stage with measured steps.
Her beauty was undeniable—elegant yet fierce, refined yet untamed.
Her gaze flickered toward Bai Zihan, sharp and knowing.
This man…
Was going to be her fiancé from this moment forward. And perhaps somewhere in the future, she was going to marry him.
As the two stood side by side, the officiator, an elder of the Bai Clan, stepped forward.
His voice rang clearly across the hall.
“Today, before the heavens and all esteemed guests, we witness the union of Bai Zihan, the heir of the Bai Clan, and Chu Ziyan, the cherished daughter of the Chu Clan.”
“This engagement marks the bond of two great clans, forging an alliance of prosperity and strength.”
Bai Zihan yawned.
“Let’s get this over with!”
Despite being the one getting engaged—and to one of the most sought-after beauties of the Desolate Heaven Empire—his lack of interest was obvious.
Any other man would be overjoyed. Marrying Chu Ziyan was not just about beauty; it was about power, influence, and prestige.
The officiator continued.
“By exchanging these betrothal tokens, the engagement shall be sealed.”
A servant stepped forward, presenting two jade pendants—one engraved with the Bai Clan’s insignia, the other with the Chu Clan’s.
Chu Ziyan’s fingers brushed over the jade. It was cold, yet oddly heavy.
Without hesitation, she took Bai Zihan’s pendant and fastened it onto her sash.
Bai Zihan, still as lazy as ever, took Chu Ziyan’s pendant with a casual flick of his wrist, stuffing it into his robe pocket.
The officiator’s mouth twitched.
“Ahem!”
(At least pretend to be formal!)
The elder thought. It was a good thing that not many were paying attention to Bai Zihan’s attitude, though perhaps with his already low reputation, they don’t expect otherwise as well.
Chu Ziyan turned to Bai Zihan, studying him closely.
“You’re really good at hiding your strength.”
“Huh? Hiding? I never hid my strength nor do I have to.”
Bai Zihan replied lazily.
Of course, apart from him, who would believe that his newfound power had only been obtained a few days ago?
As for hiding his strength—if anything, it was already impressive that he wasn’t flaunting it.
“Hmm…”
Chu Ziyan wondered whether he was telling the truth or not.
But that was something she wouldn’t know.
“So, what do you think about the engagement?”
She asked.
“Nothing. It’s not like I can do anything about it.”
Bai Zihan answered lazily. He was already resigned to it. He didn’t bother protesting, so he might as well go with the flow.
“Is that so? I wonder if you’ll keep that attitude after we’re married.”
For the first time, Bai Zihan’s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second.
Marriage?
Oh right. The engagement was just the first step.
In the future, he would need to marry this woman.
Just thinking about it made his head hurt.
Seeing his reaction, Chu Ziyan let out a soft chuckle.
The officiator, unaware of the subtle exchange, raised his hand.
“With this, the engagement is officially sealed.”
A round of applause erupted.
Yet beneath the surface, unseen tensions continued to brew.
Bai Zihan had stepped out of the shadows with an overwhelming display of strength, but now all eyes were on him.
The Bai Clan’s internal politics.
The Li Clan’s growing resentment.
The Zhao Clan’s scheming ambitions.
And protagonists lying around to claim his life.
The engagement was complete.
But for Bai Zihan…
This was only the beginning.