The old man was abnormally burly, two sizes broader than Tai Long himself.
A broad face, white hair standing on end like steel needles, tiger eyes glaring round—his very presence radiated authority.
Seeing his grandson kneeling on the ground in tears, the old man raised his hand and delivered a resounding slap.
Smack—!
"How could our Strength Clan give birth to a wimp like you?!"
"Losing in strength is one thing, but to be beaten up by a bunch of students?!"
"You're an embarrassment to this old man!"
Tai Long clutched his swollen cheek, not daring to utter a word.
"Senior Tai Tan…"
Yu Tianheng's face flushed red.
The oppressive might radiating from the old man made it difficult for him to even breathe, yet he forced himself to speak:
"We were only fooling around with Tai Long, we weren't serious."
"For the Clan Leader of the Strength Clan to take action in a friendly squabble between students, aren't you bullying the small with your size?"
Tai Tan glanced at Yu Tianheng and pointed at Yu Feng and the other three who were struggling to get up. "If it were anything but a joke, those four would have more than just a few bruises."
"If it wasn't horseplay, those four would've suffered more than just a few bruises."
"I didn't come today for you. That boy called Sword Wine struck my grandson with a single punch, injuring his arm so badly it will take months to recover. I came here to find him."
"Go get Sword Wine, and you'll have nothing to do with this."
"You old geezer! How dare you!" Dugu Yan's pupils flashed with a dark light, and she gritted her silver teeth. "Do you really think being a Spirit Douluo makes you invincible? Or that with the title of 'Vigorous God Tai Tan' no one dares provoke you?"
"Believe it or not, I'll have my grandfather slaughter your entire Strength Clan!"
Ye Lingling's body was frail, and although she wasn't directly impacted by the pressure, the lingering Spirit Power still made her face pale.
"Our Nine-Heart Begonia Ye family isn't afraid of the Strength Clan either!"
Yu Tianheng gave a cold laugh.
"Then I suppose I'll also need to invite my grandfather here to have a chat with Clan Leader Tai Tan."
The backgrounds of these three families—
Each one more terrifying than the last.
Even Tai Tan, iron-willed as he was, had his expression flicker.
Composing himself, his voice rumbled:
"I haven't harmed the three of you in the slightest. I don't believe your elders would trouble me over this."
"I've said it clearly—today I only seek Sword Wine. The rest of you are irrelevant."
Yu Feng, who was being helped up by the Shi brothers, had a bruised and swollen nose. He had been the loudest of the four just now. Hearing Tai Tan's words, he spit out a mouthful of garbled words.
"Pah! I thought Senior Tai Tan was a tough guy, but it turns out he's just a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong!"
"You think you can act as you please because our three families' influences are weaker!"
"But we are students of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy!"
"Senior Tai Tan, are you saying you don't even have our three Board of Education members in your eyes?!"
Knowing Tai Tan didn't dare truly cripple them, Yu Feng grew bolder the more he cursed.
Yet before he could finish, a mountain-like pressure slammed down..
Crack!
Yu Feng's joints snapped and popped.
His entire body was crushed flat against the ground, his face turning purple-red as if it were dripping blood.
"Don't threaten me with the Board of Education. Below the Titled Douluo rank, who am I afraid of?" Tai Tan's tiger eyes shone with piercing light, his aura suffocating.
"In terms of pure strength, even a regular Titled Douluo is no match for this old man!"
Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and Yu Tianheng's faces turned grim. What Tai Tan said was not an exaggeration
Within all of Heaven Dou City, the Clan Leader of the Strength Clan was truly extraordinary.
Below the Titled Douluo rank, he had few rivals.
"Hmph... even so... I... I won't tell..." Yu Feng, who was pressed to the ground, squeezed out each word. "If... if you have the guts, then kill us..."
"Sell out… sell out my brother? Not happening…"
Osler and the Shi brothers, likewise pinned, forced themselves to nod.
"Y-yeah… not… happening…"
The four of them were utterly wretched.
The surrounding students could hardly bear to watch.
Some sprinted to find teachers, but the three Board of Education members were never on campus.
Others, anxious to deliver word, rushed into the Imperial City, searching frantically for Sword Wine.
At this moment—
Li Zhexian was eating noodles at a street stall.
The old storyteller at the wine shed across the street had caught a cold and hadn't been performing for two days. His noodles even tasted a little less flavorful.
Just then, two students in Imperial Academy uniforms burst inside.
The instant they saw Li Zhexian, they hurried over, voices lowered.
"Sword—"
"Shhh…"
Li Zhexian swept a glance over the other diners.
His identity as "Sword Wine" was, for now, only spread within the Imperial Academy.
He had no intention of becoming recognizable on the streets.
Seeing the two students' anxious expressions, Li Zhexian stood up and followed them out of the stall. "What's wrong?"
"Tai Long's grandfather has come to the academy and is looking for you by name!"
"Yu Feng, Osler, the Shi brothers were beaten horribly—Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, even Yu Tianheng are all pinned down under his pressure!"
Li Zhexian's face shifted slightly.
The two students quickly added:
"Sword Wine, we came to tell you to leave Heaven Dou City at once. Tai Long's grandfather wouldn't dare go too far against Academy students—"
Before the words were finished, Li Zhexian had already vanished, leaving behind only a streak of white light.
He sped toward the Imperial Academy.
At the gates of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy—
Flames of anger surged on Tai Tan's imposing face.
"Good! Very good!"
"What loyal brotherhood!"
"Do you think I truly won't use force?!"
"Grandfather!"
Tai Long was sobbing miserably.
"I beg you, don't make this worse!"
"I... I'm really fine! If you keep this up... your grandson will look down on you!"
Tai Tan grabbed Tai Long's neck like he was a little chicken and tossed him several meters away. His mountainous Spirit Power surged once more, pressing down toward the four figures on the ground.
Just then, the surrounding students let out a gasp.
"It's Sword Wine! Sword Wine's here!"
"Why did Sword Wine really come?! Weren't you supposed to tell him to run?!"
Amidst the murmur of voices, the massive crowd parted. Li Zhexian's face was cold as he walked forward step by step.
"Li Zhexian! Brother Zhexian, go!" Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and Yu Tianheng shouted in a panic. The four on the ground also stumbled to yell, "Go... go!"
Tai Tan slowly pulled back his Spirit Power, his tiger eyes locking on the white-robed youth approaching.
"You are the one who injured my grandson, the one who forced Blue Tyrant Academy to retreat—Sword Wine?"
Li Zhexian's gaze swept over Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and the others.
"I'm here. Release them."
"Heh…"
Tai Tan withdrew the last of his oppressive aura.
In an instant—
The suffocating pressure lifted.
Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and the rest collapsed weakly to the ground.
But scrambling up in haste, they staggered toward Li Zhexian.
"Brother Zhexian, you shouldn't have come! It's said the Strength Clan protects its own fiercely—who knew this Tai Tan would abandon even the dignity of a senior expert!" Dugu Yan gritted her pearly teeth and said, "Brother Zhexian, hurry and leave!"
"The seven of us will try to hold him off for as long as we can!"
As she spoke, she and Ye Lingling were the first to release their Martial Souls.
Yu Tianheng and the other five, without hesitation, let their Spirit Power surge, Spirit Rings rising beneath their feet.
Seven people stood between Li Zhexian and Tai Tan.
Dugu Yan's pupils elongated to a snake's-vertical slit.
"Old dog, see if I don't tell my grandfather about this!"
Tai Tan's deep gaze passed over the seven, landing squarely on Li Zhexian.
"Boy, do you intend to hide behind them?"
This scene was somewhat similar to the original timeline. But Li Zhexian knew that because of him, there were definitely unknown variables.
He stepped forward. The Qinglian Sword mark on his forehead flickered.
"Clan Leader Tai Tan, however you want it, just draw the line."