Silence. A deathly silence.
It was as though time had frozen solid.
In the martial arena that could hold tens of thousands, not a single sound could be heard—so quiet that the drop of a pin would echo. Thousands stared at the scene before them, eyes wide in disbelief, their mouths hanging open as they took in the sight of a man and woman locked in an embrace.
Even the dignitaries seated in the high pavilion, including Emperor Adrian Long of the Sacred Tang Empire, seemed turned to stone.
Among them was Livia Dong, father of Lucia Dong, whose usually stern face reflected the same shock as the others—until his expression swiftly morphed into one of fury. His hawk-like gaze sharpened, and it was as if he wanted to tear Jason Ji apart for daring to treat his beloved daughter so disrespectfully.
Boom!
He rose to his feet in anger, roaring down at Jason. "Scoundrel, release my daughter!"
The sheer force of his energy pulverized his chair to dust.
With his furious outburst, the citizens of Ancient Luoyang seemed to snap out of their daze. Many young men, faces flushed with indignation, leapt to their feet, hurling curses at Jason.
"You filthy lecher! Release the second miss of the Dong family, or I'll smash your head in!"
"Scoundrel! I challenge you to a duel!"
"How dare you! I'd kill you myself for this outrage!"
Lucia Dong was the embodiment of purity in their eyes, a phoenix among mortals. And now? She'd just had her first kiss stolen right in front of them.
Meanwhile, many of the young, unmarried noblewomen covered their eyes with their hands, yet couldn't resist peeking through their fingers at Jason, muttering under their breaths about his shamelessness. Just moments ago, he'd seemed like a gallant, graceful youth, but now he was brazenly pulling such a move in public!
Outrage filled the air, with cries of protest coming from all sides.
Jason, now the public enemy of all Ancient Luoyang, took two steps back from Lucia Dong after releasing her, casually observing the crowd's collective anger as he muttered to himself, "Looks like I stirred up quite the commotion."
But, really, he couldn't care less.
Shrugging, Jason let his hands fall loosely at his sides. He was one who enjoyed a lively scene and never worried about causing a stir. In fact, he had considered two possible ways to defeat Lucia Dong.
The first was bloody and direct. While Lucia was still processing his revelation about her hidden cultivation, he could have activated the Divine Forbidden Domain and used the Immortal Slayer Sword's Sovereign's Dominion technique. A single slash would have ensured his fame throughout the realm.
But he hadn't chosen that path.
The reason was simple: he had never actually used Sovereign's Dominion before. Triggering fifty times his normal power with an unavoidable attack was no joke. He couldn't be sure if Lucia could withstand such a blow. If she couldn't, she might perish under his Immortal Slayer Sword—a result he would deeply regret.
To kill her as a stepping stone on his path to power? That wasn't Jason's style.
Besides, he could only use that skill once per day, so it was best saved for a true life-or-death situation. Keeping it as a hidden trump card was the smarter choice.
The second option, then, was the "tactful" method he'd just used.
Why had he opted for this approach? His analysis of Lucia Dong's character, as drawn from the original novel, showed her as prideful and arrogant. Thus, his strategy was crafted to exploit that very nature.
Step one: He hinted at her hidden cultivation, rattling her composure.
Step two: He used a provocative taunt to ignite her killing intent, leading her to follow his plan and unleash her Star Domain.
Step three: Jason activated the Divine Forbidden Domain and used the Immortal Slayer Sword to shatter her Star Domain, forcing her into the unknown territory of failure.
Step four: Instead of finishing the fight with his sword, he won by seizing her first kiss, leaving her in shock and defeat.
The key point was that he had secured victory not through violence, but by piercing her guarded heart.
As expected, the effect was… quite satisfactory.
Now, the radiance of a million stars had faded from around Lucia, and her usually flawless, aloof face was tinged with an uncharacteristic blush. Her gaze was no longer filled with the pride she held just moments ago.
She stared at Jason in disbelief, her chest rising and falling with every breath, her lips parted as she struggled to make sense of what had just happened. She couldn't comprehend how this man, a mere Innate-level cultivator, had managed to unleash power equal to her own. She couldn't understand how he'd broken through her Star Domain with such ease.
And even more baffling—why was her entire body feeling weak? Why was her mind in a haze, her heartbeat racing like never before?
Everything that had just transpired defied her understanding of the world.
Every ounce of her strength seemed to have drained away, her fists clenched tightly. She replayed the recent events over and over in her mind, leaving her feeling humiliated, furious, unwilling to accept defeat… yet somehow, a strange, unfamiliar thrill lingered deep down, a feeling she herself was reluctant to admit.
At that moment, she raised her eyes, glaring at Jason as she bit her lip and scolded, "You… How dare you… do that!"
To the crowd, her words were clearly full of condemnation.
But to Jason, it sounded just perfect.
She was, after all, the newly appointed commander of the Sacred Tang Empire's Shen Ce Army, a leader of thousands. And here she was, stumbling over her words.
If that wasn't a sign that he'd gotten to her, then what was?
Jason allowed himself a small smile; things seemed to be progressing smoothly.
In the original novel, Lucia Dong's personality at the start had been defined by arrogance and self-assured pride, though she longed for a man who could defeat her. More importantly, her sense of pride was exceptionally strong. Jason knew this, and by using a seemingly flirtatious approach, he intended to show her that her Star Domain was not the ultimate shield.
As if to say: "Lucia Dong, you may have mastered the Star Domain and stand unrivaled in the Star Condensation Realm, but look—here I am, Jason Ji, standing toe-to-toe with you even as an Innate cultivator. So, tell me, what's there to be so proud of?"
Taking a steady breath, Jason looked at her calmly and said, "You've lost."
His simple words caused the crowd, which had been roaring with anger, to fall silent.
Lucia stared at Jason's calm expression, her body trembling as she opened her mouth to retort instinctively… but she couldn't form the words. She hadn't even used thirty percent of her full power.
Yet, the words wouldn't come.
At last, she shifted her gaze downward, eyes lowered in quiet acknowledgment of her complicated, bitter feelings.
Her pride wouldn't allow her to make excuses—she'd lost.
After all, she had summoned her Star Domain, enveloping herself in the brilliance of a million stars, only for an Innate-level opponent to shatter it and even steal her first kiss.
It was, indeed, a loss.
And, if he had wanted to kill her just then, she would surely be dead by now.
Her head spun as she thought of the consequences of her defeat. For the first time, she questioned her family's tradition of selecting a spouse through martial competition. She'd always thought it was a fair method, perhaps because she'd never considered the possibility of losing to any man of her generation.
But now that she had lost, her feelings were far more tangled than she'd ever imagined.
Her nails dug into her palms, her teeth pressing hard against her lip as she murmured through gritted teeth, "Do I really have to marry this scoundrel?"
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