When he opened his eyes, the scorching sun on the horizon had gradually turned yellow.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone in from outside the window, rendering everything in the room more dazzling than the moment the sunshine was the brightest.

Dusk enveloped everything outside.

The light was very beautiful and bright, but with indescribable dilapidation and bleakness.

Jiang Shangyu lay on the bed, looking out of the window at the dim yet dazzling light. He kept silent and did not want to move.

He seemed to have been drugged.

But the sharp pain continued to spread all over his body.

The pain permeated the viscera and the skin from the inside out. It was like sword intent, but it was unreal. It fell on the human body, leaving only coldness and destruction.

The sharp pain dispelled the confusion he felt when he first woke from his coma.

Jiang Shangyu felt the pain in his body.

He finally realized his ident.i.ty.

Today was the final maneuver of both academies.

It was his most glorious moment.

In front of the public, he never exposed his Heavenly King Heart.

However, he showed his Martial Arts to everyone. He came from a family that had risen only in recent decades and had extremely mediocre Martial Arts strength, but now he was qualified to be tied with Gu Hanshan and w.a.n.g Shengxiao.

He would surely enter the Invincible Realm in the future.

He was also a Chosen One.

He performed very gloriously today, and his Miles of Starry Sky had amazed the whole Zhongzhou State.

But similarly, he was a loser today.

His light may not fade away, but all his glory would fade in front of the real Chosen One.

When people mentioned him in the future, they may still talk about his brilliance today.

However, the brilliance was just like the dusk outside the window, gorgeous but broken. No matter how dazzling it was, the end was still dark.

The sword intent.

The sword stroke that made the world quiet and illusory was the eternal light.

The eyes of Jiang Shangyu gradually changed.

All kinds of colors interweaved in his pupils and finally became mixed emotions.

He quietly opened his eyes and lay on the bed, looking blank.

The door was pushed open from the outside.

Gu Xingyun, who was pale and completely forced himself, slowly walked into the ward.

Li Xi was by his side.

Jiang Shangyu moved and struggled to sit up.

“Your health matters. Lie down.”

Gu Xingyun smiled and waved his hand. “You are seriously injured, but that will not threaten the foundation. However, for some time to come, you must exercise less.”

He paused, and then continued, “But there won’t be many things to come.”

“Yes.”

Jiang Shangyu responded and immediately said, “Your Highness, Madam. How is Hanshan’s injury?”

“His injury is as bad as yours. For some time to come, you will recuperate in the Sky Academy. When the maneuver is over, go back with me.”

Gu Xingyun looked at Jiang Shangyu with soft eyes and obvious appreciation. “I have informed your father. He was going to come here, but something happened in Beijiang, so he had to deal with it. I will then personally send you back to Beijiang.”

Jiang Shangyu respectfully said, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

“No need to say so.”

Gu Xingyun shook his head and smiled. “Don’t be so polite. You’re one of us. Boy, get well soon. Qingcheng has been telling me that she wants to travel to Beijiang. I’ll have her come to you later. You must be a good guide of Qingcheng and don’t let my daughter be wronged, do you know?”

Jiang Shangyu froze.

His eyes gradually revealed wild, uncontrollable ecstasy. He subconsciously looked at Li Xi beside Gu Xingyun.

Li Xi was expressionless, just like a lifeless sculpture, but her eyes softened a little.

She nodded gently.

Jiang Shangyu breathed deeply, but anyhow, he could not conceal the smile on his face.

The smile spread on his face.

Jiang Shangyu in this state looked simple and honest.

Jiang Shangyu looked solemn and said with almost a.s.surance, “Please rest a.s.sured, Your Highness. Qingcheng will definitely not suffer any injustice in Beijiang.”

There was a slight flush on his pale face due to excitement. He looked solemn as if he were swearing.

Gu Xingyun smiled gently, nodded, and said meaningfully, “You are not bad. I am relieved to have you by Qingcheng’s side.”

Jiang Shangyu scratched his head, and his smile became purer and purer.

“Pay attention to get some rest.”

Gu Xingyun added, “Don’t think too much.”

Jiang Shangyu nodded. He hesitated a little but still said, “Your Highness, Li Tianlan…”

“Don’t worry.”

The figure of Gu Xingyun paused. “You are all young. He is really strong for you guys right now. But when you look back at today ten or twenty years later, you might think that he just won the maneuver today. He who laughs last is the winner.”

Gu Xingyun walked out of the ward.

Jiang Shangyu looked gloomily at his back and that of Li Xi, but his mind was occupied with Gu Xingyun’s purpose in coming.

There was too much information in what seemed like a routine of going through the motions.

Jiang Shangyu must sort everything out.

He liked Li Qingcheng.

He really liked her. He liked her for years.

Although at that time, Li Qingcheng was still very young.

When Jiang Shangyu saw her for the first time, he was very sure that Li Qingcheng should not stay in Kunlun City, which looked brilliant but hid too much filth.

He knew the Phoenix Pavilion.

So he could roughly guess Li Qingcheng’s future fate.

In the process of development, the Jiang family had always been quietly and carefully touching some taboos. The Jiang family knew Kunlun City better than most people.

Three years ago in Heaven Capital, when Gongsun Qi and even the Dongcheng Clan reminded Li Tianlan to be careful of the Phoenix Pavilion, and even earlier, the Jiang family had already learned through special intelligence channels that Li Xi was going to Heaven Capital.

It also made Jiang Shangyu confirm some plans of Gu Xingyun.

Li Xi went to Heaven Capital secretly, not for the sake of national affairs, but for private affairs.

However, Li Tianlan’s family background and Li Xi’s past had made it impossible for Jiang Shangyu to determine which step Li Xi would take.

If Li Tianlan didn’t die, Li Qingcheng was most likely to be the deadly poison that Kunlun City prepared for Li Tianlan.

It was not the fate of Li Qingcheng.

But it was the fate of the Phoenix Pavilion.

So in Heaven Capital, when Jiang Shangyu met Li Tianlan for the first time, he had almost made no secret of his killing intent toward Li Tianlan.

He did it for a woman or a young girl at that time.

Gu Xingyun and Li Xi left the ward.

The door was closed.

Jiang Shangyu lay quietly in bed, thinking about all aspects.

Gu Xingyun, Li Xi, Li Qingcheng, Gu Hanshan, the cooperation with Li Tianlan, the future of Three Thousand World, the choice the Jiang family would face, and the w.a.n.g family of Beihai…

All sorts of thoughts formed a rough outline in his mind.

The outline was clear.

But there were too many possibilities inside the outline.

Too many possibilities meant more choices.

Therefore, it was extremely complicated.

Jiang Shangyu was absorbed in thought and silent for a long time.

His cell phone rang.

Jiang Shangyu took out his mobile phone and pressed the answer b.u.t.ton.

“It’s me.”

At the other end of the line, the voice of Jiang Shan, the top leader in Beijiang, sounded.

“Dad.”

Jiang Shangyu let out a cry with a smile, but his eyes were complicated.

The father and son were silent on the two sides of the line.

“I’m sorry.”

After a long time, Jiang Shangyu whispered, “Today… I lost.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Jiang Shan smiled. “You did a good job. A temporary failure is nothing.”

Jiang Shangyu wanted to speak, but when the words reached his mouth, he swallowed them back.

After he lowered his realm to make the blow, his strength had been pushed back to the Thunder-shocking Realm from the stabilization phase of that realm. He was getting weaker and weaker, but his mind state was getting more and more perfect.

“Hmm.” He smiled and said nothing more.

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

Jiang Shan sighed softly. Jiang Shangyu was not only his son but also his greatest pride in this life. This son had hardly bothered him since he was young. Even Jiang Shan marveled at his forbearance, wisdom, and low profile many times. He had seen what Jiang Shangyu had been doing over the years, and he even knew his plan.

Today’s final maneuver was a formal start for the Li family and Li Tianlan.

The same was true for Jiang Shangyu.

He lost.

However, the plan would not change, let alone stop.

“I’m all right.”

Jiang Shangyu’s smile was as light as a feather.

He sat on the bed with his cell phone in his hand. Just as he wanted to continue to say something, he suddenly coughed violently.

The cough came out of the blue, but it was extremely severe. His whole body twitched violently with the cough, and his wounds were also splitting.

Thick blood flowed down his nostrils and landed on the quilt in front of him.

Jiang Shan listened quietly as if he were dead.

It took Jiang Shangyu a long time to catch his breath, and he sat on the bed, panting violently.

Jiang Shan asked, “Another nosebleed?”

“No.”

Jiang Shangyu lifted his head. His voice was a little hoa.r.s.e, but his smile was bright. “I’m really fine. Dad, don’t worry about me.”

“Go back to Beijiang if you really can’t do it.”

Jiang Shan’s voice was weak, bitter, and trembling. “Yu, you don’t have to work so hard. No one dares to touch you with me in Beijiang.”

Jiang Shangyu’s eyes widened. He looked at the ceiling above.

There was no one here.

So he didn’t have to try to control his facial features.

Strangely red blood gushed from his nasal cavities, mouth, eyes, and ears.

He was still laughing.

He smiled with forbearance and determination.

“Zhongzhou State used to have a very strong influential family.”

He said softly, “I can’t tell how powerful they were, not as strong as the w.a.n.g family of Beihai, but much stronger than the Jiang family. They had a deep foundation, abundant resources, and a long history. Just because of a wrong choice, such a powerful family…”

He paused for a while and then continued, “Maybe it wasn’t a mistake. In the process, they made a lot of mistakes. Dad, do you know what their biggest mistake was?”

“What?”

Jiang Shan was somewhat confused.

“Their biggest mistake was that they did not leave a good enough descendant in the end. So all the glories turned into misery. The patriarch of the powerful family died in a premeditated air crash, and his wife committed suicide. Many estates were sealed up and auctioned off. The va.s.sal families were fragmented. There were descendants of that family, but most of the best were in prison. Some were sentenced to death and some to life. Oh, I forgot. They had an outstanding enough descendant, but the woman who was supposed to be the most capable of handling the terrible situation was mad, completely mad. She jumped down at the highest place in Huating, treating herself like a bird, and finally fell to pieces. The once brilliant and powerful family, no one, from top to bottom, came to a good end. Even a dog didn’t escape that fate.”

He held the phone, his eyes blurred, and whispered, “From that time on, I knew that the pursuit of extreme glory was the same as the pursuit of extreme evil, and there was no turning back. So I understand what the w.a.n.g family of Beihai has done in recent years. I am sure that if the w.a.n.g family of Beihai collapsed today, their fate would be even worse. As for our Jiang family, this may not be the case, but it is only because we are not as strong as them. Dad, if I don’t fight and just hole up in Beijiang, how can anything good happen to me unless I’m willing to become an appendage to a big group and be a puppet after you retire? In the Jiang family’s current position, if I don’t climb up, I’ll fall to h.e.l.l forever beyond redemption.”

Jiang Shan was silent and did not know what to say for a moment.

The facial features of Jiang Shangyu no longer bled.

His spirits grew weaker, but his voice became softer. “Don’t worry, Dad, I know what I’m doing. I’ve been preparing it for many years. I’m just beginning to fight. I will take the Jiang family to the place where we should be. The struggles of generations of the Jiang family cannot go to waste. Absolutely not!”

Jiang Shan gave a bitter laugh and did not know what to say for a moment.

“Make some preparations.”

Jiang Shangyu whispered, “Qingcheng may go to Beijiang after a period of time. I just promised Gu Xingyun to be a tour guide of her.”

“Qingcheng?”

Jiang Shan hesitated. “Li Qingcheng?”

“Hmm,” Jiang Shangyu replied.

“Hey…”

Jiang Shan laughed scornfully. “Isn’t Gu Hanshan planning to turn his daughter into the new owner of the Phoenix Pavilion? However, it’s normal for him to change his mind after he saw your performance today. He is going to use his daughter to force us to declare our stance.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Jiang Shangyu said calmly, “In such a situation, we have to show our att.i.tude. I’m willing to do that if I can get Qingcheng. She shouldn’t stay in a place like Kunlun City.”

“Hmm,” Jiang Shan said. Just as he was about to speak, the knock on the door suddenly sounded.

His secretary walked into his office.

On the phone, Jiang Shangyu vaguely heard someone say, “Secretary, an emergency doc.u.ment from the Decision Making Committee…”

He smiled, silently hung up the phone, and sighed tiredly.

w.a.n.g family of Beihai.

Li family.

He thought silently, feeling like he was standing between the w.a.n.g family of Beihai and the Li family.

Therefore, he could understand the w.a.n.g family of Beihai and w.a.n.g Tianzong’s determination to kill Li Tianlan even if he had to break the rules.

It was the unspeakable pressure and fear acc.u.mulated over hundreds of years of glory.

Climbing to the top was a road of no return.

When it came to shouldering anything, w.a.n.g Tianzong was the one who shouldered the most.

He could also understand the Li family’s forbearance.

It was the att.i.tude they had to show when they had nothing.

Li Honghe and the Li family were forbearing.

So Li Tianlan had to be aggressive at certain times.

“What about myself?” Jiang Shangyu silently thought.

The Jiang family had never been at the peak, but they did possess something.

Wasn’t that the most awkward middle position?

In such a position, he must forebear and shoulder something.

The setting sun outside the window was utterly hidden at the end of the sky.

The night gradually covered the sky.

When the light completely disappeared, Jiang Shangyu turned to look out of the window.

In the dim light of night, it was a face that had no fanatical ambition but was extraordinarily persistent and firm.