Chapter Sixty-Nine: It Is Better Not to Stay in the Liu Family!

"Liu Yang."

"Third Stage of Profound Power!"

"Third Stage? Hahaha! No wonder he’s the family’s notorious failure—twenty years old and still stuck at the beginner level."

Profound practitioners are divided into nine levels, each with nine stages. The first three stages are the beginner tier, the sixth stage marks the intermediate tier, and the ninth is the advanced tier. Even the most ordinary person on the Continent of Profound Practitioners can break through to the fourth stage of the first tier, the intermediate level, before turning twenty.

But Liu Yang, due to his physical condition, hadn’t advanced a single step since he turned sixteen. From the city’s former prodigy, he had fallen to its greatest disgrace.

The crowd continued to ridicule and mock him, but Liu Yang, standing on the test platform, paid them no mind. His attention was wholly absorbed by the bubbles hovering around the clan elder conducting his strength test.

[Liu Yan, one of the Liu clan elders, possesses the beginner tier of the third level of Profound Power. He is among the top powers in Floating City, fond of landscape paintings—gift him a few decent ones to gain his favor.]

[He has a granddaughter named Liu Qing, fiancée of the Lin clan leader’s son next door. She is notorious for her licentious ways, keeping three lovers outside her engagement. Use this fact to threaten her into doing many things.]

[Liu Yan’s private stash is hidden in…]

[He doesn’t wear underwear.]

Was this really left by me?

Something seems off…

"Liu Yang? Liu Yang! The test is over, get down at once. Are you not ashamed enough already?"

Liu Yan, his hair white with age, saw Liu Yang’s shocked expression and assumed he couldn’t accept the result, so he barked at him.

Liu Yang snapped back to reality, gave Liu Yan a strange look, and stepped down from the platform.

"A failure is always a failure, even a simple test takes forever."

"If it were me, I’d have left the Liu family long ago. He must have a hide thicker than a city wall."

Hearing the taunts nearby, Liu Yang glanced at the bubbles floating above them:

"Liu Jinglong, you often sneak into the women's bathhouse for a peek. Last time you were caught, you managed to escape, but the scar on your left waist remains."

"Liu Wei, at least eight people know your fiancée has a mole beneath her backside."

The two men, named and shamed, froze—the arrogance vanishing from their faces.

Liu Wei fell into contemplation; he’d long suspected something was off with his fiancée, who often stayed out all night. The more he thought about it, the grimmer his expression became.

"Liu... Liu Yang, don’t slander me!" Liu Jinglong, feeling the stares of those around him, paled and hurried to defend himself.

"So you were the little thief last time!" A woman stepped forward.

"He matches the figure. If Liu Yang is lying, just check his left waist."

"Take it off!"

"Serves him right, beat him up!"

"It’s not like that, listen to my explanation!"

"Ah~"

Amidst the clamorous shouts behind him, Liu Yang’s lips curved into a smirk. With a suave turn and a wave, he strode away.

His regal bearing was on full display!

"That was so damn satisfying."

Finding himself alone, Liu Yang couldn’t contain his excitement. He clenched his fist and pumped it with vigor. Years of scorn and ridicule—finally, he had his revenge.

"If anyone dares provoke me, I’ll make them socially dead!"

"...What does ‘socially dead’ mean?"

He paused, puzzled, then dismissed the thought and focused on what mattered most: regaining his talent.

"The entrance exam for the Profound Purity Sect is three months away. I must recover all that I lost at the tournament—not just recover, but surpass it!"

The Profound Purity Sect was the greatest in the Black Tortoise Kingdom. Those who became its disciples weren’t just respected in Floating City, but throughout the kingdom.

Liu Yang clenched his fists.

Once he’d calmed down, he began to think.

"The notes I left for myself said there are herbs in the back mountain that can restore my talent..."

"But the back mountain is crawling with profound beasts—dangerous enough to kill with a single misstep."

"Still, my previous reincarnation must have left me more clues."

Resolved, Liu Yang headed straight for the so-called Profound Beast Mountain—the back mountain.

Just as he reached the family gates, a guard stopped him.

"Liu Yang, guests from the Yan family are here. The clan leader wants you to come over."

"The Yan family? What business do they have with me?"

Liu Yang frowned.

Liu, Yan, and Lin families—the three great clans of Floating City. They occasionally intermarried, so relations were generally cordial.

"The clan leader’s motives are beyond me. You, a failure, better hurry and not delay his important matters."

The guard’s face showed impatience.

Liu Yang glanced at him, but didn’t argue. With a grim expression, he strode toward the Liu family’s grand hall.

"What! Young Yan Xian has been chosen as a disciple by the Profound Purity Sect elder?!"

"The Yan family is about to rise!"

"Haha, Uncle Liu, you flatter me. Among your younger generation, Liu Qingfeng’s talent is not far behind mine."

"No comparison, no comparison."

As Liu Yang approached, he heard the voices of a middle-aged man and a young woman inside. He frowned and walked in.

The Liu clan leader sat opposite a young woman in a light yellow dress. She was beautiful and graceful, captivating to behold.

With Liu Yang’s entrance, the room fell silent.

The young woman sized him up, a flash of disdain in her eyes.

"So you’re Liu Yang?"

Her arrogant tone met Liu Yang’s gaze. "Yes, and you are…"

[Yan Li is here to break off the engagement. If you say this... the breakup could be turned into a proposal for her to marry into your family.]

[No, I’ve tried. It doesn’t work—she actually called me ugly.]

[No idea what color her underwear is, but she’s not wearing any now.]

[Her strength is considerable. If you want to investigate further, wait until she leaves the Liu family, then... dig a trap.]

[Strange, did I really leave these notes? It feels so perverse.]

"…"

Yan Li didn’t notice Liu Yang’s oddity. She wrinkled her nose and declared her purpose.

"Years ago, my parents and yours arranged our engagement. But though it was decided by our elders, you... are not worthy!"

"This matter ends here!"

"Of course, I’ll compensate you."

"Bring the item."

At her command, an elderly man entered, carrying a wooden box.

"This is a Condensation Pill. It can help an advanced first-tier profound practitioner break through to the second tier."

He opened the box as he introduced it.

"A Condensation Pill!" The Liu clan leader, seated, shot to his feet in shock.

His son, Liu Qingfeng, was now an advanced first-tier profound practitioner—a genius in Floating City, but only above average in the kingdom at large.

With this Condensation Pill, Liu Qingfeng could instantly break through to the second tier and enter the ranks of true prodigies.

"Liu Yang! Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and thank Miss Yan Li!"

Under the clan leader’s scolding, Liu Yang clenched his fists, rage boiling within him.

He gritted his teeth, his face twisted, his gaze sweeping over the three present.

"A clan leader?"

"Yan family prodigy?"

"Condensation Pill?"

"Fine. Very well!"

He repeated his words, then fixed his gaze on Yan Li until she could no longer meet his eyes. Then he spoke:

"If you wish to break the engagement, then I, Liu Yang, hereby repudiate you. From this day forward, we are strangers!"

"But remember—the humiliation you inflicted on me, I will repay a hundredfold!"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—never underestimate the young and poor!"

"In three months, I’ll come calling for a challenge."

"Take care!"

With that, Liu Yang curled his lips in a sneer, turned, and strode out with a wave.

There was no need to stay in the Liu family any longer!

ps: Damn Xiao Huo Huo—he spent three chapters pretending, but I finished it in one.