The Lockheart Family’s Challenge

"Are they here because of the Ancient Martial Arts Conference?" Wren Tyson asked with a dark expression.

The medicinal steam continued to rise around him, carrying the heavy bitter scent of herbs throughout the quiet courtyard. His legs remained submerged inside the medicinal bath, trembling slightly from the piercing pain spreading through his nervous system.

Yet compared to the storm now approaching the Tyson Family...

That pain was nothing.

"Yes," Xavier Tyson nodded, his face grim.

His voice was low and heavy, like stone sinking into cold water.

"The Lockheart Family came aggressively this time. Charvi Lockheart personally led them here."

The atmosphere immediately became tense.

Outside the courtyard, even the morning wind seemed colder.

Five years ago, Wren Tyson stood at the peak of Valemont’s Old Martial Arts world.

Back then, his name alone carried enough weight to suppress countless forces.

He had stepped into the Gold Realm before the age of fifty and swept through the Ancient Martial Arts Conference without meeting a worthy opponent.

That year—

The Tyson Family’s glory reached its peak.

And during the final stage of the conference, Charvi Lockheart had challenged Wren Tyson publicly before everyone.

The result?

One move.

Just one move.

Charvi Lockheart had been defeated so completely that he nearly coughed blood on the arena stage.

That humiliation became a knot in the Lockheart Family’s heart for years.

After Wren Tyson’s accident, rumors spread that the Lockheart Family even celebrated privately for three days.

Now that Wren Tyson was crippled...

The Tyson Family’s strongest remaining fighter was Yana Tyson.

But no matter how talented she was, she was still too young.

Compared to old foxes like Charvi Lockheart, her foundation remained lacking.

"Dad, focus on your treatment. I’ll go see what’s going on," Yana Tyson said calmly.

Her long black hair swayed softly as she turned, though the coldness in her orange eyes had already sharpened.

She clearly understood why the Lockheart Family came today.

This wasn’t merely a visit.

It was pressure.

A warning.

A declaration before the Ancient Martial Arts Conference.

Wren Tyson sighed quietly.

The sound carried helplessness but also confidence.

"Alright, you go."

He looked toward his daughter with complicated emotions.

"Don’t worry too much about the Ancient Martial Arts Conference. Once I’m well, the Tyson Family will still be the Tyson Family."

Those words carried astonishing dominance despite his current condition.

Because everyone in Valemont knew—

If Wren Tyson truly recovered...

Then the Tyson Family would once again become the uncrowned king of Valemont’s Old Martial Arts world.

Yana nodded lightly before turning to leave.

Julian D’Aurelius calmly followed behind her together with Xavier Tyson.

As they walked through the long corridor leading toward the Tyson Family reception hall, Julian quietly narrowed his golden eyes.

"System, what’s the plot for the Ancient Martial Arts Conference?" he thought inwardly.

According to the original storyline...

The Lockheart Family dared to provoke the Tyson Family because they had secretly invited an external master to support them.

With that expert backing them, they finally gained enough confidence to challenge the Tyson Family openly.

And during the Ancient Martial Arts Conference—

That same expert completely swept through the Tyson Family.

The humiliation was brutal.

The Tyson Family, once standing proudly at the summit, was trampled publicly before all of Valemont’s martial arts forces.

Then came the hero moment.

Evan.

The so-called Obsidian King.

He stepped onto the stage dramatically, defeated the expert, restored the Tyson Family’s dignity, and naturally gained Yana Tyson’s admiration.

After that battle, Evan became famous throughout Valemont overnight.

Praised as a monstrous genius.

A peerless prodigy.

A rising dragon.

Then the familiar mechanical voice echoed inside Julian’s head.

"Ding, spoiler failed, please ensure the host’s safety."

Julian’s mouth twitched slightly.

Then inwardly—

He cursed.

This damned Tyrant System was genuinely poisonous.

Wasn’t it upgraded already?

Then why was it still failing whenever he tried to pry into future plot details?

What kind of broken garbage system was this?

[Damn! According to the normal development, Lucas should’ve been the one helping the Tyson Family instead of Evan.]

[Now that Lucas is gone, how’s this plot supposed to continue?]

[If I remember correctly, the expert the Lockheart Family invited should be at mid-Silver Realm?]

Yana Tyson’s expression subtly changed after hearing Julian’s inner thoughts.

Mid-Silver Realm?

Her heart immediately sank slightly.

No wonder the Lockheart Family dared to act this arrogantly.

Although she herself had already entered the Silver Realm, she had only stepped into the early stage recently.

Against someone at mid-Silver Realm...

The gap was too dangerous.

Could it really be—

That the Tyson Family would lose during this Ancient Martial Arts Conference?

That possibility caused her fingers to tighten unconsciously.

Soon, the three arrived at the main reception hall.

The atmosphere inside was heavy.

Several Lockheart Family members sat arrogantly on the sofas as servants poured tea for them.

None of them looked like guests.

They looked more like predators entering another beast’s territory.

Among them sat a slightly overweight middle-aged man wearing a dark robe.

Charvi Lockheart.

Head of the Lockheart Family.

His eyes were narrow and sharp, resembling a venomous snake hiding beneath muddy waters.

Although nearing fifty years old, his cultivation remained stuck at early Silver Realm.

Compared to true geniuses, that achievement was ordinary.

But within Valemont’s Old Martial Arts circles, it was already considered respectable.

Especially now that Wren Tyson had fallen.

The Lockheart Family’s confidence naturally rose.

The moment Charvi Lockheart saw Yana Tyson enter—

He sneered openly.

"Where’s Wren Tyson?"

His tone dripped with mockery.

"Is he too scared to come out now?"

The Tyson Family martial artists nearby instantly became furious.

Several even took a step forward instinctively.

But Yana Tyson simply stopped walking and looked at him coldly.

Her beautiful face remained expressionless.

"What reason does he have to meet a defeated opponent?" Yana retorted mockingly.

The room instantly froze.

That sentence stabbed directly into Charvi Lockheart’s deepest humiliation.

Several Lockheart Family members stood up immediately.

Their faces darkened with anger.

"How dare you!"

"You little girl—!"

"Watch your words!"

The Tyson Family martial artists also stepped forward instantly, creating a tense standoff inside the hall.

Charvi Lockheart’s expression became extremely ugly.

The memory from five years ago clearly resurfaced inside his mind.

That single defeat remained his greatest shame.

His fingers tightened around the teacup.

Crack.

The porcelain cup fractured slightly.

He slowly raised his head to stare at Yana Tyson.

The calmness in his eyes had vanished completely.

Instead—

There was only cold hostility.

Then suddenly, he laughed.

A low, mocking laugh.

"Good."

"Very good."

"A river may always flow into the ocean, making the ocean mighty..." Charvi Lockheart said slowly while standing up.

"But sometimes rivers unite together..."

His gaze sharpened dangerously.

"To wage war against the ocean itself."

He pointed directly toward the Tyson Family members.

"Don’t underestimate a middle-aged man!"

The pressure of early Silver Realm cultivation erupted from his body.

The teacups on the table trembled slightly.

Even the air felt heavier.

"I came today," Charvi Lockheart declared coldly, "to issue a challenge to the Tyson Family!"

The hall instantly fell silent.