Become the strongest with my sleeping system

At the same time, in an almost supernatural silence, Jun Xiao's eyes opened abruptly.

A glacial light passed through them. He remained lying for a few seconds, perfectly still, as if probing his own body. Then, with a fluid motion, he sat up, opened his palms, and felt the density of his Qi with terrifying clarity.

"It's perfect," he murmured.

He stood up and changed into a simple, fitted black tunic — without any ornament, without a single mark of the Jun clan. Nothing that would herald the coming storm… and yet.

Leaving his room, he walked calmly through the corridors, passing a few servants who stepped aside immediately, eyes wide. Some recognized his face, others were simply struck by the oppressive pressure that weighed around him, as if the air thickened with his passage.

Then, he left the family estate. And walked straight toward the city center — toward the arena.

A few minutes later, a sudden stir rippled through the crowd.

"Wait… who's that?"

"You don't recognize him? That's… Jun Xiao!"

"What? The Jun clan's trash?"

"Shh! Do you want to die? Haven't you heard what happened at the training grounds? He crushed Jun Hao and six other disciples!"

"Impossible… wasn't he supposed to be unable to cultivate?"

Rumors spread like wildfire. At first whispered, they soon erupted into waves of frantic discussion. Every eye turned to the young man with the calm stride climbing the arena steps as if strolling through his own garden.

But Jun Xiao didn't stop. He ignored the shocked faces, the exclamations, the mockery and mixed doubt. He walked, straight to the center of the main platform, where the fights were to begin.

Once there, he looked up, scanned the crowd… and declared in a voice loud, clear, almost lazy — yet resonating with an invisible force:

"I am Jun Xiao. I challenge any of you. All of you, if you wish."

A deathly silence fell. Even the children stopped moving.

The young disciples on the arena exchanged uncertain glances — some snickering nervously, others stepping back. The contrast between the serenity on his face and the arrogance of his words chilled the blood of the more sensitive ones.

Then a voice, cold and sharp, rose:

"So you finally showed up."

A man of the same generation stepped forward from the north side of the platform. He wore a white tunic, his gaze sharp, his bearing proud.

Jun Wei.

The favorite. The genius. The pride of the Jun family. The cousin.

He stopped a few steps from Jun Xiao, staring hard at him.

"You really had the nerve to show up today."

Jun Xiao turned slightly, still calm.

"Why wouldn't I? I'm no longer the one you all used to despise."

Jun Wei clenched his fists, a tense flicker in his gaze.

"I heard what you did. Jun Hao, fine. He's arrogant. But coming here… and saying you challenge everyone? You think you're above us?"

Jun Xiao smirked.

"No. I don't think. I know I am."

A shiver ran through the arena.

Jun Wei stepped forward, muscles taut, voice sharp.

"You've never taken part in an official fight. You've never faced someone like me. And you think you can humiliate all the clans?"

Jun Xiao shrugged.

"You can take it however you like. But if you think I'm here to play background character, you're gravely mistaken."

Jun Wei narrowed his eyes.

"You want a fight?"

Jun Xiao looked him straight in the eyes, a glint of challenge.

"I want to crush you."

The crowd erupted in cries. Some screamed scandal, others madness. But all of them, absolutely all of them, understood: this battle would mark a turning point.

The supervisor hesitated, then raised his hand.

"Challenge accepted! Jun Wei versus Jun Xiao! No one is to interfere!"

The two young men stepped back a few paces.

Jun Wei slowly released his Qi, a golden glow shining around him.

"You'll regret challenging the summit."

Jun Xiao closed his eyes briefly… then opened his palm.

He simply declared:

"That summit… was only a stepping stone."

Meanwhile, outside the arena, Jun Xiao's parents — Jun Tian and Su Mei — and their daughter Jun Ling were nervous. They didn't know where their son's confidence came from, but they chose to trust him. After all, everyone has their secrets.

A heavy silence hung over the arena. All eyes were fixed on the two figures facing off on the white jade platform.

One — Jun Wei — tall, imposing, sharp gaze, the recognized genius of the Jun family, bathed in past victories, confident in his dominance.

The other — Jun Xiao — calm, hands behind his back, expression emotionless, his gaze frozen like ice.

Jun Wei broke the silence, his voice rumbling:

"You think you can challenge me just because you crushed a few clan members? You shame the clan. Step back into your place."

But Jun Xiao didn't answer.

He merely stepped forward.

That simple movement sparked an electric tension in the air. The crowd held its breath.

Jun Wei clenched his fists.

"Since you refuse to yield… I'll show you what real power is!"

His feet shattered the tiles beneath him as he charged, right fist extended, putting all his strength into it — the peak of the Body Reinforcement Realm, his physical strength reaching 2000 jin.

The ground trembled.

Disciples from other clans leapt to their feet.

"He's using full strength from the start?!"

"He's going to obliterate Jun Xiao!"

But just as the impact became inevitable, Jun Xiao simply raised his arm.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

Not in defense. Not even in a guard.

Just… a hand extended forward.

The two fists met.

BOOM!

A shockwave erupted across the platform. Wind scattered violently in all directions, raising dust and forcing some weaker disciples to step back.

But a second later…

Jun Wei flew.

His body was flung backwards like a ragdoll.

He crashed violently to the ground, rolled several meters, and stopped, groaning, arms trembling, unable to get up.

Absolute silence.

Not a breath.

Not a whisper.

Only the wind.

Jun Xiao hadn't moved an inch. His finger was still in his ear, still raised, looking calmly at his cousin sprawled on the ground.

He said with a wide smile:

"What? That's it?"

Before the shock could fully settle, Jun Liang — who had been standing still, dignified, jaw clenched — suddenly leapt.

His figure sliced through the air, clothes snapping in the wind.

He reached his son Jun Wei in an instant, knelt at his side, hands trembling as he touched his torso. His face went pale.

"No… No…"

He quickly checked the arms, ribs, spine, legs.

Everything was broken.

Every bone.

Jun Wei's breathing was weak, his skin already pale. He was unconscious… on the verge of death.

Jun Liang's eyes turned red with rage. His Qi exploded, swirling like a storm around him.

An instant later, he soared into the air, flying straight at Jun Xiao, murder in his hands.

"YOU DARE!!!"

But just as he was about to strike—

A shock slammed into him from the side, sending him rolling back several meters.

Jun Tian had appeared in front of Jun Xiao.

His gaze was sharp as a blade.

Jun Liang rose slowly, breathing hard, eyes bloodshot, shouting:

"Jun Tian!! You're protecting this murderer?! He nearly killed my son!!"

Jun Tian, cold and firm as a pillar:

"You wanted to kill him, Liang. In front of the whole clan. In front of the city. You think no one saw?"

Jun Liang pointed a trembling finger at Jun Xiao.

"Look at your son! He destroyed Wei! He didn't just win — he broke him! He could've stopped!"

Jun Tian was silent for a moment.

Then he replied calmly:

"Maybe. But Wei struck first. And in a duel, there's no room for mercy."

Jun Liang clenched his teeth.

"That's your excuse? He could've killed him! He's only alive because of luck! And you still defend him?!"

Jun Tian took a slow step forward.

"You want me to punish my son because he's stronger than yours? Because he humiliated you?"

"I don't care what you think! All I want is his death. Do you understand me, brother?" Jun Liang said with a chilling glare.

Then suddenly, an extremely tyrannical aura burst forth — it was the aura of Jun Ji, the patriarch of the Jun family. He stepped forward and faced Jun Tian and Jun Xiao.

"Tian. Today, your son has committed an unforgivable sin. As patriarch of the family, the only punishment… is death," said Jun Ji without emotion.

The silence weighed heavily on the jade platform.

Jun Tian's gaze hardened. He instinctively stepped in front of his son, arms slightly outstretched to shield him.

"Father…" he said calmly but firmly, "Jun Wei lost in a fair duel. Everyone saw it. You cannot use patriarchal authority to cover for Jun Liang's weakness."

Patriarch Jun Ji, still as a mountain, stared coldly.

"Weakness or not, your son acted with excessive savagery. He could have stopped. He chose to kill. He's a threat to the clan's balance. He must be eliminated."

"That's false!" Jun Tian shouted, stepping forward. "He only responded to an attack! If he had held back, he'd be the one half-dead right now!"

But Jun Ji turned his gaze away, uninterested.

Moments later, several figures appeared around the patriarch. The Jun clan elders — robes billowing in the wind, faces grim — silently took his side.

Then Chen Ying, the clan steward chief, stepped forward, his gaze sharp and dry.

"Patriarch, the execution order must be immediate. Otherwise, the clan's authority itself falters."

Jun Ji raised his hand.

"So be it. Execute Jun Xiao."

A chill ran through the crowd.

But Jun Xiao hadn't moved.

He stood, hands clasped behind his back, gaze serene — almost amused.

"Insects."

He watched them as if observing ants debating their fate, unaware they were already dead.

"Do you truly believe you can judge a dragon while you barely know how to crawl?"

His gaze swept across the elders, Chen Ying, his grandfather… and finally, Jun Liang.

He was waiting.

Waiting for this moment.

A moment later, Jun Ji stepped forward.

His Qi exploded.

The air vibrated under the pressure. The sky seemed to dim slightly. Those present felt their breath freeze in their chests.

"Tian. Will you still defend him?" Jun Ji asked coldly.

But Jun Tian didn't retreat.

"If he must die, I'll die before him."

Jun Ji no longer hesitated.

He thrust his right hand forward, gathering a golden halo around his fist. A massive force began to gather. Flaming Sun Hammer, yellow-grade, high-rank.

The ground cracked under his feet, his fist a mass of condensed, heated Qi, glowing bright.

In response, Jun Tian summoned a bluish light from his palms. He unleashed the Whirling Wind Palm, yellow-grade, mid-rank, trying to deflect the blow.

The clash of the techniques was violent.

A flash of light burst out, followed by a shockwave that swept across the arena.

BOOM!

Jun Tian was hurled back. He spat a mouthful of blood mid-air, forced to retreat several steps.

He couldn't move anymore.

Jun Ji, without another word, turned toward Jun Xiao.

"Finish him."

Jun Liang, wild-eyed and panting, lunged forward like an arrow.

"DIE, YOU MONSTER!!"

A bright blue aura wrapped around his arm. He launched the Fang of the Subterranean Tiger, a yellow-grade, mid-rank skill, pouring all his Qi into his fist — aiming straight for Jun Xiao's heart.

The ground cracked beneath him.

"STOP!!" screamed Jun Xiao's mother in desperation. She couldn't interfere in such a battle — she could only watch. But to see her son killed before her very eyes — she couldn't bear it.

But just as the attack was about to land…

"Pathetic." Jun Xiao murmured quietly.

He raised a single hand.

Not in urgency.

Not in panic.

Slowly. Almost lazily.

CLACK.

His palm met the Qi-charged fist of Jun Liang.

And in that instant…

The attack vanished.

Like a flame blown out by the wind.

The swirling Qi dispersed.

Jun Liang stood frozen, eyes wide, fist trembling against Jun Xiao's unmoving palm.

A suffocating silence fell.

Jun Xiao lifted his head slightly.

A slow, icy smile stretched across his lips.

"You call that a technique? How pathetic."