Clan Building System: I'm not the Protagonist?!

Fang Yuan didn't hesitate.

"I accept the challenge," he said.

And then, just as everyone braced for formality and tradition.

He offered the most outrageous counterproposal.

"Uncle," Fang Yuan said casually, "since you're the senior... and also the older one..."

A pause.

Somewhere off in the corner, Elder He Song nearly choked on his wine and hacked into his sleeve, drawing a few startled glances.

Fang Wei's eyes narrowed, his tone clipped. "Cousin, what is it you're trying to say? There's no need for veiled insults after you've already accepted the Rite of Challenge."

But Fang Yuan only tilted his head and offered a smile so polite it was practically mocking.

"Well, as the one receiving the challenge," he said, "don't I have the right to set the rules?"

He turned toward the Crown Prince, asking not out of doubt but to make the entire courtyard hear it.

The Crown Prince, still playing his role as the amused observer, returned the smile. "Teacher Ian?"

Teacher Ian gave a knowing nod. "It is customary, Your Highness. The challenged may set the terms, so long as they do not contradict ancestral rites."

The Crown Prince smiled and turned to Fang Yuan. "Well then, I wish to see what the great Fang Clan Head has to propose."

Fang Yuan grinned and turned to his side. "Aunt Jingyi," he said, holding out the ornate gift box he'd been carrying all this while.

"Would you mind keeping this safe for me? A token from the Crown Prince."

He didn't know if it held something or nothing.

Either way… in his mind, it was just another scapegoat—like the gift from the Divine Ice Sect.

Elder Jingyi took the box without a word.

Fang Yuan's grin widened as he turned to face Fang Wei once more.

"So, here's my rule," he said, his voice loud and clear. "Uncle, I'll let you strike me three times. If I don't move a single step after those three attacks, I'll return the favor with just one strike."

He paused, letting the silence stretch before finishing:

"We'll repeat this—one of us striking, the other standing still—until someone takes a step after being hit. Movement during the attack is allowed, but if you move while receiving a blow… you lose."

The words struck the courtyard like a thrown stone hitting still water as everyone stilled.

Mouths dropped open. Murmurs flared. Even the wind seemed to pause.

Fang Wei stared at him, visibly taken aback. "Cousin," he said slowly, "are you looking down on me?"

Fang Yuan shook his head lightly, his tone still playful. "Actually… quite the opposite. I hold you in such high regard, I'm giving you every advantage. Oh and to sweeten the deal…"

His eyes sparkled with amusement. "You may use a berserk potion. I won't use anything. If I do, I'll consider it an automatic defeat."

Gasps erupted.

Elder Moyin stood, face paling. "That's suicide!"

"Is he serious?"

"He must be bluffing—"

But Fang Yuan's smile remained steady, unfazed by the mounting disbelief.

The Crown Prince chuckled under his breath.

"Interesting," he murmured.

But it was Matriarch Lin Xi who drew the most attention.

She stood, her robes flowing like mist, her expression unreadable.

Then, in front of all four great family heads, she bowed slightly toward Fang Yuan.

"Clan Head Fang Yuan," she said, her voice like still water over steel, "the Lin Pavilion recognizes your strength and believes in your swift victory."

Her words fell like a hammer.

The entire courtyard was stunned.

Zhao Ming frowned. Wu Shun's jaw tightened. Even He Long shifted in his seat, eyes narrowing.

They had all made a tacit agreement to pressure the Fang Family to squeeze a share of the Spirit Pond out of them through soft force.

And now Lin Xi Pavilion… had just backed out.

No explanation. No warning.

Just open support.

The other clan heads stared at her in disbelief, but Matriarch Lin Xi simply returned to her seat and resumed sipping her tea—unhurried, serene.

Fang Wei's expression twisted ever so slightly. He understood what had just happened.

She had made her move not in confidence, but because he hesitated.

And she had bet on Fang Yuan instead.

He clenched his jaw.

"You're serious, then?" he asked. "I can use the berserk potion… and you won't?"

Fang Yuan nodded cheerfully. "That's the rule I made. And if I break it, I lose. Simple."

The grin he wore now was sharper than any blade. His entire posture relaxed, as if he'd already won.

The pressure shifted subtly but unmistakably.

For the first time, Fang Wei felt it: hesitation in the crowd, uncertainty among his allies.

If he refused now, he would look weak.

Cowardly. Even Elder Guo was glancing sideways, sensing the shift.

Fang Wei gritted his teeth.

"…I accept."

Fang Yuan stepped forward without hesitation, settling calmly into his stance.

He clasped his hands behind his back, his posture relaxed, almost inviting.

With an easy smile, he looked at his uncle and said, "Here. My stomach is wide open."

Gasps rippled through the courtyard.

A few elders burst into mocking laughter.

"Haha! Is this his strategy? To surrender through arrogance?"

"Foolish bravado," another scoffed. "He's asking to be crippled!"

Even the guests from the other families chuckled, thinking it a show of pride before the fall.

But not everyone laughed.

Elder Fang Guo stared at the scene in silence, brows furrowed.

Something about Fang Yuan's demeanor—it didn't feel like desperation.

It felt like control.

Like he had been orchestrating the tempo from the start.

No. He shook his head. That's impossible. It has to be.

Meanwhile, Fang Wei's expression twisted into fury.

Since his breakthrough, Fang Wei had been bowed to, praised, feared. In every room, his name carried weight.

But now he was being mocked and dismissed by a mere junior!

And it was none other that this nephew!

This boy stood there, hands behind his back, smiling.

Mocking.

Disrespecting everything he had earned.

A cold rage surged through him.

Without a word, Fang Wei uncorked a small flask and downed the berserk potion in one motion.

His spiritual energy erupted like a wildfire, his veins pulsing, eyes burning crimson with power.

Then he shouted: "Golden Punch!"

With a roar, he launched himself forward like a cannonball, fist blazing with golden light as he aimed straight for Fang Yuan's head.

The ground cracked beneath his feet from the force of the charge.

The air screamed with pressure.