"Can you stop this crap?"
Zhixian's sudden loud shout, filled with extreme anger, drew the entire crowd's attention. Even Elder Murong and Huang Yue were stunned as they turned to look at the youth who appeared out of nowhere.
"Splurt!"
"Y-You..."
And the one who was slapped and flung across the entire hall to a corner splurted another mouthful of blood while pointing his finger at Zhixian.
Xiao Chen couldn't understand why he was getting slapped out of nowhere. He was this close to finishing his grand speech, setting a roadway for his rise, which immediately came crumbling down with that fierce slap he got.
"Chen'er!"
The Clan Leader, Xiao Heng, once again ran to Xiao Chen to check on his injuries.
Poor soul!
After finding that only his face was swollen like a pig's head and there was no serious injury, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Zhixian with cold eyes.
"Why did you slap him out of nowhere? Is this how you show camaraderie between clan members?"
While speaking, he unleashed his aura, fiercely pressing against Zhixian in anger.
'Look at his hypocrisy. Wasn't he the one who just berated Elder Murong for the same offense?'
Feeling the fierce aura heading in his direction, Zhixian rolled his eyes. But, even when facing an Essence-Forging Realm expert, there was no fear in his face.
"Xiao Heng, didn't I say not to show off your power to your own clan members?"
Sure enough, how could Grand Elder Baizhen remain silent after seeing Zhixian getting into trouble? He immediately stepped between the two, causing the fierce spiritual pressure to dissipate.
"Grand Elder, didn't you see what he did to my Chen'er?"
But Xiao Heng wasn't going to let it go so easily this time.
After all, he was still the Clan Leader of the Xiao family and had some power. Not to mention, his sudden increase in realm to Essence Forging had made his courage even stronger.
Seeing that his grandfather and the Clan Leader were arguing, Zhixian was about to say something when, suddenly, a crisp sound accompanied by a faint ethereal light in his mind caught him off guard.
[Your solid slap to the budding Protagonist was delightful.]
[Congratulations! You gained 100 Antagonist Points.]
[Congratulations! The conditions for activation of the system have been met. Using the available points for initiation.]
[System Initialization complete!]
[Welcome to the Antagonist System! This system is dedicated to making you the strongest Antagonist in this universe.]
'System?'
Hearing the sudden, inexplicable prompt in his mind, Zhixian was stunned.
'I have a system?'
He repeated again since he was truly dumbfounded. After all, he had already abandoned all delusions of having a golden finger after struggling for five years in this world.
But now, suddenly receiving a system just because he slapped that bastard Xiao Chen felt surreal.
He even unconsciously looked in Xiao Chen's direction, as if considering whether he should slap him a few more times.
"If I don't punish him for his impudence, what will others think of my Xiao Clan? Won't we become a laughing stock?"
Zhixian was trying to process the sudden prompt in his mind when he heard the Clan Leader's rude words in front, bringing his attention back.
'Forget it. I'll look into it after this incident.'
Seeing that this wasn't the place to lose his focus, he stopped thinking. Instead, he looked at Xiao Heng with newfound confidence, then said sarcastically,
"Clan Leader, didn't you say that the youngsters should handle their affairs themselves? Wouldn't defending him like this make him even weaker? What if he encounters a Heart Demon because of this?"
Zhixian's words were sharp, throwing Xiao Heng's own reasoning back at him, leaving him speechless.
Even Grand Elder Baizhen twitched the corner of his mouth, wondering when Zhixian had become so good at talking.
"You... you have no respect for your elders at all."
Xiao Heng was, of course, caught off guard, as that was the very excuse he had used to stop Grand Elder Baizhen from interfering earlier.
'Elder, my foot.'
Zhixian cursed the stupid old man in his heart.
Was he made of clay so that he wouldn't feel anger?
This brain-dead duo of father and son was hell-bent on offending a First-Class Sect for nothing.
After transmigrating into this world, Zhixian already understood that this was a dog-eat-dog world, where the strong always had the final say.
Moreover, strong sects like the Crimson Blade valued their reputation above all else.
Although they appeared amiable and friendly on the surface, if someone dared to criticize them, they would show exactly why they were called Crimson Blade.
The crimson on their swords surely wasn't from slaying chickens.
So, when Xiao Chen directly called them a Broken First-Rate Sect right to Elder Murong's face, Zhixian could no longer sit still.
'Why did he have to be that kind of protagonist?'
Zhixian thought bitterly as he was now sure—this guy was the exact kind of protagonist he hated the most in his previous life.
An arrogant, self-centered, and, more importantly, a sacrificial protagonist who needed to see the blood of his relatives for his so-called character development.
And Zhixian had no intention of becoming fuel for his growth.
'Fortunately, I awaken the System, otherwise.' He thought in dread.
"Ugh… Father, he is right. Let the young people handle their matters themselves."
Xiao Heng was about to berate Zhixian again when he suddenly heard Xiao Chen's voice from behind. The bastard had already gotten up from the ground.
Other things aside, his ability to take a hit seems impressive enough.
"Chen'er, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Don't mind me."
Xiao Chen answered his father, then slowly walked towards Zhixian, looked at him, and asked,
"Just like you said, young people should handle their matters themselves. But isn't attacking sneakily despicable? That too, on your own clan brother?"
Like father, like son. Zhixian was really speechless at how both of them only knew how to morally trap someone.
"Cut this crap, Xiao Chen. Let me ask you something. Do you know what you did wrong just now?"
Since his grandpa was in front, shielding him, Zhixian immediately got to the point. He didn't want to waste his time anymore.
So he asked sharply, hoping that Xiao Chen would come to his senses.
Stupidity had to have some limits, right?
"What did I do wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Am I the one who was going to cancel the engagement?"
But it seemed not, as Xiao Chen became more enraged after hearing his words instead.
"Am I the one who looked down on someone just because he appeared weak? Am I the one who constantly ridiculed his own clan member?"
"Really, what did I do wrong? Or is it just because they are from a First-Class Sect, I can't even defend myself? Is that what you wanted to say?"
From his piercing glare and unshaken stance, he truly looked like someone desperately seeking justice for the pain he had endured.
Even the crowd around them, along with the other Xiao family elders and members, fell silent at his words, while Elder Murong's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and Huang Yue lightly bit her red lips, feeling wronged.
'This guy...'
Now Zhixian was more and more certain what kind of protagonist this guy was.
And he also realized that being on the opposite end of it felt like a massive pain in the ass.
"So you don't know what you did wrong?"
But Zhixian wasn't like his grandfather, who could be swayed by emotions, nor was he as stupid as the Clan Leader.
He just didn't want someone to drag his clan into the gutter.
After all, no matter what, this world and this family were now his new reality, which he had already accepted.
Him now realizing that he was inside some kind of plot and the awakening of a System could change nothing.
"Chen'er, you went a bit too far just now in the heat of the moment. Why don't you just apologize and let this matter rest? Is it good to become a spectacle like this?"
Grand Elder Baizhen, who had remained silent all this time, finally stepped in to mediate the situation, as even he felt that Xiao Chen had gone too far.
"No, I did nothing wrong."
But was Xiao Chen someone who listened? Of course not. Instead, he looked at Zhixian and lectured,
"Zhixian, I know you love this clan. So, can you really watch your own clan member get bullied like this? That too, on your grandfather's 100th birthday?"
"How can you remain silent and just let her trample on our dignity? This bitch Huang Yue used to play with us in childhood all the time."
"Now that she has some talent, she's grown horns and came here to ridicule us on this joyous occasion—that bullshit First-Rate Se— Ugh!"
"Bang!"
"Splurt!"
"Enough is enough, you stupid piece of shit. Your IQ is as low as your father's. Don't drag my clan into this."