WHOOSH!

Steward Hong landed beside the three blue-clad martial artists and examined their injuries. His face immediately darkened. Glancing up at Luo Feng, hatred flared in Steward Hong's eyes, burning as fiercely as a fire.

"Boy, you won't leave Dayang City alive today!"

Luo Feng had incapacitated three men right before his eyes and in front of so many people. This was not just a slap to Steward Hong's face, but also a direct affront to the honor of the Ye family of Dayang City!

Sensing the burning anger emanating from Steward Hong, the expressions of the surrounding people subtly changed. They turned their gazes to Luo Feng, curious to see how he would respond to Steward Hong, an expert at the early stage of the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm.

Luo Feng, however, paid him no mind. His expression remained unchanged as he said, "Whether I can leave alive or not, I'm afraid you don't have the authority to decide."

Steward Hong snorted coldly. A powerful aura burst forth from him, forcing the surrounding crowd to involuntarily retreat. "Arrogant! Boy, I, Hong Yuan, will kill you as easily as slaughtering chickens and dogs. Die!"

WHOOSH!

As his words fell, a chilling aura emanated from him, and he lunged at Luo Feng with a palm strike.

CRACK!

A Yuan Qi Palm solidified in front of Steward Hong. Wherever it passed, a layer of frost immediately coated the air!

Luo Feng stood firm, his gaze calm. An invisible force enveloped his body, completely unaffected by the encroaching chilling air.

"Break!"

A round Fist Gang condensed on his fist. Carrying an earth-shattering, intimidating momentum, it whistled out, instantly dispersing the oppressive cold that had engulfed the street.

BOOM!

The force of his fist slammed heavily into the Yuan Qi Ice Palm, clashing violently.

The frigid Yuan Qi Ice Palm shattered in an instant. Against the terrifying force of the fist, Steward Hong had no power to resist; he was sent flying, spewing blood, and crashed into the street, creating a deep crater.

The entire street fell into an eerie silence. The spectating martial artists were all dumbstruck, their mouths agape.

To send an early-stage Ninth Heavenly Court Realm cultivator like Steward Hong flying and spitting blood with a single punch—what terrifying strength!

"This lad possesses such formidable power," a spear-user inhaled sharply, exclaiming in shock.

Another person beside him said, "So young, yet he defeated Steward Hong with a single punch! I've never seen anyone like him in my entire life!"

"He must be an expert from the Twelve Golden Palaces…"

Awed, the surrounding spectators erupted into discussion.

Steward Hong climbed out of the crater. His blue brocade robe was tattered and stained with blood, making for a pitiful sight.

"Who are you?" Steward Hong stared intently at Luo Feng, his voice laced with malice, a flicker of fear deep in his eyes.

"Get lost!" Luo Feng shot Steward Hong a cold glance. A piercing aura surged from him, and his eyes seemed to flash with faint thunder and lightning.

Confronting Luo Feng's gaze, Steward Hong's face turned deathly pale. He let out a muffled grunt, and another mouthful of blood spurted out as he stumbled several steps backward.

That was no human gaze; it was like two sharp daggers, piercing one's very spirit.

The crowd watched as Steward Hong continuously retreated, their gazes gradually hardening.

Just a single glance made Steward Hong spit blood!

"You… you just wait!" Feeling the eyes of the crowd on him, Steward Hong's face burned with shame. He gritted his teeth, uttered a threat, then turned and fled in disarray.

Luo Feng shook his head, then turned to the middle-aged woman beside him and asked, "Are you two alright?"

Startled back to her senses, the middle-aged woman looked at Luo Feng and shook her head. Suddenly, she dropped to her knees with a thud, saying gratefully, "Thank you, kind sir, for saving my daughter and me! Thank you, thank you! Little Sakura, quickly, thank our benefactor…"

The little girl beside her stared blankly at Luo Feng, her bright eyes filled with a myriad of emotions.

Luo Feng waved his hand, and an invisible force gently lifted the kneeling middle-aged woman. "When encountering injustice, a martial artist has a duty to intervene. There's no need for thanks."

"Young Hero, your skills are profound, and your heart is brave and righteous. It's truly admirable!"

"The Ye family is tyrannical; I've despised their actions for a long time. I had the will but not the strength to oppose them. Today, Young Hero, you taught them a lesson and brought justice for the people!"

The martial artists in the crowd also gathered around, looking at Luo Feng with respect in their eyes.

Someone cautioned, "Young Hero, the Ye family holds considerable power in Dayang City. That Hong Yuan is a lackey of Ye Tang, the Young Master of the Ye family. He's always been arrogant and domineering, and no one dares to cross him. Now that you've humiliated him like this, he definitely won't let it go. You should leave Dayang City as soon as possible."

"Thank you for the warning." Luo Feng cupped his fists in acknowledgment. Although he didn't fear trouble, he didn't want to cause a city-wide uproar either. Turning to the middle-aged woman and her daughter, he said, "You certainly can't stay in Dayang City any longer. I'll escort you out of the city."

The middle-aged woman, also fearing the Ye family, quickly nodded in agreement.

A short while later, Luo Feng escorted the mother and daughter out of the western gate of Dayang City.

"I still have matters to attend to in Dayang City, so I can only escort you this far," Luo Feng said to the middle-aged woman after they passed through the city gate.

"Thank you, Young Hero, thank you..." The middle-aged woman thanked him repeatedly, tears welling in her eyes.

If Luo Feng hadn't intervened in time, she and her daughter would likely be dead.

Luo Feng waved his hand, glanced at the little girl, then took out a silver note and handed it to the middle-aged woman.

"This is one thousand Liang of silver. Take it and start a small business. It should be enough to support the two of you."

"This..." The middle-aged woman hesitated, wanting to say more, but when she looked up, the landscape before her was empty; Luo Feng was nowhere to be seen.

"Little Sakura, remember this well. When you grow up, you must repay our benefactor..." The middle-aged woman carefully tucked away the silver note and said to the little girl beside her.

"Mm," the little girl, her eyes clear, looked towards Dayang City and nodded sensibly.

Luo Feng stood on the city wall of Dayang City, watching the slender figures of the mother and daughter disappear over the horizon, then let out a sigh.

Time to head back to the tavern.

After what had happened, Luo Feng had lost his interest in strolling around. He turned and walked towards the tavern.

***

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ground trembled. By the time Luo Feng returned to the tavern, the street where he had just fought the Ye family martial artists was reverberating with thunderous hoofbeats, shaking the entire thoroughfare.

About a dozen riders charged from the other end of the street. Steward Hong, who had fled so wretchedly just moments before, led the group. His eyes were filled with murderous intent as he said to the person beside him, "Young Master, that brat is just ahead!"

Beside Steward Hong rode a stern-faced young man. His razor-sharp gaze fell on Steward Hong, causing the steward to tremble involuntarily.

"Hmph! Useless trash! You couldn't even handle one person and needed me to intervene personally!"

"Young Master, that kid is no ordinary person! Despite his youth, he's already at the mid-stage of the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm, and his Yuan Qi is incredibly profound. He must be an expert from the Twelve Golden Palaces!" Steward Hong's face stiffened, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"An expert from the Twelve Golden Palaces? Could he also be here for the celebration banquet in three days? In that case, I'd like to meet him!" Ye Tang's eyes flashed with a cold light as he snorted.

Steward Hong, ever observant, quickly flattered, "Young Master, you are a dragon among men, already a late-stage Ninth Heavenly Court Realm expert at the age of seventeen. You and Yang Wanyi, a Heaven's favored daughter, are a match made in heaven, a golden couple."

Ye Tang had long coveted Yang Wanyi. Hearing this, he felt pleased but feigned modesty, saying, "This celebration banquet has attracted many young talents. How could the position of Yang Dingtian's son-in-law possibly fall to me?"

Knowing Ye Tang wasn't truly displeased, Steward Hong immediately pressed his advantage, "Young Master, there's no need for such humility. Looking at the entirety of Dayang City, who is qualified to be compared to you? For City Lord Yang Dingtian's selection of a son-in-law this time, it must be you, Young Master!"

Ye Tang, immensely pleased, tugged on his reins. "Let's not discuss that for now. First, let's teach that arrogant whelp a lesson! Daring to run wild in my territory—I'll show him what Ye Tang is capable of!"

The dozen riders galloped like lightning, quickly arriving at the scene of the earlier confrontation.

"Where did that brat go?!" Steward Hong scanned the area but saw no sign of Luo Feng.

Ye Tang frowned and reached out, grabbing at the air.

WHOOSH...

The air violently rushed backward, forming a swirling vortex. The powerful suction force yanked the nearby steamed bun stall owner over.

"Where did the boy who injured my men go? Speak!" Ye Tang demanded in a deep voice, a heavy pressure radiating from him.

Facing the imposing Ye Tang, the steamed bun stall owner trembled uncontrollably. He pointed towards the city gate and stammered, "Young... Young Master Ye, he went towards the city gate. He... he's probably left Dayang City."

"He ran away!" Steward Hong's face darkened, his teeth grinding audibly. He turned to Ye Tang and asked, "Young Master, should we give chase?"

Ye Tang, now solely focused on preparing for the celebration banquet in three days, didn't want to escalate matters. He shook his head. "Forget it. Since he chose to flee, he's nothing more than a coward. He's not worth my effort."

With that, Ye Tang turned his horse and rode off.

Steward Hong stared towards the city gate, murder flashing in his eyes, and snorted, "You damn brat, you better not show your face in Dayang City again, or else..."

Luo Feng returned to the tavern, asked the attendant to change his room, and then closed the door. He had broken through to a new realm just yesterday, and his internal Yuan Qi was still somewhat unsettled. He decided to use these three days to consolidate his cultivation.

Seated cross-legged on his bed, Luo Feng took out Yuan Stones. Focusing his mind and spirit, he began to refine the Yuan Qi within his body. Upon entering the mid-stage of the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm, his meridians, flesh, and bones had become even tougher, and his Yuan Qi absorption speed had further increased. Initially, it was as if a floodgate had opened within his body; the Yuan Qi from the Yuan Stones surged like a torrential river, rushing into his limbs and meridians.

Luo Feng concentrated fully on controlling the Yuan Qi within him, constantly circulating it through the Grand Circulation, expelling impurities, fusing the Yuan Qi, and consolidating his cultivation. For three consecutive days, Luo Feng dedicated all his time, aside from meals, to cultivating in his room, without a moment's pause.

In just three days, he had consumed nearly thirty Yuan Stones!

With the consumption of this massive amount of Yuan Stones, Luo Feng's strength surged dramatically, and his previously unsettled Yuan Qi became completely stable. Now, it was likely that even late-stage Ninth Heavenly Court Realm martial artists could not contend with him. Only a peak Ninth Heavenly Court Realm expert could possibly suppress him.

However, he cultivated the Shocking Thunder Saber Technique, and with the offensive and defensive capabilities of his Dragon Slaughtering Gang Qi and Teng Dragon's Step, even a peak Ninth Heavenly Court Realm martial artist would find it exceedingly difficult to kill him.

In the blink of an eye, the day of Yang Wanyi's celebration banquet arrived.

As dawn broke, Dayang City gradually grew lively, buzzing with the sounds of people.

Three days...

Hearing the clamor from outside, Luo Feng, who was sitting on his bed, opened his eyes. He glanced out the window, changed into a fresh set of clothes, left the tavern, and headed straight for the City Lord Mansion.

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