Once again, a wave of water crashed down. One person was slammed to the ground, landing face-first in the mud. Another, however, effortlessly advanced a rank. Gazing at Qin Hao, who stood rooted to the spot with a look of joy and disbelief, countless onlookers were green with envy. Just yesterday, this young Taoist priest was Eighth-Rank, but now he had stepped into the Tenth Rank. A twenty-three-year-old Tenth-Rank Fist Master!

"No, no..." For Fan Zhenkun, this was an unprecedented humiliation. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on Qin Hao, jealousy exploding within him as his heart threatened to shatter. He was overcome with grief and a suffocating sense of injustice. Why? Just why?!

Chen Yang clapped. It was only because Qin Hao's foundation was so profound that he was able to help him jump two ranks without causing any fundamental harm. Such a feat could likely not be replicated on anyone else.

"Well, kid? What do you have to say for yourself now?" Yang Hu sneered.

HUFF! HUFF! Fan Zhenkun gasped for air, his expression twisting. The stares from the crowd felt like daggers in his back, making every second an agony. Could I really be inferior to that young Taoist? Growing up, he had always basked in praise and flattery, destined to one day shine with dazzling brilliance and elevate the Fan Family to new heights. But now...

As the saying goes, comparisons are odious. At this moment, he felt as if he'd been stripped bare for all the world to see. The humiliation was unbearable.

"I won't accept this!" Fan Zhenkun roared with all his might. "You were the one who sent that wave! How can outsiders know if you were being selective or showing favoritism?!"

Chen Yang paused, taken aback, then shook his head in resignation.

"My talent is exceptional—that's plain for all to see! How could I possibly lose to some stinking Taoist priest?" Fan Zhenkun bellowed, his eyes bloodshot with fury. "But you! You gave him one opportunity after another while ignoring my existence! How can you expect anyone to accept that? And why won't you show yourself? Why must you insist on acting like some aloof, grand master?"

SLAP!

Chen Yang raised his hand, and a resounding slap flew across the distance to strike Fan Zhenkun's face.

"If a sharp tongue were all that mattered, what would be the point of fists?" Yang Hu mocked, turning the boat to leave.

"Don't you dare leave!" Fan Zhenkun hollered, clutching his face. "Give me a fortuitous opportunity, and in less than five years, I swear I will bring glory to you, Lord Yang!"

His voice was hysterical yet forceful, brimming with confidence. To the onlookers, however, he just seemed to be throwing an unreasonable tantrum.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Yang Hu shot back. "My Boss doesn't need someone like you to bring him glory! Besides, the opportunity was given to you, but you were too damn useless to seize it! And you still have the gall to talk about your 'exceptional talent'? I'm embarrassed for you!"

Yang Hu couldn't stand it anymore. Is this little piece of trash out of his mind?

Fan Zhenkun was rendered speechless for a moment before gritting his teeth and persisting, "I've already asked for it myself. By all rights, you should grant me an opportunity, shouldn't you?"

Yang Hu was dumbfounded. Why is he so clingy, like a shrew?

Seeing the small skiff about to disappear into the clouds and mist, Fan Zhenkun charged forward like a madman. "Some top expert Lord Yang is!" he roared. "With character like this, you're nothing but a fraud living off an empty reputation! I, Fan Zhenkun, look down on you!"

WHOOSH!

Waves rose from a windless river. A monstrous wave surged upstream, crashed onto the bank, and slammed into Fan Zhenkun, sending him flying seven or eight meters before he smashed hard onto the ground. He was a pathetic sight, utterly disheveled.

"You should at least have some basic decency," Chen Yang's voice echoed slowly across the river's surface.

"AHHH!" Fan Zhenkun roared madly, scrambling forward on his knees. "Please, I beg you! Grant me an opportunity! I'm begging you! I'm kowtowing to you, isn't that enough?"

The crowd was stunned. Just moments ago, this man had been full of swagger, looking down on everyone with an arrogance that could pierce the heavens. And now he was on his knees, begging? The sheer shamelessness was off the charts.

However, the lone skiff continued to move away, eventually disappearing into the thick, misty rain.

When the crowd came back to their senses, they looked at Fan Zhenkun, who was still prostrated on the ground, his eyes burning with such furious resentment they seemed about to split. One by one, they sighed. The man was a pitiable sight, likely suffering a fate worse than death.

「On Xuanling Island」

Fan Haijun and all the members of the Fan Family were ashen-faced, their eyes filled with utter terror, resentment, and humiliation. Fan Zhenkun's talent is outstanding, so why did he have to meet such an end? It was bad enough to be denied an opportunity, but to then publicly gift Qin Hao two entire ranks of cultivation... Was this a deliberate, calculated humiliation?

"The strong bullying the weak! Your character doesn't match your station! You're a fraud masquerading as a master! No matter how powerful you are, I, Fan Haijun, still look down on you!" Fan Haijun shouted venomously, glaring in the direction Chen Yang had disappeared.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Qin Yan sneered. "As if you're qualified to look down on the esteemed Lord Yang. Besides, Lord Yang isn't even thirty years old. How is that 'the strong bullying the weak'?"

Fan Haijun was speechless. Not even thirty? How... how is that possible?

Qin Yan looked up, his voice tinged with emotion. "He came to my Qin Family for a banquet just yesterday. He's actually a few years younger than me. Now he... he is the one with truly exceptional talent."

A deathly silence fell over the banks of the Lingjin River, leaving only the sound of waves lapping against the shore. This Lord Yang... he's really that young.

「Back on the shore.」

Fan Zhenkun staggered along, completely devastated, like a walking corpse. The encounter had undoubtedly cast him down from the heavens into the depths of hell. The sheer shock of it all nearly caused him to faint several times, leaving him in a state worse than death.

Qin Lie, however, was preoccupied with other questions. Why did Lord Yang appear on Qiyun Road and at my birthday banquet? Was he merely passing through, or did he have a specific purpose? And what about those warships in the distance? If they were really just here for training exercises, why haven't they made a move? Or could it be as the old Taoist from Lingxiao Observatory said—that they have another agenda? Although these matters seemed to have nothing to do with me right now, I can't shake this heavy feeling in my heart, as if a dark cloud is gathering.

「Around noon.」

News from the Qin Royal Family sent shockwaves through Qiyun Road. The Qin Family was arranging marriages for two of its younger members: Qin Qiu and Qin Mo.

The pool of candidates was not limited to Qiyun Road; major families from outside the city were also invited to participate. At once, the whole of Lingjin City was thrown into an uproar. This was the Qin Royal Family, after all!

To marry into such a family... one's future prospects were self-evident. As the saying goes, proximity grants advantage. The major families native to Lingjin City acted immediately, dispatching representatives to the Qin Family to discuss the matrimonial alliance.

However, Li Changqing, the eldest son of Qiyun Road's Li Family, publicly declared, "Qin Qiu is mine. Anyone who dares to make a move on her will have to go through me, Li Changqing."

His declaration was incredibly domineering and intimidated quite a few people. Yet, others openly issued a challenge, claiming that who she ultimately ended up with would be a matter of individual merit.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.