GULP.

Su Ling swallowed hard. He examined his realm repeatedly, even slapping his own face, fearing this was all just an illusion.

It's really… Eleventh-Rank!

PHEW!

Su Ling's face flushed red in an instant. He became incredibly excited, exhaling sharply.

Just a snap of the fingers raised my cultivation by an entire rank?

Gao Feng was dumbfounded. He turned to stare at Chen Yang, who had his back to him, concentrating on fishing. His eyes narrowed sharply.

This guy… he's downright wicked!

Before he could process it, Su Ling burst into laughter and pointed a finger at Gao Feng. "Come on, fight me! What kind of skill is it to rely on a realm advantage? At the same rank, I'll beat you like a dog!"

Su Ling had been bottling up his frustrations for far too long, and now he had finally found an outlet. His rage erupted. Lifting his Longsword, he pointed it at Gao Feng, his posture arrogant and his eyes glaring as if they would split. "If we were at the same rank, I'd accept defeat and blame only my own lack of skill. But you've been doing nothing but crushing me with your superior realm!"

It's so damn frustrating!

At the same rank, Su Ling was confident he was second to none.

Gao Feng: "..."

The corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably, and his fists clenched tightly. To be honest, he didn't dare fight Su Ling at the same rank. The man had reached Tenth-Rank in his early twenties, a testament to his astounding talent.

"Scared?" Seeing Gao Feng's silence, Su Ling grew even more confident, his voice rising an octave. "Don't have the guts? Then get lost! Disappear from my sight right now!"

"Don't you get cocky!" Gao Feng retorted with a sneer. "Su Ling, are you out of your mind? I have helpers, why should I fight you? Even without the Young Master lifting a finger, the two of us can lay you flat. You're just a mere Eleventh-Rank, what gives you the right to be so arrogant in front of me?"

Now it was Su Ling's turn to be stunned.

That's right. Setting aside Gao Yang over there, Gao Feng still has a Twelfth-Rank Fist Master with him. How can I fight this? The excitement had gone to his head.

At this thought, his soaring fighting spirit was extinguished as if doused by a bucket of cold water, and a chill ran through him.

"You damned cur, weren't you just acting all high and mighty? How come you're cowering now!" Gao Feng sneered, taking a step forward, ready to strike. As for Chen Yang, he was indeed wary of him, but with Gao Yang keeping watch, he didn't need to worry too much.

"Boss..." Su Ling retreated several steps, his eyes pleading with Chen Yang.

SNAP.

Chen Yang snapped his fingers again.

HUM!

Another beam of light poured into the top of Su Ling's head. Instantly, Su Ling broke through another rank, his power surging until it finally settled at Twelfth-Rank.

"This..." Gao Feng's expression changed drastically, his advancing leg freezing in mid-air.

This… this… who on earth is this person? Just by lifting a hand, he can make someone jump two whole ranks in cultivation?

As a member of the Gao Family, he had lived for decades and seen much, but never before had he heard of something so bizarre and utterly shocking.

How is this possible?

Even Gao Yang, who was quietly smoking in the distance, couldn't help but turn his head and squint, his eyes fixed on Chen Yang.

Chen Yang raised his rod and slowly baited the hook. "Go. Vent the anger in your heart."

"You bet!" Still in a daze of excitement and agitation, Su Ling snapped back to his senses. Without another word, he grabbed his Longsword and charged toward Gao Feng, laughing wildly. "Come on! Watch me beat you into a blossom-faced mess today!"

THUD, THUD, THUD.

Gao Feng's face was a mask of horror as he instinctively stumbled backward. In that moment, Su Ling's momentum was overwhelming, like a tidal wave crashing down on him.

BOOM!

With a single downward strike of his sword, Su Ling sent the Twelfth-Rank Fist Master flying like a broken ship tossed in a great wave. Despite being at the same rank, the Fist Master had no chance to fight back!

Scared out of his wits, Gao Feng didn't dare linger. He turned to run, screaming at Gao Yang in the distance, "Young Master! Young Master, save me..."

Su Ling swung his Longsword horizontally, bringing the flat of the blade crashing down onto Gao Feng's right shoulder blade.

BANG!

Gao Feng was slammed to his knees. The floorboards shattered, sending a web of fine, spider-like cracks spreading in all directions.

"Ah..." Gao Feng cried out in pain. His face went slack as his body convulsed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The surrounding diners, who had been waiting for a good show, couldn't help but shudder in horror at the gruesome scene.

"Hmph!"

Finishing his cigarette, Gao Yang sneered and strode over. His presence instantly bolstered Gao Feng's confidence.

"Young Master, you must avenge me!" he shouted. "This damned Su Ling is acting like he owns the place, completely disregarding our Gao Family!"

Gao Yang stood with one hand in his pocket, looking relaxed and at ease, but his eyes were unusually deep and radiated an extraordinary presence. His intense, captivating gaze completely ignored Su Ling and settled on Chen Yang, who was fishing nearby. "Sir, your methods are impressive, but opposing the Gao Family is courting death."

"Su Ling!" Gao Feng fixed his gaze on Su Ling, his eyes seeming to split with rage. "Don't think that our Gao Family will fear you just because you have a backer. You must die today!"

Gao Yang continued, "This is a Gao Family internal affair. What right does an outsider like you have to interfere? Not only did this Su Ling defile my sister, but he also refuses to admit his mistake and shows no respect for the honor of our Gao Family. He deserves to die! By the way, my name is Gao Yang. I'm ranked thirteenth on the Tianwu List."

KERPLUNK.

Chen Yang unhooked the fish he had just caught and released it back into the river. "Since Tingting and Su Ling are in love, even as her elder brother, you have no right to interfere, do you?" he said indifferently. "To attack Su Ling repeatedly is unjustifiable on any grounds."

Gao Yang: "..."

"Go back, and from now on, you are not to trouble Su Ling again." Chen Yang packed up his fishing rod, having lost interest in fishing any longer.

Is he ordering me around?

Gao Yang burst out laughing. "Hahaha! You little brat," he roared, "do you really think you're someone important?"

"Do you dare hit him?" Chen Yang asked Su Ling.

Many of the onlookers were puzzled, but Su Ling knew exactly what Chen Yang meant. Glancing at Gao Yang, a faint smile touched his lips. "Of course I dare! Besides, that guy is asking for a beating!"

"Very well."

As soon as the words left Chen Yang's lips, the atmosphere changed.

BOOM!

An overwhelming aura, carrying a vast and terrifying pressure, instantly filled every corner of the venue. The very world seemed to twist and change color.

Gao Yang, who had been striding forward, suddenly felt an immense force pressing down. His body froze, pinned in place as if a mountain had fallen on him, unable to move a muscle.

"This..." The previously nonchalant Gao Yang's eyes suddenly bulged as if he had seen a ghost. All the color drained from his resolute face, leaving it ashen.

"Who... who exactly are you?" Gao Yang trembled, gritting his teeth as he forced the words out.

"The Tianwu List's thirteenth rank. Is that supposed to be strong?"

Gao Yang: "..."

The Tianwu List selects the top fifty young talents in all of Cangyun City. Thirteenth is incredibly strong! But today…

SMACK!

Excited, Su Ling dragged his Longsword over to Gao Yang. He raised the flat of the blade high and brought it down with a heavy, powerful blow.

"You're asking for it!" Gao Yang's mouth twitched, his eyes practically spitting fire. As Mr. Gao of the Gao Family, a top expert on the Tianwu List, he was being publicly humiliated?

"I truly love Tingting. You tried to break us apart, and I heard you even slapped her several times?" Su Ling tossed his Longsword aside, rolled up his sleeves, and sent a slap across Gao Yang's face.

"What kind of brother are you? What gives you the right to hit her?"

SLAP.

Another heavy slap landed on Gao Yang's face.

"Today, I'm taking it all back, with interest!"

Gao Feng and everyone around watched, their hearts pounding in their chests. This... this was Mr. Gao, being slapped in the face like this...

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.