Almost in an instant, silence fell. Both Lei Long and the black-clad elder, Ma Dong, were dumbfounded and unable to utter a single word.

It started with Chen Fei's first slap across Ma Dong's face and ended with his second, where he announced his intent and immediately struck again. This time, he showed no mercy, knocking out all the man's teeth in a single blow. The sight was simply unbelievable and utterly terrifying.

Even though the black-clad elder Ma Dong was a Half-Step Innate Powerhouse, and Instructor Lei Long was once a top-tier King of Soldiers, neither could fathom how Chen Fei, a young man barely in his twenties, could have achieved such a level of strength. It was absolutely ridiculous.

What did this mean? It meant Chen Fei's power wasn't just superior; it was completely overwhelming. Ma Dong was a genuine Half-Step Innate from a Noble Family, which could only imply…

"You… you're actually Innate? Impossible! How can this be?" The black-clad elder Ma Dong stared at Chen Fei's youthful features with despair on his face, his heart turning to ash. He truly, truly refused to believe this was real. After all, the Innate Realm wasn't handing out positions like they were common cabbages. How could this be possible?

"Afraid now?" Chen Fei sneered, having heard the terror in the man's voice. But if he was going to be afraid now, he shouldn't have been so arrogant in the first place.

He had already told them. Just a mere Half-Step Innate, and he thought he was hot stuff? Thinking this, Chen Fei couldn't help but feel a bit reflective. If not for his good fortune in receiving the legacy of that expert from the Cultivation World, a Half-Step Innate would have indeed been a terrifying existence to his former self.

But sadly, there were no ifs or buts. In the Cultivation World, a Half-Step Innate wouldn't even count as reaching the Qi Refining Fourth Layer. Someone at that level could be annihilated in droves by a single Spell. This was a perfect example of a frog in a well.

"Chen… Chen Fei, you're actually an Innate Ancient Martial Artist?" Just then, Lei Long couldn't help but speak, his voice trembling. As one of the Deputy Instructors of Flying Leopard, he had a clear understanding of what being an Innate Ancient Martial Artist signified.

Even within their Flying Leopard, a specialized provincial unit spanning the Three Provinces of Lingnan, they only had one Innate Ancient Martial Artist. If the topic was elevated to the national level, Innate Ancient Martial Artists were considered national treasures—the true pillars of the country.

Their numbers could only be described as exceedingly scarce, reaching a staggering ratio of one in several tens of millions.

If such individuals were willing to serve their country, they would be entrusted with immense responsibilities and wield unimaginable power.

Realistically, the youngest of these people Lei Long had ever seen was at least in his seventies or eighties. Yet now, Chen Fei, a man barely in his twenties, had apparently reached such an inhuman realm.

Truth be told, he just didn't believe it. He really, really didn't believe it.

"Heh, the Innate Realm isn't so easily achieved," Chen Fei responded with an ambiguous smile that, to Lei Long's ears, sounded like a denial.

Even so, hearing Chen Fei's 'denial' couldn't completely dissipate the shock in Lei Long's heart, despite the self-comforting sigh of relief he breathed. After all, the black-clad elder Ma Dong was a true Half-Step Innate in his eyes, but look at the state he was in now.

This meant Chen Fei's strength was definitely far greater than Ma Dong's.

At the very least, he was at the Half-Step Innate Peak.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but shake his head with a bitter smile. Comparisons truly were odious. A Half-Step Innate in his twenties… who would believe it if you told them?

"Hey," Chen Fei said, his voice cold and his gaze indifferent as he stared at the elder. "Weren't you going to avenge your Young Lord of the Holy Fire Sect? Don't you enjoy using your Half-Step Innate Realm to bully others? Don't just lie there paralyzed. Get up. We can continue our 'practice session.' If you win, fine. But if you lose, I guarantee you will regret ever showing your face here today."

In truth, he felt his temper was already quite good. He'd often let things slide with a smile if approached gently. The problem was, there were always clueless fools who insisted on pushing his buttons, provoking the ferocity he usually kept hidden deep inside. Weren't they just asking to die? Take this time, for instance. That so-called Holy Fire Sect had demanded he atone with his life and even threatened to exterminate his entire family? To hell with them. Who did they think they were?

"I… you… I…"

Hearing Chen Fei's cold, emotionless voice, the black-clad elder Ma Dong shivered. A cold sweat broke out across his forehead, his face turned pale, his lips went blue, and his entire body trembled with fright.

He wasn't Lei Long. He had been on the receiving end of that fight, so he understood the terror of Chen Fei's strength better than anyone. Half-Step Innate Peak? He refused to believe it. He knew for a fact that someone at that level couldn't possibly be so overwhelmingly powerful as to toss him around like a ragdoll, leaving him completely unable to fight back. So… Innate! The boy had to be an Innate Expert! How was this possible?

The black-clad elder Ma Dong was genuinely petrified by his own thoughts. He simply couldn't imagine how Chen Fei had achieved this at such a young age.

But setting that aside, he was now acutely aware of one thing: the power possessed by this freak of nature, Chen Fei, completely surpassed that of their Holy Fire Sect. If a person like this were to fly into a rage, the consequences were simply… simply too terrifying to contemplate.

THUD!

With that thought, the black-clad elder Ma Dong didn't hesitate to drop to his knees. He even slammed his forehead to the ground, his voice trembling with fear. "S-Sorry! I was blind and failed to recognize your greatness! Please, forgive me this one time! Just this once!"

There was no other choice. There truly was no other way. Only now did he realize how ignorant and laughable the Holy Fire Sect's previous declaration had been. Expecting an Innate Ancient Martial Artist to atone with his life, and even wanting to wipe out his entire family? Please, were they dreaming? As for calling Chen Fei 'senior' despite his own age and status, that too was a necessity. In their circle, the master was whoever was strongest; respect was given to the most powerful. Strength determined who held the power of life and death. This wasn't just some saying; it was the stark reality! It was laughable that he had once imagined Chen Fei begging *him* for mercy. Now, someone was indeed begging for mercy, but it wasn't Chen Fei. It was him. And this wasn't even the most terrifying part. The most terrifying part was that their Holy Fire Sect was likely finished for having offended someone they should never have provoked.

Even his senior martial brother, Junn Yuanyi's own grandfather—the Holy Fire Sect's undisputed strongest Half-Step Innate Ancestor, whose Cultivation had reached the Twelfth Layer of the Perfected Divine Skill of the Holy Fire Token—could not possibly match an Innate Ancient Martial Artist.

This was the Holy Fire Sect's greatest weakness and the reason they were only a second-rate Ancient Martial Arts sect. They were severely limited by their Cultivation Method.

The strongest among them could only reach the Twelve Great Perfections, only attain the Half-Step Innate Peak, but never touch the true Innate Realm.

Hearing the man's plea, Chen Fei responded coldly, "Spare you? Easy for you to say. Wasn't it you who came here demanding I, Chen Fei, atone with my life? Now you want me to spare you? Do you think this is a game?" He was still furious and in no mood for explanations.

Upon hearing these words, the black-robed elder clenched his jaw. Grabbing the Qimen Weapons Sacred Fire Token with his right hand, he swung it straight at his left arm. With a sickening thud, blood sprayed wildly as he instantly chopped off his own arm at the shoulder.

"Se-Senior, it is I, Ma Dong, who was blind and offended you. Please forgive me," he stammered, his face pale and his voice quivering from the act of self-mutilation.

Seeing this, Chen Fei's eyes narrowed. He truly hadn't expected the other party to be so decisive. The man cut off his own arm just because he saw I was still angry?

Noticing Chen Fei's silence, Ma Dong's heart sank into despair, and his face turned ashen.

He was someone who had genuinely come up through the Ancient Martial Arts circle and understood all too well its cruelty, as well as the inviolable prestige of Innate Experts. Now, even after he had cut off his own arm, Chen Fei still seemed unwilling to relent. It was clear he was truly enraged.

Just then, Lei Long, who had been silent, spoke up cautiously, "Chen Fei, could you… could you spare Ma Dong this once for my sake? Although I'm not particularly fond of him, it's undeniable that over the years, he has done a great deal for Flying Leopard—not just for the country, but for the people as well. I don't think his crime warrants death."

"Lei Long, you…"

The black-clad elder Ma Dong looked up in disbelief. He never expected Lei Long to plead on his behalf.

"I never intended to take his life; you all just misunderstood," Chen Fei responded indifferently, then turned his cold gaze back to Ma Dong. "However, there are some things you need to explain to me clearly."

"I understand."

Overjoyed, the elder nodded without hesitation. "This matter was instigated by my senior martial brother, Jun Duanshan. Junn Yuanyi isn't just his one and only beloved grandson; he is also the most outstanding talent of the Holy Fire Sect's younger generation. In twenty or thirty years, he was expected to become the pillar of our sect and rejuvenate our line!"

He paused before continuing, "But now… now that you, Senior, have severed Junn Yuanyi's arm, his vitality has been gravely wounded. He might never again be known as a prodigy. This is the true reason my senior martial brother Jun Duanshan, and indeed the entire Holy Fire Sect, are so enraged."

Chen Fei frowned, immediately grasping the implication.

By severing Junn Yuanyi's arm, he had severely damaged his vitality and potentially stripped him of his status as a prodigy. It was equivalent to destroying his foundation. No wonder the Holy Fire Sect was so enraged, demanding he atone with his life and even threatening to wipe out his entire family.

"Continue," Chen Fei said, his brow furrowed.

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