"Hey, buddy, is this switchblade of yours a toy? Why did it bend the moment I touched it?"

Just then, Chen Fei, who had been standing in the crowd, suddenly stepped forward. With his right hand, he gripped the switchblade and bent it with a gentle twist. This left the sleazy, pockmarked man utterly dumbfounded and shocked, an uncontrollable fear surfacing in his eyes.

He was the one who had brought the weapon out; of course, he knew it was real. It was made of metal, after all. To think it could be bent so easily—how much strength would that take?

The sleazy, pockmarked man felt a cold chill shoot up his spine, not daring to think about it any further.

"This young man..."

Meanwhile, an elderly man with a full head of silver hair, seated in the back of the bus, witnessed Chen Fei's action. A keen light instantly flashed in his cloudy eyes.

"So it was just a toy! How dare you try to scare us! You're asking for it! Come on, everyone, grab him and take him to the police station!" The previously frightened passengers now swarmed forward, pinning the sleazy, pockmarked man to the ground as they shouted with righteous bravado. They hadn't thought too deeply about it, assuming the switchblade was indeed a toy.

Seeing this, Chen Fei simply shook his head and smiled before getting off the bus. They were already in the city, where taxis were plentiful, so he decided he might as well take a cab.

After seeing Chen Fei alight, the silver-haired elder's cloudy eyes flashed, and he also stood up to follow Chen Fei off the bus.

Although Chen Fei noticed the silver-haired elder's actions, he paid them no mind. He stood by the roadside, preparing to hail a taxi to the commercial street.

"Young man, you're a martial artist too, aren't you?" suddenly, the silver-haired elder approached with a smile.

"And you are?" Chen Fei was somewhat surprised, unsure of the old man's intentions.

"Let's dispense with the pleasantries. Let's exchange a few moves. Watch out!" Without another word, the silver-haired elder attacked. He clenched his hand into a fist, his entire being radiating the aura of a pouncing tiger. His punch was powerful, flowing seamlessly as he lunged at Chen Fei.

"Eight Trigrams Palm?"

Chen Fei narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected this old man to be a practitioner of the Eight Trigrams Palm, and with considerable skill at that. His style blended hardness and softness, reaching at least the level of a peak Second Rate Expert.

However, he could see the man was holding back. He wasn't using lethal force and was ready to retract his powerful strike at any moment, clearly showing no ill intent. The old man must have seen him act on the bus and, feeling the itch to practice, couldn't resist a friendly spar.

At this thought, Chen Fei recalled the information his master had once told him about the lineage of the Eight Trigrams Palm.

Supposedly, there are two origin stories for the Eight Trigrams Palm. One claims it began to be taught during the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty, with skilled practitioners like Meng Er and his nephew Zhang Bailu from Shandong, Zhang Guangxue from Hebei's Shen County, Liu Yu from Raoyang, and Guo Luoyun and Xu Baozhan from Guan County. There were twenty-four main routines, divided into upper, middle, and lower levels.

The other theory is that the Eight Trigrams Palm was created by the grandmaster Dong Haichuan, originating from Martial Shaolin.

"That's right, young man. You have a sharp eye. This routine is indeed the Eight Trigrams Palm. Don't worry, I just felt a sudden itch to practice. If you can't defend yourself, I'll stop immediately. I won't hurt you," the elderly man said with the confident demeanor of a senior, clearly sure of his own abilities.

"Elder, don't be so certain of your victory," Chen Fei replied with a smile. He suddenly made his move, his fist striking with the essence of Xingyi Fist—direct and advancing, attacking even while moving. He was like a bursting dam on the Yellow River, his entire aura instantly becoming as fierce as a lion or tiger.

BANG!

A dull boom exploded through the air as their fists collided. The silver-haired elder's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected Chen Fei's power to be so terrifying. His body was sent flying backward, and he only managed to stop after staggering back several steps.

"That's Xingyi Fist, and you possess Overt Energy! I never imagined someone so young could reach this realm." After steadying himself, the silver-haired elder stared at Chen Fei in utter shock, amazed that such a young man had managed to cultivate Overt Energy.

In today's Martial Forest, the ranks from weakest to strongest were: Unranked, Third Tier Expert, Second Rate Expert, First-Class Master, and Innate.

Although the ranks were structured this way, the reality was that throughout the entire country's Martial Forest, it was exceedingly difficult to find even a single First-Class Master in an entire province, let alone an Innate expert. The only exceptions were the Ancient Martial Arts Noble Families with their unimaginably deep foundations built over hundreds of years.

Even he himself, who began his training at eight and studied under a famous master at twelve, was only a peak Second Rate Expert after sixty years. He had been stuck at this level for nearly two decades, unable to make any progress.

Yet now, a young man in his twenties had reached the same level as an old-timer like him—the pinnacle of a Second Rate Expert. How could he not be astonished?

Possessing Overt Energy was the mark of a Second Rate Expert, while possessing Dark Energy was the sign of a First-Class Master.

"Young... Fellow Daoist, may I ask your name and which school you hail from?" the silver-haired elder asked carefully, his cloudy eyes filled with immense shock and awe.

He no longer dared to call Chen Fei 'young man,' addressing him as a peer instead. After all, the young man's strength was no weaker than his own, and with his youth came boundless potential.

"You're too kind, Elder. My name is Chen Fei," he said with a smile. "As for my master and sect, it's inconvenient to disclose. I hope you can understand." Chen Fei was telling the truth. Although his master was now an Innate expert with a likely extraordinary background, he was currently living in seclusion, so it was best not to reveal his identity.

"I was being presumptuous," the old man said, introducing himself with a deep breath. "My surname is Dong. Daoist Chen, our meeting must be fate. Why don't you join me at my home for lunch? A few of my unworthy descendants happen to be there. I could introduce you."

Chen Fei's eyes narrowed. The elder knew the extent of his strength, yet still extended such an invitation. Clearly, the 'unworthy' descendants he mentioned were anything but. They were likely quite successful and influential.

Still, he shook his head and smiled politely. "Elder Dong, I appreciate the kind offer, but I have other plans for lunch. Perhaps another time."

Just then, a taxi pulled over. Chen Fei waved to the elder, got in, and left.

"Since Daoist Chen is busy, it is a pity. Until next time, Daoist Chen," the silver-haired elder said with a regretful expression, not pressing the matter further.

"Damn it! I forgot to get his phone number!" But the next moment, the silver-haired elder cursed in frustration, realizing his mistake.

Although he knew Chen Fei's name, Northern Mountain City wasn't so large, yet not so small either. Finding someone with just a name would be nearly impossible.

Ah, I'm getting senile, forgetting something so important. I suppose I can only ask Wen Cheng for help, but can he even do anything here all the way from Tongzhou City? No, that won't work. What if Daoist Chen dislikes people snooping around and finds out? That would only make things worse. Ah, look at my muddled brain. What should I do? the silver-haired elder muttered to himself in distress before hailing a taxi and leaving.

「Meanwhile」

Chen Fei took a taxi to the commercial street and pulled out his phone to call Murong Shan. "Hello, Murong Shan? It's me, Chen Fei. I'm here."

"Oh, you've arrived? Just wait there for a moment, I'll be right over." A sweet, bell-like voice replied before Murong Shan hung up.

And so, Chen Fei waited on the commercial street for about seven or eight minutes. He soon saw a portly, middle-aged man strutting about, arm-in-arm with a woman in black. The man wore a smug expression, basking in the envious gazes of the crowd.

It was likely just another classic scene of a rich man showing off his mistress on a shopping trip.

It had to be said, while the woman's face was unremarkable, her figure was quite impressive. Not only was she well-endowed, but she also carried herself with the arrogance of a swan. She only dropped the facade to reveal an fawning demeanor for the portly man, cooing and pouting into his ear.

"Tsk, another fine flower trampled by a pig. What a waste!" a nearby student muttered in anguish. He was clearly indignant that such a beautiful woman was being kept by a paunchy, middle-aged man—a classic case of sour grapes.

"Hmph!"

"What are you two whispering about? Don't think I didn't hear you. You're young, but you can't seem to keep your mouths shut. Which school are you from? Did your teachers fail to educate you properly? Do I need to teach you a lesson for them?"

The portly man had overheard and strode over, unleashing an impolite tirade. Unluckily for Chen Fei, he was mistaken for the loudmouthed student's classmate and got caught in the crossfire.

"Sorry, this has nothing to do with me. I don't know him," Chen Fei said, trying to make it clear that he wasn't involved.

The portly man hadn't even spoken when the woman in black beside him launched into a tirade, her face an ugly mask of borrowed authority. "What's with your attitude? Shirking responsibility at your age! Do you have any idea who you're standing in front of? This is Bureau Wang from the Minghui District Education Bureau! Keep being so rude, and believe me, Bureau Wang can make one call to your school and have you kicked out! You won't even be able to graduate!"

Buoyed by his companion's fawning praise, the portly man felt like he was on cloud nine. He adopted a leader-like air and began to lecture Chen Fei. "Young man, which school are you from? To learn to shirk responsibility at such a young age… If you do something, you should admit your mistake. Look at this other student; he knows how to earnestly reflect on his errors. To know your mistakes and correct them is a great virtue. Now that's a good student."

The 'good student' he was referring to was, of course, the one with the big mouth.

As soon as that student heard that the portly man was the director of the Minghui District Education Bureau, his legs turned to jelly with fright, and he began to apologize profusely.

The center of Northern Mountain City had three main districts: Minghui District, Silver Beach Area, and Jinliang District.

Minghui District was precisely where his university was located.

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