Shen Lang held out a hand, signaling for his sister to be quiet.
"Whether I got expelled is none of your damn business. Whether Iâm wasting resources is none of your fucking business. Nobody here gives a crap about you, yet youâre still yammering on. Get lost!"
"You..." Shen Fengxiaoâs face turned livid, and he glared venomously at Shen Lang.
The group behind him started clamoring arrogantly, looking like they were ready to throw down at a momentâs notice.
"This piece of trash is acting so arrogant just because he has a few people helping him. Heâs practically courting death!"
"If he didnât have anyone backing him up, heâd probably have pissed his pants in fear by now!"
"If youâve got the guts, stop hiding behind other people..."
Yin Kuangâs eyes widened as he looked from Shen Lang to the chattering group, and then he burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! Brother Lang, youâre just my kind of person! You said everything I was thinking..."
Shen Lang yawned and said lazily, "Hey... Brother Shui, these bastards have been laughing at you for a while now. Donât just stand there. Toss them all in the water. If any of them dare to climb out, just break their legs."
"Haha, alright!" Shui Buyu couldnât have been happier. He was just regretting not having talked to Shen Lang more earlier, while also wondering if he should teach these guys a lesson in front of Shen Moran.
Hearing Shen Langâs words, he let out a wild laugh and charged forward like a wolf among sheep. With a punch and a kick, he sent two of them into the lake.
"Who the hell are you? Donât go too far!" Shen Fengxiao sensed the Momentum emanating from Shui Buyu, and his eyes narrowed, feeling threatened.
But just as he was about to intercept, the tower-like Yin Kuang, without another word, took the Ningbi Sword directly from Shen Moranâs hand and slashed at him!
He was a Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven master, after all, one of the top geniuses in the Shen Family. Being so disrespected on his own turf, Shen Fengxiao was truly enraged. With a flick of his right hand, a green Longsword, radiating a myriad of lights, met Yin Kuangâs strike.
However, the unexpected happened. He had clearly sensed that their auras were of similar strength, but the moment their swords made contact, Shen Fengxiao saw a blinding flash of light. He then felt an unstoppable, immense force travel up from his opponentâs blade...
PFFT!
Shen Fengxiaoâs body shuddered violently. He spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward like a kite with a snapped string, crashing into the crowd behind him and sending them scattering.
"A Profound Artifact!" Having fallen to the ground, Shen Fengxiao wore a look of horror. He gave a bitter laugh. "The disciples of the Great Noble Families are truly impressive. My Spiritual Artifact is merely Spirit Level First Grade, yet you wield a Profound Artifact. I, Shen Fengxiao, admit defeat!"
Even at a time like this, the guy was still trying to save face. The implication was that his opponent had used a Profound Artifact to launch a sneak attack, which was not the act of a true hero.
But he wasnât wrong. He hadnât expected his opponent to possess such a powerful Spiritual Artifact.
He certainly hadnât imagined that the tower-like man would dare to make a killing move right here in the Shen Familyâs territory. Caught off guard, he had suffered a major loss!
And in that short time, the ever-so-refined Shui Buyu had made a real show of himself, his fists and feet flying, making the others cry out in pain.
The guy had fallen into the water twice before and was already full of pent-up anger. Now that so many punching bags had presented themselves, how could he possibly pass up the chance!
Over here, Yin Kuang had only exchanged one move with Shen Fengxiao. Before he could even launch a second, Shui Buyu had already knocked all five of Shen Fengxiaoâs followers into the water.
"Heh heh!"
Yin Kuang listened to Shen Fengxiaoâs words with a cold, silent sneer, but the light from the Longsword in his hand flared up once more.
"Moran! I came here specifically looking for you. The family martial arts competition is in three days. You and I must have a showdown! As for these friends of yours, if they are here as guests, our Shen Family welcomes them. If they want to fight a few rounds with me, I, Shen Fengxiao, am not afraid of anyone!" As he spoke, he took a few steps back.
âAre you kidding me? His opponentâs Cultivation is no weaker than mine, and heâs holding a Profound Artifact, while my own is just a First Grade Spiritual Artifact. The gap is simply incalculable. Fighting an opponent like this is too much of a disadvantage.â
âBesides, the family competition is in three days. If I get seriously injured now, itâll all be over!â
âAlso, I donât even know who these people are. What if, for fuckâs sake, heâs a Prince? Even if I won, Iâd be in deep shit... â
âThis Iron Vajra is immensely strong; heâs clearly not someone to be trifled with... And not just him, even those three women smirking on the side are no pushovers!â
In any case, there was nothing to gain and a lot to lose from this fight. Win or lose, he was already at a disadvantage. Why would Shen Fengxiao still be willing to fight?
"Iâm not interested," Shen Moran coolly spoke three words, then took Shen Langâs arm, preparing to leave.
Shen Lang gently shook his head. "Sis, to put it nicely, this world respects the strong. To put it bluntly, itâs the law of the jungle. You have the strength, but you donât show it. In the eyes of some idiots, that just makes you look like an easy target. Our family hasnât had it easy all these years. Maybe you need to change your way of thinking."
"Hmm?" Shen Moran looked at Shen Lang, slightly startled, her eyes filled with surprise and doubt.
Shen Lang sneered. "When I got home today, I killed a few people in the Shen Family. I was originally prepared for a massacre, but those old geezers in the Shen Family arenât complete idiots; they didnât give me the chance. You donât need to do anything. In three days, at the family martial arts competition, I will take care of these self-proclaimed geniuses one by one... Itâs about time these guys learned that our family is not to be trifled with."
"Heh heh, what big talk!" Shen Fengxiao was so angry he started laughing. "Fine! Since you, Shen Lang, have such guts, then Iâll see you at the competition in three days! Let me see just how much progress a good-for-nothing like you, who doesnât even have a Martial Soul, has made! I will make it so your branch of the family can never hold their heads high again on the familyâs tournament stage!"
"You bastard, youâre courting death!" Yin Kuang roared in anger, raising the Ningbi Sword to charge forward again.
Shen Lang held out a hand to stop him. "This is a matter for our family. Thereâs no need for you brothers to get involved. Youâve come from afar as guests, so just sit back and enjoy the show. In the meantime, Iâll help you all properly upgrade your equipment."
"Ahaha, thatâs great!" Yin Kuang was overjoyed. Zeng Zuimo and the others, who had been quiet until now, also revealed ecstatic expressions.
The few of them had been feeling uneasy just moments ago. Now, finally receiving Shen Langâs promise, they were simply delighted beyond their wildest dreams.
The saying goes, "a promise is worth a thousand gold pieces," and a promise from an Artifact Refining Master like Shen Lang was anything but ordinary!
Originally, their team was considered only mid-tier at Jialan Academy. But if every single person here had a Profound Artifact, the improvement would be monumental!
Before, the most powerful weapon among them was a Third Grade Spiritual Artifact, with Shen Moranâs First Grade Spiritual Artifact holding them back a bit.
But if everyone had a Second or Third Grade Profound Artifact...
Just the thought of it was exhilarating!
"I never thought Iâd get to see such a lively scene at Moranâs family home. Excellent! Little brother, weâve got your back. In three days, let us see how you deal with these guys... Hmph, what a pathetic family. To have a talent like you, little brother, and not cherish him, even trying so hard to drive you away? I think those old men of your Shen Family can all go die... Oops, Moran, I didnât mean anything else by that. I just mean those old geezers are blind!"
Zeng Zuimo was either silent or spoke like a machine gun that couldnât be stopped.
Lin Yue wasnât much different. She laughed wantonly and said, "I knew it! With Moranâs Cultivation and talent, why was she always looking so downcast at the academy? So itâs because of all this trouble at home! Xiaolang, just do what you have to do. If I see anyone from the Shen Family trying to play dirty tricks behind your back, or bullying the weak or ganging up on you... the few of us wouldnât mind helping them let some blood! From now on, Iâll have your back!"
"Ahem, Lin Yue, I must disagree. Itâs not certain who will be protecting whom in the future. You shouldnât speak so definitively," Shui Buyu said leisurely.
Everyone was startled. Shui Buyuâs Cultivation was astonishing, and he rarely acknowledged anyone as his equal. For him to say something like this was highly unusual.
Even if Shen Lang was an Artifact Refining Master, he shouldnât have said that, because what they had just been talking about was proficiency in the Martial Arts.
Artifact Refining was Artifact Refining; an Artifact Refining Master wasnât necessarily powerful in the Martial Arts.
But what Shui Buyu had just said...
At this point, Shen Fengxiao could no longer bear it. The veins on his arm bulged as he gritted his teeth. "Fine, fine, fine! Itâs only been a few days, and even a good-for-nothing dares to be so arrogant! Iâll wait these three days and see just what kind of storm you can stir up!"
After saying this, he called out to the men who had been knocked into the water and left without a backward glance.
"Ah, Brother Lang, youâre so my kind of person! I, Yin Kuang, love making friends with people like you. By the way, whatâs your real Cultivation level?"
At Yin Kuangâs question, even Shen Moran froze for a moment.
She also really wanted to know. For Shen Lang to say such things, just what level had his Cultivation reached?
Su Jin chuckled lightly and said, "You should ask fewer questions. If his Cultivation is higher than yours, you might not be happy. If his Cultivation is lower than yours, youâll be even unhappier!"
Her meaning was simple. If Shen Lang, who was younger than them and from such a small family, had a higher Cultivation than them, these self-proclaimed geniuses from Great Noble Families would definitely feel a bit ashamed.
And if Shen Langâs Cultivation was lower than Yin Kuangâs, it would be even harder to accept that he had been thrown into the water in a single move by someone weaker than him.
Even if Yin Kuang hadnât used his full strength, or he simply hadnât been on guard, or even if Shen Lang had used a trick at the timeâthe fact that Yin Kuang was subdued in one move and embarrassingly pushed into the lake was an unchangeable truth.
Yin Kuang tilted his head and thought for a moment. "That seems to make senseâBullshit, bullshit! Am I that kind of person? Would I be jealous of my own brother?!"
Everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere became much more harmonious.
Shen Langâs smile faded as he said, "Thereâs actually something you should be more interested in than my Cultivation."
"What is it?" Shui Buyu was the quickest to react.
"Itâs about what I said earlier, that the Demon Beast you encountered wasnât a Red Flame Fierce Bear," Shen Lang said calmly.
The smiling faces of Yin Kuang and the others immediately fell.
âThis kid... Is he going to settle old scores now? How does he still remember that? And why bring it up at a time like this...?â