Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“The martial arts shrine…”
A wistful expression appeared on Luo Feng’s face as he paused on the thought. However, he chuckled bitterly and shook his head a moment later.
After all, making it into the martial arts shrine was no easy feat.
To illustrate how difficult it was, the Purple Sun Institution could be taken as a prime example. Despite their students totaling in the thousands, the number of students who managed to make it into the Twelve Golden Halls was below a hundred.
Should even a single person out of the hundred-odd people make it into the shrine, it would already be considered a marvelous outcome.
In other words, even if there were a hundred thousand martial artists who attempted to enter the martial arts shrine, there was no guarantee that even one person would make it! Through this alone, it was clear how cruel the reality of it was.
After heaving a sigh, Luo Feng decided to forget the matters regarding the martial arts shrine.
At that point in time, the only goal Luo Feng had was to enter the Inner Institution and enter the Golden Halls later on.
As for the martial arts shrine, he had decided to put it at the back of his mind until the time was right.
“Well, guess it’s time to leave this area.”
Luo Feng scanned his surroundings whilst making the statement in a low voice.
Since Luo Feng was still within the proximity of Green Edge Town, it would be difficult not to arouse suspicion should anyone notice him standing beside Su Laohu’s corpse.
After keeping the sack of money, Luo Feng went ahead and looted the two martial artists in black as well. Then, he got on his black-maned horse and left the area.
Half a day later, within an isolated area, Luo Feng got down from his horse and poured out the contents from the money sacks.
Gold tickets and silver tickets littered all over the ground, forming a small, glittering hill.
After carefully counting through the tickets, Luo Feng had determined that he had 1.12 million tael’s worth of silver!
Aside from the tickets, a bunch of other items were also scattered on the ground. Among these items, two manuals could be seen.
Luo Feng’s heart skipped a beat upon noticing the manuals, and he hurriedly picked them up to be read through.
The first manual was for the Yellow Rank Upper Class Light Body martial arts, Flying on Grass! Should Luo Feng be successful in cultivating it, he would be able to run across any form of plants and would be able to travel thousands of miles in a single day.
The second manual was for the Crescent Moon Claw Technique, which was a Yellow Rank Upper Class claw technique! Using the unique weapon, the Moon Claws, it focused on speed to achieve victory. Upon its successful cultivation, its user would be able to unleash blade-like wind projectiles, capable of ripping anything near it to shreds!
“Woah, these are Yellow Rank Upper Class martial arts!”
Luo Feng raised his brows with great excitement in his eyes.
Although Yellow Rank martial arts were commonplace in this world, the Upper Class ones were considered a rarity.
After all, even though Luo Feng was among the four great families within Panlong City, they had only a single Yellow Rank Upper Class martial art in their possession.
Moreover, even the manual for that single technique alone was already worth over a million taels of silver! However, there was no market for such an item.
“No wonder Su Laohu was capable of remaining undefeated for so many years! To think that the b*stard carried two Yellow Rank Upper Class martial arts on him! Had he not encountered me, who knows how many more people he would harm.”
Luo Feng shook his head as he set his gaze on the two manuals in his hand.
“What a shame that these martial arts are useless to me.”
Although the Crescent Moon Claw Technique and Flying on Grass were indeed impressive martial arts, Luo Feng had already cultivated the Heaven-crushing Blade Technique and the Soaring Dragon Steps, so he did not have much use for them.
As such, Luo Feng decided to hand over the manuals to his family instead, allowing his father and his older brother to cultivate them.
By doing so, his family’s prowess would surely soar, and it might even be possible for his family to overtake the stronger families, such as the Li Family.
After returning the manuals and the silver tickets into the sack, Luo Feng brought out the Tiger Essence Saber behind him and performed the Third Level of the Heaven-crushing Blade Technique once.
During his performance, Luo Feng had sensed an immediate difference in his attacks.
His strikes were swift as flowing water. It was as if it had become even closer to completion.
“Not bad! Compared to when I fought Su Laohu, it seems my Heaven-crushing Blade Technique has improved by a significant margin. If I keep this up, it wouldn’t be long before I’ll be able to cultivate it to the Fourth Level! By then, I’ll be able to form blade auras, and my combat prowess would improve considerably!”
Luo Feng exclaimed in delight.
Compared to the millions of taels of silver and the Yellow Rank Upper Class manuals he had obtained, the growth of his Heaven-crushing Blade Technique was much more exciting.
After all, once he cultivated his technique to the Fifth Level, he would be able to carry out spatial attacks. Should that happen, his strength would not just improve considerably, but exponentially!
After taking a quick break, Luo Feng hopped back onto his horse and continued spurring towards the south.
Luo Feng understood his father’s personality extremely well. There was no way he would write a letter unless the situation was extremely dire.
From this, it was clear that the death of Panlong City’s mayor, Han Yulong, was no small matter.
As the Number One family within Panlong City, Han Yulong of the Han Family had cultivated to the apex of the Hell Boundary and had gotten full control of Panlong City.
Alas, the young generation of the Han Family was incapable of carrying on Han Yulong’s legacy. The Young Master of the Han Family, Han Ji only possessed average cultivation skills, and as such, it was up to Han Yulong to support the Han Family all this time. Now that Han Yulong had passed on, it would not take a genius to figure out Panlong City’s current situation.
“It seems that the rankings of the four great families are about to change…”
Luo Feng mumbled to himself as he rode on his horse.
For the next few days, Luo Feng had spent all his time traveling. The only exception to this was when he took a break, in which he would cultivate his Soaring Dragon Steps and Heaven-crushing Blade Technique instead.
Ten days later, still on horseback, Luo Feng spotted an inn from afar. Affixed to it was a wooden plaque, with the words, ‘Dragon Arrival Inn’ written on it…
“I’ve finally made it…”
Luo Feng got off his horse and led the horse by the reins as he approached the inn. After properly settling his horse down, he looked for a spot in the lobby and sat down.
The inn was filled with plenty of martial artists, all of which wore weary expressions.
They were discussing Han Yulong’s death, and Luo Feng decided to eavesdrop.
“Han Yulong has died, and it seems that the brat, Han Ji is too weak to maintain his father’s legacy. Besides that, Han Ji’s second uncle has been eyeing the position of mayor for a long time now, and as such, their entire family is currently in a mess. Sigh, a huge revolution is on its way to Panlong City.” A martial artist heaved a depressed sigh.
“Agreed. I doubt that the Han Family would be able to maintain their position as the strongest family now.”
“A little birdie told me that the Great Sun City has already decided to host the next Hunting Meet to determine the next top family. If this rumor is true, which family do you think will emerge triumphantly?”
“Out of the four great families of Han, Li, Luo, and Feng, it’s safe to say that the Han Family is out due to their current uncertain situation. As for the Feng Family, well, the only child of the Feng Family’s Patriarch is the girl, Feng Lingyue, and it also seems that they have no intention of taking the number one spot. So, I’d say that the only contenders this time around are the Li Family and the Luo Family.”
“Exactly. However, from my standpoint, I believe that the number one spot is in the Li Family’s bag. After all, the two Young Masters of the Li Family wield exceptional talent! They’re both well known in the Extensive Net’s Outer Institution as cultivation geniuses, and the older one has even entered the Extensive Net’s Inner Institution! The two are quite reputable within the Extensive Net institution.”
Another martial artist smacked his lips and chuckled, saying, “In contrast, out of the two Young Masters of the Luo Family, the oldest one, Luo Xiao has only reached the middle phase of the Iron Bone Boundary at the age of fifteen, which is considered quite average. However, the Second Young Master, Luo Feng… Hehe, I don’t know whether he has even advanced past the Second Meridian Cycle Boundary, the Energy Boundary yet…”
A peal of ridiculing laughter broke out within the inn.
News of Luo Feng remaining in the same Meridian Cycle Boundary throughout his three years in the Purple Sun Institution was common news within Panlong City.
Due to this, once the martial artists began comparing the Luo Family and the Li Family’s abilities, many were in favor of the Li Family emerging victorious.
In spite of this, Luo Feng mentally snickered at them. Hearing no intel of value, Luo Feng decided to remain silent instead.
“To this young man over here, are you heading towards Panlong City?”
Upon noticing the one-man tall Tiger Essence Saber by Luo Feng’s side, the young man serving Luo Feng’s dishes could not help but gulp audibly.
At that point in time, Luo Feng wore blue clothes and gave off an air of wealth. It had given the server a good impression.
“Yep. It’s been two years since I last returned home. I’m curious to see what has changed.” Luo Feng nodded.
“Young man, Panlong City is currently in a bad state. So, I’d advise you to be careful.”
“Hmm, why’s that?”
Wanting to learn more about Panlong City’s recent happenings, Luo Feng tossed a silver sycee 1 to the waiter.
The waiter caught the silver sycee in his hand, and upon realizing what it was, he flinched. He stared in shock at Luo Feng’s generosity, but a moment later, he thanked Luo Feng with much gratitude, saying, “Thank you so much, Young Master.”
After keeping the silver sycee, the waiter took a quick glance at his surroundings before whispering, albeit a little excitedly, “Young master, I might not look like much, but my uncle is the chef for the Han Family! So I’ve heard bits and pieces of the current situation from him. According to my uncle, a great storm lies in wait within Panlong City. Once the storm erupts, I fear that the four great families would no longer exist!”
‘Wait, what?’
Luo Feng was greatly shocked by the news, and with narrowed eyes, he glared at his waiter, asking, “Is what you speak true?”
After a dozen or so days of cultivation and with the assistance of Su Laohu’s spirit drugs, Luo Feng had finally advanced to the middle phase of the Heroic Boundary. Although he had appeared to only be in the Iron Bone Boundary at the time, his glare was still powerful enough to send chills down the waiter’s spine.
“I swear to the gods! My uncle told me the news with his very own mouth! Also, the date for the next Hunting Meet has been decided. It’ll be held at the end of this month…” The waiter’s face was pale as he poured out the truth.
‘I see, no wonder father is desperate enough to request for my return.’
Luo Feng mentally nodded.
The Hunting Meet of Panlong City was an event that was held once every decade.
During the event, the hosts would invite all of Panlong City’s families to participate in it, and the young generation of those families were to participate in a hunting activity within a hunting ground.
The results of the Hunting Meet would directly affect the standing of the families. The better ranked one family was, the more privileges they would obtain.
Moreover, the Patriarch of the family that ranked first place would obtain the title of mayor!
Even though ten years had yet to pass since the last Hunting Meet, Han Yulong’s sudden departure had caused the event to be brought forward.
As there was nothing more to be learned from the waiter, Luo Feng gave him a few pieces of silver for his troubles and sent him off.
“The four great families will no longer exist… I wonder what this means…”
After pondering on the waiter’s words, Luo Feng felt that there was more than meets the eye to the incidents taking place within Panlong City.
“Waiter! Take over the reins of our horse! And bring us the finest dishes you have!”
A snicker could be heard from outside the inn, and upon hearing the voices, Luo Feng flinched. While staring at the cup of wine in his hands, he chuckled to himself, saying, “The world’s a small place, huh…”
The next instant, two young teens walked into the establishment.
The first person to enter was wearing purple clothes, and a sword could be seen on his waist. Behind him, a person in white could be seen. Although the person behind was taller than the person in front, their faces looked near-identical, as they both had thick eyebrows and huge eyes.
“Hahaha… All the youngsters from Panlong City have now returned! What a blast!” The moment the purple-clothed teen entered the inn, he began sweeping his gaze across the inn and laughed in a pompous manner.
“I wonder whether that trash, Luo Feng will return this year.”
“Why are you thinking about that trash?” The teen in white responded casually. His words were disdainful, and there was a proud glint in his eyes as if everyone else was beneath him.
The teen in purple chuckled delightfully, “Big brother, aren’t you interested to know whether he’s advanced past the Energy Boundary?”
“Heh, he’s just a piece of trash. I have no interest in him. I have only two opponents in mind this time. That is, Han Lie of the Han Family, and Feng Lingyue of the Feng Family!” The teen in white stated plainly with two fingers raised.
Everyone’s attention was instantly drawn to the two teens. Upon seeing them, the people quivered slightly.
Indeed, the two teens were actually the Young Masters of the Li Family.
The teen in purple was the Second Young Master, Li Tianyang, and the one in white was the first Young Master, Li Tianyao!
“Greetings, Young Masters, it’s a pleasure to have you in our inn!” The innkeeper greeted the Li Brothers with a courteous smile.
Should the rumors be true, the Li Family would become the future rulers of Panlong City. Since Li Tianyang and Li Tianyao were the sons of the future mayor, no one had dared to disrespect them.
“My brother and I have been traveling constantly for the past few days, so, hurry up and prepare us a room. Also, get us two women, the finest dishes you have, and …”
Li Tianyang paused midway through his speech. His gaze had landed on a table in the corner, and upon noticing the person sitting there, his mouth curled into a smile.
In a mocking manner, he laughed out loud and said, “Hahaha… Look who I found? Isn’t that the Second Young Master of the Luo Family?”
Footnotes:
A sycee is a Chinese-styled ingot