Shen Nong Was Annoyed at Getting Beaten Up

The rain grew heavier, droplets streaming from the brim of Shen Nong's conical hat. He gritted his teeth and sent a voice transmission back. "Cloud Emperor, could you leave me a little dignity? I'm the head of the Agricultural School, after all..."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure the beating is spectacular and the injuries look respectable." Yun Ting's lips curved slightly as his sword stance abruptly changed. "Take this! Merchant Way Nine Transformations!"

Sword light poured down like a falling galaxy. Nine streams of sword qi condensed into the shapes of copper coins in midair, spinning as they struck at Shen Nong's vital acupoints. This move had originally been the Merchant School's sect-defining ultimate art, yet Yun Ting made it all flash and no substance—though it looked overwhelmingly powerful, every stream of sword qi retained plenty of room to turn back.

Shen Nong groaned inwardly, but he had no choice but to play along. He planted his hoe into the ground, and an earthy yellow glow suddenly rose around him. "Five Grains Reincarnation Force!"

With a low shout, the path traced by his hoe condensed into a phantom of golden wheat waves in the air, colliding with the nine sword-qi coins. The clashing forces erupted with a string of dull booms, shaking the collected rainwater from the teahouse eaves.

The onlookers were all stunned. A scholar muttered, "Good heavens, this Merchant School head may be young, but his skills are truly formidable..."

A merchant beside him remarked, "Naturally. Our Merchant School is one of the prominent schools among the Hundred Schools of Thought. We have our own methods of self-cultivation. Merchant School martial arts prioritize transformation—how could those rough brutes from the Agricultural School compare?"

A woman from the Agricultural School nearby voiced her displeasure. "Our head, Shen Nong, is