Conflict

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. Within the area where Profound Vein disciples resided.

Inside a thatched hut, Zeng Fan was cultivating with his eyes closed. The injuries on his body had vanished, and the splints on his hands were gone, as if he had completely recovered over the past ten days.

As if sensing something, Zeng Fan opened his eyes. "Today is the day to enter the Quenching Body Pool, isn't it!" He stretched his hands, a hint of emotion in his voice. "The two pills awarded by the Disciple Hall were truly effective. In just over ten days, my injuries have almost completely healed. Although one's body is already extraordinary in the Body Tempering Realm, injuries like these would normally take at least twenty days to recover. This pill has cut that time in half."

"And..." Zeng Fan felt his body. "With the battle and the Spiritual Energy from this pill, the bottleneck in my cultivation is starting to loosen. If I cultivate for a few more days, I might be able to attempt Body Tempering Muscle Perfection. This is what a pill should be like. The ones I get every month don't have this effect at all." Complaining slightly, Zeng Fan jumped off the bed and headed outside.

He glanced at Yuan Jin's room. The door was shut tight. Zeng Fan knew Yuan Jin must have gone out to cultivate. With that healing spirit pill, Yuan Jin's injuries had healed even faster, and his progress in Body Tempering Bone had also quickened. Yuan Jin had been clamoring to seize the opportunity to cultivate and break through, coming back late every day.

Since Yuan Jin wasn't around, Zeng Fan headed towards the Disciple Hall. He didn't know the exact location of the Quenching Body Pool and needed someone to guide him from there.

Arriving at the Disciple Hall, Zeng Fan looked around. The disciples were divided into two groups. One group consisted of Earth Vein disciples, who were noticeably more numerous. After all, the Earth Vein disciples had a significant advantage; if an Earth Vein disciple participated in the top ten, they were almost guaranteed to win.

The other group was composed of the remaining disciples, and their numbers were considerably smaller. Zeng Fan naturally gravitated towards this group. Although he had met Murong Xue and Wang Beichen within the Earth Vein group, the other disciples didn't particularly impress him, and Zeng Fan had no interest in currying favor with them.

Just as Zeng Fan was walking towards the gathering of ordinary disciples, a figure emerged from the crowd and approached him. It was a young man with an arrogant expression. His facial features were sharp and angular, with slightly prominent cheekbones. His piercing eyes were slightly upturned, and a long scar at the corner of his eye added a touch of sinister danger to his appearance.

"You're Zeng Fan, right?" the young man asked, stopping in front of Zeng Fan with an unfriendly tone.

Zeng Fan pondered for a moment. This guy's tone was hostile, his cultivation was around Body Tempering Bone Perfection, and they had a past grievance. Thinking of this, Zeng Fan's expression also turned cold.

"Zhou Bao?"

The young man's eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn't expected Zeng Fan to guess his identity so directly. However, it didn't matter to him. A cold smile played on his lips. "I've already dealt with that brat named Yuan. You'd better watch your back too!"

Zeng Fan's face turned icy. Just as he was about to speak.

"Waiting for what? You want to fight? I'll gladly oblige! What kind of man bullies someone because they're not strong enough!" A provocative voice rang out, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. Zeng Fan turned his head and saw Murong Xue and Wang Beichen. The young woman stood with her arms crossed beside Zeng Fan, looking up at Zhou Bao like a protective tigress.

Zhou Bao's expression immediately became complex. He recognized Murong Xue; they were in the same realm. He had watched her matches and knew she was incredibly strong. He definitely wouldn't be her match in a real fight. He hadn't expected Zeng Fan to know her. Zhou Bao glanced at Zeng Fan. "Relying on a woman to stand up for you? What a loser!"

"Are you going to fight or not? If not, get lost! What are you shouting about here? If you don't dare fight me, shut up!" Zhou Bao was about to say more but was abruptly interrupted by Murong Xue. Her eyes began to gleam dangerously, and Spiritual Energy fluctuations appeared around her.

Quite a few people nearby noticed the commotion and looked over. Zhou Bao's expression grew even uglier. Today was the day to enter the Quenching Body Pool. If they fought here and he got injured, it would be more loss than gain. With a cold snort, Zhou Bao turned and left.

Seeing Zhou Bao leave, Murong Xue turned back. The ferocity from moments ago had completely vanished. She smiled at Zeng Fan. "How was it? Happy that I stood up for you, young man? How's your recovery?"

Zeng Fan had wanted to say something to Zhou Bao, but seeing him get put in his place by Murong Xue made him want to laugh. Knowing their feud was now cemented, he decided more words were useless. "Very happy! (ˊωˋ*) My injuries are almost healed. Thanks for earlier."

The young woman's lips curved upwards, revealing her pearly white teeth. She waved at Zeng Fan, signaling him not to say any more.

"Hey! Have you two forgotten about me?" A voice filled with resentment called out. Only then did they notice Wang Beichen standing beside them.

The boy was looking at them indignantly, stomping his foot on the ground with dissatisfaction.

Murong Xue patted Wang Beichen's head. "How could we? Aren't you going to apologize to Zeng Fan? Hurry up and say it."

"Got it, got it! Stop patting my head! Big sister isn't that tall!" Wang Beichen swatted away Murong Xue's hand, expressing his displeasure.

"Apologize?" Zeng Fan blinked in surprise.

He hadn't expected Wang Beichen to actually cup his fists and bow to Zeng Fan. "I was too rough in our previous match. Please forgive me, Brother Zeng."

Zeng Fan's expression was odd. In a match, fists and feet fly without regard. He had no grounds to complain about his injuries. Besides, Wang Beichen didn't seem like the type of person to apologize.

He turned to look at Murong Xue. Unless someone forced him to do it. Seeing Zeng Fan's gaze, Murong Xue became a little flustered, her small hands twisting together.

Unexpectedly, Wang Beichen noticed Zeng Fan's look and immediately shouted excitedly, "Big Sister Murong! He figured it out himself! I didn't say anything!"

Murong Xue's face immediately darkened. She smacked Wang Beichen hard on the head. "It's all your fault! You can't even act properly!" Then, she slowly began to explain the situation to Zeng Fan.

It turned out that Wang Beichen was a descendant of an elder in the Sect. He had been discovered to have cultivation talent from a young age, much to his elders' delight. Thus, he had been nurtured since childhood. Due to his cultivation talent and age, he was lawless within the Sect. When Murong Xue entered the Sect, this brat provoked her. Given Murong Xue's fiery temper, she couldn't hold back and gave him a thorough beating.

Surprisingly, the boy seemed to have a masochistic streak. After being dealt with by Murong Xue, he became attached to her, even wanting to recognize her as his "big sister." Murong Xue, annoyed by Wang Beichen's persistence, had no choice but to agree.

During this competition, Murong Xue had specifically instructed him beforehand that if he encountered Zeng Fan, he should go easy and not be too heavy-handed. Wang Beichen had readily agreed.

Zeng Fan listened and suddenly understood. No wonder the boy had acted so strangely off the stage, repeatedly asking him questions after entering the ring, and prolonging their fight, which allowed him to use the Fish Dragon Dance to turn the tables.

"I did hold back earlier, but I didn't intend for you to win. Who knew you'd be so ruthless later on," Wang Beichen muttered. He seemed to recall Zeng Fan's headbutt from that day, touching his forehead with lingering fear, feeling a twinge of pain again.

"Alright, alright, the explanation is done. We're about to enter the Quenching Body Pool soon, so stop whining," Murong Xue said impatiently, waving her hand at Wang Beichen. The boy immediately quieted down, acting docile.

Zeng Fan couldn't help but chuckle. It truly was a case of one thing conquering another. This brat had been arrogant and overbearing for so long, only to be completely subdued by Murong Xue. However, hearing that Wang Beichen was also entering the Quenching Body Pool, Zeng Fan was taken aback.

"He didn't make it into the top ten, so how can he enter the Quenching Body Pool to cultivate?" Zeng Fan asked, confused.

"It's easier when you have connections. Although he lost this time, because of his talent, his elders found someone to arrange his entry," Murong Xue explained to Zeng Fan, glancing at Wang Beichen, who looked smug upon hearing Zeng Fan's confusion.

Hearing this, Zeng Fan felt a pang of bitterness. Wasn't this just a "second-generation immortal"? He had to follow the rules diligently, while this brat lost the competition but got arranged entry through his family's influence. It was truly a case of comparing people driving you to death.

Just as Zeng Fan was feeling sour, a stern voice boomed out.

"All disciples, gather and prepare to enter the Quenching Body Pool!"