Conflict

Since he could no longer practice the Evergreen Cultivation Method, Shen Fan poured all his energy into the other martial arts. He still needed to master the Thousand Mechanisms Hand, but he had already decided to set aside the other low-level techniques.

He had already reached the great mastery stage. Breaking through now was no longer something he could achieve through sheer practice; it required opportunity and insight.

No matter the level of a martial art, reaching perfection required grasping its intent. Clearly, Shen Fan wasn't capable of that yet.

So he set them aside.

Over the next few days, Shen Fan immersed himself in those three martial arts, with something new to show for it almost every day. He could feel himself improving day by day.

"If only the Status Panel could display my proficiency or progress bar. Then I'd feel more at ease!"

Shen Fan couldn't help thinking this, but he knew that having a Status Panel that could increase his aptitude and lifespan was already incredibly lucky. Wanting it to evolve and gain a proficiency feature was simply too greedy.

Even Heaven's favorite child couldn't have such an enormous cheat!

Even so, Shen Fan was still brimming with motivation to practice martial arts. In his heart, nothing was impossible; if it was, then he simply wasn't strong enough yet.

So he would practice martial arts and become strong enough.

Just as Shen Fan was devoting himself to his training, Steward Zhang returned to Laiyang City in a sorry state with several hundred disciples.

Inside a room, Zhang Longyun sat in a grand chair, his face icy. The fury in his eyes was almost tangible.

"Damn it! Is that old bastard taking us for a pack of nobodies? He's injured so many of our disciples. He's trying to cut off my future!"

To be honest, Zhang Longyun had been stunned by the ambush during the disciples' herb-gathering trip. He hadn't expected those rats lurking in the shadows to be so brazen.

Even less had he expected the man from the City Lord's Mansion to start showing his hand. After all, without the Mansion's signal, how could those rats have found so many accomplices?

"Third Brother, what did the other schools say? Did they agree to my proposal?" Zhang Longyun forced down his anger, managing to hold on to a little reason.

Steward Zhang stood to one side with his head lowered, brows knitted together. He seemed to want to speak, but hesitated.

"What? Those bastards have gone spineless? Even now, they won't join forces? Do they really intend to surrender everything they've built over all these years?"

Zhang Longyun looked at Zhang Yunhu—his third younger brother—and could no longer contain his fury.

"Big Brother, that man has confirmed his breakthrough. Even if our schools joined forces, it would be difficult to stand against him!

You know the power of an Innate Martial Artist better than anyone!"

Zhang Yunhu said helplessly. He hated admitting it, but it was the truth. Once someone entered the Xiantian realm, no ordinary person could oppose them.

Their father, who had founded the Ox Demon Martial Arts School, had also been an Innate Martial Artist. So they knew all too well that, before one of them, even a crowd of Viscera Refining experts would be no more than mantises trying to stop a chariot!

"But if we don't even try, are we really going to give up the legacy we've built over these decades? Third Brother, have you forgotten how Second Brother died?"

"Big Brother, you—" At the mention of their second brother, Zhang Yunhu couldn't stop his tears from falling.

"All right, Big Brother. I won't say such dispiriting things again. Second Brother died for our school, the thing he spent his whole life protecting. We must never give it up!"

"Exactly. This is the fruit of decades of work by the Zhang family. How can we just hand it over? If that old bastard wants to take it, let's see if his teeth are up to the task!"

The brothers looked at each other, then nodded firmly.

Zhang Yunhu left the school. His position was a special one, making him the Ox Demon Martial Arts School's best choice for a "diplomat."

To preserve the Ox Demon Martial Arts School, he had to unite the other major schools. Otherwise, they had no chance of defeating the City Lord's Mansion at full strength!

But ever since the Ox Demon Martial Arts School had returned in such a sorry state, an eerie turmoil had gripped Laiyang City.

The Four Great Martial Arts Schools, each a dominant power, occupied one corner of Laiyang City. But from that day on, small gangs that challenged the schools' authority began appearing throughout their territories.

Whenever a school tried to throw its full force into wiping out these troublemakers, it found the gangs had already become empty shells. Their members had vanished without a trace, and no one knew where they had gone!

Meanwhile, the area under the central City Lord's Mansion grew more and more peaceful, standing in stark contrast to the chaos elsewhere.

As a result, the common folk and merchants began to waver, one after another wanting to move to the central district.

Of course, that was assuming the Four Great Martial Arts Schools couldn't resolve the problem.

Time passed, and the situation in Laiyang City grew increasingly tense. Clashes between Martial Artists grew more and more violent.

In the pouring rain, several masked Martial Artists swung long blades as they chased a few Martial Hall disciples fleeing for their lives.

"Hahahaha! Brothers, after them! Let's chop these brats up today and see what's so special about the Martial Halls' genius disciples!"

"Coming, big brother! Charge!"

Soon, screams and roars rang out, then quickly fell silent. Clearly, one side had been wiped out.

The only ones to emerge in the end were the masked brutes with their deadly weapons.

The rain soon washed the blood from the ground. Only the howling wind remained, as if unwilling to accept what had happened.

The masked brutes quickly disappeared from the streets. They either went into hiding or headed to another location to begin killing again.

That day, Laiyang City seemed to become a battlefield. Countless Martial Artists fought with weapons in hand. They were all below the Bone Forging stage, but the destruction they caused was still astonishing.

Large numbers of ordinary people died in the crossfire. No one cared whether they lived or died, except their families!

At the City Lord's Mansion, the shrewd Steward Qian was making plans for the next move with several powerful Martial Artists. They intended to further wear down the Four Great Martial Arts Schools, especially the Ox Demon Martial Arts School.

"These past few days, our brothers have worked hard, and some have even been wounded or killed. Lord City Lord is deeply distressed."

"So, double the compensation for their families. In addition, give them a place for their descendants or relatives who are Martial Artists to join the City Lord's Mansion without taking the test!"

"Steward, you are wise! We will give our lives for the City Lord's Mansion!"

Several Martial Hall retainers immediately thanked him.

Then Steward Qian changed his tone. "But none of that is the most important thing. I want to see the Martial Halls' strength decline. Merely wearing down their disciples isn't enough!"

"So you retainers, who enjoy so many resources from the City Lord's Mansion, will have to take action next!"

At this, some of the Mansion's retainers hesitated. They knew how formidable the Martial Halls were. Their Hall Masters were all peak Martial Artists below the Xiantian realm, each capable of beating them one-handed!

Seeing their thoughts, Steward Qian smiled warmly. "Don't worry. You won't have to assassinate the Martial Halls' leaders. Just take out the elite among their disciples. Of the Top Ten Prodigies in Laiyang City, aren't eight of them trained by those schools?

I'd say those young talents make fine targets!"

The retainers below heard him and their eyes lit up. Right—they couldn't beat the other side's leaders, but they could handle the youngsters. Those brats were only in the Blood Coagulation Realm, still far beneath them!

"A thousand taels of silver and a second-rate cultivation technique for every one of the Top Ten Prodigies you kill!" Steward Qian's sweet bait immediately made the retainers restless.

"Don't worry, Steward. I, Zhao Ansan, will bring you the heads of those prodigies tomorrow!" declared a hulking man over two meters tall, thumping his chest.

The others chimed in as well.

Watching this, Steward Qian smiled with satisfaction, though a cruel glint flashed deep in his eyes.

"What naive fools. Do you really think the City Lord's Mansion gives out rewards so easily? If you want to kill those promising Martial Hall disciples, you'll have to pay in blood!"