Storm

Everything the City Lord's Mansion did was carried out in secret. Everyone knew it, but no one dared say it aloud.

All the conflict remained on the surface.

Some people might have sensed what lay beneath, but the vast majority still had no idea.

Just a few days later, Wu An, a Core Disciple of Yangchun Martial Arts School, was attacked by an unknown Viscera Refiner. Fortunately, an expert from the Martial Hall who had been guarding him in secret blocked the attacker. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable!

After that, the Core Disciples of the Martial Hall were attacked more and more frequently, until they hardly dared leave their homes.

As for the other disciples, things were even worse. Even a large number of elite disciples at the Bone Forging level had died. After all, the weakest of their attackers were at the Blood Coagulation Realm, and most were Viscera Refiners!

But the Martial Halls had suffered heavy losses, and the City Lord's Mansion's retainers hadn't fared much better. When they attacked Core Disciples, in particular, they were often ambushed by experts from the Martial Halls who had been lying in wait.

Two Viscera Refiners among the retainers had already died, more than a dozen had been seriously injured, and the rest had sustained minor wounds.

At this rate, the City Lord's Mansion's retainers were bound to be wiped out sooner or later.

As for Wu An, who had once boasted about taking the heads of several young prodigies, he'd been killed on the very first day of the operation. His actual achievement had been to scare one of those prodigies!

"Steward, this won't do! The Martial Halls' foundations run far too deep. Our ambushes are hardly working!"

"Exactly! That brute from Benlei Martial Arts School hits far too hard. I took one palm from him, and I reckon it'll take half a year to recover!"

Once the complaints began, the men were suddenly full of energy, each making himself sound more pitiful than the last.

Watching their disgraceful display, Steward Qian sat in his chair and sipped his tea, utterly unwilling to entertain them.

But his ashen expression revealed the fury in his heart.

Steward Qian hadn't expected these men to be not only naïve, but stupid as well. They knew their strength was inferior, yet they still insisted on splitting up. In the end, they had been picked off one by one.

They had reached this point because these men hadn't bothered to use their brains.

"Enough, enough. Suspend the operation to assassinate the Martial Halls' young prodigies for now. Once you've recovered, we'll make a proper plan!"

The other retainers still wanted to squeeze some benefits out of the situation, but before they could speak, Steward Qian vanished from before their eyes.

Outside a secret chamber, Steward Qian carefully reported the results of their efforts over the past few days. When he finished, he realized that his back was soaked with sweat.

Suddenly, an aged voice spoke. "Mm, I understand. In three months, I will personally take action. You've all worked hard during this time.

"You don't need to push yourselves so hard from now on. Leave everything to me!"

Though the voice was old, it carried an unquestionable authority. Clearly, it belonged to someone accustomed to wielding great power.

Indeed, the person in seclusion inside the chamber was Huang Ling, master of the City Lord's Mansion and, in name, the highest-ranking official in Laiyang City!

He was also the super expert rumored to have broken through to the Innate Realm.

But Huang Ling's breakthrough had clearly been anything but normal. Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken him so long to stabilize his realm.

In truth, Huang Ling was not especially talented for a city lord. He was even a little less gifted than the Hall Masters of the Martial Halls.

Though he cultivated a higher-grade art, an Innate Cultivation Method, his lack of aptitude had kept him from making a successful breakthrough even at sixty.

In the end, he had no choice but to ask his superiors to buy him an Innate Pill, forcing his way through the bottleneck and into the Innate Realm.

The price was that he would become one of the weakest Innate Martial Artists. He would never progress any further, his potential would be exhausted, and his lifespan would be cut short!

But Huang Ling had factored all of this into his plans. As long as he could take control of all Laiyang City, he would earn a reward from his superiors. Then, obtaining a Marrow Cleansing Pill might not be impossible.

A transformative change could open up a far broader future!

It was a huge gamble for Huang Ling. If he won, he would take a great leap forward. If he lost, he would merely remain an Innate Martial Artist with about the same lifespan as an ordinary person.

As for being killed, he had never considered it. Lanzhou lay at the very feet of the Son of Heaven. Who would dare assassinate an official of the imperial court?

Even when the four great Innate experts had come to Laiyang City decades ago, they hadn't dared push him too far. That was because Huang Ling had status!

After receiving the City Lord's order, Steward Qian finally breathed a sigh of relief. He also called off some of their covert operations.

Overnight, Laiyang City seemed to return to its former calm. But the more perceptive residents had already sensed something was wrong, and they scrambled to find ways to leave.

Still, none of that had anything to do with Shen Fan, who was tucked away in the Martial Hall, practicing his martial arts. Let the people outside fight to the death; it wouldn't affect him anyway.

What did the deaths of elite disciples and the ambushes against Core Disciples have to do with an "entry-level disciple" like him?

In the eyes of most people, Shen Fan was nothing but a good-for-nothing with no ambition who liked to practice Health Cultivation Methods!

That day, Shen Fan was practicing in a secluded corner as usual. Naturally, he wasn't working on a Health Cultivation Method, but on a Second-class Martial Art called the Startling Swan Art.

Even in the Martial Hall, only a handful of people practiced this art. They were either Core Disciples, stewards, or senior figures.

But why would any of them come to the area where entry-level disciples trained?

So almost no one could recognize what Shen Fan was practicing. They only thought it looked impressive.

The young apprentice Li An watched nervously from the side. Whenever Shen Fan seemed tired, he would rush over and massage him.

Shen Fan thought this treatment was excellent.

After completing one set of the Startling Swan Art, Shen Fan exhaled a stream of white breath. He felt his qi and blood had increased a little, and his Bone Forging had advanced further as well.

Shen Fan nodded in satisfaction.

Li An hurriedly brought him tea and a towel.

"Senior Brother, are you tired? Please, take a break!"

Looking at the young apprentice Li An, Shen Fan took the towel and wiped away his sweat. He gulped down some tea, then smiled and said:

"Come on, practice True Combined Strength once. Let me see how much you've improved!"

Shen Fan stood to one side and waited quietly.

Senior Brother Liu Zhen's term hadn't ended yet, so he was still the one teaching the apprentices martial arts.

"Senior Brother, here I go!"

Li An glanced nervously at Shen Fan, fidgeting a little. He knew Shen Fan was offering him guidance, but he couldn't help feeling tense.

In the end, Li An went through a set of True Combined Strength. Shen Fan watched from the side, nodding again and again.

Honestly, Li An's talent shocked Shen Fan.

He naturally knew that Li An had joined the Martial Hall as an apprentice when Shen Fan himself had first entered. Yet in just two short months, the kid had already brought True Combined Strength to the entry level!

If nothing unexpected happened, after a few more months of practice, Li An would reach Minor Accomplishment, enter Skin Refining, and become his true junior brother!

This kind of talent was far beyond what Shen Fan had possessed when he first crossed over. It was already comparable to that of the Little Genius Chen Chong back then.

But now, Shen Fan declared that he was no longer the same man. The title of Martial Dao Prodigy belonged to him, Shen!

"Not bad. You've reached the entry level, but don't get cocky. Your skill still needs work!"

"Watch me. I'll demonstrate it for you!"

As he spoke, Shen Fan launched into a set of punches that came at the wind like a tiger. Though he was using the same True Combined Strength moves, Li An couldn't help feeling that Shen Fan's version was different from his own.

Faster, fiercer, and more imposing—that was Li An's honest impression.

Indeed, Shen Fan had shown a little Fist Momentum so that Li An could experience it for himself. It would be a great help to him on his future martial path.

After finishing the set, Shen Fan's final punch landed on a rock.

He pulled back his fist, gestured at the rock, and said proudly, "When you can do this, you'll have reached great mastery!"

Li An wasn't sure what he meant, so he went over to take a closer look.

But after examining it for a long while, he couldn't find anything. He reached out to touch it, but the moment his hand made contact, the rock crumbled into evenly sized pieces!

"That's amazing, Senior Brother! You—"

When he turned around, Shen Fan had already disappeared. Li An looked a little disappointed, but then quickly perked up.

"One day, I'll be strong enough to do that too!"

A blazing fire flashed in the young boy's eyes. Who knew what kind of legend it would ignite?

After putting on a show, Shen Fan felt refreshed from head to toe. Only now did he understand why the protagonists he'd read about in his previous life loved showing off so much. It felt wonderful!

Shen Fan could almost picture Li An's shocked expression when he discovered the truth about the rock.

Without realizing it, Shen Fan's lips curled into a smile, and he began humming the little tune he had loved most in his previous life.