Retreat

With the Four Great Martial Arts Schools joining forces, the atmosphere in Laiyang City grew more and more tense.

The day after the Four Great Martial Arts Schools announced their alliance, the four Hall Masters arrived at the City Lord's Mansion with their elite fighters.

Seeing the crowd's menacing bearing, Steward Qian realized something was wrong. He hurried to the secret chamber in the rear courtyard and brought out the City Lord, who had been in seclusion to stabilize his realm.

The Hall Masters waited in the council hall. They knew that if they couldn't reach a satisfactory outcome today, Laiyang City would run red with blood!

Just as the Hall Masters were growing impatient, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the hall.

The sight of the figure, old but still standing straight-backed, startled everyone.

"Hahaha, what a courteous lot you are, coming to my home as guests!" Huang Ling said cheerfully, as though he were welcoming old friends.

Chang Yuchun, Hall Master of Kaishan Martial Arts School, immediately stood and cupped his hands in greeting. "We've come without warning today and have disturbed Lord City Lord. Please forgive us!"

Chang Yuchun's words made everyone present look grim. He had clearly treated them as Huang Ling's subordinates!

Showing weakness right from the start would undoubtedly make the negotiations ahead even more difficult.

But there was no turning back now.

Zhang Longyun and the others shot hostile looks at Chang Yuchun and the Kaishan Martial Arts School's senior members, then spoke without the slightest courtesy. "

Lord City Lord, we're here today, so bring out whatever tricks you have. No one here is a fool. It's time we put certain things on the table!"

The hot-tempered Zhao Yingxiong, Hall Master of the Rushing Thunder Martial Arts School, was even more blunt.

"Show us what you've got. We'll fight fair and square, weapons in hand. If we lose, you can do whatever you want with us!"

"Exactly. The prosperity of Laiyang City depends on us. If the City Lord doesn't value that, then there's nothing more to discuss!"

Zhang Longyun echoed.

Only Chang Yuchun and the Kaishan Martial Arts School stood silently in a corner, as if they'd become a pair of snapping turtles.

Chang Yuchun thought that by staying neutral, he might be able to play both sides and find a way out.

He didn't realize that both the City Lord's Mansion and the Martial Arts Schools despised his behavior. If the opportunity ever arose, they would make sure to wipe out Kaishan Martial Arts School first.

"Heh, since that's how it is, I'll be frank!" Huang Ling knew that the time had come to lay their cards on the table. If they couldn't reach an agreement, they would settle things with a fight; if they could, then they could leave each other in peace!

"I know what's been happening these past few days, and I have only one goal: from now on, there will be only one voice in Laiyang City, and it will be mine!"

"Who's with me? Who's against me?"

Huang Ling unleashed the aura of a Xiantian Expert and swept his gaze around. His immense pressure weighed on everyone present as if they were carrying a massive boulder!

Cold sweat ran down their faces, and some even took several steps back. Almost no one dared meet Huang Ling's eyes.

Zhang Longyun and the other Hall Masters bulged with veins as they stirred up every last bit of their blood and tenaciously resisted Huang Ling's pressure.

Zhang Longyun spoke first. "Lord City Lord, you're far too overbearing. You claim all of Laiyang City for yourself with a single word. Aren't you afraid the wind will slap your tongue?"

"Exactly! The City Lord may have broken through to Xiantian, but I've heard that even a Xiantian Expert can be surrounded and killed by Martial Artists who use their blood and qi. So a Xiantian Expert isn't invincible after all!"

"Right! Our Four Great Martial Arts Schools have nearly a hundred Viscera Refiners between us. I refuse to believe the City Lord can really defeat us all!"

With Zhang Longyun taking the lead, the others also broke free of Huang Ling's pressure.

Seeing the situation, Huang Ling's expression darkened. He didn't want to admit it, but some of what they said was true.

With his current strength, he truly couldn't defeat every expert present. After all, he was only the weakest sort of Xiantian Expert. Once his Innate True Essence ran dry, he would be little different from an ordinary Viscera Refiner!

If he acted by force, they might all end up badly wounded!

At the thought, Huang Ling furrowed his brows. Then he noticed Chang Yuchun and his people, who had been the quietest of all from beginning to end, and his eyes lit up slightly.

Huang Ling glanced at the agitated crowd, then pretended to have no choice but to promise that he would give up his plan to monopolize Laiyang City.

However, from then on, the Martial Arts Schools would have to hand over thirty percent of their income!

That would steadily strengthen the City Lord's Mansion while the Four Great Martial Arts Schools grew weaker. Unless one of the four schools produced an Innate Martial Artist, perhaps changing the current balance of power would be impossible.

Though they had no choice, Zhang Longyun and the others still accepted the demand. The odds were against them; they couldn't exactly fight the City Lord's Mansion to the death!

Besides, they still had hope. They were all at Peak Viscera Refining, and they had all practiced first-rate techniques. If fortune favored them, they might still break through to Xiantian.

For Martial Artists, confidence and self-reliance were basic qualities.

After they reached a truce, order in Laiyang City was quickly restored. It was as if the bloody clashes between Martial Artists had been nothing but a hallucination.

The city's major factions returned to normal, but before long, people began noticing that Kaishan Martial Arts School was growing increasingly close to the City Lord's Mansion!

But that was a story for another time.

At least for now, everything was still in its infancy.

A week after peace returned to Laiyang City, Shen Fan stood alone beneath a tree, practicing the Startling Swan Art.

After another week of hard practice—and with Shen Fan devoting that entire week to the Startling Swan Art instead of splitting his focus among other techniques—his progress had been astonishingly fast.

He had advanced from Minor Accomplishment to the very threshold of Great Accomplishment. Once he broke through, he would become the youngest Blood Condensation Martial Artist in Laiyang City!

"Almost there. It'll happen tomorrow or the day after. Once I break through, I'll finally be able to protect myself!"

Shen Fan let out a deep breath of relief.

Although peace had returned to the city, he knew it wouldn't last long.

Wolves could live peacefully with other wolves, but a wolf and a sheep never could. It was in their nature, and there was no changing it.

After Zhang Longyun returned, he immediately went into seclusion, apparently determined to break through to Xiantian or die trying.

The Hall Master's example had a clear effect. Soon, a wave of cultivation swept through the Martial Arts School, but problems soon followed.

They had bowed their heads to the City Lord's Mansion, but that meant handing over thirty percent of their income. To keep the Martial Arts School running, they would have to cut its expenses by thirty percent!

The disciples' benefits plummeted. Before, every disciple could easily collect a few taels of silver each month, and they were also nourished daily with Medicinal Cuisine. But as the Martial Arts School's income shrank, so did the support it could provide.

No more Medicinal Cuisine. No more monthly allowance. If the disciples wanted to buy techniques or improve their cultivation speed, they had to go out and earn the money themselves!

That was a crushing blow for many, but Shen Fan wasn't among them. He still had several hundred taels saved up.

As for Medicinal Cuisine, honestly, ever since he broke through to Bone Forging, it had become more or less useless to him.

Only more powerful Elixirs could improve his cultivation speed!