Demon Suppression Division assessment.
Lin Feng was determined to pass!
He nodded. "Thank you for the reminder, senior."
Then he turned and left.
He hadn't expected to have been cultivating for so many days.
There were only two days left until the Demon Suppression Division's Year-End Assessment. It really had come around quickly.
It was already late.
Lin Feng walked home, his mind clear.
There were two things he needed to do next.
Prepare for the Demon Suppression Division's assessment in two days.
And uncover the truth behind his father's death.
But Lin Feng didn't notice.
In a corner outside the Scripture Pavilion, a pair of eyes watched him. As soon as he came out, the figure immediately left.
The night was pitch-black, without stars or moon, and a terrifying silence hung over everything.
Near the house where Lin Feng lived, a figure appeared like a ghost.
In the darkness, the figure suddenly revealed a pair of eyes brimming with hatred. It was Lu Gang.
"You little brat! You finally came out."
"You made me wait all this time!"
Lu Gang's face was livid in the corner, his entire body steeped in terrifying killing intent!
It was as though he wouldn't rest until he had torn Lin Feng limb from limb!
If Lin Feng hadn't returned alive, Captain Chen would never have discovered him.
And he wouldn't have been punished by losing six months' pay!
Six whole months!
Losing that pay had cost him dearly.
And from now on, he would no longer be able to manipulate those Demon Suppression Division appointments.
Quite a few people had already paid him off.
Once Captain Chen caught wind of it, all his plans had gone up in smoke, and he could only return the bribes.
On the second night after Lin Feng went to the Scripture Pavilion,
Lu Gang had been consumed by rage and resolved to kill Lin Feng.
That very night, he had gone to the area near Lin Feng's residence, waiting for a chance to strike.
But Lin Feng had spent several consecutive days cultivating in the Scripture Pavilion.
Lu Gang had been unable to make his move.
So he sent men to keep watch at the Scripture Pavilion day and night, waiting for Lin Feng to return so he could attack.
The figure at the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion just now had been one of his men.
As soon as Lin Feng came out, Lu Gang received word and hurried over.
Berserk True Qi swirled around Lu Gang's entire body.
His eyes brimmed with killing intent, and the veins on his arm bulged.
Countless scenes had flashed through his mind—each one showing him tearing Lin Feng limb from limb.
Only then could he sate the hatred in his heart!
Just then,
footsteps sounded in the distance.
Lu Gang's pupils contracted as he stared intently toward the sound.
It was Lin Feng.
"He's finally here!"
A vicious grin spread across Lu Gang's face as he hid in the darkness beside the door.
At that moment, no one could see him.
"Hmph... Unfortunately, to avoid being discovered, I have to finish him with one quick palm strike!"
In the shadows, Lu Gang gathered powerful True Qi in his right palm.
He felt a little dissatisfied. In his eyes, letting Lin Feng die so quickly was far too good for him.
Lin Feng approached step by step. Lu Gang was now only a step away from him.
"Now."
Lu Gang's gaze sharpened, and he growled, "Black Fiend Palm!"
He poured all his True Qi into the attack. His right palm turned a strange black, black qi roiling around it with boundless force!
In a flash, Lu Gang burst out of the shadows and struck at Lin Feng!
He moved so quickly that there was hardly time to react.
In that split second, Lin Feng whipped around, his pupils contracting!
A figure leaped through the air, striking at him with a palm.
The attack contained True Qi.
A Houtian expert!
"He wants to kill me! A Houtian Realm expert—who is it?!"
In an instant, countless possibilities raced through Lin Feng's mind.
But even as he thought,
Lin Feng activated all three layers of Iron Shirt.
At that moment, his defenses reached their peak!
Boom!!
Lu Gang's palm came crashing down, compressing the air around them until it was completely displaced.
The mass of black qi in his palm struck Lin Feng directly, too.
A smug, vicious grin spread across Lu Gang's face.
He hadn't held back at all.
He knew that even a lion hunting a rabbit had to use its full strength.
As a Houtian First Layer expert, his True Qi-infused palm strike had come as a sneak attack.
Forget Lin Feng, a mere Body Tempering Triple Layer fighter—even Squad Leaders at Body Tempering Ninth Layer would have been doomed!
And yet,
things didn't go as he'd expected.
After being struck, Lin Feng stumbled back five steps before steadying himself.
"Hmm?!"
Lu Gang's eyes widened.
The Black Fiend Palm had struck Lin Feng, yet it hadn't killed him outright?!
How was that possible!
Shock surged through him like a raging sea as he stared in disbelief.
Something was wrong. How could someone at Body Tempering Triple Layer withstand that palm?
That strike should have punched straight through Lin Feng's body!
In the distance, Lin Feng grunted and fixed his opponent with a murderous glare.
Even a Houtian Realm Martial Artist couldn't kill him so easily!
He already knew who the man was.
A Houtian Realm Martial Artist who had a grudge against him.
There was no one else in the entire Demon Suppression Division but Lu Gang.
The man was ruthless and held grudges over the slightest offense.
Now he had waited near Lin Feng's home, lying in ambush to assassinate him.
Thankfully, Lin Feng had mastered the third layer of Iron Shirt!
Otherwise, even if he had achieved Copper Skin Iron Bone, Lu Gang's palm would have shattered his heart meridians and killed him.
"What kind of protective gear is this little brat wearing? How did it block my palm?"
Anger flashed in Lu Gang's eyes. He'd used his full strength, yet he still hadn't killed Lin Feng.
Something was fishy!
He assumed Lin Feng must be wearing protective gear left behind by his father, which had blocked the attack at the crucial moment.
But if it could block one palm, could it block two?
Lu Gang said nothing. In a flash, he attacked again.
His next palm strike shot straight toward Lin Feng's forehead, aiming to crush his skull.
With a thud, he unleashed another Black Fiend Palm.
But this strike still failed to hurt Lin Feng.
Lu Gang didn't stop. He attacked Lin Feng one blow after another, each strike vicious and aimed at a vital point, intent on killing him in one hit.
But after dozens of strikes, uncertainty filled Lu Gang's eyes!
Dozens of palms, and he still hadn't killed Lin Feng!
What's more, Lu Gang could tell that Lin Feng wasn't wearing any protective gear. His defense came purely from his body!
"Damn it!"
"I'm a Houtian Realm Martial Artist! This little brat may be hiding his strength, but he's still only at Body Tempering Realm!"
"How can he withstand so many of my palm strikes?!"
Dull thuds rang out again and again.
As Lu Gang struck Lin Feng, it felt like he was pounding on a massive bronze bell. He couldn't hurt him at all!
The might of the third layer of Iron Shirt was on full display.
With Copper Skin Iron Bone and Steel Tendons, Lin Feng possessed an incomprehensibly powerful defense!
Even though Lu Gang was a Houtian Realm expert capable of using True Qi, he still couldn't break through Lin Feng's defenses!
Iron Shirt was only a First-Grade Martial Art, but it was extremely difficult to master. Even Houtian Realm Martial Artists had to spend a long time training to learn it.
Once mastered, it granted an astonishing level of defense.
And Lin Feng's cultivation had reached Body Tempering Seventh Level, making his defenses even stronger when combined with the third layer of Iron Shirt.
"Lu Gang, is this the extent of your strength? It seems... underwhelming."
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