The Conflict Deepens—You Think You Deserve to Be Called a Master?

Qian Renxue did not pause for even a moment. The Golden Afterimage flashed again, and her next target was Oscar, whose arm Tang San had just reattached and who was still grimacing in pain.

"Slap!"

Another merciless slap landed precisely on Oscar's other, uninjured cheek.

The tremendous force sent him spinning wildly in place like an out-of-control top. After more than a dozen turns, he collapsed limply, seeing stars.

"Stop!"

Tang San, Dai Mubai, and the others were beside themselves with rage and tried to rush forward to help, only to be blocked by a tall figure who had appeared in front of them at some point.

He stood with his arms folded, his gaze indifferent, as though he were merely watching a farce that had nothing to do with him. Yet the invisible pressure he gave off kept Dai Mubai, Tang San, and the others from making any rash moves.

On the Other Side, Ma Hongjun had tried to launch a Sneak Attack on Qian Renxue, only for her to drive an elbow into his abdomen. The fat man immediately doubled over like a shrimp, and a sour, foul-smelling mixture of stomach fluid and food sprayed uncontrollably from his mouth. His entire body flew to Zhao Linchuan's feet.

Seeing this, Zhao Linchuan frowned in disgust and sidestepped the filth. Then, without the slightest politeness, he kicked Ma Hongjun hard in the waist, sending him tumbling away like a rolling gourd and crashing into a roadside stall amid a string of crackling shatters.

"I told you to stop! Didn't you hear me?!"

An angry voice rang out, though it was clearly lacking in strength.

Yu Xiaogang emerged from behind the crowd with a dark expression, walking forward at a Quick Pace as he tried to overwhelm them with his bearing.

He strode straight up to Zhao Linchuan and pointed at him.

However, Zhao Linchuan's response was a lightning-fast backhanded slap!

"Slap!"

It was even louder than the one that had struck Ning Rongrong!

Yu Xiaogang's vision went dark. A searing pain flared across his cheek, and the blow sent him staggering back several steps before he fell onto his Buttocks. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Clutching his face, he Lifted Up his head, his eyes filled with incredulous shock and humiliation. "You... you actually dared to hit me?!"

"So what if I hit you?" Zhao Linchuan looked down at him as if he were an eyesore of a bug.

"You're as weak as a chicken I could crush to death with one hand. Even if I killed you right now, what could you do about it?"

"Are you counting on your students to avenge you?"

His tone was filled with undisguised contempt.

"You...!" Yu Xiaogang trembled with fury. Struggling to get up, he shouted fiercely despite his inner weakness, "Do you know who I am?!"

Zhao Linchuan could not be bothered to listen to his nonsense. He stepped forward and drove his foot viciously into Yu Xiaogang's chest!

"Pfft—!"

As if struck by a heavy hammer, Yu Xiaogang flew backward and slammed into a wall by the street. He slid limply down it, spat out a mouthful of blood, and his face instantly turned ashen.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know." Zhao Linchuan withdrew his foot, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on the pleasant weather.

"Teacher!!" Seeing Yu Xiaogang vomit blood, Tang San finally went completely mad. His eyes instantly reddened, and he panted like a bull!

But the moment he moved, Qian Renxue's golden phantom-like form was already before him. She lightly sent out a palm imbued with sacred Soul Power. It looked slow, yet Tang San felt the surrounding air solidify around him. He could not evade it at all and could only take it head-on!

"Bang!"

Tang San grunted and was forced back again and again. His Qi and Blood churned violently, and he could not even withstand a single move!

At that moment, Zhao Wuji, who had been watching from the sidelines, could no longer stand by.

With a grim expression, he strode forward. A powerful Soul Power Fluctuation erupted instantly, and seven Soul Rings in the optimal configuration—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—rose beneath his feet and circled his body. The pressure of a Soul Saint spread through the air.

He first cast a wary glance at Qian Renxue, who was clearly not someone to be trifled with, before speaking to Zhao Linchuan in a low voice. "Young man, one should show mercy when possible. Let this matter end here!"

Trying to ease the situation, he spoke with a trace of compromise in his voice. "Those few have extraordinary identities, and there are many powerful forces behind them."

"If you leave now, I, Zhao Wuji, can pretend none of this ever happened and let bygones be bygones."

"Let bygones be bygones?" Zhao Linchuan seemed to have heard the greatest joke in the world. He dusted off his sleeve and looked mockingly at Zhao Wuji. "The way you put it makes it sound like we were the ones in the wrong."

"They have noble identities. Does that mean I, Zhao, am just some stray cat or dog with no backing, someone you can knead and squeeze however you please?"

His gaze swept over the Shrek group, amusement in his tone. "Come on, then. Tell me all about their noble identities. Let's see what immortals they are and whether they're people I, Zhao, can afford to provoke."

Zhao Wuji's expression darkened. Looking at Ning Rongrong, whose swollen face resembled a pig's head as she lay unconscious, he forced himself to say, "She is the daughter of Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?" Zhao Linchuan raised a brow, his tone completely flat. "Average."

Zhao Wuji then looked toward Dai Mubai, whom Qian Renxue had casually slapped into a tree and who was struggling to get down. "He is..."

The words reached his lips, but he suddenly remembered that Dai Mubai's identity was sensitive and could not be revealed lightly. He hurriedly turned toward Yu Xiaogang, who was breathing with difficulty. "He... he is an honorary Elder of Spirit Hall!"

"An Elder of Spirit Hall?" Zhao Linchuan sounded as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world. His voice abruptly rose, full of merciless ridicule. "A Soul Grandmaster? An Elder of Spirit Hall?!"

"Since when had the elder position in the mighty Spirit Hall become so worthless?"

"Did he get there through nepotism?"

"He is also from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan..." Zhao Wuji tried to add.

"Wait! Old Zhao! Don't say any more!" Yu Xiaogang coughed violently several times and struggled to interrupt Zhao Wuji. His face was pale, and he was overcome with humiliation.

"I... I am merely a scholar devoted to researching Martial Soul theory. Some people have honored me by calling me 'Master,' and... and I have no distinguished identity."

He knew full well that invoking the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan at this moment would only make him lose even more face.

"'Martial Soul Research Master'? Others respectfully call you 'Master'?" An extremely exaggerated expression appeared on Zhao Linchuan's face, as though he had heard the most absurd thing in the world.

He circled around Yu Xiaogang, who was slumped on the ground, twice. His gaze traveled over him like a dissecting blade, making Yu Xiaogang's skin crawl as Shame and Anger drove him nearly mad.

"What are you looking at?!" Yu Xiaogang could not help roaring.

Zhao Linchuan slowly stopped before him, bent slightly, and said word by word:

"I'm looking to see exactly what is so extraordinary about you that you deserve the title 'Master.'"

He straightened and Shook Head. The contempt in his tone reached its peak. "But no matter how I look at you—left, right, above, or below—you are nothing but... trash."

"You...!" Yu Xiaogang trembled with rage and tried to argue. "Though my strength is low, I possess wisdom!"

"I have conducted countless investigations, consulted countless ancient texts. My theories..."