Is This the Blood Coagulation Third Realm?

Outside the Flying Bird First Martial Hall.

With the young man from the Xu Family pointing him out, Shen Zhou instantly became the center of attention.

Especially since the number one beauty of Flying Bird City was following right beside him, and their relationship seemed rather unusual. It was hard not to let people's imaginations run wild.

Shen Zhou recognized him then, too. The one pointing at him was none other than the Young Master Xu he had beaten at a teahouse on his way to Flying Bird City.

Back then, he'd been worried about trouble later, so he'd made up the fake name "Yang Guo." Who would've thought there really was a Yang Family in the city? And even less that the two families would end up fighting because of it.

But given the circumstances, Shen Zhou wasn't foolish enough to admit he was "Yang Guo." Better to avoid unnecessary trouble. So he looked calmly at the furious Xu Liansheng and said, "Who are you? I don't know you. You've got the wrong person, haven't you?"

Xu Liansheng grew even angrier. He glared viciously at Shen Zhou and said, "I'd recognize you even if you were ground to ash! You were the one who beat me at the Four Directions Teahouse, then stole my Xu Family's treasured clan technique, the Wild Desolate Art. You still want to deny it? Maybe you never thought I'd find you one day.

"Today, you're not leaving, no matter what!"

With that, Xu Liansheng reached for Shen Zhou, intending to seize him first.

Pei Dahai was still a little confused, but when he saw someone make a move against his junior brother, he immediately stepped in and knocked Xu Liansheng's hand aside. Then he said, "I think there must be some kind of misunderstanding here."

As he spoke, he secretly gave Shen Zhou a look over his shoulder, signaling for him to leave first.

But before Shen Zhou and Tan Tong could slip away, the Xu Family Hall Master, Xu Tianqiao, stepped forward and blocked Shen Zhou's path. His voice was icy. "So you're 'Yang Guo'? I don't care whether there's a misunderstanding, and I don't care who's backing you. You dared to provoke the Xu Family. Today, not even the King of Heaven himself could protect you!"

Those words were clearly aimed at Pei Dahai and Qin Mingyue, who stood beside him.

He suspected the Qin Family might be behind this, plotting against them.

After all, the Xu Family and Qin Family had never gotten along. And in a dozen days or so, the two families would be negotiating how to divide the Fire Crystal mine north of the city.

At a time like this, any little incident could be part of the Qin Family's scheme. He absolutely couldn't let it slide.

Meanwhile, after the Yang Family had shouldered the blame for over half a month, they'd finally found the real culprit. They were seething, too. Yang Ming led his people in blocking Shen Zhou and said, "Who exactly are you? You impersonated someone from the Yang Family and sullied our good name. If you don't explain yourself, don't blame me, Yang Ming, for being rude."

In an instant, both the Xu Family and the Yang Family turned their attention to Shen Zhou. The situation had become extremely tense.

More and more onlookers gathered around them, their discussion never letting up.

Seeing the scene, Pei Dahai felt immense pressure. He quietly asked Shen Zhou, "Junior Brother Shen Zhou, what's going on? Hurry up and explain, or your senior brother here won't be able to hold them off alone!"

Seeing the situation, Qin Mingyue, for reasons unknown, showed no sign of stepping in to help. In fact, she quietly took a step back.

Yet in this situation, Shen Zhou actually smiled.

Things had taken an unexpected turn, but he didn't think it was a problem.

He patted Pei Dahai on the shoulder and said, "It's fine, Senior Brother. Step aside and let me handle this."

After saying that, Shen Zhou stepped out from behind Pei Dahai and moved to the front. Facing the Xu and Yang Families' demands and Xu Liansheng's furious glare, he curled his lips and said, "Both the Xu Family and the Yang Family want an explanation from me. But I'd like to ask you something... What the hell are you to me? Why should I explain myself to you?"

His voice turned sharp at the end, his domineering presence spilling out.

The Xu and Yang Families' expressions changed at once. "You..."

Before they could say anything, Shen Zhou sneered again. "That's right. I beat this guy outside the city. But have you ever bothered to find out why I beat him?"

Xu Tianqiao narrowed his eyes slightly, then replied, "Xu Liansheng is one of my Xu Family. Whatever he's done, you had no right to lay a hand on him. And you certainly shouldn't have stolen our treasured clan technique!"

"Bullshit!"

Shen Zhou immediately snapped, "So if he bullies someone, that person isn't allowed to fight back? What kind of damn logic is that? If he murders and burns down houses, does everyone else have to stand there and wait to die just because he's from the Xu Family?"

Xu Tianqiao's face darkened.

Xu Liansheng tried to argue, but his lips moved twice and not a word came out.

Because the truth was, he'd started the whole thing in the first place.

Shen Zhou then turned to Yang Ming. "And you lot from the Yang Family—I called you a bunch of useless cowards, and don't even think about denying it. I did tell that Xu guy my name was 'Yang Guo,' but I never said I was from your Yang Family. Do you think your family's the only one in the world with the surname Yang?

"Later, the Xu Family used that as an excuse to cause trouble for you. They were the ones being unreasonable. So why didn't you fight them? Why come after me?

"Let's get to the bottom of it: isn't it because you think the Xu Family's too powerful to mess with?

"Bullies who pick on the weak and fear the strong. You're one of the Five Great Families, and I'm embarrassed for you.

"And now you've got the nerve to demand an explanation from me?

"What the hell do you think you're entitled to?"

The onlookers were stunned after hearing him.

They looked at Shen Zhou as if he were some kind of deity.

How many years had it been? Since the Five Great Families were established, probably no one had dared to curse them like this.

And now someone had stood right in front of people from the Xu and Yang Families and chewed them out so thoroughly. "Awesome" didn't even begin to describe it. It was downright incredible!

Yang Ming's eyes blazed with fury, and his fists clenched so tightly they seemed ready to burst.

Just as the Xu and Yang Families were about to lose their patience and attack, a blue-clad figure suddenly stepped out of the crowd.

He was a young man of about twenty-one or twenty-two, holding a white folding fan. Gold and jade adorned his clothes, and he carried himself with elegant poise. As he walked, he applauded and said, "Well said! Brother Shen Zhou truly deserves to be the one who drew the Qin Family Ancestral Divine Weapon. His style really is extraordinary!"

At those words, the tense, sword-pointing atmosphere abruptly stalled.

What?

The young man who'd cursed out the Xu and Yang Families was the same youth who'd drawn the Qin Family Ancestral Divine Weapon earlier?

Could that be true?

Then someone recognized the blue-clad young man and announced loudly, "That's Chu Tianqi of the Chu Family, one of the Five Great Families. What he says must be true."

Others turned to look at Qin Mingyue at the back of the crowd, hoping she would come forward and confirm it.

And for reasons unknown, Qin Mingyue, who had kept quiet until now, actually spoke up. She said just one word: "Yes!"

As soon as the answer came, the crowd erupted, and the atmosphere surged to a new peak.

"What? That kid really is the one who drew the sword!"

"No wonder he dared to stand up to the Xu and Yang Families. The Qin Family's backing him!"

"Damn, he drew the Qin Family Iron Sword, which means he's Qin Mingyue's husband, doesn't it? And the Qin Family's going to cultivate him with everything they've got. How did this kid get such a good deal?"

In the crowd, who knew how many people were envious and jealous of Shen Zhou.

If they could throw things at him right now, he'd probably already have been buried under rotten tomatoes and stinking eggs.

Shen Zhou, however, remained expressionless and unmoved. He merely shot Qin Mingyue a thoughtful glance.

She hadn't said a word before, but now she'd spoken up. On the surface, it was because of the pressure from the crowd, but Shen Zhou couldn't help feeling that the little miss had done it on purpose.

He also recognized the man called "Chu Tianqi." He was the one who'd revealed the inside story about the Qin Family Iron Sword to Shen Zhou beneath the arena at the Qin Family's place.

Who would've thought he was from one of the Five Great Families, too?

"No wonder he knew so much..."

The thought flashed through Shen Zhou's mind.

At the front of the crowd.

After hearing that Shen Zhou was the Qin Family's Sword Drawer, Yang Ming was somewhat surprised. But the Qin Family was only a second-rate family, not enough to give him pause. He declared righteously, "No matter who you are, you dared to insult my Yang Family. I'll never let this matter go!"

Xu Tianqiao's expression darkened even further, and he spoke with a chilling edge. "Well, well. So it really was all the Qin Family's scheme. Then today, none of you from the Qin Family are leaving either!"

With Shen Zhou's identity as the Qin Family's Sword Drawer exposed, the Xu and Yang Families pressing him at every turn, and the Chu Family joining in, the situation grew livelier and tenser by the second. It was like the whole scene was bearing down on them!

Pei Dahai was already sweating, his palms clenched tight. Several times, he tried to step forward and help his junior brother shoulder the pressure, but he just couldn't bring himself to move.

The situation was too much. He was only at the Coagulation Ninth Realm—he couldn't handle it at all!

Tan Tong and Dongfang Hongyu, meanwhile, remained stunned and bewildered.

Facing the situation, Shen Zhou laughed with a sharp "heh."

Xu Tianqiao asked with a grim face, "What are you laughing at?"

Shen Zhou threw his head back and laughed. "Actually, after saying all that just now, I only wanted to tell you one thing: as far as reason goes, I did nothing wrong.

"But now it seems you don't want to talk reason with me.

"Perhaps in the eyes of your great families, the bigger fist makes the rules. So no matter who's in the wrong, you won't let me off.

"If that's the case, then things are simple..."

Everyone was baffled. They had no idea what Shen Zhou was trying to say.

Only Qin Mingyue, who had been through a similar situation before, saw her eyes suddenly light up.

Perhaps she'd been looking forward to this moment from the very beginning...

The next moment, Shen Zhou beckoned with his right hand, and a black iron sword appeared in his palm. He gave it a shake, then pointed the blade straight at the Xu and Yang Families. "Now, I'm right here. Anyone who wants trouble, step forward. Your young master will have a little chat with you using his sword, and we'll see... whose fist is bigger!!!"

As Shen Zhou's words fell, an immense, unruly, heaven-defying aura suddenly erupted from him.

It swept across the entire street in an instant, like a tidal wave crashing over the sea.

Seeing this, Dongfang Hongyu nearly popped his eyes out. He hurriedly asked Tan Tong beside him, "What cultivation level is Shen Zhou at now?"

Tan Tong replied, stunned, "B... Blood Coagulation Third Realm."

Dongfang Pangpang was dumbstruck.

Was this damn thing really the Blood Coagulation Third Realm?