Because... I'm Strong Enough!

Shen Zhou's sudden outburst and forceful attitude drew sidelong glances from many of those present.

Xu Liansheng, who had learned a hard lesson from him before, instinctively took a step back. As he recalled Shen Zhou's overbearing behavior in the past, his cheek began to ache all on its own.

In the crowd, Chu Tianqi stared intently at the Taixuan Sword in Shen Zhou's hand and said with interest, "Back at the arena, I already sensed that the Qin Family Divine Weapon could boost the strength of whoever wielded it. Unfortunately, he never drew the sword that day. Now I finally have a chance to see the true might of a Divine King's Weapon!"

The crowd had already retreated a great distance, leaving the open ground in front of the martial hall as a battlefield. Countless gazes then focused on Yang Ming and Xu Tianqiao.

Yang Ming narrowed his eyes. He sensed something ominous from Shen Zhou, so he didn't step forward right away. Instead, after a moment's thought, he turned to Xu Tianqiao. "Brother Xu, this boy caused the misunderstanding between our families, leading to all this trouble. Now that the culprit is here, I'll leave you the chance to personally slay the villain. How does that sound?"

Xu Tianqiao was merely a Hall Master under the Xu Family. He had stood up for Xu Liansheng, a member of the main branch, to make a name for himself and win a chance to rise through the ranks.

Now the opportunity was right in front of him. Xu Tianqiao's eyes sharpened, and he agreed. "Good. I owe you one for this. If I get the chance, I'll treat you to a feast and make amends, Hall Master Yang. Now then, boy, let's see what you can do!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Tianqiao stomped hard on the ground. His dense vitality erupted, tearing open his shirt and revealing his strong body and solid muscles.

At that moment, Xu Tianqiao looked like a ferocious beast in human form.

Savage.

Dangerous.

A murderous aura that struck fear into the heart!

Xu Tianqiao then turned into a blur and lunged toward Shen Zhou at lightning speed. "Boy, prepare to die!"

His fist came down like a mountain!

His force cracked like thunder!

He was confident that even Yang Ming, who was at the same realm, couldn't stop this punch!

But the man standing before him was Shen Zhou.

Shen Zhou with a sword in his hand!

The moment the sword was in his grasp, the Entry had activated.

Xu Tianqiao's fist came crashing down, but it struck not Shen Zhou, but the blade of the Taixuan Sword.

Xu Tianqiao's Yuan Force was dense and his striking power fierce, yet the Taixuan Sword before him didn't even tremble.

"How is this possible?!"

For an instant, Xu Tianqiao was dazed. It was as if the person standing before him wasn't Shen Zhou, but a towering mountain.

Shen Zhou looked at him without expression and said coldly, "You sure talk a lot. This should've been over in two or three swings, but you've made it all dramatic. Fine. You wanted to see what I can do, didn't you? Then watch closely!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Zhou shook the sword. A powerful force erupted and sent Xu Tianqiao flying backward.

Before Xu Tianqiao could regain his footing, Shen Zhou's eyes turned cold. He raised his hand and struck with his sword.

A crescent-shaped Sword Qi, like a streak of light, cleaved toward Xu Tianqiao with tangible force.

Feeling how sharp and dangerous the Sword Qi was, Xu Tianqiao's pupils contracted. He had no time to think. Yuan Force quickly gathered in his hands, and in an instant, he raised a shield of Yuan Force before himself.

The moment his defense appeared, the Sword Qi arrived.

The Yuan Force shield made contact with the Sword Qi and lasted only an instant before bursting apart like a bubble.

Utterly helpless!

Thud, thud, thud...

Unable to withstand the impact of the Sword Qi, Xu Tianqiao staggered backward. His blood and qi churned within him, and his face turned deathly pale. He stared in shock. "That boy didn't even show any sign of his blood and qi before he attacked. How could he be so powerful once he made his move? Could the rumors about the Qin Family Ancestral Divine Weapon suddenly raising its wielder's strength really be true?"

Back when the Qin Family drew the sword at the arena, someone had tried to rush onto the stage and seize it. Plenty of people had spread stories about that, too.

But the Qin Family had quickly suppressed the incident, so few people knew the details, and there had been no way to verify the rumors.

Now, though, the situation brought the rumor back to Xu Tianqiao's mind—and he was beginning to believe it.

While Xu Tianqiao was still reeling, Shen Zhou raised his hand and swung again.

This time, the Entry's power was even stronger, and the Sword Qi was even more violent and deadly!

"Go on, try blocking this one!" Shen Zhou barked.

This time, Xu Tianqiao didn't even have time to defend himself.

"Ah!"

The Sword Qi tore through the air, and a scream rang out along the street.

The Sword Qi nearly split the entire street in two. The sight was astonishing.

And it had also severed an arm!

Look closely: it was Xu Tianqiao's right arm.

"Pfft..."

Once the Sword Qi dissipated, Xu Tianqiao suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, then passed out.

An almost deathly silence fell over the area.

From the start of the fight to its end, Shen Zhou had only swung twice.

Two strikes had crippled an expert at the Transformation Yuan Fifth Realm. It was fucking terrifying!

For a moment, everyone looked at Shen Zhou as if he were a monster.

Even Tan Tong and Dongfang Hongyu stood there with their mouths agape, as though they were seeing him for the first time.

Pei Dahai could barely get the words out. "Th-this... is this really our junior brother?"

At the back of the crowd, only Qin Mingyue's eyes gleamed. She stared fixedly at the Taixuan Sword in Shen Zhou's hand, her expression feverish and frenzied. But soon, she lowered her head, hiding her gaze and thoughts completely.

"Th-this..."

Staring at Xu Tianqiao, unconscious and missing an arm, Xu Liansheng could barely speak.

He had gone to Xu Tianqiao for support, hoping he would stand up for him and help him vent his anger. But the result... Xu Tianqiao hadn't even lasted two strikes?

Then Xu Liansheng glared at Shen Zhou and said, "Shen Zhou, you've provoked my Xu Family again and again, and now you've crippled the Hall Master of my family's martial hall. The Xu Family will never let you get away with this!"

Shen Zhou's gaze turned cold. He stepped forward, pointing his sword at Xu Liansheng. "Have you forgotten what happened the last time you threatened me? Or do you want to end up like him, lying on the ground with an arm missing?"

Xu Liansheng staggered backward in fear, putting on a bold front while his heart quailed. "Y-you wouldn't dare! I'm a member of the Xu Family's main branch. My family has a Heavenly Venerate Ancestor! If you lay a finger on me, even the Qin Family won't be able to protect you!"

"Heh... the Heavenly Firmament? Is the 'Heavenly Firmament' really that impressive?"

Shen Zhou's words made countless people's eyelids twitch.

Was this guy crazy? He wasn't even afraid of a Celestial Firmament Realm expert.

Or could it be that the Qin Family Ancestral Divine Weapon allowed him to wield the power of the Celestial Firmament Realm, too?

"If one Celestial Firmament Realm expert isn't enough, what about two?"

Seeing Shen Zhou's imposing presence, trampling the prestige of the great families underfoot, Yang Ming finally found his chance to step forward under the protection of their authority. "Shen Zhou, don't think you can act without restraint just because you're relying on the Qin Family Ancestral Divine Weapon. The might of Celestial Firmament Realm experts is beyond your imagination, and the prestige of the great families isn't yours to challenge.

"If you know what's good for you, then you'd better—"

Before Yang Ming could finish, Shen Zhou flashed forward and kicked him flying.

Yang Ming didn't even have time to react before he crashed into the wall of a martial hall by the road. A huge hole burst through it, dust billowing everywhere, and no one climbed back out for a long while.

Shen Zhou came to a stop and glanced coldly at the hole. "I hadn't even come after you, and you still dared to use the 'Heavenly Firmament' and 'great family' titles to threaten me. You really don't know when to quit!"

"..."

The crowd's breathing caught.

Good grief.

This Shen fellow was far too reckless.

He'd just made an enemy of the Xu Family, and now he'd made an enemy of the Yang Family, too. Was he really not afraid at all?

After today, the Qin Family might not even be able to remain a second-rate family.

By this point, the onlookers thought the matter was over.

But just as Xu Liansheng, no longer daring to say a word, was carrying Xu Tianqiao away, Shen Zhou suddenly called out to him.

"Hold it..."

Xu Liansheng thought Shen Zhou was going to kill him. He jerked in fright, almost falling to his knees, then turned around in terror. "Y-you, don't come any closer! I swear, I'll never bother you again! Please let me go..."

Seeing Xu Liansheng beg for mercy, Shen Zhou suddenly remembered something. He smiled. "Letting you go is easy, but you'll have to hand something over in exchange for your life and his. Understand?"

At the sight of this, Xu Liansheng remembered the last time he'd been robbed. He immediately caught on and hurriedly pulled everything he had out of his pockets.

There were around thirty or forty gold leaves, along with some bottles and jars of pills.

Shen Zhou rummaged through the pile. Finding no manuals or cultivation methods, he looked disappointed. "That's all? What about the second half of the Wild Desolate Art?"

Seeing Shen Zhou's expression darken, Xu Liansheng panicked and hurriedly said, "The Wild Desolate Art is the Xu Family's most treasured cultivation method. I'm only qualified to learn the first half right now... but I can get the second half of the formula. You'll have to give me some time."

Shen Zhou paused, then said, "Fine. Next time I see you, you'd better give it to me. If you don't, I'll come to your door and take it myself. And then don't say I didn't give you a chance!"

With that, Shen Zhou waved a hand and really did let Xu Liansheng leave.

Xu Liansheng could hardly believe it.

Wasn't Shen Zhou afraid he might be lying?

Shen Zhou then walked over to the Yang Family, and its people panicked as well.

When he asked the half-dead Yang Ming what treasured cultivation method he could offer in exchange for his life, Yang Ming shook his head bitterly. He said he was only a collateral member of the Yang Family and wasn't qualified to learn its treasured cultivation methods. Shen Zhou showed no mercy and destroyed Yang Ming's dantian with a single palm strike, reducing him to a cripple for good.

At last, it was over.

The Xu Family and Yang Family had arrived in a menacing rush, only to leave with heavy casualties. The onlookers couldn't help but sigh at the outcome.

After this battle, Shen Zhou's name would spread throughout Flying Bird City at astonishing speed, along with his title as the Qin Family Sword Drawer.

From then on, he would no longer be an unknown nobody.

On Martial Hall Street, after everyone had dispersed, Pei Dahai and Tan Tong immediately crowded around.

Pei Dahai's expression was grave. "Junior Brother Shen Zhou, although you didn't start this today, you handled things a little recklessly."

Shen Zhou chuckled. "Senior Brother Dahai, I gave them a chance to reason things out, but they chose not to. You can't blame me for that. Once I stop playing by the rules, then I'm sorry—but even if the Emperor himself shows up, I'll still cut him down!"

Pei Dahai looked utterly astonished. "Aren't you afraid the Xu and Yang Families will retaliate?"

"Not afraid."

"Why not?"

"Because... I'm strong enough!"

"..."