Shi Qingfeng

A nineteen-year-old at the Ninth Layer of Body Refining—such talent was no weaker than Zhou Dinghai's!

"So what if he's at the Ninth Layer of Body Refining? He's just a few years older. We're both in the Bone Refining Realm, and it's anyone's guess who'd win in a fight!" After a moment of silence, a young man suddenly spoke up.

A chorus of indignant agreement rang out around them.

In this world, strength meant everything. To earn the genuine admiration of these young geniuses, who had looked down on their peers since childhood, cultivation alone wasn't enough. They had to prove their fighting ability, too!

A true genius could even take down warriors of a higher level!

"If it came to a real fight, all ten of you together wouldn't be a match for Brother Qing Feng!" The young man, undeterred by the crowd's anger, climbed right onto the table, waving his arms and spitting as he shouted.

"Get down!"

"What's so great about the Shi Family? They don't even have a Spirit Gathering Realm powerhouse backing them. What kind of foundation could they possibly have?"

"Beat that kid up!"

The young men were all brimming with youthful fire, and they shouted one after another. Strangely, though their voices were loud, not one of them actually made a move. They just kept trading barbs even more noisily.

Zhou Heng rescued a plate of food and backed away to the far edge of the room, bowl in hand. If the others really started fighting, he didn't want to get caught in the crossfire and have his dinner suffer for it.

"Hmph, so what if the Shi Family throws its weight around?"

A cold laugh, full of authority, rang out. A tall, slender figure approached, and everyone near him was forced back by his imposing aura, clearing a path without thinking.

A young man around twenty strode into the middle of the hall and stood there proudly, his whole body radiating a fearsome presence.

Ninth Layer of Body Refining!

Everyone's expression tightened. The young man had forced them back with nothing but the aura he let slip. That was no feat an ordinary cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Body Refining could manage!

They were all geniuses chosen from their respective towns, each capable of challenging opponents above their level. Yet in front of this young man, they felt utterly powerless, as if he could crush them with a single finger.

What a terrifying guy!

"Hahaha, now you know how formidable Brother Qing Feng is, don't you?" the boy who had been so arrogant from the start said smugly, as if he himself were Shi Qingfeng.

"I've heard the Shi Family has two geniuses, Shi Qingfeng and Shi Gang. Why has only one of them come this time?"

"Haha, I heard Shi Gang was butchered, and only one person made it back!"

Two more voices rang out. A young man appeared in each of the hall's two side corridors. Both looked to be around twenty. One stood with his arms crossed, his face full of disdain; the other leaned lazily against the wall, a languid smile on his face.

"The Zhang Family's genius, Zhang Zijun!"

"The Chang Family's prodigy, Chang Kang!"

The two young men were evidently famous, and they were recognized at once.

"Add Shen Xinqi, the Shen Family's young genius, and you have the four strongest talents taking part in this year's Mountain-Opening Selection!"

"All four are prodigies at the Ninth Layer of Body Refining!"

"They're about the same age, yet two whole layers apart in cultivation. You have to hand it to them!"

Shi Qingfeng's gaze turned icy. Shi Gang had been killed in the Heaven-Leveling Mountain Range, a humiliation for the entire Shi Family. He had sworn to cut down the young swordsman responsible!

He had never thought much of Shi Gang, but no outsider had the right to insult or kill someone from the Shi Family!

His frigid gaze swept over Zhang Zijun and Chang Kang. "In ten days, I'll defeat you with my own hands and show you what a true genius is!"

"Shi Qingfeng, don't be so arrogant," Chang Kang said, shaking his head, still wearing that lazy smile. "It'll take me only three moves to beat you! Well, to save you some face, ten at most!"

Everyone fell silent. Which one of them was supposed to be the arrogant one here?

"You two can come at me together. I can take care of both of you in ten moves!" Zhang Zijun joined the verbal sparring, unwilling to be left out.

The three geniuses stared coldly at one another, their eyes roaming over each other with battle lust. The air was thick with hostility.

The young men were all excited. In truth, the arrival of these three geniuses at the Ninth Layer of Body Refining had already made the top three spots a foregone conclusion. Still, watching them face off like needle against needle had everyone on the edge of their seats.

What warrior didn't love a fight? Without the hunger for victory, where would the drive to advance come from?

Zhou Heng watched coldly, his heart undisturbed.

Even experts at the peak of the Twelfth Layer of Body Refining had fallen to my blade. Did I really think these youngsters at the Ninth Layer were worth worrying about?

He returned to his room, no longer interested in the spectacle, and began studying the Fourth Form of Heaven-Soaring.

Early the next morning, Feng Tengyuan came to visit. He said Zhou Dinghai's injuries were under control, but treating them would be tricky.

There were two simple ways to neutralize the Crimson Flame Heart-Burning Palm. The first was to prescribe the right antidote. But the formula was known only to White Jade Valley, so they would have to go there to obtain it!

The second was to have a Spirit Gathering Realm expert use their own spiritual power to drive the fire poison out of Zhou Dinghai's body.

That method might seem as simple as lifting a hand, but could Feng Tengyuan really call upon a Spirit Gathering Realm expert?

Fortunately, he had already sent someone to notify Lin Fuxiang. Once the young lady arrived, getting a Spirit Gathering Realm powerhouse to help would be effortless.

After thanking Feng Tengyuan, Zhou Heng thought to himself that there was no getting out of owing Lin Fuxiang a favor this time. He pictured the young lady standing before him with her hands on her hips, smiling smugly, and couldn't help shaking his head.

Only then did he learn that the main seat of the Nine Spirits Sect wasn't in Fengyu City at all. It was built at the foot of a mountain, a hundred miles outside the city. White Jade Valley and the Azure Cloud Sect were the same. Though Fengyu City was the center of power, it was merely controlled by people appointed by the Three Great Sects.

As for why the sects were established far from the world of mortals, Feng Tengyuan said it helped warriors cultivate.

Zhou Heng hadn't felt his cultivation speed up at all after entering the Heaven-Leveling Mountain Range. So perhaps this advantage didn't apply to Body Refining Realm warriors, but to Spirit Gathering Realm experts!

Spirit Gathering Realm experts absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to strengthen themselves. Their method of cultivation was completely different from that of Body Refining Realm warriors!

After seeing Feng Tengyuan off, Zhou Heng went to a medicine shop in the city and sold the Golden-Crowned Snake's fangs for a little over four hundred taels of silver. He promptly spent every last coin, buying two Gathering Essence Pills.

Gathering Essence Pills were the best choice for warriors looking to rapidly build up their True Essence Power. Like the Black Broken Sword, a pill released free-floating energy as soon as it was consumed, greatly reducing the time needed for cultivation and yielding twice the results for half the effort!

But at two hundred taels of silver each, they were outrageously expensive!

There were only nine days left before the entrance examination. With the Black Broken Sword alone, there was no way he could reach the Eighth Layer of Body Refining in time. Only after Feng Tengyuan's advice had he thought of the Gathering Essence Pills—before that, he hadn't even heard of them.

"For the past ten years, I might as well have been living outside the world!"

Zhou Heng sighed inwardly. He returned to the inn with the two Gathering Essence Pills, and just as he was about to enter, someone suddenly came out. At the instant they were about to collide, Zhou Heng darted aside with a Flying Cloud Step, slipping past by a hair's breadth.

Huh?

When he saw the person's face clearly, a glint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes!

This was the one man from Shi Gang's group who had escaped with his life!

"Ah—" The young man recognized Zhou Heng, too. His face turned deathly pale, and he scrambled back into the inn, shrieking like a wailing ghost. In an instant, he had startled everyone inside.

Zhou Heng didn't rush to attack. The young man was only at the Sixth Layer of Body Refining and wasn't qualified to take the Nine Spirits Sect's entrance examination. He must have come along with a genius from his family.

It was only a short while before the young man came back, trembling. Someone had appeared beside him—Shi Qingfeng!

Zhou Heng's heart gave a quiet "oh" as he remembered. Chang Kang and Zhang Zijun had said the day before that another genius from the Shi Family had been butchered in the Heaven-Leveling Mountain Range. Damn, that person had been him!

"Is it him?" Shi Qingfeng stared at Zhou Heng, though he was asking the young man.

"Yes, Young Master Qingfeng. This is the brat who killed Brother Gang—no, Shi Gang!" the young man hurriedly corrected himself. He had once followed Shi Gang and hadn't gotten along with Shi Qingfeng. Now that Shi Gang was dead, there was no doubt who would inherit the Shi Family.

Someone like him, a "surrendered general," could never have become a trusted confidant. But he was the only person who had seen Zhou Heng. Shi Qingfeng thought Zhou Heng might attend the Mountain-Opening Selection of the Three Great Sects, so he had brought this "eyewitness" along.

As it happened, Zhou Heng had not only come, but had also been chosen by the Nine Spirits Sect!

"I have no interest in asking your name. Take your own life!" Shi Qingfeng said indifferently, with such overwhelming confidence that he sounded like an emperor looking down from on high.

How arrogant!

By now, many young men had come out to watch the commotion. Others stood at their windows, looking down.

Zhou Heng casually dusted off his hands. "Get lost. I don't have time for you."

Hiss, this guy was every bit as arrogant!

"Hahaha, boy, you're clever!" Shi Qingfeng suddenly burst into laughter. "You know the Nine Spirits Sect's rules: anyone who makes a move during the examination period is automatically disqualified. So I can't do anything to you, can I?"

Zhou Heng was slightly taken aback. He really hadn't known there was such a rule. Feng Tengyuan had never mentioned it. Then again, in Feng Tengyuan's eyes, Zhou Heng was his future son-in-law. What was the big deal if his future son-in-law beat up a few people?

"For now, I can't do anything to you. But don't let me run into you on the day of the examination. Otherwise, I'll break every bone in your body!" Shi Qingfeng's tone changed, laced with a murderous chill.

Zhou Heng stared back coldly. This guy must have known why Shi Gang had died, yet he didn't mention the reason at all. He just wanted to kill him!

Not out of brotherly affection, but for the so-called honor of the family!

For the sake of family, Zhou Heng could understand. Just as he would stop at nothing to find and kill the culprit who had injured Zhou Dinghai!

But family honor?

What was there to be proud of in this?