Doubt

Upon learning of this, Shan Xiongqing gnashed his teeth in hatred and sought out Shan Lie for help: "Second Uncle, it's infuriating! That brat Su Yuan actually broke through to Savage Strength! I hope you can—"

Before he could finish, Shan Lie slapped him across the forehead, displeased. "Xiongqing, what nonsense are you spouting? You want me, a Vein Splitting expert, to bully a junior who just broke through to Savage Strength? Su Yuan has only just entered this realm. You have been in the middle stage of Savage Strength for quite some time; can you not handle him yourself?"

Stung by the blow, Shan Xiongqing sobered up slightly. "You're right. My cultivation isn't much higher than his, and he surely hates me. He won't admit defeat immediately when we face off. As long as we cross hands, I can seize the chance to cripple him, or even kill him."

Shan Lie nodded, then added, "If you are still worried, just have Shan Feng challenge him then. Why would I need to step in personally?"

Shan Feng was the strongest Savage Strength martial artist the Shan Family was fielding for the two-nation Martial Arts Tournament, already at the late stage and not far from the Vein Splitting realm.

Shan Xiongqing agreed repeatedly, then turned and headed to the place where Gao Mian was imprisoned.

"Madam, I've brought you some good news today," he said with a mocking tone.

Gao Mian acted as if she hadn't heard him, continuing to practice her cultivation.

She had finally broken through to the middle stage of Savage Strength some time ago.

During this period, Shan Xiongqing often came to intimidate her with a mix of true and false news, so she simply ignored him.

If Su Yuan truly met with misfortune, she would avenge him herself in the future.

Shan Xiongqing continued, "I didn't expect that brat to have such good luck; he really did reach Savage Strength. They say the Chai Family's Blood Bone Pill worked and improved his aptitude. Madam, you work so hard at your cultivation yet show no progress at all—don't you want this pill? But his luck is likely coming to an end. At the Martial Arts Tournament, I will personally crush him."

"Xiongqing, could you let him go?" Gao Mian asked, her tone uncharacteristically soft.

Shan Xiongqing saw through her instantly. "Madam, trying to show weakness for your dear brother again to make us lower our guard? I won't give you that chance. Even if I can't take him down immediately, the Shan Family has plenty of others. We will challenge him one by one until we take him down!"

Gao Mian let out a long, weary sigh, the sense of helplessness in her heart growing heavier.

She could only comfort herself: the Chai Family would have someone to protect Yuan'er.

Inside Baoma Restaurant, after Chai Nian and the other two went to a private room to discuss matters.

Su Yuan and the others were finally able to sit at the table and eat the leftovers.

However, apart from Su Yuan, no one else picked up their chopsticks.

Su Yuan picked up a piece of snake meat.

He recognized it as the meat of a Star-Falling Python, which was highly beneficial for cultivating Flying Star Strength.

The meat was firm and chewy; once it reached his stomach, it turned into a stream of scorching heat that dispersed throughout his limbs and bones.

"Tieniu, do you want some?" Su Yuan ate half and left the rest for Tieniu.

Feeling the tingling, hot current surging in his stomach, he simply cleared a space in the room and began practicing the Heavenly Horse Flying Star Fist.

Seeing this, Yuan Jingfan muttered to himself: Brother, you are being a bit too deliberate.

Thinking of Su Yuan's poor aptitude and how only hard work could help him catch up, he swallowed his words.

Huang Tong also frowned slightly. Is all this really necessary?

Rong Yuzhi was even more confused and even looked disgusted. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Tieniu sit down and silently eat the leftovers, though he didn't touch the plate of Star-Falling Python, leaving it all for Su Yuan.

When they had gone out of the city for training with Chai Nian earlier, Chai Nian had taken him to hunt this very beast.

When the three from the Chai Family finished their discussion and returned, they saw the Su brothers had swept through the leftovers like a whirlwind.

Wei Xian couldn't help but remark, "Chai Nian, when it comes to training dogs, I am indeed not as good as you."

Chai Nian chuckled, waving his fan. "Since you know you aren't as good, then learn well."

He walked up to Su Yuan and tapped his shoulder lightly with his fan. "What's the point of eating leftovers? Come back with me; you can eat your fill of Star-Falling Python meat."

"You got it!"

On the carriage ride back, Chai Nian suddenly spoke up: "There is new information regarding that Ghost-Masked Man."

Su Yuan felt a chill in his heart, but his expression remained calm.

Before he could respond, Chai Nian continued on his own: "Remember Du Hengfeng? He was injured by a Ghost-Masked Man back then, and that injury couldn't have been faked. It seems Du Hengfeng wasn't a traitor after all, right, Su Yuan?"

Su Yuan had been prepared for this and replied respectfully, "Young Master is wise. Du Hengfeng is indeed not a traitor, but it is a fact that he led a group to surround and kill us. We were merely acting on the situation to take the opportunity to strike at the Shan Family."

Whether Du Hengfeng was a traitor or not, the Shan Family knew the truth.

The key was that he had presented the head of Duan Hongyan at the time, which was how he had passed that hurdle.

"In that case, the Ghost-Masked Man didn't kill Du Hengfeng back then, so his cultivation was likely not yet at the External Force stage. But during the South City incident, he already possessed External Force cultivation and was quite powerful.

This person might be an underground martial artist, or he could be hiding right beside us. The number of people who have broken through to Savage Strength recently is very small. The Wei Family intends to investigate this thoroughly," Chai Nian said slowly.

Tieniu interjected, "Young Master, that definitely isn't me or Brother Yuan. I've been following you ever since I broke through, and Brother Yuan only just broke through as well."

Chai Nian naturally knew the details of the two and was convinced the Ghost-Masked Man had nothing to do with them; he was merely using the opportunity to keep them in check.

If he truly had to choose a suspect between the two brothers, it would only be Su Tieniu, as Su Yuan's condition had been verified by a Vein Splitting martial artist and could not be faked, plus he was tethered by the Blood Bone Pill.

Su Yuan was loyal.

"I don't care about your personal grudges with other clans; on the contrary, I enjoy watching you tear into each other. But remember, do not let me see any act of betrayal against the Chai Family. Prepare well for the Martial Arts Tournament in a month or so; the Shan Family will certainly challenge you. There will be rewards for every victory," Chai Nian said coldly.

Over the next month, all the martial artists participating in the tournament did their utmost to improve themselves.

Su Yuan and Tie Niu accepted special training from Chai Nian.

Su Yuan used his silver to purchase materials for the Star-Falling Python from the Chai Family, nearly exhausting all his savings.

Fortunately, with funding from Yun Xu, his progress was rapid, and his mastery of the Heavenly Horse Flying Star Fist surpassed that of the Golden Horse-Head Technique.

[Golden Horse-Head Technique: 788/2000 (Third Layer)]

[Heavenly Horse Flying Star Fist: 911/2000 (Third Layer)]

[Cloud-Striding Palm: 503/2000 (Third Layer)]

Yet, the fastest progress remained with the Cloud-Covering Art.

As he continuously refined and harmonized his Internal Force, this technique finally reached perfection.

[Cloud-Covering Art: 2000/2000 (Perfected)]

[Obtained Trait: Cloud-Covering Qi Transformation]

[Qi follows the clouds, concealing and merging the origin]

[The internal Qi throughout the body mimics drifting clouds, capable of gathering, dispersing, and flowing at will, shifting and transforming; it can both conceal one's own pulse fluctuations and harmonize disparate forces, smoothly merging and unifying Qi of different attributes.]

Su Yuan's mind stirred as he mobilized the three strands of force within his body, attempting to fuse them before throwing a punch at the bluestone in front of him.

Where his intent went, his force followed; the other two strands of force within him actually transformed into pure Flying Star Strength!

As his fist landed, the half-man-tall, solid bluestone shattered with a roar.

"This!" Su Yuan was also greatly shocked.

This trait could actually completely transform the force within his body!

He could either convert it entirely into one type or retain the characteristics of all three while simply masking them.

Su Yuan clicked his tongue in wonder.

Had he known this trait was so remarkable, there would have been no need to expend so much effort exploring methods of fusion earlier.

However, he immediately realized that if he hadn't first explored the path of fusion and then cultivated this technique to perfection, he might not have unlocked this trait.

"With this, I can unleash my full power at the Martial Arts Tournament."

Su Yuan's foundation was already robust and his vitality vigorous, so the force he generated was naturally greater than that of others in the same realm.

Now, with his three strands of force combined, the total amount should be no less than that of the late stage of Savage Strength.

A bold thought quietly sprouted: I wonder if there is a chance to flip those arrogant young masters and misses onto the ground during the tournament?

Even a dog, when pushed too far, will bite back hard!

At the very least, he would show no mercy to the people of the Shan Family.