Transformation Realm

Chen Feng was visibly stunned, wondering if he had misheard.

As the patriarch and head of the family, he naturally knew every martial practitioner within the clan, and Chen Han was one of them.

The boy possessed decent aptitude and talent for martial arts; he had met him a few times, and the lad had even come to him for guidance on training.

Naturally, he had some impression of him.

However, while out handling family business, he had been ambushed by a hostile faction, suffering severe damage to his tendons and bones. The clan physician had said he would never be able to practice martial arts again.

At the time, he had worried about this news for quite a while, unable to eat or sleep.

Now, after many days, he had heard the boy's name again, and with such news, it inevitably piqued his curiosity.

"Let's go and see."

He stood up directly and hurried toward the main gate.

The Chen Family had a large population of descendants, totaling over three thousand, divided into sixteen branches. Four hundred lived under the family's protection, while the rest were of little use and were sent out to fend for themselves.

Before long, the two arrived at the main gate one after the other, and upon seeing the scene before them, they were speechless for a long moment.

Chen Han had already stepped through the gate and entered the front courtyard of the Chen Family, surrounded by a large group of fallen family guards who were unable to rise.

At this moment, Chen Han was firmly twisting the wrist of one of the Dark Energy martial artists; with just a slight exertion of force, the man's arm would snap, sending flesh and blood flying.

"Chen Han..."

Chen Feng spoke softly, his voice carrying an inherent authority.

By now, many clansmen had gathered to watch the spectacle, their gazes fixed on Chen Han with a mix of shock, suspicion, and pointing fingers.

"Isn't that the kid Chen Han? Didn't they say he was crippled and couldn't practice martial arts anymore?"

"That's right, that was the conclusion Elder Mo reached after a personal examination. Could this Chen Han be an impostor?"

"One, two, three, four... twelve. No way, Chen Han took down two squads of guards all by himself, and he still seems to have energy to spare. How is this possible!"

Chen Han turned to look, meeting the gaze of the family head, Chen Feng, and then released the wrist of the guard who was in agony beneath him.

He cupped his hands in a salute. "Patriarch."

"Chen Han, explain to me what is going on here."

Chen Han straightened his posture, his expression calm. "It is like this: I came to request an audience with the Old Steward and asked these elders to help announce my arrival. I did not expect that these elders would be so unwilling, intentionally making things difficult and insulting me. I could not hold back, so I gave them a small lesson."

Chen Han spoke with ease and indifference, as if he were discussing a trivial matter.

This scene left the surrounding Chen clansmen whispering, their expressions quite colorful.

"This brat Chen Han is actually this arrogant. Just wait, let's see if the Patriarch gives him a hard time."

"These guards are usually high and mighty, looking down their noses at commoners; they aren't good people. But could this kid Chen Han have stumbled upon some fortuitous encounter? Why was he like a stray dog when he left, yet so powerful upon his return?"

"Brother Chen Han... is so handsome."

Someone said this, and only then did the crowd notice Chen Han's chiseled features.

He wore clean, spotless brown clothes and trousers, his short hair looking spirited. With sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, he stood tall and straight, carrying an ethereal air of a wandering martial hero.

Even some of the men had their eyes light up, revealing a hint of astonishment.

"A lesson?"

Chen Feng's gaze was full of shock. "Your injuries have healed?"

Chen Feng didn't care at all about these aging guards whose martial paths had long since stalled; his entire focus and curiosity were fixed on Chen Han's well-proportioned, sturdy physique—the body of someone who clearly practiced martial arts.

This was a young genius who had successfully broken through to the Dark Energy realm at eighteen. Compared to his current state, the petty squabbles of these guards were clearly not worth mentioning.

At this moment, a beautiful figure in a corner of the crowd watched Chen Han quietly, her gaze flickering with uncertainty.

"What exactly is going on with this kid?"

This person was Chen Qiuyu, who had previously inflicted great humiliation upon Chen Han.

Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes stared intently at Chen Han, then swept over the martial artists lying on the ground around him, her heart filled with indescribable emotions.

"Impossible! Broken bones and severed tendons, with no possibility of practicing martial arts—that was the conclusion reached by the clan physician, Elder Mo... Perhaps he just took some strange medicine and recovered a little, gaining a small amount of strength."

Chen Qiuyu comforted herself, hoping that the situation would not develop in the direction she feared.

The matter spread throughout the clan in an instant, and many people ran over to watch the excitement.

Among them were the leaders of the three major branches of the Chen Family. They looked at each other, both joy and hostility visible in their eyes.

If Chen Han had recovered, he could return to the martial path. He was a rare, promising talent, and these three old fellows would naturally fight over him, perhaps even resorting to violence.

This was no exaggeration; the family's martial arts tournament was coming up soon, and the martial disciples controlled by the three families were evenly matched.

It could be said that if Chen Han had made a miraculous comeback, he would be the key to deciding the final outcome of the tournament.

Whichever branch recruited him would likely be the final winner, securing the most family training resources for the next five years.

Just as the few were secretly plotting and scheming, the Old Steward arrived at the sound of the commotion. Seeing the chaos and Chen Han, he was first confused, then his fingertips began to tremble with uncontrollable excitement.

He widened his eyes and said excitedly, "Nephew, you, you are..."

His aged face and familiar figure immediately caught Chen Han's attention.

Chen Han gave him a deep look, smiled, and did not respond to the Patriarch.

He walked straight to an open-air training ground in the front courtyard, where a thick iron stake stood before him. Bound with heavy ropes, it looked incredibly sturdy.

Even after being struck countless times by martial artists, it remained without the slightest bend, standing as straight and upright as a pine or cypress.

At this moment, the surrounding crowd was buzzing with discussion, "I understand now; the lad intends to perform a set of fist techniques to prove he has returned to the path of martial arts."

"That is already quite impressive. From a cripple who couldn't even hold a pair of chopsticks to someone who just took down twelve Mingjin Martial Artists, his talent is truly rare."

"Chen Han, there is no need for this. You could have just told me directly how your body was..."

Before he could finish, Chen Han, lips pressed tightly together, gathered his strength, took a step forward, splayed his fingers, clenched them into a fist, and then slammed a punch into the iron stake!

Screech! With a teeth-grinding, piercing sound, the Chen Family members, who had been chattering away in a cacophony of opinions, were instantly stunned into silence; for a moment, one could hear a pin drop.

The three branch leaders were so wide-eyed they looked as if they might pop out of their sockets, wishing they could seize Chen Han on the spot.

Even the well-informed Patriarch of the Chen Family, Chen Feng, failed to react for a moment.

It was several breaths later before he finally regained his senses.

Chen Han had bent the iron stake with a single punch!

This was the level of fist power that only one who had knocked on the door of the Transformation Realm could possess!