A Rising Reputation

After the sound rang out, a gray figure flashed before Zhou Muyun and struck Long Teng with a palm.

Their palms collided, and Long Teng staggered back three steps with a series of thuds.

The gray-robed man, meanwhile, remained standing where he was as if nothing had happened. Their strengths were instantly clear.

"Leng Tong!"

Long Teng steadied himself and glared through gritted teeth at the handsome middle-aged man in gray robes, whose face carried a smile.

"Brother Long, I'm afraid you're the only one capable of something as shameless as ambushing a junior."

The middle-aged man called Leng Tong flicked his sleeve and mocked Long Teng.

"You... Hmph!"

Knowing himself to be in the wrong and seeing that he could no longer attack Zhou Muyun, Long Teng snorted coldly and returned beneath the arena in frustration.

He had someone carry Long Qian away, then left with the people of the Dragon Household.

Leng Tong did not stop them. He merely watched the people of the Dragon Household coldly the entire time.

Only after they had all left did he turn around and look at Zhou Muyun behind him, his eyes openly filled with approval.

"Kid, you're quite capable. You haven't disgraced the Leng Household."

"Thank you for saving me, Senior."

Zhou Muyun bowed slightly and thanked him sincerely.

He had never expected Long Teng to suddenly attack him.

If Leng Tong had not intervened, he might have been seriously injured or even killed.

At that thought, Zhou Muyun felt even more afraid afterward.

He had to be more careful in the future and remain vigilant at all times.

Leng Tong waved a hand and laughed. "Just call me Uncle Tong. You and my daughter are fellow disciples.

"You represented my Leng Household, so naturally I couldn't let someone bully you with seniority.

"That old bastard Long Teng lost the sparring match and, in his rage and humiliation, lost his dignity as well.

"He'll probably become everyone's laughingstock."

At that moment, Leng Ni also came up onto the arena. Looking at the gray-robed man before her, she unusually revealed the manner of a young girl and happily called out, "Father!"

"Hahaha, my good daughter, did you miss me?"

Leng Tong stepped forward and rubbed her head, his eyes full of affection.

"Father...!" Leng Ni's little face reddened slightly as she continued, "Why did you suddenly come back? Has the caravan returned too?"

"I heard that the junior brother my daughter sponsors was having a sparring match, so of course I had to return." At this point, Leng Tong snorted coldly.

"Hmph! Your eldest uncle actually dared to question your judgment. Now that I'm back, I'll have a proper word with him."

Listening to their conversation, Zhou Muyun understood.

So the sparring match had been meant to test his strength. Fortunately, he had reached major accomplishment in Copper Skin and won.

And Leng Tong was actually Leng Ni's father. Senior Sister Leng really was his benefactor!

He relied on her support to practice martial arts and buy a house. Today, it was also because of her that Leng Tong had appeared and saved him.

The more Zhou Muyun looked at Leng Ni, the more he felt that she was his lucky star.

"Junior Brother Zhou naturally has his own exceptional qualities. Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen to sponsor him."

Leng Ni looked at Zhou Muyun, her eyes likewise full of approval.

As the most outstanding young woman of the Lineage's younger generation, Leng Ni's standards were actually quite high.

Before Zhou Muyun, Bai Yu was the only person she had considered sponsoring.

As for sponsoring Zhou Muyun, it had originally been a casual decision.

She merely wanted to see whether diligent study and hard training could bear fruit. Even when she had said that Zhou Muyun should defeat Bai Yu, she had not taken it seriously.

Yet a careless planting had yielded flourishing shade. The surprises Zhou Muyun brought her left her extremely satisfied.

"My daughter naturally has good judgment."

Leng Tong looked somewhat proud. Then he took out a stone from his bag and tossed it to Zhou Muyun.

"I came back in a hurry and didn't bring much with me. This Body-Tempering Stone is for you."

Zhou Muyun hurriedly caught the stone and examined it.

It was pitch-black all over and about the size of an egg. Looking closely, he could see faint red threads within it.

"Uncle Tong, this is...?"

Zhou Muyun did not know much about heavenly treasures, so he asked with some confusion.

"You've used Body-Tempering Liquid before, right? It's liquid that has been soaked with Blood Crystal Stones.

"You can think of it as the raw stone for Body-Tempering Liquid. A single piece like this is worth a hundred bottles of Body-Tempering Liquid," Leng Tong explained.

A hundred bottles of Body-Tempering Liquid! Wouldn't that be worth a hundred taels of silver?

Leng Tong's status in the Leng Household must not be low. Otherwise, how could he casually produce something worth a hundred taels?

Seeing that Zhou Muyun did not understand much about medicinal properties, Leng Tong added, "When you get home, crush the stone. Each time, place a fragment in your mouth and swallow it.

"Its effects are several times better than Body-Tempering Liquid."

Hearing that its medicinal effect was several times better than Body-Tempering Liquid, Zhou Muyun was delighted.

The Copper Skin Realm of the Seven-Colored Glazed Body required fiercer beast blood, medicinal liquids, or herbs.

This Blood Crystal Stone had arrived at exactly the right time.

"Thank you, Uncle Tong." Zhou Muyun clasped his fists and thanked him again.

Leng Tong waved a hand, indicating that Zhou Muyun need not stand on ceremony.

The sparring match was over, and the Leng Household was naturally delighted. Zhou Muyun had intended to leave.

But Leng Tong insisted on taking him to a restaurant for a celebratory feast.

Zhou Muyun naturally found it hard to refuse, so he went along.

"Crack."

A man swept his leg out and snapped the wooden post in front of him.

Quite a few disciples beside him were also practicing leg techniques, kicking and sweeping. Some even leaped into the air and chopped down with their legs.

This was Soaring Cloud Martial Hall, where Long Qian trained.

At the edge of the training ground, a middle-aged man lay comfortably in a chair, humming a little tune.

He wore a short training outfit on top and shorts below. His face was resolute, and his thighs in particular were much thicker than an ordinary person's, covered in dense muscles and visibly powerful.

He was none other than Feng Tengyun, the master of Soaring Cloud Martial Hall.

"Master! Something terrible has happened!"

A young man in cloth clothes ran in from the martial hall's entrance, shouting loudly as he ran.

His tune interrupted, Feng Tengyun's face flashed with displeasure.

"Nian An, what are you shouting for? How many times have I told you? A martial artist must avoid arrogance and impatience. You mustn't make a fuss over every little thing."

The young man called Nian An ran up to Feng Tengyun, panting heavily as he said haltingly,

"M-Master, Senior Brother Long Qian... lost the sparring match!"

The instant those words were spoken, the training ground fell silent.

The disciples practicing martial arts all stopped what they were doing and looked over.

Feng Tengyun even sat up from his chair, surprise flashing across his face.

How could Long Qian possibly lose?

Wasn't his opponent just an ordinary personal disciple from Greenwood Martial Hall?

"Junior Brother Nian An, don't speak nonsense. Senior Brother Long Qian is among the top three in the Organ Refinement Realm at our Soaring Cloud Martial Hall. How could he lose to some unknown disciple from Greenwood Martial Hall?"

"Yeah, yeah. Nian An, where did you hear that?"

"Be careful, or Senior Brother Long Qian will scold you when he returns."

The disciples all questioned whether the news was true.

Nian An's face flushed red as he said firmly, "Senior brothers and sisters, it's true. I saw it with my own eyes. Senior Brother Long Qian was knocked off the arena by Zhou Muyun's punch and collapsed without getting back up."

"Is that true?"

Seeing how certain Nian An sounded, Feng Tengyun began to believe him somewhat.

"Someone, go to the Dragon Household and confirm whether this is true."

He waved a hand, and a disciple jogged out of the martial hall toward the Dragon Household.

Then he looked at Nian An and continued, "Tell us exactly what happened."

Nian An calmed himself and slowly recounted the events.

The more everyone listened, the more shocked they became. Wasn't Bai Yu the only freak at Greenwood Martial Hall? Where had this Zhou Muyun come from?

About a quarter of an hour later, the disciple sent to confirm the news ran back and respectfully reported to Feng Tengyun,

"Master, this disciple has confirmed it. Senior Brother Long Qian truly lost the sparring match."

The martial hall immediately erupted into an uproar. The disciples who had still been doubtful now believed it completely.

"Quick, investigate Zhou Muyun's background."

"Another powerful rival has appeared. The Martial Hall Tournament is getting deeper and deeper."

"See if we can recruit him."

The disciples all had their own thoughts. Some even wanted to send people to contact and recruit him, since every Lineage had the habit of taking in outsiders.

After hearing that Long Qian had truly lost, a sharp gleam flashed through Feng Tengyun's eyes.

His martial skills had reached minor accomplishment, his body-refining technique was also quite accomplished, and his attacks were ruthless yet calm.

Li Qingliang, you old fox. We've been friends for years, yet you hid such a card up your sleeve?

At that thought, Feng Tengyun ignored the noisy crowd and returned alone to his living quarters, where he changed into casual clothes.

He was going to have a good chat with that old brat Li Qingliang.

Leng Residence, inside Leng Feng's study.

Wisps of white smoke drifted from the incense burner in the center, filling the room with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Leng Feng sat at his desk, handling the various affairs of the Leng Household.

Hurried footsteps approached from afar before finally stopping outside the door.

"Patriarch, I have something to report."

"Enter." Leng Feng did not even raise his head, his voice calm.

"Zhou Muyun won. He defeated Long Qian of the Dragon Household with one punch. His martial skills have reached minor accomplishment, and he also possesses a remarkable body-refining technique.

"In his anger, Long Teng ambushed him, but Second Master appeared and saved him."

"Oh...?"

Leng Feng slightly raised his head, surprise flashing through his eyes before quickly fading. He said calmly, "Understood. From now on, let Ni'er handle the matter of sponsoring Zhou Muyun as she sees fit."

"Yes, Patriarch."

"Oh, right." Leng Feng added, "Send thirty taels of silver to Zhou Muyun's home as a gesture of thanks. You may leave."

"As you command." The person delivering the report withdrew from the study.

Only after the person left did a faint smile appear on Leng Feng's face. "Ni'er does have good judgment."

Then a bitter smile appeared on his face. "Second Brother has returned. He'll probably come looking for me again."

Shaking his head with a sigh, Leng Feng continued handling the Household's affairs.