Second Young Lady of the Lei Family

"There really are a lot of people..."

More and more geniuses arrived on Myriad Phenomena Avenue. Qin Hao estimated there were at least several hundred here.

And at regular intervals, stewards from the Myriad Phenomena Hall Outer Palace stood guard, giving the place an unusually imposing air.

Clop, clop, clop!

"Out of the way! All of you, move! Anyone who dares block my path dies!"

A sudden rush of hoofbeats rang out.

Several fiery-red steeds galloped toward them at tremendous speed.

"Who is that? How dare they race down Myriad Phenomena Avenue?"

"Aren't they afraid of the hall's patrolling stewards?"

The new disciples stared in surprise.

At their head was a petite girl dressed in blue.

"Get lost!"

The girl barked, and the Blazing Flame Steed beneath her sped up.

"The Lei family's second young lady, Lei Jiaojiao!"

Someone recognized her and cried out.

"The Lei family really is arrogant!"

"How could they not be? The Lei family patriarch is one of the inner palace's ten great elders! Their top genius, Lei Yun, placed in the top three of this year's Myriad Forms City Genius Tournament—and that tournament recruited a full hundred geniuses! More importantly, Lei Yun is Lei Jiaojiao's older cousin!"

"That's right. I've heard of Lei Yun. He's ruthless, and his strength is terrifying!"

"Just move aside. The Lei family is too powerful to cross."

Many were unhappy, but even more instinctively stepped out of the way.

The Lei family was a mighty force in Myriad Phenomena Hall, with more talented disciples than anyone could count.

Among the new disciples, Lei Yun stood at their head!

Lei Yun had placed in the top three of the Myriad Forms City Genius Tournament.

Myriad Forms City was a vast city under the direct jurisdiction of Myriad Phenomena Hall. Each Genius Tournament recruited a full hundred talents!

Placing in the top three against such competition was proof enough of his strength!

Lei Jiaojiao was another of the Lei family's geniuses, formidable even among the new disciples.

No one dared provoke Lei Jiaojiao, much less offend the Lei family.

"The Lei family's second young lady, Lei Jiaojiao?" Qin Hao looked over and sensed an overbearing, unreasonable air about her.

More importantly, her aura was unfathomable.

But Qin Hao was not afraid.

I wonder how Lei Jiaojiao is related to Lei Zhen?

A cold glint entered Qin Hao's eyes.

Just then, his gaze flicked toward someone behind Lei Jiaojiao.

Yang Benhong?! What's he doing here?

One of the people following Lei Jiaojiao was Yang Benhong!

"Hahaha! Qin Hao, what a small world!" Yang Benhong had also spotted Qin Hao standing in the middle of the avenue ahead.

A vicious grin spread across his face, and he urged his mount faster.

"You thought reaching Myriad Phenomena Hall meant you could rest easy? Who's going to help you this time?"

"Damn, they're speeding up." Chen Yuntian's expression shifted, and he darted to the roadside without hesitation.

"Qin Hao, move!"

Liu Xiao dodged away just as quickly, shouting a warning.

In an instant, the avenue was empty except for the galloping Blazing Flame Steeds and Qin Hao, who stood motionless in their path.

"Bastard! You dare block my way? You're asking to die!"

"Trample him to death!"

"He still hasn't moved?"

"That kid's dead. Blazing Flame Steeds might only be level-one demon beasts, but the force of their charge is enormous! And Lei Jiaojiao never lets a slight go unanswered. She definitely won't spare him!"

The new disciples' faces changed. Some could not bear to watch.

In the blink of an eye, the steeds were less than ten meters from Qin Hao.

"Sword-Drawing Art!"

With a sharp ring, Qin Hao drew his sword and slashed at the lead Blazing Flame Steed—Lei Jiaojiao's mount.

"Whinny..."

Razor-sharp Sword Qi tore through the air toward the steed.

Sensing the threat, the charging steed shrieked and stopped short. Lei Jiaojiao's expression changed. Without hesitation, she drove her feet down with brutal force. The tremendous blow snapped the steed's four legs on the spot, and it crashed to the ground with a dying whinny.

Thud!

"Ow!"

Using that force, Lei Jiaojiao flipped through the air and landed on both feet. Even so, she stumbled and nearly fell.

Her tied-up ponytail came loose, leaving her looking utterly disheveled.

No one had expected Qin Hao to stand his ground, much less strike first!

Everyone stared, dumbfounded.

"H-he actually attacked Lei Jiaojiao?"

"Isn't he afraid she'll take revenge?"

"That movement technique she used just now—was it the Lei family's low-grade mystic technique, Thunder Flash?"

The crowd was stunned.

Thunder Flash was one of the Lei family's core martial techniques. At the low mystic grade, it allowed a master to move like a thunderbolt at astonishing speed.

Of course, Lei Jiaojiao had only grasped its rudiments. Otherwise, she would not have ended up in such a sorry state.

What surprised everyone even more, though, was how decisively Qin Hao had acted.

Even if they could have forced Lei Jiaojiao off her horse, none of them would have dared do it.

The Lei family's influence was too great. More than a dozen of its members served as stewards in the outer palace alone.

Its retainers were more numerous still.

Offend the Lei family, and you could scarcely take a step in Myriad Phenomena Hall. That was why no one wanted to cross Lei Jiaojiao.

Yet Qin Hao had not only refused to move—he had drawn his sword and frightened her steed into stopping!

And when Lei Jiaojiao made her move, the steed had died outright!

"He's the first to push Lei Jiaojiao this far. But he's going to suffer for it."

A genius from Myriad Forms City sneered, plainly enjoying the prospect.

Those who knew Lei Jiaojiao knew exactly what she was like.

"Qin Hao acted on impulse. He's beyond saving!"

Chen Yuntian's expression shifted, and he spoke with a cold laugh. Liu Xiao looked no less shaken.

"Second Young Lady!"

"Second Young Lady, are you all right?"

"Whoa..."

The steeds following Lei Jiaojiao quickly came to a halt. Their riders' expressions changed, and they leaped down one after another.

"Trash really is trash. You don't know your place—you even dare offend the Second Young Lady!"

Yang Benhong had also frozen for a moment. He jumped down from his steed and sneered. "Do you still think you're in Tianshui City?"

"Qin Yuntian protected you there. Now that you're at Myriad Phenomena Hall, who can help you?"

"You offended Junior Sister Liu, and now you've offended Lei Jiaojiao. You're dead!"

Yang Benhong had escorted Liu Ruoxue to Myriad Forms City. As it happened, Lei Jiaojiao was on her way to report to Myriad Phenomena Hall, so he had traveled with her.

Then, halfway there, they had run into Qin Hao!

And Qin Hao had actually dared attack Lei Jiaojiao.

"Second Young Lady!"

Yang Benhong hurried forward two steps, cupped his hands, and said with a cold smile, "His name is Qin Hao. He's from Tianshui City, a piece of trash with a First-Grade Martial Soul! Since he was foolish enough to offend you, we should flay him, tear out his tendons, and cut him to pieces!"

"Cut me to pieces? Yang Benhong, you think far too highly of yourself. And one day, I'll make sure you know exactly why you're dying."

Killing intent surged through Qin Hao.

"Qin Hao? That bastard from Tianshui City?"

Lei Jiaojiao did not turn around. Her voice alone was chilling.

Anyone familiar with her knew her fury had reached its peak.

When had she, the Lei family's second young lady, ever suffered such humiliation?

The more Lei Jiaojiao thought about it, the angrier she became. If word of this spread, how could she ever show her face again?

"You filthy bastard! I'll whip you to death!"

Lei Jiaojiao roared.

She pulled a green whip from her waist and lashed it at Qin Hao!

"You're the one who tried to run me down, and now you want to whip me to death? You're utterly unreasonable."

Qin Hao's face hardened, and he swung his sword.