Shahe Town, Yuelai Inn.
The inn, usually bustling with customers, had its doors closed today. The server stood trembling to one side, while the innkeeper had already packed his belongings and was preparing to flee.
Based on his many years of experience as an innkeeper, he was certain that after today, this inn would probably cease to exist.
Haah. He had finally found such a remote little town to settle in, and now it was about to be ruined too. At this rate, his next inn would have to be opened deep in the middle of a desert.
The crowd was divided into two groups. A long table separated them down the middle, with the heads and elders of the two families seated on opposite sides.
Liu Shijing, meanwhile, remained behind the scenes. Her role was simply to intimidate the Jia family’s ancestor.
As for Chu Feng, he kept letting out enormous yawns. He had not slept at all last night. Aunt Jing looked radiant and refreshed, while he felt completely drained and unbearably sleepy.
Peering through a gap in the curtain, he took a glance outside. The Jia family’s patriarch was a thin, wiry middle-aged man named Jia Jinzhu.
The Liu and Jia families had already negotiated most matters, but the dispute over a vein core of spiritual ore still could not be settled.
The spiritual mine located on the border between the two families had always been split fifty-fifty by mutual understanding.
This time, the Liu family came in aggressively, demanding an additional thirty percent. The Jia family refused, insisting that twenty percent was the most they could offer.
To everyone’s surprise, Liu Ling immediately agreed.
“Twenty percent it is.”
Originally, Liu Ling had intended to ask for only twenty percent. But then he thought about how stingy the Jia family was. There was no way they would agree right away.
So he deliberately demanded thirty percent instead.
As expected, the Jia family rejected it and took a step back, trying to bargain.
And the moment the Jia family proposed twenty percent, he agreed on the spot.
The Jia family realized they had fallen into Liu Ling’s trap and immediately tried to back out, claiming that those words had not come from the patriarch himself and therefore did not count.
And so the two families began arguing, neither side willing to give ground.
When Chu Feng looked over, he noticed a young man standing beside Jia Jinzhu staring at him.
Their eyes met, and the young man gave him a slight smile. Yet in those eyes, Chu Feng sensed no emotional fluctuation whatsoever. Instead, it felt as though he were being watched by a ferocious beast.
“Brat, what’s wrong?”
Seeing Chu Feng suddenly freeze, Liu Shijing asked with concern.
“Nothing, it’s nothing.”
Chu Feng shook his head. When he looked over again, the young man had already moved to Jia Jinzhu’s right side.
***
“How about this? Let the younger generation decide the matter with a martial match. If your Liu family wins, our Jia family will hand over the entire spirit mine. But if our Jia family wins, we want thirty percent of your Liu family’s share of the mine!”
Jia Jinzhu declared.
“I refuse!”
Of course Liu Ling would not normally agree to such a proposal. Among the Liu family’s younger generation, the only truly talented ones had been Liu Tiancheng’s son and daughter. But now both of their cultivations had been crippled, making them no match for the Jia family.
“Our Jia family will only send out one person….him.”
Jia Jinzhu pointed at the young man beside him.
“Jia Tianba. Early Stage Fourth Rank. As long as you defeat him, our Jia family will present the spirit mine to you with both hands!”
“Deal!”
The moment Liu Ling heard that, he agreed without hesitation.
Early Stage Fourth Rank was all?
“Liu Ziye, I’ll leave this to you.”
“Don’t worry, Uncle.”
A young man nodded in response. He was currently the strongest member of the Liu family’s younger generation.
Liu Ling had brought his nephew along on this trip merely to broaden the boy’s horizons and teach him how negotiations between families were conducted.
He had never expected the youngster would actually end up being useful.
In the inn’s rear courtyard, members of both the Liu and Jia families sat all around the perimeter.
Holding a three-foot longsword, Jia Tianba looked at Liu Ziye and said indifferently,
“A Late Fourth Rank cultivator? Is the Liu family really this weak?”
The moment those words left his mouth, an uproar swept through the crowd.
What arrogance!
The only question was whether Jia Tianba was truly confident or simply conceited.
Liu Ziye frowned slightly and replied coldly,
“Such wild boasting. You really don’t know the difference between heaven and earth. I wonder how many moves an Early Fourth Rank like you can withstand from me!”
As Chu Feng watched Jia Tianba, an odd feeling rose within him. Something about the man seemed strange, though he could not pinpoint exactly what it was.
Looking at Jia Jinzhu, Liu Ling said,
“Patriarch Jia, if my nephew happens to go a little too far and can’t control his strength…”
“Don’t worry. We won’t ask your Liu family for compensation.”
Jia Jinzhu replied calmly, completely at ease.
Liu Ziye drew out a massive saber. Nine metal rings hung from its hilt, jingling loudly whenever it moved. Within the Liu family, his saber techniques were considered virtually unmatched.
“Begin!”
The instant the command was given, both men shot forward simultaneously.
“Hah!”
Liu Ziye let out a thunderous shout. True qi surged through his body as the Nine-Ring Saber in his hand rapidly expanded in size. In the blink of an eye, it had become a gigantic blade nearly six meters long, slashing downward toward Jia Tianba.
Jia Tianba held a slender azure longsword. Its narrow blade looked insignificant compared to Liu Ziye’s enormous saber, like a mayfly facing a towering tree.
Boom!
The clash of sword and saber sent a powerful shockwave rippling outward.
Liu Ziye attacked like a ferocious tiger, his offensive relentless and aggressive. Every downward slash of his massive blade generated crushing wind pressure.
Jia Tianba’s expression remained cold and emotionless. Stroke after stroke, he dismantled Liu Ziye’s attacks with precision. Remarkably, his thin azure sword showed no signs of breaking despite repeatedly colliding with the massive saber.
Clang!
Sparks erupted into the air as the two figures instantly separated once more.
Liu Ziye’s chest rose and fell heavily. His wide, aggressive saber style consumed an enormous amount of energy.
In contrast, Jia Tianba’s breathing remained steady, as though nothing had happened at all.
After just one exchange, anyone with eyes could see it…today, the Liu family’s Late Fourth Rank expert might very well lose to an Early Fourth Rank cultivator.
Liu Ziye’s expression shifted repeatedly.
He could not afford to lose!
“Mad Saber Eight Forms!”
His aura suddenly surged. In an instant, his cultivation climbed to the peak of the Fourth Rank, crossing two minor realms at once.
The spectators immediately recognized what had happened.
Liu Ziye had used a secret technique that temporarily boosted his cultivation. A method typically reserved for desperate situations.
He slashed eight times in rapid succession.
The true qi condensed into eight enormous sabers that surrounded Jia Tianba from every direction, sealing off every possible avenue of escape.
A sneer curled across Jia Tianba’s lips.
The true qi within his body erupted outward in an instant.
Boom—
Violet true qi surged from Jia Tianba’s body.
At that moment, the last trace of frigid yin qi remaining inside Chu Feng suddenly trembled.
Chu Feng: “!!!”
His gaze immediately locked onto Jia Tianba.
The last time he had experienced this feeling was when he encountered Lin Ruo.
Could it be…
Was this Jia Tianba actually… Lin Ruo?
Facing the eight giant sabers closing in from all directions, Jia Tianba showed no intention of retreating.
He charged forward without hesitation.
Channeling his true qi, he struck with a single sword.
Boom!
The eight giant sabers exploded simultaneously.
Staggering backward several steps, Liu Ziye collapsed to the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood.
“……!!”
The members of the Liu family were stunned.
He lost!?
The teacup in Liu Ling’s hand slipped from his grasp. It shattered against the ground with a crisp crack, tea spilling across the floor and pooling at his feet.
“Haha! Well? Does your Liu family still want to fight?”
A trace of contempt appeared in Jia Jinzhu’s eyes.
This was a disciple of the Myriad Saints Palace. Yet the Liu family had actually believed that having a slightly higher cultivation level would be enough to defeat him.
What a foolish dream.
The Liu family members remained silent.
Liu Ling’s face had turned especially grim.
This time, the Liu family had suffered a huge loss.
Seeing the situation, Jia Tianfeng nearly burst out laughing.
This was immensely satisfying.
Liu Ziye wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and tried to stand, but after using the secret technique, his body had already reached its limit.
“I’ll do it!”
Just as the Liu family was drowning in silence and humiliation, a voice suddenly broke the stillness.
A moment later, a young man dropped heavily onto the ground, appearing before everyone’s eyes.
The youth also carried a sword.
Its blade was snow-white and flawless, resembling a piece of the finest white jade.
Looking at the young man across from him, who likewise held a longsword, the newcomer spoke calmly:
“The Liu family’s son-in-law has come to accept your challenge.”
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