Assembly Hall dropped to near-freezing temperatures. The blood-stained silver badge of the Shadow Pavilion glinted menacingly under the afternoon sunlight, resting right on top of the heavily demanded mine-transfer documents.
Steward Chen felt every drop of warmth drain from his face. His knuckles trembled beneath his long, embroidered sleeves, and sweat broke out across his forehead in heavy, frantic drops. A Fifth-Stage shadow assassin—a lethal strike operative trained to harvest lives in absolute silence—had been dispatched just before midnight. Yet here stood Li-Wen, entirely unblemished, holding the dead killer's private token as if it were nothing more than worthless scrap metal.
"You... you disgraceful brat!" Second Elder Wu-Guang was the first to break the suffocating silence, his voice booming like thunder to mask the sudden twitch of anxiety in his chest. "How dare a junior burst into the Elders' Council without permission! And bringing a dark assassin's token into our ancestral hall? Are you trying to frame the elders of your own clan?!"
Wu-Guang took an aggressive step forward, his Sixth-Stage Ki-Refine aura bursting outward like a torrential storm. The sheer wind pressure generated by his spiritual breath flared through the hall, rattling the massive wooden support pillars and causing several weaker branch managers to take three steps back.
"Men! Arrest this insolent fool immediately!" Wu-Guang roared, pointing a trembling finger at Li-Wen. "He has clearly lost his mind, uttering insane drivel to disrupt the Clan Council's financial proceedings!"
Four heavy-armored guards stationed at the mahogany doors drew their long steel sabers with a unison CLANG and lunged toward the central aisle.
"Hold your ground!" Wu-Wen snapped, his voice carrying the formidable dignity of the Clan Head.
Wu-Wen slammed his right palm onto the armrest of his high chair. A wave of golden, purified Sixth-Stage Ki exploded from his body, expanding into a radiant sphere of force that smashed directly against Wu-Guang's incoming aura. The collision of two Sixth-Stage experts created a sharp, earsplitting shockwave, forcing the four guards backward by ten paces, their boots leaving black scorch marks on the polished white marble.
Wu-Wen slowly stepped down from the high dais, his eyes burning with intense, fatherly coldness. "Wu-Guang, my son stands in this hall to report an attempted murder within our family compound. If anyone attempts to touch him before he speaks, I will personally test whether your martial arts have improved over the past three years!"
The seated High Elders exchanged horrified glances. The tension had escalated beyond a simple political squabble—it was on the verge of turning into a full-scale bloody civil war between the Clan Head and the Second Elder.
"Clan Head! Second Elder!" First Elder Wu-Cang—an ancient man with long white eyebrows and a wrinkled face—raised his iron staff, tapping it heavily against the floor.
BOOM!
A muted wave of heavy spiritual energy washed across the floorboards, dampening the volatile Ki released by the two brothers.
"We are in the presence of the ancestral tablets," First Elder Wu-Cang said in a dry, raspy voice. "Li-Wen, you claim this assassin's token belonged to a killer hired by Steward Chen under the orders of the Second Elder's hall. Accusing a clan elder and his chief enforcer of treason is a capital offense if unproven. What evidence do you possess besides a piece of silver?"
All eyes pivoted back to Li-Wen.
Li-Wen stood completely unbothered by the suffocating pressures of multiple Sixth-Stage experts around him. To a former God Emperor who had suppressed immortal deities with a single wave of his hand, these mortal aura displays were as insignificant as breeze passing over an ancient mountain.
"Evidence?" Li-Wen smiled faintly, his golden-tinted pupils shifting toward Steward Chen. "The dead do not lie. But the living reveal their own sins through their blood."
Before anyone could comprehend his words, Li-Wen moved.
SWISH!
His body dissolved into a faint, black blur. The speed was so terrifyingly absolute that even Second Elder Wu-Guang only caught a glimpse of a fleeting shadow passing through his field of vision.
"Protect the Steward!" Wu-Guang yelled, his heart skipping a beat.
It was too late.
Li-Wen re-appeared directly in front of Steward Chen. Without drawing a weapon, Li-Wen reached out with his right hand, his fingers curved like the talons of a primordial dragon.
Steward Chen was, after all, a Fifth-Stage Ki-Refine warrior who had survived decades of dirty clan warfare. Instinctively, he let out a guttural roar, focusing all his Fifth-Stage Ki into his right fist. His fist flared with a violent red glow—the Iron Flame Palm, a high-grade mortal martial technique—and smashed straight toward Li-Wen's throat!
"Die, you crippled brat!" Steward Chen screeched in panic.
Li-Wen didn't even bother to dodge. The Abyssal Bone Rune on his spine flared beneath his robes, releasing a microscopic hum of earth magnetic resonance. His body possessed the titanic density of one hundred and forty thousand jin of pure force!
CRACK!
Steward Chen's fiery fist struck Li-Wen's collarbone square-on. But instead of breaking flesh or bone, the collision sounded like a weak iron hammer hitting a mountain of solid adamantine. The red flame instantly extinguished, and Steward Chen's fingers shattered in reverse, his wrist breaking into a grotesque, jagged angle!
"AGHHH!" Steward Chen screamed in agony, his eyes widening in pure terror. It felt like he had punched a piece of divine meteor metal!
Before the enforcer could retreat, Li-Wen's right hand clamped down onto Steward Chen's throat like a vice of cold iron.
Li-Wen effortlessly lifted the two-hundred-pound man into the air with a single arm. Steward Chen writhed frantically, his legs kicking uselessly in the air, his face turning a deep, suffocating purple as Li-Wen's fingers dug into his neck tendons.
"L-Let... go..." Steward Chen choked out, his eyes bulging.
"Li-Wen! Release him this instant!" Wu-Guang screamed in rage, drawing a wide, serrated broadsword from his waist. The steel blade hummed with a vicious aura of compressed blue light—a Sixth-Stage martial execution strike! "You dare strike my enforcer in front of the High Elders?!"
"Second Elder, step back," Li-Wen said calmly, not even turning his head toward the drawn blade. "Or the next thing that snaps will not be his throat, but your son's remaining good arm."
On the side, Wu-Tian instinctively recoiled, clutching his bandaged right arm in horror, his face turning pale with fear. He had felt Li-Wen's merciless cruelty on the training field three days ago—he knew his cousin would not hesitate for a single second.
Wu-Guang froze mid-stride, his broadsword trembling in his hands. He glared at Li-Wen with pure, murderous hatred, but he didn't dare take another step.
Li-Wen brought Steward Chen down slightly, staring into the man's terrified eyes.
"Steward Chen," Li-Wen murmured quietly, his voice carrying a subtle trace of his ancient Divine Will—a soul-searching technique that bypassed mortal mental defenses. "Fifty gold taels drawn from the Second Elder's secret treasury. Delivered to the Shadow Pavilion's third branch at midnight. The contract was signed with your personal thumbprint in black ink. Am I incorrect?"
Steward Chen's mind shattered under the weight of Li-Wen's terrifying golden stare. It felt as though an ancient deity was looking down into the deepest, darkest corners of his soul, reading every secret he had ever kept. The horror of Li-Wen's absolute strength combined with the soul-crushing gaze completely broke his spirit.
"I... I was ordered!" Steward Chen shrieked hysterically, blood tears leaking from his eyes as he choked for air. "It was the Second Elder! He gave me the fifty gold taels! He said... he said if Clan Head Wu-Wen lost his son, his mental heart would break, and he would sign the mine transfer without a fight! Don't kill me! It was Wu-Guang! It was all Wu-Guang's idea!"
BOOM!
The entire Clan Assembly Hall exploded into chaotic uproar!
The seated High Elders stood up simultaneously, their faces filled with disbelief and deep outrage.
"Wu-Guang! Is this true?!" First Elder Wu-Cang's voice trembled with fury, his iron staff shattering the marble tile beneath it. "You hired underground dark assassins from the Shadow Pavilion to murder the young master of our own bloodline?! This is absolute treason against the Wu Clan's ancestral code!"
Wu-Guang's face flushed red, then turned completely deathly pale. The secret was out. The enforcer he had relied on for ten years had broken instantly under the boy's bizarre pressure.
"Nonsense! He is lying! He was bribed by Wu-Wen to slander me!" Wu-Guang roared frantically, his broadsword flaring with desperate, wild Ki. "I am the Second Elder of this clan! I built half of our merchant trade routes! You think you can convict me based on the words of a dying dog and a resurrected cripple?!"
"A dying dog?" Li-Wen smiled coldly.
THUD!
With a casual flick of his wrist, Li-Wen snapped Steward Chen's neck like a dry twig and tossed the lifeless corpse directly to Wu-Guang's feet. Steward Chen's eyes remained wide open in terror, staring uselessly up at the ceiling.
"Wu-Guang," Li-Wen said, stepping over the corpse with slow, deliberate movements. "You talk of contributions, you talk of status, and you talk of strength. But in the world of cultivation, the weak have no right to bargain, and the guilty have no right to live."
Wu-Guang's eyes flared with manic red light. He realized that his political scheme to steal the iron mines was completely destroyed. The High Council of Elders would never support him now. His only remaining path to survival was to kill this monstrous boy right here, eliminate Wu-Wen, and seize control of the clan by absolute force!
"You arrogant little bastard!" Wu-Guang howled, his Sixth-Stage Ki erupting to its absolute maximum. "You think breaking into the Third Stage of Ki-Refine makes you invincible?! I have cultivated for forty years! My Thunder-Splitter Blade will slice you into six pieces!"
SWOOSH!
Wu-Guang leaped into the air, his massive broadsword transforming into a three-meter-long beam of blinding, electric-blue sword Qi! The compressed air pressure ripped the carpet along the central aisle into shredded confetti, aiming directly for Li-Wen's head with the devastating weight of a mountain collapse!
This was the peak martial power of a Sixth-Stage Ki-Refine warrior—a strike that could easily cleave a solid boulder of granite in half!
"Li-Wen! Watch out!" Wu-Wen yelled in horror, drawing his own saber to rush forward.
"Father, stay where you are," Li-Wen's quiet voice echoed amidst the roaring blade wind.
Li-Wen didn't draw a sword. He didn't even shift his stance. He simply stood in the middle of the ruined aisle, raised his bare left hand, and formed a simple, open-palm guard in the air.
Abyssal Bone Rune—Activate!
Deep within his spine, the burnished gold and purple rune flared with radiant, divine luminescence. One hundred and forty thousand jin of pure earth magnetic pressure surged through his bone marrow, channeling straight into his left arm. His skin took on a faint, metallic sheen, glowing like polished brass.
BOOM!
The blinding three-meter sword Qi slammed directly into Li-Wen's open left palm!
A deafening, thunderous explosion echoed through the grand hall. The shockwave shattered every glass window in the Assembly Hall, blowing out the heavy wooden frames and sending a dust storm sweeping across the white marble floor.
The High Elders shielded their eyes from the blinding dust and flying debris, holding their breath in terror.
When the dust slowly settled, a scene that defied all human logic revealed itself before the horrified audience.
Li-Wen was standing in the exact same spot. His left hand was raised, his fingers lightly gripping the sharp edge of Wu-Guang's massive broadsword.
The three-meter electric-blue sword Qi had completely vanished—shattered into useless specks of light. And the razor-sharp edge of the Sixth-Stage broadsword was completely stopped by Li-Wen's bare, flesh-and-blood palm! Not a single drop of blood bled from his hand. His skin was completely unbroken!
"WHAT?!" Wu-Guang gasped, his broadsword trembling violently in his grip. His arms felt completely numb from the terrifying, unimaginable kinetic feedback. "Bare... bare-handed catching of my peak martial blade strike?! Impossible! You aren't at the Third Stage! WHAT ARE YOU?!"
The High Elders sat frozen in absolute, paralyzed shock.
Catching a Sixth-Stage expert's full-power weapon strike with bare hands without taking a single scratch? Even a Seventh-Stage master from the grand sects in the provincial capital couldn't accomplish such a terrifying physical feat!
"Your blade is too weak," Li-Wen said softly, his dark eyes looking up at Wu-Guang with terrifying calmness. "And your vision is far too small."
Li-Wen's left fingers squeezed slightly.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Spiderweb cracks rapidly spread across the high-tier iron broadsword. In a fraction of a second, the heavy steel blade shattered into dozens of metallic fragments, falling to the floor like rain.
Wu-Guang stared at the remaining hilt in his hand, his mind completely blank with horror.
Before he could process his defeat, Li-Wen stepped forward, his right fist gathering one hundred and forty thousand jin of physical force, accompanied by a faint, golden shockwave of compressed Ki.
BOOM!
Li-Wen's fist slammed directly into Wu-Guang's lower abdomen, right where his Dantian spirit-sea was located!
"AGGGHHHH!"
Wu-Guang let out a blood-curdling shriek as his internal energy ocean exploded. The violent physical shockwave blasted straight through his back, shredding his purple elder robes into tatters. His Sixth-Stage cultivation foundation was completely shattered in a single blow, his Dantian destroyed beyond all repair!
Wu-Guang flew backward fifty feet, crashing heavily into the High Council's grand table, shattering the massive mahogany wood into splinters before collapsing onto the floor like a pile of useless meat, coughing up huge mouthfuls of black, ruined blood.
"My... my cultivation... my Dantian..." Wu-Guang whimpered weakly, his eyes filled with despair and utter ruin. He was now a complete cripple—worse off than Li-Wen had ever been.
The entire Assembly Hall fell into a quiet so profound that one could hear a needle drop onto the stone floor.
Li-Wen lowered his fist, his expression unchanged, as if he had merely swept away a speck of dust from his path. He adjusted his black sleeves calmly and turned toward the paralyzed High Council of Elders.
"First Elder," Li-Wen spoke, his voice echoing smoothly through the silent, ruined hall. "The traitor has been subdued, and his enforcer executed. Does the High Council still wish to discuss the transfer of my father's iron mines?"
First Elder Wu-Cang trembled, looking at the youth standing amidst the rubble. A deep, profound sense of awe and hidden terror filled the old man's heart. He quickly stood up, bowing deeply toward Wu-Wen and Li-Wen.
"No... no need for further discussion!" First Elder Wu-Cang declared hastily, his voice shaking. "Clan Head Wu-Wen's leadership is absolute! Second Elder Wu-Guang committed high treason and is hereby stripped of all elder titles, clan assets, and family privileges! His line shall be demoted to outer servants!"
The remaining elders quickly stood up as well, bowing in unison, not daring to offer a single word of dissent.
Wu-Wen stood on the high dais, looking at his son with a mixture of immense pride and overwhelming wonder. He realized that the boy before him was no longer just his son—he was a rising dragon whose wings would soon span the heavens.
Li-Wen turned toward the open, shattered doors of the hall, gazing out at the vast sky above Azure Mist City.
"The minor vermin of the clan are cleared," Li-Wen thought, feeling the faint wind brush against his black hair. "Now... it is time to prepare for the regional sects and the larger storm brewing beyond these city walls.
Night fell over Azure Mist City like a dark silk canopy studded with faint stars. While the common districts grew quiet with the setting sun, the central district of the city blazed with brightly lit lanterns, buzzing with noisy crowds, high-class horse-drawn carriages, and cultivators dressed in various colorful robes.
At the end of the main avenue stood a grand, six-story pagoda constructed entirely of black ironwood and reinforced with glowing spirit arrays—the Grand Pavilion.
Li-Wen walked down the stone street, wearing a simple, dark navy robe with silver embroidery along the cuffs. He had deliberately lowered his internal Qi vibration, making himself appear like an ordinary, low-profile cultivator of the Second Stage of Ki-Refine. In a crowded environment filled with unpredictable forces, concealing one's true depth was the basic rule of survival.
As he approached the grand arched entrance of the Pavilion, two heavy-armored guards at the Seventh Stage of Ki-Refine stepped forward, their spear shafts crossing to block the pathway.
"Halt," one of the guards commanded, his eyes scanning Li-Wen's plain attire with mild disdain. "Tonight is the high-tier VIP auction. Only invited guests or individuals possessing official auction tokens may enter."
Li-Wen did not speak. He casually raised his right hand and presented the dark brass dragon token.
The guard's contemptuous expression instantly vanished, replaced by a look of sharp surprise and immediate respect. A brass dragon token was reserved exclusively for second-tier clan heads and wealthy guild masters!
"My apologies, young master!" The guard bowed quickly, stepping back and making a polite gesturing motion into the hall. "Please enter! Third floor, Grand Auction Hall Number Two!"
Li-Wen nodded faintly and stepped through the grand doorway.
Inside, the Grand Pavilion was breathtakingly luxurious. The floor was laid with smooth jade tiles that radiated a gentle, soothing warmth, while the high ceilings were hung with massive chandeliers made of illuminated spirit crystals. Cultivators from various wealthy families, mercenary captains with scarred faces, and alchemists in long robes walked through the spacious corridors.
Li-Wen followed a silk-clad maid up the grand spiral staircase, arriving at the third-floor auction arena.
The auction hall was constructed like a vast amphitheater. In the center was a wide, elevated stone stage illuminated by bright spirit lamps. Surrounding the stage were hundreds of comfortable velvet seats for regular attendees, while along the upper balcony were private, curtained VIP booths reserved for the city's top factions.
Li-Wen found an inconspicuous seat near the back row of the general seating area, sitting down quietly. He pulled his hood slightly forward, closing his eyes to sense the surrounding atmospheric vibrations.
His enhanced Divine Sense swept across the vast hall like an invisible wave.
"Three Sixth-Stage warriors in the general seating... two Seventh-Stage experts guarding the stage..." Li-Wen analyzed silently. "And in the upper VIP booths... there are at least two Eighth-Stage Ki-Refine cultivators whose breath is cold and razor-sharp. Members of the city's top factions."
Suddenly, a loud, clear chime of a bronze bell resonated across the entire hall, signaling the start of the auction.
The noisy chatter throughout the amphitheater instantly died down.
A breathtaking woman in a tight, crimson silk dress stepped onto the central stage. She possessed porcelain skin, alluring almond eyes, and a graceful posture that exuded both elegance and sharp intelligence. This was Madam Su, the chief auctioneer of the Grand Pavilion's Azure Mist branch—a woman whose cultivation had reached the peak of the Sixth Stage.
"Welcome, esteemed guests, elders, and young geniuses of Azure Mist City!" Madam Su's voice echoed melodiously, imbued with soft Qi pressure that reached every corner of the room. "Tonight, the Grand Pavilion presents rare spiritual herbs, high-grade armors, and ancient martial manuals that have not been seen in our city for decades. Let the auction begin! .
See you in next chapter....