Chapter Thirty-Four: Looking Forward (Second Update)

In the Bright Moon Pavilion, a young man fanned himself leisurely with a paper fan, watching the spectacle below with unhurried ease. Beside him, several other youths clad in fine brocade robes wore varied expressions as they too observed the events unfolding beneath them.

“Lie, did you see? That brat Ye Feng seemed to glance our way a few times just now…” While each of them watched the match, one of the boys by the window suddenly turned to address his companion.

Hearing this, the others nodded in agreement. “Hmm! It seems this Young Master Ye truly is as formidable as the rumors say. We only nudged things along a little, and he noticed right away.”

“Indeed! If we rouse his hostility, it might backfire. After all, we were only testing his mettle.”

“Damn, his senses are sharper than a hound’s! Let’s head down.” The boy surnamed Lie grumbled discontentedly at the chatter around him, then rose and led the way downstairs.

...

Meanwhile, Sun Bo, who clearly did not regard Ye Feng as an opponent of equal standing, was growing displeased. Fixing his gaze on Ye Feng, whose brow was faintly furrowed, he said, “Since you claim that inferiority in skill demands self-reflection, then shouldn’t you be reflecting on yourself right now?”

But… Second Brother Ye still refused to meet his eyes, instead tilting his head thoughtfully, his gaze locked unwaveringly on a pavilion not far away.

This was disregard—sheer, blatant disregard. Grandmaster Sun’s anger flared. Even before his words had quite faded, he stamped the ground and appeared before Ye Feng in a flash. Dense spiritual energy surged around his fist, and the fierce wind of his punch forced Ye Feng to withdraw his gaze.

Yet, that was all.

With no time for deep thought, Ye Feng’s eyes narrowed at Sun Bo’s lightning strike, and he responded with a punch of his own.

A muffled bang echoed as two fists, each brimming with searing power, collided under the tense gaze of the crowd. An invisible shockwave rippled outward, scattering the dust from the ground around them.

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, the anticipated crushing defeat did not come. Ye Feng remained standing firm, his posture unshaken, while across from him, Sun Bo staggered back several steps.

Staring in disbelief at his own slightly deformed fist, Sun Bo exclaimed in horror, “How can your spiritual energy be so dense at the Acquired Realm? Did you enter the Spirit Connection stage with more than fifty spirit lines?”

Only now did the benefits of the Demon King’s inner core and the Heavenly King’s Art reveal themselves. Facing Sun Bo, whose cultivation had reached the Innate level, Ye Feng, though a whole realm lower, managed to meet him head-on and even hold the advantage.

“H-how could the Young Master have become so strong?” Behind him, a group of Ye family youths stammered, looking at Ye Feng in awe.

“He’s just too weak, that’s all…”

At Ye Feng’s words, everyone exchanged odd looks, while across from him, Sun Bo’s expression grew so dark it seemed about to drip blood.

“Do you really think you have me beat just because you have more spirit lines than I do?” No matter what, Sun Bo was still an Innate-level expert with several powerful spiritual arts at his command—far more formidable than most Innate cultivators. Their earlier clash had been a mere contest of spiritual energy. He didn’t believe the Ye family, forced into hiding for decades, could possibly possess high-level inherited arts.

So, in his mind, if the fight truly continued, Ye Feng’s defeat was inevitable.

“You’re welcome to try,” Ye Feng replied, his eyes fixed behind Sun Bo, a faint smile on his otherwise impassive face.

Faced with such composure, Sun Bo hesitated. “Is this guy playing dumb to trick me?”

Seeing Sun Bo’s reaction, Sun Dao and the others, who had been basking in pride at his intervention, suddenly lost their smiles. Judging by his demeanor, Sun Bo seemed a little wary of Ye Feng.

Gradually, Ye Feng’s face returned to calm. The gap between Acquired and Innate Realms was indeed vast, but the gulf between a Spirit-Connected Demon King and other spirit beasts was no less immense.

“Today, I’ll show you that Innate experts are far beyond the reach of bumpkins like you!”

The mounting tension in the arena drew even more spectators from within the Bright Moon Pavilion, who gathered with keen interest to see whether this newly risen Ye family scion could join the ranks of the city’s most outstanding youths.

Sun Bo’s palm tingled, and the pride in his heart was stoked. If he failed to defeat Ye Feng utterly, he himself would become nothing more than a stepping stone for Ye Feng’s rise.

“Well, well… The Holy Land’s people haven’t even arrived, but Sun Bo, you’re already infighting with your own. If you’ve energy to spare, why not wait until the younger generation of the Holy Land arrives and give them a real beating? That would bring glory to our Tianwu Empire…”

Just as Sun Bo began to channel his spiritual power, an incongruous peal of laughter rang out, and a group of a dozen figures strode into the arena, chuckling quietly.

These new arrivals were all youths of sixteen or seventeen, each dressed in splendid, distinctive robes.

“The Lie family, the He family, the Ao family—these are all the rising stars…”

At the sight of them, the gathered crowd paused in surprise. Every one of the newcomers was a scion of the capital’s great clans.

At the head of these spirited boys were four, each wearing a differently colored robe.

Of the trio, one wore a short blue coat, his brows broad, eyes wide, and frame burly. Sporting a close-cropped head, he shot Sun Bo a sidelong glance and grinned, “The Sun family—always known for its useless heirs!”

“Ao Yun, mind your own business! Stop meddling in things that don’t concern you!” Sun Bo’s expression darkened as he glared at the grinning, burly youth.

“Oh my! Sun Bo, do you really see yourself as the number one youth in the capital? My, my… If you ever reach the Spirit King stage, are you going to treat the city as your own backyard?”

The one called Ao Yun habitually ran a hand over his head, circling Sun Bo with a mischievous grin. His ox-like eyes widened in mockery, making it clear he and Sun Bo were not on good terms.

“Heh, Sun Bo, if you’re so eager to fight, I’ll play with you. How about it?” As the laughter faded, a skinny, almost stick-like youth stepped forward from Ao Yun’s side. A scar three inches long ran across his right cheek, giving him a vicious, ruthless air. He fixed Sun Bo with a predator’s gaze.

Hearing this, Sun Bo’s face clouded further. He wasn’t afraid, but with both the Ao and Lie families siding with Ye Feng, he began to wonder, “Are they trying to send me a message?”

“Brother Lie Kuang, we only came to break up the fight. Why are you getting involved now?” The last of the trio, a baby-faced youth, glanced timidly at Ye Feng as he spoke.

“Hmph… He Tao, tell me: why has our Tianwu Empire suffered defeat after defeat, shamed by others in every contest these years?” the burly Ao Yun snorted furiously at the speaker.

At this, the baby-faced He Tao lowered his head as if utterly aggrieved, whispering, “Because our strength is lacking, of course we’re bullied!”

Ye Feng couldn’t help but chuckle at He Tao’s comical expression, finding himself somewhat fond of the boy.

“Hmph! What’s so funny? Isn’t it all your Ye family’s fault?” He Tao shot Ye Feng a venomous glare, gritting his teeth in anger.

“Uh…” Ye Feng, who had laughed unwittingly, found himself the target. Imitating He Tao’s tone, he replied, “What’s it got to do with our Ye family this time…”

“You… you…” He Tao pointed at Ye Feng, tears welling in his eyes, as if a torrential downpour were imminent.

Seeing this, the other three—including Sun Bo—winced, hurrying to comfort He Tao.

“Ye Feng! How dare you bully our young genius! You should be ashamed of yourself… Hurry and apologize to our prodigy!” Ao Yun fussed over He Tao, gently patting his head. “There, there, don’t be upset, little Tao. Your big brother has already scolded him for you!”

Ye Feng was stunned—completely dumbfounded, as if thunderstruck inside and out.

“Hmph! Such disrespect for your elders… I’ll tell Brother He Yun about this and have him beat you till you can’t tell north from south…” The storm passing, He Tao wiped his tears and cast a threatening look at Ye Feng.

“Alright now, little one, you haven’t finished your rice cake. Eat it before it gets cold!” Ao Yun shook his head gently at Ye Feng, signaling him not to provoke this little troublemaker any further.