Chapter One,

...

This situation was extremely abnormal. Ever since Shangguan Tianling stepped into the Grandmaster Level, he had never had such a feeling towards any martial artist below the Grandmaster Level.

However, facing Qin Fang now, he could vaguely sense a very unusual intuition inside, although he himself didn't quite believe it.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible..."

Shangguan Tianling quickly dismissed such a thought from his mind, finding the notion too ludicrous. No expert above the Grandmaster Level would ever entertain such an idea.

There might only be a difference of one between Level 5 and Level 6 Grandmaster on paper, but the gap in strength was like heaven and earth. Below the Grandmaster Level, martial artists might rely on explosive moves, Sneak Attacks, and other tactics to defeat opponents one level higher.

But stepping into the Grandmaster Level was like entering a completely different realm. Although the disparity in strength couldn't be said to have increased tenfold, it wasn't far off.

What's more, Shangguan Tianling had also trained quite a few disciples with decent strength. Judging by the might Qin Fang was faintly exuding at the moment, at best he was comparable to an average Level 5 Expert and stood no chance against some of the more formidable ones among them.

Facing a Level 5 Expert yielded such results, let alone facing him, a Level 6 Grandmaster-level Expert. There was absolutely no comparison, it was like an arm blocking a chariot, an ant trying to shake a tree...

...

"Courting death!"

While Shangguan Tianling's thoughts were running wild, Qin Fang and Lei Peng had already erupted into Flame, especially since Qin Fang refused to give an inch, severely bruising Lei Peng's ego.

Old Master Lei put on an indifferent front, as if the matter was none of his concern. With his worries lessened, Lei Peng roared and seemed ready to flatten Qin Fang into mush with a single slap.

Whoosh whoosh~~

What was delayed became quick in a flash!

Lei Peng took a slight step forward, and his robust body instantly turned into a dark Shadow, rapidly approaching Qin Fang's side. His speed was quite fast, reaching Qin Fang in the blink of an eye.

His palm, large as a fan, turned into deep palm shadows, multiplying from one to two, two to four, four to eight... In a very short time, they turned into a dense sight of his palm shadows tumbling all over the sky, nearly engulfing Qin Fang completely within these shadows.

"Bring it on..."

Although Qin Fang knew Lei Peng was the type who couldn't stand provocation, he didn't expect Lei Peng to be even less tolerant than he had anticipated, initiating a fight the moment he showed up.

Qin Fang's provocative words played a role, but if Lei Peng hadn't started the quarrel, Qin Fang wouldn't have been so aggressive in response.

But once the fight began, Qin Fang wasn't afraid of Lei Peng... With a light shout, he made a slight move, not to dodge, but to advance, boldly attacking straight into Lei Peng's palm shadows.

"Has this... this young man gone mad!"

Qin Fang's actions surprised many.

With many experts from the Lei Family present, and many with keen eyesight, it was clear to the perceptive that Qin Fang was significantly weaker than Lei Peng.

Among those present at Level 5, many had sparred with Lei Peng and mostly ended up losing. Unless Lei Peng made some fatal mistake, defeating him was nearly impossible for other experts of the same level.

If that wasn't the case, Lei Peng wouldn't be ranked among the top five of the Northern Martial Arts World's young generation. At least from the Southern Martial Arts World, there weren't many who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Lei Peng.

If there was an exception, it would be none other than the Iron Claw Divine Eagle Song Qingshan, the number one young practitioner of the Southern Martial Arts World. He had swept through all the young experts of the Northern Martial Arts World, and Lei Peng had also been defeated by his claws.

However, after his defeat that year, Lei Peng dedicated himself to cultivation, eventually bringing both the Bear Fist of the Lei Family and the Changbai Ice Palm of the Heavenly Pool Sect to the Level 5 Peak. In terms of Cultivation Technique realm, he could already stand on equal footing with Song Qingshan.

In this Martial Arts Tournament, Lei Peng was determined to take his revenge, but Song Qingshan hadn't shown his face at all, which disgraced many young experts from the Northern Martial Arts World.

Lei Peng was so enraged that he clenched his teeth, hellbent on breaking through to the Grandmaster Level and seeking trouble with Song Qingshan. Of course, he was particularly annoyed with the young experts of the Southern Martial Arts World, almost always looking for an excuse to fight them.

Unfortunately, not only was Qin Fang from the Southern Martial Arts World, but he was also the betrothed of Cai Qing, whom Lei Peng was determined to marry. This amounted to adding fuel to the fire, and Lei Peng's subsequent attacks were particularly vicious.

Although Lei Peng would not beat Qin Fang into serious injury or disability, a severe beating was inevitable, and breaking a few bones was also unavoidable.

If not careful, damaging Qin Fang's elemental energy would also be an undeserved calamity for him.

However, looking at the way Lei Peng was making his moves, it seemed he really didn't have any good intentions. With each palm strike aimed almost exclusively at Qin Fang's vital points, even a random slap was going to cause Qin Fang substantial injury.

"What a pity..."

Many people could see the malicious intent in Lei Peng's actions, but they were not in a position to say much. They could only shake their heads silently on the sidelines, sighing inwardly.

The Cai and Lei families were old family friends. Even though the Cai Family had been gradually declining, many from the Lei Family were very familiar with Master Cai. It took a lot of effort to come across such a promising disciple, and if Lei Peng were to cripple him, they would be too ashamed to face their old friends from the Cai Family...

Cai Qing's mood was actually far from calm—or rather, she was unable to calm down at all... At this moment, her beautiful eyes were tightly fixed on Qin Fang, who was gradually advancing towards her, and her heart was filled with worry.

This matter was originally unrelated to Qin Fang; it was between the Cai and Lei families, between her and Lei Peng. But she had dragged Qin Fang into this, having him shield her from the storms and face the dangerous situation on her behalf.

Cai Qing was truly full of regret, hating why she couldn't cultivate Inner Breath. Otherwise, with her talent, she might not necessarily have been inferior to Lei Peng. She was the only female martial artist who had managed to cultivate her external skills to Level 5 without the support of Inner Breath...

"If only I could cultivate Inner Breath, I'd pay any price..."

At such a moment, this wish suddenly flickered through Cai Qing's heart, even though she knew it was impossible. The meridians in her body had long been set and could not undergo any change unless a miracle occurred...

"Qin Fang, you must be alright..."

As the two people drew closer, Cai Qing silently prayed for Qin Fang, hoping he would come out unharmed; otherwise, she would feel uneasy...

Without her realizing it, her previous resentment towards Qin Fang seemed to have suddenly disappeared, vanished without a trace.

In the past, she hated Qin Fang mainly because his presence posed a significant threat to her, possibly even taking Ning Yumo away from her side...

But now, despite her best efforts to guard against Qin Fang, she was unable to completely fend him off. Qin Fang and Ning Yumo had even managed to break through the thin barrier between them, forming the relationship they had now...

However, the relationship between her and Ning Yumo always remained at the status of best friends, rather than the special relationship she had hoped for... Even though she felt that way, Ning Yumo had yet to notice it.

While most of the onlookers felt pity and sighed for Qin Fang, a very few experts noticed something different in Qin Fang's movements—the proportionate poise of his body, the ease and fluidity of his steps, and his versatile techniques—and they couldn't help but frown slightly.

Not many experts had this realization, just a handful, because such experts were almost all above Grandmaster Level...

For instance, Elder Lei, the Level 8 Grandmaster with the most formidable strength, the old man who had led Qin Fang and Cai Qing inside, a few other older men whose names Qin Fang didn't know, and... Shangguan Tianling.

"This young man... is not simple!"

"Indeed! This young fellow is not bad... Peng'er is a bit too complacent. Who will win and who will lose in this fight, it's really hard to say now!"

Experts do exchange opinions with each other. When these experts suddenly made such a discovery, their expressions became somewhat strange.

Originally, they did not want the relationship between the Cai and Lei families to become too strained, but since Elder Lei stayed silent, those below him could not say much, and they could only watch Lei Peng make his move.

On the surface, it seemed there was a significant gap in strength between Qin Fang and Lei Peng. Qin Fang's defeat seemed inevitable, and with Lei Peng's extremely treacherous methods, if any serious problems arose, it would also be awkward for these members of the Lei Family.

Unexpectedly, the situation suddenly showed a slight change, although it was still only a vague discovery and could not be fully confirmed. Yet, at least from the current situation, Qin Fang might indeed have the power to fight back.

Shangguan Tianling naturally had also noticed the issue and looked quite uncomfortable. He was a firm supporter standing behind Lei Peng, and since he was not a member of the Lei Family, whatever happened between the Cai and Lei families did not concern him—he would not care about those issues.

But unexpectedly, what seemed like an infallible situation now appeared to have some unusual fluctuations, leaving even him uncertain whether his nephew Lei Peng could take down Qin Fang.

Of course, his concerns were normal. When he first saw Qin Fang, even he felt that the seemingly weak Qin Fang might pose some threat to him...

He had not believed it before, because the gap between the two was too vast. But now, the possibility seemed less certain...(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)

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