Zhao Qiancheng and Zhuang Xiujie stood quietly at the main entrance, watching as the figures and vehicles before them receded into the distance and the commotion died down.

"...Most of the people who came tonight were from Cloud Dragon Hall and the West Mountain Sect. Shao Jinchuan, practitioner of the 'West Mountain Camel Fist,' once duelled our Master, who snapped the tendons in his right arm."

"Since then, whenever he tries to exert strength, both his hands tremble uncontrollably. His power and reputation have greatly diminished. He's probably been harboring this grudge for nearly twenty years..."

"Where is he now?"

"We patched him up and left him at the highway entrance. People from Cloud Dragon Hall and the West Mountain Sect will naturally come for him when they get the news."

Zhuang Xiujie paused for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Now that Master has accepted First Senior Brother so publicly, those old enemies of our Crane Sect will definitely come seeking revenge... Moreover, 'Ba,' whom Lin secretly released all those years ago, has reappeared at this very moment. I'm worried..."

"There's nothing to worry about." Zhao Qiancheng stated flatly, his expression unchanging. "If Master isn't afraid, why should we disciples be?"

Zhuang Xiujie nodded with an "Mm."

Zhao Qiancheng stood silently for a moment with his hands behind his back, then suddenly spoke, "Ah, yes, there's something I need you to investigate. The eldest of the Lin family from the 'North Eagle Sect' had both his eyes gouged out by Master because of the matter concerning Little Seven. I received news that he came seeking revenge with his two younger brothers, but I didn't see them at the banquet just now..."

Zhuang Xiujie frowned slightly. "Could they have been scared off, not daring to make a move?"

"Unlikely." Zhao Qiancheng shook his head. "He knows our capabilities. Given his personality, if he came, he definitely intended to take something back with him..."

Zhuang Xiujie pondered this.

Suddenly, in an instant, they exchanged a silent glance.

"Liu Si! Where is First Senior Brother?!" Zhuang Xiujie turned and shouted at someone.

A moment later, several figures shot out like arrows from the main entrance of Yuetianhai, all heading in the same direction.

「...」

Lu Yuan stopped, casually unbuttoning the top three buttons of his white inner shirt. He gazed ahead with a calm expression.

CLACK-CLACK... SHUFFLE-SHUFFLE...

The mixed sounds of hard-soled leather shoes and flat sandals scraping against the pavement grew closer.

Soon, under the soft white glow of a streetlight, three figures slowly emerged.

Upon seeing Lu Yuan, one of them, a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair and a briefcase, couldn't help but chuckle.

"It seems this kid was actually waiting for us."

"Ha..."

Two of them were laughing; only the leading middle-aged man wearing sunglasses remained expressionless. He leaned forward slightly, seemingly sizing Lu Yuan up through his sunglasses.

"So, you're... Master Liudao Yuan's new disciple?"

"Yes." Lu Yuan nodded, seemingly oblivious to the malice emanating from the trio.

Seeing Lu Yuan's admission, the sunglasses-wearing man gave an ugly smirk. He reached up and removed the sunglasses from his face, revealing a pair of mechanical eyes resembling retractable telescope lenses, with tiny red indicator lights flickering on their tops.

"Liudao Yuan gouged out my eyes, condemning me to this monstrous appearance... And you are Master Liudao Yuan's disciple..."

The man sneered, his voice chillingly cold, "By rights, shouldn't you compensate me with your eyes for his debt?"

"Master has so many disciples; why didn't you seek out others? To put it bluntly, isn't it just because you think I'm the weakest? Preying on the weak and fearing the strong? Enough with the nonsense..." Lu Yuan slowly rolled the sleeves of his white inner shirt up to his elbows and said calmly, "I'm in a hurry. If you're going to make a move... make it quick."

"Alright, alright! Back when Master Liudao Yuan was at the height of his fame, even he wasn't as arrogant as you..." The man in sunglasses finished speaking, his expression turned cold, and he barked, "Attack!"

Instantaneously, accompanied by a CRASH! as bricks and stones shattered, the two men standing behind the one in sunglasses vanished. When they reappeared, they were pouncing towards Lu Yuan like tigers, one high and one low. A powerful aura surged from both of them as their figures tore through the air with a great WHOOSH, like a hurricane passing through.

Expressionless, Lu Yuan instantly entered the lv3 [Absolute Focus] state. He took a deep breath, his arms rising naturally. His exposed forearms suddenly swelled like inflating balloons. Blue veins bulged on them, and his muscles rippled like flowing mercury.

SWISH—

He raised his hand, his fist leaving behind what seemed almost like an afterimage in mid-air.

THUD! THUD!

Dull thuds echoed almost simultaneously as the two figures were sent flying backward. One tumbled into the nearby bushes, the other more than ten meters away.

"Is that all you've got?" Lu Yuan let his arms hang naturally, looking dismissively at the man in sunglasses. "No wonder you didn't dare confront anyone else... Turns out you're just utter trash, gutless and weak."

The red lights in the man's mechanical eyes flickered, and a savage expression crossed his face. With a slight shift of his foot, the paving stones beneath him cracked. The next second, he leaped into the air. His hands formed claws, and he swooped down on Lu Yuan from above like a falcon.

Lu Yuan remained unfazed, his right arm stretched taut like a fully drawn bow. Lv2 Ten Thousand Refining Crane Strength activated quietly. A powerful yet nimble Vigor enveloped his fist.

[Spirit Crane Skill: Crane Shadow Floating in the Air]!

BAM!

Lu Yuan threw a punch. His fist collided squarely with the middle-aged man's claws—no feints, no tricks.

A dull THUD echoed. The paving stones beneath Lu Yuan's feet shattered, earth flying up, as he was driven back step after step.

The middle-aged man twisted in mid-air, landing steadily on the ground in a graceful posture. A distinct white glow now floated around his arms, and his fierce, sharp aura surged, climbing higher and higher.

"Quite interesting. No wonder Master Liudao Yuan took you as his true disciple..." A hint of surprise appeared on the middle-aged man's face. The two men Lu Yuan had just sent flying slowly walked back, their faces pale as they clutched their chests.

The three of them formed an encirclement, gradually closing in on Lu Yuan.

"So young, yet your Vigor is already this powerful. If you were allowed to develop for a few more years, wouldn't you be even fiercer than the Poison Hand Crane Demon?"

"Unfortunately, you won't get that chance..." The middle-aged man sighed softly, the icy aura around him growing denser. He advanced towards Lu Yuan with measured steps. His ten fingers, hanging by his sides, flexed lightly, emitting sharp CLINKING sounds, like blades striking one another.

HUFF... HUFF...

His feet sank deep into the mud. Forced into the darkness beyond the lamplight's reach, Lu Yuan panted lightly. The arms crossed before his chest slowly lowered. He looked up, a flicker of faint wistfulness in his eyes.

Half-body Vigor cultivation... It seems I'm still a bit lacking.

WHOOSH—

The middle-aged man's mechanical eyes flashed. He lunged forward abruptly, his eagle claws slashing straight for Lu Yuan's face. "First, I'll gouge out those eyes of yours!"

Lu Yuan seemed caught off guard and retreated hastily. He instinctively raised a hand to block, his five fingers also forming a claw.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man roared with laughter. As he pursued, a brilliant white light erupted from his fingertips. "Kid, you're trying to use claw techniques against me, the Northern Eagle King?"

CLACK!

The next second, the middle-aged man's claws met Lu Yuan's. Malice surged within him. He grinned, about to crush those five 'delicate' fingers.

But just then, those five fingers suddenly 'swelled,' rapidly breaking free from his grasp.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

A continuous series of crisp bone-cracking sounds emanated from the darkness before him. The red light in his mechanical eyes intensified, yet he still couldn't clearly see what was happening. He could only vaguely discern a massive figure, nearly two meters tall, slowly rising from the darkness.

Vast shadows rippled outwards.

RASP... RASP...

Heavy, rasping breaths, like those of a colossal beast, echoed, and an overwhelming sense of imminent danger instantly enveloped him.

Then, he heard a low, raspy voice speak beside his ear.

"Then let's really test these claw techniques!"

"Mistakenly Plucked... Immortal Orchid!"

WHOOSH— WHOOSH—

A tremendous WHOOSHING sound, accompanied by a ferocious gust of wind so violent it almost made his scalp tingle with numbness.

The next second... from the darkness untouched by the streetlight, a massive clawed hand shot out. It tore visible white trails through the air.

Before the middle-aged man could even react... that massive claw enveloped his entire eagle claw.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

Accompanied by a series of sickening bone-splintering sounds, the middle-aged man's hand and a good part of his forearm... were brutally crushed by that giant claw into... a grotesque 'orchid' of red and white flesh and bone!

After a brief, deathly silence, a heart-wrenching scream pierced the deep, dark night, echoing across the vast estate...

「...」

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