"How could that be? Since I've arrived, let's all first discuss the new four-year plan. This embodies the future demands of the Fish and Dragon Association and Row Gang for the next four years."

Ma Mingfeng stood his ground, the river breeze on his face. He lazily ran his hands over the back of his head and said, "Song Zhong, distribute the documents to them."

From behind the young leader of the Fish and Dragon Association, a young hunter from Hunter's Forest stepped forward, pulling out several documents from his waist.

Upon seeing this, Kou Ming also handed the documents from his sleeve to Huo Xiaoxia, saying, "Distribute these to everyone as well. This is Medicine King Hall's plan."

Afterward, Hong Yin from Firewood Iron Shop also took out some papers and had Qu Feng and another disciple distribute them.

In the end, Chen Ku held in his hands the proposals from Baojiao County's three giants for a new division of the county's wealth and resources.

However, after Chen Ku inspected the divisions proposed by the three giants, his pupils suddenly shrank...

Behind him, the astonished shout of Xu Li, the junior boss from Ding Hongji, suddenly rang out, "What? This year's proposals from the Fish and Dragon Association, Medicine King Hall, and Firewood Iron Shop include such outrageous demands..."

"The Fish and Dragon Association wants to add another thirty percent to the pill levy? And extra wharf fees from the Row Gang?"

"Firewood Iron Shop wants to increase the base price of medicinal materials in the forest and hopes the Fish and Dragon Association will cut their wharf fees by another thirty percent!"

"Medicine King Hall wants Firewood Iron Shop and the Fish and Dragon Association to permit their disciples to enter the mountains and waters to gather herbs?"

As soon as the three documents were presented, Kou Ming, Hong Yin, and Ma Mingfeng all had a gleam in their eyes simultaneously. As expected, they're all starting to overreach.

A dangerous smile appeared on the corner of Ma Mingfeng's mouth as he said, "What do you two mean by this?"

Hong Yin responded coldly, "I was about to ask the two of you the same thing! You want to add more wharf fees? Row Gang's laborers only depart from the wharf each year; they never rely on ferries, just drift downstream. On what grounds can you increase the wharf fees again?"

After speaking, he looked towards Kou Ming and said, "And Medicine King Hall? You actually plan to send disciples into the mountains to gather herbs? What are you trying to do?"

Kou Ming said calmly, "What Medicine King Hall wants to do depends on what you two intend to do."

He had thought that only Firewood Iron Shop harbored ambitions of annexation, hence today's document was a probe and provocation. He hadn't expected that today's document from the Fish and Dragon Association would also be so aggressive, pressing hard. It seemed the Fish and Dragon Association had also sensed something, or perhaps, they were well-prepared. Fortunately, Medicine King Hall wasn't slow in reacting and presented equally aggressive terms.

"Hehehe..."

At this moment, Ma Mingfeng's voice resonated through the river breeze. He said, "So, everyone is eager to set new rules. That simplifies matters. By the old rules, let's fight. The winner calls the shots."

Having said that, he had already stepped forward.

Behind him, Song Zhong from Hunter's Forest stepped up and asked, "Junior Leader? Fight whom?"

"Everyone!" Ma Mingfeng said calmly. "Whoever defies us, we fight them. Defeating them settles it!"

Hearing Ma Mingfeng's overwhelmingly dominant words, Chen Ku finally understood the purpose of this small meeting and why only young people were present. The young ones here today were the "Grasshoppers" released by the three giants—young successors to battle it out. Winners would take the benefits; losers would have to concede.

"Senior Brother, whom are we fighting?" Chen Ku also stood beside Kou Ming and quickly asked.

"We fight everyone as well."

Kou Ming stepped forward, suddenly bursting into laughter. "Junior Brother Chen, today is a great day for you to make a name for yourself! Apart from Ma Mingfeng, whom you don't need to worry about, I'll leave everyone else to you!"

His loud laughter shook the river wind, drifting into everyone's ears.

As his words fell, Kou Ming's lean, scholarly figure suddenly straightened. He struck out towards Ma Mingfeng with a palm, not forgetting to tell Chen Ku, "If you win today, Junior Brother, you'll be the second Yang Luochen! No, you will surpass your master."

With this palm strike, Kou Ming's palm instantly turned the color of iron as it flew towards Ma Mingfeng, aiming directly for his chest.

BOOM!

His Mystic Barrier Peak Inner Qi exploded forth.

And everyone, hearing Kou Ming's words, subconsciously looked towards Chen Ku, who stood behind Kou Ming.

What did Kou Ming mean? He seemed to have such great confidence in his junior brother?

Even Huo Xiaoxia's face turned pale. Although she had witnessed Junior Brother Chen defeating Zhang Renfeng of the Mystic Barrier Second Layer and considered Junior Brother Chen undoubtedly the foremost genius among Baojiao County's youth, to single-handedly take on all the young experts from Firewood Iron Shop, the Fish and Dragon Association, Row Gang, and Hunter's Forest—excluding Ma Mingfeng? Where did Senior Brother get such boundless confidence in Junior Brother Chen?

Even the people from Firewood Iron Shop and Row Gang had shifting expressions, looking at Chen Ku with astonishment and doubt.

BANG!

Kou Ming's palm had already struck towards Ma Mingfeng. Unexpectedly, Ma Mingfeng neither dodged nor evaded. A cold, arrogant smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth as his large hand, quick as lightning, bent into a claw and met Kou Ming's Iron Palm head-on.

Of all boxing techniques, grappling is the fiercest!

What Ma Mingfeng unleashed was one of the Fish and Dragon Association's ultimate skills—the Dragon and Tiger Great Grasping!

WHOOSH~

Kou Ming saw Ma Mingfeng's claws aiming for the major tendons on his wrist. His opponent understood him well, knowing the ferocity of his Iron Palm, thus avoiding direct contact and targeting his weak points!

Kou Ming immediately flipped his palm, dodged the claw, and used the momentum to ram his shoulder into his opponent. BANG! It was like a scholar crashing into a Jiao Dragon.

Their bodies collided, and both retreated simultaneously.

Yet, bizarrely, Ma Mingfeng was knocked back further, making it hard to imagine that Kou Ming's seemingly fragile body concealed such robust physique and Qi Power.

Taking advantage of this retreat, Ma Mingfeng shouted, "You lot, go attack that Chen Ku first! I want to see what gives this Kou Ming rascal the audacity to speak like that!"

His Fish and Dragon Association dared to propose such terms this time not just because their leaders had been covertly preparing and accumulating resources for decades. They also counted on their young generation. The four of them present, including him, were all no older than twenty-five yet possessed the strength of Mystic Barrier Second Layer and even Mystic Barrier Peak—true prodigies! With four such prodigies on their side, they hadn't fought such a dominant battle in years. If not now, when would they make their voices heard so loudly!

But as he was speaking, he suddenly sensed the buzzing sound of something piercing the air.

"Five Elements Qi Needle!"

Almost instinctively, before even seeing the needle's shadow, Ma Mingfeng, with his Mystic Barrier Peak 'Mental Secret Technique,' controlled his body and made an unbelievable reaction!

Like lightning, he retreated dozens of meters, landing on the icy surface of the Dragon River.

Simultaneously, three young experts from the Fish and Dragon Association and Hunter's Forest attacked Chen Ku at once.

[Song Zhong harbors ill intentions towards the Host...]

[Zhu Lie harbors ill intentions towards the Host...]

[Shan Xiali harbors ill intentions towards the Host...]

The moment the three figures moved, Chen Ku sensed it.

He was still pondering why Kou Ming had such strong confidence in him. Could it be something Master Yang Luochen told him? Chen Ku thought back and forth. He recalled that when his master asked him about fighting Zhang Renfeng, under his master's intimidating presence, he had merely said, "About twenty or thirty percent effort..." But in fact, even that was an overstatement. Based solely on Root Bone, Qi Power, and Martial Arts level, it wouldn't take much. If he could use his Incarnation and various other methods, defeating Zhang Renfeng wouldn't even require one-tenth of his power...

But feeling the airflow from the movements of those three, already blowing from dozens of meters away, Chen Ku had no inclination to dwell on these thoughts further.

Since it's come to this, then let's make a name for myself!

With a thought, watching the three who intended to strike him first, Chen Ku, like a bolt of lightning, shook off the yellow cloth on his back, grabbing the twelve thousand five hundred jin Water-Fire Dragon Head Staff.

"Wait? Is that..."

Jiang Shaoyou, who had spent some time in Medicine King Hall, stood not far away. His expression had initially changed drastically upon seeing three young prodigies from the Fish and Dragon Association—at least Mystic Barrier Second Layer, with one even at Mystic Barrier Peak—simultaneously bearing down on Chen Ku. He was extremely worried and about to ask his father to intervene.

But unexpectedly, when Chen Ku ripped off the yellow cloth, revealing that indigo-purple, two-toned Famous Weapon, he blurted out, "The Water-Fire Dragon Head Staff!"

The three charging towards Chen Ku also simultaneously saw the weapon in Chen Ku's hands—Yang Luochen's famed weapon, renowned throughout Baojiao City.

Could it be a replica?

But just as this thought arose, they saw Chen Ku, staff in hand, vanish from his spot.

In the blink of an eye, the youth had darted out ten zhang. The long staff, like a collapsing heavenly pillar, a falling purple-gold beam, appeared before them, sweeping across!

With Chen Ku's current Root Bone and Qi Power, far exceeding one hundred thousand jin, combined with his Great Achievement Level Skyward Strike, wielding the twelve thousand five hundred jin Water-Fire Dragon Head Staff!

What did that even mean!

It was like a giant deity lifting a heavenly pillar and smashing it down.

The staff hadn't even reached the three yet, but the terrifying force of its wind condensed as if tangible, thick as mercury. Instantly, the three felt as if a mountain was pressing down on them. The air was sucked dry; they couldn't breathe!

No! How is this possible! I am at Mystic Barrier Peak!

At that moment, Lin Songzhong of Hunter's Forest, who was at Mystic Barrier Peak among the three, roared inwardly in disbelief. The reaction speed of a Mystic Barrier Peak cultivator should be sufficient to dodge any strike from anyone below that level. But he couldn't fathom how Chen Ku had appeared before him from over ten zhang away in the mere blink of an eye!

This was precisely the standard of Minor Achievement in the Piercing Sound Step.

A pounce of fifty zhang!

A mere dozen zhang or so was effectively instantaneous, faster than his thoughts.

By the time he reacted, the overwhelming force of the staff was already upon them!

WHAM!

The force of the staff pressed down on the three, instantly rendering them immobile.

Then followed the sweep of the Water-Fire Dragon Head Staff itself.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The three prodigies from the Fish and Dragon Association, emerging only once every twenty years or so—Song Zhong at Mystic Barrier Third Layer Peak, and Zhu Lie and Shan Xiali at Mystic Barrier Second Layer—were instantly swept by the dragon head staff!

They were smashed into pulp, their bodies exploding by the riverside, a blood mist drifting with the wind!

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