The crisp sound made everyone's eyes twitch.

"Poor thing! Look at his little arms, actually going head-to-head with Zhou Hu; isn't he asking for death?"

"Serves him right..."

The crowd was abuzz with chatter, but most believed it was Zhu Bufan whose bones cracked. But is that really the case?

"Ah..."

A miserable scream burst forth, and then Zhou Hu's burly figure was seen being struck by a mighty force and sent flying. But before he could truly fly off, a slender hand reached out and seized Zhou Hu's ankle.

"Get back here!" Zhu Bufan shouted, his hand dropping down forcefully.

Boom...

After a fierce crash, Zhu Bufan effortlessly grasped Zhou Hu's ankle, swinging him left and right, repeatedly slamming him onto the ground.

Bam... Bam... Bam...

In shock and awe, the crowd watched as Zhou Hu, in Zhu Bufan's hands, was smacked onto the ground like a fly swatter. He didn't even have the time to cry out in pain. The relentless pounding seemed to strike the hearts of the onlookers, causing their nerves and muscles to twitch with each thundering impact.

"Challenge? With this level of strength, you dare challenge me; truly overestimating yourself!" With a release of his hands, Zhu Bufan let Zhou Hu go, shouting loudly.

Meanwhile, Zhu Bufan wore a smile on his face, his gaze as sharp as knives sweeping across the surroundings.

Seeing Zhu Bufan's gleeful laughter, everyone felt a chill rising from their hearts, uncontrollably trembling.

"This... What kind of person is this! This is simply not human!"

Zhu Bufan's appearance wasn't outstanding, at most considered delicate. Especially after the medicine bath and boxing practice, all the muscle he had seemed to vanish, leaving him with a streamlined figure. He normally appeared loose and relaxed, but when tense, his muscles would tighten fully, like a bowstring strung with an arrow, intensely powerful.

Now Zhu Bufan felt like a frail scholar, with no trace of the aura of a Martial Artist.

However, despite appearing like a frail scholar, he swatted a man on the ground like a fly swatter, a stark contrast that was difficult for the crowd to accept.

Poor Zhou Hu, after being tormented by Zhu Bufan, almost all his bones were broken, leaving him like a boneless heap, slumped on the ground, already unconscious from the pain.

Zhu Bufan's control was exceedingly accurate, not claiming Zhou Hu's life.

"Is there... anyone else who wants to challenge?" Zhu Bufan suddenly stepped forward, shouting loudly.

Dozens of people actually took a step back under Zhu Bufan's imposing manner, looking at him with uncertainty and clear fear in their eyes.

"Is there anyone else!" Seeing everyone's silence, Zhu Bufan snorted coldly, again loudly asking.

But everyone simply looked at each other, not speaking, and certainly not stepping forward. The entire scene unusually fell silent.

"Hahaha, since there's no one else, then I have to tidy up the room, not entertaining you all anymore. If someone wants to continue the challenge, Zhu Bufan will always be waiting! Hahaha... However..." Saying this, Zhu Bufan suddenly turned to glance at the silent Zhou Hu, "However, what consequences may come cannot be predicted!"

Having finished speaking, Zhu Bufan didn't pause for a moment, directly returning to the house.

…

Zhu Bufan's move shocked everyone openly and covertly, so arrogant and domineering, even Zhou Mengjie found it unimaginable.

However, Zhu Bufan's move indeed achieved quite a noticeable effect. At least for now, many troubles were avoided, and no one dared to easily challenge him anymore.

Moreover, through this event, Zhu Bufan's cultivation was publicly revealed, Seventh Rank!

"Young Master Feng, here are the clothes you requested!" Deng Dashan respectfully arrived beside Zhu Bufan, holding several sets of clothes. He didn't dare show any disrespect towards his master, Zhu Bufan, especially after witnessing yesterday's scene with his own eyes. He spent the entire night plagued by nightmares, fearing Zhu Bufan would retaliate for his previous disrespect.

Seeing the hidden reverence in Deng Dashan's eyes, Zhu Bufan couldn't help but secretly find it amusing.

"Is there anything happening today?" Drinking warm tea, Zhu Bufan asked lightly.

"Hmm, the Family Head emerges from seclusion today, presiding over the ancestral ceremony!" Deng Dashan whispered.

"Ancestral ceremony?" Zhu Bufan asked curiously, as he hadn't heard any news about it.

"Hmm, this has been the rule for generations. All Zhou family disciples who pass the selection, whether from the side branch or the direct line, will personally record their names in the family register in front of the ancestral hall on this day, officially becoming a member of the Zhou family!" explained Deng Dashan.

"Oh, I see!" Upon hearing this, Zhu Bufan nodded secretly, "Is that all?"

"After the ancestor worship, it's time for the annual martial arts tournament." As he spoke, Deng Dashan's eyes shone with anticipation.

"Martial arts tournament?" Zhu Bufan asked in confusion.

"The annual martial arts tournament, to put it bluntly, is the ranking battle among the side branches and the challenge competition between the side branches and the direct line!" Deng Dashan quickly explained. "Every year's martial arts tournament determines the allocation of various resources, and the family will also offer many benefits as rewards to outstanding disciples from the selection!"

Zhu Bufan lightly tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought.

"Brother Feng!"

Soon, Zhu Bufan was startled awake by the knocking at the door from Zhou Wei and others.

"Wow, Brother Feng, I heard about what happened yesterday; you were truly amazing!" Zhou Wei's eyes seemed to be filled with admiration as he looked at Zhu Bufan with reverence.

"Madman, truly a madman!" Zhou Junsheng also stared at Zhu Bufan, and after a moment, managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"Alright, alright, today is the ancestor worship ceremony, you know that, right? Here, this is your badge; you weren't there yesterday, so we brought it for you!" Zhou Zi took out a badge made of black iron and handed it to Zhu Bufan, with a number printed on it.

"1123!"

The Zhou family's ancestral hall, located deep in the Zhou residence, was much easier to find than other places! Moreover, Deng Dashan was leading the way at the front.

When Zhu Bufan and the others arrived at the square, it was already packed with people. At the entrance, there were some servants stationed there, checking everyone's number badges.

"I couldn't tell, but your family is quite prosperous, isn't it? Look, there are at least five or nine thousand people here. Hmm, with such strength, in the entire continent, it could be considered a third or fourth-rate power!" Suddenly, Old Lan's voice sounded in his mind.

"Oh, Zhu Bufan's power is only considered third or fourth-rate?" Zhu Bufan asked skeptically.

"Of course, Xiao Feng, you must understand that the truly powerful forces on the entire continent are those ancient sects hidden from the world!" Old Lan said with a smile.

"Hidden? Secluded? Do they not care about worldly affairs and only focus on cultivation?" Zhu Bufan asked in confusion.

"Hmph, how could that be possible? Think about it, if they are truly secluded, then where would they get the resources needed for cultivation, and where would they get the disciples needed for inheritance? The so-called reclusion and seclusion are just relative!" Old Lan explained with a smile.

"Oh, by the way, how strong is the Sea Emperor Race?" Zhu Bufan suddenly thought of it and asked instinctively.

"The Sea Emperor Race... haha, my Sea Emperor Race hails from Ancient Times and is one of the oldest races. Its strength is indeed one of the top, and comparable forces would not exceed one hand's count!" Speaking of the Sea Emperor Race, Old Lan was suddenly filled with heroic spirit. "When you settle down, I will tell you everything about all this!"

Hearing this, Zhu Bufan slightly raised an eyebrow, then his gaze turned towards the square.

The square was so crowded that using the phrase "people as numerous as the ocean" was no exaggeration. This square was perhaps larger than two or three soccer fields, easily holding ten thousand people.

At the end of the square stood an ancient and majestic bronze-colored building. In front of its giant door was a massive three-legged green tripod, about one zhang tall, with Dragon Juice Fragrance burning inside. The enchanting fragrance permeated the entire square.

Facing the three-legged tripod was a towering high platform.

The high platform was extremely tall, about five to nine zhang, entirely dark green, ascending in a terraced shape, resembling a lofty Sky-reaching Pillar, descending straight down. A vast and ancient aura emanated from the platform, enveloping the entire heaven and earth!

And on top of the platform stood a gigantic stone gate, with the words 'Sacrificial Altar' written in ancient script, like entangled dragons and snakes, mysterious and enigmatic.

Below the stone gate lay something resembling fabric, of unknown material, about three or four zhang wide and over a dozen zhang long, appearing brown-yellow, ceaselessly fluttering in the wind. With his keen eyes, Zhu Bufan vaguely saw faint red inscriptions flashing within.

"Family register!"

After a moment's thought, Zhu Bufan confirmed that it was indeed the Zhou family's register.

While shocked, Zhu Bufan pondered, "Could it be that this register stays here all this time? Aren't they afraid of it getting damaged?" After all, with the wind, sun, and rain, it was bound to get damaged over time.

"Don't worry, this is a piece of Holy Beast Skin! It would not be so easily damaged. Unexpectedly, the Zhou family actually possesses a piece of Holy Beast Skin; it's truly unimaginable. If people found out..." Old Lan said in shock.

Hearing Old Lan's words, Zhu Bufan was also startled, knowing that the Holy Beast surpassed the Fierce Beast, reaching beyond the Innate Realm.

"What a great item! If we could obtain it and have the Eye of Mang Sea refine it, we could restore some of the Eye of Mang Sea's divine skills, and perhaps the Sky-reaching Pillar within could be reopened!" Old Lan exclaimed excitedly.

Zhu Bufan also greedily glanced at it. If he really obtained this Holy Beast Skin, it would truly be the first step on the path to reviving his mother.

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