Chapter 14

C14 – Family Banquet

It’s such a shame. The Body Tempering Pill can only be used once in a lifetime by those in the Body Refining Stage. If only I could refine another and employ the Heaven Earth Creation Spell, I’d surely break through to the Qi Gathering Stage.

I wouldn’t even need a month to take down that jerk Qiao Junhan!”

Jiaang Lin’s advancement in cultivation didn’t excite him; instead, he felt a sense of dissatisfaction.

​The young disciples of Clear Water Town would be hopping mad if they knew! Jiaang Lin, that rascal, leaped from Body Refining Level Four straight to the Body Refining Level Seven Peak, skipping three whole levels, and he still wasn’t satisfied. He was practically asking for envy!

After a brief complaint, Jiaang Lin’s silhouette flickered, and he reappeared in the courtyard.

There’s truth in the saying, “More haste, less speed.”

The martial path is fraught with difficulty.

To reach the pinnacle, a martial artist must take it step by step, enduring trials and tribulations to emerge as a formidable warrior of their era.

Jiaang Lin knew this all too well.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have become the top warrior on the Divine Martial Continent in his previous life!

“Fists swift as the wind, momentum fierce as a tiger.”

In the courtyard, Jiaang Lin began to practice a Fist Technique.

His punches were swift, his presence as imposing as a tiger.

With each strike, the wind roared like thunder, carrying with it a barrage of violent strong winds.

Each gust was more powerful than the last.

This was the Eight Extreme Fist, a Fist Technique Jiaang Lin had mastered in his past life.

The Eight Extreme Fist, a Yellow Rank High Grade martial skill, was well within Jiaang Lin’s ability to perform flawlessly at his current Body Refining Level Seven Peak Stage.

With each execution, his fists moved with the swiftness of the wind, each blow infused with Level Eight Dark Strength, capable of shattering an enemy’s bones and meridians in an instant. It was a formidable and dominant force to be reckoned with.

Boom!

Boom!

Bang!

With the release of the Eight Extreme Fist, a massive three-meter-tall boulder before Jiaang Lin shattered explosively into fine dust.

The formidable power of Jiaang Lin’s Eight Extreme Fist was evident.

At his Body Refining Level Seven Peak Stage, this Fist Technique could easily slay a Body Refining Level Eight Cultivator, and even severely injure a Body Refining Level Nine Cultivator.

“Move like a shadow, elusive as an illusion.”

After executing the Eight Extreme Fist, Jiaang Lin performed another movement martial skill.

His form flickered erratically, his speed astonishingly fast, leaving a trail of afterimages that made him nearly impossible to track.

Even a Body Refining Level Eight Cultivator would struggle to discern his trajectory.

How could Jiaang Lin, a so-called waste with blocked meridians and no ability to cultivate, possibly take down Tang Bei with a single punch?

“It’s absolutely true. The whole of Clear Water Town is buzzing with the story right now!” the informed disciple insisted.

​”Hmph! Seeing is believing, but hearing is not. How can a non-cultivating good-for-nothing defeat a Body Refining Level Four expert with just one punch?

“This rumor must be completely false; I can’t believe you’re all falling for it,” a cold voice interjected from a distance.

​The group turned to see a young man, about eighteen years old, who had just expressed his skepticism.

The youth had a sharp chin and gaunt cheeks, his frame so lean he resembled a scrawny monkey, seemingly fragile against the breeze.

Yet, the Jiaang family disciples refrained from any confrontation or offense.

​They all recognized him as Jiaang Gao, a Body Refining Level Seven practitioner and a Martial Dao Talent within the Jiaang family. His prowess placed him among the top ten of the family’s younger generation.

His status and reputation were lofty, and he was greatly valued by the Jiaang family’s upper echelons.

“Exactly. How could such a nobody be that formidable? If I ever run into him, I’d knock him down with a single punch myself!” declared a muscular young man standing next to Jiaang Gao, his tone dripping with scorn.

​This burly youth was none other than Jiaang Feng, who had been soundly thrashed by Jiaang Lin just the day before.

Jiaang Feng was a lackey who always sought to ingratiate himself with Jiaang Gao.

Given that Jiaang Gao enjoyed demeaning and mocking Jiaang Lin, Jiaang Feng was all too eager to join in with sycophantic zeal.

His resentment towards Jiaang Lin was particularly strong after being soundly thrashed by him just the day before, leaving him seething with anger.

Therefore, Jiaang Feng would not pass up any chance to deride Jiaang Lin behind his back.

“Oh? Knock me down with one punch? When did you, Jiaang Feng, become such a blowhard?”

“Come on then, I’ll give you the opportunity today to try and knock me down with that one punch!”

As Jiaang Feng was speaking, a distant voice carried across the room.

In a corner of the banquet hall, numerous Jiaang family disciples turned to look as Jiaang Lin, holding Jiaang Xue’s hand, made his way into the hall with measured steps.

Their gaze landed on Jiaang Feng, filled with contempt and mockery.

A mischievous smile played at the corner of Jiaang Lin’s mouth.

Upon Jiaang Lin’s arrival, the chatter among the Jiaang family disciples in the banquet hall ceased, and they watched him with scorn and derision, their lips curling into cold sneers.

Jiaang Gao’s face also showed disdain upon seeing Jiaang Lin, but it turned even darker when he noticed Jiaang Lin holding Jiaang Xue’s hand, his eyes brimming with frostiness.

Next to him, Jiaang Feng was initially taken aback by Jiaang Lin’s sudden appearance, but then rage bubbled up within him.

He stood up abruptly.

“You worthless coward, you’ve got some nerve showing up here!” Jiaang Feng bellowed furiously.

​Remembering how he’d been humiliated by Jiaang Lin the previous day, his chest burned with rage.

“Cut the chatter. Get on with it and show everyone how you, Jiaang Feng, can take someone down with a single punch. Let’s see you do it!”

Jiaang Lin fixed Jiaang Feng with a taunting look, his face alight with amusement.