Chapter 146: Lu Yuan

On a grand and luxurious pavilion with the golden-coloured mark "THE GOLDEN PAVILION" written above it, a group of youths, appearing to be around twenty, sat casually inside. They indulged in wines served with meats and luxurious dishes. Their surroundings were harmonious as they chatted and drank happily.

However, there was only one guy with a dark face, veins popping from his head as he ate his cakes.

"Brother, why are you angry?"

"Hmph, that bastard Lu Zhen. We invited him, but he didn't come even after accepting the invitation. How can I not be angry?"

"Brother, Young Master Lu Zhen must have his difficulties; he must be training for the tournament. You can't judge him."

Lu Yuan was stunned when he heard his sister.

"These guys..." Lu Yuan looked at everyone. When they talked about Lu Zhen before, they only had disgust in their eyes with clear signs of hatred as they discussed the infamous trash of the Lu family, Lu Zhen. But now, Lu Yuan felt out of the circle whenever he said anything negative about Lu Zhen.

"These people change their skins faster than a chameleon," Lu Yuan thought. He tightened his fist, drank his whole cup of wine, and left the place, completely ignoring the others, who were stunned but didn't even get up to stop him, not even his own sister.

After he left, the girl's friend asked with a smirk, "Are you sure you are letting your brother go just like that?"

"Hmph, he said bad stuff about my idol. What do I care about him? If I associate with these guys, Young Master Lu Zhen might have a very bad impression of me." The girl completely forgot that Lu Zhen was her cousin as she continued to talk, and their environment became harmonious again. However, no one complained about Lu Zhen not joining.

Suddenly, a shadow materialised in the centre of the banquet, revealing a woman fully covered in black assassin-like dress.

"Who are you?"

All the people were stunned when they saw the girl, and their protectors were about to make a move.

Suddenly, the girl emitted a terrifying aura that covered the entire pavilion as the minds of people became hazy.

Even the protectors began to sweat as their eyes widened.

"A third-stage martial artist, what?"

The girl slowly receded her aura to the minimum as she spoke. Her voice was cold as ice.

"My young master couldn't come to the party because he was invited by the ancestor," she said as she disappeared into the shadows.

Her cold voice reverberated in their heads as they took a moment to process her words with widened eyes.

However, nobody spoke a word for a long time before the sister of Lu Yuan spoke in a small voice, which was barely heard.

"Young Master Lu Zhen is so hardworking; he doesn't care about the banquet; instead, he is training hard. We shouldn't blame the Young Master for not coming." The voice was barely audible, but as if in motion, everybody started to praise Lu Zhen before they continued their normal conversation again.

They would have been a little dissatisfied and unconvinced in their hearts if Lu Zhen hadn't come because he was training.

However, the mention of the ancestor completely shut them up, as nobody wanted to incur the wrath of the ancestor. From the looks of it, Lu Zhen was favoured by the ancestor, and that meant they had to make a good impression toward Lu Zhen now.

"I cannot fulfil that."

"Why can't you?"

"Because he is the young master, and assassinating him will hamper our plan."

Lu Yuan frowned when he heard this. "Then I won't help you in your plan."

"We promise to kill Lu Zhen after our plan is successful. How about this?"

"This..." Lu Yuan tightened his fist, still not convinced.

"This is the only option you have; if not, we may void the agreement."

"Wait, I can reach the second-stage martial artist before the tournament, right?"

"Yes."

Lu Yuan gritted his teeth as he accepted. "Alright, then I will accept."

"Very well." Suddenly, a black box materialised in front of him.

"This is the promised pill. As long as you take it, you will be able to reach the second-stage martial realm as long as you train for a week," the cold voice rang in Lu Yuan's head.

"Okay," Lu Yu said as he sceptically took the box.

"I can become a first-stage martial artist as long as I complete the task, right?"

"Yes," the voice rang in Lu Yuan's head with a hint of mockery. However, Lu Yu didn't care as he looked at the box with greedy eyes. He withdrew from taking it, storing it in the pouch.

"I should take this after I return home. To hell with the Lu family. Now, when I get power, naturally, all will bow down to the great me."

A ghostly form sat in a makeshift cave as laughter reverberated in the surroundings.

"That idiot finally agreed."

"Looks like my mission will soon be completed. Did they think a small town like Phoenix City could monopolise all the resources from the inheritance cave?"

"Kahahha! I have already implanted three of the spies in three families: Xia, Lu, and Huang, first-class families. Hmm..." The ghostly figure decided to ignore another major family as it wasn't even a family; it was more like a den of assassins. However, it didn't work much in Phoenix City and mostly remained in seclusion throughout the year.

"I will deal with them if they move, but planting spies in the three major families should be sufficient for now." He casually swiped his hands, creating a portal in thin air, strolling inside.

"My mission is completed; I will definitely gain a lot of contribution points for it."

As for the pills he had given to his three little spies, they were a type of poison pill. This pill made a person unleash their full potential temporarily, gaining the power of a second-stage martial artist. However, it would not only completely block their talent for martial arts, but it would also slowly sap their lifespan until the user died, all for a temporary boost of power.

After all, nothing was so easy in this world. If just eating a mere pill could make you reach the second-stage martial realm, the world would have been turned upside down.