Chapter Fifteen: Arrogance

Although Liu Feng was forced back by the young man, his expression remained composed. As the boy threw another punch, Liu Feng did not dodge but instead swept his hand like a blade toward the incoming fist.

A dull thud echoed as their palms and fists collided, and this time the youth was the one sent stumbling back a step.

"Not bad, kid. You've got some skill. Looks like I need to get serious," the slight boy said, his face flushed with embarrassment at having been repelled.

As he spoke, the slender youth reached into his storage pouch and drew a long sword, its cold gleam chilling to the eye.

Seeing the youth brandish his sword with a deadly aura, Liu Feng dared not be careless. He gathered his focus, circulating his true energy into his palm, ready to unleash his “Sky-Splitting Slash” at any moment.

The frail youth gripped his sword, true energy flowing within the blade. Wisps of sword light flickered and entwined around the blade, growing thicker and denser, like silken threads.

"Be careful!" the girl beside them cried out as she saw the sword's eerie aura.

"Take this!" the youth shouted, lunging at Liu Feng with his sword. The strands of sword energy twisted unpredictably, slicing the air with a sharp hiss.

Liu Feng, having anticipated this, unleashed his Sky-Splitting Slash. A blade of energy, nearly a meter long, roared forth with the power to rend space itself, clashing against the long sword.

A thunderous explosion erupted, earth and stone flying as dust filled the air.

When the dust finally settled, the slightly chubby boy glanced at his junior brother, noticing blood at the corner of his mouth—a clear sign of internal injury from the recent exchange.

Liu Feng stood his ground, but a thin wound had appeared on his palm, blood slowly seeping out.

"Are you alright?" the girl asked Liu Feng with concern.

"I'm fine. His attack was powerful, but I can handle it," Liu Feng replied.

"Not bad, kid. Let me see what you've got," the chubby youth said, raising his fist and launching a strike.

Liu Feng met him head-on, the true energy coursing through their fists filling the air with the sound of splitting wind. After a few exchanges, impatience flashed across the chubby youth's face.

"Mountain-Crushing Hammer!" he roared. His fists became ferocious, and a massive hammer-shaped energy appeared, surging with a wild, violent force toward Liu Feng.

Liu Feng felt the air around him thin, his movements slowing as the giant hammer shadow crashed down.

In that critical moment, Liu Feng shouted, breaking the oppressive force. The air returned to normal, and he slashed forward. His hand, formed into a blade, rippled with layers of true energy, striking with the power to pierce space itself and colliding with the hammer shadow.

A series of violent explosions rang out. The chubby youth was sent stumbling back, blood spilling from his mouth, while Liu Feng merely took a small step back, unharmed.

The frail youth, seeing his companion injured, hurriedly retrieved a pill from his pouch and helped the chubby boy swallow it.

Seeing this, Liu Feng approached the two, intending to capture them and hand them over to the girl.

The girl, having recovered from shock, quickly followed Liu Feng. The two boys, already wounded, paled as Liu Feng and the girl drew near.

"Stay back!" the slight youth warned.

"If you hurt us, the Cloudwater Sect will never let you go!" the chubby boy added, his bravado barely masking his fear.

"You two bullied a young girl. There’s no way we’ll let you off so easily," Liu Feng said angrily.

"I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t soon forget. You need to understand that evil deeds will be punished," the girl declared, stepping toward the frail youth.

The boys, unwilling to surrender, lunged in a last desperate attempt—but already badly injured, they stood no chance. In moments, Liu Feng and the girl had knocked them to the ground.

The girl punched the slender youth hard—twice in quick succession, leaving his eyes swollen. She was about to continue venting her anger when Liu Feng suddenly pulled her aside.

A loud crash erupted where they had just been standing. Dust swirled, revealing a pit a meter deep in the ground.

Liu Feng looked toward the edge of the pit, where a tall, cold-faced young man—about twenty years old—stood.

"Senior Brother Zhang Ming, you’re here! Thank goodness!" the two boys exclaimed, overjoyed at seeing the newcomer.

Zhang Ming turned to them and said coldly, "What happened to you two? How did you get so badly hurt?"

"It was them," the boys pointed at Liu Feng and the girl.

Zhang Ming gazed at Liu Feng and the girl, his expression frosty. "You have some nerve, daring to injure disciples of the Cloudwater Sect like this."

The girl’s face went pale at the sight of Zhang Ming. She said to Liu Feng, "You need to go. He’s not someone you can handle."

"You know him?" Liu Feng asked.

"Zhang Ming is a true disciple of the Cloudwater Sect. He’s already reached the Yin-Yang stage," she replied.

Hearing this, Liu Feng’s face darkened—there was a vast gulf between Zhang Ming's strength and his own.

Zhang Ming spoke imperiously, "Come here now and apologize to my junior brothers. Kneel before them and beg for their forgiveness."

Liu Feng’s anger flared at Zhang Ming’s words. "You come here without even bothering to find out right from wrong and expect us to apologize? Do you think they deserve it?"

Zhang Ming turned to his junior brothers. "Explain yourselves. What happened?"

The two boys looked uneasy, mumbling, "It’s nothing, really. I just wanted that girl for myself, but she refused and then teamed up with someone to beat us up."

Zhang Ming asked no further. Turning to Liu Feng, his gaze grew even colder.

Liu Feng understood—Zhang Ming would not hold his junior brothers accountable but would instead tyrannize outsiders.

"I’ll give you one last chance. Crawl over here now, or I’ll break your arms and legs as punishment," Zhang Ming threatened.

"What bold words. You dare threaten to cripple my students? You’re truly arrogant beyond measure!" a clear, pleasant female voice rang out.

A group of five approached from the distance. Liu Feng’s face lit up with joy—it was Instructor Zhang Ning and her team.

"Instructor, you arrived just in time. Otherwise, I’d be in real trouble," Liu Feng said.

"We were out searching for medicinal herbs. I told you to stay close, but you disappeared the moment I looked away. We’ve been searching for ages, and just as we found you, we run into this mess," Zhang Ning said.

Liu Feng quickly explained what had happened.

Upon hearing the story, the group’s anger flared. None had expected to encounter such unreasonable people.

"Let me handle this. I want to see what makes him so arrogant," said a fellow student.

Liu Feng hurriedly stopped him. "I heard from this girl that Zhang Ming is already at the Yin-Yang stage. It’s too dangerous for you."

Hearing this, the student frowned, realizing he was not at that level yet.

At that moment, two more stepped forward. "Instructor, if the three of us work together, we should be able to handle him."

Zhang Ning considered for a moment. "Very well. Battling a strong opponent will be good for your growth, but don’t act rashly. If things turn bad, withdraw immediately."

The three nodded at Zhang Ning, then strode toward Zhang Ming.

Zhang Ming looked at their approach with disdain. "I advise you not to overestimate yourselves, or you’ll regret it."

"Don’t get cocky," the three replied, throwing punches glowing with energy.

Before their fists could land, the force of their blows whipped Zhang Ming’s robes, but he didn’t dodge. With a flick of his palm, sharp cracks rang out as he blocked their attacks, then countered with three swift palms. The three were sent flying back, coughing blood.

Zhang Ming pursued, launching three more palm strikes. The trio, caught off guard, could not evade in time.

Just as the three were about to be seriously injured, a white shadow flashed between them and Zhang Ming’s palm force.

Zhang Ming was forced back by the newcomer’s power. Shocked, he demanded, "Who are you?"

At that moment, the white figure came to a halt. The rescued girl, recognizing her, exclaimed joyfully, "Senior sister, you’re finally here!"