《Great Martial King》


 [Prologue] Supreme Wounded Expert! Jian Hos Shock!

    "RIPPPPPP!!!" A terrifying noise split the silence, space itself being torn like a fragile piece of paper. In the sky, one could watch as the night-black sky was burst apart, opening a gate to the void. The void passage seemed to contain the endless stars and radiated an ominous pressure that drove away amazed eyes.


    But despite this ominous and terrifying pressure, a single wounded hooded figure dashed out of this tear in space! The hooded figure was hidden in bloody but thick black robes, concealing him in the night sky. His divine sense quickly spread out, seemingly covering the entire planet. In a moment, he knew every single life form that had stepped on the surface, and his blood red eyes looked directly below him. In a blur, he disappeared from sight.


    "BOOM!" An explosion struck the ground, causing both the earth and sky to shake furiously. Smoke immediately rose up in great clouds, as this wounded hooded person was in the middle of the large crater. Despite this, his feet were still firmly placed, even levitating, and it was instead the rest of the earth that caved underneath the weight of his legs.


    This was an expert of unimaginable strength! And his eyes were currently staring at a young martial artist named Jian Ho.


    In the eyes of Jian Ho, this wounded hooded figure was nothing short of a god! His eyes were wide open, and despite being a young expert himself he couldn''t help but shake in awe!


    This person had torn apart space! How many in the entire Angola Continent could be able to do such a thing? Even the great earth couldn''t handle the weight of his legs!


    This was a supreme expert of unimaginable cultivation! And what could he possibly want Jian Ho for? If he was here to kill him, Jian Ho would have absolutely zero methods to resist!Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    "You...what is your name?" An exhausted but mighty voice came from the wounded figure. Voice seemed to come off in waves, shaking Jian Ho''s earbuds and trembling his spirit. Even more shocking was the hooded figure''s eyes, which seemed like flaming pits. But all of his facial features were sneakingly hidden by the strange black robes.


    "Ji-Jian Ho." A mysterious force seemed to force Jian Ho''s jaws open, shoving out his name. Even so, he felt terrified - who could this figure be!?


    "Jian...Jian...good. I shall entrust Feng''er with you. His name is Jian Feng, and he is the true heir of an extremely powerful family. You must keep good care with of him." The wounded hooded figure seemed to crack a feeble smile, despite his incredible hidden injuries. Speaking this, the figure reached into his bloody robes and pulled out a black-haired baby wrapped in similar clothing.


    "WAAA! WAA!" The cry of a baby soon surrounded them, as this baby continuously wailed out. The baby was unfamiliar with his surroundings and troubled. However, one could still see a brightness hidden within the boy''s eyes, dazzling all that looked.


    "Take Feng''er and bring him to your clan. I must leave, my injuries are severe and our enemies could arrive at any moment." The wounded hooded figure carefully handed the wide-mouthed Jian Ho Feng''er. Giving the wailing baby one last warm smile, he whispered an ancient chant in a lost language surrounded the baby with a mysterious enchantment. To the ears of Jian Ho, the chant sounded like the words of some ancient god!


    "WHA-..." Hearing this ancient chant, Feng''er promptly quieted down and eventually became silenced completely. Strangely, a single tear came down the baby''s soft tender cheeks - as if he could feel the sadness radiating from the hooded figure. And then, with the ancient chant sounding out, quietly fell asleep.


    "Become someone great, like your father and those before you, Feng''er." And with this final sentence, the wounded hooded figure smiled and directly flew into the sky - out of sight. Jian Ho could only watch in awe as the wounded figure placed his hand out and directly tore apart space one more - shooting into the void and vanishing from this world.


    Jian Ho was left there, sitting agape, with a sleeping baby in his hands.


    Words couldn''t describe how he felt at that moment...

 [CH.1] Peerless Talent! Jian Feng!

    Noon, Behind the Jian Clan Estate, in the Woods


    "HU! HU! HU!" At this moment, a small young boy could be seen practicing martial arts out in the open. He was in the middle of the woods, each one of his fists carrying their own ferocity. Determination and intensity were marked on the boy''s face, and he kept on punching tirelessly.


    And so the punches continued to ring out, over and over, hitting empty air. He didn''t punch anything because he wanted to practice the motions of his fist, to ensure that the form was perfect.


    Eventually, the boy tired out and directly fell onto the ground to lay there and rest. His bright eyes stared into the broad sky, peeking at the sun through the high trees and determining it was around noon.


    He had been practicing since very early in the morning, and this was his first break. The boy cracked a grin, hopped up from the ground and sped towards a nearby tree. Fists rang out once more, this time with a distinct "THUD!" noise. Skin and bark met over and over, and pieces of bark would occasionally chip off and fall to the ground. The boy only had some flimsy white bandages on his knuckles, which barely managed to protect him from extensive cuts.


    At times, the boy would switch from punches to kicks, and then back to punches. At one point he even began to do straight physical training involving pushups, pull-ups, and other exercises.


    The boy was clearly incredibly fit for his age! And the boy kept training until late in the evening, around the time to which his father arrived.


    "Feng''er! You''ve been training ever since morning, you must surely be exhausted!" A kind but powerful voice rang out as a middle-aged man walked out from the forest into the boy''s clearing. He was groomed neatly and wore simple blue and white robes. On his robes, however, was a small star that marked him as Clan Lord of the Jian Clan!


    This was Jian Feng''s father - Jian Ho! He was Jian Feng''s adopted father!


    "No father, I''ve still got energy, haha." Jian Feng childishly laughed, even though he was tired to the extreme. Often times he would train like this, from morning to night!


    "You are lucky we can afford the medicines to keep your body out of danger. You must remember, it''s important to train, but even more important to have a body to train with!" Jian Ho smiled with pride at his son''s hard work but still reminded him of hidden injuries that could develop from training too hard. If too many hidden injuries accumulated, training would only do more damage than help!


    "I know, Father! I''ll be sure to keep care of my body! Is today finally the day you''ll teach me how to cultivate?" Jian Feng''s fists had stopped thumping upon the tree and he looked at his father with excitement written over his face. He had been looking forward to cultivating with his father!


    "Yes, yes. Today I shall teach you how to properly cultivate!" Jian Ho was beaming with pride, today was an important day for both of them. He had no doubt this Feng''er of his was a peerless genius in cultivation, especially considering his mysterious background.


    He wanted the pride of being able to say this is my son, the genius to which you all look up to! What kind of father in the Angola Continent wouldn''t like to do so?


    "Yes! Father let''s hurry, I want to cultivate until morning!" Jian Feng began jumping up and down, and it was quite funny to see such a little boy have so much excitement. But this was natural, every youth in the Angola Continent would look forward to cultivation!


    After all, cultivation was what ruled this world! Through cultivating, one could attain immeasurable strength and become a supreme expert able to look down upon both the sky and earth. Becoming powerful and being able to rule large expanses of land with fearsome might, wasn''t this something straight out of a fairytale?


    But at the same time, the road of a martial artist was incredibly arduous and difficult. Talent was a major factor when considering not only how far one can cultivate, but how quickly they can cultivate. If one can reach a cultivation realm two to three years ahead of their peers, aren''t they destined to be more powerful than their peers? These are the geniuses of the Angola Continent!


    "Haha, look at how excited you are! Don''t forget, cultivating isn''t something easy. You must keep up the same work ethic you have when it comes to your regular training." Jian Ho walked over to his adopted son and spotted an open patch of grass. Signaling for Feng''er to sit down, he sat cross-legged on the ground, ready to teach Feng''er.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "Yes, Father! I will not lack on my cultivation at all!" Feng''er quickly sat down, staring at with Jian Ho with bright and curious eyes. He was boiling with excitement - he wanted to become an expert just like his father!


    After all, the reason Jian Ho was Clan Lord of the Jian Clan was because of his cultivation. He was the strongest expert in the clan - which made him Clan Lord!


    "Mm...good. As you know, the first cultivation realm is Body Transformation. In it, you must absorb Heaven and Earth Qi and use it to temper your skin, bones, and inner organs! By doing so, you will set a foundation for martial arts with a strong body. You must ensure that you don''t slack off!" Jian Ho began to lecture about cultivation, providing tips and things he learned along the way. Jian Feng soaked it up like a sponge, thinking and inquiring with excitement.


    Body Transformation was just like Jian Ho described - setting up a foundation with a strong body. It was separated into three steps, nine levels. The first three levels focused on using Qi to temper the skin and muscles! By doing so, one''s strength could rise exponentially as their muscles filled with strength and their skin gathered a natural toughness! The second three levels focused on the bones, which also increased strength. And the final three levels focused on the inner organs, protecting them and allowing them to perform better.


    All in all, Body Transformation set up a new cultivator for further cultivation! If one had a frail body, it would be difficult to use martial arts at all.


    "Okay, so I want you to peer into your dantian. Focus your heart and begin to absorb Heaven and Earth Qi from your surroundings, drawing it into your dantian!" At this crucial step, Jian Feng closed his eyes and sat down crosslegged. His fingers locked in a strange sign and his consciousness drifted to his dantian - located in the middle of his stomach. Immediately, Jian Feng found himself in the middle of empty black space. However, he could still hear Jian Ho''s voice guiding him from outside.


    And at that moment, Jian Feng felt out to his surroundings and began to absorb surrounding Qi into his body. Shockingly, a massive amount of Qi began to rush straight into his dantian - at breakneck speed!


    Jian Ho who was watching from outside immediately smiled! The speed that Jian Feng was absorbing Qi was nothing short of incredible!


    "Yes! He really is a genius...!" This was just what he expected and hoped for, and he couldn''t help but feel his own excitement bubbling over! He continued to watch in amazement and growing satisfaction.


    The Jian Clan has brought a new genius to Sunrise City! And that genius was his, Jian Ho, son! But as he kept giving instructions, he quickly felt that something was wrong.


    "Guide that Qi into your meridians and let it temper your skin. At that moment, you''ll enter the First Level of Body Transformation." But as soon as Jian Feng guided the swelling Qi in his dantian to his meridians - he found that they were blocked! This confused him, he''d never heard of such a thing. Why would his meridians be blocked?


    "Father...the Qi isn''t going to my meridians...something''s blocking them!" As Jian Ho heard this, his brows quickly furrowed and a frown appeared on his face. He stepped forward and placed his hand on Jian Feng, attempting to send his consciousness into his dantian.


    "What!?" But almost as soon as his consciousness touched upon Jian Feng - he felt a fierce resistance from Jian Feng''s dantian! It was a kind of oppressive might that directly blocked his consciousness and sent him straight out!


    The might that rejected him was nothing short of terrifying! Jian Ho couldn''t help but feel his spirit shake, and his consciousness was quickly thrown out of Jian Feng''s body. His frown became even more apparent, and he felt his own energy tumble about.


    "Father, no matter what I do, my Qi won''t get to my meridians!" Even Jian Feng felt something was wrong, and a frown formed on the boy''s face. Every time he would take his Qi to push on his meridians - an invisible force in his dantian directly pushed back. It was almost like a massive gate was blocking off his meridians - with no intent of letting any Heaven and Earth Qi through!


    But no matter how much he tried, he couldn''t break through the barrier! Worry gathered in the boy''s heart, but he kept on trying. At moments, he would save a large amount of Qi within his dantian and then use it all to push against the barrier - to no avail!


    "This...this means one thing. Your meridians must be ruined!" Jian Ho was frowning extremely at this point, and unable to find out anymore due to the oppressive might shoving him out. He began to pace around and make some theories. This could mean a disaster!


    "Does that mean I won''t be able to practice martial arts?" Jian Feng awoke from his meditation, fear gripping his heart. If he couldn''t use Qi, then what was the point of cultivation? He would be unable to temper his body at all, not to mention using higher skilled martial arts!


    After all, Martial Arts were techniques and methods that put ones Qi to work. There are all kinds of martial arts that can create mysterious effects and unique powers, all of them raising a cultivators strength. It was the heaven-defying abilities cultivator''s used!


    If he couldn''t circulate Qi through his meridians, there would be no way for him to temper his body. This meant he would have a whole bunch of Qi - but no way to actually use it to cultivate or raise his strength!


    At the moment, the two of them both felt a growing sense of crisis and restlessness. Eventually, Jian Ho decided that Jian Feng should sleep and that they would try it once more again.


    But, the next day the same problem occurred again. And the next day as well...and the day after too.


    The two didn''t know that this problem would plague Jian Feng for the next couple of years, and both of them would suffer because of it!

 [CH.2] Martial Arts Genius!? Sixth Elders Surprise!

    Years passed, and Jian Feng neared thirteen.


    The sun crept up slowly, morning had just begun.


    "Mother, I''m going to the Martial Library!" The young Jian Feng called out, echoing through their house. He was dressed in simple gray training clothes, and he was headed to the respected Martial Library in order to pick up another martial skill.


    "Okay, Feng''er! Be careful!" Jian Yao''s shout rang out from the kitchen. She was a kind and gentle lady, motherly love displayed all over her face. She was at the stove, cooking up breakfast, and dressed in simple clothes that didn''t point her out as the Clan Lord''s wife.


    She was Jian Feng''s adopted mother, to which he loved dearly. She often doted upon him, and would always endorse the best treatment for her son. When she had heard that his meridians were ruined, it wasn''t an over exaggeration to say she was heart-broken.


    But alas, no matter what she or Jian Ho could and tried to do, they were unable to change the state of Jian Feng''s meridians. Despite Jian Ho mobilizing his status as Clan Lord to bring up enough wealth to spend on meridian repairing pills, they all failed without exception.


    Not to mention, the Jian Clan was still a relatively small clan. Although they were one of the major powers in nearby Sunrise City, Sunrise City itself could only be considered a small city in the scope of the Tian Kingdom. The Jian Clan wasn''t anything like those other sects outside of Sunrise City!


    And so, it wasn''t long before the entire of the Jian Clan decided to abandon Jian Feng. Instead, they turned to the other promising geniuses of the Clan, such as the growing famous Jian Hui - son of the First Elder!


    "Jian Hui is growing stronger day by day. Although this body won''t let me utilize my cultivation, I absolutely won''t let him surpass me!" Jian Feng clenched his fist, gazing at his hand as he jogged towards the Martial Library. It was still too early in the morning, and the few working men of the Clan had just awoken and begun to perform their various duties. As they saw the young Jian Feng jog in the direction of the Martial Library, they couldn''t help but shake their heads.


    "The boy is so talented in cultivation, yet the heavens won''t let him use it. Simply disappointing!" One of the men who had just awoken only shook his head helplessly at the boy. His opinion was the same as the others in the Clan, it was truly too sad of a tale!


    "Alas, he still remains so relentless in cultivation. We can only wish him the best, but it might be time for the Clan Lord''s son to put his attention to something else." Another early-working man shook his head and commented. The two were preparing to till their land, and they themselves were only at the lower levels of Body Transformation.


    Not everyone in the Jian Clan were strong cultivators, and many just cultivated to the first few levels of Body Transformation to strengthen themselves when they performed their various tasks. For some of those stronger commoners in the clan, they would even replace oxen when farming due to their own strength.


    Of course, the true experts of the clan were an elite group responsible for protecting the clan and raising its future experts. This included the Clan Lord and the various elders - listed from strongest to weakest! They possessed real status within the clan and could enjoy the glory of using up cultivation resources.


    Some of the true elites in the clan had reached the Eighth and Ninth level of Body Transformation! Rumor had it that the number one expert - Jian Ho, the Clan Lord, was at Qi Foundation Realm!


    "Many in the clan doubt me, but I will break through these shackles placed on me." Jian Feng silently promised in his heart. He had heard the words of the men, and despite often hearing such remarks, another flash of determination streaked through his bright eyes. He would not fall behind those around him!


    He knew his talent, and he would not allow something a simple as torn meridians to ruin his potential! This was the determination of him, Jian Feng, even as a young boy!Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "Young Master Feng." At this moment, Jian Feng had finally arrived at the library, and the guard at the old building nodded to him. The guard, a cultivator of the clan himself, was one of the clan''s elders and was rumored to be at the Eighth Level of Body Transformation!


    To the people of the Jian Clan, this was at the upper echelons of strength in the clan, and truly nothing to scoff at. But to Jian Feng, this was nothing! Truth to be told, due to Jian Feng''s extreme diligent training, in terms of Qi reserves he had long surpassed the Ninth Level of Body Transformation!


    It was as if he was a massive basin full of water, but unable to tip or move the basin at all - only sitting there uselessly. Jian Feng, through his research and approximations, determined that if he was able to use his meridians he would now be at Qi Foundation Realm!


    "Good morning, Sixth Elder." Jian Feng respectfully bowed, nevertheless, as this was his elder. There were few in the clan who didn''t view him with utter disregard, and this Sixth Elder was one of those few. Perhaps it was because Sixth Elder saw every day how Jian Feng would arduously cultivate and study in the small one-storied library with feverish energy. And more than that, he had seen Jian Feng incredible talent with martial skills!


    "Are you here to study another middle-class martial skill?" Sixth Elder slightly hushed his voice, speaking with a hint of disbelief and awe. He still remembered the first time he saw the young Jian Feng pick a middle-class martial skill.


    "Mhm. Unfortunately, the clan doesn''t have many. But I finished studying the one I picked out before, so I''ll move onto this next one." Jian Feng was already within the library, which was piled with different books arranged by skill level. He picked one of the few middle-class skills - which were usually only reserved for those talents or elders within the clan!


    Martial skills in the Angola Continent were split based on strength and requiring cultivation. The rankings the Jian Clan were familiar with were low-class, middle-class, and high-class martial skills. Although it was known that there were superior ranking martial skills, those could only be found in the powerful sects and big clans within the Tian Kingdom.


    Low-class martial skills were what was in abundance in the clan, because they only required the First Level of Body Transformation, although martial art genius could train them even before that. They were incomparably weak compared to the higher rankings, but because they were easy to learn and simple, they could set a foundation for basic fighting skills.


    Middle-class martial skills, however, were the real meat and bones of the clan''s skills. They only had a few, and the weakest of them required cultivation of the Fourth Level, to which there were only a few in the entire clan! Some of the higher ranking middle-class martial skills even required cultivations of Sixth and Seventh just to begin training them - there were less than five in the entire clan. These kinds of middle-class skills were only reserved by elders and the elites of the clan, so how Jian Feng could learn the mysteries behind them was unknown to Sixth Elder!


    "You truly are an unforeseen genius. If only your meridians weren''t in the state they were in. Ahh...treating weaker middle-class martial skills like they were regular pieces of paper, truly a monster." Sixth Elder couldn''t help but voice his praise with thick disbelief. He wasn''t afraid of anyone hearing him, after all, it was too early for any of the experts to be nearby.


    "Haha, you praise me too much, Sixth Elder. All I''m doing is studying the mysteries behind the art and carrying them out with my regular mortal body. The strength I release can''t be considered anything." Jian Feng humbly laughed, although he knew what he was doing was definitely incredible, he still didn''t consider it too much. After all, he spoke the truth, even though he could release strength stronger than the average mortal - would it be able to compare someone at the Sixth Elder''s level of strength? Even he doubted this.


    "Does it matter? If you are able to master these mysteries without a true cultivation, is that not amazing enough? I do not believe those powerful sects would pass on such a great martial skills genius! Who cares if your meridians are ruined? Remember, Jian Feng, that although my Jian Clan may not be able to do it - it does not mean that those powerful sects cannot!" Sixth Elder couldn''t help but speak excitedly, he had always secretly rooted for this hard-working youth''s success. He refused to believe that something like torn meridians would ruin the path of cultivation for such a monstrous genius!


    Truth to be told, because of some tips from Jian Feng - even he felt himself reaching a breakthrough in his own martial skill! How could he not root for Jian Feng''s rise from the ashes?


    "Haha, Sixth Elder you are truly kind. These are the things of the future, for now, I must focus all of my strength on cultivating and training. If those sects truly decide to take a look at me, I can promise Sixth Elder; I won''t let them down!" Jian Feng face beamed with heroic spirit, finally taking one of the best middle-class skills and nodding to Sixth Elder once more and hurrying towards his estate before the whole Clan arose.


    "Jian Feng...Jian Feng..." Sixth Elder was left standing at the door to the old library, watching the boy jet off. There was nothing but awe and inspiration in his gaze towards the boy!

 [CH.3] Trash Challenging a Genius!?

    Within the woods, in Jian Feng''s typical training spot.


    Here young Jian Feng was training and analyzing his martial skills. He was freshly thirteen, and his jet black hair was thrown across his head in a bizarre manner. His face was handsome and fearless, far above average. His most peculiar feature was his bottomless eyes, which carried a heroic spirit that seemed as if it wanted to either study the world or challenge it. Coupled with his jet-black hair, Jian Feng was immediately recognizable as a leading youth.


    "Cloud Step, Middle-Class Martial Skill." Jian Feng muttered to himself, remembering the middle-class skill he had picked up from the library. Although he was unable to actually train it, he was currently perceiving the mysteries within it.


    "A single step so elusive and quick it seems as if you were on top of a cloud. Once trained at higher levels, it would be nearly impossible for the enemy to touch you. Requires level Six Body Transformation." Jian Feng kept on reading and inquiring about the skill. He completely skipped over the cultivation requirement, as it rarely ever mattered to him.


    "The whole point is to use one''s Qi and move it to their feet, allowing them to carry themselves a farther distance than usual - and faster. It''s definitely a helpful movement technique." Jian Feng was satisfied, then got up to begin training it himself. After only a couple glances at the instructions and demonstrations within the book, he understood the basic movements.


    "Although I''m unable to use Qi...I must master these footsteps and integrate them into my normal movements." And with that, Jian Feng began to move and dash around just as the martial skill described.


    At first, he looked like a fool just dashing around and around! But after more and more attempts, his footsteps seemed to become closer and closer to the demonstration in the skill! Of course, the process wasn''t easy, and Jian Feng had been learning and studying the art for several days before this.


    To use a martial skill without the most important element - Qi! How many could do this? How could it be easy?


    But Jian Feng persisted on and on, training until his fundamental movements looked the same as the skill itself. Although Jian Feng''s version couldn''t compare to an actual Level Six artist - it was still impressive!


    And before too long, Jian Feng completely perceived the mysteries of the martial skill - and his footsteps seemed almost cloudy and indiscernible. His speed went up by a small amount, but the most important part was that he fundamentally understood the movement skill itself!


    If Jian Feng were to be able to access the massive amount of Qi jailed up within his dantian - he would be able to use this martial art like no other!


    "Ahhh. That''s one more skill learned, I should go back to the Martial Library and pick up another one. But I think the library running out...truly lamentable." Jian Feng wiped the sweat off his brow and changed shirts. It was still mentally taxing to study advanced skill like that, but he had become used to it. No one knew as many skills from the Martial Library as him!


    But at the same time, Jian Feng knew his power was still weak. He predicted his fighting capacity to cap around the Third or Fourth Level; not being able to use Qi greatly hindered his strength. But this was already impressive, and if anyone else were to know of such strength they would be shocked!


    It was still midday, and Jian Feng quickly departed to the Martial Library to pick another skill. But when he arrived there, it was already good into the evening so many other youths were there as well.


    "Jian Feng, you''re here?" A sneer came from the youth outside the library, coming from a young boy who Jian Feng immediately recognized. This was Jian Su, one of Jian Hui''s lackeys. Surrounding him were a group of similarly aged boys and girls, all the adorers of Jian Hui.


    "Of course I''m here, don''t you see me?" Jian Feng had zero tolerance for those like Jian Su - after all, all they did was torment the weak and fear the strong. They had mocked him since he was young, where was the need for courtesies?


    "You''re tongue still remains sharp, it would be a shame if someone were to cut off. Stay grateful that you are the Clan Lord''s son, cripple." Jian Su spat out with viciousness, to the laughter of his surrounding group of lackeys. He had always held Jian Feng with disregard, just like the others in the clan.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "Didn''t you recently breakthrough into the Third Level? Why are you wasting time talking to me, a cripple? Truly, you must have something better to do." Jian Feng spoke out loud, refusing to allow Jian Su the right of way in the argument. But at the same time, he didn''t want to waste time talking to a group of fools and proceeded to walk to the open doors of the library.


    "Jian Feng, don''t you know Jian Hui is inside the library? I don''t think you even have the right to step inside the library at all, forget about it when a genius like Jian Hui is there! Stay outside!" Jian Su became even more aggressive, shouting out for Jian Feng to halt his steps.


    "You don''t have the right to tell me where I can or cannot go. Shut your mouth, dog." Jian Feng was already annoyed at seeing Jian Su and his foolish group and was quickly losing patience with them. He simply wanted to pick another skill, he didn''t want to be harassed.


    "Jian Feng, you cripple, dare talk to my friend like that? It seems no one has ever disciplined in your life. I, as a peer of yours, should take that duty upon myself." At that moment, another voice came from inside the old library. It was a brown-haired youth whose voice was full of demeaning arrogance.


    This was Jian Hui - the number one talent in the Jian Clan! Pride and arrogance were written all over his face, and disregard and disgust molded his eyes as he looked at Jian Feng. He clearly didn''t have good intentions.


    "Jian Hui, you talk about discipline but clearly it is your lackey here who is barking at me. If you are unable to even train your dogs, how can you possibly talk about disciplining me - a human?" Jian Feng''s voice immediately retorted Jian Hui - causing the entire library to shush. The surrounding Jian Clan youths were shocked - this Jian Feng truly has bravery above all!


    "Good, good, you have such a tongue. But I always ask myself, can you ever back up such talk!" Jian Hui burst out in fury - how could a mere cripple talk to him like such? Clearly, this boy understood neither talent nor strength!


    "You want to fight a mere mortal and call yourself the number one genius of the clan? Get out of my face!" Jian Feng was already tired of the nonsense, and rose his voice against Jian Hui! He clearly knew no bounds!


    But in truth, Jian Feng knew what he was doing. He knew that no matter how furious Jian Hui would be, there was no way he could cause harm to Jian Feng - as the Clan forbid outright fighting amongst youths. Not to mention, the two had argued since they were young - why show courtesy now?


    Jian Hui, after all, was the son of the First Elder. This immediately made Jian Feng, the son of the Clan Lord, Jian Hui''s enemy. But when the news came out Jian Feng was simply a cripple with damaged meridians, Jian Hui found himself without a rival in the clan and just disgust for Jian Feng.


    But Jian Feng refused to lie down obediently to Jian Hui from a very young age. Jian Feng knew that he was the Clan Lord''s adopted son, and despite his own lack of cultivation, he refused to let his father''s name go to shame! This is why he always retorted against those who opposed him while keeping his depths hidden.


    But today, in this escalating conflict between the two, a plot began.


    "Jian Feng, I am tired of your useless battering. Sixth Elder, call the other elders here!" Jian Hui hissed out, calling out to Sixth Elder who was at the door to the library. The Sixth Elder made a confused expression, as this wasn''t a matter that needed the attention of the Elders.


    "Jian Hui...Elders cannot be summoned so easily." Sixth Elder spoke carefully, as he knew the power behind Jian Hui was the First Elder. But with Jian Hui status as the number one of the genius in the clan, the truth was, he could probably summon the elders even without the First Elder''s influence.


    "Sixth Elder, do as I say!" Jian Hui arrogantly spat out, crossing his arms as he venomously smirked as he scanned Jian Feng. At that moment, Jian Feng felt that something was wrong!


    "Calling the elders...what for? Are your feelings really so soft you have to rely on those of the older generation?" Jian Feng spoke out, as his mind began to contemplate exactly what Jian Hui was thinking. The Elder''s were the leaders of the clan, and this was a simple word-to-word conflict. There was clearly something bigger happening here!


    In only a few moments, a bunch of figures began to walk towards the martial library, surrounding the two boys in a semi-circle. They were all older gentlemen, with the Sixth Elder being among the youngest there, and they were all the experts in the Clan!


    Strangely, they were all here today - which was a rare occurrence! Usually at least one or two elders would be out handling foreign business, it wasn''t often all of them would be in the clan at once!


    "This is a setup!" Jian Feng thought to himself and sensed that things were suddenly becoming really bad. He looked at the man in front of the elders, wrapped in gray clothes and having similar facial features to Jian Hui.


    This was the First Elder, the father of Jian Hui! And from the smirk on his face, clearly, all of this was in his expectations!


    "Today, in front of all the Elders, I challenge you - Jian Feng to a life and death battle in the training area!" Jian Hui, seeing all the elders gathered, suddenly cried out almost righteously. He pointed his finger at Jian Feng, to gather momentum, and made his proud declaration.


    This...this was bad!

 [CH.4] A Conspiracy Against Jian Feng and Jian Ho!

    "A life or death battle? First Elder, you are going too far!" Hearing Jian Hui''s bold words, Sixth Elder couldn''t help out but look directly at First Elder and cry out in anger. This kind of battle wasn''t even going to be a battle - it would be a lethal beating!


    A regular mortal with crippled meridians versus a Fifth Level genius? This couldn''t even be considered a fight at all.


    "Sixth Elder, you have witnessed how the Clan Lord''s son has continuously disrespected his fellow youths. Although I disagree with a life and death battle, there must be a fight to settle this feisty youth''s mouth!" First Elder calmly and coolly responded, looking directly at the Sixth Elder. He was the second most powerful expert within the clan, and his gaze couldn''t help but carry weight. Even Sixth Elder was losing ways to resist.


    "Other respected elders, truly you won''t accept this. It just isn''t fair at all!" Sixth Elder looked at the other elders, hoping for some fellow elders to resist and support him. Sadly, even those that were considered good friends with Jian Ho, only avoided the gaze of Sixth Elder.


    Sixth Elder felt his stomach drop and looked towards Jian Feng with pity and sorrow. He was thoroughly impressed with the boy''s martial talent, but he seriously doubted he would survive a battle with Jian Hui!


    Jian Hui was a fifth level genius, he was already nearing the Elders in strength. How would Jian Feng be able to resist?


    "Sixth Elder, do not worry. If this is what these...gracious...elders support, then I will meet this proud Jian Hui in battle." Jian Feng opened his mouth and shocked the crowd with his words. He even dared to fight Jian Hui, despite being a mortal. Was he just confident that Jian Ho wouldn''t allow him to be injured?


    But this was going to be a battle, a spar. Sometimes attacks would happen quickly and a life-threatening injury could be delivered a mere second. Although he could be confident Jian Ho wouldn''t let him die, it would be too difficult for him to leave battle without extensive injuries.


    And truth was, even Jian Feng wasn''t confident in himself, but after seeing how all the elders meekly accepted the First Elder''s push - he knew it would be hard to get out of this situation anyway. This was likely a plot that the First Elder had been brewing from a very long time, perhaps as a way to rid himself of Jian Ho and step into the position of Clan Lord!


    "First Elder, what is the meaning of this! My son has damaged meridians, and you dare let Jian Hui challenge him!?" A furious voice shouted out throughout the clan, as Jian Ho rushed into the crowd with blinding speed. His face was contorted with anger, how could he not realize what was going on? The First Elder was plotting against him and his family!


    "Clan Lord, Clan Lord, calm down. We have already established it won''t be a life and death battle, but I and the other Elders have already agreed that a battle must commence! Your son has done nothing but ridicule those stronger than him and seclude himself from the clan. If the other powers of Sunrise City were to see this, wouldn''t they just mock us?" First Elder met Jian Ho''s gaze fiercely, as a devious smile appeared on his face. He spoke all of this smoothly, almost as if he was reading from a script.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Clan Lord, he is right! The Lin Clan have already heard of Jian Feng''s useless exploits, even daring to say we having barking trash within our clan. We cannot take this humiliation." The Fourth Elder, a good friend of the First Elder, rose his mouth in indignation. Some of the other elders who supported the First Elder nodded in agreement.


    "Good, good. This is how you all feel? Very well." Jian Ho''s furious gaze swept over all of the elders nodding their head and then landed on some of the elders he were close with. His anger couldn''t help but grow, even more, because this was clearly a plot against him!


    "I am happy you understand, Jian Ho. A Clan Lord should not conduct himself with such anger as you have today. We shall arrange the battle for tomorrow, and we will set up a referee so that there is no foul play at all. In fact, we will even prevent serious injuries, and will only treat it as a small spar!" First Elder continued to slyly smile, as this was going just as smoothly as he predicted. He continued to watch Jian Ho''s face, savoring the anger written all over him.


    And how could Jian Ho not be mad? Although he knew of his son''s talent in martial skills, would this really allow him to compare to the Fifth Level Jian Hui? He couldn''t help but feel that this was incredibly dangerous.


    Jian Ho looked over at Jian Feng, waiting for some kind of sign. If Jian Feng felt that he was not able to fight, he would absolutely refuse to allow the battle to take place. But surprisingly, Jian Feng nodded to him and turned his attention to the First Elder directly.


    "First Elder, since you seem to want this spar to happen so much, let it happen. However, considering the disparity between Jian Hui and I, there must be some stakes on this battle. If I win, I demand at least twenty Body Transformation pills!" Jian Feng took the stage and set up his own conditions, with a dignified face. Even the surrounding crowd couldn''t help but take a gasp!


    Twenty Body Transformation pills? Most of the young cultivating youth''s would only receive one pill every three months! Even Jian Hui could at most enjoy a pill every month - how could they give Jian Feng twenty all in one sitting?


    "Twenty pills? Boy, are you out of your mind?" First Elder actually frowned upon hearing this. Naturally, this was a ridiculous request - he didn''t have that many pills for himself! He couldn''t just give away that amount like it was nothing.


    "Fine, fine, since it seems First Elder is not as wealthy as he seems - stake 10 pills! If you cannot afford this, what even qualifies you to be First Elder?" Jian Feng fiercely grinned at the First Elder, enjoying the twisted expression he was making. Since he wanted to give him and his father trouble, he better pay up!


    "My strength, boy! Watch your tongue, and prepare yourself for battle tomorrow." First Elder frowned and hissed out, turning his attention back to Jian Ho. He didn''t want to talk to this sharp-mouthed youth.


    "Jian Ho, do you accept? Tomorrow, your Jian Feng will battle my Jian Hui." First Elder''s eyes locked onto Jian Ho, waiting for his response. His plot had already begun turning, and even if Jian Ho rejected, it wouldn''t stop for such a small matter.


    "Fine, and do not forget your ten body transformation pills. Everyone is dismissed." Jian Ho was still infuriated to the extreme and waved his hand to clear out the crowd. He knew that even if he refused, it wouldn''t change anything at all, and probably make things worse.


    "Jian Feng, prepare yourself for a world of pain tomorrow." Jian Hui smiled confidently, he was looking forward to destroying this sharp-tongued cripple. He had been waiting for a battle between the two for a long time, even though he didn''t see Jian Feng as an opponent.


    "Haha, Jian Hui, after tomorrow you will watch what you say to me." Jian Feng simply responded, spreading his arms out to accept the challenge.


    He wasn''t confident in his victory, but that didn''t mean he wouldn''t fight!