Chapter 140: Arrogant and Overbearing

At that moment, Second Uncle came out of the house wearing a heavy coat.

“Oh, not bad at all,” I said, looking at the Bagua Arhat Formation in my hand.

“Come on, help me test how much it can withstand,” I invited.

Second Uncle didn’t hesitate; he leapt over and, gathering energy in one hand, struck with a palm.

I clearly saw a crack about twenty centimeters long appear on the surface of the Bagua Arhat Formation.

But I was already very satisfied with this result. Considering Second Uncle was at the Spirit Lotus Realm, this palm strike was no trivial matter.

“Not bad, not bad. To have such an effect is already excellent,” Second Uncle applauded, then said to me, “You, without anyone teaching you, have become an unparalleled expert...”

I didn't take his words seriously and just grinned as I toyed with the Bagua Arhat Formation.

Second Uncle gave me a sideways glance and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Nangong Xi also heard the noise in the courtyard and woke up from his cultivation.

It was already past eight in the morning. We quickly finished breakfast, which mostly consisted of leftovers from last night.

After eating, I began practicing the Wing Shadow Saber Technique.

I had already mastered the second chapter and was ready to learn the third.

Setting down the Snow Blade, I sat on a stone bench and flipped through the manual.

The third chapter contained thirteen moves, many of which were quite novel.

Intrigued, I gripped the Snow Blade again and began learning slowly, following the illustrations.

The deeper my understanding of the saber technique grew, the faster I learned new moves.

However, uncovering the secrets within each move took time—I couldn’t rush the process. Everything required patience.

After several readings, I remembered more than half of the forms.

Several moves in this chapter were high-level and demanded repeated practice.

An hour later, I could perform the entire sequence fluidly.

I noticed each time I swung the saber with force, the surrounding air would suddenly cool slightly before quickly warming again.

This seemed to add a layer of enhancement to my Snow Blade, allowing it to deliver greater power at critical moments.

...

In the days that followed, I stayed atop the mountain, cultivating in peace.

When hungry, I ate; when thirsty, I drank from the mountain spring. My days were filled with continuous practice of finger techniques and saber forms.

Though monotonous, this life gave me a sense of purpose.

One evening, wrapped in my padded coat, I sat by the cliff gazing at the stars.

Cold winds blew past me, but thanks to Second Uncle’s excellent coat, I barely felt the chill.

That day, Second Uncle had unexpectedly made dumplings. After several days of simple meals, aside from the first day’s feast, it was a welcome treat.

“This life is really quite nice...” I murmured softly.

I planned to cultivate beside the cliff that night, so I brought along an oil lamp.

I was determined not only to improve my strength quickly but also to prepare for the Ghost King and my enemies.

As for the Ghost King, there was no avoiding him.

But my greatest foe, the one with the deepest grudge against me, was undoubtedly the Dong family.

They still didn’t know I had stepped halfway into the Spirit Lotus Realm. A few days ago, they even sent a Fifth-Grade Spirit Flower assassin after me.

Thinking of that, I realized the assassin, Cui Yuyao, hadn’t contacted me recently, so the Dong family must have been quiet.

That was good—it was best if they never came looking for me again.

As for the Tiancheng Group, they hadn’t bothered me much lately, but if they caught me, they certainly wouldn’t let me go easily.

Lastly, the Xia family had been silent recently, though Second Uncle mentioned they seemed to be plotting something big.

In any case, it had nothing to do with me. I just needed to focus on myself.

Clearing my thoughts, I began cultivating.

The air by the cliff seemed richer in spiritual energy than inside the house. Later, I heard from others that Second Uncle’s mountain hid a spiritual vein.

Whatever it was, anything that helped me cultivate well was a blessing.

Before I knew it, morning arrived, and my phone rang after a long silence.

“Hello?”

“Brother Yao, come over to my place. Someone wants to ask for your help.”

The voice was Li Zijian’s. His family was powerful and usually didn’t ask me for favors, so this must be trouble.

“Alright, I’ll be there soon.”

I went inside to change into a white brocade robe. Since Second Uncle and Nangong Xi weren’t ready yet, I left alone.

Luck was on my side—a taxi came right as I descended the mountain.

I didn’t know when I started wearing the white brocade robe whenever I went out. I didn’t care if people stared; if anyone asked, I’d just say I was filming nearby.

The taxi sped along, and soon we arrived at the gates of the Li Group.

After paying, I immediately got out.

The security guards recognized me and let me in.

Just inside the lobby, I saw Li Zijian sitting off to the side.

Since we were in the city, he was dressed in casual clothes, looking like a playboy.

“What’s going on?”

“Let’s talk as we walk,” he replied.

He led me to the elevator. Inside, with a troubled expression, he said, “It’s the Tiancheng Group again. They recently made a deal with Tianyang Mountain but reneged, not only attacking our people but also unilaterally canceling the contract.”

“Tianyang Mountain came to us wanting to do the deal, but Tiancheng Group kept causing trouble. We had no choice but to ask for your help.”

Apparently, this had been dragging on for some time; Li Zijian looked burdened with worry lines.

“No problem. Just tell me what to do,” I said gladly. After all, no one should bully people from Tianyang Mountain.

“The Tiancheng Group’s people are upstairs...” Li Zijian began.

I cut him off, “I understand.”

When we reached the seventeenth floor, Li Zijian and I stepped out of the elevator.

From the hallway, I heard a heated argument coming from a conference room.

“We’re giving Tiancheng Group face. Don’t you dare refuse! What do you think Tianyang Mountain is...”

“If you say that, I’ll be frank. Our Li family has never taken Tiancheng Group seriously...”

The dispute was intense. I pushed the door open and entered directly.

Inside, a long table had several people seated on each side. On one side were familiar faces—Uncle Li and Old Li—clearly the Li Group representatives.

The other side was unfamiliar, but there were several young men, all at the Second-Grade Spirit Flower realm.

I surveyed everyone present. Li Zijian was only First-Grade Spirit Flower, so apart from me, those Second-Grade Spirit Flower youths were the strongest.

“Who said Tianyang Mountain is rubbish?” I said calmly.

The young men on the other side looked arrogant and domineering.

“We said it. So what? Who the hell are you?” one sneered.

They seemed ready to attack me.