One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Under the Tianjin night sky, the headquarters building of Tianxia Group stands like a huge and arrogant metal monster on the neon-lit city skyline. The glass curtain wall reflects the colorful GG signs, each one proclaiming "I'm expensive." Even the three gilded characters "Tianxia Club" on the rooftop shimmer with a nouveau riche air in the night.

Nie Lingfeng stood on the sidewalk in front of the building's main entrance, his hands in his tracksuit pockets, looking up at the towering building, and clicked his tongue.

"The World Alliance..." he muttered to himself, his mind uncontrollably flashing through the image of that powerful force from the novel "Storm Riders." "That name really makes me uncomfortable. I wonder how Feng Zhenghao compares to Xiong Ba—his looks certainly don't have Xiong Ba's villainous aura, but he's definitely just as cunning."

Beside her, Feng Baobao was already getting impatient.

Today she wore an extremely eye-catching red T-shirt—the front was printed with eight large, square characters: "Prosperity, Democracy, Civilization, and Harmony," and the back with "Freedom, Equality, Justice, and the Rule of Law," the lettering so bright it was almost blinding; it was unclear which community bulletin board she had swiped it from. She paired it with faded jeans with two ripped holes at the knees, and her ever-present pair of blue plastic flip-flops. At that moment, she was standing on tiptoe, leaning slightly forward, her eyes fixed expectantly on the figures going in and out of the building's revolving doors, like a stray cat waiting to be fed.

"Are you coming or not?" She reached out and tugged at Nie Lingfeng's sleeve with considerable force, almost causing him to stumble.

"Let's go, we're leaving now." Nie Lingfeng steadied himself and smiled helplessly. "But Bao'er, we're here today to 'amicably negotiate for our release,' not to 'destroy' your house. Once we're inside, please... restrain yourself a little, okay?"

Feng Baobao blinked, a genuine look of confusion appearing on her delicate yet perpetually vacant face: "What is restraint?"

Nie Lingfeng: "...Never mind, just pretend I let out a silent fart."

Just as the two were about to walk towards the revolving door, they heard hurried footsteps behind them. Xu San and Xu Si were rushing over from the direction of the parking lot.

Xu San was still impeccably dressed in a dark gray three-piece suit, his tie neatly tied, his shoes gleaming, and even his hair was combed sleekly. Xu Si, on the other hand, was wearing a black shirt that looked rather proper today—although the top two buttons of his shirt were still undone, revealing a small patch of his collarbone, his sleeves were haphazardly rolled up to his elbows, and he had an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, still walking with an air of "I'm the coolest guy on the street."

"Xiao Feng, Bao Bao, wait a minute." Xu Si waved his hand, darted in front of the two of them, and lowered his voice, "When we go in, watch your step and do what I say. That old fox Feng Zhenghao always has a smiling face, but he's got a lot of bad ideas inside. But we're in the right today—his Tianxia Society intercepted us halfway and kidnapped our company's people, so they're definitely in the wrong."

Xu San pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze behind the lenses calmly adding, "The premise is that Zhang Chulan was indeed 'invited' or 'kidnapped' there, rather than voluntarily switching jobs himself."

"He wouldn't dare!" Xu Si glared, his cigarette bending under his grip. "If that kid really dares to betray us, I'll break all three of his legs!"

Without further delay, the four headed straight for the revolving door.

The lobby on the first floor was brightly lit, almost blindingly so. A huge crystal chandelier cast an excessively bright light, making the gleaming marble floor almost reflective. A faint fragrance filled the air—the kind of expensive but unremarkable scent typical of hotel lobbies. Two impeccably made-up girls, looking like porcelain dolls, sat at the front desk. When they saw the group of four (especially Feng Baobao wearing a T-shirt with the "Core Socialist Values" slogan) enter, their professional smiles froze for a fraction of a second, but they quickly stood up and asked in cloyingly sweet voices:

"Gentlemen and ladies, do you have an appointment?"

Xu Si stepped forward, took the bent cigarette from his mouth, twirled it between his fingers, grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, his smile carrying a hint of roguish arrogance: "An appointment? Tell Feng Zhenghao that Xu San and Xu Si from North China are here to ask him for someone. Now, immediately."

The receptionist's expression changed slightly, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes, but her well-trained professionalism allowed her to quickly regain her composure, maintaining her smile: "I'm sorry, the president's schedule today..."

Before she could finish speaking, Feng Baobao had already bypassed the gleaming reception desk like a gust of wind and headed straight for the elevator area. Her flip-flops made a soft "pat-pat" sound on the marble floor, which was particularly clear in the overly quiet lobby.

"Hey! Miss! You can't..." The receptionist hurriedly tried to stop her.

"Let her go." Nie Lingfeng stepped forward, blocking the security guard who was about to chase after her. He wore a gentle but undeniable smile. "We are from 'Na Du Tong Express Company.' We're here to discuss a very, very urgent business with your Chairman Feng. If we delay you, you probably can't afford the consequences."

The security guards exchanged glances, clearly hesitant. In ordinary society, "Na Du Tong" might just be a courier company, but in their circle, it carried a completely different weight.

Xu San had already taken out his identification at the opportune moment and handed it to the security guard, his voice calm: "Do you need me to verify it?"

The security guards glanced at the badge with the special emblem and number, then at Feng Baobao, who had already reached the elevator entrance and was studying the elevator buttons with her head up, and finally all turned their attention to a person who had just stepped out of the elevator.

He was a middle-aged man in a well-tailored black suit, expressionless, lean, with sharp eyes, and a steady, silent gait. He had clearly received the message from downstairs; he walked straight to the four people, his gaze lingering on each face for a moment, especially on Feng Baobao's T-shirt for a second longer, before bowing slightly and speaking in a low, steady voice:

"The president is waiting for you in the conference room on the top floor. Please follow me."

The elevator ascended smoothly, its walls made of smooth, mirror-like metal, reflecting four faces with different expressions.

Nie Lingfeng leaned against the wall of the room, arms crossed, eyes closed, seemingly relaxed, but in reality, the Ice Heart Technique was quietly circulating, his five senses were heightened to the extreme, like an invisible net being cast out, carefully sensing the flow of energy throughout the entire building.

Starting from the third floor, each level emanated fluctuations of "Qi" of varying strength and nature. Some were as weak as fireflies, others as strong as torches, some eerily elusive, and still others domineeringly deep… The World Alliance truly lived up to its reputation as a powerful force among the "Ten Elders," its profound foundation evident. Most of these auras remained dormant, clearly indicating their owners were undisturbed, but their mere existence constituted an invisible pressure.

The elevator silently glided to the top floor, then with a soft "ding," the doors slid open to both sides.

Before him stretched an extremely luxurious corridor. Underfoot lay a thick, soft, dark brown carpet that absorbed all footsteps. The walls on either side were adorned with exquisitely framed calligraphy and paintings. Although Nie Lingfeng knew nothing about art appreciation, he could still discern the antiquity and sophistication of the paper and binding; the air itself reeked of money. At the end of the corridor stood a heavy, double-leaf mahogany door, intricately carved with cloud patterns, its handles gleaming from cast brass.

The middle-aged man stepped aside and made a standard "please" gesture: "The chairman is inside."

Xu Si instinctively reached out to push the door open, but just as his fingers were about to touch the doorknob—

"boom!"

The heavy mahogany door suddenly burst open from the inside! It wasn't pushed open, it truly "exploded"! Wood chips flew everywhere, and the hinges snapped!

A powerful gust of air, carrying sawdust and dust, rushed towards us!

"Watch out!" Nie Lingfeng reacted quickly, pulling Xu San, who was standing at the front, back. He then stepped forward, lowered his shoulders, and channeled his Qi. An invisible protective aura opened up a barrier in front of him, blocking most of the impact and debris.

In the shockwave, a figure flew out of the door like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against the corridor wall with a muffled thud before sliding softly to the ground—it was a young man wearing the black uniform of the World Society, his eyes closed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, already unconscious.

Immediately afterwards, even more intense sounds of fighting, collisions, and suppressed shouts came from inside the door.

"It's the baby!" Xu San's expression changed drastically. He was the first to rush through the broken door frame and burst into the room.

Nie Lingfeng followed closely behind, his gaze sharp as lightning, instantly sweeping over the scene inside the door.

This was an extremely spacious conference room, which should have been solemn and serious, but now it had become a battlefield. The huge solid wood conference table, which could easily accommodate twenty people, was completely overturned, and its legs were broken; the high-end leather chairs were overturned, and some were even crushed and deformed; the snow-white documents were scattered all over the floor like snowflakes, many of them torn or trampled and filthy.

Seven or eight skilled fighters, all dressed in the same World Society uniform and exuding considerable power, were forming a semi-circle to attack one person—Feng Baobao.

Standing directly opposite Feng Baobao, forming the main confrontation, was an exceptionally burly, bald man—Jia Zhengyu. He wore only a sleeveless black elastic vest, his exposed arms revealing bulging, dragon-like muscles, clearly defined and brimming with explosive power. Most striking were the specially made metal wristbands wrapped around his arms, their surfaces engraved with intricate runes, which were now shimmering with a pale blue light as he circulated his Qi.

Feng Baobao carried a seemingly ordinary, even somewhat old, household kitchen knife in one hand. A few dark red stains clung to the blade—it looked like leftover tomato sauce from yesterday's scrambled eggs with tomatoes. She tilted her head slightly, looking at Jia Zhengyu blocking her way, her tone as calm as if she were asking for directions:

You're blocking my way.

Jia Zhengyu grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth. His smile was full of contempt and cruelty: "Little brat, you've got quite the nerve. Do you know where you are? The World Association! You think you can just barge in and run wild like this?"

Before he finished speaking, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he slammed his palms together in front of his chest before thrusting them forward with great force!

"Running Palm - Raging Waves!"

In an instant, the air in the conference room seemed to transform into a thick, surging river! Visible pale blue Qi surged forth from Jia Zhengyu's palms, initially flowing like a gentle stream, but instantly coalescing into a colossal wave! This Qi wave wasn't a straight line; rather, it was like a real flood, carrying immense force and possessing the unpredictability and pervasiveness of water. From the front, sides, and even above, it formed a three-dimensional, all-encompassing cage of water-based Qi, crushing towards Feng Baobao!

Wherever the energy wave passed, scraps of paper on the ground were swept in and instantly turned into dust; heavy chairs that had fallen over were thrown over and rolled against the wall with a loud "thump"; even the dust particles in the air were pushed aside by this force, creating a brief vacuum zone.

The most terrifying aspect of this palm technique lies in its "continuous" and "all-pervasive" characteristics. Once caught in the Qi wave, one not only has to endure continuous impact and compression, but the Qi force, which flows like mercury, will also try to penetrate the body's defenses, invade the meridians, and disintegrate the enemy from within.

Faced with such a terrifying attack, Feng Baobao's expression remained unchanged. She didn't even take a step back; she simply lifted her right foot slightly and then stomped down—

"despair."

The sound was very soft, almost drowned out by the roar of the Qi waves.

But centered on the point where her toes landed, the smooth, hard marble floor beneath her feet instantly cracked with a dense web of fine lines! Using the subtle recoil provided by this step, she was lifted up like a weightless feather, following the direction of the surging palm energy wave!

It's not a head-on collision, nor a clumsy dodge, but an exquisitely refined "adaptation" and "borrowing strength".

Her slender body gracefully spun to the side, following the direction of the surging Qi, while the kitchen knife in her hand, smeared with ketchup, executed a simple yet incredibly fluid flourish. The blade didn't strike the most turbulent part of the Qi wave head-on, but rather at a tricky angle, slicing towards a seemingly insignificant yet crucial "node" in the flow of Qi!

"Sizzle—!"

A piercing sound, like cloth being torn apart!

That surging, seemingly unstoppable pale blue energy wave was actually "sliced" open from the middle by this seemingly casual slash!

Just like cutting through the surface of water with the sharpest knife, the water naturally separates to both sides.

The cleaved Qi flowed through both sides of Feng Baobao's body, crashing heavily into the solid wall behind her with two loud "booms." The hard wall was blasted into two craters the size of washbasins and half a foot deep, with rubble falling down in a shower!

However, if Jia Zhengyu's Flowing Palm technique were limited to this, he would not be worthy of being called the master of object manipulation in Jiajia Village.