At eighty, the Holy Sect's enchanting woman aided in achieving longevity.

All the guests had arrived, and the time for the banquet to begin had finally come.

Liu Qianfeng returned to the main seat, raised his golden goblet, and said loudly, "Today, for the occasion of my new appointment, all of you distinguished guests have taken time out of your busy schedules to come. It is truly an honor for the court and for me."

As a newcomer to Cangwu City, I know very little about the local customs and traditions. In the future, I will need the guidance and assistance of everyone present.

This cup, I, an old man, first toast to you all!

After saying that, Liu Qianfeng raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Upon seeing this, the guests below raised their glasses one after another, and for a moment, a cacophony of flattery and congratulations filled the air:

"Haha, Lord Liu, you're too kind. Please don't hesitate to ask if you ever need our Iron Blood Alliance's help!"

"I've heard that Lord Liu once held the reins of the Imperial Capital Prefecture, possessing profound knowledge and experience, which is truly admirable! With you in charge, the Cangwu Martial Academy will surely flourish."

"The cultivation level of the Liu family master is unfathomable. He must have already reached the fifth level of the Nascent Soul stage. We are truly ashamed and full of admiration."

For a moment, glasses clinked and the atmosphere was lively and extraordinary.

Those who were busy currying favor were mostly small and medium-sized forces in the city and the city lord Yi Mai, while the seven top giants remained reserved and only occasionally exchanged a few polite words.

As the young disciples from the major powers raised their cups in toasts, their provocative gazes kept drifting toward the disciples of the Martial Academy, clearly secretly selecting the easy targets to be bullied later.

The elite disciples of Cangwu Martial Academy all had solemn expressions, but they were not to be outdone in terms of imposing manner.

After repeatedly examining the overall aura of the younger generation, the elders of the martial arts academy all sighed inwardly.

Although the number of disciples brought by these families was small, they were clearly all outstanding talents who had undergone rigorous selection. Their solid foundation was far superior to that of the elites of the same age group in the Martial Academy.

I originally thought that the Martial Academy had narrowed the gap through years of hard work and perseverance, but now it seems that I was just being delusional.

Although the Martial Academy produced Nangong Yue, how could she alone turn the tide?

It seems that tonight, we will most likely repeat the same mistakes as five years ago.

Alas, this is something that can't be helped. Although the Martial Academy has a great reputation due to its backing by the imperial court, its foundation and accumulated resources are ultimately no match for these ancient sects that have been passed down for at least several hundred years.

"The atmosphere at this table is really unpredictable. It seems I'm in for a good show later."

The mysterious and noble voice of that young girl echoed in my mind.

"In your opinion, if these true disciples of the Martial Academy were to fight against the successors of those major forces, what would be the outcome?" Chen Changsheng asked tentatively in his mind.

"At the same age, the disciples of those other forces have an average cultivation foundation that is two to three minor realms higher than that of the disciples of this Martial Academy. Do I need to elaborate on the result?" Mu Qing'er replied calmly.

"...That much difference?"

Chen Changsheng frowned slightly.

Being half a realm higher can be compensated for by combat experience, but being two or three minor realms higher on average is an absolute crushing of strength.

It seems that the newly appointed Lord Liu is destined to receive a show of force tonight; the question remains to be seen how he will respond.

"Hmph, if we only consider the prodigies from the Li family and the Zixiao Divine Palace branch, their average cultivation level is even four to five realms higher!" Mu Qing'er added coldly.

"...I'm quite curious, how many major realms higher were you than them when you were at your peak?" Chen Changsheng transmitted his voice leisurely.

"To compare me to these frogs in a well? Are you insulting me?" A hint of chilling anger crept into the girl's voice.

"Oh, I didn't mean that at all; it was just a casual question."

Chen Changsheng touched his nose.

A terrifying being who could casually annihilate high-level experts, these so-called geniuses in the city were indeed not even ants in her eyes, and were inferior to her.

Liu Qianfeng was clearly adept at handling such a grand occasion. After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the table had become lively and cheerful, filled with laughter and joy.

Although Chen Changsheng did not drink alcohol, he still ate to his heart's content.

Only between the elites of the Martial Academy and the young talents of various forces, after a long exchange of glances, the air was already thick with tension, and now only a tiny fuse was needed to ignite it completely.

Just then, Li Canyang, the elder of the Li family branch, slowly raised his wine cup and stood up, his voice booming:

"With this cup of wine, I, on behalf of the Li family, wish Master Liu a speedy success in leading the Cangwu Martial Academy to become a force to be reckoned with."

After saying that, Li Canyang drank the wine in his cup in one gulp, then turned the empty cup upside down and said with a smile, "However, when the wine is flowing freely and so many guests are gathered together, I always feel that something is missing, and it is not enough to enjoy myself."

"Now that Master Liu has just taken office, he must not yet be very familiar with the strength levels of the disciples of the Martial Academy. I have a suggestion: why not let our less promising disciples spar with your peers? This would not only add to the festivities, but also strengthen the bond between our two families, and more importantly, help Master Liu ascertain the true strength of his disciples. Wouldn't that be killing three birds with one stone?"

"Excellent! Elder Li's words are brilliant!"

"What a brilliant idea, killing three birds with one stone!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's begin! I'm sure Lord Liu is broad-minded and won't refuse, will he?"

As soon as Li Canyang finished speaking, the powerful figures from the seven major forces echoed his sentiments.

Seeing this, the elders of the Martial Academy sighed inwardly, knowing that what was destined to happen could not be avoided.

Whenever there is a change of leadership in the military academy, these local bullies will inevitably join forces to give the authorities a hard time; this has almost become an unspoken rule.

Seeing the seven major forces respond in unison, and his disciples eagerly standing up, Liu Qianfeng naturally couldn't refuse.

However, his expression remained calm as he slowly rose and smiled, saying, "Elder Li's suggestion is good. I wonder what rules should govern this sparring match?"

"That's easy!"

Li Canyang laughed heartily and said proudly, "Young people advance one level in cultivation every year. For the sake of fairness, it is natural to let juniors of similar age learn from each other."

Of course, if a young person, confident in their exceptional talent, wants to challenge an older person, and wins, that would be even more glorious, hahaha!

Li Canyang laughed loudly, his arrogance overflowing, clearly implying that even the younger members of their sect could easily sweep away the older members of the Martial Academy.

Before the laughter had subsided, he turned to the side and shouted, "Since it was my suggestion, then let my Li family be the first to set the example. Li Jie, you go up. Remember to tell the elders your age."

"Disciple obeys!"

A young disciple with a lithe build and an arrogant expression immediately stepped forward.

This person looked to be no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, making him the youngest among the Li family's entourage on this trip.

He took a deep breath, lightly touched the seat with his toes, and his figure rose up like a wild goose, landing steadily in the center of the hall.

With his hands behind his back, he arrogantly swept his defiant gaze across the martial arts academy's disciples' seats: "I am Li Jie, a worthless junior from the Li family, only sixteen years old. I wonder which senior brother of your esteemed family would be willing to step forward and offer me some guidance?"

As soon as Li Jie appeared, the expressions of the elders of the Martial Academy immediately turned extremely ugly.

It is true that Li Jie is only sixteen years old, but the surging spiritual energy fluctuations within his body have already reached the first level of the Foundation Establishment stage!

The elders knew their own situation best. Among the disciples in the Martial Academy who were sixteen years old, the one with the highest cultivation level was only at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining stage, and had not even touched the threshold of Foundation Establishment.

Moreover, the disciples of these reclusive families all possess core inherited cultivation techniques, making them no match for the Martial Academy even when competing against those of the same level, let alone those who are a whole realm lower.

What's most disheartening is that, according to rumors, Li Jie is only a mid-tier disciple among the Li family's disciples who came on this trip.

Li Jie stood in the center of the room for a while, but no one from the Martial Academy seats responded.

The smile on Li Jie's lips gradually turned into blatant mockery, and the high-ranking officials of the major forces also revealed their contempt.

If this deathly silence continues, the Martial Academy will lose all face tonight.

Gu Canghai's face turned ashen. He turned and growled, "Lin Yu, you go!"

"yes!"

A young man from the Martial Academy, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, leaped from the disciples' seats and landed in the center of the arena. He clasped his hands in a fist salute and said in a deep voice, "Lin Yu from Class One of the Heavenly Rank of the Cangwu Martial Academy, please enlighten me!"

"Hehe, don't worry, I will definitely teach you a good lesson."

Li Jie smiled coldly, deliberately emphasizing the word "instructions" in a low voice.

Lin Yu was enraged by the contemptuous look in the other party's eyes. He let out a low roar and gathered all his blood and energy in his right arm.

A powerful, heavy iron fist, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, hurtled straight towards Li Jie's face.

"Heh, is that all the meager skill you've got?"

Li Jie sneered inwardly, raising his right hand with lightning speed. A dark, sinister aura of white bones strangely appeared on his palm.

"It's the Li family's signature technique—the Withered Bones Netherworld Force!"

"It's over! Junior Brother Changsheng, the gap between our Martial Academy and these ancient sects is not only in cultivation level, but also in the inheritance of top-notch cultivation techniques."

They possess secret techniques accumulated over hundreds or even thousands of years, while most of our Martial Academy disciples can only cultivate basic skills, falling far short in terms of moves and power!

Upon hearing this, Chen Changsheng's gaze sharpened slightly as he stared thoughtfully at the scene, secretly wary of the unfolding situation.

At this moment, the murderous aura in Li Jie's palm was boiling like ink.

He transformed his palm into a fist, without any fancy moves, and simply met Lin Yu's fist head-on with the most brute force.

boom!

The two fists collided violently in mid-air, and a pale white light suddenly burst forth at the point of impact.

A sickeningly loud cracking sound rang out as Lin Yu's entire right arm dislocated and deformed on the spot. His face showed extreme pain, and his entire upper body leaned backward uncontrollably.

A sinister glint flashed in Li Jie's eyes. He swung his left fist out suddenly, and as he did so, the bony aura on his fist surged violently, slamming it into Lin Yu's abdomen!

This was no ordinary punch; it was the Li family's ultimate killing technique.

"Netherworld Bone-Splitting Force!"

boom!

The heavy punch, carrying a murderous aura, slammed into Lin Yu's abdomen, almost embedding his entire arm deep into it.

Lin Yu's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. With a muffled roar, he was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string.

It tumbled several times in mid-air before crashing heavily onto the cold floor.

He clutched his lower abdomen tightly with both hands, curled up in a ball amidst violent convulsions, and had completely lost the strength to stand up.

The entire battle, from start to finish, lasted only three moves!

"Senior Brother Lin!"

"Junior Brother Lin!"

Upon seeing this, two disciples from the Martial Academy rushed out of their seats and hurriedly carried the disheveled and defeated Lin Yu away.

In an instant, the disciples' seats of Cangwu Martial Academy fell into dead silence, and an uncontrollable fear and sense of insecurity rose in the hearts of all the disciples.

Lin Yu was basically the strongest expert among the sixteen-year-olds in the Martial Academy, but who would have thought that he would be defeated so utterly before even lasting three moves against his opponent?

The humiliation of five years ago instantly transformed into a tangible shadow, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts and causing the morale of the martial arts disciples to collapse in an instant.

"You're too kind."

Li Jie stood in the center of the arena, a smile on his face like a cat playing with a mouse.

The battle just now had barely depleted his spiritual energy. Instead of stepping down, he dismissively dusted off his sleeves, looked at the disciples' seats, and provocatively drawled, "I wonder which of your esteemed alumni of similar talent would be willing to step forward and offer their guidance?"

"Tch, this kid certainly loves to show off."

One of the true disciples of the Heavenly Pivot Temple chuckled and shook his head.

"Sigh, watching the Li family manipulate these hothouse flowers of officials, there's really no suspense. Let's just treat it as entertainment."

The heir of another faction also curled his lip, full of disdain.

In just three moves, he severely injured the strongest disciple of the same age in the Martial Academy, and his methods were extremely ruthless. This made the sixteen- or seventeen-year-old disciples of the Martial Academy tremble with fear, their faces turned pale, and none of them dared to raise their heads and volunteer for a fight.

"Huh? What's going on? In such a large place as the Cangwu Martial Academy, are all my peers a bunch of cowards?"

Li Jie grinned and laughed loudly without restraint.

He then feigned panic, his expression changing, and lightly slapped himself across the face.

"Oh dear, look at my mouth, I really don't know how to speak!"

This is a prestigious military academy personally approved by the imperial family. Its disciples should all be outstanding individuals, so how could they possibly be cowards?

They certainly wouldn't deign to spar with their younger brother.

How about this?

"I'll take the liberty of challenging someone at this table. If I win, consider it good luck; if I lose, I'll immediately return to my seat and not stand in your way."

A burst of shrill laughter erupted from the seats of the major powers.

Before the higher-ups of the Martial Academy could react, Li Jie's face turned cold, and he raised his arm, pointing directly to a corner under the watchful eyes of everyone present.

The person he was referring to... was none other than Gu Dashan, who was as big as a small mountain!

Lin Yu, the strongest in the sixteen-year-old category, was so easily defeated and seriously injured by his peer. Gu Dashan was so angry that he gritted his teeth in the audience. He only hated that his cultivation was too low. Not to mention that he could not help Lin Yu and Cangwu Martial Academy, he did not even have the qualifications to go on stage to fight.

But to his utter surprise, the arrogant Li Jie pointed his malicious fingertip straight at him.

Seeing Li Jie's provocative finger, Gu Dashan's bull-like eyes widened suddenly, and he was completely stunned.

Moreover, this Li Jie actually brazenly called him "Big Brother"!

In an instant, all eyes in the room turned to Gu Dashan, who was sitting in the very back corner.

The elders of Cangwu Martial Academy immediately frowned, and the true disciples present exchanged bewildered glances.

Who could have predicted that the next victim Li Jie deliberately chose to torment would be Gu Dashan, who was only fifteen years old and had only come to the banquet with his elders to broaden his horizons!