Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

"Elder Liu, thank you."

Ignoring the surprised and suspicious looks from the crowd around him, Shen Tianzhong bowed slightly to Liu Lanyu in front of him, still looking calm.

No need for thanks.

Liu Lanyu, in the same solemn tone, added, "Senior Brother Chu already knows about your situation."

"However, Senior Brother Chu has important matters to attend to and cannot see you in person, so please come with me to the hospital first."

"Elder Liu, you are mistaken..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Tianzhong chuckled, remaining seated in place without any intention of leaving.

"The letter that Mr. Shen sent to Dean Chu back then was not a request, but a transaction..."

"Since Dean Chu has already agreed to make this deal with me, Shen, why is he not showing himself and only sending Elder Liu to deliver the message? This is somewhat of a breach of promise..."

At this point, Shen Tianzhong slightly raised his eyelids and looked at Liu Lanyu, who had a serious expression in front of him, his tone clearly implying something.

"I've already made it very clear that Senior Brother Chu has important matters to attend to and cannot come."

"Hehe, then I, Shen, can just wait here. There's no rush."

"You, surnamed Shen! Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?!"

Seeing Shen Tianzhong's stubborn and unyielding attitude, Liu Lanyu was completely enraged. A terrifying killing intent suddenly erupted from her body, enveloping most of the central square. Clearly, she had just been deliberately suppressing her killing intent, and was not a kind-hearted person at all.

"Either leave, or die!"

With her right hand channeling her inner energy, Liu Lanyu drew the Overlord Spear, which lay upside down in the ground, into her palm. Her tone remained cold and ruthless as she pointed the spear directly at Shen Tianzhong's vital point. "Shen, I'm too lazy to waste words with you. If you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"

"Junior Sister Liu, I told you long ago, this scoundrel cannot be trusted!"

Seeing Liu Lanyu suddenly fly into a rage, Yin Baili, standing to the side, also chimed in, "Junior Sister Liu, this villain is only at the third level of the Spirit Soul Realm. There's no need for you to take action yourself. I can capture him alive by myself. Then you can take him back to the academy and hand him over to Dean Chu for disposal."

"Hehe, as expected of the once renowned 'Overlord Spear' of Yuanfeng Realm, Elder Liu is not only highly skilled but also a man of great character. It seems that I, Shen, was ungrateful before..."

Shen Tianzhong glanced at the furious Liu Lanyu, his face flickering as if he hesitated, but he slowly stood up and put the "Judgment Blade" on the ground back behind him.

Clearly, faced with the hot-tempered and fiery Liu Lanyu, Shen Tianzhong finally gave in.

After all, his solo adventure to Falling Star Town in the Cangmang Mountains wasn't because he was tired of living and wanted to die, but because he needed help from Falling Star Academy.

"If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have wasted my breath arguing with you!"

Seeing Shen Tianzhong take the initiative to back down, Liu Lanyu flicked the Overlord Spear in her hand again, immediately put it back into her storage ring, and then instructed Yin Baili beside her, "Brother Yin, please continue to oversee the rest of the admissions assessment."

"As for this man surnamed Shen, I'll handle him."

Before Yin Baili could respond, Liu Lanyu turned and transformed into a wisp of green smoke, disappearing into the sky. Shen Tianzhong, who was beside her, also vanished into the green smoke.

"Elder Liu, please take care!"

Upon seeing this, Wang Wu and the surrounding disciples of Falling Star Academy bowed respectfully, seemingly unfazed by Liu Lanyu's domineering attitude.

"Hey, this girl is still so hot-tempered and impatient..."

"Very well, since it's Dean Chu who has spoken, there shouldn't be any problems..."

Looking towards the horizon where Liu Lanyu had disappeared, Yin Baili frowned slightly, then sighed helplessly.

Although he was slightly older than Liu Lanyu and had a long tenure within the Falling Star Academy, as one of the Seven Falling Stars, Yin Baili was mostly helpless with his junior sister Liu Lanyu and even less able to persuade her about her fiery temper.

Falling Star Town, Central Square

"You...you're leaving already?"

"Is the once infamous 'Judgment Mad Blade' Shen Tianzhong actually having a moment when he doesn't kill? Am I dreaming?!"

"Could it be that this person has made some kind of deal with the higher-ups at Falling Star Academy?"

Seeing Liu Lanyu and Shen Tianzhong leave together, the originally chaotic crowd gradually calmed down. Some of the bolder, still-standing rogue martial artists looked up at the sky, seemingly still in disbelief.

After all, the rumors about Shen Tianzhong were common knowledge, and his sudden appearance without unleashing a massacre naturally puzzled everyone present.

"Brother Wang, I apologize for disturbing you."

Just as Wang Wu was in a daze, a clear, youthful voice came from beside him, causing him to stiffen. "Uh, it's you!"

The newcomer was dressed in a gray robe, with a handsome face, resembling a harmless farm boy. He was none other than Lu Feng, who had been watching the show from the sidelines for quite some time.

"Brother Lu, what can I do for you?"

Upon seeing that the person who came was Lu Feng, Wang Wu also composed himself.

Although he and Lu Feng were complete strangers, the latter had passed the Hell Universe Diagram test in just six seconds, which was quite good, so he had a slight impression of Lu Feng.

"Brother Wang, may I ask who this Shen Tianzhong is? Why does everyone seem to avoid him like the plague, wanting to stay as far away as possible..."

After bowing once more, Lu Feng asked again.

As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle!"

Although Lu Feng himself had no grudges against Shen Tianzhong, the latter was, after all, the third most wanted criminal on the villain list, so it wouldn't hurt for Lu Feng to learn more about the situation.

"Brother Lu, this man can hardly be called a plague god, but quite a few people have died at his hands. Moreover, regardless of gender, age, or whether they are mortal cultivators, once Shen Tianzhong has his eye on them, their fate is invariably to die a gruesome death, with few survivors!"

Wang Wu took a deep breath, then spoke with lingering fear, seemingly quite wary of Shen Tianzhong, whom he mentioned.

"That ruthless?"

Lu Feng also frowned slightly.

"It's not just cruel, it's downright inhumane!"

Shaking his head slightly, Wang Wu said in a deep voice again, "It is rumored that Shen Tianzhong was initially just an illegitimate son of a small cultivation family in the Western Qin Kingdom, with very low talent and cultivation. However, this person somehow obtained a wicked cultivation manual, and not only did his strength skyrocket overnight, but he even surpassed all the direct descendants of the family's geniuses and senior elders!"

"In order to cultivate his evil arts, Shen Tianzhong was ruthless and merciless, resorting to any means necessary. He even went so far as to slaughter his entire family, sparing not only three-year-old children and pregnant women, using them all as nourishment for his evil arts cultivation..."

At this point, Wang Wu also showed anger. Clearly, as a student of Falling Star Academy, one of the righteous forces in the Eastern Xuan Region, he also despised the various crimes committed by Shen Tianzhong.