It wasn’t until nearly noon, when Zou Feng’s stomach began to ache with hunger, that he finally opened his eyes from his meditation.
When he abruptly opened his eyes, the sheer force of his Inner Qi, stirred by the mere flutter of his eyelids, seemed to make two miniature Fire Lotuses bloom faintly in the air.
Zou Feng was rather stunned by this.
He felt he was still just shy of completely purifying and converting his Inner Qi, which would mark his true advancement to the Seventh Grade.
But the fact that just opening his eyes could manifest Fire Lotuses left Zou Feng both shocked and delighted.
He recalled his own path: he had achieved Enlightenment Entry, then became an Abnormal Eighth Grade.
’When I completely break through to the Seventh Grade, what will that make me?’
’A "Tiancheng" Seventh Grade, as the legends say?’
The name comes from the concept of Natural Daoist Skill, something effortlessly and perfectly formed by nature.
It was said that if one could advance to the Seventh Grade in this manner, there would be almost no bottleneck when breaking through to the Gang Qi Realm in the future.
In fact, it wouldn’t just be the Gang Qi Realm; barring any accidents, even reaching the High Grade Realm above that—the True Qi Realm—would not be a major issue.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Zou Feng devoured the last two catties of white-braised deer head meat, then consumed several Qi Blood Pills and Essence Strengthening Pills before he finally felt his strength return.
He had planned to continue his seclusion and quickly purify the last of his Inner Qi, but a sudden commotion from outside interrupted him.
It sounded like Zhao Tianhu and Liu Chun were in a conflict with someone.
"Master Zhang, what is the meaning of this?"
"Our Master Zou is in seclusion. He gave strict orders not to be disturbed and cannot receive any guests..."
Zhao Tianhu’s voice was clearly filled with shock and anger.
The person confronting him, however, spoke in an unhurried, indifferent tone. "I have an important matter to discuss with Master Zou. Go and announce me. He can resume his seclusion later. There’s no rush."
"This... Master Zhang, please forgive me, but I really can’t..."
Before he could finish his refusal, Zhao Tianhu’s voice was cut short.
Evidently, the other party had used some technique to silence him, preventing him from saying another word.
"I’ll say it one last time: go get Zou Feng!" The once-calm voice now carried a frosty edge.
’I don’t know who’s out there making trouble for me,’ thought Zou Feng, ’but it’s clear I can’t continue my seclusion in peace.’
At the same time, he suddenly remembered that today was the day of the decisive battle between the Miss and Sun Kai.
’So, it looks like it’s time to get to work...’
Zou Feng licked his lips, his expression gradually twisting into a savage grin.
’I’ve been cooped up for so long. It’s time to let loose.’
Although he had killed two Eighth Grade Cultists from the Ten Directions Sect not long ago, he had been forced to act while desperately fleeing for his life.
To put it bluntly, it wasn’t satisfying at all.
And while he was still just shy of completely purifying and converting all of his Inner Qi...
...he didn’t necessarily need to be in seclusion to convert this last little bit.
’Multitasking a little shouldn’t be a problem.’
At this thought, Zou Feng couldn’t help but flash a Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King’s Smile as he pushed the door open...
「At almost the same instant, in Xiang Kang’s room.」
Xiang Kang was leisurely sipping tea freshly brewed by a Maid.
The next moment, however, the air in the room suddenly grew unnaturally heavy.
It was as if the weather had turned on a dime, a thunderstorm rapidly brewing.
"Who!?"
As he shouted the question, the teacup in Xiang Kang’s hand disintegrated into dust.
"Uncle Xiang, it’s me..."
Just as the voice faded, a man who moved without a sound slowly approached Xiang Kang.
When Xiang Kang saw who it was, his expression showed little surprise.
"Sixing, you’ve really reached the Seventh Grade..."
The visitor was none other than Song Sixing, the sixth apprentice of Gang Leader Deng Guangxin.
A proud smirk played on Song Sixing’s lips. "Our adoptive father once praised my outstanding Talent in front of my brothers and sisters. Naturally, I wouldn’t let him down."
"Excellent, excellent. The Gang Leader was not wrong about you!"
"So, tell me, what brings you here?" Xiang Kang asked, already knowing the answer.
Song Sixing didn’t stand on ceremony, seating himself directly across from Xiang Kang. "Uncle Xiang," he began, "you must know that the Black Flood Dragon Gang can’t go on like this!"
"Our adoptive father has been in seclusion for too long, with no sign of his return. The Black Flood Dragon Gang has been left without a leader..."
"That’s why the Mountain and River Association and the Danxin Alliance have dared to stir up trouble so frequently, bullying our gang as if we have no one to stand up to them!"
Xiang Kang shot him a look and said nonchalantly, "So, you want the Gang Leader’s seat?"
Song Sixing put on a sincere expression, his eyes fixed on Xiang Kang. "Uncle Xiang, yes, I want to be the Gang Leader. Can I have your support?"
"And if I don’t support you?" Xiang Kang sneered. "What then?"
Song Sixing quickly waved his hands. "Uncle Xiang, how could you say such a thing? Your nephew would never do something so treacherous!"
"But I know you have no desire to replace our adoptive father, and Eldest Sister is too rigid in her ways. She isn’t Gang Leader material, either."
"I can guarantee that once I become the Gang Leader, I will turn around the Black Flood Dragon Gang’s current disadvantageous position!"
The smile on Xiang Kang’s face widened. "And this ’turnaround’ of yours... that would be colluding with the Mountain and River Association to overthrow me and your Eldest Sister?"
These words finally made Song Sixing’s expression darken.
"Uncle Xiang, you’re mistaken. I am merely using the Mountain and River Association. There will be a reckoning with them later."
"The Black Flood Dragon Gang must undergo this change to reverse its decline, lest it be completely devoured by the Mountain and River Association and the Danxin Alliance..."
"Speaking of which, if Eldest Sister had just agreed to that marriage with Su Changqing, our Black Flood Dragon Gang wouldn’t be facing this existential crisis today!"
Listening to Song Sixing’s rambling justifications, Xiang Kang couldn’t help but smile mockingly, as if he were watching a monkey perform.
After a moment, he yawned. "Alright, do whatever you want. If you can really overthrow your Eldest Sister and become the Gang Leader, then that’s a testament to your ability. I won’t take sides."
"Is that answer good enough for you?"
"If you’re satisfied, then get out!"
These words, however, seemed to stun Song Sixing.
"Uncle Xiang, you mean..."
Xiang Kang said impatiently, "Are you deaf? I said I won’t get involved. I won’t help either of you. In the end, whichever of you siblings wins and becomes Gang Leader is up to you!"
Song Sixing had come here fully prepared for the likelihood that he wouldn’t be able to persuade Xiang Kang and would ultimately have to fight.
As the most talented of Deng Guangxin’s six apprentices, Song Sixing had already cultivated two Cultivation Skills to the Realm of Refining Fire, even though he had reached the Seventh Grade later than Bian Yixia.
Therefore, even though they were both Seventh Grade, he was fully confident he could handle Xiang Kang, a man who had already lost his "Heart Qi."
He had never expected that, while Xiang Kang had indeed not been persuaded, he genuinely seemed to have no intention of helping Bian Yixia.
After a long, stunned silence, seeing that Xiang Kang was already settling into his recliner for a nap, Song Sixing finally rose and bowed. "Thank you for your blessing, Uncle Xiang!"
Xiang Kang waved a lazy hand, not even bothering to open his eyes.
Only then did Song Sixing slowly back out of the room.
Outside the door, more than twenty Sword and Axe Hands lay in ambush.
Although only three of these Sword and Axe Hands had Entered Grade, they were well-equipped and highly trained. With an expert like Song Sixing leading the charge, their actual combat effectiveness was quite considerable.
In truth, at the Low Grade Martial Artist stage, even for a Seventh Grade, an individual’s combat power hadn’t yet reached an absurd level.
Forget about taking a head from within an army of ten thousand; a hundred well-trained, fully-equipped elite soldiers would be more than enough to give a Seventh Grade Martial Artist a run for their money.
"Watch him!"
Song Sixing said coldly.
A Hall Master of the Eighth Grade Realm who had sided with Song Sixing immediately acknowledged the order.
Then, Song Sixing strode forward, gazing toward the east. "Eldest Sister, I’m sorry..."
Dragon Gate Boat Pharmacy.
Smiling, Zou Feng emerged from his seclusion ahead of schedule.
As he pushed open the door, he was met with a familiar face, just as he’d expected.
No wonder the voice had sounded familiar. It was none other than Zhang Chi, one of the Black Flood Dragon Gang’s Hall Masters, who had come here for treatment after being struck by the Great Compassion Hand.
Zou Feng remembered him quite well. After all, Zhang Chi had once complained in his presence that the Black Flood Dragon Gang had no need to fight to the death against the remnants of the Ten Directions Sect.
Later, when Zou Feng publicly announced his advancement to the Eighth Grade, Zhang Chi hadn’t attended the banquet, but he had sent a very generous gift.
In short, the man clearly wanted to be on good terms with him, yet they had almost no contact on a daily basis.
"Brother Zou!"
Seeing Zou Feng emerge, Zhang Chi immediately put on an amiable expression and said apologetically, "I truly had no choice but to disturb your seclusion, Brother Zou. I hope you can forgive me!"
"Master Zhang, what important matter did you wish to discuss? Please, speak freely."
Hearing this, Zhang Chi cut to the chase and briefly explained his purpose.
Only then did Zou Feng understand the situation.
’Huh. So Song Sixing has colluded with the Mountain and River Association to force Xiang Kang and Bian Yixia to abdicate so he can become the Gang Leader...’
’No wonder Sun Kai from the Mountain and River Association issued a challenge for a duel to the death, even knowing Bian Yixia was not to be trifled with.’
’It was all just a ploy to lure the tiger from the mountain—to separate the two Seventh Grade Experts, Bian Yixia and Xiang Kang.’
’And Zhang Chi was clearly on Song Sixing’s side. He had made a special trip here to persuade me to surrender, likely because of my considerable medical skills.’
’After all, if Song Sixing wants to be Gang Leader, he can’t be the leader of an empty shell. He urgently needs capable subordinates after taking over the Black Flood Dragon Gang.’
"Brother Zou, the Sixth Young Master’s victory is all but assured. His ascension to the leadership of our Black Flood Dragon Gang is what the people want..."
"As they say, a wise man submits to the circumstances. You should abandon the losing side and join the light as soon as possible, Brother Zou. That would be your best course of action."
"Oh, and the Sixth Young Master greatly values talented individuals like yourself. He will be sure to treat you generously!" Zhang Chi’s tone was half-threat, half-earnest persuasion.
Seeing that this guy had no new information to offer, Zou Feng impatiently responded with a single word.
"Scram!"
Zhang Chi froze, his expression rapidly turning cold. He then deliberately feigned ignorance. "Brother Zou?"
"So you’re not going to scram?"
"Then die!"
Before the words had even faded, Zou Feng struck out with his palm.
A massive, seemingly burning Lotus bloomed in the air!