Zhang Chen walked out of the Exquisite Tower, pondering about Jiang Nan, and couldn’t help but look at this woman with new eyes.
"Shen Qiu hasn’t finished his seclusion yet. If he comes out and finds Jiang Nan has moved on, who knows what chaos will ensue." Zhang Chen watched with a look of amusement. He believed Shen Qiu would never let it go easily; as a rich young master, Shen Qiu wouldn’t be afraid of Zhou Zhen. If Shen Qiu caused a scene, Zhou Zhen and Zhou Qiucheng would surely be embarrassed. But does Zhou Qiucheng know about the relationship between Shen Qiu and Jiang Nan? Logically, with Zhou Qiucheng’s status, he shouldn’t be unaware, yet he still acted this way. Could it be he really doesn’t know? Should I give him a heads-up?
Zhang Chen contemplated the idea, then shook his head, dismissing it: "I better not interfere! These matters have nothing to do with me; I shouldn’t meddle."
"Why are all the women I meet so peculiar? Shen Ling is fully a love-struck fool, Jiang Nan is calculating, and Xie Lingyun is obsessed with cultivation. It seems like there isn’t a normal woman around me." Zhang Chen was speechless, and hurried back, his figure quickly disappearing.
As time silently passed by, three days went by quickly again.
On this day, Zhang Chen was watching the distant sea of clouds from a cliff at Chongzheng Academy, contemplating how to harness the Sun True Flame. Suddenly, he saw two figures standing in a pavilion far away, one was Jiang Nan, and the other was Zhou Zhen. They appeared to be talking about something, and it looked plausible.
"Although Zhou Zhen seems to reject Jiang Nan, her beauty and knowledge, coupled with parental pressure, may be irresistible to him," Zhang Chen mused:
"But with the Zhou father’s and son’s nature, once Jiang Nan marries into the Zhou Family, she’ll surely have them under her thumb."
After glancing at them, Zhang Chen couldn’t be bothered with these romantic troubles and turned back to the Exquisite Tower inside.
Time swiftly went by, and another three months passed.
That morning, Zhang Chen arrived at the Exquisite Tower and found it bustling, with everyone gathered, seemingly discussing something.
Zhang Chen stood on the outskirts, glanced from afar, and couldn’t help but be surprised: "Shen Qiu came out?"
At this moment, Shen Qiu was very different from before, clearly still the same person, but in Zhang Chen’s perception, he seemed transformed into a vague shadow.
The most crucial part was Shen Qiu’s Qi Mechanism, which shocked Zhang Chen; Shen Qiu’s aura was something he couldn’t decipher now, as if beneath that dark shadow lay something terrifying and unknown.
"Shen Qiu’s current oddity must surely be related to the eerie gains inside the Exquisite Tower," Zhang Chen murmured inwardly.
However, none of this concerned Zhang Chen; he had no desire to have any ties with Shen Qiu.
"I wonder if Shen Qiu, upon discovering Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhen’s affair, will cause any trouble." Zhang Chen thought he could enjoy the drama, unsure how Zhou Zhen would handle the situation.
Shen Ling was not a regular woman; her cunning and scheming were exceptional, curious how she would escape Shen Qiu’s entanglement and dismiss him.
"Zhang Gaoqiu was a cautionary tale; he mishandled things before and brought shame upon himself. If Shen Ling mishandles this, she will certainly end up disgraced. Zhou Qiucheng would never allow his son to marry a woman with a tarnished reputation! The Zhou Family is a noble house, a powerful family. Especially now that Zhou Qiucheng has entered the Divine Dao, claiming immortality and long sight; establishing a Longevity Family is not difficult. As long as he overcomes the current calamity, holding Jinling City, advancing or retreating, Zhou Qiucheng would never let his son marry a woman with a reputation in question." Zhang Chen felt Jiang Nan would have a major problem, and not an ordinary one; Shen Qiu was not easily manipulated.
"Shen Qiu, as the eldest son of the Shen Family, usually lived in luxury and enjoyed worldly wealth. Now, suddenly facing a family setback and decline, experiencing societal coldness—if his heart isn’t twisted, I can’t believe it. And now, if Jiang Nan leaves him, it will undoubtedly provoke his sensitive pride; who knows what chaos it could cause." Zhang Chen sighed to himself.
Shen Qiu was amidst the crowd, like a star surrounded by moons, being consulted on how to resonate with the mysterious sealed in the Exquisite Tower, how to sense the mysterious inside the Exquisite Tower.
Shen Qiu relished the feeling of being at the center, drawing everyone’s attention. Just then, someone nearby sneered: "It’s just some mysterious gain, what’s there to feel proud about? Your wife was taken by someone else, and you are still here gloating. It’s pitiful not to know you’ve been cuckolded. What do you think such mystery can do for you? You’ve already been banished and became a lonely figure."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qiu’s expression changed dramatically, following the voice to see it was his former sidekick, who had also tormented him viciously after the Shen Family’s decline.
"What did you say?" Shen Qiu glared at the person: "Dare to speak nonsense again, be careful I tear your mouth apart."
"Hehe, whether I’m talking nonsense, you’ll soon find out for yourself. Your little girlfriend is getting married next month, and by then you’ll be all alone. It’s really pitiful." The young man said mockingly.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qiu’s expression changed immediately. With a blur, he was already in front of the young man, and before he could react, Shen Qiu had slapped him across the face, sending him flying and smashing into the ground, spitting blood.
"I’ll kill you, you nonsense-spouting scoundrel." Shen Qiu roared angrily. Jiang Nan was currently his only support, and he could not allow anyone to speak nonsense in his presence.
"Brother Shen, don’t act recklessly. If you break the rules, you will certainly be punished." Someone stepped forward and held Shen Qiu back.
In the distance, Zhang Chen witnessed Shen Qiu’s action, causing his pupil to shrink: "Such speed! That’s no ordinary swiftness but has become a Divine Technique."
"So fast that people simply cannot react! Could Shen Qiu have gained something mysterious related to speed inside the Exquisite Tower?" Zhang Chen wondered curiously.
"Scoundrel, you pitiful insect, how dare you hit me! I’m not finished with you!" The young man, knocked to the ground by Shen Qiu, refused to submit, suddenly standing up to counterattack, but was once again struck by Shen Qiu, who broke free from the crowd and sent him flying again.
"Shen Qiu’s ability is indeed related to speed. His Qi Mechanism doesn’t seem strong, only around the seventh tier, yet who knows what level his Extreme speed has reached. If his speed is so fast that even a twelfth-tier expert can’t react, his real combat power, despite being only seventh tier, would be enough to rank him at the twelfth tier." Zhang Chen felt uncertain.
While Zhang Chen’s thoughts swirled, Shen Qiu transformed into a series of figures inside the Exquisite Tower, executing one action after another, kicking and striking, sending the young man into the air, unable to land.
After a breath, the vivid shadow of Shen Qiu began to disappear one by one, finally causing the young man, like a deflated ball, to fly backward, vomiting blood, and fall to the ground, unconscious.
The crowd looked at each other, all gazing at Shen Qiu with astonishment. To leave a shadow behind for a breath; what kind of incredible speed is this?
"Faster than the speed of sound, and how many times faster still remains unknown. Without defensive Divine Techniques, ordinary cultivators would only face slaughter at Shen Qiu’s hands." Zhang Chen watched Shen Qiu’s back, his heart secretly alarmed.
"Even without defensive Divine Techniques, a twelfth-tier expert wouldn’t have the chance to act against Shen Qiu. His speed is too astonishing, faster than the speed of sound by an unknown multiple..." Zhang Chen felt a bit horrified.
Fighter jets exceeding the speed of sound can’t even leave a shadow in the air.
"In this world, many mysteries can’t be classified by tier. For example, speed; if someone masters a speed surpassing the sound barrier, even if they are just a small Karami, their attack power isn’t strong enough, but they are still capable of skipping tiers to kill." Zhang Chen thought to himself.
After a brief analysis, he already knew that even he couldn’t react to Shen Qiu’s speed of sound, but that didn’t mean he had no way to deal with Shen Qiu. He possessed the Ice Domain; if Shen Qiu entered it, he would instantly be frozen, because despite his speed, his cultivation was only at seventh or eighth tier, far too low.
He also had the Sun True Flame; if he transformed it into a shield to envelop himself, no matter how fast Shen Qiu was, should he touch the shield, he’d be instantly vaporized.
"Though Shen Qiu’s speed is fast, his lack of attack power is his weakness. If given half an Immortal Slaying Sword Tip, he might even kill a twelfth-tier expert." Zhang Chen murmured inwardly, feeling he had underestimated the world’s masters.
After teaching that person a lesson, Shen Qiu quickly left the Exquisite Tower, leaving the crowd behind to debate endlessly.
"There’s going to be an interesting show." Someone muttered.
Zhang Chen’s ears twitched, capturing Shen Qiu’s voice. He saw Shen Qiu exit the Exquisite Tower and head straight to Jiang Nan’s courtyard. Jiang Nan was not in the courtyard, so Shen Qiu simply opened the door and walked in to wait for Jiang Nan’s arrival.
It wasn’t until midday that Jiang Nan, wearing a smile, entered from outside the courtyard. But once she saw Shen Qiu standing in the courtyard, she was unable to help but exclaim: "So you’ve emerged?"
"I emerged!" Shen Qiu looked at Jiang Nan, sullenly replied, and his eyes roamed over her face, asking: "You don’t seem happy that I’ve appeared? Is it the wrong time for me to come out? Should I wait another month before emerging?"
"What do you mean by that?" Jiang Nan frowned at his words, her face turning icy cold, and the tone of her voice suddenly dropped.