The Jun clan was a hegemonic force in the Soaring Cloud region, their influence reaching every nook and cranny of the land.
On one of the Jun clan's islands, a magnificent building stood at the center, surrounded by powerful martial artists on patrol.
Yet, two young men rushed into the mansion without a glance at the guards and burst into the grand hall.
"Elder Brother…" Jun Hui shouted, disregarding his composure.
"Young Masters, your Elder Brother is in training. Please wait for him to finish," an elderly butler appeared and said respectfully.
"Ha! How could we forget Elder Brother would be training?" Jun Hui slapped his forehead in exasperation.
"It's nothing; we just need to wait for Elder Brother to finish his training so we can report that bastard to him," Jun Wuhan replied in annoyance.
They couldn't stomach Jun Wu's retainers' condescending gaze directed at them. They were members of the Jun clan—how dare some commoners look down on them?
Taking their seats, the two waited impatiently, glancing at the entrance frequently.
Finally, after an hour, a handsome young man in his mid-twenties entered the grand hall.
"Elder Brother…" Jun Hui called out happily.
"Why are you shouting? Act like sons of the Jun clan," Jun Jiahao chided with a light smile.
"Elder Brother, you know we only act like this around you," Jun Wuhan replied calmly.
"Good. Have you seen that fool? How is his health?" Jun Jiahao asked.
"Sorry, Brother, those commoners didn't let us enter his mansion," Jun Hui responded with annoyance. "One promised to break our legs if we dared sneak in."
When Jun Jiahao heard this, he squinted, his blood boiling with anger. 'How dare those mongrels threaten my younger brothers?'
'I guess his father's last display of power has given them some confidence. Humph! Let's see how long that lasts.'
"Keep going there every day, and send some men to keep an eye on the mansion."
---
Inside a pavilion, Jun Wu was busy studying an array formation with full concentration. 'Array formations are not as easy as I imagined,' he thought, rubbing his temple.
Although the Primordial Heaven Meridian allowed him to instantly cast the Wind Formation Attack, learning to set it up manually was another matter.
Still, he'd made some progress over the past three days.
He had almost comprehended the concepts and patterns of a Grade-1 Array Formation. He looked at the papers scattered around him, picked one up, and began writing another Grade-1 pattern.
Each pattern had a meaning, and the arrangement had to be perfectly aligned. A Grade-1 array had hundreds of strokes and eight patterns.
Jun Wu focused on each precise stroke, beads of sweat trickling down. "Finally," he whispered, satisfied with the complex pattern on the page.
He had succeeded.
[Deducing Grade-1 Defense Array Formation.]
[Cost: 100 Copper Coins.]
Seeing the notification, Jun Wu's smile brightened, and he took one hundred copper coins from his pouch. Money was the least of his concerns.
"Deduce."
Immediately, the money disappeared, and a series of notifications echoed in his mind.
[Deducing…]
[Deducing complete.]
A new, optimized Grade-1 Array Formation appeared in his mind, with all errors corrected. The hundreds of strokes and eight patterns were reduced. The improve defense formation now had only seven patterns.
Jun Wu didn't hesitate and practiced the newly deduced defense array formation. After a few attempts, he fully understood the array's workings.
Without further delay, he rushed out of the pavilion to the open field and began setting up the Defense Formation on the ground.
In the distance, Mao Yun and Zhang Wei watched their young master curiously and confused.
"Mao Yun, attack me!" Jun Wu called as he completed the formation.
"Young Master, are you sure?" Mao Yun asked hesitantly.
"Yes…" Jun Wu nodded, adding, "But don't use your full strength."
To be cautious, he decided to take it slow.
Without hesitation, Mao Yun rushed toward Jun Wu and threw a powerful punch.
Whoosh!
Jun Wu held his breath as the punch neared and activated the Grade-1 Defense Formation.
Instantly, a blue light erupted, forming a protective shield around him and deflecting the attack.
Bang!
The shield trembled but did not shatter. Mao Yun, stunned by the sight of the shield, attacked again.
Bang! Bang!
Finally, after the third strike, the shield shattered. Jun Wu wiped the sweat from his forehead and grinned, seeing the stupefied expression on Mao Yun's face.
"Is that a defense formation?" Mao Yun asked, his voice trembling with shock.
"Yes," Jun Wu replied proudly, then strode back toward the pavilion.
Zhang Wei approached Mao Yun in amazement. "How strong was your attack?"
"Intermediate Second-Rated Martial Artist!" he replied, still in disbelief.
Zhang Wei sighed and muttered, "The Young Master has become a freak."
"Yeah…it's scary."
For the next three days, Jun Wu concentrated on inscribing the Grade-1 Defense Array Formation onto his meridians.
The process was much more challenging than the physical setup, but he managed to finish on the third day.
Now, he could instantly cast two array formations in seconds. With this formation, he felt confident he could protect himself when he left the clan.
Outside the mansion, a magnificent carriage was parked. Today was the day Jun Wu had decided to leave the clan.
Over the past few days, the harassment from his nephews hadn't subsided but had instead increased, and he knew it was only a matter of time before they snuck into his mansion.
He boarded the carriage, with his two retainers in the coach driver's area. As the carriage rolled away from the mansion, shadows moved in pursuit.
A voice commanded coldly, "Follow. Leave none alive."
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