As the middle-aged man's furious scream echoed, a tall and muscular figure charged forward from behind him.
"Boy, you've got guts, meddling in the affairs of Tianlongzhai! I'll make you regret it!"
Xiang Hu, the burly man with a long blade, roared and lunged at Jiang Chen. The blade in his hand turned into a shadow, slashing down with immense force.
Jiang Chen stood motionless, his expression calm as he watched the incoming strike.
He didn't react until the blade was nearly upon him. Then, with an effortless gesture, he extended two fingers.
Clang!
To the astonishment of everyone present, Jiang Chen easily caught the blade between his fingers, halting it mid-air as if it were weightless.
The warriors from Tianlongzhai and the onlookers from the Huo family froze in disbelief.
With a slight twist of his wrist, Jiang Chen snapped the blade in two. The sudden shock sent Xiang Hu stumbling backward, his footing unsteady.
Before Xiang Hu could recover, Jiang Chen flicked the broken tip of the blade.
Puff!
The shattered tip pierced through the air like a lightning bolt, striking Xiang Hu in the chest. Blood gushed out in torrents.
---
The towering figure of Xiang Hu collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, lifeless.
The quick and precise strike left the warriors of Tianlongzhai stunned, their expressions filled with fear and disbelief. Even the members of the Huo family were left speechless.
Xiang Hu, a seasoned warrior at the Fourth Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm, had been killed in an instant by this young man!
---
Among the Huo family, a middle-aged woman with an elegant demeanor gasped in shock. She turned to the purple-clothed girl beside her.
"Ziluan, isn't this the boy who clashed with you in Lingyun City? What is he doing here?"
Huo Ziluan's face was a mixture of astonishment and conflicted emotion.
"Yes… it's him," she murmured.
The purple-clothed girl was none other than Huo Ziluan, daughter of the Huo family and a central figure in Fenghuo City. Her encounter with Jiang Chen in Lingyun City seemed almost trivial compared to the awe-inspiring display she had just witnessed.
Half a month ago, Xiang Tianlong, the leader of Tianlongzhai, had broken through to the Foundation Opening Realm and attacked Fenghuo City.
Her father, Huo Wujin, the head of the Huo family, had barely managed to repel Xiang Tianlong but had suffered severe injuries in the process.
In desperation, Huo Ziluan had traveled to Lingyun City, hoping to become the disciple of Master Dan Yichen. She believed that with Dan Yichen's influence as a Fourth-Rank Alchemist, she could deter Xiang Tianlong and save her family.
However, her plans had fallen through. Left with no other choice, she posted a mission at Lingyun Academy, seeking external aid to resolve the Huo family's plight.
---
The middle-aged woman studied Jiang Chen carefully, her brows furrowed with a mixture of hope and doubt.
"This young man is incredibly strong. Xiang Hu was at the Fourth Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm, yet this boy killed him effortlessly in a single move."
"His martial talent could rival the top geniuses on the Lingyun List at Lingyun Academy. Could he have been sent by the academy to help us?"
Her voice carried a hint of optimism, but her expression betrayed her uncertainty.
As formidable as Jiang Chen seemed, the Huo family's greatest threat was Xiang Tianlong, a powerhouse in the Foundation Opening Realm.
Could this young man truly be the key to their survival?
---
Meanwhile, the leader of the Tianlongzhai warriors was trembling with rage after witnessing Jiang Chen dispatch Xiang Hu so effortlessly.
"You insolent brat! You dare to kill one of my men from Tianlongzhai?"
Jiang Chen's expression remained indifferent, his tone calm but brimming with authority.
"Kill him, kill them all. What can you do about it?"
His cold gaze swept over the remaining Tianlongzhai warriors.
"I'm here today for one reason—to eliminate every last one of you from Tianlongzhai!"