At the courtyard entrance, Shen Lang lay on a rocking chair, studying a massive blueprint and muttering words only he could understand.

The blueprint appeared to be made from some kind of Beast Hide and was large enough to cover most of his body.

On the table before him lay two enormous, dark purple scales, shimmering with an eerie light.

"Bad news, Junior Brother! Someone’s fighting their way up the mountain!"

From a distance, a senior brother from Songdu Peak came sprinting over. He was already shouting at the top of his lungs before he even arrived.

Everyone nearby was stunned.

What a joke. Right now, everyone from the various peaks, regardless of whether they were in the Inner or Outer Sect, was desperate to curry favor with Songdu Peak.

Many people had gone to great lengths, even pulling strings with some of the sect’s old-timers, just for the chance to exchange a few words with Shen Lang and Wang Dashu.

No matter how tightly the incident with Shao Hufeng was concealed or how fiercely the higher-ups suppressed it, some cryptic rumors were bound to leak out.

On the surface, Shen Lang’s fame didn’t seem much greater than that of the Inner Sect’s top ten elite disciples.

But behind the scenes, nearly all the Peak Masters had taken action, frequently sneaking up to Songdu Peak under the cover of night...

To think some idiot would actually dare to storm Songdu Peak now?

The ignorant know no fear.

’Do they think that just because Shen Lang is a little famous now, defeating him will make them famous in the Profound Dao Sect overnight?’

Zhan Wuji, Jie Fengqing, and the others exchanged glances, all finding the situation hilarious.

"Who the hell is it? Who’s so bored they decided to pick a fight on Songdu Peak?"

The blueprint in Shen Lang’s hands completely obscured his face, so no one could see his expression. However, they could detect a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Anyone even slightly familiar with Shen Lang knew he hated trouble.

He hated having his time wasted on trivial nonsense.

All of his time nowadays was spent on either Cultivation, Artifact Refining, or Alchemy.

He occasionally spared some time to guide his fellow sect members.

He’d make anyone who dared to bother him suffer a living hell!

The same went for someone with the Cultivation and status of Lin Bucai, the Master of Shao Hufeng.

"A fat guy and a few of his cronies showed up, acting all aggressive. They injured Senior Brother Tian Hao and Senior Brother Yan Qi... I think they’re from Luoyan Peak!"

The messenger added, filled with righteous indignation, "We tried to reason with them, but that fat guy just kicked us aside! His Cultivation seems to be way higher than Senior Brother Tian Hao’s!"

"You don’t even know their Cultivation level?"

Just then, a young man in ornate robes walked over from the lakeshore. It was Hua Zheng, formerly the number one disciple of Songdu Peak.

Hua Zheng said with great dissatisfaction, "If you say they’re from Luoyan Peak, you should recognize them. How could you not know their Cultivation level?"

The messenger replied with a woeful expression, "I really don’t recognize the two leaders. One is big and fat, and the other has fiery red hair. They both look like they just joined the Profound Dao Sect recently."

"But I recognize the people following them. Two of them are experts from Luoyan Peak at the Spirit Martial Realm Fourth Heaven!"

Hua Zheng was taken aback. "Experts at the Spirit Martial Realm Fourth Heaven are acting as lackeys?"

...

Back when Hua Zheng was supposed to duel Liu Feng from Blood Spirit Peak, Shen Lang had been so enraged about his house being demolished that he’d stormed the stage and tormented Tian Hao instead.

When Hua Zheng, displeased, went up to reprimand him, Shen Lang knocked him unconscious with a single slap.

By all rights, it was a humiliating disgrace.

Most people would never have been able to endure it.

However, Hua Zheng had also witnessed Shen Lang defeat Liu Feng that day, which made it a little easier to swallow.

He was just plotting how he would work hard, grow stronger, and eventually defeat Shen Lang to reclaim his honor...

...when he suddenly heard that Shen Lang had whipped a group of fellow sect members, after which many of them had advanced several Cultivation levels in a row!

Hua Zheng was, after all, the top disciple of his generation on Songdu Peak. Even if he wasn’t a peerless genius, he was still sharp enough.

If even weirdos like Tian Hao and Yan Qi had discovered some immense benefit and were now clinging to Shen Lang’s side, how could Hua Zheng not realize something was strange?

After a night of deliberation, the Eldest Senior Brother’s desire to become stronger finally overrode his pride. With a carefully chosen gift in hand, he too went up to Feixian Garden.

However, before he could ask Shen Lang for advice on how to rapidly advance his Cultivation...

...Shen Lang went and attacked Shao Hufeng.

That scene had been utterly shocking, completely beyond belief.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it was possible.

An Outer Disciple, once regarded as trash, had beaten the dignified Master of an Inner Sect peak so badly he couldn’t fight back—and Shen Lang had clearly been holding back...

And Shen Lang’s palm strike as he soared into the air, commanding the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, causing the very sky to change... Hua Zheng would never forget it.

Now, hearing that someone had come looking for trouble, Hua Zheng was so excited the hairs on his arms stood on end.

’Hell yeah, finally a chance to show what I can do! I’ve received Junior Brother Shen Lang’s guidance these past few days and my Cultivation has soared. I was just looking for someone to try my skills on!’

Hua Zheng took two steps forward and announced loudly, "Junior Brother, you continue with what you’re doing. No one will be allowed to disturb you! They’re just a few insignificant clowns, probably hoping to make a name for themselves by fighting you. Let me handle them!"

"Those who offend Songdu Peak will be struck down, no matter how far they run!"

"Those who offend Songdu Peak will be struck down, no matter how far they run!" the surrounding disciples of Songdu Peak immediately roared, pumping their fists in the air in agreement with Hua Zheng.

The display was quite impressive.

"Not bad, not bad. They actually dare to provoke us people of Songdu Peak. We’ll beat them so hard their own mothers won’t recognize them!" Shen Jianfeng added, ever the agent of chaos.

Hua Zheng glanced at Shen Jianfeng and said with a smug look, "Cousin is right! Let’s go! We’ll capture these invaders first and ask questions later!"

Because Shen Jianfeng was Shen Lang’s older cousin, many people on Songdu Peak had started calling him "Cousin," which had made Shen Jianfeng quite pleased with himself for some time.

Just as the crowd’s excitement reached a fever pitch, a sarcastic, peculiar voice drifted over from nearby.

"Well, well, what’s going on at Songdu Peak today? It’s so lively."

A moment later, the chubby Chen Tianci swaggered into view, followed by Liu Hai and several others.

Chen Tianci let out a cold, sinister laugh. "This is good. It makes the fight more interesting, doesn’t it? Saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one."

Chu Qingcheng emerged from the lake and sat down in the chair to Shen Lang’s right.

Mo Ge, without a word, took his place behind Shen Lang.

Meanwhile, Zi Lan, Shu Lan, and the others went straight into Shen Lang’s courtyard.

A Grand Array had been set up around the courtyard, blocking all outside noise, making it the most tranquil spot on Songdu Peak.

Chu Qingcheng frowned and shook her head. "I thought a whole army was coming and I’d get to see a good show. I didn’t expect it to be just some fat guy... Life is so dull. I can’t even get a decent fight to watch. Heh, what a bore."

The moment Chen Tianci’s gaze landed on Chu Qingcheng, his eyes narrowed, filled with apprehension!

His eyes darted around before he turned his head and said, "Liu Hai, see if that punk who offended you is here. Settle your business first, then we’ll sweep through the rest of Songdu Peak!"

Liu Hai was thrilled. ’Big Brother really is the best,’ he thought. ’Even now, he’s still looking out for me.’

He took two steps forward and sneered. "I don’t see the kid yet, but I asked around on my way up. I know he lives around here."

With that, Liu Hai planted his hands on his hips, channeled Power from his Dantian, and let out a sudden, explosive roar: "Shen Lang, get out here!"

"Out... out... out..."

The voice was brimming with power, and as soon as it was uttered, it began to echo off the distant mountains and cliffs.

Liu Hai was extremely satisfied with his intimidating shout. After he was done, he looked around smugly before turning his head back.

When he turned back, he froze.

Chen Tianci, who in his mind was an invincible figure, had plopped onto the ground, his face pale and slick with cold sweat.

Liu Hai was stunned. ’Is my roar really that powerful?’ he thought. ’Did it actually knock Senior Brother Tianci to the ground? Holy crap, I need to really focus on my Cultivation from now on.’

An apologetic look crossed his face as he bent down. "Senior Brother Chen, my apologies! I put all my Power into that shout just now and forgot to warn you first."

"War—warn my ass! You said the one who offended you was Shen Lang? Which Shen Lang?!" Chen Tianci scrambled to his feet in a panic, his beady eyes darting about as he frantically searched the crowd for a sign of Shen Lang.

Liu Hai was stunned again. ’Which Shen Lang? How many Shen Langs could there possibly be?’

’A piece of trash like him is one in a million!’

’On the day we joined the Profound Dao Sect, out of so many people, his aptitude was the absolute worst.’

’That’s weird. Does Senior Brother Chen know this kid?’

While Liu Hai was puzzling over this, Chen Tianci noticed something was off.

Everyone was looking at his pathetic state with faint, mocking smiles, and then all their gazes turned to a single spot straight ahead!

There, a man in black was holding a piece of Beast Hide, intently studying something. He still hadn’t lowered it.

Just as Chen Tianci’s gaze fell upon him, the Beast Hide lowered, revealing a face that had appeared countless times in his nightmares.

The face broke into a grin, revealing a row of perfectly white teeth. It gave Chen Tianci a very "friendly" smile. "Brother Tianci, long time no see. It seems you and I are truly fated to meet."

"Gah!"

Chen Tianci let out a strangled cry, as if he had just seen an Ancient Fierce Beast.

His normally small eyes were now wide as saucers, filled with sheer terror and despair.

Utterly terrified, Chen Tianci stumbled back five or six steps before the people behind him managed to catch him.

"You... you... you... why won’t you leave me alone?! You’re like a vengeful ghost! I go somewhere, you follow! I hid all the way in the Profound Dao Sect, and you still followed me here! Did I piss you off in a past life or something?!" Chen Tianci howled in despair.

The sheer misery and resentment in his voice was so profound it moved everyone present.

’Just what kind of unforgivable, horrifically tragic things did Shen Lang do to him to make him wail so miserably?’

From the looks of it, Shen Lang was probably the star of all his nightmares.

Shen Lang gave Chen Tianci a surprised look. "Huh? I’ve always considered you a good friend, you know. And I thought you felt the same. How is it that after all this time, when we meet again, you’re not the least bit happy? In fact, you seem rather... Anyway, let’s not talk about that. A moment ago, were you saying something about sweeping through Songdu Peak?"

"Yes, that. Let’s talk about that."