Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

Liu He explained what had happened with Ling Fei.

Upon hearing that Elder Ling had effortlessly slain an Innate Realm expert, a sense of dread appeared in everyone's eyes.

'This old man might be a Celestial Spirit Perfect Realm expert.'

"Thankfully, he's just a severely injured expert living in seclusion. Like a dying tiger, he doesn't have much strength left."

Liu Yuan was also somewhat surprised, but he clearly wasn't under as much pressure.

Their Liu Clan was one of the Empire's Four Major Clans, with powerful experts of its own. Why would they fear a severely injured, reclusive old man?

Seeing Liu Yuan's expression, Tang Hai and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They knew that Liu Yuan must have already come up with a plan.

"Even though Elder Ling is severely injured, he's still a master. It's best to avoid a direct confrontation if we can," Liu Yuan murmured. "Didn't Ling Fei kill someone from the Qin Mansion? I remember there are a few disciples from the Qin Clan at Celestial River Academy. They should have reached the Innate Realm by now, right?"

"There are. Brother Yuan, are you suggesting...?" Tang Hai's eyes lit up at his words.

"Find them and tell them about Ling Fei's current situation," Liu Yuan said. "Make them understand that this is their only chance to deal with him. If they wait until Ling Fei breaks through to the Innate Realm, or even the Celestial Spirit Realm, the price for the Qin Clan to get its revenge will be far greater. Let them weigh the pros and cons themselves."

"I happen to know two people from the Qin Clan," Liu He said.

"In that case, you go handle it," Liu Yuan said. "Remember, you can pressure them, but don't let us get dragged into it."

"Brother Yuan, I understand," Liu He nodded.

This was a precaution to avoid trouble later, allowing them to stay out of the affair.

After all, if something were to happen to Ling Fei, the academy would definitely investigate.

Liu Yuan had no desire to stir up too much trouble for himself.

「Nightfall.」

In a corner of the back mountain at Celestial River Academy, the expressions on the faces of the two brothers, Qin Rong and Qin Hui, were grim.

"This Ling Fei is exceptionally talented with limitless potential. He's bound to reach the Innate Realm, and the Celestial Spirit Realm is also a possibility. He might even take that final step and become a Primordial Pill Realm expert, with all their vast Divine Techniques. At that point, I'm afraid few in the entire Empire would be able to contend with him."

Liu He said.

A moment ago, he had told the two brothers all about Ling Fei.

Of course, he had done so purely out of "concern" for the Qin brothers, as a "friend."

"If he reaches the Innate Realm and then the Celestial Spirit Realm, he will indeed become a huge problem." Qin Rong's gaze was icy.

Liu He easily read the expression on Qin Rong's face. 'It seems he harbors a great deal of hatred for Ling Fei.'

At this, he felt a sense of relief.

'With hatred, things become much simpler.'

"Heh, you two don't have to worry," Liu He said with a laugh. "As long as you focus on your cultivation and keep a low profile, he might never even know you exist. That way, you can graduate safely, join the Divine Guard Bureau, and live out your days in peace. As for revenge... why bother?"

"Just pretend nothing ever happened," he said, his tone earnest.

"Pretend nothing ever happened?" Qin Rong frowned.

"How can we just swallow this insult?" Qin Hui's face was also grim.

Although they weren't from Longtan Town themselves...

...their grandfather's generation had come from Longtan Town.

Now, their people had been killed, and the Divine Guard Bureau hadn't done a damn thing about it. They even told the Qin Clan to behave?

This made Qin Rong and his brother furious.

But they had nowhere to vent their anger.

Now, hearing how talented Ling Fei was, the two brothers were even more incensed.

"Well, I've said my piece. Don't do anything reckless. You should prioritize your own futures. I'll be going now." With a smile, Liu He took his leave.

He could tell from their expressions that his work here was almost done.

'These guys are young and hot-blooded. With so much hatred, how could they possibly suppress it?'

All he had to do now was wait for the results.

Saying any more would only get him entangled in the affair.

Liu He departed.

The two brothers, Qin Rong and Qin Hui, exchanged a glance.

"Brother, what are you going to do?" Qin Hui asked.

"We must have our revenge," Qin Rong said. "We just need to find the right opportunity."

"An opportunity?" Qin Hui frowned.

"If we're going to make a move, we obviously can't do it at the academy," Qin Rong said.

"You mean, we should wait until he leaves the grounds?" Qin Hui's eyes lit up.

"Yes," Qin Rong nodded.

"But Shangguan Hong is protecting Ling Fei right now." A hint of worry remained in Qin Hui's eyes.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Qin Rong said. "Our cousin Jingsheng is at the Royal Academy and is very close to the Ninth Prince. If Shangguan Hong really dares to question our Qin Clan over a dead genius, Brother Jingsheng won't just stand by and watch. The Ninth Prince is recruiting talented individuals right now, so he'll surely support us."

"That's true." Qin Hui nodded, a cold, murderous intent flaring in his eyes. "Then all we have to do now is wait for an opportunity."

...

Ling Fei was completely unaware of any of this.

He was completely immersed in his cultivation.

His training was frenzied.

Ever since Ling Fei had entered the Cold Cave to cultivate, he hadn't shown up in the Genius Class at all.

"Ling Fei's skipping class after only one day?" The students of the Genius Class were dumbfounded.

But for seven straight days, no one saw any sign of Ling Fei.

During that time, Shangguan Yurou had gone looking for Ling Fei.

Ling Fei told her that he had to train hard and strive to reach the Ninth Layer Body Tempering Perfection Realm.

After that, no one disturbed Ling Fei.

Instructor Ruo Huan didn't say much about it either.

She also felt that Ling Fei's actions were perfectly normal.

After all, cultivation was what mattered most.

Besides, Ling Fei's foundation in Martial Arts was already excellent. It wasn't necessary for him to attend class every day.

「Time passed quietly.」

「Ten days passed.」

Inside the Cold Cave, Cold Dao Essence Qi swirled around Ling Fei, all of it absorbed by his spine.

The speed at which his spine absorbed the Cold Dao Essence Qi was utterly insane. Anyone who witnessed it would be shocked speechless.

HUM!

Suddenly, Ling Fei's eyes snapped open.

'Late Stage of Body Tempering Ninth Layer!' A glint flashed through Ling Fei's eyes, which seemed to swirl with Cold Qi.

Now, the True Qi in his body surged like a torrent, incomparably vast. He was countless times stronger than before.

At this point, when his True Qi circulated, it was as if True Dragons were roaring within him. The sheer power made him eager to test it out.

'If I were to test it now, my Basic Power has probably reached over twelve thousand pounds, right?' Ling Fei's eyes filled with anticipation.

Previously, his Basic Power was already at ten thousand eight hundred pounds.

Now, he could feel his True Qi was abundant and his power was immense.

If he unleashed his full power, it would likely exceed twenty thousand pounds.

'As long as I keep working hard, I'll break through to the Ninth Layer Body Tempering Perfection Realm.' Ling Fei was full of anticipation for this.

'I'll stop cultivating for now and work on comprehending the Celestial River Sword Technique!' Ling Fei then rose and walked over to the adjacent Cultivation Land.

Various weapons were there: sabers, spears, swords, and halberds.

The swords were forged from the finest refined iron, top-tier among Mortal Level Weapons, capable of cutting through metal and shattering jade.

Ling Fei took out the Celestial River Sword Technique.