Martial Arts Overlord

Luo Feng walked out of the assessment hall, intending to return to his own courtyard.

As he passed by the Extreme Sun Great Hall, a wave of discussion reached his ears.

Luo Feng glanced over and saw a large, bluish-black stone pillar standing beside the Extreme Sun Great Hall.

The stone pillar was thirty feet tall and ten feet wide, its entire body bluish-black with a jade-like luster. It was densely covered with jade plaques of various colors.

Many inner courtyard students gathered around the pillar, engaged in quiet discussion.

"Li Heshan is really impressive. He has only been an inner courtyard student for a short month, and he is already ranked one hundred and eighth."

"I heard he lost to a Silver Moon class student in the Challenge King competition, and he has been training hard since then. It seems he’s preparing to take revenge."

"Compared to Li Heshan, Duanmu Yu is even more impressive. In less than a year, he is now ranked forty-eighth on the Winged Tiger List! It won’t be long before he can challenge the Hidden Dragon List."

"These two are the most outstanding talents the academy has seen in these past two years, truly one in ten thousand. It’s only natural they’ve achieved so much. Look, the first person on the Hidden Dragon List is still Senior Sister Zi Yuan! It seems no one will be able to shake her position until she leaves the academy."

"Of course, Senior Sister Zi Yuan was one of the four new outstanding talents last year. I’m afraid no one in the academy can compete with her."

Amidst the whispering crowd, Luo Feng arrived beneath the stone pillar.

Ignoring the others’ conversations, Luo Feng looked up, closely examining the stone pillar.

This stone pillar, known as the Dragon and Tiger Pillar, was used to rank the strength of the inner courtyard students.

Each jade plaque was engraved with the name of an inner courtyard student, and its position represented their ranking among the inner courtyard students.

The jade plaques on the stone pillar were divided into three layers, each with different colors.

The plaques on the first layer were red. They were the fewest in number, only ten in total.

This layer of jade plaques was known as the Hidden Dragon List. The students on this list were among the top ten in the entire Purple Sun School, high above the rest.

The person ranked first on the Hidden Dragon List was Zi Yuan, whom Luo Feng had previously met in the martial arts hall.

The second layer of jade plaques was cyan, numbering one hundred. This layer of jade plaques was known as the Winged Tiger List, and the top one hundred students in the academy would be listed here.

Duanmu Yu’s jade plaque was also on the second layer, ranked forty-eighth!

The third layer of jade plaques was black, almost five hundred in number.

Both Li Heshan’s and Bing Ruolan’s jade plaques were on the third layer, ranked 108th and 129th respectively. They were very close to the Winged Tiger List.

I wonder where my strength would rank.

Looking at the Dragon and Tiger Pillar, Luo Feng pondered.

Rankings on the Dragon and Tiger Pillar, aside from being determined by the annual academy ranking competition, could also be changed by challenging someone ranked higher. As long as one won, they could take the other’s place on the Dragon and Tiger Pillar.

After briefly stopping under the Dragon and Tiger Pillar, Luo Feng turned around and left the Extreme Sun Great Hall.

His primary goal right now was to defeat Duanmu Yu, and then the Newcomers’ Conference three months later. He wasn’t particularly interested in the academy ranking.

The Newcomers’ Conference was jointly hosted by the four major academies, and the prizes were very generous. Every year, some extremely valuable Martial Arts, elixirs, and weapons were given out as rewards, which were quite tempting.

At the last Newcomers’ Conference, the first prize was a lower Profound Level Martial Arts scripture, which was finally taken by Heavenly Fragrant Woman He Qin from the Tianlan School. Many were envious of her.

"Hey, Senior Brother Li, look at that guy! Isn’t he Luo Feng, the one who offended Instructor Li at the Challenge King competition?"

As Luo Feng left the Extreme Sun Great Hall, a female student in the corner suddenly tugged on her companion.

"Hmm. It does seem to be him!" The companion affirmed, his gaze turning somber as he saw Luo Feng’s back. His name was Li Kun, the nephew of Instructor Li Yuanhao of the Golden Sun class.

What’s going on? Uncle said that Luo Feng could never return to the academy, how did he suddenly appear...

Li Kun watched Luo Feng’s retreating figure, his expression uncertain. He suddenly turned to his companion and said, "Nan, I’ve just remembered something urgent. I must go."

"Senior Brother Li... Hey!... Hmph! If you don’t want to accompany me, just say it! Making up excuses, so insincere!"

The girl, watching Li Kun hurry off, revealed a touch of anger in her eyes and stomped her foot.

Li Kun walked briskly and soon arrived at a courtyard deep within the academy. After announcing his name, he was permitted to enter.

"What, you said that Luo Feng brat has returned?"

A moment later, a roar echoed from inside the courtyard. Li Yuanhao stood in the hall, his tiger-like eyes wide open and on the verge of spitting fire.

Li Kun stood to one side, nodded, and said respectfully, "Uncle, I witnessed it personally. Luo Feng was coming out of the Extreme Sun Great Hall when I saw him."

"Extreme Sun Great Hall? What’s an outer courtyard student doing there?"

Li Yuanhao’s gaze flickered. His gaze suddenly sharpened, and he snapped coldly, "Could it be... he went to take the Inner Courtyard advancement exam!"

Observing Li Yuanhao’s expression, Li Kun cautiously asked, "I’m afraid so. Uncle, what exactly happened?"

Li Yuanhao paced back and forth in the hall, then made a dismissive gesture to Li Kun. "Li Kun, it’s nothing. You can go first."

Although Li Kun was puzzled, he dared not disobey Li Yuanhao’s orders. He nodded and left the courtyard.

Damn it! How could Night Tiger and his men have bungled this so badly! How did this kid get back here!

After Li Kun left, Li Yuanhao could no longer suppress the surging anger in his heart. He punched the stone table next to him, and the solid stone table immediately shattered into a pile of dust.

During the last Challenge King competition, Li Yuanhao lost face because of Luo Feng, and he had held a grudge ever since. The next day, he contacted Night Tiger Su Laohu, a famous assassin in the vicinity of Qingfeng Town, wanting to use his hand to get rid of Ji Wuyue and Luo Feng!

He hadn’t heard from Night Tiger for a month, and with Luo Feng’s disappearance, Li Yuanhao had thought Night Tiger had succeeded, and he felt greatly relieved.

Now, hearing that Luo Feng, who should have been a corpse, had returned to the academy safe and sound, one could only imagine his shock and fury.

Ji Wuyue has safely left the academy, and Luo Feng is back unscathed! These rtiad bandits, they really can’t keep their word! Next time I see them, I’ll send them to their graves myself!

Li Yuanhao was extremely vexed. He gave a cold snort and sat down on the nearby stone chair, his gaze fixed on the main entrance, killing intent swirling relentlessly in his eyes.

A moment later, he suddenly stood up from the stone chair, his eyes piercing like swords, his fierce aura stirring up a strong wind.

Just as well, I will act personally this time to obliterate this little beast!

If Luo Feng became an inner courtyard student, it would be even more difficult for him to kill Luo Feng.

Luo Feng had shamed him in the Challenge King competition last time, even causing serious injuries to his beloved son. Li Yuanhao absolutely despised Luo Feng and decided on the spot to act immediately, to kill Luo Feng with his own hands!

「...」

Luo Feng returned to the small courtyard.

He had been away for a month. The courtyard was now covered with fallen leaves, and the house had accumulated a layer of dust. He prepared to start cleaning.

Standing in the courtyard filled with fallen leaves, Luo Feng took a shallow breath. The air around him suddenly twisted strangely, and eight Qi Dragons, baring fierce teeth and claws, instantly appeared.

"Dragon Roaring Nine Heavens!"

With a deep shout, a sharp glint flashed in Luo Feng’s eyes. Strong winds swept through the small courtyard as the eight Qi Dragons roared and tumbled, carrying the fallen leaves and dust skyward, forming a cyclone that whirled towards the back mountain of the academy.

I guess I’m the only one from ancient times to this day who has used the Teng Dragon’s Step like this.

Looking at the refreshed courtyard, Luo Feng clapped his hands, feeling somewhat proud.

At this time, a knock on the door sounded. Luo Feng looked up and saw it was Chen Yan, the classmate who had delivered his family letter last time.

"Chen Yan, what’s up?"

Chen Yan walked into the courtyard and said respectfully to Luo Feng, "Senior Brother Luo Feng, I saw the courtyard gate was open, so I came over to check. I didn’t expect you to actually be back! Instructor Ji Wuyue asked me to give you this letter when she left the academy."

Chen Yan took out a letter and handed it to Luo Feng.

A letter from the instructor for me?

Luo Feng’s eyebrows quivered as he took the letter.

"To Luo Feng, from Ji Wuyue."

The handwriting on the letter was wild and unrestrained, exuding an untamed air, not at all what one would expect from a young woman.

This is indeed the instructor’s style.

Luo Feng recalled Ji Wuyue’s fiery red hair, her stunning figure, and her heroic, dashing presence. He smiled faintly, shook his head, and opened the envelope.

"Luo Feng, my recent investigations suggest that the person who attacked me last time was most likely Night Tiger Su Laohu, a notorious rtiad bandit from Qingfeng Town!"

"I suspect he was hired by Li Yuanhao, but I haven’t found any concrete evidence yet. I’m leaving the academy now to participate in the Golden Palace assessment. You must be careful! If you encounter any danger, write to me, and I will come to your aid! Remember this!"

Reading the letter, a glint flashed in Luo Feng’s eyes. He then crumpled the paper into a ball and, with a slight exertion of force, turned it to dust.

When Luo Feng had killed Night Tiger Su Laohu, he had already guessed that Li Yuanhao was the instigator. However, at the time, he was preoccupied with the situation in Panlong City and had set the matter aside.

Now that he was back in the academy, it was natural to settle this old score.

Li Yuanhao had wanted to take his and Ji Wuyue’s lives merely to save face. Luo Feng would certainly not let him off easily!

"Senior Brother Luo Feng, are you okay?"

Standing nearby, Chen Yan suddenly felt a terrifying murderous aura emanating from Luo Feng. He felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe. He gulped and asked in a trembling voice.

Only then did Luo Feng remember Chen Yan was still there. He retracted his aura and smiled. "It’s nothing. Chen Yan, you’ve made considerable progress during this time."

The last time he saw Chen Yan, the latter was only at the Third Stage of the Cultivation Power Realm. Now, his skin radiated a faint jade-like glow; he had clearly stepped into the Fourth Stage, the Rigid-Soft Realm.

Chen Yan visibly relaxed, wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead, and said gratefully to Luo Feng, "It’s all thanks to the three hundred silvers you gave me last time. I used them to buy a Qi Condensing Pill, which allowed me to break through so quickly."

"Pills are merely external aids; cultivation primarily depends on oneself. Your ability to break through so quickly is already quite commendable."

Luo Feng nodded, took out a porcelain bottle, and tossed it to Chen Yan. "This is a top-grade, first-rank Spiritual Medicine, a Red Deer Blood Pill. It’s perfectly suited for a Martial Artist at the Fourth Stage Rigid-Soft Realm. It’s of no use to me, so you can have it."