Rebirth Of The Urban Immortal Cultivator

by Stayrr

Chen Fan, the great cultivator, failed to transcend the Tribulation of Heaven: the final stage of his cultivation. Little did he know that this accident would bring him back to Earth and turn back time to five hundred years ago when he was just a teenager. 'I had once reached the precipice of power in the known universe and could look down on the ten thousand realms with pride; I

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Rebirth Of The Urban Immortal Cultivator #Chapter 193 - On The West Lake - Read Rebirth Of The Urban Immortal Cultivator Chapter 193 - On The West Lake Online - All Page - FREEWN

Chapter 193: On The West Lake

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The fight would take place on August 15th, right in the middle of the school summer break when West Lake was usually packed with tourists from all over China.

Lin City was one of the oldest cities in China and was rich in history and culture. Many famous people in history were either from or have lived in this city. It was well-known throughout history for its riches and opulence, so much so that it was often called the heaven on earth. Lin Zhou was also well known for its beautiful girls and tourist attractions. People all over China flocked to Lin City to take a stroll along the West Lake while appreciating its beauty and rich history.

Jiang Churan walked along the shoreline of the West Lake. She was wearing a t-shirt with some printed slogan on it and a pair of loose-fit jeans. She wore her hair long and was wearing a pair of colorful sandals on her feet. She looked gorgeous but also approachable like a girl next door.

Ever since Jiang Churan graduated high school, not only did she look more attractive than before, but her brows also seemed to have locked in a permanent frown, giving her look a bit more artistic and wistful touch. Many pedestrians turned their heads around to look at this girl after they had passed her.

"Ran Ran, what are you thinking? Are you thinking about that jerk again?" A coquettish girl asked airily. She was Zhang Yumeng.

"No." Jiang Churan answered as she squeezed out a smile.

"Bullshit. Ever since that banquet at the Tian Shen restaurant, you have never smiled once." Zhang Yumeng flung back at her. "What's wrong with Li Yichen? He has been chasing you for over half a year. He is not ugly you know and he is also from a decent family. What else do you want from a man? He had been quite committed to you, I think he really cares about you!

"As for that Chen Fan... Humph! What is so good about him anyways? We haven't seen him ever since winter break. Our teacher told us that he was on a long vacation, bullshit! he didn't even attend the national university entrance exam. I think he never liked anyone of us, and neither did he care about us." Zhang Yumeng murmured to herself.

Despite her castigation, her voice was turned down a notch. It was evident that she was afraid of Chen Fan.

What she saw during last semester at the Tian Shen Hotel had shaken her. She witnessed all the top dogs of Jiang Bei treated Chen Fan with the uttermost respect. An under twenty year old boy rose to power and claimed Jiang Bei region's seat of power. Such a development was so unthinkable, that she felt she was reading a web novel.

By now, despite her loathing toward Chen Fan, she scarcely dared to trash him publicly.

"Maybe he is too busy, after all, at his level, he must have a lot of business to deal with." Jiang Churan defended the boy, however, she didn't sound too confident.

Her friend's words had taken the wind out of her sails.

Jiang Churan lived at the foothill of the Yun Wu Mountain, and rumor had it that Master Chen lived in the mansion sitting atop the mountain at the end of the mountain path. She had thought of hiking up to the top and visiting Chen Fan, but try as she might, she always gave up as soon as she reached the halfway point.

She was confused by her own feelings toward Chen Fan. Was it love, hate, envy, indignation or disbelief? Was it all of them or none of them? These feelings had been festering inside of Jiang Churan, slowly wreaking havoc in her mind. However talented and outstanding Li Yichen was, he couldn't compare with Chen Fan. In her mind's eye, she saw Chen Fan in a glorified image, and Li Yichen was nothing but an ordinary boy.

"That's enough brooding, just relax! We are here on vacation." Zhang Yumeng tugged Jiang Churan's arm and said.

This vacation was their high school grade trip. Zhang Yumeng and many other good friends of Jiang Churan were traveling together. A short distance away, a girl with a tall and fit body, as well as a face of an angel waved at them and shouted out: "Ran Ran, Meng Meng, come join me on the yacht!"

The girl was none other than Xu Rongfei. Although what happened between the three and Chen Fan had strained their relationship, time had eventually made them come together and became friends again.

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"Fei Fei is calling us. Let's move!" Zhang Yumeng tugged Jiang Churan's arm one more time and ran toward the yacht. Jiang Churan quickly caught up with her.

"What are you two talking about back there?" Xu Rongfei pouted as she asked annoyedly.

"Of course we are talking about your hero, your prince charming, your love of life: Chen Fan! Be careful, I think Ran Ran also has a crush on him." Zhang Yumeng smirked mischievously.

The thought of Chen Fan seemed to have disheartened Xu Rongfei.

"I haven't seen Brother Chen Fan for more than half a year, I really miss him."

"Last time I saw him was during the Spring Festival. I have asked my father where he had gone, he told me that he had gone to work for the military, away from the mansion in the Yun Wu Mountain. Right now only Third Lord Wei can get in and out of the mansion to retrieve the Spirit Water every day."

Even as Xu Rongfei talk about Chen Fan, the corner of her eyes turned red as if she was about to cry.

"What two silly girls." Zhang Yumeng was not sure what to say except for lamenting helplessly.

She never liked Chen Fan ever since the first time she laid her eyes on him. However, as fate would have it, both of her BFFs fell in love with Chen Fan so helplessly, that she could only glare at the two.

"Stop it, you. I don't have a crush on him." Jiang Churan gave Xu Rongfei a panicked glance and then flicked a hot glare at Zhang Yumeng. Here was another problem she had with Chen Fan: she felt guilty for liking her best friend's romance target.

"That's fine. Brother Chen Fan is so charming, I wager there would be more girls who would fall for him. I don't mind sharing." Xu Rongfei covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. Jiang Churan blushed and raised her tiny fist threatening to punch her best friend for making fun of her.

The three girls laughed and joked with each other by the shore of the West Lake, rendering the already beautiful scenery even more attention-grabbing.

After a while, the girls went on a yacht to enjoy the scenery of the West Lake up close.

There were ten most famous tourist attractions around the West Lake called the ten views of the West Lake: Spring Dawn at Su Causeway, Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake, Sunset glow at Leifeng pagoda, Evening bell at Nanping Hill, Three pools mirroring the moon... The yacht was to take the girls to all ten of the scenic spots to let them fully appreciate the beauty of the West Lake.

However, halfway through their tour, the yacht was pulled over by someone.

"Sorry, this section of the lake is close off today. Please head back." A man in a black suit blocked the waterway and pulled over many tourist yachts.

"Who are you guys? Why don't you let us pass?"

"Yea! Do you even have any identification or badges? You can't just block the way."

The yacht that Jiang Churan was on was not the only one got pulled over, many other tourists complained to the men in black hotly. However, the man's face looked indifferent and his body tense. It was evident to the tourist that these men were very dangerous.

Slowly, the complaints died down. The tourists exchanged fearful glances, warning each other to be careful with these dangerous men. Theses men in black carried such a coldness with them that made everyone believe that they were cold-blooded killers. In other words: don't mess with them.

"Why did you block our path but let that boat in?" Li Yichen pointed to a painted yacht that slowly drifted through the blockade.

"They have an admission pass." The leader of the black men answered coldly.

"What kind of pass are you talking about? My father is the deputy chair of the Lin City government. I am going to call the tourism department right now and clear some confusions. This is prime time for tourist visits, why would the West Lake be closed off?" A young man who came with Li Yichen complained hotly.

The young man was Li Yichen's friend and as the son of a local official, he took upon himself to organize the grade trip.

"Call as you wish."

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The man in black said distractedly.

The young man was angered by the reply, so he dialed a number on his phone and was on the line with a deputy director of the city's tourism department. After having exchanged a few words, the young man hung up the phone, looking disappointed.

"Young Lord Han, what did they say?"Li Yichen asked with furrowed brows.

"They said it was an order from the higher ups. Some big wig is coming to visit the lake." Young Lord Han muttered hesitantly.

Everyone heaved a sigh after hearing Young Lord Han's words. They knew that their tour had to be called off now.

However, the revelation also piqued everyone's interest as to what was going on behind the blockade. What kind of event would cause such a disturbance that they had to close off half of the West Lake? Many people looked toward the other side of the blockade and saw a few painted yachts had made their way to the other side and were docked by the shore.

In the middle of that closed off section, only a small junk boat floated on the calm water.

An old man sat in the boat wearing a white coat and a rice farmer hat. He was rigging with a fishing rod leisurely.

"That is the big wig?"

Yang Chao gaped in disbelief.

What kind of big wig would be so bored as to come fishing at the West Lake during the holiday season? Even as Yang Chao mulled over the question, the men in black suits started signaling them to turn around. The group had to head back toward where they came from disappointedly.

However, Zhang Yumeng did not give up easily. He tugged Young Lord Han's sleeve and asked coquettishly: "Young Lord Han, do you think we can sneak in if you pull some strings?"

Everyone's eyes lit up with hope as they looked Young Lord Han.

Young Lord Han paused a second and then make a couple of calls. In the end, he nodded and said: "It is possible. The western section of the lake was sealed off by the Tourism department and their deputy director told me that he could let us in as long as we are quiet. However, we need to change to a boat that could blend in better. This tourist yacht is too conspicuous."

Everyone cheered and asked to exchange boat right away.

They were able to get a hold of a painted boat like those that had the passes. They made their way through the threshold without being stopped. Once they reached the western section of the lake, they docked it among the other painted boats.

"OMG! Look at these people on the boat, they all look so... important. Some are wearing Traditional Chinese suits, some in Mao Suits and some are even in ancient Chinese costumes. What is this place? A movie set?"

There were over a dozen boats docked together along the shore; each and every one of these boats were decorated in traditional Chinese style. At the bow of each boat stood a person, they were of different ages, but they all looked proud and energetic.

"Hey silly girl, hasn't your master taught you not to gawk at other Martial Artists?" An old man sitting in a boat next to them spoke up.

"Ah! You can hear me talking?" Zhang Yumeng was startled.

The other boat was about ten meters away from Zhang Yumeng and even though Zhang Yumeng had tried to speak under her breath, the old man had overheard her talking nonetheless.

"Haha, this is just a small trick." The old man let out a peal of laughter. His eight year old grandson also chimed in. "Sister, are you coming to watch the Fight of the Grandmasters?"

"The Fight of the Grandmasters?"

Everyone was taken aback by the name of the event. They thought some big wig was simply here to enjoy the lake view and to fish.

Jiang Churan reacted quickly so she put on a smile and said: "Yes, are you too?"

"Of course! This is the fight of the century between Chen Beixuan and Lei Qianjue, there is going to be a lot of martial artists coming to watch this fight. I had to beg my grandpa to take me here." The little boy answered candidly.

"Chen Beixuan? Lei Qianjue?" Everyone was perplexed by the strange names.

Who were they?

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Chapter 194: Grandmaster From the West

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"You have never heard of Lei Qianjue and Chen Beixuan? Which martial arts family are you from?" The old man asked suspiciously with furrowed brows.

Martial arts family? Sect? Why did it sound like the stuff on TV shows? We live in a modern age now, did these things of the past still exist?

The boys and girls form Chu Zhou City looked at each other in confusion. However, Zhang Yumeng was quick enough to improvise a reply:

"Yes, yes. My master is Guo Wei from the Wei Shen martial arts school in Chu Zhou City."

The Wei Shen martial arts school was the most famous martial arts school in Chu Zhou City.

"Guo Wei... sounds familiar. Ah- he is from the Xin Yi Sect isn't he?" The old man mulled over the name for a while and finally nodded his head. There were not a lot of Internal Force users in China and therefore since Guo Wei was able to obtain the Internal Force, he was quite popular among his sect members.

"Well, so we are related, after all. My sect is very close to the Xing Yi Sect." A smile broke over the old man's face. "That being said, you guys look too wimpy to have even mastered the most basic forms of the Xing Yi Fist, much less Internal Force."

"Hehe..." The teenagers from Chu Zhou City smiled back embarrassed.

Among them, only two people had practiced a few years of Taekwondo and Karate in the school's interest groups. None of them were exposed to real martial arts training. Therefore, they barely knew what Xing Yi Fist was about, much less Internal Force.

"Grandpa, what is Internal Force?" Zhang Yumeng asked curiously.

She has a cute face and kittenish voice, a favorite among old people.

"You don't even know what Internal Force is? Guo Wei didn't talk about it?" The old man's suspicion grew again as he scanned the teenagers more scrutinizingly.

However, he knew that this section of the lake was sealed off and no ordinary people were able to get past the blockade. Plus, they knew Guo Wei and therefore he wagered that they had to be members of the Martial arts world one way or another. In the end, the old man heaved a sigh and shook his head."Fine, fine, I will fill you guys in. Even if I don't tell you about it now, your teacher will tell you sooner or later. It's not a secret."

"The so-called Internal Force was energy inside of a human's body. One would need to cultivate this energy to make it useful. Once formed, it could enable a man to run as fast as a horse and lift a thousand tons of weight with ease. Usually, an Internal Force martial artist should be able to fight against over a dozen average people at the same time."

"So... are you telling me that what they showed us on TV is real? " Yang Chao exclaimed.

Xu Rongfei and Zhang Yumeng didn't buy it, and even Li Yichen and Young Lord Han furrowed their brows in disbelief. However, Jiang Churan shivered a little as she recalled the memory of Chen Fan summoning a dragon in the clouds.

"Is that Internal Force or Dharma Spells? Could Chen Fan really be an Internal Force expert?"Jiang Churan was at a loss.

"Hehe, your teacher Guo Wei for example, he had reached initial success in his Internal Force cultivation. He could smash open a gate made out of iron with ease." The old man said with a contemptuous voice.

Jiang Churan had registered the disdain in the old man's voice, so she asked: "So I wager grandpa is much more powerful than our teacher?"

The old man cracked a smile and kept his silence, however, the brash little boy piped up: "Why of course! Guo Wei is nothing but a run of the mill martial artist from the Xin Yi Sect. My grandpa was the sect master of the Seven Kill Fist Sect twenty years ago. He was a peak level Internal Force user and had killed over a hundred timberwolves when he was young—"

"Xiao Hu, sit down and be quiet." The old man cut the boy short.

The boy waggled his head a few times and sat down obediently.

However, everyone had heard Xiao Hu's words, so they looked to each other fearfully.

Seven Kill Fist Sect? Peak level Internal Force user? Killed Timberwolves barehanded?

Why did these deeds sound so over the top? Timberwolves were deadly beasts and encountering just one of them would put a human's life in danger, much less than a hundred of them.

"I wager that the old man might have been telling his grandson some wild tales." Li Yichen calculated.

The old man registered the teenager's doubts and therefore he heaved a sigh and said: that was a long time ago. Even since I was defeated by an enemy, I can barely hold up against a phenomenal success Internal Force user."

"Who would be able to defeat you since you already sounded so powerful?" Zhang Yumeng asked as she battered her lashes.

"Hehe, although I was a peak Internal Force fighter, there are also semi-transcendent and the real Transcendent Grandmasters above me." The old man shook his head, disheartened by his old memories. "The person who had defeated me was Lei Qianjue."

"Lei Qianjue?"

This was the second time everyone had heard of this name, and it finally started to ring a bell.

This section of the water was closed off for the battle between Lei Qianjue and Chen Beixuan. It was evident to everyone how important these two were since even the popular tourist attractions had to close off because of their match.

"There, that one who was fishing is Lei Qianjue." The old man pointed his lips toward the center of the lake. Indignation and anger that had burned over a few decades were still visible in the old man's eyes.

"That is Lei Qianjue?" Jiang Churan and her friends looked to the center of the lake and saw an old man in a white coat sitting in a boat at the center of the lake. He looked just like an ordinary fisherman and nothing extraordinary.

"Above the Internal Force users were the Transcendent Grandmasters. Even if Lei Qianjue was not the most powerful Transcendent Grandmaster, he is at least on the top five list." The old man heaved a sigh.

He had been one level below Lei Qianjue when they pitted against each other. However, there and then, even Lei Qianjue's disciple could have defeated the old man with ease, worse, the old man's physical conditions and abilities were deteriorating by the day.

"Where are they going to fight? On that little boat? Why don't they choose a more convenient venue, say a gym?" Li Yichen asked confusedly.

Yang Chao and Zhang Yumeng nodded in agreement with Li Yichen's suggestion.

It would be too dangerous to fight on that tiny boat, one false move, they would all fall into the lake.

"Haha, that boat? Haha, the gym?" The old man let out a peal of laughter, rendering Zhang Yumeng and the other teenagers even more confused than before.

"A Grandmaster can walk in the sky and march on the water. Only while they were unconstrained by space could these powerful grandmasters fully unleash their power." The old man pulled a taut face and then said contemptuously: "Only amateurs fight in the gym. The two Grandmasters could easily tear the gym apart in less than three seconds."

"Really?" Zhang Yumeng and her friends could only stare.

Li Yichen kept his silence, but his eyes were filled with disdain.

"Well, it's not your youngsters' fault to not know any of it. Ever since Lei Qianjue was defeated by Ye Nantian seventeen years ago, there hasn't been another fight between Grandmasters. Grandmasters were the dominant power of an entire region, the foundation of regional stability, and therefore they don't let themselves get involved with confrontations easily. If not because of the Young Grandmaster's sudden rise to power, we wouldn't even have the fortune to witness this fight." The old man heaved a sigh and said.

Suddenly, his eyes glinted as he looked into the distance. "Another Grandmaster is here."

Around them, many martial arts suddenly rose to their feet and looked toward the same direction. Zhang Yumeng looked as well but saw nothing but an empty lake.

"Where is he?" Zhang Yumeng searched the lake surface for any sign of commotion, and then she found it.

A small black dot appeared at the horizon. The dot was the size of a thumb in the beginning, and then it grew to as big as a basketball. By then, everyone could tell that the dot was someone who was running across the lake on water.

"What?" Zhang Yumeng was stunned.

Suddenly, the person running snarled, his voice sent a shock wave across the lake, stirring up waves on the otherwise calm surface. It was deafeningly loud when it reached everyone's ear.

"Brother Lei, you are still looking pretty good after seventeen years."

When he pronounced "brother" he was still a few hundred meters away, however, by the time he finished his sentence, he had already reached the center of the lake. It was close enough for the teenagers from Chu Zhou City to see his face clearly.

It was a middle-aged man wearing a Daoist robe with black and white stripes. Every time the man's feet touched the water, it left an imprint in the shape of a Tai Chi symbol. Looking from afar, it was as if these Tai Chi symbols had carried him all the way across the lake, making the middle age man resemble an immortal with otherworldly powers.

"It..."

Zhang Yumeng and her friends were rendered speechless. Even Li Yichen was shaken by the sight. However illustrious the old man's past was, it paled in comparison to the middle-aged man's ability to talk on water.

"Grandmaster of the Tai Chi Sect, Chen Jiuyang!" The old man from the Seven Kill Fist Sect exclaimed heavily.

His eyes were filled with remorse and envy. Compared to the Tai Chi Sect, the Seven Kill Fist Sect was a small outfit. Ever since his defeat, the Seven Kill Fist Sect fell from grace and the number of sect members dwindled.

"How are you doing Brother Chen?" The old man fishing at the center of the lake finally broke his silence.

"Well, not as good as you, Brother Lei. I am only going downhill from here." Chen Jiuyang let out a wry smile. "I was still able to spar with you seventeen years ago, but seventeen years later, I can't even defeat your disciple! I was so ashamed of myself that I didn't know if I could face you again."

Chen Jiuyang stood steadily on the water, supported by a powerful gust under his feet. The wind blew from his feet plunged into the water, causing waves as high as a meter tall. It lifted the old man's body in the air above the water.

"Romon is not really my disciple. He used to study under many other Mixed Martial Arts Masters and is well versed in nearly all kinds of martial arts. I merely provided some of my advice and limited guidance." The old man said slowly.

"Your limited guidance had made a Grandmaster out of him. Brother, I really have to confess that I have no clue how powerful you have gotten. I wager that Ye Nantian would be your only worthy opponent in the world. " Chen Jiuyang lamented.

"Ye Nantian?" The old man suddenly tightened his back and put away the fishing rod. "After I have killed Chen Beixuan and avenged my disciple, I will head north to Yan Mountain and see if I can learn a thing or two from the all mighty Ye Nantian."

The two Grandmasters conversed with each other while their audience kept their silence fearfully.

Even Li Yichen and Yang Chao had sealed their lips while trying to grapple with the immense fear toward the two speakers.

"So what that old man and his grandson told us was true? Martial arts and their otherworldly powers such as walking on water, and killing people from a distance do exist in this world?" Li Yichen was dumbfounded.

He has seen it with his own eyes. Chen Jiuyang had walked over the lake on his bare feet; it was a scene straight out of the legends and high tales.

"Chen Jiuyang confessed that he couldn't even defeat the other old man's disciple? How powerful exactly is that old fisherman? And how powerful is Chen Beixuan?"

Everyone waited for the fight to begin expectantly.

Meanwhile, Lu Yanwu was still waiting outside of the ICU.

Chen Fan had been inside for three days, would he still be able to make it to the Fight of Grandmasters at the West Lake?

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Chapter 195: I Am Going To Kill Lei Qianjue

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Lin City, Number One People's Hotel, Intensive Care Unit...

Spring had come early inside the room where Lu Yanxue was in. The daffodils bloomed beside the sick bed and so did the lilies. Vines climbed over to the window, blotting the sunlight.

"Bang!"

The Inscription of Perpetual Life that had been hanging above Lu Yanxue's head had finally spent its last bit of energy and fell apart, turning into a puff of iridescent mist. After three days of intense treatment, Lu Yanxue was brought back from the brink of death and life and her beauty was restored.

By then, a black-haired beauty with porcelain skin and gorgeous face laid on the bed.

"Are we done?" The girl asked softly, her voice was laced with remorse.

She had watched as the young man beside her worked day and night for three days straight without a break. If Chen Fan didn't have the Azure Thearch Longevity Body that could constantly tap into the energy around him, he would have already collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

"Don't worry, you are healed now."

Chen Fan flicked a finger and an illusion came into focus out of thin air. It was a mirror seemingly made out of some kind of crystal. It was right in front of Lu Yanxue's face, reflecting the girl's beauty down to the finest details.

"That's me?" Lu Yanxue rubbed her cheek and asked in disbelief.

The girl in the mirror had an air of aloofness. Her eyes shone like two black pearls. All features on her face, let it be nose, eyes, or mouth all lined up perfectly, and created a face that was more beautiful than their sum.

Lu Yanxue's look used to be one in a million, now her beauty was so profound and provocative that it was borderline sin in the eyes of any pious men.

"Of course that is you." Chen Fan smiled.

It would have only taken Chen Fan a single day to save Lu Yanxue's life. He had spent the rest of two days focusing on improving Lu Yanxue's body, transforming her mortal coil into a Spirit Body.

Although Lu Yanxue was still a mortal, her physical condition was better than a top athlete in the world. She would be able to live over a hundred years with ease and would be immune to diseases. If she took up martial arts training now, she would surpass people such as Gao Baisheng and Lu Yanxue with ease. As for her beauty, that was just icing on the cake.

"Consider it as compensation for your suffering in the last three months."

Chen Fan thought to himself. A white line appeared in his palm. The Frigid Qi that Lie Qianjue had planted inside of the girl using the Art of Thousand Trickeries was still giving off biting coldness even after three months and left streaks of frostbite on Chen Fan's palm.

"Lei Qianjue..." Chen Fan narrowed her eyes as an azure fire danced in his pupils. "I could tell that he was a powerful cultivator just by this Qi he had planted inside of Lu Yanxue. He had broken the limitation of the Internal Force and was able to refine his True Qi into True Essence. I wager his power had already reached the Ethereal Enlightenment level other than that he might not have any Divine powers or Dharma Spells."

"Too bad that you have picked on the wrong person. You should have fought me before I reached Ethereal Enlightenment."

Chen Fan rose to his feet and his movement stirred Lu Yanxue. She hurried to ask: "Are you leaving again?"

"I just need to handle business quickly. I will be back." Chen Fan said lightly.

"What business?" Lu Yanxue asked curiously.

"To kill Lei Qianjue." Chen Fan replied.

Meanwhile, on the West Lake, more and more martial artist showed up at the closed-off section of the lake. Among them were even a few blond hair blue eyed white folk as well as some short and darker skinned foreigners.

"The lake got filled up pretty quickly. There are so many foreigners as well. Are they all martial artists?" Zhang Yumeng asked in surprise.

"What makes you think that there are no Martial Artist overseas? The Internal Force was just one of the many methods of practicing martial arts. There were also Physique Refinement, Ancient Muay Thai, Mixed Martial Arts and what have you. Each and every branch could produce fighters that are no less powerful than an Internal Force user. Lei Qianjue's disciple, Romon, for example, he was a perfect example of someone who knows how to combine all different kinds of martial arts techniques, let it be easter or western, internal or external, and turn them into something he could use.

"Lei Qianjue had dominated the martial arts landscape over a decade overseas and he was the crowned king of all Grandmasters who live outside of China. His disciple, Romon was the leader of the Chinese community in Canada as well as the leader of the Hong Sect. On the other hand, Chen Beixuan had risen to power recently at a surprisingly young age. He had reached Transcendent State before the age of twenty and killed the Lu family's Grandmaster Lu Tianfen. Therefore, no martial artist could have passed up the opportunity to witness this fight of the century. Even those who lived in Africa would fly-in to watch the fight."

"Really?" Zhang Yumeng made a surprised face and stuck the tip of her tongue out slightly.

Jiang Churan and Xu Rongfei were both shocked by the revelation

Li Yichen looked around and suddenly noticed someone familiar. So he padded the shoulder of the Young Lord Han and asked. "Young Lord Han, isn't that the CEO of the Gus Group, Gu Xuanhuai?"

"Oh? Ah yes, indeed..." Young Lord Han looked toward the direction where his friend was looking. Right away, surprise and shock were written all over his face. "The Gus Group is a publicly owned company that is worth over a few trillion. Gu Xuanhuai was the CEO of the company. Why is he here? And who is that old man standing before him?"

The Gu Xuanhuai they were talking about was the CEO of the renowned Gus Group.

He had made it to the top a hundred list of the Hurun Rich List, a magnate through and through. He should be able to make it to the top ten if not top five spots in the entire Jiang Nan Province and was a frequent guest of honor at public events.

However, there and then, the powerful tycoon stood respectfully behind an old man with a thin face.

"Who is Gu Xuanhuai? I have no clue who you guys are talking about. However, I know the old man standing at the bow. He is the Lord of the Gu family a semi-transcendent master. His power is on par with Su Wudi from your sect. However, I wager it was no longer the case since Chen Beixuan had torn off one of Su Wudi's arms." The old man from the Seven Kill Fist Sect lamented.

"Lord of the Gu family? Semi transcendent?"

Li Yichen and Young Lord Han were both dumbfounded by the strange names and jargon.

Although they have no idea what those words meant, they knew that Gu Xuanhuai was an ultra billionaire and it would require a heck a lot of prestige and power to make him stand so respectfully behind anyone. Along that line of thinking, they wagered that to be a Semi transcendent master would make one even more powerful than someone who owns hundreds of billions.

"Ren Yuanhang from the Heavenly Capital Inc. is here as well. Oh, and there is Li Jinlong from the Green Vine Pharmaceuticals, Wu Xiuzhu from Su Chen Group..."

Li Yichen identified a few more renowned businessmen and tycoons. However, everyone he knew of was standing obsequiously behind another man or woman at the front of the bow.

The old man readily gave away the names of those people.

"The family lord of the Ren family, Lord of the Li Family of Green Vines, the sect master of the Eight Trigrams sect."

As the old man went on, Li Yichen and his friends became increasingly shocked by how much control martial artists had over every facet of the world. They were the leaders of all kinds of industries, including a few foreign companies. Even the CEO or board chairman of these companies were no more than their puppets.

"These people controlled so much wealth and power that if they banned together, they would rival a small country. Yet, they are not even the fighter today, and they are just here to watch the clash of two even more powerful figures. So, how powerful exactly are Lei Qianjue and Chen Beixuan? And how much respect do they command?"

Li Yichen and Young Lord Han exchanged a knowing glance. They finally understand why the province would order the City to close off the lake.

These were all real top dogs in China.

One hour, two, three...

The audience waited patiently from morning till sunset. In the afternoon, a light drizzle started that made the lake look more gloomy and misty than ever.

The girls had gone under the deck but the martial artist didn't mind the rain. They stood still at the bow and waited patiently.

"Where is Chen Beixuan?" Zhang Yumeng poked her head out from under the deck and asked in ennui.

"What's the hurry, even Lei Qianjue is waiting more patiently than you." The old man sat cross-legged on the boat and replied. His grandson had followed the example of his grandpa and also sat cross-legged on the deck.

"But—" Even as Zhang Yumeng was going to refute, a wave of commotion cut her short.

The old man suddenly opened his eyes and rose to his feet, and so did the other martial artist on other boats. A wave of excited murmur rose on the lake.

"Chen Beixuan is here!"

"The Fight of the Grandmasters is about to start!"

"Let me see what he looks like. A twenty years old Grandmaster, that is unheard of!"

The crowd boiled over on the calm and raining lake. The tycoons and the magnates alike balanced on their toes, trying to catch a glimpse of the Young Grandmaster like a bunch of fangirls.

"Is he here?"

Jiang Churan and Xu Rongfei hurried out from under the deck and looked into the distance expectantly.

They watched as a little junk boat drifted closer toward them on the misty lake. Behind it was the setting sun and the Lei Feng Pagoda.

At the front of the boat stood a young man in dark clothes. He looked as handsome as a marble statue. Beside him was a couple of glamorous girls each holding a paper umbrella. The three of them looked like a flattering portrait of a god and goddesses.

"So that is Chen Beixuan? Why does he look like Chen Fan?" Zhang Yumeng asked curiously.

"Indeed. He does look like Brother Chen Fan, but he is much better looking, and taller." Xu Rongfei chimed in.

Jiang Churan was taken aback when she first saw the young man. Then she heaved a sigh as many strong yet contradicting emotions clashed inside of her.

She wished that the young man was Chen Fan, but the thought that her guess was true also terrified her.

Suddenly, Young Lord Han shouted: "That girl in the green outfit is Lu Yanwu of the Lu's Group, isn't she? She is the diva among the elites of Lin City. Countless successful young businessmen were interested in her. Is she a Martial Artist as well? "

Li Yichen kept his silence as he was also at a loss for words.

Finally, the old man fishing in the middle of the late slowly rose to his feet. He removed his hat and revealed his white hair and a face that was incredibly young.

His big frame, white hair and young face painted a strange and otherworldly portrait of him.

He was the Grandmaster of the Hong Sect, Lei Qianjue

The old man spoke out, his voice boomed like a volcano eruption.

"Chen Beixuan, you have finally arrived."

"I have been waiting for you for over three months, don't disappoint me please."

The old man's voice swept through the lake like a gust of wind. It was so ear-splittingly loud that Zhang Yumeng and her friends quickly covered their ears to muffle the sound.

"Lei Qianjue?" The young man on the junk boat looked up, eyes glinting.

"I! Came! To! Kill! You!"

After he had let out those words, he took a step forward and landed on the water.

Suddenly, a wave rippled out from under the young man's feet, and it rocked the other boats so violently that a few people nearly got pitched out from the decks.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 196: The Ultimate Power of Martial Arts

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Kaboom!"

Chen Fan's landing on the water sent a shock wave that swept across the entire West Lake, breaking up its calm surface.

Everyone watched as the young man darted out like a loosened arrow, leaving a tail of whitewash in his wake. Under his feet, the water was split in half like a sheet of ice under the weight of an icebreaker. Huge waves suddenly appeared on both sides behind the young man.

The white trail extended from the junk boat all the way to Lei Qianjue, like a Flood Dragon that clashed against the current and grappled with the power of the wind.

Chen Fan covered a few hundred-meter distance in a blink of an eye. The Tai Chi Grandmaster Chen Jiuyang had also walked on water, but his speed was much slower.

"Bang!"

Lei Qianjue flew up into the air right before a blaring explosion that blew up the wooden boat in which he had spent over three months. It was dealt a blow by Chen Fan's powerful punch.

"Chen Beixuan, you didn't disappoint me. I knew the waiting was worth it."

Lei Qianjue let out a peal of laughter. He fanned out both arms like an eagle as two winge shaped mist formed on his back. The white-haired old man glided in the sky like a large bird of prey and landed on the water a few dozen meters away.

The spot where he had been was a pile of floating broken planks.

Chen Fan stood still and slowly pulled back his fist. He turned around to face the old man as two azure flames burst out from his eyes. "Lei Qianjue, this punch is to teach you to think again before challenging me."

"Chen Beixuan, I hope you know that at my level, I don't give a swat about my disciples. My only goal was to reach the Immortal State." The misty wings behind Lei Qianjue back unfurled and flapped gently, carrying the Grandmaster's weight gracefully above the water. The old man carried a lightness about him that made Chen Beixuan doubt that the old man was at all disheartened by his disciple demise.

"Losers such as Lu Tianfen would never comprehend the ultimate desire of a true Martial Artist. He had reached the Grandmaster Level for well over ten years, yet he was still at the early stage of the Transcendent State. His contentment was his downfall. Me, on the other hand, I reached Transcendent State seventeen years ago and by now, I have already reached the peak of the Transcendent State. There is not a lot of people in the world who could rival my abilities."

"Oh? So if that's the case, are you still going to avenge your disciple?" The green flame in Chen Fan's eyes dimmed slightly.

"Haha! Linhu was just one of my many ordinary disciples. There are well over a few dozen disciples who are as powerful as him. Why should I be so bothered by a weaklings death? It's none of my business." Lei Qianjue laughed again. "However, I simply couldn't pass up the opportunity of fighting you before I face off against my nemesis: Ye Nantian!"

His face grew harder as cold light glinted in his eyes. "I will kill you in front of everyone to prove that I am finally worthy of challenging Ye Nantian again."

So saying, Lei Qianjue's misty wings flapped heavily, lifting the Grandmaster up and forward. Lei Qianjue tapped the water with the tip of his toes repeatedly; with each tap, he bounced off the rippled surface as he darted forward. When he was finally close to Chen Fan, he folded his hands.

"Boom!"

Water was drawn out of the lake by a powerful force and formed two large palms. Then the two liquid palms folded together as Lei Qianjue's hands just did. Lei Qianjue's True Qi was so powerful that he could bend the water and reshape them into two hands that were as hard as steel. These water palms were so tough and so powerful that it was able to crush a car into a flat metal sheet.

"Break!"

Chen Fan extended two fingers from which a blade grew out. Chen Fan swung the blade in a sidearm sweep.

Everyone watched as an azure Blade Aura flashed across the middle of the liquid palm, severing it into half. However tough and strong these True Qi infused palms were, they could not withstand the deadly Blade Aura. Without the True Qi to hold the palms in shape, water spilled out and fell into the lake as the palm melted away.

However, Lei Qianjue had already unleashed his second attack.

He clenched a fist and punched from afar, sending out an invisible Qi Energy. It was still raining, so as the invisible force stormed through the curtain of raindrops, letting splashes of rain droplets outline its shape and its trajectory like the trail of a bullet.

"Bang!"

Chen Fan charged up his energy again and he hacked at the invisible Qi with a three meter long scintillating Blade Aura. The Fist Qi was able to hold up for a brief second before it was cut through by the blade.

"Uh?" Chen Fan grunted under his breath. Lei Qianjue seemed to be more powerful than he had expected.

The Internal Force of a normal Martial Artist was usually crude, a far cry from the cultivator's refined True Essence. The difference between the two was as drastic as the effectiveness between a wood practice sword and sharpened steel blades. This was the reason that despite Chen Fan's early stage in his cultivation, he was able to overcome so many seemingly powerful Martial Artists, including the Grandmaster, Lu Tianfen, who he killed with bare hands.

However, Lei Qianjue's Fist Qi Energy was not crude at all. It was condensed and refined, so much so that it was nearly substantial despite its unsubstantial nature. It was not that much different than the True Essence of a cultivator. In other words, the only edge that Chen Fan possessed over Lei Qianjue was his five hundred years of combat experience as the Celestial Lord, as well as his wealth of knowledge in Divine Powers.

"I have never expected you to have achieved such a level of attainment in your Internal Force refinement. I think you are very likely to enter the Immortal State given time." Chen Fan nodded and said.

"Normal Martial Artists only focus on increasing the mass of their Internal Force, however, they have missed the point. The potency of the Internal Force is much more important than anything else. I have read too many case studies, and have never seen a Martial Artist who has entered the Immortal State without an extremely potent and sharp Internal Force." Lei Qianjue cracked a smile and said.

"Well said! Try to counter this attack!"

Chen Fan stepped forward as Blade Auras formed at the tip of his fingers again. A green glow suddenly came up and was growing more intense by the second. In a blink, the light had reached a few meters long.

Lei Qianjue waved his hands and sent out a pulse of energy to the lake, stirring up huge waves. He held these waves in place using his True Qi and formed few sections of walls made out of pure water. Each water-wall was as tough as metal reinforced concrete. However, these walls quickly crumbled and were reduced to gushes of water after Chen Fan's attack went through them.

"What kind of technique is that?" Lei Qianjue's face changed colors as he pulled back a few meters to get out of harm's way.

After he gathered himself, he noticed that the water under his feet where he had been standing was slashed open by the blade. The cut was wide and deep, it reached all the way to the bottom of the late, revealing the dark mud.

"This blade technique was called 'Primordial Five Elements Qi Blade' It has five variations in accordance with the theory of the Five Elements. However, I have only mastered the first variation, the Azure Wood Qi Balde. Otherwise, my last attacked should be enough to do away with you." Chen Fan lamented.

Like the invincible True Martial's Dharmic Blade, the Five Elements Immortal Sect also had a secret Balde technique and it was called the "Five Elements Qi Blade". The Five Elements Immortal Sect excelled at Qi Controlling; an Inner Circle Disciple of the Five Elements Immortal Sect who had gained the Five Elements Divin Body would be able to control five different kinds of Qi weapon and wield them at the same time to increase their power ten folds. However powerful Lei Qianjue was, Chen Fan was confident he could do away with him with one blow.

"What a wonderful art! I have never heard of it before. Chen Beixuan, I am very impressed by your ingenuity and your power. You are really worthy of the name 'Young Grandmaster'. "Lei Qianjue clapped and praised Chen Beixuan with a cold voice and an even colder gaze.

"However, you should never have fought me in this rainy weather on the lake.

"I have invented the Art of Thousand Trickeries while I cultivate on the Arctic Tundra, afterward, I have spent ten years on the Icy surface of the Great Bear Lake. Therefore, fighting on the water is right up my alley."

Everyone watched as Lei Qianjue flicked his fingers a few times like a pipa master gently striking a cord.

"The high notes wail like pelting rain,

The low notes whisper like soft confidences;

Wailing and whispering interweave

Like pearls large and small cascading on a plate of jade."

It was as if Lu Tianfen had plucked the string that connected all the droplets in the air; the rain suddenly turned into countless steel bullets and shot out in all directions. So skillful was Lu Tianfen in using his True Qi that he could adapt and reshape his environment at will. Such ability was much more powerful than that of Lu Tianfen.

"Excellent!"

A smile broke over Chen Fan's face as the Blade Aura surged again until it lit up half of the grey sky with an azure hue.

Everyone watched as the Blade Qi flashed across space and slashed open the curtain of raindrops, creating a sliver of vacuum in the air. This vacuum quickly grew all the way to Lei Qianjue as the Blade Qi cut through the damp air.

Chen Fan suddenly flashed out of the view as his body turned into a blurry shadow that flew toward Lei Qianjue. Meanwhile, he formed Blade Auras at the tip of his fingers.

"Chen Beixuan, you fell into my trap!"

Facing Chen Fan's frontal attack, Lei Qianjue was elated. He shot out a hand and closed his fingers into a fist. Suddenly, the rain droplets converged toward Chen Fan with the same speed and ferocity of the turbulent air in a Tornado. The raindrops turned into bolts and they were let loose at Chen Fan.

"Break!"

Chen Fan swung the blade with both hands as his body was blurred behind the wash of azure colored energy. This energy shot out at the incoming projectiles and deflected them, creating a clear path in its wake.

"Lei Qianjue, you won't be able to harm me with just water. Show me your most powerful attack, the Thousand Trickeries!" Chen Fan swung the blade around and hacked vertically in the air, creating another clear path between him and Lei Qianjue. Then he crossed both blades and plunged toward Lei Qianjue.

Lei Qianjue's face darkened after seeing the development.

He had wagered that Chen Fan had reached at most the early-stage of the Transcendent State at such a young age. However, to his surprise, the young man was as strong as he was, if not stronger. His powerful True Qi coursed in the air continuously from the beginning of the fight.

The water-wall and the rain bolts all epitomized Lei Qianjue's excellent control of his powerful energies. If they were used against any normal Grandmasters, they would have already been fumbling to get to safety. However, Chen Fan didn't even flinch. With only a few simple hacks, Chen Fan had deflected rain-bolts and toppled the water-wall. So easily had Chen Fan countered Lei Qianjue's attack that the latter suddenly felt slightly disheartened.

"Fine, I will show you my coup de grace."

Lei Qianjue flicked his fingers again as ten stringy white Qi Energy shot out from the tip of each of his finger. They looked no different than silk threads when they formed a web that came down on Chen Fan.

"Break!"

Chen Fan didn't flinch. He hacked at the web with the Blade Qi. So sharp and deadly was the Blade Qi that it had easily cut through the web that was harder than steel.

"Chen Beixuan, do you really think that is my coup de grace?"

Lei Qianjue folded his hands abruptly.

Suddenly, countless white strings shot out from his palm, and they formed a net of a few hundred square meters that hovered above the lake. A deadly frigid coldness rolled down from the wed and reached the Azure Wood Qi Blade, froze it in place.

"This Frigid Qi was harnessed from the Arctic Tundra, how do you like it?"

He laughed out loud and flicked his finger again as if he was playing an end note of a solo piano performance.

His finger controlled the countless strands and completed the creamy white web. It cast over a large portion of the lake, leaving no room for escape. This was Lei Qianjue's coup de grace that he had been perfecting over the decade.

"Qi Net of the Thousand Trickeries."

Suddenly, Chen Fan was in grave danger.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 197: The Most Epic Battle In History

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"He is too powerful."

While Chen Fan's attack clashed with Lei Qianjue, all the spectators by the lakeshore felt only one thing: these two were definitely not mortals, instead. They were sages and immortals who could stir up waves and turn the lake upside down. In a blink, the previously calm lake roiled and swirled and even the air was filled with the smells of smoke and blood.

"Brother Lei's control of his True Qi is sublime. He could form a wall out of the water and turn raindrops into bolts with a wave of the hand. There was nothing that his True Qi couldn't manipulate. If I were Chen Beixuan, I would crank up the Tai Chi Qi Energy and try to say alive as long as possible." Standing before the crashing waves, Chen Jiuyang shook his head and heaved a sigh.

The audience around the old man nodded in agreement.

Those Semi-Transcendent Level family lords could relate the most to the old man's sentiment. Although they had gotten a handle on projecting their Internal Energy outward, it couldn't compare with Lei Qianjue's unimaginable ability to wield the power of Heaven and Earth.

The audience was mesmerized by the two's display of power as they watched the fight with great admiration.

"Is this the true power of a Grandmaster? To control the elements and reshape them at will like the immortals in legends? This is incredible! I wonder if us average folks could ever reach that state?"

"That being said, Chen Beixuan had held his own before the mighty Lei Qianjue as well. After all, he was able to kill another Grandmaster, Lu Tianfen. He can form Blade Qi at his fingertips and it was so sharp that it could cut through anything in its way. I wager any Grandmaster would have to think twice before attacking him if they didn't have any weapon to counter Chen Beixuan's Blade Qi."

An old man sitting on top of a coiled-up snake said in a hoarse voice.

Under his feet were the head and the neck of a large python. Its triangular head perked up on its three-meter long neck, the slit eyes were golden in color. Its forked tongue slithered in and out of his mouth, it was evident from the cold and heartless gaze of the snake that this was a deadly beast.

The old man with the snake was wearing a green robe suggesting that he was an infamous Grandmaster from the Miao's Land. His reputation had kept other people at a distance. Rumor had it that he was related to the Dark Witch Sect and that alone would deter anyone to talk to him.

"Brother Du is right." Chen Jiuyang nodded and said hesitantly. He tried to hide his fear toward the old man in the green robe but failed. "However, Chen Beixuan only relied on his advantage in more powerful True Qi and fancier techniques. I say that Brother Lei was much further along the way in terms of the level of attainment. After all, Brother Lei had the Power of Earth and Heaven at his disposal. This fight might have a chance of ending in a draw if they were not fighting on the West Lake. Fighting close to the water was right up Brother Lei's alley."

Hering the judgment of Chen Jiuyang the Grandmaster, everyone nodded in agreement.

Everyone could tell that Lei Qianjue had the initiative since the beginning of the fight. Lei Qianjue's level of attainment was so high that no one knew exactly what he was capable of, however, they were convinced that Chen Fan's power was limited to the —although powerful —strength of the Azure Wood Qi Blad.

Meanwhile, ordinary people such as Zhang Yumeng and her friends could only stare.

"Are... are they human?" Yang Chao asked in a trembling voice.

While carried by the misty wings, Lei Qianjue waved a hand and summoned a three-meter tall wall of water, and then with another wave, he conjured a shower of deadly bolts. On the other hand, Chen Fan's single strike carried enough power to shake the ground. He wielded the Blade Qi and severed the lake in half until the lake bottom was exposed under the sky.

The fight between the two had stirred up huge waves that broke up the surface, threatening to turn the lake upside down.

The power of these fighters was beyond the wildest imagination of Yang Chao and his friends. They had thought that a Grandmaster could wield the equivalent power of a hundred men, but he couldn't have been more wrong. These two fighters were even more powerful than the glorified depiction of Martial Artist Grandmasters on TV.

Zhang Yumeng and Xu Rongfei were rendered speechless as they tried to come to terms with reality.

Li Yichen clenched his fist tightly as one thought appeared in his mind. "If I could be as powerful as them, I wouldn't need to work hard for money nor power. I could just wave a hand and kill anyone I didn't like, such as Chen Fan."

Jiang Churan sat sulkily and watched the fight with furrowed brows. Unlike the rest of the crew on the boat, she had seen Chen Fan's unimaginable ability before, so she was the least shocked by what she saw.

"Why do I feel that Chen Beixuan's voice sounded so familiar? Where have I heard it before?"

Jiang Churan asked herself.

By then, Lei Qianjue had used his coup de grace and trapped Chen Fan within the web of white threads.

"Lei Qianjue's power had reached borderline Dharma Spells if not Divine powers." Chen Fan heaved a sigh.

Before Chen Fan had leveled up, he was able to do away with Lu Tianfen with ease. Neither Lu Tianfen's physical condition nor the potency of his True Qi could compare with that of a cultivator. Even his Art of Cloud Hand was much inferior to the True Martial Celestial Sect's Martial techniques.

Lei Qianjue was different. He had reached the peak of the Grandmaster Level and therefore technically, he should be as powerful as a cultivator in the late-stage of the Ethereal Enlightenment. His True Qi was a few times more powerful than that of Lu Tianfen, although it was still a few notches below that of Chen Fan. That being said. his True Qi was so condensed that it felt almost like True Essence. Therefore, Chen Fan concluded that Lei Qianjue should be at least as powerful as an early-stage Ethereal Enlightenment level. The only things he lacked were Dharma Spells and Dharma Artifacts.

As for the level of attainment in martial arts, Lei Qianjue was nearly unrivaled. Even those who could surpass his pure martial arts ability would have to rely heavily on spells.

"What a shame, you have arrived three months too late. If you found me three months ago, when my power and energies were spent, you might be able to drag the fight into a draw. However, now I have reached Ethereal Enlightenment. "

Suddenly, the intensity of the light in Chen Fan's eyes surged as he fixed his gaze at the Qi Net of the Thousand Trickeries that was coming down on him.

Once a cultivator had reached Ethereal Enlightenment, divine powers would form naturally. By then, he should be able to use any kind of Divine powers at will.

The Ethereal Enlightenment was a much more powerful level than the Foundation Establishment. A cultivator at Foundation Establishment level would only rely on his True Essence during combat, but at the Ethereal Enlightenment level, even the Power of Heaven and Earth would be at the cultivator's disposal.

"Lei Qianjue, let me show you the true power of Ethereal Enlightenment!"

Chen Fan let go of the Azure Wood Qi Blade, and he reached out a palm, then he closed his fingers to form a fist.

"Kaboom!"

Countless raindrops started to merge and form many water swords. Each water sword was a few inches long and was formed purely by rain waters. The edge of these blades gave off a bright light that reflected and bounced off the crystalline body of the blades. In a blink, the tender autumn scenery on the West Lake turned into that of a hell.

"This is... Impossible!"

Lei Qianjue's face finally paled.

He waved his hands to deflect incoming crystalline blades. To his surprise, these blades were not only sharp but also packed a hefty punch. It wasn't long before Lei Qianjue's hands started to feel numb.

The Qi Net of the Thousand Trickeries that he had spent so many days and night weaving and strengthening into shape were cut into pieces and quickly fell apart.

Chen Fan took a step forward as he traced a line in the air. Suddenly, these crystalline blades turned around and flew behind Chen Fan where they rearranged themselves in a straight row.

"Lei Qianjue, try to counter my Art of Water Swords!"

Chen Fan waved a hand and a huge explosion erupted on the lake. Countless water swords darted over the giant waves toward Lei Qianjue.

It was as if Chen Fan had pressed a button that remotely controlled all these flying swords. In the end, these flying swords converged and formed a sharp Blade Aura of a few hundred meters long. The aura ran from one end of the lake to the other, and the energy emanated from its body forced the water below to split in half, forming a deep chasm.

Even Lei Qianjue could have created bolts out of rain droplets, much less a cultivator at the Ethereal Enlightenment level.

However, unlike Lei Qianjue, Chen Fan didn't use True Qi, instead, he simply cast a Dharma Spells.

I shall kill Lei Qianjue with the deadliness of a thousand and three hundred sharp crystalline edges.

"Arise!"

Lei Qianjue's face darkened after seeing the swarm of blades coming at him. He charged up his True Qi as energy billowed out from his sleeves. The energy around him tossed his white hair into loose swirls. Both of his arms rose slowly with great difficulty as if he was lifting up something that weighed a ton.

Meanwhile, the brief tranquility on the calm lake was disturbed once again as a few large walls of water rose from the surface. These walls of water were at least a few meters tall and a meter thick. However, as soon as they rose above the water, they were frozen and turned into ice walls. There and then Lei Qianjue had given everything he got, unleashing all the energy that he had harnessed over the decades on the frigid tundra.

"Boom!"

A thousand and three hundred water swords pierced through the seven walls of ice. These frigid ice walls were at least a meter thick each, yet, they crumbled like a block of tofu under the attack.

However, after totaling the seven walls of ice, the number of water-swords was reduced down to nine hundred from a thousand and three hundred.

It wasn't long before these nine hundred water swords came to contact with the Qi Net of the Thousand Trickeries.

"Clank, Clank!"

Despite the fact that these water swords were made out of the water, they sounded like metal when they cut through the threads. Lei Qianjue's Qi Net of the Thousand Trickeries was so sharp and strong that it was able to cut up the weather-hardened ice cover at the Arctic. However, the net quickly fell apart after the attack of the swarming water swords.

Five hundred water swords carrying their Blade Aura finally made their way to Lei Qianjue.

"BOM! Kaboom!"

Lei Qianjue improvised a Four Righteousness Protection Aura within a three meters radius around him. These Four Righteousness Protection Aura was so dense that they seemed to take on physical forms. One could see mist like substance roiling inside the aura; they were pure True Qi. Once condensed into the mist, True Qi was about as strong as steel, if not more so. It was able to stop even a bullet at point-blank.

The Four Righteousness Protection Aura was what made the Grandmasters invincible even during this day and age.

"Swoosh, Swoosh!" The sharp water swords and the dense Four Righteousness Qi clashed into each other. Whenever a water sword spent its energy and fell into the water, the tip of the sword inched closer toward it's target.

There were five hundred swords left when the tip was three meters away from Lei Qianjue.

Three hundred swords, when it was two meters away.

A hundred swords when it was only a meter away.

Finally, the blades broke through the aura and its rank was reduced to merely nineteen. Lei Qianjue punched at the group of nineteen swords. Without even using his True Qi, he deflected the incoming attack.

"Chen Beixuan, do you really think I have been wasting away my life during the ten years?"

"I have cultivated endlessly at the tundra. Without a strong body, how could I survive on the harsh Tundra for ten years?" Lei Qianjue stood barefoot on the lake and smiled proudly.

He was not only a Transcendent Grandmaster but also a Physique Refinement Grand Master.

"However, I have never expected you to be a Transcendent Grandmaster as well as a Perfected cultivator of Dharma Cultivation Level at the same time. I admire your ability to unite the Dharma Spell and Martial Arts techniques. Unfortunately, you have met me." Lei Qianjue shook his head and lamented.

"Is that so?"

Chen Fan remained calm and unfazed. He shot out an arm to the surface of the lake.

In a blink, countless columns of water sprout out from the lake. They were so huge in size that some of them even held live shrimps and fishes in them. These water columns merged together and formed a few meter long blades made out of sloshing currents.

When the blade was formed in the sky, it shot out a wave of Balde Qi so powerful that it stopped the rain for a second.

The audience was stunned by the terrifying sight as they wondered if they should call this a fight between two martial artists or a battle between immortals. It was even more astonishing than the fight between Lei Qianjue and Ye Nantian seventeen years ago.

"Lei Qianjue, this sword could kill a Grandmaster with ease. Do you think you can survive it?"

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and said calmly.

He had drawn all the water in the West Lake and turn it into an Immoral Sword of unprecedented power. This blade wields enough energy to kill any Grandmaster in the world.

Lei Qianjue's face paled as his expression grew heavy. A pressing sense of crisis suddenly gripped his heart.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 198: Killing Lei Qianjue With a Blade

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Cultivators of Ethereal Enlightenment level were able to use the Power of Heaven and Earth to cast Dharmic powers. This was what set them apart from the cultivators of Foundation Establishment level. Without a decent Dharma Artifact or Dharmic powers, a Foundation Establishment level cultivator would stand no chance against his Ethereal Enlightenment counterpart. Chen Fan's fight at the Medicine God Valley Sect was a perfect example. Without Li Fire Golden Eyes, Chen Fan would be slowly worn out by the Seven Malice Poison Array and eventually be defeated.

Lei Qianjue was a martial arts genius who had refined his earthly martial arts skills to such an extreme that he was able to surpass the limit of his cultivation and grasped the Power of Heaven and Earth. However, he was only able to control a small portion of the Power of Heaven and Earth and couldn't compare with the amount of energy an immortal cultivator, such as Chen Fan.

Chen Fan summoned a blade with a wave of his hand. The blade was five meters long and pointed directly at the rainy sky, threatening to cut open the drizzling curtain above and roiling the lake below. The Blade Qi stretched across a few hundred meters of the area around him, and it was so powerful that it would easily slice through a tank if it happened to be in the way of the Blade Qi.

"This is not martial arts, this is divine power and a divine spell!" Gu Shitong's hands trembled as tears of excitement welled in his eyes. "I had heard that once a martial artist entered Immortal State, he would no longer be a mortal and is able to control all kinds of unimaginable powers. Is that what I am seeing right now?"

His defeat at the hands of Lei Qianjue had halted his cultivation toward Transcendent State cold in its track. However, he never stopped dreaming. The sight of Chen Fan's otherworldly power and the thought of a young boy obtaining such power through cultivation filled the old man's heart with poignant emotions that brought tears into his eyes.

"Chen Beixuan is not very far from the Immortal State if he hasn't already reached it." Chen Jiuyang paused a second and then heaved a sigh.

The Grandmaster Du kept his silence, but his face was tight and so were his clenched fists. Even the enormous monster under him seemed to fear the Blade Qi that threatened to break the world. So the snake lowered its hideous head and tucked it under its coiled body.

Meanwhile, the rest of the martial arts watched on with a great measure of admiration and respect. They wished they could be as powerful as Lei Qianjue and Chen Beixuan.

As for Zhang Yumeng and her friends, they had been long since rendered speechless and all they could do was stare.

"Am I dreaming? Why have I never heard of such things before and never saw them on TV or movies? The two were like members of the Avengers. I doubt even spiderman or iron man would be able to defeat them."

Jiang Churan was the only one who was still puzzled by other questions.

"Did I mishear? He really sounds like..."

Meanwhile, on the lake, Lei Qianjue's hair white hair stood on end, and his face was somber. He fixed his eyes on the giant immortal sword that hovered above the lake as he couldn't help feeling impressed.

Although he was able to tap into the Power of Heaven and Earth using his True Qi, Chen Fan could do much better and more effortlessly than him. With a wave of a hand, Chen Fan had summoned a water sword that was over a few dozen meters long. Worse, it seemed sharper than even real blades. It's belligerent Blade Qi was a telltale sign that it was able to slit the sky and kill a Grandmaster with ease.

"I had thought that I had gotten a handle on the power of the Immortal State and only Ye Nantian could have known more about the Immortal State than me."

Lei Qianjue heaved a sigh and said: "But I was wrong. I have never thought that I would meet such a powerful semi-Immortal State fighter here in Lin City. Worse, he looks barely twenty."

While Lei Qianjue lamented, Chen Fan kept a calm face and swept one arm in the air.

The giant water sword, weighed over a few tons suddenly flew up and bore down on its target. Even without the Power of Heaven and Earth that was infused in the blade, just the sheer weight of the water would have crushed a mortal's body.

The giant blade came down on Lei Qianjue, carrying the weight of a mountain. No mortal would be able to stop it now. Even though Lei Qianjue was a Physique Refinement Grandmaster, the blow would outright pulverize his body.

Everyone felt their hearts catch in their throats. Was this the end? Was the Grandmaster of the renowned Hong Sect going to die here and now?

Romon stood on the bank against an old willow tree. His fingers dug into the tree's bark as he tried to overcome the anxiety.

Meanwhile, everyone watched on with great anticipation.

When the five-meter-long blade was about to land on top of Lei Qianjue, the white-haired old man heaved a sigh and said:

"Fortunately, I have prepared well ever since I was defeated by Ye Nantian."

"Chen Beixuan, let me show you what I have prepared for you over the three months while I fish on the lake."

Lei Qianjue's eyes shone sinisterly as he stamped the lake surface with his feet.

"Arise!"

The water in the lake trembled at first and then it started to bubble. It wasn't long before countless dead fish surfaced with their bellies up. Upon closer look, people noticed that these creatures were frozen to death.

"Swoosh!"

The lake suddenly opened up as a giant scintillating web appeared. The giant web was made out of countless gleaming threads that were formed by ice crystals. Despite it being ice, it was as hard as steel. When the entire net came into view, everyone was astonished by its immense size. It covered a circular area of a hundred meters in radius, even Chen Fan's giant sword was covered under it.

"Over the three months, I have been weaving this web every passing second and created the real Qi Net of the Thousand Trickeries." Lei Qianjue said heavily: "I prepared this Qi Net for Ye Nantian, but looks like I will have to use it on you today."

"Chen Beixuan, come and test the power of the Ice Qi Net formed by the Frigid Qi from the Arctic Tundra."

So saying, he commanded the net to fly up until Chen Fan was under its center. His intentions were clear: to capture Chen Fan in the net like a fish.

Everyone was taken aback by the turn of events as they marveled at the powerful Lei Qianjue once again. Everyone agreed that he was worthy of the title: The Most Powerful Man Outside of China.

Seeing his teacher had finally used his real coup de grace, Romon heaved a sigh as his brows unfurled.

Standing before the giant web that was coming down at him, Chen Fan didn't even flinch. He pressed both palms down and shouted under his breath.

"Kill!"

The water sword flew out and hacked at the icy web.

Everyone had expected a huge shock wave after the impact—and rightfully so since it was a clash of Immortal State level spells and the True Qi of a powerful Grandmaster— but they were disappointed. The giant water sword suddenly melted the second it came into contact with the web, losing its shape and form and turned into a turbulent gush.

The water passed through the holes in the net and as soon as they reached the lake, they converged into the shape of a blade again and swung at Lei Qianjue with its deadly edge.

"Chen Beixuan, have you gone mad?"

Lei Qianjue was startled by the development, disbelief was written all over his face.

He thought that Chen Fan was going to die with him.

He sprung up and unfurled the misty wings on his back. The powerful True Energy that propelled Lei Qianjue upward pressed hard on the lake surface and created a deep depression. The misty wings enabled Lei Qianjue to launch himself into the air and he flew backward.

"Kaboom!"

The giant blade hammered down at the lake where Lei Qianjue was standing, creating a temporary chasm that was thirty meters wide. Emerald colored water was pushed to both sides and formed giant rollers around the chasm.

Lei Qianjue's white hair fell loose over his shoulders as he fumbled to get out of harm's way. He evaded the attack, but not the water that slashed out with the waves.

He looked toward Chen Fan and saw Chen Fan was still under his giant crystalline net. Chen Fan ignored the net that was closing in on him and closed his fingers to form a fist.

"Blade, arise!"

Numerous explosions erupted on the lake as countless columns of water rose into the sky. Just like last time, these water sprouts converged and formed a large blade, however, this time, the blade was a bit shorter than the last one.

Lei Qianjue fumbled to dodge the attacks.

"The third attack!"

"The fourth attack!"

"The fifth attack!"

Chen Fan struck at his opponent five times in a row and the violent commotion had turned the otherwise clear lake water a muddy soup. Although each time Lei Qianjue was able to escape by a hair's breadth, exhaustion was slowly claiming him. A few more attacks, he was bound to slip up.

However, Lei Qianjue suddenly stood still and was no longer on the run. He let out a peal of laughter.

"Chen Beixuan, you thought that you could kill me before my Qi Net of the Thousand Trickeries closed in on you. Well, think again."

Everyone was stunned by his announcement. They looked toward Chen Fan and noticed that the previously giant net was reduced to the size of a bird cage, encasing Chen Fan in its hollowed belly.

"Close!"

Lei Qianjue commanded with a deep growl.

The crystalline net let out a peal of cracking noise like ice being crushed and compressed as it shrunk in size. The strands of ice that made up the net were gaining more mass and strength by the second. Everyone knew that even an Immortal State martial artist would be crushed into the pulp inside the formidable death trap.

This was the real coup de grace, the killing blow that Lei Qianjue had been perfecting over the decade on the tundra.

Although he didn't get to use it on what it was intended, to be able to kill an Immortal State cultivator such as Chen Fan with it was not a waste of its power.

"sigh"

Facing the shrinking web of frigid crystals, Chen Fan let out a sigh. He let go of the water sword still hovering above the lake and lowered his hands. It looked like he had given up.

"Chen Beixuan, I have to say that you are one of the most ingenious and talented opponents I have ever met. Even Ye Nantian could not compare with you while I fought him seventeen years ago." Despite Lei Qianjue's praise, his gaze only grew colder. He was not going to let the young man live.

He knew that at his level, pity and sympathy could be a deadly thing.

"What a shame, if he waited ten more years, he could definitely kill Lei Qianjue." Chen Jiuyang shook his head and heaved a sigh.

His sentiment was shared by many other martial artists. Chen Fan's rise to power was swift and stunning, yet his fall was even quicker and more spectacular.

"Let's go now."

Grandmaster Du patted the giant snake under his feet and was ready to leave.

Zhang Yumeng and her friends heaved a sigh of disappointment. Compared to the white-haired one, they liked Chen Fan much more due to their similar age.

"Ten meters, five, three..."

In a blink, the net had turned into an ice ball that was devoid of any openings. No longer could people see Chen Beixuan, and they wagered that they would never see the boy again.

Suddenly, muffled laughter drifted out from the ice ball

"Lei Qianjue, is this your trump card?"

Everyone was startled by the voice and they looked at the ice ball again. They saw a pair of hands that reached out of the ball through a small opening, they grabbed hold of the edge of the opening and tore at it.

"Sssth-Wack!"

The ice cage was torn open by Chen Fan's bare hands. The layers upon layers of hardened crystals were shattered into pieces like papers.

Under Lei Qianjue's terrified watched, Chen Fan stepped out of the cage languorously.

There was no trace of Dharmic Powers about him, but he seemed to have become the one with Heaven and Earth, he wove his essence into the very fabric of reality.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 199: Death of a Grandmaster

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Lei Qianjue was a powerful fighter, let it be his Internal Force or physical strength, either one of them could rival that of a cultivator at Ethereal Enlightenment level. He was even able to tap into the Power of Heaven and Earth quit efficiently. The Qi Net made out of ice crystals were created after three months of hard work and was able to kill any average Ethereal Enlightenment cultivator with ease. Even if an armored military vehicle was trapped inside the net, it would also be shredded into pieces.

Unfortunately for Lei Qianjue, his opponent was Chen Fan, someone who had achieved the Azure Thearch Longevity Body.

The Connate Cultivator's body was called a Dao Body. Some Dao Bodies were able to allow the cultivator to run faster than the speed of sound and some would allow the cultivator to dismantle a tank with their bare hands. Although Chen Fan had only reached the Introductory Level of Azure Thearch Longevity Body, the power of his Dao Body was already on par with other kinds of Dao Bodies at initial success level.

Lei Qianjue's Ice Crystal Qi Net could shred steel and shave iron. However, it looked like it was made out of paper and glue before Chen Fan's Connate Body.

Thus it was. With such power, Chen Fan would be able to dominate the entire earth with ease. As long as he was not under a concentrated bombardment of modern firearms, his body would always hold up. Even if he had to face against another Immortal State cultivator, Chen Fan would be able to hold his own with his nearly indestructible body.

"How is that possible?"

Life ebbed away from Lei Qianjue's face as he was shaken by the development.

He had been working on the Ice Crystal Qi Net for ten years while he was on the tundra, he was going to save it for the fight against his nemesis Ye Nantian, but it was easily ripped apart by Chen Fan's bare hands. How powerful exactly was he? He wagered that Chen Fan's punch should be able to pierce through at least a half meter thick metal sheet.

Everyone else on the lake shared the old man's utter astonishment. Grandmaster Du was already about to leave, but the development stopped him cold in his tracks and had rendered him speechless.

"I need to run!"

As a Grandmaster who had lived a rough-and-tumble life in and out of China and knew what and what not to do at the right time. The situation right now called for escaping. He knew that despite Chen Fan's praise for him, Chen Fan was not going to let him leave here alive.

The wings behind Lei Qianjue fanned out again and quietly grew to about two to three meters long. He tapped the lake with the tips of his toes gently as he made his way across. Every seemingly nimble tapping on the water would cause the lake surface to cave in, pushing the old man forward with lightning speed.

"This punch is my appreciation for the three months of waiting." Chen Fan closed his fingers and formed a fist as he lightly stamped the water with one foot.

"Kaboom!"

Suddenly, the sky seemed to have fallen upon the lake as a large portion of the lake suddenly caved in and created a depression that was about ten meters wide. This depression looked exactly like the bottom of a human's foot; the force went through the few-meter-thick lake and pressed hard onto the lake bottom.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan launched himself up into the air like a cannonball.

"Huuuulalala!"

Suddenly, a peal of sound like a siren came up as a hundred or so white columns of Qi lanced out from the surface of the lake, it looked like fighter jets had taken off and soared up into the air from the bottom of the lake, trailing jet streams in their wake.

"It..."

Everyone was speechless by the sight. Chen Fan had broken the sound barrier using his physical body alone.

Chen Fan covered the few hundred-meter distances in a few seconds and reached Lei Qianjue before the later had realized what was going on. He didn't give Lei Qianjue any time to react as he hammered his fist at him.

"NOOOO!"

At the moment of life and death, Lei Qianjue folded his hands and summoned countless white Qi Energy around him, trying to cushion Chen Fan's punch.

However, Chen Fan's first came at him faster than the speed of sound and was too fast for Lei Qianjue to improvise a meaningful defense. The old man watched as a fist with white and tender skin shredded his Four Righteousness Protection Aura into pieces like tearing apart a piece of thin paper; then the fist kept going and landed squarely on Lei Qianjue's chest.

"AHHH!"

A gush of blood rushed into Lei Qianjue's mouth and was sprayed out in a bust of thin crimson mist.

The body had been refining over a decade on the frigid tundra was able to withstand a bullet shot at point blank, however, there and then, the old man watched in horror as his chest was pressed in by a fist until it was flush against his back.

A nearly invincible Grandmasters, such as he was, was dead after Chen Fan's one single punch. The old man's body fell lifelessly into the lake and disappeared.

"Kaboom!"

Then and only then, the explosive sound of the impact finally swept across the lake like a clap of rolling thunder.

A deadly silence fell over the lake. No one spoke a word as they could only stare at the shocking development.

"Lei Qianjue is... dead?"

Gu Shitong asked in a trembling voice

"Lei Qianjue is... dead!"

Chen Jiuyang nodded, his voice heavy.

All the Martial Artists looked to the young man in black outfit reverentially. They knew that a new era had dawned upon the world and with it a new legend.

Chen Beixuan, the Young Grandmaster was also the youngest man to have achieved the Immortal State.

No one knew what the Immortal State meant and neither did anyone know what made anyone an Immortal State cultivator. However, since Chen Fan could do away with the most powerful Transcendent Master Lei Qianjue, people wagered that the young boy must be not far from the Immortal State.

"He broke the sound barrier with his own body and killed a Grandmaster with just one punch!"

"From now on, Chen Beixuan's name is going to be heard at every corner of the world."

Chen Jiuyang's eyes gleamed as he let a few words tumble out of his mouth.

As a Grandmaster of the Tai Chi Sect, the most powerful person among the audience, he had set the final tone on the battle of the century.

Everyone agreed with the old man's conclusion fearfully.

Three months ago, Chen Beixuan had earned the title of the Grandmaster by killing the family lord of the Lu family. However, even back then, people never stopped doubting him, and some even wanted to challenge him and bring him down.

However, there and then, Chen Fan used the blood of Lei Qianjue to prove himself in front of the world. By then, not even a Perfected Cultivator dared to challenge him, much less anyone whose level was below that of Grandmaster.

Chen Fan walked toward the shore from the center of the lake; not even the soles of his shoes were slightly damp, it was as if he walked on an invisible ground ever so slightly higher than the lake surface. Everyone, including other Grandmasters such as Chen Jiuyang and Grandmaster Du, lowered their heads to show their respect.

A black haired, green eyed man of multiracial heritage walked onto the lake and approached Chen Fan.

"Are you going to avenge your teacher?" Chen Fan looked at the middle-aged man who had just rose to fame three months ago with a great measure of interest.

Chen Fan had always been very interested in Mixed Martial Arts Masters. However, as soon as he saw Romon, he realized the so-called Mixed Martial Arts Master were essentially the same as a Physique Regiment Masters. In other words, once Tong Shan had perfected the Tiger Demon's Physique Refinement Art, he could then be called a Mixed Martial Arts Master as well.

"Grandmaster Chen, you are the most powerful man in the world, to be able to die in your hands is an honor for my teacher." Romon bowed deeply, and spoke in fluent Chinse: "I simply wish to ask you a favor, please allow me to bring my teacher's body back to the tundra where he wanted to be buried."

"Go ahead." Chen Fan waved a hand distractedly.

Lei Qianjue was top five most powerful fighters in the world. If Chen Fan didn't have the powerful Azure Thearch Longevity Body, even he might not have an effective counter for the old man's powerful attacks. However, with the Azure Thearch Longevity Body, Chen Fan had wagered that the old man would last no more than three punches from him, and he was right.

Chen Fan didn't use any Martial arts Dharma Spells during his attack, instead, he simply relied on his physical strength to break the sound barrier as he punched out.

Such a simple and crude technique was not even name-worthy. If one really needed to name it, it could be called "Hypersonic Punch."

Not even Lei Qianjue could have withstood such a punch, much less his disciple, Romon.

Romon bowed again and then ran past Che Fan to retrieve Lei Qianjue's dead body. Afterward, he ran away while carrying his teacher's body on his shoulder.

The fight was just finished, but everyone already started to miss the sight of the incredible battle. They lamented that this might be the last time they would ever see anyone duke it out with Chen Fan.

There was only one person in the world that might be able to do that

"Ye Nantian!"

However, their match was unlikely to happen since Ye Nantian had already joined the Military and would not fight a civilian without a good cause. Seventeen years ago, Ye Nantian was already more powerful than Lei Qianjue, so it made sense that he still was. If that's the case, how many of Chen Fan's punches could he take?

Zhang Yumeng and her friends looked to Chen Fan joyfully.

They didn't know who Lei Qianjue was and what it meant to kill him in one punch, all they knew was that the handsome young man whom they had been cheering for had won the fight.

"Uh? Fei Fie, why are you here?"

By then, Chen Fan had finally taken notice the group from Chu Zhou City and was curious as to why they were here.

"Oh, look! He is looking at me, isn't he?" Zhang Yumeng's eyes turned into hearts and she gazed at Chen Fan like gazing at her idol.

Meanwhile, both Yang Chao and Li Yichen's bodies tensed up in fear.

The young man looking at them was a deadly and bloodthirsty killer. If he had a beef with any one of them, he could simply crush the entire boat like crushing a worm.

To their relief, Chen Fan didn't come closer to them, instead, he cracked a smile and walked away.

Chen Fan wagered that it was not the time to say hi since they might not even recognize his new face.

"He smiled at us!" Zhang Yumeng was elated.

"He did... it was as if he recognized us..." Li Yichen thought curiously.

Jiang Churan's body shivered slightly as he looked to Xu Rongfei incredulously. She stood right beside Xu Rongfei and the young man's smile was unmistakably for her.

However, Xu Rongfei was so innocent that she didn't pick up any of those clues. She simply laughed and gawked at the young man with everyone else.

"He... Is he really Chen Fan?"

Jiang Churan thought in disbelief and hoped that she was wrong

Although Chen Fan had displayed his ability to summon a dragon in front of her, the girl was convinced that Chen Beixuan's power was limited to the Jiang Bei region. There and then, the young man had subjugated the hearts of all Martial Artists across China, including many top dogs in the martial arts world.

Everyone looked to Chen Fan with eyes that were filled with complicated emotions. Chen Fan walked back to his junk boat and stood beside the girls in Green Qipao.

The junk boat drifted around and carried the three otherworldly god and goddess into the distance until they disappeared behind the misty rain of southern China.

"Ah! What a battle! This is going to shock everyone!"

"Twenty years old, and already famous..."

The old man from the Seven Kill Fist Sect took a large gulp of wine and let out a few slurred words.

His grandson stood next to him, eyes filled to the brim with excitement.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 200: Rise to Fame

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Lei Qianjue is... dead!"

The news swept across the Chinese martial arts community and then made its way to the Chinese communities all over the world. Lei Qianjue had been the dominating figure among the overseas Chinese for decades and was called the most powerful Grandmaster outside of China; he was reputable all over the globe. However, such a powerful man was killed by a young man less than twenty years old in a fight. This was indeed unthinkable for most ordinary people.

The Chinese communities in Yan Jin, Zhong Hai, Jin City, Lin Nan, South-East Asia, Canada were all shocked by the news.

After learning the news, a name was imprinted into their brains:

"Chen Beixuan!"

He was the youngest Grandmaster and rumor had it that Chen Beixuan had even reached the Immortal State! Although most people didn't believe in such a rumor, they all agreed that Chen Beixuan was the strongest Grandmaster in the world.

Even among the martial arts communities in countries such as Japan and Korea, the martial artists had heard the name and the illustrious achievements of Chen Beixuan.

Hong Sect called for an emergency meeting and recalled all the regional underbosses that scattered around the world to discuss the implication of Lei Qianjue's death. Lei Qianjue was the most powerful Grandmaster in Hong Sect, the backbone of the organization as well as the regional underboss in Canada. With his death, all the oppositions of the Hong Sect in Canada were bound to up the ante. Even though the Hong Sect had other Grandmasters, their power was a far cry compared to that of Lei Qianjue.

Fortunately, Lei Qianjue's Candian disciple Romon was also a Grandmasters and should be able to handle the situation in Canada. Otherwise, the Hong Sect was about to lose most of their territories in Canada.

Zhong Zhou, the ancestral ground of the Ba Ji Sect...

Many leaders of the Ba Ji sect gathered in the same room. No one had spoken a word ever since they had heard the news about the fight at the West Lake.

The thin but energetic old man sitting at the head of the table was the oldest man in the room. He said with a booming voice.

"I have underestimated Chen Beixuan's power."

Grandmaster Lei, Mu Shan, Guo Xiuxiu and many other martial artists sat on either side of the table, and no one said a thing, dragging out the silence. The outcome of the fight had caught them by surprise. Chen Beixuan and Lei Qianjue threw off their gloves on the West Lake, and both had demonstrated their power as Grandmasters. After having nearly turned the West Lake upside down, the battle ended with Lei Qianjue's death after being dealt a blow from Chen Beixuan.

"I don't think even younger Uncle-Master would be able to handle Chen Beixuan." Mu Shan heaved a long sigh.

He was dealt a blow on his chest by Lei Qianjue's disciple Romon, and the pain still lingered even after the wound was healed. Three months ago, Romon was challenging each and every sect in China, and he eventually knocked on Ba Ji Sect's door.

Even though Mu Shan's leg hasn't fully recovered, as the most competent fighter in the sect, he accepted the challenge. After all, he couldn't let the eighty years old Great Uncle Master face off against such a powerful foe. Such cowardice would definitely invite humiliation from other sects.

However, Romon's power had far exceeded Mu Shan's expectations. He didn't use any fancy technique; instead, his punches and kicks were direct and to the point. Every movement had its purpose and meant the death of his opponent. Worse, Romon's physical strength was unimaginable. He had enough raw power to crack open a mountain, smash a wall, or bend an iron pillar.

Mu Shan lasted less than three moves during his fight against Romon. After learning that Romon's teacher was killed by Chen Fan, Mu Shan lost any remaining hope of avenging his humiliation at the hands of Chen Fan.

Gao Baisheng lowered his head as despair claimed him.

They said that a good enemy motivates one to work harder; however, when the gap between him and the enemy was unbridgeable, the enemy would only inspire despair.

"Zhentang... sigh..." The thin old man heaved a sigh and shook his head.

The name had taken the wind out of everyone's sails. Ever since the disappearance of Huo ZhengTang, the Little War God, the Ba Ji sect had become rudderless and was on the verge of falling apart. Otherwise, the fight with Romon would have ended very differently.

"Fine, fine, from now on, we will try to avoid Chen Beixuan. No one should bring up the bad blood between us again." The thin old man tapped the table firmly and announced seriously.

"Yes, Great Uncle Master." Everyone stood up and bowed as they replied gravely.

The Ba Ji Sect had to swallow down the humiliation; after all, no one in the sect had what it took to challenge a Demon God such as Chen Beixuan. Strength was the ultimate truth among the martial artists, and therefore, they should swallow down their resentment and concede defeat.

Guo Xiuxiu stood still, looking attractive as ever. She still found it hard to believe that an ordinary-looking young man could turn out to be one of the most powerful Grandmasters in the world.

Such meetings carried out not only in the Ba Ji Sect but also in the Diamond Temple, Xin Yi Sect and the Wu family of northwestern China. All the meeting had arrived at the same conclusion: "Do not mess with Chen Beixuan."

Chen Fan had dominated the martial arts landscape before he had even reached twenty.

Meanwhile... in the family estate of the Lu family in Lin City...

The air was filled with celebratory sentiments. People hung colorful lanterns and unboxed new-years decorations to gave the old house a complete makeover.

In the three months that had passed, Lei Qianjue had been fishing on his boat at the West Lake a few kilometers away from the Lu family. The presence of the Great Grandmaster cast a heavy shadow over the Lu family, restricting their activities. Even their territories all over China had been challenged by many regional opponents, making the situation extremely difficult.

In the end, people started to insinuate the idea of abandoning Lu Yanxue and draw a clear line with Chen Fan. After all, no one had expected the young man to survive the battle in the first place.

However, the great-great-grandpa of the family had opposed to such betrayal and ensured Lu Yanxue's safety in the family.

Now the fight was over, and everything turned out to be fine. Chen Fan had killed Lei Qianjue in front of martial artists from all over China, making him the crowned king of the Chinese martial arts community.

From then on, no one would dare to look at Chen Beixuan in the eyes, and neither would anyone dare to challenge the Lu family.

The Lu family's enemies across the Tian Nan Province dropped their weapons and surrendered as soon as they heard about Chen Beixuan's victory. Without Lei Qianjue, no one dared to test the ire of even an ordinary Grandmaster much less the most powerful one.

"Chen Beixuan is too strong. I was called to guard the West Lake and saw the battle from a distance. It was terrifying! They stirred up half of the water in the lake and left many deep scars at the lake bottom."

Inside the guardhouse, Lu Dayong was walking with his friends.

The other guards listened attentively; their eyes were filled with envy since they wished that they were there to witness such spectacular sight.

Suddenly, a leader of the Lu family walked past the guardhouse and overheard Lu Dayong's words. He pulled a taut face and castigated him: "Lu Dayong! Do not call Grandmaster Chen by his name. If I hear those words again, I will send you to work in the mine!"

"Yes... yes... Grandpa Tianhe." Lu Dayong lowered his head and apologized like an obedient grandson.

After the man had disappeared, Lu Dayong wailed disheartening: "Shit! I got caught by Lu Tianhe. He was the second in command in the family and was one of the very few Internal Force users."

The other guards kept their silence and didn't say a thing since Lu Tianhe was too powerful for them to make any comment about him. Lu Dayong was from the family while the rest of them were mere employees, and any rude comments would cost them their jobs.

By then, Lu Tianhe had made it to the meeting hall at the center of the estate.

A few martial artists of phenomenal success in their Internal Force cultivation had already stood by the gate, waiting for his arrival. They stood haughtily and kept their back straight, looking like the royal guards for the emperor.

"Is Grandmaster Chen here?" Lu Tianhe asked under his breath.

"He is already here, Uncle Tianhe. You may come in." One of the men nodded.

Lu Tianhe entered the meeting hall and saw Chen Fan sitting at the head of the conference table.

He was immediately taken aback by Chen Fan's appearance. Three months ago, Chen Fan had subjugated the Lu family with his mighty power; he looked nothing extraordinary.

However, there and then, Chen Fan's face was so handsome that he looked nearly otherworldly. His eyes shone like diamonds in the dark night, and his lush black hair fell loose over his shoulders. His body and limbs were in perfect proportion with each other. If not because of a slight familiarity with his former self, Lu Tianhe would never have recognized the young man.

"It had only been three months, how could there be so many changes." Lu Tianhe asked himself. He bowed respectfully to Chen Fan and said: "Grandmaster Chen, as advised, I escorted those teenagers back to Chu Zhou City. Everything was done discreetly, so those young girls will not know about my presence."

"Very well." Chen Fan nodded and cracked a smile.

He wagered that his smile toward Xu Rongfei wouldn't have escaped many of his enemies; therefore, he had ordered the Lu family to escort the girls back to Chu Zhou city.

"Grandmaster Chen, we want to appoint Lu Yanxue as our new family lord." Great-great Grandpa rose from his seat and announced.

"Same here. Please approve."

Many leaders of the family such as Lu Tianhe, Lu Tianyun, and Lu Tianwu all rose to their feet and announced sincerely.

Lu Haixuan stood behind everyone and looked to Chen Fan with complicated feelings. Just Three months ago, Lu Yanxue was just an ordinary member of the family. Other than her good looks, she contributed nothing to the family.

However, three months later, she was going to be the new family lord and take full control of the powerful Lu family. On the other hand, Lu Haixuan, a talented heir as he was, was going to live the rest of his life as a nobody.

Chen Fan had caused all of this.

"What?"

Lu Yanxue covered her mouth to stifle a surprised cry.

She had never thought that she had what it takes to lord over a family that was a dominating force in Lin City. Every decision made by the Lu family would affect the lives of millions. Even the financial power of the family alone would be able to make a huge impact on the Tian Nan Province.

Unsure what to do, she panicked and looked to Chen Fan for help.

Chen Fan cracked a smile and said calmly: "Whatever your decision is, I am on your side."

Hesitation flickered in Lu Yanxue's eyes as she scanned the people around her. In the end, a smile broke over her face as she said: "Ok, I'll take up the position."

Lu Yanxue's former self would never agree to such a conspicuous and illustrious position. She knew that her beauty alone would not help her surpass Lu Haixuan nor Lu Yanwu. The so-called family lord was nothing but a fancy title, a pledge of her family toward Chen Fan. In the end, she would only be Chen Fan's puppet as he exerts his control over the Lu family.

"If I don't make myself stand out, you will probably forget about me soon while basking in the reflection of your glory."

Lu Yanxue muttered under her breath.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 201: Meeting at the Hong Sect

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

West pacific... Headquarter of the Hong Sect...

"Huuulla!"

A Gulfstream G550 taxied from the landing strip to the terminal.

This airplane was worth over fifty million US dollars. It could hold up to eighteen people inside. Before its successor, the G650 came into production, G550 was the most luxurious private plane in the world.

The gate opened, and a handsome young blond man emerged from within. His sharp eyes glinted like lightning in a stormy night, terrifying but spectacular.

Following the blond man, a group of men and women filed out from the plane, all wearing the same style of uniform. The men in the group were tall and jacked. Hard features on their stone-cold faces suggested that they were powerful fighters. Meanwhile, the seven women in the group were of all backgrounds; there were Asian, African, and Caucasian. Despite their racial differences, they shared one thing in common: breathtaking glamour. All the women were tall and were wearing tight business skirts, and a few of them wore black-rimmed glasses. They looked like a group of professional secretaries.

The blond man sauntered out of the airport, carrying pride in every step he took. The men and women in the airport quickly got out of his way and lowered their heads out of respect as the blond man passed them.

"He is Zoro, the Thunder King, the principle of the branch in western Europe. He visits the headquarters barely once every year. There must be something big going on to have brought him back." A few guards at the airport murmured to each other.

"Hehe, so the rumor is true! Zoro had a healthy appetite for woman, doesn't he? I have heard that every one of the secretaries he hired were drop-dead gorgeous from universities all over the world. Not only did they have the looks, but they also have brains. One of them was a daughter of blue-blooded royalty in western Europe. He brings these little birds with him everywhere he went. Hey, don't you think that in the night—" A brawny black man said with a lewd smile.

"Shut up, Tupac! You are going to get us all killed! Zoro hates people talking about his girls." Another buff white man scolded him hotly. He was the captain of the guards." The last person who didn't watch his mouth before he was electrocuted to a crisp already."

Tupac sudden became quiet as if words had caught in his throat.

"The Principal of West Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and East Asia were all here..." The oldest guard furrowed his brows and said: "I don't think that everyone is here just for the annual gathering. Why did they summon all the Principals? Is the rumor true and Lei Qianjue is dead?"

A silence fell over the room as soon as they heard the old man's words.

"It's impossible. Lei Qianjue was our underboss in Canada, and he was one of the most powerful fighters in Hong Sect. Who would be able to do away with him?" After a long silence, the group of guards finally boiled over.

"Just so! Of all the powerful fighters in the Hong Sect, Lei Qianjue was the most powerful. Not even the Italian Mafias dared to infiltrate Canada under his watch, turning Canada into our cash cow. Every year, our branch in Canada contributed over five billion US dollars to the headquarters, closely following the branches in Western America and Western Europe"

"If Lei Qianjue was not really dead, the Headquarters would never summon so many underbosses."

As everyone chatted on, fear slowly crept onto their faces.

Lei Qianjue's death disrupted the balance of power within the sect and things were about to change within the Hong Sect. In addition, whether or not they could hold their territory in Canada also remained a question to be answered.

A few hundred-meter-tall mountain peak was erected at the center of the little tropical island.

Hong Sect had hollowed the hill to built their underground base. This underground base touted a defense that was enough to withstand a nuclear bombing. There were over a few thousand people stationed on the island well-equipped with modern military-issue firearms from America. Some firearms were even better than standard American soldier's gear.

Such was the might and power of an international organization. It's collective might all over the globe was equivalent to a small country.

Meanwhile, inside the meeting room of the underground base, the underbosses were having a discussion.

The door of the meeting room swung open as the blond man walked in,trailing behind him was a group of drop-dead gorgeous girls. The old man in a traditional Chinese dress was sitting at the head of the table. He furrowed his brows and said:"Zoro, you are late."

"Boss, it's not my fault. Blame those bitches from England!" As soon as Zoro sat down in a chair assigned to him, a tall Latino brunette wearing high heels came over to him, swaying her curvaceous body left and right. When she was close, she poured her boss a cup of red wine.

Zoro held the wine glass in his hand without drinking the contents. He swirled the red wine in the glasse as he scanned the people in front of him.

Despite the crowded space inside the meeting room, most people stood respectfully behind the seven people who were seated in their chairs. These were the seven underbosses from each region. There were six men and one female, the spot where Lei Qianjue used to sit was filled by Romon.

The seven underbosses all looked imposing and overbearing. They were from many different backgrounds. Some were asian, some white and some black.

The Hong Sect was an international organization that went beyond any racial boundaries. Each of the seven underbosses gave off a different air; some had eyes that shone like burning coal, some breathed as deeply as the ocean, and some sat as still as a mountain. All of them seemed as powerful as a Grandmaster if not more. However, the old man sat at the head of the table lacked any special quality and looked just like an average joe.

That being said, he carried out the meeting as if he owned it and no one seemed to cast any shred of doubt on his credentials.

He was the boss, the kingpin, the don of the international outfit!

"There are troubles in England again?" The old man in traditional Chinese suit furrowed his brows for a brief second and then he unknotted them. "We don't have time for those trivial matters. Our agenda today is to talk about the death of Brother Lei and Northern Canada."

"Lei Qianjue is dead?" An attractive woman asked incredulously. She was scantily clad in a red high slit skirt, revealing much of her long and white thigh. She looked like she was in her thirties and great thick auburn hair that cascaded to her waist, accentuating her luscious body.

Zoro recognized her as Olga, the underboss of the Middle East region.

She was the only woman among the seven underbosses of the Hong Sect. Despite her still youthful look, she was well in her fifties. The underground world gave her a nickname, the Crimson Lady. Countless men had died in her hands on her bed.

Rumor had it that she knew the art of fire bending and was able to cast a huge fire tornado out of thin air.

"I have carried Master Lei's body with me." Romon said with a frosty face.

"I still can't believe it. Lei Qianjue is the most powerful fighter of our sect, it would take at least three Awakened, or the Grandmasters if you must call it that way, to pull it off."

The auburn-haired women shrugged her shoulders. Even the whites of her eyes were tainted red, it looked as if her tears would also be red.

"Which one of our opposition would be able to rally more than three Grandmasters? The Dragon Hall, or the Square Tower?" A black man put in. His burgeoning muscles gave off a metallic sheen as if they were made out of cast iron.

The big man was two meters tall. And just like Tong Shan, his muscles were as hard as steel and were filled with explosive energy.

He was Buck, the Diamond, underboss from Northern Africa.

A light flickered in Zoro's eyes as he recalled the power of the black man.

Rumor had it that his body was incredibly tough, so much so that he could stop bullets from a machine gun with his flesh. A warlord in Northern Africa used to hire an assassin to assassinate him. However, the sniper rifle couldn't even penetrate through his thick skull. The assassin was later captured by Buck, and was torn into pieces by Buck with his bare hands.

"He is a mad dog, I won't want to mess with him." Zoro thought to himself.

Zoro took a sip of the wine and shook his head.

"It was neither the Dragon Hall nor anyone from China."

"It was a young man... a young man less than twenty years old." Romon said with a solemn face.

"Less than twenty years old? How was that possible?" Everyone was shocked by the news. Even Zoro was caught by surprise. The old man in the traditional Chinese suit was the only person who was able to keep calm.

"Even the most powerful martial artist Ye Nantian in China didn't become a Grandmaster until he was thirty. Plus, not just any Grandmaster could have threatened Lei Qianjue, much less killing him." Buck spoke under his breath.

"I have seen it with my own eyes. Chen Beixuan's power had exceeded my expectation. I wager that he already reached Immortal State." Romon said seriously.

"Bullshit! Immortal State Warriors are no longer mortals. They are gods. Plus, how could there be such a young Immortal State fighter?" The auburn-haired woman piped up. Her doubt was shared by the other guests in the room.

Zoro put down his wine glass and thought wistfully.

He didn't become a Grandmaster until he was thirty. By now, his ability to control the lightning had earned him the nickname: Thunder King. He was considered the most powerful fighter among the younger generation of the Hong Sect, and was expected to enter Immortal State one day.

Nonetheless, his achievement couldn't compare with that of Chen Beixuan. To be an Immortal State fighter at the age of twenty was was unheard of.

"Even if he has not reached Immortal State, neither was he far from it." Romon shook his head and lamented.

"As long as he has not reached the Immortal State, we should be able to kill him. No Grandmaster could withstand the combined might of all of us. "A scrawny old man said coldly.

His body was shrouded in a cold air that seemed to come from the great depths of the ocean.

The other underbosses nodded in agreement. Although none of them could have faced off Lei Qianjue alone, the combined might of all of them could definitely bring down even the most powerful Grandmaster.

Therefore, they were confident that as long as they fought in a team, they should be able to do away with Chen Beixuan.

The power of just one underboss could topple the Lu family with ease, and there were six of them. Combined with the kingpin at the headquarters, they were at least ten times stronger than the Lu family. So powerful was the Hong Sect, that when united, it's might could rival an average-size nation.

The more powerful they were, the more they were afraid of the superpowers of the world. China was one of the superpowers on earth that possessed nuclear capabilities. Even the Hong Sect dared not to rile up such a powerful nation.

The Hong Sect had staged numerous coups in Northern Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, amassing thousands of well-equipped militias with ease. However, their power would seem pathetic before the Superpowers.

"We need to plan well before we make a move on Chen Beixuan. It would be best if we could lure him out of China to our territory before we do away with him."

"What if he won't rise to the bait?" The woman asked.

"Then we will have to force him out." The old man in traditional Chinese suit smiled coldly and said: "I have issued a billion-dollar bounty on Chen Beixuan across the world."

"The Blood Skull, Vipers, and the Shadow had all picked up the job. I wager that Chen Beixuan would have already been killed by waves of assassins after him before we even get to him."

After hearing the news, everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

None of them could have survived continuous assassination attempts so they wagered that neither could Chen Fan .

"Poor Chen Beixuan." The auburn-haired woman lamented, however, the excited light in her eyes betrayed her true thoughts.

The Hong Sect controlled assets that were worth trillions of dollars and they were extremely well connected in the underground criminal world. If they really want someone dead, they could always pay someone else to do it for them.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 202: Billion Dollar Bounty

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"You are too innocent!"

Seeing Olga and Buck's ignorance, Romon sneered at them.

As one of the biggest organizations in the world, the Hong Sect was powerful in its own right.

Even if Lei Qianjue was dead, there were still six warriors who were at least as powerful as Romon. Compared to the sects and Martial arts families in China, such as the Lu family, Tai Chi Sect, Medicine God Valley Sect, the Hong Sect was miles ahead. In addition, not only did the Hong Sect possess a tremendous amount of connections in governments all over the world, but they also had a sizeable army. If they delegated all their resources properly, they should be able to rally another ten Grandmasters with ease.

The key to Hong Sect's influence was their powerful underbosses in each region. They were mighty figures that were feared even by some nations.

"Your understanding of Lei Qianjue's power was outdated."

"Although Master Lei was the number one fighter in the sect ten years ago, he was only slightly more powerful than Diamond and Thunder King. However, Master Lei had cultivated diligently on the frozen tundra for ten years and had reached the peak of the martial arts attainment. Let it be his True Energy or physique, he could rely on either one of them to kill a Grandmaster with ease."

Romon said and then heaved a sigh.

Lei Qianjue was so close to the Immortal State that he was definitely the most powerful martial artist under that level. It wouldn't take long for him to finish off someone like the Thunder King should they duke it out. However, despite Lei Qianjue's power and might, Chen Fan had finished him with one hypersonic punch. Romon felt hard-pressed to find out how powerful Chen Fan really was.

"But our efforts in recruiting assassins was not entirely useless. However powerful Chen Beixuan was, he would not be able to protect his loved ones and friends all at the same time." A coldness emanated from Romon's eyes.

In his minds eye, he had a premonition of what was to come: The assassination of Chen Fan's family and friends drove him to the Hong Sect to seek avenge. By then, Chen Fan would have to face the collective might of the Hong Sect directly. For a mortal, that would be suicide.

The Hong Sect not only had six Grandmasters, but also an army equipped with the most high-tech weapons that could reduce a mortal to ashes in an instant.

"By then, we can finally avenge my teacher!"

Romon lowered his head as vengeance roiled inside of him.

He would never forgive Chen Fan for killing his teacher.

However, he was too weak to carry out the revenge by himself, and therefore he needed the help of everyone in the Hong Sect. He had withheld the details about Chen Fan's power, such as his ability to pass the sound battier, fearing that this information would deter his helpers.

After all, people such as Thunder King were not idiots. Without an assurance for victory, they would never take their gloves off, worse, some might even desert on the battle should they caught a whiff of uncertainty in the air.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan was touring the old city with Lu Yanxue.

"Do you still remember what it was like three months ago? You, me and Xiao Qian would sneak out for street food together and hang out all night." Lu Yanxue was wearing a hat with a large bill that concealed half of her gorgeous face.

Chen Fan didn't wear any camouflage spell but no one seemed to have taken any notice of him.

"How's Miao Xiaoqian?" Chen Fan asked distractedly.

"She went back home after the holiday was over. She is going to school at Chu Zhou City University in September."

Lu Yanxue said quietly and wistfully. So many things had changed in three months. Three months ago, she was no more than an attractive college student, on her way to marry a rich man and live the rest of her life in boredom.

Three months later, after much suffering, she had transformed into a drop-dead gorgeous lady that controlled one of the most powerful Martial arts family in China. Her ability to mobilize tens of billions of yuan at once would make her the most important figure in Tian Nan Province.

Her relationship with other people had also changed. Three months ago, she hesitated a long time before she asked Lord Wu of Jiang Zhou City for help, however, now, even if Lord Wu came to visit her personally, she might not be able to pencil him in.

"Ever since you defeated Lei Qianjue, you are considered the most powerful Grandmaster. What is your next move?"

Lu Yanxue hazarded as she batted her lashed at the young man.

His face looked as pleasing to her eyes as the portrait of a sun-god under his halo.

However, no one on the street seemed to have taken notice of his charm. Lu Yanwu wagered that Chen Fan had used some sort of spell to mask his appearance. Although she didn't know such a thing was possible and neither did she knew how powerful Chen Fan was, she could read the young man's incredible abilities from people's fearful expressions while standing before him.

"Me?" Chen Fan was taken aback by the question. Then his eyes seemed to lose focus for a while. "I need to go back to Chu Zhou City, and then make a trip to the Jin City. There is someone waiting for me there."

Lu Yanxue had never seen so many complicated emotions in Chen Fan's eyes. There was tenderness mixed with expectancy. She knew right away Chen Fan was going to leave her for his true love. The thought tormented her, deeply.

She knew that the girl was the reason that Chen Fan had and would never see her as a lover.

"Then I wish you a good journey. I hope you will make time to come to Jin City and don't be a stranger please." Lu Yanxue swallowed down her sadness and plastered on one final smile for the man she so deeply loved. She wanted to leave a perfect image of her in Chen Fan's mind.

"Sure thing." Chen Fan answered readily.

He checked the date and reckoned that the school was about to start at Jin City University. He had graduated from that university in his past life, and that was also where he reunited with Fang Qiong and started a new chapter in his life.

During his current life, he had two goals: complete his cultivation and right the wrongs of his past life.

"Xiao Qiong was the biggest regret of my past life."

A pang of pain and regret shot through Chen Fan as he thought of the girl's death. It was the same thought that allowed the Mental Demons to get a foothold in his heart and fester until it brought Chen Fan down during the Heavenly Tribulation.

"If I didn't meet Xiao Qiong, I would be married to a girl arranged by my family. She could be Xu Rongfei or Jiang Churan. I will be groomed to become the young lord of the Wang family and live the rest of my life in contentment and mediocrity"

Chen Fan bemoaned in his mind: "Without Xiao Qiong, I would never embark on the journey of cultivation. There would be no such thing as a Celestrial Lord who dominated the universe for five hundred years."

Perhaps living a peaceful and mundane life used to be Chen Fan's dream, but that was certainly not the dream of Chen Beixuan. After having seen so much, and experiencing so much, he was drunk with the splendid excitement the universe could offer; Chen Beixuan would never go back to live an average mortal life.

"Ah, right, I have a parting gift for you." Chen Fan produced a jade pendant and handed it to Lu Yanxue. "I killed Lei Qianjue so the Hong Sect will not let me get away with it. Although they can't do anything to me, they could harm you easily."

"I have cast a protection spell in this pendant. It can not only protect you but also alert me whenever you are in danger."

Lu Yanxue accepted the pendant joyfully. She rubbed her fingers over the surface of the pendant and reckoned that it was covered with ancient symbols.

Suddenly, a strong sentiment seized her heart and commanded tears to well in her eyes as she realized how thoughtful and caring Chen Fan was. Although Chen Fan had given this pendant to her for practical reasons, to Lu Yanxue, it also carried Chen Fan's caring thoughts for her.

"Very well, considering your thoughtfulness, I will pencil you in for another day of tours at the park." Lu Yanxue turned her head away, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes.

"That would be my honor." Chen Fan shrugged.

The international underground world was shaken by the bounty

A billion US dollars! This was an unprecedented amount of money for a bounty!

Many hired assains and mercenary bands were set back on their heels by the huge amount of the reward.

A billion-dollar bounty was worth the life of a Grandmaster in the underground criminal market. Rarely could any Grandmaster withstand a sniper's shot in the head(or an arrow in the knee), plus, sniper rifles were far from the most deadly weapons.

It went without saying that no one in their right mind would post a bounty on a Grandmaster so conspicuously, not even on the underground market. The Grandmaster could simply hide for a while and then rain down his retribution when the bounty was lifted.

A Grandmaster was capable of all kinds of unsavory if not outright evil acts: assassination, assault, thievery, robbery... A lone Grandmaster was equivalent to a small special force unit. Therefore, no one would easily get into a deadly feud with a Grandmaster.

However, there were assassins who would not give a twat about a Grandmaster's retribution. Unlike the Hong Sect, these hired murders were shadows operating clandestinely in the darkness. The Hong Sect's goal was not to kill Chen Fan but to lure him out of China, otherwise, the Hong Sect's would have dispatched their own special operation unit.

"Chen Beixuan from China?"

It was the first time these assassins heard of Chen Fan's name. Of late, his name had been on the minds of many deadly mercenaries and hired guns.

"In China? That's a tough one... It's difficult to get weapons in and out of there."

Many assassins hesitated before the challenge. Without a powerful modern firearm, it would be difficult to kill a Grandmaster.

However, some organizations didn't mind the difficulties.

"He is just a Grandmaster level martial artist. We the Blood Skulls have killed many Grandmasters in the past. It would just be a stroll in the park."

An Asian man with a snake tattoo on his arm rolled off from his king-size bed after he untangled himself from a few fragrant limbs that wrapped around him. He read the message on his computer and smirked.

"Be careful, he killed Lei Qianjue."

A message popped up.

"Don't worry. Don't forget that I am the king of the assassins. I would never let my prey slip away. All Chen Fan could do now is to wait for his death." The Asian man typed out a reply: "Send all of his profile. I will leave for China tomorrow."

"Very well, I will send them to you ASAP. Remember: burn after reading" After a while, another message popped up. "Good luck, Blacksnake."

Blacksnake was one of the top assassins in The Blood Skull. He had successfully made a Mixed Martial Arts Master disappear.

"Thanks."

The man folded his laptop and rose to his feet. He drew back the curtain and looked out of the window down at the bustling streets. A cold and sinister light burned in his eyes.

"A Chinese Grandmaster! This is going to be a hell of a hunt."

"I hope you don't disappoint me, Chen Beixuan."

The Blacksnake smirked coldly.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 203: Yu Qianqian's Concert

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Chen Fan had decided to stay a few more days in Lin City not only because he wanted to spend more time with Lu Yanxue, but also to wait for his assistance from Medicine God Valley Sect and Tong Shan. Previously, in order to get to Lu Yanxue and save her, he had left the others behind, allowing them to arrive in the city at their own pace.

Although Chen Fan had already mastered the Yi Wood Spirit Qi which he used to substitute the Essence Enhancing Pill, the Yi Wood Spirit Qi's function was limited. In addition to curing mortal's ailments, the Yi Wood Spirit Qi could also be used to increase the growth of Spirit Medicine.

Even a small blade of grass could grow into an astonishing divine medicine, much less those thousand-year-old rare herbs inside the vault of the Medicine God Vally Sect. The vault kept numerous ingredients for Spirit Medicine such as the Spirit Beast Fruit.

"The pop star Yun Qianqian is having a concert today, do you want to go?" Lu Yanxue batted her lashes at Chen Fan. She could feel that their time together was coming to an end. Chen Fan was going to leave soon, so she tried to cherish every moment they were together.

"Yun Qianqian?" Chen Fan furrowed his brows. Wasn't she the one he met at the Wu Mountain's Hot Spring resort? "Sure."

Chen Fan didn't think too much. He was not a fan of pop culture, but he figured that a little concert should lighten up the girl's mood so that his parting wouldn't be so hard on her.

"But do you think we should attend an event in public?" Lu Yanxue pouted and asked.

Looking at her innocent eyes and a face that was cute as a button, Chen Fan cracked a smile. Lu Yanxue had gone all out to be as discreet as possible. She wore a large hat with a large brim, a pair of oversized sunglasses and sometimes a scarf.

Lu Yanxue always had been attractive thanks to her head-turning beauty, but Chen Fan's treatment had brought her appearance even closer to that of a cultivator. Everywhere she went, her charm would enslave people's attention and subvert their minds.

"Let me do something for you." Chen Fan reached out a finger and traced a Talisman Inscription in the air.

A faint glow came up and it quickly spread all over Lu Yanxue. Soon, Lu Yanxue's body was suffused with a creamy white glow that stuck to her body like a layer of wet fabric. However, it was thin and unsubstantial, nearly invisible under the sun.

"Now look in a mirror."

Chen Fan flicked a finger again and cast a spell to summon a mirror.

Lu Yanxue was taken aback at first, and quickly she looked into the floating mirror and then gasped. She reckoned the face in the mirror belonged to her, but somehow it was different, it was ever so slightly less attractive, but that was enough to remove her charm completely.

"Are these magic spells?"

Lu Yanxue looked to Chen Fan with a great measure of adoration. She would never think that a twenty years old boy would know such a magical spell. The more time she spent with Chen Fan, the more she could feel the divine indifference inside of the young man. Many times, she was convinced that Chen Fan was actually a Curmudgeon living in a young body.

"It's just a glamor spell to hide some of your charms." Chen Fan said lightly. "But this glamor is temporary, so perhaps you should have more bodyguards around you in the future. You are the family Lord of the Lu family now, so you should be extra careful."

"Noted." Lu Yanxue said meekly.

Although Yun Qianqian had risen to fame from making TV shows, over the past couple of years, she had been trying to switch to other lines of work. She made it to the silver screen and released a couple of albums, and was a frequent guest of popular talk shows.

As an A list superstar, tickets for her concerts were sold out quickly. However, her voice and singing skills were mediocre at best in Chen Fan's opinion. Compared to professional singers, she was just an amateur. However, he wouldn't disclose his feelings to any of her fans.

Chen Fan and Lu Yanxue didn't drive their car to the concert, instead they took the subway like most other people

To Chen Fan, he missed the life of an ordinary person on earth. Ever since he embarked on the journey of cultivation, he rarely had the chance to experience the life of an average Joe: taking the crowded subway and eating street bbq.

"Wow! It's packed!"

Lu Yanxue looked to the people mountain people sea and exclaimed.

She was wearing a black tank top with some cute cartoon characters and a pair of white shorts, revealing both of her elegant pale-skinned legs. Adding a pair of Converse shoes with bold colors and a ponytail at her back, she was as cute as a button.

Her beauty even after being masked was still attention arresting. Many men turned their heads back to catch a few more glimpses of such a lovely thing.

Chen Fan looked at the jam-packed venue with furrowed brows. There were simply too many people here. If an accident happened, all it took would be just one or two panicked groups to drive the crowd into a deadly stampede.

"However, this stadium is small enough for me to cover it with my Divine Will. I will just have to watch out." So thinking, Chen Fan started his Divine Sense as he followed the flow of crowds into the stadium.

His original Divine Sense could cover over a hundred-meter distance, however, after it was amplified by the golden statue, it was able to cover over a few kilometers.

He could keep Lin City under his radar if he wanted to. However, since such a large area would have over a million people living in it, the sheer amount of information would be too overwhelming for Chen Fan to process, and therefore, an area with a few hundred meters radius was a much more realistic number.

"The familiar presence at the backstage must be Yun Qianqian. The person beside her must be her manager Sister Qin. Huh? She is not wearing the Buddhism Bracelet. Good, she listened to me after all." Chen Fan thought to himself, and stopped paying any more attention to Yun Qianqian all together.

To him, Yun Qianqian was just a passer-by. He wouldn't care a twat about her well being.

Chen Fan continued to probe the stadium with his Divine Sense. Not even a rat living under a pizza box would escape his detection.

"There are many security guards around. Just so! The security better be tight when there are so many people here. Hold on a second... why are there so many martial artists here?"

Chen Fan furrowed his brows. A martial artist would give off entirely different signals than a normal human. A good analogy of the difference was the difference between the light between a candle and a torch. The presence of powerful martial artists such as the King of Elixirs and Lei Qianjue, would burn like wildfires.

"Interesting. I can sense a few cold and malevolent presences of martial artists. There is no doubt that they had other people's blood on their hands. Are they here for Yun Qianqian?"

The thought that these people could be coming for him had never crossed his mind. He knew the Hong Sect would seek revenge, but he wagered that they would send powerful Grandmasters after him instead of these weaklings.

Unbeknownst to Chen Fan, Romon had withheld some key information about his power, and therefore emboldened the Hong Sect.

"Xiao Xue, please hang out here for a while,I need to use the washroom."

Chen Fan patted Lu Yanxue's shoulder and headed towards the washroom. Those martial artists followed him and converged toward him.

"They are here for me?"

Chen Fan furrowed his brows and a cold light shone in his eyes. "Then they are courting death."

Although these martial artists all had reached at least initial success in their Internal Force cultivation—one of them was even at peak level—their power was laughable before the most powerful Grandmaster.

As Chen Fan walked toward a quiet corner to do away with these assassins, he heard a voice calling out at him.

"Mr. Chen, is that you?"

Chen Fan turned around and saw a girl wrapped from head to toe with a hat and layers of coats. The pair of sunglasses with sharp edges made her look like a spook.

"Are you Yun Qianqian?"

Chen Fan was taken aback at first. However, using his Divine Sense, he recognized the girl easily.

"Yes, it's me."

Yun Qianqian put away the glasses and scarf, revealing her cute but slightly embarrassed face.

"Why aren't you preparing for the concert? What are you doing here?"

Chen Fan was lighthearted by the encounter. He had used a spell to revert his looks back to their previous state in order to blend into the crowd, however, he still got recognized after all.

"This is purely a commercial event. There are many other signers opening for me and I am the last one to get onto the stage." Yun Qianqian said helplessly. It was the organizer's marketing-gimmick. They used her popularity to attract sales. Since it was an event arranged by her company , she couldn't turn down the event even if she wanted to.

"I see."

As Chen Fan chatted with Yun Qianqian, he felt the martial artists' malic presence was getting closer to him. Each and every one of them tensed up their bodies and tiptoed toward Chen Fan. Some had already pulled out their weapons, ready to attack.

"Mr. Chen, are you here by yourself?" Yun Qianqian asked curiously.

She was pleasantly surprised to see Chen Fan again. She used to think that Chen Fan was just a rich heir of a prominent family, but later her friends told her that he was also called Master Chen and was one of the most influential people in Jiang Bei. The revelation had caught Yun Qianqian off guard; she found it hard to believe that a twenty or so year old boy could be considered influential.

What had surprised her even more was the rumor that Master Chen could cast spells and command lightning. This piece of information reminded her of what Chen Fan told her about the Buddhism bracelet. In the end, she convinced herself to trust Chen Fan and threw the bracelet into the fire pit.

To her surprise, a puff of dark smoke came out from the bracelet as well as a ghastly wail. Yun Qianqian was terrified by the sounds and the sight and felt even more appreciative of Chen Fan's tip and believed more firmly in his divine power. However, she lamented that she would probably never be able to see him again to say thank you.

"I am here with one of my friends." Chen Fan said.

Meanwhile, he reached out his Divine Sense and locked onto the approaching Martial Artists. Then he started a spell.

They were standing in a quiet corner, other than himself and Yun Qianqian, there was no one else around: a perfect place to execute his plan.

"I might have to erase some of Yun Qianqian's memories."

Chen Fan shouldn't have any problem to lay those Martial Artists low using his Divine Will, however, he wouldn't be able to get rid of the bodies without catching Yun Qianqian's attention.

"Do you also like to hear me sing? Do you?" Yun Qianqian batted her lashes and looked to Chen Fan expectantly.

She had her fair share of the sordidness in the entertainment industry and it was the first time she ever met anyone who would offer his sincere help freely. It was particularly rare considering how rich and powerful he was. He controlled over a billion-dollars of assets and had the Dharmic powers at his disposal.

"Sadly he isn't my type, otherwise I would..."

Even as Yun Qianqian thought to herself, Chen Fan knitted his brows slightly and was ready to strike at the approaching martial artists

Suddenly, he heard a low voice that growled: "Stop it!"

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 204: Heavenly Kill

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Stop it!"

When the voice came out, Chen Fan could feel the assassin's deadly intentions suddenly waned.

"Law Enforcement Unit?"

Chen Fan furrowed his brows and felt the presence of an attractive that girl started to engage those martial artists. The girl's signal was similar to that of the Cang Dragon unit.

The girl's movements were snappy and swift and carried an air of assuredness. It was similar to the Mixed Martial Arts taught by the military. However, her opponents were even more powerful, and after just a few moves, she was on her last leg.

"Bang"

A gunshot rumbled erupting out from the small corner. Although the gunshot was muffled by the clamor outside, most people had heard the loud noise. Seeing their cover was blown, the martial artists paused.

"Let's bug out."

Chen Fan led Yun Qianqian out of the corner to a platform. They saw a girl shooting a gun while slowly stepping back. Before her was a gangly looking Asian man.

When one had achieved a certain level of attainment in the cultivation of their martial art, even if he could not stop a bullet with his own flesh, he would at least predict where the bullets were going to land simply based on the direction in which the gun was pointed. Although he wouldn't be able to move faster than a bullet, he could move faster than the shooter's finger.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The gangly man dodged all three shots by a hair's breadth. The last bullet grazed against his ears and nearly ripped half of his skull off. The man suddenly retreated after he was disheartened by the development. He didn't expect that the woman was a sharpshooter.

"Ah! They have guns!"

Yun Qianqian covered her mouth to muffle a cry.

"Sister Yun, come here, quickly!" The woman with a gun saw Yun Qianqian and her face grew softer right away. All the while, she kept the gun pointing at the gangly man.

The gangly man also noticed the two people behind his opponent.

"Huh?"

Chen Fan registered an excitement in the man when the gangly man saw Yun Qianqian, however, he didn't seem to care about Chen Fan.

"So they are not after me... and their real target is Yun Qianqian?"

Chen Fan was a little confused.

However, he decided to capture one of the martial artists and ask them directly instead of guessing.

"Who are you?" Yun Qianqian held on to Chen Fan's arm as her legs trembled. She was an ordinary person and therefore, she was frightened while standing face to face with deadly weapons. If not because she was with the powerful and mighty Chen Fan, she would have already ran away while screaming.

"Miss Yun, we are the special force units dispatched by the province to protect you. The man standing over there is called Scorpion, and he is a deadly assassin. He had already taken a dozen lives so far." The woman replied readily while holding the gun. Meanwhile, she fished out a badge with the other hand and held it out for display. "Come to me, and stay away from him."

"Ah... uh... uh... Ok. "

Yun Qianqian nodded and was about to walk over to the woman.

"Humph!"

The gangly man sorted and moved again. He channeled his internal energy to his legs as he pressed them down hard, creating two deep depressions on the ground. Meanwhile, his body sprung up like a loaded spring with two open arms. His forked fingers pointed at Yun Qianqian, making them look like the pincers on a scorpion. His movement stirred up a gust and he covered the ten meters or so distance in a blink.

"Watch out!"

To the woman's surprise, her gun wasn't enough to hold the gangly man in place. Even as she was about to pull the trigger and kill the man while he was still in the air, she registered three other deadly presences. Two of them closed in onto Yun Qianqian and the other one came up behind her back.

"Pa!"

The woman reacted at the final moment. She lowered herself to one side and rolled away. However, she accidentally dropped her gun on the ground.

"Shit!" Her heart sank to the bottom.

To her surprise, Scorpion was not alone and had brought three more companions with him. This put Yun Qianqian in a very dangerous spot, she doubted if the actress would survive at the end of the day.

The woman looked to Yun Qianqian disheartened, expecting to see the end of the actress's life. However, she watched as an ordinary-looking young man beside the actress waved a hand to block the man's attack and somehow, the gangly man bounced off of the young man's arm like a piece of garbage being tossed away. With a heavy thud, the assassin landed on the wall and fell to the ground unconscious.

The sudden turn of events had shocked everyone.

The other three assassins also hesitated as they studied Chen Fan intensely. Scorpion was one of their best, yet he was rendered unconscious by Chen Fan's simple wave of the hand. Could this ordinary-looking young man be a powerful martial artist?

"Sir, what is your name? Why do you interrupt the Heavenly Kill's business?"

The leader of the assassins asked. He was a man with a waxen face.

"Heavenly Kill? I have never heard of it."

Chen Fan answered readily. Meanwhile, he locked his Divine Sense onto the last person lurking behind the scene.

The lurker and been conserving his internal energy as soon as Chen Fan's display of strength, waiting to use it for the final moment. Due to his conserving internal energy, his presence was also diminishing in Chen Fan's Divine Sense

Chen Fan had initially sensed five presences, and he had seen four assassins so far. These assassins who had revealed themselves had all reached initial success. However, the one who was still lurking was at the peak level in his Internal Force cultivation. Chen Fan had thought the five of them were working together, however, now he started to think that these were two separate groups and happened to be at the same place at the same time.

"Could the last person be coming after me?"

Chen Fan wondered.

"You guys are from the Heavenly Kill?"

The woman grabbed the gun on the ground and came cover to Chen Fan. The name of the assassin organization seemed to have shaken her.

"Sister, what is the Heavenly Kill?"

Yun Qianqian asked.

"They are an infamous assassin group that is active in China. By now, they had killed over a dozen people in all kinds of brutal methods that you couldn't even imagine. There are very few records about these guys but each and every member of the criminal organization is extremely deadly. Unfortunately, we were unable to capture any of its members. This is the first time that I learned that Scorpion was also their member." The woman said, her voice was filled with terror and fear.

Although she was an elite member of the Law Enforcement unit, she still felt threatened by the presence of these deadly assassins from Heavenly Kill. If not because of how impressed she was toward Chen Fan's abilities, she would have already tried to escape with Yun Qianqian.

Chen Fan shook his head. Although these assassins have achieved only a small level of attainment in their martial arts training, they were already beyond the capability of normal Law Enforcement.

"You seem to know quite a lot, little bird. You have been after my bros for a few years, and what do you say if we pay you and your family a visit one day?" A man with a scarface cracked an ugly grin.

The woman shivered, it was as if she was staring at a poisonous snake that was about to lash out at her.

"I don't care if you are Heavenly Kill or earthly kill, just kneel before me and tell me who hired you and I will give you a quick death." Chen Fan said lazily.

Most of his attention was still on the last assassin still lurking in the dark.

The lurker's presence was so weak that it could easily pass for a blade of grass or a tree trunk. If not because of Chen Fan's incredible detection ability, no one would be able to register his presence.

"I didn't expect to encounter such a solid Breath-Control Method on earth. This person is much more powerful than the other weaklings. He is a professional assassin." Chen Fan thought to himself.

"Sir, I wager you are some kind of martial arts expert. However, I must warn you that the Heavenly Kill is the most powerful assassin group in China. If you dare to interrupt our business, you will face our retribution."

The three assassins pulled a taut face and the man with a waxen face said in cold voice.

"Oh?" Chen Fan crooked his head and asked."are there any Grandmasters working for Heavenly Kill?"

"Grandmasters?" The wax face furrowed his brows."Stop pulling our legs. Grandmasters are the stuff of legends. They would easily dominate an entire region. If we had a Grandmaster, why are we still working in the dark and risking our lives every day?"

"However, our leader is a peak level Internal Force user just like you. If you back off right now, we can pretend that we have never met."

"If you don't even have a Grandmaster, what gives you the audacity to threaten me?" Chen Fan cracked a smile and said: "Not even Ye Nantian or Chen Jiuyang dare to talk to me like that, much less you guys."

"Ye Nantian, Chen Jiuyang?" The assassins were taken aback.

Those were names of mighty Transcendent Grandmasters. They were venerated among other martial artist and no one dared utter their names with such degree of sangfroid.

Suddenly, a thought alerted the man with a waxen face as a sense of impending doom gripped his heart. He asked hesitantly: "What is your name?"

"Have you guys done your homework before the mission? Don't you know whos turf you are on?" Chen Fan said lightly: "I am Chen Beixuan, I wager you must have heard of me before."

"Chen Beixuan!"

The name stunned the three assassins. Although they were run of the mill martial artists, they had heard of Chen Fan's name ever since his battle on the West Lake. Practically everyone was talking about him, it was nearly impossible to not have heard of it. Rumor had it that Chen Fan had reached the Immortal State and his battle nearly turned the lake upside down.

Ever since that victory, Chen Fan was named the most powerful Grandmaster in China. Even Grandmasters would have to talk to him respectfully, much less the members of a puny organization such as the Heavenly Kill.

"White coat, black hair, young and powerful... Although his face looked ordinary, I do see some resemblance with the picture." The Scarface muttered to himself in fear.

"BaaDa!"

Before the Scarface had finished his words, all three had dropped to their knees and kowtowed to Che Fan, burying their heads in the grass. They trembled uncontrollably and dared not to speak a word.

They knew there was no chance of escaping such a powerful Grandmaster. Lei Qianjue had been ten times more powerful than them, yet Chen Fan had done away with him with one punch.

"What the..."

Yun Qianqian and the woman with a gun were so stunned by the development that they could only stare.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 205: Viral News

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"These were members of the infamous Heavenly Kill! Why are they afraid of him?"

The girl squeezed the gun in her hand and was rendered speechless.

She was an elite of the Law Enforcement unit and therefore she knew how deadly the Heavenly Kill members could be.

Many members of the Heavenly Kill had committed heinous crimes and some even killed entire families. They were the most notorious assassin group in China and every member of the criminal group was a powerful warrior that could lay any normal Law Enforcement unit low with ease. The woman with the gun had undergone special training in combat and shooting. Not only was she agile and strong, but also a deadly sharpshooter. Even with those abilities, she could only drag out a fight with the one member of the Heavenly Kill to a standstill.'

To her surprise, the three members of the Heavenly Kill kneeled before Chen Fan right after they learned his name. They lowered their heads and trembled uncontrollably in fear.

"Who is he? Why are they so terrified of him?"

The woman studied Chen Fan's ordinary-looking face and found it hard to believe that such an average joe could have frightened members of the Heavenly Kill. Yun Qianqian was also taken aback by the development.

Although she knew that Chen Fan was an influential person in the Jiang Bei region, they were nowhere near Jiang Bei. There were as many powerful magnates in Jiang Nan Province as there were in Jiang Bei and these local tycoons might not have even heard of Chen Fan.

However, she quickly learned that she had underestimated Chen Fan's range of influence.

"What is he hiding?" Yun Qianqian asked herself.

"Why do you want to kill Yun Qianqian?" Chen Fan asked lightly.

The three who kneeled on the ground shivered again. The leader of the pact answered: "Sir, we have received a contract asking us to kill Yun Qianqian for fifty million."

Yun Qianqian's face paled as soon as she heard the man's words.

Who would hate her so much as to pay fifty million for her life? Of all the years that she had worked in the industry, other than a little competition in getting highly sought after roles and bickering about pay, she had always kept an amicable relationship with the people around her. Who would put up a fifty million yuan bounty on her life?

The woman with the gun also furrowed her brows; fifty million was not a small number. She wagered that her report is going to catch the attention of her higher-ups.

"Who is it?" Chen Fan asked.

The three hesitated. Although they were cold-blooded assassins, they prided themselves for their professionalism conducts. They wouldn't release their client's information easily. Sensing their hesitation, Chen Fan snorted heavily as a warning, and the man with the waxen face finally uttered a name.

Yun Qianqian's shivered as soon as she heard the name. Life drained away from her face and she was about to collapse to the ground. The other woman quickly steadied her.

Even as Chen Fan turned around to see if Yun Qianqian was OK, something rustled in the bush next to him and a dark shadow shot out from behind the foliage. The man was wielding a dagger and he plunged the sharp end toward Chen Fan's back.

That was the fifth martial artist who had been lurking a few seconds ago. Seeing Chen Fan was busy interrogating the assassin, he rose to the opportunity and threw himself at Chen Fan.

"Watch out!"

The woman holding a gun saw the assassin but the shadowy figure moved so fast, she didn't even have time to let out a warning.

"I have been waiting for you."

Chen Fan turned around and gave the assassin a half-smile. His smooth skinned hand flickered out of view and appeared right in front of the assassin and snatched the dagger with two fingers.

"Clank!"

Under the assassin's incredulous stare, Chen Fan snapped the dagger in half with his bare hands. Chen Fan didn't give the assassin any time to react, so he shot out another arm directly at the man's shoulder.

"Is he... a human?"

The assassin was terrified by the development, he felt his heart had skipped a few beats.

His dagger was made out of special alloy and was extremely durable. It was hard enough to slice through iron and steel. However, when its sharp edge landed o Chen Fan's palm, it felt as if it had hit a piece of diamond. In the end, the impact was too much for the body of the dagger and it finally snapped.

"This man is too powerful for me." The assassin pulled back and twirled. Somehow, he was able to shink himself to evade Chen Fan's attack. It was as if he had wrung himself up into a bundle. After he felt he was safe, his body bounced back, unwinding in the other direction. The spinning motion pushed him backward like a spinning top in lightning speed.

"Huh? That was not Internal Force."

Chen Fan furrowed his brows as he watched as the Assasin backed away swiftly, springing up and over a three-meter wall and disappeared.

Chen Fan had caught the man's shoulder, however, the man's skin was extremely slippery. Powerful energy also shot out from the assassin's body, making Chen Fan lose his grip. Chen Fan registered that the assassin didn't use any Internal Force, instead, he managed to escape using only his physical abilities.

Chen Fan was able to catch a glimpse of the assassin's face. He reckoned that the man was not Asian, instead, he looked like a person from the middle east.

"A foreign Martial Artist?"

So thinking, Chen Fan flicked three fingers in the air.

The three flicks each shot out True Energy into the Dantians of the three assassins from Heavenly Kill. As soon as the True Energies entered their bodies, they sealed up these martial artists' acupuncture points and blocked their internal force. Without Internal Force, they would not pose a threat to the girls.

"Wait for me here for a moment, I will be back quickly."

Chen Fan said calmly. Before Yun Qianqian and the other woman had time to reply, Chen Fan took a step forward and disappeared behind the high walls of the stadium.

"What a guy..."

The woman with the gun was set back on her heels. She felt surprised and mad at the same time. She was surprised by Chen Fan's abilities, and was mad at him for leaving them hanging with the three deadly assassins.

She hurried to look toward the three assassins, and what she saw eased her nerves. All three of them collapsed on the ground in fear, their faces were devoid of any signs of life as if Chen Fan had taken their souls out of their body.

"Miss Yun, do you know of Mr. Chen?" The woman with a gun turned around and asked Yun Qianqian.

Yun Qianqian finally gathered herself, but her face was still as pale as a piece of paper. She managed to pull herself together and said: "I knew him as Chen Fan, someone called him Master Chen. I have heard that he was the one in charge of Jiang Bei's underground world. I wager these assassins were scared of him because of his status in Jiang Bei."

"Really?" The other woman didn't sound like she believed Yun Qianqian.

Although she was stationed at Jiang Nan Province, she had heard the name of Master Chen once or twice in passing. However, even if the young man was influential at Jiang Bei, he should not have scared members of the Heavenly Kill.

"Hehe, he is not just any Master Chen, he is Chen Beixuan! The most powerful Grandmaster in the world." The man with a waxen face kneeled on the ground and smiled wrily. "Chen Beixuan really is worthy of his title. He can even seal off our power. I am genuinely impressed. "

"Who is Chen Beixuan? Is he powerful?" The female gunner asked curiously.

"Hehe, he is not a mortal like you and me, you will never understand his power." The man with a waxen face murmured to himself.

The female gunner was not sure what to make of the comment.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan had chased after the middle eastern man for a few kilometers. Although the man didn't have internal force, his impressive explosive physical strength could carry him at least two to three meters for every step he took. He hopped around like a grasshopper, weaving in and out of the city landscape.

He kept running for about four kilometers and finally stopped. He bent over and pushed his palm against his knee to support his body as he tried to catch his breath.

"Why did you stop?"

A voice drifted from behind the assassin.

He turned around and saw Chen Fan standing behind him with both thumbs hitched in his front pocket leisurely. The assassin had given all he got to cover the few kilometers, but for Chen Fan, it was barely a warm-up.

"I had never expected you to be so strong! Hong Sect lied to me!"

The assassin was a forty-year-old white male with a large and hooked nose and deep-set eyes. He managed to speak in broken Chinese.

"Hong Sect? I see..." Chen Fan furrowed his brows.

Chen Fan didn't expect the Hong Sect to seek revenge so quickly and he wondered why the Hong Sect would send such a weakling after him. This was pathetic. At least they should have hired a few Grandmasters and gave them heavy munitions.

"Bah! Whatever!" The assassin cracked a grin and then said: "Chen Beixuan, you are very powerful indeed. But the Hong Sect has posted a billion-dollar bounty on your life!"

"The Vipers, Blood Skull, Shadow and other top assassin groups had accepted the bounty. I am just the first one, there will be more where I come from. Including the elite assassin Blacksnake from Blood Skull. He once killed a Brazilian Mixed Martial Arts Master. We won't stop until you kill each and every assassin in the world..."

"One billion dollar bounty?" Chen Fan paused a second.

He didn't expect the Hong Sect to up the ante by such a large degree. One billion US dollars was not a small number for any international group—any international group except for the Hong Sect apparently.

"But what do they expect these weaklings to do to me? They couldn't even harm Lei Qianjue."

Even as Chen Fan thought to himself, the assassin suddenly pulled out a large handgun.

"Bang!"

The blaring gunshot was as loud as an explosion.

The handgun he used was modified to maximize its damage output, therefore, it was much more powerful than any conventional handguns. He had spared no expense in smuggling such a deadly weapon into China. The assassin had killed a lion in one shot with this handgun, so he was confident in the deadliness of this gun. However powerful Chen Fan was, he would not be able to stop a bullet with his flesh so he must dodge, giving the assassin time to sneak away.

"Pathetic."

A cold light grew in Chen Fan's eyes as he faced the incoming bullet.

Under the assassin's incredulous stare, Chen Fan shot out a hand and then caught the flying bullet in between two fingers.

"Devil, you are the devil!"

The gun thudded on the ground, as the assassin trembled uncontrollably. His face was consumed by fear. He could never believe that anyone in this world would be able to stop a bullet with two fingers.

"Devil? Sure, maybe I am a devil for you."

Chen Fan took a step forward as an eerie green light came up in his eyes.

When Chen Fan left the alley, there was no one behind him. He had reduced the assassin into ashes after he extracted all the information in him.

Chen Fan's face was gloomy and dark. He looked up at the night sky and heaved a sigh.

"Hong Sect, Assasins, and Blacksnake? You piss me off, and you will have to pay."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 206: Qin Han's Visit

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

When Chen Fan returned to the stadium, the concert was already near the end. Yun Qianqian was performing her last number on the stage. Chen Fan could register that the startled girl hadn't fully recovered from the ordeal yet. She tried to remain professional on the stage, plastering on a smile. However, it was evident that what happened earlier had disheartened her.

"A bad fall out with a friend, I wager..."

Chen Fan cracked a smile.

The name of the Heavenly Kill's client sounded familiar to Chen Fan. He vaguely remembered it was the name of a famous actress who worked in the same company with Yun Qianqian. The two of them often flaunted their friendship before the camera for their fans. No one knew that one of them wanted the other dead so badly.

"In hindsight, I remember the woman in the illusion created by the Buddhism bracelet was her as well."

Chen Fan remembered the illusion he had experienced when he probed the Buddhism bracelet with his Divine Will. He had seen a gorgeous girl at the temple where the evil monks cast their curse on the bracelet. Chen Fan had no time for such trivial matters; actresses would always squabble with each other just to compete for fame and status.

I didn't help Yun Qianqian because I thought she was special. I just felt like being a nice person once in a while and helped out.

"Xiao Xue, let's go now."

Chen Fan could no longer find the members of the Heavenly Kill as well as the female gunner, so he wagered that they must have left for the police station. Therefore, Chen Fan left the concert with Lu Yanxue.

The next day morning, a few members of the Law Enforcement unit knocked on Chen Fan's door.

"Mr. Chen, Nice to meet you again. My name is Qin Han, deputy director of the Crime Section at the Law Enforcement Department." Chen Fan saw the female gunner he met yesterday.

Although she was well over thirty and didn't have particularly attractive features, she looked handsome and fit in her police unit outfit. Her sun-kissed skin looked healthy and the few fine curves complemented her outstanding body. She stood upright like a straight sword guarding the integrity of the society she swore to protect.

"OK."

Chen Fan nodded and sat down slowly. Behind him stood Lu Yanxue.

Lu Yanwu also came over to Chen Fan and poured a cup of tea for Chen Fan. A few young law enforcement unit members were mesmerized by Lu Yanxue's beauty, and when they saw the second drop-dead gorgeous lady, they nearly gasped.

They recognized her as the goddess among the elites, the CEO of the mighty Lu Group. Although not a lot of citizens of Lin City knew that the Lu family was a martial arts family, their company, the Lu Group was a household name. It controlled nearly every facet of the city: real estate, hotels, construction, water supply, natural gas, insurance...

Who was the young man and what kind of power does he wield to make a CEO of a company that was worth trillions to lower herself to pour tea for him?

Qin Han sat still and was unfazed by the development. That was not to say that she was without any questions. Chen Fan looked ordinary when she saw him yesterday, however, he looked much more handsome and his features were much more refined today. Without the few similarities here and there on his face, she might as well take him as a different person.

"Maybe it was the lighting... The alley last night was poorly lit." Qin Han thought to herself.

As a Law Enforcer, she had seen many methods to change one's looks. By applying makeup to the face, for example, could turn an ugly woman into a drop-dead gorgeous woman. There were also many other methods such as face masks and plastic surgeries to achieve similar effects

So thinking, she gathered herself and asked Chen Fan seriously: "Mr. Chen, are you aware that your life is in danger?"

"Oh?" Chen Fan asked airily.

Qin Han felt a fit of anger shoot through her mind. However, this was not the first time she had to deal with a cocky rich dude. So she continued: "You had seen it last night yourself, that assassin was after you."

She pulled out a laptop and turned it on. She turned the screen around toward Chen Fan.

"Can you take a look if that's the assassin?"

The monitor showed the face of a middle eastern man. He had the same tall and hooked nose and deep-set eyes as the assassin last night.

"That's him." Chen Fan admitted.

"His name is Lone Wolf and he is an elite assassin from a Kazakaztan Assasin group, the Blood Moon. The Blood Moon was an active group in the Middle East had killed many middle eastern royal families and tycoons." concerned flickered in Qin Han's eyes as she went on.

"Lone Wolf was considered a high-risk offender on the international law enforcement's list of criminals. He killed a vice president of a small country in Asia-minor. The witness claimed that this assassin possessed incredible ability to reshape his body. When he was surrounded by the vice presidents' personal guards, he was able to miraculously dodge a shower of bullets. Rumor had it that he had learned the skill from an Indian Yoga guru."

For Qin Han, even Scorpion's ability to predict the bullet's landing spot seemed unimaginable, much less Lone Wolf's ability to outright dodge a bullet.

"Ancient Yoga technique..." Chen Fan furrowed his brows.

As he had experienced it first hand, Lone Wolf's body was indeed extremely adaptable. He could wring himself up like loading spring and his skin was as flexible and durable as rubber bands. Chen Fan's punch technically grazed him, but it simply slid off of Lone Wolf's skin. Although Chen Fan didn't use much force in his punch, the fact that Lone Wolf was able to evade his attack spoke loudly of his abilities.

"No wonder he didn't use any Internal Force. He didn't need to if he has such a powerful and adaptable body. It seems that the groups outside of China had focused a lot more on physical strengthening and body tempering, while the sects in China focused mainly on Internal Force."

Chen Fan thought to himself. Qin Han asked again.

"Mr. Chen. Can you tell me if you caught up with Lone Wolf last night?"

"Nah, I scared him away." Chen Fan shrugged. He wasn't so stupid as to confessing acts of murder in front of Law Enforcement. Although as the Head Sergeant of the Cang Dragon unit, nothing would happen to him even if he did say that, he simply didn't want the hassle.

"You scared him away?"

A few younger law enforcers who came with Qin Han missed Chen Fan's display of strength last night, so they were doubtful of Chen Fan's claim.

They all had read Lone Wolf's profile and were aware of his impressive although heinous crimes. He had killed the vice president guarded by ten fully armored guards, slaughtered an entire gang and killed a warlord while the warlord was inside of his own camp...

Such a powerful elite assassin was a headache even for many kings and presidents of the Middle East, yet Chen Fan said he had scared him away.

However, these few Law Enforcers knew Chen Fan must be a mighty figure, so they kept their doubts to themselves.

"Then you are in trouble." Qin Han said solemnly. "Mr. Chen, I wager Lone Wolf will not give up. He was known for his persistence. You couldn't scare him away, you only gave him more time to prepare."

"Doesn't matter, he will not come back after me again." Chen Fan said confidently.

He had reduced Lone Wolf into a pile of ash, there is no way he would crawl back from hell to look for Chen Fan.

Seeing Chen Fan's careless attitude, Qin Han felt anger sprout out inside of her again.

"I hate to reason with rich playboys! They all looked so haughty and full of themselves before the shit hits the fan. Just watch! When he is really in trouble, he would cry like a little girl and run away faster than anyone."

Qin Han managed to hold back her anger and then put on a serious look.

"Mr. Chen, your trouble does not end with Lone Wolf. Our overseas source had given us a tip today."

Even as Qin Han said that she hesitated as a sense of disbelief came over her. "Rumor had it that someone had put a bounty on you for a billion US dollars."

"A billion?"

The living room boiled over.

The younger Law Enforcers were stupified by the huge number. The biggest case they have handled so far involved no more than a few million yuan. A billion-dollar crime was nearly inconceivable for them. Suddenly, they started to regard Chen Fan under a very different light.

"What thing had this man done to bring a billion-dollar bounty onto himself?"

It was the first time that Lu Yanxue heard of this news, so she gave Chen Fan a concerned look. Lu Yanwu, on the other hand, remained calm. She was convinced that since Chen Fan was able to kill Lei Qianjue, he could handle any kind of threat.

"Oh really?" Chen Fan kept on sipping his cup of tea and replied distractedly.

"Mr. Chen, please take this news seriously." Qin Han moved closer to Chen Fan and said heavily: "The border services had reported to us that they had noticed seventeen suspicious entries from foreign countries. Once they are inside China, we lost them immediately, but all signs suggested they are coming to Lin City."

"Rumor had it that even the top assassins such as the Blacksnake from The Blood Skull had also entered China."

"Blacksnake is an Internationally listed criminal. He is extremely deadly. We will need armored Law Enforcement if not military to capture him. Although we couldn't confirm if he really is in China, it's best for you to corporate with us. We will send guards to ensure your safety."

"You will ensure my safety?" Chen Fan looked to Qin Han and then to the few younger Law Enforcers. He shook his head and said: "Thanks, but no. Those are just rumors."

Even if the information was true, the more police officer around him, the more innocent lives would be lost.

"Mr. Chen!" Qin Han shouted at him hotly. She was riled after realizing that Chen Fan believed none of what she just said.

"That's enough. Yanwu, please see the guest to the door." Chen Fan picked up the cup and rose to his feet.

Lu Yanwu smiled at the officers and said: "Sir, Mr. Chen needs to rest, please follow me."

"Mr. Chen, I know you are a powerful man. However, you shouldn't lower your guard, please believe in our ability..." Qin Han continued persistently.

However, Chen Fan already left the room and pretended that he had heard nothing.

"What an ass hole!" A few young Law Enforcers were so mad that they wanted to smash the teacups. "He is going to regret his ignorance one day!"

Qin Han was quiet now, but she was not any less concerned.

For the next couple of days that followed, Chen Fan toured around the city with Lu Yanxue as if the assassins were nonexistent. Even after Tong Shan and the members of the Medicine God Valley Sect had arrived, he still decided to stay in the city.

Three days later, Chen Fan stood at the rooftop of the Lu family's mansion and looked down at the glowing city in the distance.

"It's about time."

Chen Fan closed his eyes and released his Divine Sense.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 207: The Bloody Assassin

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The full moon hung in the dark sky, shining down on the rooftop of the seventeen story mansion of the Lu family. A young man stood on the roof with his hands linked behind his back and looked down at the bustling city filled with life and color.

"It's about time."

Chen Fan charged up his Divine Sense and projected it out from his system.

An enormous wave of Divine Will unfurled and spread itself across the entire city, like a gush of an ocean wave that swept across the land, pushing itself into countless streets, and pouring into many skyscrapers and residential homes. It reached as far as a few kilometers and covered a significant portion of the city.

"Kaboom!"

Suddenly, a tsunami of information rushed into Chen Fan's conscious, filling up his mind. However, Chen Fan was unfazed. He had become experienced in the act. Slowly but surely, he filtered out the noises and pinpointed the information he wanted.

The moonless night covered the flickering neon light like a thick blanket, hiding the darkest corner of the city where criminals conspired. However, with the help of the Divine Will, everything in the city was under Chen Fan's radar.

Chen Fan saw a sleepless Lu Yanxue who rolled back and forth on the bed, and a busy Lu Yanwu who was still working by her desk, burying her head among books. He also saw Lu Dayong and his coworkers chatting with each other and threw light-hearted banter at each other. A little bit further, he saw an SUV parked outside of the mansion and Qin Han's furrowed brows. He saw a few furtive figures around the perimeter of the mansion, looking through the fences from time to time. He saw...

However, none of this were what Chen Fan was looking for. He quickly adjusted his Divine Will and suddenly, in his eyes, the entire city became pitch dark save a few flickering flames like candles in the wind.

Each and every candle flame was a life force. A healthy young man's flame was much brighter than that of an old man. On the other hand, the flames of the martial artists were as bright as a small bonfire.

"There are so many Martial Artists in Lin City?"

Chen Fan was taken aback. He saw at least a dozen martial artists within the effective range of his Divine Will. Nearly half of those martial artists had been here to watch his fight against Lei Qianjue.

"There you are."

Chen Fan's attention was not on those martial artists, instead, he zeroed in on a few sinister presences. Their flames were cold and malicious, just like that of Lone Wolf. Lone Wolf was an assassin and so were they. Chen Fan had stayed here a few more days on purpose, during this time, he had baited these assassins out and tagged them with his Divine Sense.

The last assassin that was tagged by Chen Fan had hidden in a bush only three hundred meters away from the mansion.

"Bang!"

Chen Fan stomped the rooftop lightly with one foot and launched himself up into the sky. He looked like a shooting star that landed gracefully outside of the Lu family residence from the seventeen story building.

"What's that?"

The assassin was hiding in the bush, trying to breathe as light as possible while he examined the mansion with binoculars. He heard a whistling sound, so he looked up only to witness an incredible sight.

A dark shadow glided through the air against the silver moonlight. Before the assassin had time to figure out what was happening, Chen Fan's feet had already landed on his head, squashing it into a pulp.

"One down."

Chen Fan didn't even care to examine the remains of his victim, he tapped the ground with his feet again and launched himself up.

"This is awesome!"

Chen Fan launched himself a few hundred meters in the air with each jump and sometimes he even added a few more playful touches such as somersaults and pirouettes in his movement. As energy coursed through his veins, he felt every cell in his body was celebrating his power joyfully as his body exchanged their Essence Qi with the nature around it. The Essence Qi of Heaven and Earth provided his body limitless supply of energy and even allowed him to maintain being airborne for a short period of time.

This was the first time Chen Fan unleashed the full power of the Azure Thearch Longevity Body ever since he had obtained it.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

Chen Fan hopped around the city like a Spiderman, weaving in and out of the concrete jungle. He flew himself up and through the window of a large building and out of the other end. Right before he exited the window, he stamped the wall and gained more speed to make it to the next building.

The darkness of the night a few dozen meters above the ground provided him perfect cover. Even a stargazer who happened to catch a glimpse of Chen Fan would think that he had just seen a bird.

"Chen Beixuan!"

Inside of a four-star hotel, an Asian man with a gaunt face was watched a video attentively as he murmured the name. This video was shot at low resolution by a sting camera.

On the blurry image, he could make out vague outlines of two men hopping around the lake. It looked like they were at each other's throat, but the video was too blurry to confirm that.

"Too bad that this video is shit, the rain probably didn't help either. Otherwise, I should have gotten a handle on his power." The Asian man furrowed his brows and said.

During the fight on the West Lake, the drizzling rain had blocked the view from even the audience at the lake, much less a sting camera. The Lu family had blocked off the entire West Lake and forbidden any camera. Only a tiny camera that could shoot very low-resolution pictures could make it through the security check. However, the image quality was so bad that one could not even tell the features of the two fighters' faces.

"However, at least I can tell that he is able to move very quickly on the water with ease. It also proves that normal firearms would not do any harm to Chen Beixuan, except for sniper rounds."

The Asian man was an assassin from Korea called Kim Jinhuang

He operated independently and was not affiliated with any other organizations. The Hong Sect's offer of a billion US dollar was too tempting to ignore. After this, he could finally retire on some island country and settle down and spent the rest of his life peacefully.

Suddenly, the window shattered and a dark shadow stormed in.

"How is this possible? I am on the twenty-seventh floor!" Kim Jinhuang was caught off guard, and instinct spurred him to reach for the gun hitched at his belt.

Even as the man was about to shoot, he saw an azure flash, and then everything went dark and cold. The last thing he heard was a young man's voice.

"Six down."

The dark shadow jumped out of the window before the hotel manager rammed into the door. The manager saw broken glasses everywhere on the floor and a decapitated body on the bed, his hand clutching onto a handgun.

Similar incidents happened many times throughout the night in the city.

They happened in hotels, motels, massage parlor, residential houses, and community parks. Most of the dead were foreigners from other Asian countries. There were also a couple of white people among them.

They all died from a terrifying execution. Some were sliced in half from the waist, some were decapitated, some were chopped into pieces, and some were burned to a crisp.

What's more shocking about these incidences was the fact that they all seem to happen within half an hour. That was to say that someone or some organization had killed these few dozen men within thirty minutes.

No matter where the assassin was hiding—some even hid in crowded clubs—their signature was too strong to avoid Chen Fan detection.

"Number twenty-three."

Chen Fan walked away from a bar after he had cast a curse on the assassin hiding within. When the assassin fell to the dance floor, the club-goers around him thought the man had a heart attack.

"In less than half an hour, I finished off twenty-three groups. Thirty-nine of them in total." He reckoned that Qin Han's information was not correct. She had told Chen Fan that there were seventeen groups.

Chen Fan looked up at the sky and heard a muffled cry from the club behind him. He wagered that someone had discovered the assassin's dead body.

He knew that his act tonight would stir up a lot of attention, especially since Chen Fan didn't clean up the bodies.

He had left these bodies for the police to trace back to their original and to figure out their purpose in China. Eventually, the government would figure out that he was tonight's perpetrator.

However, that was exactly what Chen Fan wanted. He wanted to let as many people know of what happened tonight as possible, using it as a lesson for other groups that meant him harm. On the other hand, Chen Fan was not at all worried about the extra attention he might be getting.

Although he hated trouble as he always had, he was powerful enough to get himself out of any kind of sticky situation.

"These assassins were from different organizations in different countries. I hope it's enough to teach others a lesson." These assassins were not ordinary people, they were proud elites and losing them would be a huge blow to their organizations.

"That's not all of it. I still haven't found the most powerful assassin. I will need to do away with him in order to get the message through. I will show them the ultimate price they have to pay should they wish to mess with me."

Chen Fan's lips curled into a smile. He looked to the sky and murmured: "Blacksnake, where are you."

Even as he said that he started the Divine Will to covered the entire Lin City. Suddenly, in Chen Fan's mind's eyes, he looked at the city with a bird's eye view.

Under such penetrative Soul Refining Art, the city started to confest its darkest secrets to Chen Fan.

He sensed a few powerful presences that he had missed earlier, lurking in the darkness. Despite their inactivity, they possessed immense power that could rival Grandmasters. These presences seemed to have sensed Chen Fan's Divine Will, as they all shriveled a little to hide from detection.

"Got you!"

Chen Fan looked his Divine Will onto one of the weakest presence. Its energy was deadly and cold.

Che Fan took one step forward and covered a few hundred meters of distance in an instant as he headed toward that presence.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 208: Killing Blacksnake

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

When Chen Fan's Divine Will reached the entire city, a few men suddenly opened up their eyes and looked in the direction where Chen Fan was. Their level of attainment had allowed them to sense the all mighty, all-encompassing and omnipresent power.

"What is this? Someone in the Immortal State?"

Suddenly, an old man stood up abruptly as light flickered in his eyes. No one within the Immortal State had made an appearance in the world for decades, and even though the old man was a dominant figure of the region where he came from, he had never seen anyone with Immortal State power.

The power he had sensed was so powerful that it was boundless and it existed only on the spiritual level. Despite its insubstantial nature, the old man was certain that it was of Immortal State.

"Of all the people in Lin City, only THAT one from the Lu family residence could have reached such power." The old man furrowed his brows. "Even if he has not technically reached Immortal State, he is not very far from it."

"Bah! I had planned to challenge him, but he appears to be even more powerful than Lei Qianjue. It was evident that I have fallen so far behind that even Lei Qianjue could have defeated me if he was still alive."

The old man heaved a sigh.

He was not alone in his shock, many other people were also set back on their heels by the powerful presence.

When Chen Fan was on the West Lake, he had killed Lei Qianjue in front of all the renowned martial artists in China and installed respect and reverence into the hearts of most martial artists in China. However, some Grandmasters who didn't attend the match were still in denial of Chen Fan's seemingly impossible power. They were convinced that they were as powerful as Chen Fan.

"We are all of Transcendent State, and I am not any less powerful than Lei Qianjue."

There were many Grandmasters who felt the same way as the old man did. Some of these Grandmasters even arrived at Lin Zhou, waiting for their opportunity to challenge the so-called most powerful Grandmaster in China.

However, ever since these Grandmasters felt the presence of Chen Fan's powerful Divine Will, they gave up their plan almost instantly.

They hadn't reached the Divine Will by a long shot. However, Chen Fan's Divine Will was already so powerful that he could cast it over the entire city. Such a gap was unbridgeable, and no match would be required to tell who was more powerful.

Meanwhile, a gangly looking young Asian man walked in the busiest street in Lin City. His eyes darted left and right, tracing after all the scantily clad city girls around him.

Despite his relaxed appearance, his body tensed up and so he could unleash a killing blow there and then.

"Huh?"

The gangly man felt something and he looked up into the sky."Such a powerful Soul Energy! I have never thought that there would be any soul energy master in China, much less such a powerful one. I always thought that China is only home to Martial Artists."

"Shit, I think this powerful Soul Energy Master is after me!" The gangly man furrowed his brows.

The Soul Energy Masters were headaches even for Mixed Martial Arts Masters and Grandmasters of Martial Arts. They often possessed unthinkable powers that could destroy one's perception of reality using illusion and kill their enemies in their dreams.

"However, you should never have messed with me." The gangly man curled his lips into a smile as a cold light danced in his eyes. "I am the king of assassins and the bane of Soul Energy Masters."

Despite Soul Energy Masters' power, their bodies were usually very weak. If an assassin was able to get close to the Soul Energy Master, he could have killed the Soul Energy Master with ease.

With that thought in mind, the gangly man's body twitched in the most unnatural way and then disappeared into thin air.

"Try to run away?"

Chen Fan furrowed his brows as he was gliding through the air. He had since marked the gangly using his Divine Will, however, he could feel the assassins signal ebbing away by the second. His signal used to be as bright as conspicuous as the sun, but now it was weak and flickering like the flame of a small candle. The night club the gangly man and disappeared into was the most popular nightlife venue in the city and therefore it was packed.

"He is very smart. The best place for a drop of water to conceal itself was in the ocean. You might be able to slip through my radar if I were an ordinary person, but I am not." A playful smile surfaced on Chen Fan's face. "My power is beyond your imagination. Even if you blend into the crowd, I can pick you out using my Divine Will with ease. There is no escape for you once you have been marked by my Divine Will."

So thinking, he landed on the ground.

"You lauded yourself as the elite assassin, a hunter for human life, but now the hunter is being hunted. "

Chen Fan sauntered into the night club with his hands linked behind his back.

The Sushan Road was a bustling sleepless street in Lin City. When the night fell, and the neon lights went on, there would be many clubs catering to the young and the restless. Everywhere people could see scantily clad bodies and meticulously painted faces, touting their youth and beauty, seeking to use others or to be used. This was a hot destination for many foreigners in China, and therefore, one could often find people of all kinds of backgrounds here.

Chen Fan didn't use an illusion spell to mask his godly features. Therefore, his appearances quickly attracted many young girls' attention. His eyes shone such a powerful light that tugged at their heartstrings.

"He is in this club."

Chen Fan didn't mind the girls' ogling and he looked up at the flashing neon sign in front of the club. It read: Bacardi. As he made his way into the club, he was assaulted by the loud music. However, as soon as the crowd noticed Chen Fan, the made way for this incredibly handsome young man.

Under many stares that were filled with an equal measure of admiration and envy, Chen Fan made his way to the second floor.

The second floor was VIP sections and was much quieter than the ground floor.

"Yichen, why the long face? Haven't you heard that a group of teenage Hungarian models just arrived at Jiang Nan Theater? I promise you that I will let you pick one, whichever one you like." A voice drifted into Chen Fan's ears.

Chen Fan swept across the area with his Divine Will and then cracked a smile. He didn't expect to meet an acquaintance here.

"Interesting, why didn't he head back to Chu Zhou City with Fei Fei?"

He looked toward the voice and saw Li Yichen sitting among a group of teenagers. His face looked troubled.

Li Yichen was tall and handsome and was dressed in brand name clothing from head to toe. Despite the girl's desperate attempts to catch his attention, Li Yichen didn't seem to take notice of them at all. He managed a smile and then said: "Young Lord Han, I stayed here because I want to visit Mr. Chen Beixuan, not because I want to party for days on end."

Among Li Yichen's companions was Young Lord Han who had organized their graduation party. His father worked at the government. Young Lord Han let out a wry smile after he heard Li Yichen's words.

"Yichen, I have explained it to you how difficult it is to get an audience with him. His fame aside, we won't even be able to get through the gate to the Lu family's residence. I doubt that even my dad was able to persuade the hot CEO of the Lu Group to let us in."

Although Young Lord Han was a resourceful young man, his influence was a far cry from the Lu Group. The CEO of the Lu Group, Lu Yanwu was also way out of his reach.

"Xiao Han, are you talking about Lu Yanwu?" An older man said with a furrowed brows.

"Brother Hao, do you have any way to connect us with Lu Yanwu or any higher-ups in the Lu family?" Young Lord Han asked cautiously.

The stately young man sat in the middle of the group and it was evident that he was the ring leader. Everyone considered Brother Hao the most influential member of their clique and was one of the young members of the elite class.

"That might be difficult." Brother Hao shook his head, eyes filled with contempt. Li Yichen might have been an influential young man in Chu Zhou City, he was a nobody in Lin City. If not because of that group of Hungarian models, he would never come to the party.

"Didn't you say she served that man willingly? I don't think that could happen. Lu Yanwu is well known for her coldness and aloofness. She never cared for any of her pursuers." Brother Hao asked.

"Hehe, seeing is believing. You should have seen her a few days ago when she was with that man." Young Lord Han cracked a smile. His voice was filled with respect and fear.

He was rendered speechless after seeing the match. That match had taught him many things and he had finally learned the existence of powerful men such as Lei Qianjue and Chen Beixuan.

"Oh, come on, not the West Lake bullshit again." Brother Hao said annoyedly.

He always liked Young Lord Han as his sidekick. However, ever since the young man came back from a graduation trip, he seemed slightly unhinged, mumbling obscenities such as Kong Fu Masters, Grandmasters and what have you. He insisted the reason for the blockade on the West Lake was due to a match instead of a government top dog's visitation.

Brother Hao had brushed it off as nonsense, but the repeated mentioning of the same thing finally got on his nerves.

"Brother Hao, I am telling the truth! There are martial artists out there with unimaginable abilities." Young Lord Han protested.

"Stop! That's enough!" Brother Hao pulled a taut face and refuted hotly. The other teenagers hurried to ease the tension: "Xiao Han, Brother Hao made time to hang out with us, don't piss him off please."

"True that! Xiao Han, what you said sounded just absurd! How could anyone be that powerful?"

Young Lord Han suddenly felt a pang of embarrassment. Seeing no one had believed him, he looked to Li Yichen for help. However, Li Yichen furrowed his brows and kept his silence. He knew that even if he told everyone what he saw, no one would believe him.

Not even himself had believed his eyes ten days ago.

Suddenly, Li Yichen caught a glimpse of someone and was shocked.

"Chen Beixuan! What is he doing here?"

"Uh? Chen Beixuan?" Young Lord Han turned around and saw Chen Fan in a black outfit. The sight stupified him as he couldn't believe that the person who seemed to be able to undo the whole world was once again standing right in front of him.

"OMG!! He is so freaking HOT!" Many teenage girls screamed after they saw Chen Fan's face.

Even Brother Hao was taken aback by Chen Fan's perfect, if not godly appearance as envy rose inside of him.

Under everyone's surprised glare, Chen Fan walked over to a man wearing a baseball cap and sat down across him. Chen Fan cracked a smile and then said: "Mr. Blacksnake, we have finally met."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 209: Fire Bending

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Chen Beixuan!"

The man with the baseball cap lifted his head and answered in broken Chinese. His voice was filled with surprise.

He had never expected that the Soul Energy Master who had been tracking him was his assassination target. In the profile given to him, it only mentioned that Chen Fan might be able to use Dharma Spells and that he was a Transcendent State Martial artist. However, it didn't say anything about his ability to use Soul Energy.

"Damn the Blood Skull, damn the Hong Sect! What kind of shity intel was that!"

The man cursed vehemently in his mind, but he was still able to put on a cast of calm countenance.

Although Chen Fan's power had exceeded his imagination, he was confident in his own abilities as well, particularly the ability to escape. This was the number one skill any rookie assassin had to master before they became a pro. After all, assassination missions were not suicide missions.

"Aren't you here to kill me? I am right here in front of you. Do it."

Chen Fan cracked a smile as he studied the so-called King of Assasins.

Blacksnake was a gaunt-looking middle-aged man in his forties. His round faces and olive color skins suggested that he was from Southeast Asian countries. His arm was covered with ink, depicting a snarling black snake. He looked like a middle-aged man down on his luck, tiring to numb his disappointment in life with drinks.

"Chen Beixuan, you should never have exposed your real power. Now I will be able to find many different ways to kill you." The Blacksnake said stoically. Despite his indifferent expression, a light flinted in his eyes.

"Oh, do you think you would be able to get away today?" Chen Fan asked with a great measure of interest.

"Chen Beixuan, you have underestimated the abilities of assassins. " Blacksnake lowered his head a little and let out a cold grin.

As an elite assassin, the trump card of Blood Skull, Blacksnake had survived many impossible missions. Of all the fifty-seven missions he had carried out, none was a failure. He had accumulated a wealth of secret arts and Dharmic formulations, let it be Yoga from ancient India, Muay Thai of ancient Thailand, Ninjisu from Japan, Internal force from China, or the Curse of Gu Magus from southeast Asia, he was well versed in all of them. Thanks to his experience and the wealth of knowledge, he was able to survive until today and became the crowned champion of assassins.

A girl came over to Chen Fan and bent over to talk to Chen Fan, revealing deep and tantalizing cleavage. She was wearing a pair of hot pants that exposed nearly half of her bubble butt and a pair of sparkling high heels decorated with diamonds. Her face was meticulously painted. When she smiled, she looked like a pin-up model from 50's calendars.

"Hello handsome, are you waiting for anyone? Care to share a drink with me?"

The woman was tall and adding on the high heels, she was about one meter and eighty centimeters in height, similar to most fashion show models. Her cold and aloof yet extremely alluring face would make her the queen of the club.

After she finished her questions, she glided gracefully to beside Chen Fan and pressed her perky breasts against Chen Fan's arm. She came so close to Chen Fan that her lush red lips were nearly touching Chen Fan's ears. A charming fragrance suddenly filled the air around the table

"She was the owner of the bar, it seems like she has taken a liking in that pretty boy as well." Youg Lord Han's friend commented as he looked at Brother Hao cautiously.

It was a public secret that Bai Hao liked Sister Rouge, the owner of Bacardi.

Lo and behold, they watched as displeasure crawled onto Bai Hao's face.

"Brother Hao, do we need to teach this boy a lesson?" A brash young man asked.

His name was Dong Youqian; since his father runs a construction company, he had plenty of manpower to spare. He wanted to cozy up to Bai Hao in order to gain an edge in an important land transfer deal. Therefore, he was the most eager to help out Bai Hao.

Bai Hao held a wine cup and said nothing. However, as soon as saw the infatuation in Sister Rouge's eyes when she looked at Chen Fan, he said coldly.

"Be careful and be discreet."

"You bet." Dong Youqian rose to his feet and walked to Chen Fan.

By then, Han and Li Yichen were frightened by the development. In the eyes of Bai Hao and his cohort, Chen Fan was just an average person with a pretty face. He shouldn't be more influential in Lin City than Bai Hao. However, Li Yichen and Young Lord Han knew that Chen Fan was a wolf in the disguise of a lamb.

If he wanted, he could have killed everyone in the club with ease.

"Xiao Han, what's up? Why are you shaking? Is it too cold in here?" Bai Hao noticed Young Lord Han's chattering teeth and asked.

"Brother Hao... quickly...call Brother Qian back... Don't mess with that guy..." Youg Lord Han said in a trembling voice.

"Why? I have already told Xiao Qian to be careful." Bai Hao didn't care for the warning. He wagered that although he was not the most influential person in Lin city, it was very unlikely for him to meet one of them alone in this club.

Plus, he was confident in Dong Youqian's methods. Despite his brashy and menacing look, he was as careful as an old cat. He doubted that Dong Youqian would actually get into a bar fight with that young man.

"He... he is Chen Beixuan!" Young Lord Han stammered.

"Chen Beixuan?" Bai Hao furrowed his brows."I have never heard of this name in Lin City. Is he from other provinces?"

They have finally realized that Young Lord Han was legitimately scared.

"Brother Han, he was one of the combatants who fought on the West Lake." Youg Lord Han was on the brink of a breakdown.

"Battle on the West Lake? What's wrong with your head?" Bai Hao shook his head helplessly. He made up his mind to never party with the fool ever again.

By then, Dong Youqian had made his way to Chen Fan's table. He fished out a limited edition Zippo lighter and lit up a cigarette. After taking a drag, he was ready to teach this arrogant boy a lesson to never touch other people's women.

Blacksnake suddenly laughed and announced: "Chen Beixuan, why don't you stay here and enjoy the company of such a beauty?"

He sprung up like a snake and flew up. He eventually landed on the center of the dance floor, crushing a few railings in the process.

"Ah!"

Many people shrieked in fear and the boys and girls who had been swaying with the music dispersed like a herd of scared ducklings. Even Bai Hao was startled by the development and rose to his feet to investigate.

Sister Rouge shivered. She also noticed the man with a baseball hat sitting across from her, however, she never expected him to jump off the second floor so suddenly. The railings he had smashed through were made out of special alloys and bulletproof glass, that could withstand an impact with a car.

"Oh fuck! He is a superman!"

The cigarette slipped out of Dong Youqian's gaping mouth, but the young man didn't even notice it as he was stupified by the turn of the events.

"You won't get away!"

Chen Fan rose to his feet slowly and the shot out an arm at Dong Youqian.

"I need your lighter."

Suddenly, a large flame lanced out from the small zippo lighter in Dong Youqian's hand and turned into a fiery drake. The firedrake writhed toward Blacksnake as Chen Fan hopped off the second floor to the dance floor below.

"What the fuck?"

Dong Youqian collapsed to the ground like an idiot; it was too much for him to comprehend and so he could only stare.

Sister Rouge was frozen in her seat and one of her shaky hands still holding a wine cup. A moment ago, she had fantasizing how the romantic night with the young man would turn out, but there and then, she was seeing a battle between the X-men.

"Kaboom!"

The firedrake flew across the room like a twisty flaming rope and hovered above Blacksnake. The Bai family of southeast China was well known for their fire bending abilities, yet, even Bai Wuji would be stunned by Chen Fan's sublime skills.

"I told you Chen Beixuan, you won't catch me."

Blacksnake let out a peal of laughter despite being surrounded by fire. Suddenly, his body turned into a puff of dark smoke that quickly spread across the entire night club. In a blink, the club was pitch black. Adding the panic creams from bystanders, it felt like the end of the world was coming.

"There is nowhere for you to hide."

The dark smoke was made from a special formula that contained fine particles. It was darker than ink. However, Chen Fan didn't need his eyes to see. He could sense the presence of Blacksnake using his Divine Will and he registered that his target had smashed through a wall and escaped to the back alley. He took a step toward the direction of the back alley and flashed out of the view.

After a while, the smoke in the club finally subsided.

Bai Hao and his friends stood silently and looked at the tattered night club stupidly.

"Xiao Han. You have been telling me the truth all the while..." Bai Hao blurted out.

"Of course! His battle on the West Lake was ten times more terrifying than this! This... this is.. nothing." Young Lord Han said with a smug smile.

He was as afraid as everyone else, however, seeing Bai Hao's stunned look, he felt a little relieved.

"I told you so!"

Dong Youqian had also collapsed on the ground shaking uncontrollably. He had been planning to teach the young man a lesson but it seemed like the joke was on him.

By then, Chen Fan had followed Blacksnake out of the Bacardi.

The two exited the club and emerged out onto a quieter back alleyway. In the dark corners, a few couples hid in the shadow, making out with each other.

However, the sudden appearance of Blacksnake through the wall started them and scared them away.

Chen Fan followed the assassin for a few blocks and finally stopped at an even narrower alleyway. Blacksnake knew he could not outpace Chen Fan, and so he might as well face him.

"Chen Beixuan, this is where you will die."

Blacksnake turned around and saw Chen Fan was already walking toward him.

The two were about ten meters apart. Despite the poor lighting in the alley, light shone in both of their eyes threatening to penetrate the night. Blacksnake slowly arched his back and made a hissing sound. He looked like a giant viper on a hunt.

As an elite assassin, he was well versed in many things, including fighting.

He used to use his snake inspired fighting technique to kill a renowned Mixed Martial Arts Master.

"Shu!"

A green Blade Aura sliced through the dark night.

Chen Fan didn't waste a single word and attacked directly using Azure Wood Qi Blade.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 210: Killing With One Blow

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

From a purely technical point of view, Chen Fan was not much different than Lei Qianjue.

Lei Qianjue had perfected both his physique condition and usage of Internal Force. He had reached the peak of the Transcendent State and had started to grasp the power of Heaven and Earth. Therefore, he was not any less powerful than an Immortal cultivator at Ethereal Enlightenment level.

What he lacked compared to real Immortal cultivators were Dharma Spells and Divine powers. Without the aid of Chen Fan's divine powers, the match might have lasted much longer than it did.

Unfortunately, Lei Qianjue had met Chen Fan after he had obtained the Azure Thearch Longevity Body. The Connate Body was so powerful that it let Chen Fan break the sound barrier. That being said, even at Chen Fan's level of attainment, he would save the hypersonic punch for the very last moment since his body could not sustain the burden of executing hypersonic movement for a long time before he actually reached the Connate Spirit Level.

"Shu!"

The azure colored Blade Aura flashed and lit up the dark alleyway, revealing the menacing face of Blacksnake.

The Blacksnake's power was a far cry from that of Lei Qianjue. Therefore, Chen Fan reckoned that he didn't even need to use any Divine powers, the Azure Wood Blade Qi would be enough for the job. Suddenly, Blacksnake's face tightened as his body elongated unnaturally until he turned into a two-meter long cheese string. He spun around as he pulled out two curved blades that looked like two poisonous vipers. The two blades came after Chen Fan as black smoke ran down from the sharp edges.

"Kill!"

Chen Fan didn't even flinch and hacked the blade, sending a wave of belligerent and indestructible Blade Aura. The blade aura was so sharp and deadly that it seemed to have torn through the very fabric of space.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The curved double blades and the Azure Wood Blade Auras collided a few times.

The two curved blades swirled about the tall and stringy looking man as dark lights ran down from its body. They were both surrounded by dark mist that not only gave off a terrible stench but was also extremely poisonous. The grass and plants near the dark mist quickly shriveled up and died. However, Chen Fan was unfazed by the danger, the Azure Thearch Longevity Body was a Connate Body, and there was no poison on earth that could have threatened him.

"What a powerful Blade Qi!"

Already, Blacksnake started to be scared of his opponent. His curved blades were made out of special alloys and he had treated the surface of the blade with a layer of paint so that it creates no shadows even under the light. He had learned the sword fighting skills from an Iranian Royal Palace Guard. However, after a few impacts with Chen Fan's Blade Qi, these curved blades seemed to have already reached their limit.

"Everyone talked about the Grandmasters in China who are able to form a thread in the air using Qi and wove them into a Four Righteousness protection layer. I never believed in that, but now I do." Blacksnake kicked a wall and turned his body sideways to press tightly against the wall like a gecko. He then scrambled toward the top of the wall in lightning speed.

"Blade, arise!"

Chen Fan launched himself up to catch up with the escaping assassin as the Blade Auras grew more intense until the alleyway was as bright as daylight.

"Sssth-Wack!"

Life hanging by a thread, Blacksnake abruptly turned his head back and hissed at Chen Fan. His eyes had turned into golden color and reflected the bright light of Blade Auras. His seemed to have folded himself up by twisting his spine in the most unnatural way and dodged the incoming azure Blade Auras. Then, he kicked the wall again, propelling himself toward Chen Fan like a hungry tiger plunging down at its prey.

While the assassin was still in the air, the dark mist that shrouded his blades suddenly grew in size and quickly filled up the entire alley, smothering the light of the Blade Auras.

"You wish to fight me blindly?"

Chen Fan cracked a light smile.

By then, Chen Fan finally understood what had made Blacksnake such a deadly assassin. His power was on par with a Martial Arts Grandmaster or a Mixed Martial Arts Master. Chen Fan reckoned that although Blacksnake's power was not any stronger than that of Lu Tianfen, he was a much more cunning fighter and had many tricks up his sleeve such as the light-blocking dark mist. These mists were so thick that the complete darkness would throw off even a Grandmaster. However, Blacksnake swam in the mist like a fish in a tank.

The advantage of sight in the blinding mist could give him a big enough leverage to topple a Grandmaster.

"However, unfortunately, today your opponent is me."

Chen Fan locked his Divine Will onto Blacksnake as golden light shone in his eyes. As a fire elemental Divine power, the Li Fire Golden Eyes were able to penetrate through any smokescreen and illusions to reveal the truth.

Two beams of golden lights penetrated the dark smoke and revealed the shadowy figure of Blacksnake.

"Die, NOW!"

Chen Fan formed blade auras at the tip of his fingers; layers of Azure Wood Blade Qi formed in the air and stacked on top of each other, forming a thirty centimeter long Blade Aura. Despite the aura's seemingly unsubstantial appearance, its energy was condensed, and therefore was a few times more powerful than the blade auras he had unleashed earlier.

As the Blade Aura sliced through the dark mist, light ran down from the seemingly impenetrable dark smoke. The Blade Aura caught Blacksnake off guard while he was already on his way to attack Chen Fan. The assassin let out a panicked shriek and then backed away from Chen Fan to safety.

Chen Fan didn't hesitate and started running after Blacksnake, turning his figure into a wash of white light. He chased after the assassin for a few dozen meters and reached the edge of the dark mist. Suddenly, Blacksnake let out a hideous grin and said: "Chen Beixuan, you force me to do this! "

Then he turned around as his pupils turned into two golden slits. In a blink, the energy in him surged a few folds, and a layer of dark scales appeared on his face. It looked very similar to the scale on the Yin Snake. A grey shadowy form appeared behind him, and it was in the form of a giant black snake.

"Huh? What is that?"

Chen Fan was taken aback. However, his attack didn't slow down as he hacked at Blacksnake with the same deadliness as it had before. The Azure Wood Qi Blade at the highest level was able to cut through steel and cut open an armored vehicle. Even Lei Qianjue dared not to block the attack of the Azure Wood Qi Blade with his body.

"The Art of Snake Breathing!"

Blacksnake started to mutter an ancient and vile language that sounded like hissing snakes from hell. However, Chen Fan was able to understand his words using his Divine Will. He watched as Blacksnake jerked open his eyes and his chest went up and down like a blower. His elongated body and scaly face made him look like a giant snake breathing laboriously. The shadowy form behind the assassin also plunged into its host's body. A fraction of a second later, the assassin's body grew in size as a plume of smoke bellowed up and formed the head of a giant snake. The hideous snakehead snarled and plunged its poisonous fangs into Chen Fan.

The snakehead formed from smoke looked real and lively. It opened its huge mouth, revealing its sharp fangs that could snap a tiger in half.

This was the coup de grace of Blacksnake. Thanks to this art, he was able to escape many life and death moments, and he even killed a Mixed Martial Arts Master using this technique. However, the incredible power of the art came with a heavy cost, as it would over-spend his vitality every time he used it. Therefore, Blacksnake often saved this secret art for the last moment.

"It's very similar to Tong Shan's Tiger Demon's Physique Refinement Art" Realization finally dawned upon Chen Fan.

The secret art used by blacksnake was one kind of body tempering art. However, the power of the assassin's body tempering art was a far cry from that of the Tiger Demon's Physique Refinement Art. Tong Shan had only started the art for a few months yet he had already surpassed the decades of hard training of the assassin. In addition, Tong Shan's body tempering art didn't have any negative effects and therefore could be used at any time.

After getting a handle on his opponent, Chen Fan no longer held back his power. He charged up his Qi as the Blade Auras surged a few meters in size and the azure color also became much stronger, making the wavy aura look like a pool of blue water.

Chen Fan had finally pushed the secret art of the Five Elements Immortal Sect to the limit.

"Kacha!"

The blade aura sliced through the snake head first without any resistance, it then landed on Blacksnake who had hidden behind the appreciation, and cut the assassin's body into half from the middle of his eyes.

The blade auras didn't stop until it dragged itself on the ground for another few dozen meters, creating a deep groove.

The King of Assassins, an elite member of the Blood Skull was laid low by Chen Fan with a single decisive strike.

"This is... Impossible!"

The surprise lingered on Blacksnake's face when he was dealt a blow. The Art of Snake Breathing was the top-secret art of the Blood Skull, and even a Mixed Martial Arts Master would have to tread carefully while faced by it.

However, he had no time to lament his downfall. Blacksnake's body opened up from the middle as blood gushed out from the wounds, spraying the walls of the alley red.

Chen Fan stopped the Blade Aura and walked away with his hands linked behind his back.

He wagered that after the death of Blacksnake, the assassin groups would have to think twice before messing with him again. He should have taught them the most basic lesson in life: their actions carried consequences.

When the news of what happened at Lin City reached overseas, the entire underground criminal world boiled over. The assassin groups stamped their feet and gritted their teeth as they cursed Hong Sect for their misleading information. Many of the assassin groups had sustained heavy losses since they had sent in their best and now they were all dead. To train an elite Assassin required a tremendous amount of resources and time. The process usually took as long as ten years.

The Blood Skull had suffered the heaviest blow of all the assassin groups.

Blacksnake used to be their champion Assassin since he was one of the very few people who were able to kill a Grandmaster. The death of such a powerful member set The Blood Skull back at least ten years, in the worst case, they might have to retire from their line of business altogether in order to recuperate.

Suddenly, the billion-dollar bounty put up by the Hong Sect became a hot potato.

Even those assassins who planned to kidnap Chen Fan's relatives to force Chen Fan to his knees left China quietly. No one in their right mind would piss off a powerful Grandmaster who was able to kill Blacksnake in a one on one fight. The rest of the assassins also died within a very short time frame and that had made a lot of people suspect that the Chinese government was involved, otherwise, no one could have located so many assassins within such a short time.

"The Chinese Government must be behind Chen Beixuan!"

Thunder King Zoro grunted.

The meeting was held at the same underground base of the Hong Set. However, only the old man in the traditional Chinese dress was sitting by the table as the rest of the attendees joined the meeting via video conference calls.

"We have just got a tip that he was the head sergeant of a special Law enforcement unit called Cang Dragon. Based on our sources' description, Chen Beixuan's power was way beyond what Romon suggested. Not even Blacksnake could survive his one blow." Crimson Lady said coldly. "Boss, we are facing a super-soldier from China."

The rest of the regional underbosses kept their silence.

At this point, they were less concerned about Chen Beixuan than the ire of China. Despite Chen Beixuan's surprising power based on the new information they gathered, they were quite confident in their plan since no individual would stand up against an entire organization. However, messing with the Chinese government was an entirely different ballgame. Hong Sect's power couldn't compare with that of the super nation China.

The man in traditional Chinese dress sat still with a gloomy face. After a long silent moment, he waved a hand and said: "Pause our operation in China and cancel the bounty and call back the Dark Moon."

The other underbosses nodded.

From that day on, Chen Fan's fame surged among many international organizations and was recognized as one of the most powerful men in the world.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 211: Grandmaster Chen

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

After that incident, Chen Fan and China caught the attention of many renowned organizations and martial arts masters around the world.

Lei Qianjue was a reputable person in the world; however, no one knew of his power since he had been inactive for ten years before he fought against Chen Fan. Although he was still the most powerful man in the Hong Sect, his position was constantly threatened by other powerful figures in the sect such as the Thunder King Zoro.

His title as the most powerful Grandmaster was recognized only among the Chinese community but not by those of other races. However, Blacksnake was considered the King of Assassins across the globe. He had done something that even Lei couldn't have done ten years ago—killing a Mixed Martial Arts Master.

However, such a powerful man was cut in half by Chen Fan with one sweeping attack. Those who had seen Blacksnake's death were terrified by the deadliness and preciseness of Chen Fan's techniques.

So far, Chen Fan had killed two renowned powerful international figures. If this wouldn't make Chen Fan the top fighter of the world, nothing would.

"New rules in the Assassin's Guild: Do not mess with Chen Beixuan and stay away from any contracts related to him."

The guild rule was quickly announced to all the assassin organizations. Most assassins were rational human beings, and therefore, they knew what was best for them. They wouldn't be hotheaded by sending ten more assassins after Chen Fan to avenge one of their own. They would not get involved in this. Plus the Hong Sect misinformed them in the first place.

After the Hong Sect had retracted their bounty, Chen Fan became even more feared by the underground criminal world.

The fact that Chen Fan could kill someone who was able to do away with a Grandmaster spoke loudly of his prowess. Most assassins would refrain from messing with him unless their life was at stake. Chen Fan's alleged connection with the Chinese Military headquarters further deterred these criminals.

As Chen Fan had expected, Qin Han arrived at his door the next morning.

Qin Han looked tired from working overnight due to a large number of homicide cases in the city last night. She looked troubled and was clearly annoyed at Chen Fan.

Chen Fan had killed many assassins and didn't even bother to clean up the bodies.

The death of so many foreigners in one night had quickly become viral news in the Lin City and southern China. Many of these foreigners carried deadly weapons such as daggers, blades, firearms, and snipers into China. Despite the city's best efforts to contain the spreading of the news, it had already caused many implications by then.

"Mr. Chen, you should know why I am here." Qin Han pulled a taut face and locked her gaze on to the young man in a black outfit.

She had been on duty just outside of the Lu family's residence the entire night and was sure that Chen Fan had never set a foot outside. However, she started to get reports of the mysterious deaths of many foreigners around midnight.

Qin Han had worked round the clock since then, coordinating and overseeing the police working at the crime scenes while trying to contain the situation. She visited each and every stomach-churning crime scene.

These victims were either decapitated, burnt to a crisp or were chopped up into pieces. The most gruesome death she had seen was near a club, where an Asian man had been sliced in half right down the middle.

"The perpetrator is a brazen psychopath! and he wanted everyone to know it!"

The memories of the crime scene gave Qin Han shivers.

Her rage subsided slightly after she knew that these victims were unsavory characters who were up to no good in China. Many of the deceased who still had their faces intact matched with pictures of assassins who had purportedly sneaked into China.

"So I guess all of these forty or so dead people were all assassins?" Qin Han couldn't believe it when she heard the news.

Members of these International Assassin groups were no ordinary people. The Scorpion, for example, was on the most wanted list in many countries, yet he was able to travel around the world with ease until recently. Many countries kept these elite assassins names on their watch list and persecuted them whenever they could by using the country's Law enforcement units. However, these efforts seemed not to have stopped these brazen criminals.

However, these trouble makers were all killed in one night in Lin City.

All evidence pointed to one person: the handsome young man standing before Qin Han now. All of the assassins were after him, but they were all dead; therefore, Chen Fan was the most suspicious.

"I don't know." Chen Fan shrugged.

"Last night, forty people were killed at twenty or so different locations in the city. They were all foreigners and were all listed as international criminals. One of them was the so-called King of Assassins: Blacksnake." Qin Han looked right into Chen Fan's eyes as she spoke.

"Oh... Really? Why are you telling me this?" Chen Fan put on an innocent look.

"Because all of the twenty-three groups of assassins came to kill you. There was a billion-dollar bounty on your head." Qin Han said seriously.

"Didn't you say there were only seventeen groups?" Chen Fan cracked a smirked.

Qin Han was suddenly at a loss for words. She quickly gathered herself and said with a frosty face: "Mr. Chen, I am the one who is questioning you, not the other way around. You are the most suspicious in committing the crimes."

"Do you have any proof?" Chen Fan asked.

"Hehe." Qin Han smiled as if she had been waiting for Chen Fan's ask her. She turned on the laptop and opened an image. "Mr. Chen, is this you in these pictures?"

Chen Fan examined the phots and saw that it was taken in a poorly lit night club. A black-haired young man was sitting with the Blacksnake. A few other photos showed a zoomed-in shot of the young man's face. Someone at the Bacardi must have taken these pictures using their cell phone.

Back in 2008, cell phones didn't have the best cameras, and the dark lighting didn't help to improve the image quality. However, one could still tell that the young man was Chen Fan.

"So? " Chen Fan said: "I was there for a couple of drinks, is that a crime?"

"We have witnesses saying that you had fought that man with the baseball cap. We have later learned that the man with the baseball cap is Blacksnake himself. He was found dead not far from that bar in an alleyway." Qin Han let out a smug smile.

"Sure." Chen Fan muttered.

"Mr. Chen Fan, we have enough evidence to arrest you, I hope you don't interfere with our business." Qin Han took a step closer and ordered the young officers beside her to handcuff Chen Fan.

"Stop, all of you!" A leader of the Lu family stormed in and shouted hotly.

The young officers were frozen in his tracks. Being shouted at by one of the most powerful people in the city unnerved them.

"Do you really think that I would kill that many people and sit here and wait to be arrested?" Chen Fan sipped his tea and said slowly.

"Then why did you do it?" Qin Han was taken aback at first, and then she asked curiously.

She remembered the phone call she got from her boss, telling her to drop the case. However, Qin Han was not that kind of person and she had sworn to serve justice. After much persuasion, her boss agreed to let her meet Chen Fan but reminded her not to arrest him.

"I don't care who you are and who you know, I have the evidence that you are guilty!" Qin Han screamed in her mind.

"That is because..." Chen Fan stopped, letting the suspense hang in the air as he looked toward the entrance.

"That is because Mr. Chen has been given permission to do so." A handsome looking young woman in military outfit walked into the room. She has a very fit and curvy body, and her short hair also teased out the masculinity in her.

"Yu Qin, you have arrived." Chen Fan put down the cup and was not surprised by the appearance of the woman.

He knew that the Military would stick up for him since he had offered them so many great gifts such as the Cang Dragon Physical Conditioning Exercise, and the Body Tempering pills. This was the least they could do to repay him.

"Who are you?" Qin Han looked at the girl in military attire curiously.

"Nice to meet you, I am Yu Qin from Jin City's military headquarters. I am also Mr. Chen's private consultant and coordinator." Yu Qin saluted and then produced a military-issued identification.

"I see." Qin Han examined the ID and found out it was authentic. She looked at Yu Qin in disbelief that such a young girl would be promoted to such a high position in the military.

"Wait... what did you say he was? A General-rank officer in the military?" Qin Han finally caught on and asked incredulously.

"Chen Beixuan is the head sergeant of the special unit Cang Dragon, and is of General rank." Yu Qin announced as she saluted to Chen Beixuan.

"General Chen, the directors have learned of the incidents. Ah! and just recently, director Li has gotten the approval from the Headquarters to officially offer you the general designation."

Qin Han was speechless by what she heard.

The few young officers standing behind Qin Han could only stare.

A less than twenty years old young man turned out to be the head sergeant of the Cang Dragon Unit and he reached the rank of general. How was that possible?

The Lu family members believed that Chen Fan was even more powerful than Ye Nantian, and therefore they were not at all surprised by the development.

In the end, Qin Han left the Lu family feeling disheartened. It turned out that Chen Fan was simply following orders—even though the orders were issued after the fact— to kill the international criminals. Not only was he not guilty, but he was also a hero of China and he had taught the criminals a lesson to never mess with China again.

"Mr. Chen, I hope you know that you have caused quite a mess for our higher-ups." After Qin Han was gone, Yu Qin spoke up. "There are people in the government, powerful people, who spoke against your actions. But our bosses had vouched for you."

"Director Li has my appreciation."

Chen Fan said lightly

At his level, he had enough leverage to influence the government. After all, the Cang Dragon Physical Conditioning Exercise he had offered to the military was of incredible value, and his own personal prowess also made himself an unexpendable asset.

"I guess now I'm done with things here, I will head back to Chu Zhou City, and then finally meet up with Xiao Qiong."

Chen Fan looked into the distance wistfully, thinking of the girl that he had been waiting to be reunited with for five hundred years.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 212: Heaven Roll of China

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

When September was finally right by the doorstep, Chen Fan was finally ready to leave Lin City.

When he first arrived Lin City, he was all by himself save for Lu Yanxue and Miao Xiaoqian who he had picked up along the way. However, on the day he left, a large crowd gathered to see him off. There were the higher-ups of the Lu family, Medicine God Valley Sect and Yu Qin who represented the military headquarters.

Since he had to travel with Tong Shan, he decided to take a ride in one of the Lu family's Mercedes-Benz. ahead of him was Yu Qin and her Jeep with a military issued plate and many other luxury cars trailed behind Chen Fan's Mercedes-Benz. Many pedestrians paused to marvel at the sight and tried to guess which big wig these people were accompanying.

Lu Yanxue stood by the door and watched the convoy disappear into the distance. Even after the last car had disappeared from sight, she stood still and didn't want to leave. Lu Yanwu came over to her and heaved a sigh: "He is gone now."

"I know." Lu Yanxue lowered her head and tugged the jade pendant hanging by her chest lightly, tiring to overcome the sadness in her.

"I wonder when I will be able to see you again, but I promise you that I will surprise you next time you see me."

She rubbed the tears off her cheek and pulled herself together. "Sister Yanwu, let's get back to work now. There are many things we need to change in this family."

Chen Fan's victory over the former family lord of the Lu family, Lu Tianfen had breathed a new life into the Martial arts community in China. Many incredible events quickly followed suit.

Three months later, Romon and challenged all large sects and renowned martial arts families for nineteen days and was undefeated.

August 3, Romon challenged Tai Chi Sect's Grandmaster Chen Jiuyang. After three hours, the match ended in a draw.

August 15, the Young Grandmaster Chen Beixuan fought with the Grandmaster of the Hong Sect on the West Lake. This battle was considered one of the most spectacular fights in ten years since both combatants had reached to the peak of the Transcendent state. The battle was as exhilarating and visceral as everyone had expected. They had stirred up huge waves that were as high as ten meters. In the end, after Lei Qianjue was dealt a blow by Chen Beixuan, the match finally ended, and so did Lei Qianjue's life. Chen Beixuan used Lei Qianjue's life to prove his power and claim the throne of martial arts in China.

August 13, Chen Beixuan killed an elite member of the infamous assassin group The Blood Skull: Blacksnake. The event spread his fame outside of China to the entire world.

August 25, a few days after Chen Fan left Lin City, two Grandmasters sparred near Lin City. Although their battle lasted less than a minute, their presence was registered by many other martial artists. Many believed that one of them was Grandmaster Du from the Miao's Land and the other was a Grandmaster from Northeast China.

August 27, Chen Jiuyang challenged the family lord of the Hua family, Hua Yunfeng.

The Chinese Martial arts community had never been so lively and full of activity. Many Grandmasters who had been dormant since this point all seemed to come out from their reclusion and start to communicate and exchange ideas with each other.

Nearly all of the Grandmasters had to deal with challenges and victory was not always guaranteed. Therefore, most of the Grandmasters learned very quickly to hide in seclusion among the mountains and streams to stay away from trouble.

The ranking of the Grandmasters was based on their fighting records. So far, only three Grandmasters had never been challenged once.

Two of them were Chen Fan and Ye Nantian.

"Great-Great Uncle-Master, Uncle-Master Mu, Senior Brother Gao, Look! the new Heaven Roll is out!" Guo Xiuxiu stormed into the room, carrying her laptop.

"Heaven Roll? What the heck is that?" Mu Shan was a taken aback.

Gao Baisheng also paused his exercise and looked confused.

The scrawny old man piped up with a booming voice: "I have never heard of anything like that. Heaven... Humph! Sounds pretentious to me."

"Great-Great Uncle-Master, Uncle-Master Mu, didn't you know that youngsters like me talk to each other online? We have built a forum online for all the young martial arts to exchange information with each other." Guo Xiuxiu announced mischievously. She then said quietly: "When we put so many martial arts together, it wasn't long before we started to rank the martial artists around the world."

"A bunch of youngsters trying to rank Grandmasters?" The scrawny old man snorted. "Grandmasters were dragons and divine beings. Only a fellow Grandmaster could have fully appreciated the power of another Grandmaster. What does a bunch of fledglings know?"

"Well, that's why we just couldn't figure out the ranking for so long. After a while, someone called Kunlun finally posted this Heaven Roll that ranked the Grandmasters based on their battle results and their level of attainment." Guo Xiuxiu's eyes lit up at the mentioning of Kunlun. "He is often right about things, and knew a lot of information that I had never heard of before but all turned out to be true."

"Kunlun?" Mu Shan was taken aback by the unfamiliar name.

However, the scrawny old man furrowed his brows and his face looked troubled.

"Yes. Here is a section of the Heaven Roll. Number fifteen, Chen Jiuyang, sixty-three years old and is from that Tai Chi sect. An expert at Tai Chi Qi Energy and had mastered the soft force technique. He had proven to be able to cast ten meters long Four True Righteousness Protection Aura. He is able to change and reshape qi energy at will and has exceptionally powerful True Qi compared to other Grandmasters. He is at the early stage of the Transcendent State. He lost a fight against Lei Qianjue seventeen years ago with a small margin. One month ago, his match against Lei Qianjue's disciple, Romon had ended in a draw. However, it was evident that his combat skill and experience put him above Romon..." Guo Xiuxiu read on.

"Chen Jiuyang was indeed an expert at Tai Chi Qi Energy. and I agree that despite Romon's physical strength and skills, he would not hold up in a prolonged fight, especially if Chen Jiuyang used his Soft Force on him." The scrawny old man nodded in approval.

Mu Shan and the others were all shocked by the generous compliment from the old man.

They didn't expect their Great Uncle Master would have been so impressed by Chen Jiuyang. After all, the scrawny old man used to be a semi transcendent master and was not any less powerful than those Grandmasters in their younger years.

"Yet, Chen Jiuyang was only able to rank number fifteen. Who are ahead of him?" Gao Baisheng asked.

"There are plenty. The eleventh, for example, is called Du San from the Miao's Land. He is an expert at insect controlling and deploying poison. He has a giant snake that he keeps as his mount. That snake was extremely poisonous and strong, its power was on par with a Physique Refinement Grandmaster. Du San's infamous Thousand Venom Force was a headache for even most Grandmasters..." Guo Xiuxiu went on with the illustrative achievements of Du San and many of his opponent's names were unheard of by Mu Shan and the scrawny old man.

"Kunlun was impressively resourceful! He knows a lot!" Mu Shan nodded and said.

"The eighth on the Heaven Roll is the family lord of Wu family from northwest China: Wu Shenhe. His martial arts technique is called the Fist of Dragon Fury and he used it to defeat Chen Jiuyang twice using that technique. When he used the Fist of Dragon Fury, he could reshape his Fist Qi into the likeness of a dragon that was over ten meters long. His punch was able to pierce through a steel plate. He is said to have reached the mid-stage of the Transcendent State and no one knows where he resides as of now. Some say he is living with a large family in Yan Jin." Guo Xiuxiu said.

"There is a Grandmaster in the Wu Family?" Mu Shan was taken aback.

"Wu Shenhe was a martial arts genius. He and your Junior Sect Brother Zhentang were called the Twin Champions. However, both of them have gone missing a few years ago, and this is the first time I have heard that Wu Shenhe was living in Yan Jin." The scrawny old man lamented. "This is the Wu family tradition. They like to subjugate powerful families and force them to serve their needs. Because of their incredible ability to manipulate other factions, they were able to hole up in North West China for so many years."

"Ah! Great-Great Uncle-Master! Uncle-Master is also on the list!" Guo Xiuxiu suddenly shouted.

"Really?" Mu Shan and the scrawny old man were both caught by surprise.

"Number seven of the Heaven Roll is Huo ZhengTang from the Ba Ji sect. He is a tan martial arts genius and had achieved Grandmaster level at the age of forty. His physical strength is able to split open mountains and crush a diamond. He had an excellent performance on the battlefield and therefore was called the Little War God by his fellow soldiers. He is currently missing, but rumor has it that he has joined a special unit in the military..." Guo Xiuxiu paused and gave the scrawny old man an incredulous look. "Uncle-Master is serving in the military?"

The scrawny old man closed his eyes and thought about it for a long time before he nodded and said: "It makes so much sense now. He has always wanted to be like Ye Nantian to serve the country. This was also the mission of our sect."

Mu Shan nodded. There were many members of Ba Ji sect currently serving the military.

However, they wondered why they had never heard of anything from anyone if Huo Zhengtang was working for the government.

"It appears that everyone that made it into the top ten all had reached the mid-stage of the Transcendent State and starting from the fourth spot, everyone was of late-stage of the Transcendent State." Guo Xiuxiu announced.

"The number four of the Heaven roll was Hua Yunfeng from the Hua family of Zhong Hai. He is ninety-nine years old and had been a renowned Grandmasters for decades. He controlled the entire Zhong Hai area. He was born as the son of the biggest mafia in China at the time and brushed shoulders with many big criminals when he was young. He had fought many battles in his life and never lost once. On the 27th of this month, he had defeated Chen Jiuyang from the Tai Chi set. Even Lei Qianjue had challenged him seventeen years ago but was not able to defeat him."

"Hua Yunfeng was indeed one of the most powerful Grandmasters in China. He was well versed in nearly all forms of martial arts in China." The scrawny old man praised. "He has been renowned as a Grandmaster ever since I was a teenager. Most of the Grandmasters used to train under him."

"The number two on the Heaven roll was Ye Nantian, age forty-nine and hailed from the Ye Family of the Yan Mountain. He is considered the War God of China. He had reached the Transcendent state when he was only thirty-seven and never has lost a battle ever since he started training as a martial artist. He was considered the unprecedented talent in fifty years and was the most likely candidate in China to enter Immortal State. As a general in the Chinese military, he commanded the invincible Dragon's Fang unit fought battles all over the world. The first big battle of his life was with Lei Qianjue and he defeated Lei Qianjue while many others failed. He had reached the peak of the Transcendent state many years ago and his current power is unknown. He very likely had already reached the Immortal State." Guo Xiuxiu read on as her eyes lit up with surprise.

Before Chen Fan's rise to fame, Ye Nantian was considered the most powerful martial artist in China, if not the world. Only another War God of another country could be Ye Nantian's worthy opponent.

"Huh? Where is Chen Beixuan on the list?" Gao Baisheng asked abruptly.

Mu Shan kept his silence, pondering.

Guo Xiuxiu gave Gao Baisheng a knowing look and said: "The number one of the Heaven Roll is the Young Grandmaster, Chen Beixuan. He is eighteen years old and is from Jiang Bei. Not a lot was known about this young man. He didn't practice Martial arts until he was sixteen and then suddenly he became a rising star. He defeated Lu Tianwu with ease and used the hypersonic punch to kill Lei Qianjue. He also killed the King of Assassins, the Blacksnake using a Blade like a weapon."

Guo Xiuxiu paused and then continued under her breath: "Transcendent Grandmaster... Peak Level Dharma Cultivator, Physique Refinement Grandmaster. His power is... inexplicable and his real age is also highly questionable. Many called him 'Curmudgeon Chen' due to his demeanor. He is the most powerful Transcendent Grandmaster in China and the most powerful fighter in the world."

A pin-drop silence suddenly fell over the room.

Gao Baisheng's face turned dark and his eyes were devoid of any hope.

As a teenager, Chen Fan had dominated the Martial arts landscape in China and claimed the seat of power.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 213: A New Begining

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The time was right around September and the Jin City was filled with returning students. These young and energetic faces breathed a new life into this city that was renowned for its education tradition.

Chen Beixuan politely refused Xu Ao's company and walked out of the bus station all by himself. By then, he had changed his appearance to his former-self. The Connate Body can reshape one's face and body at will. The godly handsome features belonged to Chen Beixuan the North Mystic Celestial Lord, but since he was back on earth, he would rather live as an ordinary man.

The plaza outside of the bus station was packed with returning students and freshmen. Many schools and colleges had dispatched their buses to the terminal to pick up their students.

Chen Fan looked around him and found the sign for Jin City University, and so he walked over to the person holding the sign.

"Hi mate, are you going to Jin City University?" A tall senior student came up to Chen Fan and asked.

"Yes, the Business School." Chen Fan answered lightly.

"Ah-Business School, I see." The smile on senior's face suddenly disappeared. He pointed to a luxury bus next to him and said: "You go to that one."

Unlike the regular bus dispatched by the Jin City University, the bus for the Business School students was newer and fancier. The students on the bus were all wearing gaudy brand-name clothing, suggesting their families were all Nouveau riche.

"Thank you." Chen Fan nodded and then walked toward the bus.

He could hear the senior student murmur to himself: "Another one who buys his way into the Jin City University! Our school's reputation is going to be ruined by these students from the Business School."

Chen Fan didn't protest and kept his silence.

The Jin City University was the best university in the Jin City if not in the entire Jiang Nan Province. It was one of the top ten universities in China. Those who could make it to the Jin City University were cream of the crop among their high school peers. Most of them entered the university due to their outstanding scores on the National University Entrance Exam and only a very few could enter the university by knowing the right person.

However, the Business School of the Jin City University was a very different story. Although the Business School was affiliated with the Jin City University, it was a private university that anyone could attend as long as they paid enough. Many families sent their kids to the Business School just so that they would have a degree from a university with a gold-plated reputation. Many of these students were from private high schools.

In Chen Fan's past life, his mother had spent a lot of money to send him to the Business School due to his embarrassing grades.

Chen Fan entered the bus and noticed that all the students were dressed in fashionable clothing. Most of them spared Chen Fan a glance and then continued to prattle with their friends.

Chen Fan was not in the mood to make friends. The only reason for him to attend university was to meet his old friends, and most importantly, to see Xiao Qiong.

The engine sputtered and the bus started rolling toward the Jin City University. Chen Fan looked through the window at the familiar sights.

"I had met Xiao Qiong in this very city during my last life."

"I was young and foolish and thought that as long as we loved each other, everything would be alright. Little did I know the unpredictability of reality and the darkness in human's nature. When the strong feed on the weak and the weak could never raise a voice. If I have learned anything, I learned that only strength can save me and change my life."

Chen Fan had possessed the ability to change his fate this time around. He was the number one on the Heaven Roll, the most powerful Grandmaster, a general in the military, and the Head Sergeant of the Cang Dragon unit.

"However, those achievements are still not enough. One day, I will look down on this planet as a little sandbox. I will reshape the entire world and offer it to you as a gift." Chen Fan thought poignantly.

When Chen Fan finally saw the entrance to the Jin City University, the bus suddenly rounded a corner and drove towards a newly built compound.

Compared to the old and boring looking Jin City University campus, the Business School looked more modern and luxurious. Manny expensive cars parked by the entrance, inside those cars were parents and their kids. Only the families of subpar—relative—wealth would take a bus with Chen Fan.

A few senior students greeted each student and lead them toward the registration office.

Chen Fan didn't need their help and he walked into the campus that he had spent four years. Everything looked very familiar to him.

Based on his memory, he found the dorm he stayed at during his last life. He pushed the door open and found out that his roommate was already there.

"Hi there, my name is Qi Wangsun."

The newly renovated dorm had four-beds. A thin and scrawny young man was sitting on the bed and he immediately rose to his feet and greeted Chen Fan.

The young man was quiet and shy and looked like Harry Potter.

He was holding a large book. Chen Fan glanced at the title and realized that it was an English book. Not everyone during their teen years were able to read an entire book in English.

"My name is Chen Fan, your roommate." Chen Fan nodded.

He had recognized this four-eyed young man. They had been living together for four years and he was one of Chen Fan's good friends. There were a few black sheep among the run of the mill heirs of the run of the mill rich families.

Qi Wangsun was one of those black sheep.

He could finish an entire English book on extraordinarily boring subjects such as economics. He was extremely sensitive to numbers and eventually, his natural talent earned him a job in one of the biggest investment banks on Wall Street. However, not a lot was known about Qi Wangsun's family. Chen Fan only knew that he was from a rich family from Northern China, but that was all he knew. After they graduated, they went their own ways and rarely contacted each other.

"I have already cleaned up the dorm, please... grab a seat... anywhere." Qi Wangsun cracked an awkward smile. "I am a... clean freak... can't stand messiness. Please understand... "

"That's fine." Chen Fan answered.

He sat down and started chatting with Qi Wangsun.

Soon, the other two classmates also arrived. The third roommate was a big fat young man called Zhang Mu. He was from the Rong City of South Western China. Due to his size and appetite, his classmates called him Piggy.

The arrival of the last roommate stirred up the entire building.

A large group of men and women filed into the dorm. There were aunties and uncles, grandma, and grandpa; the entire family had accompanied the new student. The dorm Chen Fan lived in was not small by any stretch of the imagination, it has four bedrooms, and each had their separate washroom, a spacious living room, with a sofa, air conditioning, and a fridge.

However, it was jam-packed with the last roommate's family members.

"Ah! This suit is too old! It's not nearly as comfortable as the one used by our concierge. Xiao Lun, let grandma rent you a suite outside of school, how about the Hilton Hotel? Grandma is going to feel bad every day thinking you are living in such a dingy little place." An old woman decked out from head to toe with expensive Jewelry had been complaining about the dorm ever since she arrived.

"Grandma, I will be fine!" A tall and handsome looking young man said annoyed.

"Hi everyone, I am so sorry to disturb you guys. My name is Qiu Zhenqin and this is my son Qiu Yilun, your future roommate. I thank you in advance for looking after my son in the future." A stately looking middle age man emerged from the crowd and said. "Come on, let's get out of here to have lunch, It's on me."

The middle-aged man's persistence finally persuaded Qi Wangsun and the others.

They ate lunch at the most expensive restaurant in Jin City. Dishes piled up onto the table, each more expensive than the one that came before. In the end, Zhang Mu whispered to Chen Fan: "holy shit! This one meal is worth our entire year of tuition."

Chen Fan cracked a smile and kept his silence.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man had been examining his son's roommates, evaluating them in his mind.

Zhang Mu was big and tall. He seemed down to earth but a little bit nervous. He must be from a normal middle-class family.

Meanwhile, despite Qi Wangsun's ordinary appearance, Qiu Zhenqin knew that this young man was from a powerful family. Ever since he entered this high-end restaurant, he seemed pretty comfortable with everything and neither was he surprised by any of the expensive dishes.

"He must be from a powerful family and was already used to luxuries. He is someone worth my son's time." Qiu Zhenqin thought to himself.

However, Qiu Zhenqin conceded that Chen Fan remained an enigma to him. The boy had been sitting calmly all the while and didn't eat anything except for a few sips of water. He didn't seem to care about any of these dishes made out of precious ingredients. Even during the toast, his lips never touched wine. If this was a grown-up's social event, only the boss had the right to not drink at all.

"He is either from an extremely powerful family, or he is outright ignorant."

The evaluation went on for a while, and he was still unable to get a handle on Chen Fan. In the end, he shook his head and gave up. "I am thinking too much. It's impossible that my son's roommate happened to be from a rich family."

With that thought in mind, he made a mental note to remind Qiu Yilun not to waste his time on this boy.

Qiu Zhenqin was a businessman and valued ties and connections as one of his most important assets. He had been teaching that importance to his son, guiding him to differentiate between the people that were useful to him and the people who would only waste his time. This, in Qiu Zhenqin's mind, was the most basic skill of building a useful web of connections.

Qiu Zhenqin always preached his son. "The so called business was a business of connections. With connections, money would come to you by itself."

After lunch, the Qiu family members finally left school.

Qiu Yilun collapsed into his bed and yawned. "Finally, they are gone! I am FREE!"

He rose to his feet again and smiled at his roommates apologetically.

"Hey bro, do you know any pretty hot chics in our school?"

"Uh?" Zhang Mu was confused.

Qi Wangsun gave the young man a sidelong glance and kept his silence.

"Ah-ha! Then let me fill you in! I have noticed that the girls in our school are much more attractive than those from other schools. I say we have all the prettiest school girls in Jiang Nan Province. Did you see that senior student who greeted me? She was so friendly and..." Qiu Yilun's face lit up with joy as he started to talk about girls.

"You guys carry on, I need to finish something."

Chen Fan walked out of the room.

As soon as he was out of the dorm, he walked toward the main campus of the Jin City University, where his real goal of the trip was.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 214: Visiting Professor

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Xue Jiao was down on her luck recently. It had been two years since she graduated from her master degree. Over the two years, she had been doing boring research work, waiting for her thesis advisor to promote her to the position of the instructor as he had promised. However, before the advisor could make time to wade through the paperwork, he was hired by an overseas university and left China.

Without her chance for promotion, she got stuck on her Teaching Assistant position, waiting. Despite the fame of Jin City University, a Teaching Assistant would not even make enough money for her to survive. She made only a couple of thousand of Yuan a month, a far cry from the millions of yuan her former classmates were making after they had graduated and became CEO and CFO of major companies.

"When will my miserable life end?" Xue Jiao drooped her head on the desk and lamented.

Xue Jiao had an ample bosom, and they looked particularly attention grabbing while being pressed against the edge of her desk. Many male teachers kept glancing at her surreptitiously.

In theory, Xue Jiao should have earned enough experience for the promotion. However, her former advisor and the school's deputy chairman was old-time rivals. After her advisor abandoned her, the deputy chairman had redirected the heir onto her and blocked her application for instructor many times.

"Miss Xue, haven't you heard? Our university had just hired a new visiting professor." A plump middle-aged woman sat beside Xue Jiao said.

"A visiting professor?" The conversation also caught the attention of other teachers in the office.

Unlike professors who had their own offices that were furnished with sofa, computer and comfortable chairs, instructors and teaching assistants had to share an office.

"The biology school is hiring a new visiting professor?" A young instructor wearing a pair of glasses said slowly.

Usually, the role of visiting professor was filled by famous actors, businessmen and was hosted by the business school or the fine arts college. The other instructors were hard-pressed to think that any pop star whose wits were about as complicated as a Unicellular organism would have been able to fill the role of a visiting professor in the biology department.

"That's right! Rumor has it that this visiting professor is not only young and handsome, but the university also has set up a public class for the students to take as their electives." The middle-aged woman suddenly paused and thought for a second. "It's called 'Life Science, and the Future of Pharmaceutical Research'."

"A public class? Students electives?" A few young instructors were rendered speechless.

University students not only had to take classes required to finish their major, but they also needed to complete enough elective classes in order to earn enough credits to graduate. A few electives were open to all students of all backgrounds and ages, however, those electives were reserved only for experts hired by the university for the term.

"Who is he? I think the biology department is going to take off." The instructor with the glasses marveled.

"What's the use of being handsome? You can't eat handsomeness, can you?" Xue Jiao sighed and complained.

Then the door to the office was swung open as the deputy chairman emerged. He also pulled a taut face whenever he saw her, but not this time. A smile hung on his face as he introduced a young man in a black outfit to everyone in the office.

"Hold on a second everyone, Let me introduce to you the new visiting professor of the biology department, Professor Chen Beixuan." The face of the middle-aged man bloomed like a flower.

"Professor Chen had been serving in the military and is hired by the Jin City University just recently. It is an honor to have him working with us."

The instructors and TA's stared at Chen Fan incredulously.

"This is ridiculous! Is he even twenty years old? A boy like him should be learning in the classroom instead of teaching!"

All the male teachers felt a pang of envy sweep through them.

"He is so cute! More handsome than those K-pop stars."

Many female teachers eyes turned into hearts.

Although Xue Jiao was always very confident in her own beauty, she was stunned by Chen Fan's incredible features.

"Xue Jiao! Xue Jiao!"

The deputy chairman's harsh voice wrenched Xue Jiao's mind out of her reverie.

"From today on, you are Professor Chen's teaching assistant. Make sure you give Professor Chen a tour of our school. Understand?" Deputy chairman said with a tight face.

"Ah-Ah! Ok, ok!" Xue Jiao answered stupidly without fully realizing what she was replying to.

The deputy chairman then left the office, leaving Chen Fan to hang out with the rest of the workers.

Xue Jiao hurried to stand up to let Chen Fan sit in her seat. Then she went to pour water for Chen Fan and offered him some hand towels just in case he spilled his drink. Her attentive care for Chen Fan had invited envy from many other male instructors who had always had a crush on Xue Jiao.

The middle-aged woman came up to Chen Fan and hazarded: "Professor Chen, you are so young that we couldn't believe you are already a professor. Where are you from? Are you married? If not, do you have a girlfriend yet?"

"Sister Lin! That is very inappropriate!"

Xue Jiao cursed in her mind, but she couldn't help perking up her ears to listen.

"I am from Chu Zhou City. I am not married, but I already have a girlfriend." Chen Fan said lightly.

"Ah-I see." The middle age woman said, seemingly disappointed. She then gave Xue Jiao a look that read "I have done my best."

"Professor Chen, why don't I show you your office?" Despite the pang of disappointment, Xue Jiao managed a smile and then said.

after the two were gone, a swell of sighs and exclamations rose in the office.

"How tragic! Our goddess is charmed by a prick!" The young instructor with a pair of glasses lamented.

Although Xue Jiao was not such a glamorous drop-dead gorgeous lady, the lack of females in the biology department drove the supply down so much that any girl with above average looks would be highly sought after.

"Humpf! I think he got the position through nepotism. Otherwise, no one his age could have become a visiting professor." Someone put in hotly. Then, he looked to a man with a handsome face: "What do you think Han Dongyu?"

Han Dongyu was the most popular man in the office. He was tall and handsome and was a graduate of a renowned university overseas. He was appointed as an instructor as soon as he returned to China and since then, he had published a few papers in reputable scientific journals. He was the star of the biology department, if not the entire Jin City University. Rumor had it that he was not far from his assistant professor designation.

Many people considered him and Xue Jiao destined to be together. The sudden appearance of a third wheel was not welcomed.

Han Dongyu smiled quietly and didn't seem to mind.

By then, Chen Fan was lead to his office.

Xue Jiao looked at the large office that was fully decked out with expensive pieces of furniture and marveled.

She reckoned that this office might have been bigger than even the school chairman's office.

"Professor Chen, I want you to know that your public elective is held once every week. I will inform you of the location and the time of the class. Other than the teaching time slot, you can access anywhere on campus. You also have the freedom of taking on research students or using the lab to help you with other research subjects. The school has assigned you accommodation, a vehicle, a TA and a secretary..." As Xue Jiao read on, she became increasingly surprised.

Vehicles, TA anda secretary... the school is treating him as an expert in his field.

"Very well."

Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and walked over to the window and looked down.

His vision was so sharp that he was able to see each and every student's face clearly without even using Divine Will. Then, his Divine Will sensed something that was linked with him beckoned at him from a distance.

It was the Jade Marrow Talisman he had given to Fang Qiong.

"That must be where Xiao Qiong is at. I had met Xiao Qiong on this campus by chance and it changed my life. I wonder how things will pan out this time."

He thought to himself.

Chen Fan had gained the position of visiting professor after he made a brief phone call to Yu Qin. No university would dare defy the military's order. The Body Tempering pill he had created was being analyzed by many scientists.

The government wanted to mass-produce this pill and Chen Fan had agreed to conduct research to help the military achieve its goals. Even if the mass-produced pills retained only one percent of the original pill's effect, it would still be the most important discovery of the century.

"Xiao Qiong was as a Business Major, and her family runs a pharmaceutical company. So I am certain that she will choose my class as an elective."

Chen Fan had planned everything out a long time ago.

He reckoned that he needed to be very careful around Fang Qiong. Although she used to be his love of life, that was five hundred years ago. The Fang Qiong now was not the incredible goddess who eventually died in his embrace five hundred years ago. Therefore, Chen Fan decided to watch and protect her from a distance instead of approaching her directly and disclose everything to her.

"This is also a good opportunity for me to try out some of my ideas."

Ever since Chen Fan entered the Ethereal Enlightenment, the Spirit Qi around the Yun Wu Mountain was no longer sufficient for him to progress further. The difficulties in finding a better Spirit Land on earth drove Chen Fan to rely on Spirit Pills and Spirit Medicine to further his cultivation. Every improvement he made required a large amount of Spirit Medicine.

He had found a batch of Spirit Medicine in the Medicine God Valley Sect's vault, and he had planned to open a new patch of land to cultivate these herbs. He had chosen the Medicine God Valley Sect since the alchemists could look after the herbs for him.

However, one day, Chen Fan thought of the ingenious method of infusing cultivation technique with modern technology on a Qi deprived planet. This method greatly boosted the yield and survivability of the herbs and therefore Chen Fan thought he could try it out on earth as well. There was no better place to conduct such research then at a university.

Therefore, Chen Fan took on the persona of Professor Chen.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 215: Catalyst Essence Serum

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The news of a handsome and young visiting professor arriving at the biology department quickly swept across the biology department and spread into other faculties in the university.

There were all sorts of opinions about this development. Some older professors shook their heads and lamented the current low standards of the Jinlin City University. The title of Visiting Professor at the biology department carried much more weight than that of the fine arts and should never be so easily given to anyone without strong technical background and experience. In addition, to run a public open elective was not a small task and the quality of the class also had important implications.

What young boy less than twenty years old knew anything about Life Science?

Driven by envy, the young instructors of the school filed into the School Principal's office and lodged their protest for this brazen nepotism.

When Xue Jiao returned her office, she was greeted by a roomful of people. They asked her right away.

"Xue Jiao, do you have a handle on Professor Chen's background? Is he from another university?"

"Xiao Xue, whos ass did he have to kiss to get in here?"

"Sister Xue, how does Professor Chen look? Is he really as handsome as everyone says?"

Xue Jiao was bombarded by questions that she had no answers to. She hurried a reply: "I really don't know the answers. Professor Chen doesn't seem to talk much. However, I believe he has never been an instructor anywhere, he likely was a student before this."

"A student filling the visiting professor's position?" The entire office boiled over.

Xue Jiao immediately regretted her words. Seeing the green light in everyone's eyes, she hurried to explain: "But I can tell Professor Chen knows about Life Science and he used to work at the military."

"Hehe, Xiao Qi, you are too gullible." An old assistant professor shook his head and lamented. "Even if we generously assume that he is a prodigy and is able to finish his university at the age of 14, he would still need two to three years to finish his Masters and Ph.D. degree. That would put him around seventeen. So you do the math, and tell me how many years he had been solely devoted to his research?"

"Scientific research takes time. Every project we are running would take at least one to two years if not even longer. The only way to suddenly rise to prominence at such a young age is to steal other people's work."

"Just so! Professor Hu is right!" Many people nodded and said.

"The kids nowadays can't even leave the research field alone. It's the last bastion of honesty and integrity, yet, they had to come here and mess things up! What a shame, what a shame!" Another old professor lamented vehemently.

Han Dongyu cracked a cold smile and then returned to his own work. He had never considered Chen Fan his worthy opponent.

Feeling everyone's doubt toward Chen Fan, Xue Jiao started to waver as well.

Chen Fan really didn't have the vibe of a well-learned and renowned biologist.

"Is he really after the fame of being a visiting professor?"

Xue Jiao thought to herself.

After Chen Fan returned to the Business School, he had changed his appearance back to his former self.

"Brother Chen, you are back!" Zhang Mu was the only person that said hi to him when Chen Fan entered the dorm.

Qiu Yilun buried his head in the large volume of English textbook, while Qiu Yilun was nowhere to be seen. Chen Fan walked over to the bed and laid down. He closed his eyes and started to plan his cultivation project.

"Jin City was surrounded by mountains and rivers that were filled with Spirit Qi. It would be great if I could find a location that was similar to the Yun Wu Mountain so that I could cast a large Spirit Gathering Array much larger than the one I cast before. This Spirit Gathering Array will have to be large enough to cover a dozen acres that I will be using to cultivate spirit herbs."

"Although I have the Yi Wood Spirit Qi that can promote the growth of the herbs, I won't be able to do everything myself due to the scale of the task. I remembered something called 'Catalyst Essence Serum' that could kick off the growth of the spirit herbs. Let me see... what was the recipe for the serum?"

Chen Fan recalled in his mind.

In the realm of Immortal Cultivation, there were countless means to boost the growth of a spirit herb. The simplest method was to grow the herb in an environment that was filled with Spirit Qi, such as the sacred ground at the center of the True Martial Celestial Sect. There, the spirit herbs could grow a few centimeters each day and within ten days, the herbs could reach the same maturity as a thousand-year-old herbs in the mortal world. In addition, there were many growth-boosting serums and solutions one could use on the herbs.

However, earth lacked the ingredients to create those solutions.

The condition on earth reminded Chen Fan of a few other Qi-deprived planets he had visited, where cultivators had used the power of technology to advance their cultivation due to the severe lack of Qi.

"This Catalyst Essence Serum required a specific kind of yeast to create. The main function of the serum was to boost the growth of the spirit herbs. However, it was also useful in strengthening the human's body, just like the Yun Wu Spirit Water." Chen Fan thought to himself as he rubbed his chin.

On the other hand, Yun Wu Spirit Water could also be used as a replacement of the serum. However, the production of Yun Wu Spirit Water was limited and was not enough to irrigate a few dozen acres of land.

However, the Catalyst Essence Serum was a much more practical solution. It was a byproduct of a microorganism that consumes Essence Qi. These microorganisms were fast-growing and could produce over a ton of serum a day with ease. These microorganisms were not picky eaters either. They could consume not only Spirit Qi but also Malice Qi, Yin Qi, Death Qi, and Solar Qi. Therefore, these microorganisms could survive and thrive even without the Spirit Gathering Array.

Although earth lacked Spirit Qi, it had abundant energy in other forms that couldn't be easily used by cultivators. The Solar Qi, for example, to absorb it required a very special art that focused on Yang energy. Or, one would have to wait until he reached the Golden Core state when he could utilize all forms of energy in the universe. A low-level cultivator should stick with Spirit Qi since it was the most tamed energy in nature.

"The serum combined with the Spirit Gathering Array and the Yi Wood Spirit Qi could increase the growth of the spirit herbs by ten fold. It would only take ten years for a herb to achieve as much energy as a thousand year old spirit herb." Chen Fan calculated. But then he shook his head.

"Unfortunately, the effect of the serum could not compare with the Spirit Qi on the prime planets for cultivation. On those planets, normal Spirit herbs grew and spread like dandelions. If a mortal was born on that planet, the environment factor alone could ensure the mortal to live longer than two hundred years. If I was able to land on those planets, I would be able to reach Connate Spirit level in one year and the Golden Core level in three."

Chen Fan lamented as he knew it was impossible for him to land on those planets right now.

Since he was reborn on earth, he would have to make use of what he had.

Chen Fan's dire need for Spirit Qi was exacerbated by the requirement of the Azure Thearch Longevity Body Art. Should he cultivate any other art during the Ethereal Enlightenment level, the array should be able to provide him enough spirit qi. However, the Azure Thearch Longevity Body dictated that Chen Fan would have to consume as much Spirit Qi as a cultivator at Divine Sea level. Right now, Chen Fan's only solution was to use elixirs and Spirit Pills. Thanks to the powerful Spirit Body that came with the Art of Azure Thearch Longevity Body, he could consume an unlimited amount of Spirit Pills without worrying about the side effects.

"The Catalyst Essence Serum required not only cultivation techniques but also sophisticated scientific technology. I wonder if the scientific development on earth is up to the task."

The biology department at the Jin City University was on the top five list of all biology departments in China. Chen Fan would have to look into the national research labs if he wished to find any better facilities. However, it was not easy to get into the national research labs due to their high clearance level.

"Well, I guess after my work is done, the faculty would rise to the top of the ranking."

Chen Fan shook his head and thought to himself.

He started to question how practical his plan was. He would need helping hands while creating the large Spirit Gathering Array as well as taking care of the spirit herbs. He reckoned that there were not a lot of people in China that still possessed the knowledge of casting an array. Even the Seven Malice Poison Array at the Medicine God Valley Sect was cast by the Great Magus of the Dark Witch Sect a few hundred years ago.

As for growing spirit herbs, he wagered that his best bet was in the Medicine God Valley Sect and the Li Family of Green Vines.

Spirit herb cultivation required intensive care. It needed to be irrigated at the right time, several times a day. In addition, the worker needs to cast Wood Element spells to strengthen the herb and rid it of diseases. Therefore, this task definitely required a Wood Element cultivator.

After the Spirit herb was harvested, Chen Fan would need help in turning them into elixirs. Chen Fan simply didn't have the time nor the energy to do it all by himself. This was where the alchemists from the Medicine God Valley Sect came into play.

"Before I left the Medicine God Valley Sect, I gave them many scrolls on elixir brewing. If they studied hard, their elixir brewing capability should have increased significantly by now. Even if that was the case, their abilities were just on par with the lowest rank of alchemist disciples in the real cultivation world."

"The creation of the Catalyst Essence Serum remains a problem. I will need help refining this serum. I have plenty of alchemists, but what I really need here is a biologist."

Chen Fan laid on his bed and heaved a sigh.

He suddenly felt the difficulties of the task at hand.

If he forsook the plan altogether, he would have to hide in the mountains and cultivate in seclusion for a few decades before he could be anywhere close to the Golden Core.

"I don't have decades to waste away, time is ticking as we speak and Xiao Qiong is still waiting."

Chen Fan shook his head helplessly.

"But what's the hurry anyway. I have achieved the Azure Thearch Longevity Body, so long as I avoid conflict with an army, I should be able to do things at my own pace without difficulties. I still have time."

Chen Fan rubbed his chin and contemplated if he should form a sect and take in a few disciples

Although he had taught a thing or two to A'Xiu and Wu Shanhe, he didn't truly disclose all the secrets in the art. However, the situation genuinely called for more helping hands and therefore Chen Fan started to feel the need to have a few disciples.

Even so, Chen Fan would not teach them any immortal cultivation arts from the True Martial Celestial Sect.

Dao never came easily.

He had survived against all odds and finally became the true disciple of the True Martial Celestial Sect. Therefore, anyone who wished to become his disciple would have to go through the same tormenting process to prove his devotion and dedication.

Even as Chen Fan thought so, Qiu Yilun walked into the room with a tall and attractive girl. His face bloomed like a flower.

"Hey, bros! Listen up, I and my girl have some business to discuss with you."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 216: Fang Qiong Is My Girlfriend.

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Who says that I am your girl?" The tall and attractive girl gave Qiu Yilun an alluring glance and protested. However, her complaints sounded like flirting in the ears of Chen Fan.

Greetings over, the three students finally learned that the girl's name is Qian Lulu and she was the senior student who helped Qiu Yilun to his dorm when he first arrived. Today, they were planning a social for the boys in Chen Fan's dorm and her dorm.

"That would be awesome!" Zhang Mu's eyes lit up with joy.

However, Chen Fan and Qi Wangsun didn't seem to be interested in the idea.

"My roommates are all drop-dead gorgeous and so the competition is fierce. You guys better work hard." As Qian Lulu scanned the boys in the room, she noticed that Zhang Mu and Qian Lulu were either too fat or too short, and Chen Fan also looked nothing extraordinary. Despite the pang of disappointment in her mind, she managed to keep a smile on her face

"Will do! I will try my best!" Zhang Mu nodded and said.

He was still a virgin and to be able to connect with gorgeous senior students was his dream come true.

The Business School's cafeteria was fully decked out, so much so that it was as fancy as a three-star hotel's restaurant. There was Chinese food, Western food, and Thai Food. Needless to say that meals in this cafeteria cost a lot more than one's average school lunch. Qiu Yilun had spent a great deal of his allowance and booked an entire section off. His generosity quickly caught Qian Lulu's attention.

When Qian Lulu's roommates finally arrived, the boys reckoned that Qian Lulu had been telling them the truth. All three girls wore glamorous makeup, fashionable handbags and looked like white-collar office beauties. The one that stood in the middle of the three was particularly attractive and was as charming as female actresses.

"Pan Li, Liu Xiaojin, Zhou Qinya." Qian Lulu introduced the girls to the boys.

Pan Li's face was the least attractive of the three, however, she made up for it with her hot body and thicker make up. Her breasts were half exposed under her low cut shirt, threatening to pop out at any time. Liu Xiaojin was much more modest in her make-up and carried an artsy air about her. Finally, Zhou Qinya was the most attractive of the three. She had an egg-shaped face with delicate features, adding on her cold and aloof demeanor, she gave all the boys an unscratchable itch in their minds. Qian Lulu had told them that Zhou Qinya was the most popular girl in the Business School.

"However, Qinya's standards for her boy is very high, plus, she already has a boyfriend: an heir of a reputable family in the city. So you guys please just save your energy and use it on someone else." Seeing Zhou Qinya and Qiu Yilun's lewd glares directed at Zhou Qinya's face, Qiu Yilun hurried to snip their fantasy in its nascency.

"What a shame, I was going to introduce sister Qiu Yilun to my master." Qiu Yilun heaved a sigh.

"Oh? Who is your master?" Pan Li patted her lashes and asked.

"I am the youngest in the dorm, so you know I am Sandy, Zhang Mu is the fat older one than me, so he is the Pigsy, while Brother Qi is small and older than Zhang Mu, so he is the Son Goku, the Monkey King, while the Master, of course, is Brother Chen. Haven't I told you that Brother Chen was able to remain as stoic as a buddha statue even before my dad? Not even a lot of grown-ups can do that before my dad." Qiu Yilun said as he gave Chen Fan a thumbs up.

"Really? That's funny you guys call each other after the book." Pan Li, Liu Xiaojin and Qian Lulu giggled.

However, Zhou Qinya didn't seem to pay any attention to the conversation, all the while she looked down at her cell phone.

Greetings over, everyone picked their seats. Pan Li sat beside Zhou Qinya, Qi Wangsun beside Liu Xiaojin and Zhou Qinya was beside Chen Fan. Neither Zhou Qinya or Chen Fan are the talkative kind and therefore they had let the two sit together.

"Ah! Why don't we play truth or dare? Do you all have girlfriends?" Qiu Yilun asked as she looked to Qiu Yilun.

Qiu Yilun was tall and handsome, full of energy. The showy convoy that brought him here which consisted of many BMW, Mercedes-Benz were all too conspicuous to escape the girl's notice. Seeing the license plates on their cars were all from Tian Nan Province, a rumor started to spread that Qiu Yilun was a rich heir of a powerful family from Tian Nan Province.

"I don't, I never have." Zhang Mu answered readily.

"I had a few before, but now my eyes are set on Sister Lulu only." Qiu Yilun said mischievously as his arms wrapped around Qiu Yilun's waist. Qiu Yilun pushed his hands away but without much determination.

"I used to have one, but now I am single. " Qi Wangsun pushed his eye glasses up his nose and said seriously.

Liu Xiaojin seemed to be interested in Qi Wangsun and had tried to strike up a conversation with him; however, Qi Wangsun's lukewarm attitude didn't sit well with her.

Chen Fan was the only person that knew the reason behind Qi Wangsun's solemn expression. His family had arranged a marriage for him even when he was still in his mother's womb. However, he was not at all interested in his arranged spouse and the bottled-up resentment finally drove him to go overseas and never return.

"Your turn now, Master Chen Fan, do you have a girlfriend?" Qian Lulu asked curiously.

By then, everyone would concur that Qiu Yilun's description of Chen Fan was fitting. He sat calmly in his seat, impervious to the conversation around him. Even the hottest girl right next to him didn't seem to agitate him even the slightest.

"Yes." Chen Fan's answer caught everyone by surprise.

"Really? Where is she? How did you get to know each other? Why don't you introduce her to us?"

"We were friends ever since childhood, and she is here, in Jin City University." Chen Fan answered.

"Wow! Jin City University?"

Everyone became quiet after hearing the remark.

Although the Business School was right next to the Jin City University and was technically a subdivision of the Jin City University, the students in the Business School couldn't compare with the straight-A students that entered the Jin City University through fierce competition. Most kids in the Business School were sent here by their well-off families to go through the motions of getting a university degree. In the end, their degree was as useless as a piece of paper.

The fact that Chen Fan had a girlfriend who was actually a student of the Jin City University surprised everyone. The revelation even caught Zhou Qinya's attention, as she finally gave Chen Fan a surprised look.

"Really? What's her name?" Qian Lulu managed to ask.

She found it hard to believe that a boy from the business school was able to hook up with a straight-A student from the Jin City University. Her surprise was compounded by the pedestrian look of the boy and his run-of-the-mill family background.

"Her name is Fang Qiong, a freshman in the economy faculty." Chen Fan answered.

Chen Fan knew that he had to spend a great deal of his life with this group of people, so there was no point in hiding anything from them. Chen Fan knew that after this meeting, Qiu Yilun and Qian Lulu were going to be joined at the hip. Much later, Qiu Yilun would try to break up with the girl, but each time, Qian Lulu was able to win him back using tricks as desperate as getting herself pregnant.

"Fang Qiong? I have heard of the name. People were saying that she was the most popular girl in her high school and many rich and powerful heirs were vying her for her affection. She was also said to be the most attractive girl among all the freshmen." Zhou Qinya suddenly put in.

"Rumor has it that she was the daughter of the owner of the Ming De Group: Fang Mingde. He is a multi-billionaire and was one of the richest men in Jin City. Is that the same girl as your girlfriend?"

Attractive, smart and rich: she was the epitome of a perfect goddess.

To marry such a deva, Chen Fan's family's reputation had to be at least a few notches higher than hers. Her boyfriend would have to be at the very least the son of a successful businessman or a blue-blooded heir of an aristocratic family. To be on the top rich list of the province would be a minimum requirement.

She had to be the one since there couldn't be two girls with the same name and the same age in the same faculty.

The Fang Qiong in Chen Fan's mouth was clearly the daughter of Fang Mingde. However, no one at the table could believe that Chen Fan would have such a deva as his girlfriend.

Zhang Mu, Qian Lulu, and others looked to Chen Fan awkwardly and felt embarrassed for him. They were convinced that Chen Fan was bluffing, but the pretty little lie was exposed right away. The promise of drama and embracement piqued Pan Li's interest. This was rich!

"Ah, I think it must be a different person with the same name. There are so many new freshmen this year, it's possible to have two girls with the same name." Qiu Yilun tried to explain.

"No, that is her." to his surprise, Chen Fan nodded and said.

"Urhh..."

Silence fell over the dining room again.

After all, this was the first time they had met and lying was not the smartest thing to do. Zhou Qinya furrowed her brows and turned her head away from Chen Fan. Pan Li and the others had kept their silence, but their look was filled with contempt and disdain. They even started to view Qi Wangsun and Zhang Mu under different light after their friends' behavior.

Since the mood had soured, everyone focused their attention to finish up the food as quickly as possible and then left the party. After the girls were gone, Qiu Yilun heaved a sigh and lamented: "There goes your chance of getting a hot girlfriend."

Zhang Mu sat quietly, his mind was still on the sultry girl he had just met.

Chen Fan rose to his feet and was about to leave. He didn't have much time to fool around with these kids. He still needed to head into Jin City and seek information about the best possible land to cultivate the spirit herbs.

A hint of suspicion flashed across Qi Wangsun's eyes.

He had been studying criminal psychology under a renewed international criminologist and therefore was able to detect the nuances of facial expression and body language while people were lying. A lying person would often display signs of shifty eyes and small behaviors that they didn't even notice they were making. However, he couldn't find any trace of those signs when Chen Fan was talking.

"Could it be that Fang Qiong really was his girlfriend?"

Qi Wangsun marveled as he suspected that there was more than what met the eye about this particular roommate.

Nonetheless, Qi Wangsun was from an incredibly powerful family, and therefore he didn't take this suspicion too seriously.

After Qian Lulu and her friends returned to their dorm, Pan Li protested.

"Lulu, what kind of boys are you trying to hook us up with? A bunch of country hillbillies! The Fat dude beside me is such a turn-off! He is going to crush me to death if we ever share the same bed."

"Just so! The nerdy boy never spoke a word while the other one kept on bluffing as if we are fools. Only that tall and handsome one beside you looked promising." Liu Xiaojin lamented.

"Heh, I had seen Qiu Yilun when he first arrived here. His family had sent half a dozen luxury cars with him and each one of those cars are worth over a million. He must be from a rich family. If not because Lulu acted first, I would have made a move on him." Pan Li smiled mischievously.

As the three girls chatted with each other, Zhou Qinya sat quietly by herself and was reading something on her phone.

She had always been quiet and aloof so no one thought she was acting strange.

Suddenly, her cell phone rang. After Zhou Qinya answered the phone, she nodded and then hang up immediately. Then she quickly grabbed her bag and headed downstairs.

After Zhou Qinya was gone, Pan Li finally put in: "Must be her new boyfriend, the one driving the Ferrari."

"That dude is the heir of a rich family, some kind of a big deal in Jiang Bei. His grandfather is a general and his great uncle is also a big wig in the province. No wonder Qinya would fall for him." Liu Xiaojin said.

"That's enough girl, stop gossiping." Qian Lulu piped up.

However, her voice was also filled with envy.

Compared to Zhou Qinya's boyfriend, Qiu Yilun was nothing extraordinary.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 217: Chen Huaian's Pride

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Thus it was, Chen Fan's university life started with mundane classes.

Due to the extreme hot weather, the military drills that was meant to instill discipline into the freshmen had to be pushed back for a few months.

Qiu Yilun and Qian Lulu quickly started to see each other. Zhang Mu was also encouraged by his roommates and got Pan Li's phone number. He mustered all the courage he had and sent a message to Pan Li. However, he never got a reply. Qiu Yilun, on the other hand, gave himself a loaded term. He attended four subjects in the same semester: English, Math, Accounting, and Statistics.

Everyone was curious as to why such a studious guy would end up coming to the Business School?

Qi Wangsun straightened his glasses on his nose and said: "I got full marks on my math and english, but only got twenty percent on my Chinese."

Although no one was sure what to make of the revelation, it confirmed their suspicion that Qi Wangsun was an erratic genius. After some poking around, the boys learned that Qi Wangsun had always been considered a prodigy in math and english. He had passed the highest level of english tests when he was in high school. Before his marks in the National University Entrance Exam were out, numerous high ranking universities had called him, including one of the top three universities in China: Zhong Hai University.

However, Qi Wangsun didn't pick any one of those universities and came to the ordinary Business School at the Jin City University. He often explained to others about his decision, saying that since the Business School was right next to the Jin City University campus, he only has to walk over to attend any class he wanted to. Plus, the university library was his favorite. , Liu Xiaojin quickly fell for Qi Wangsun's, unique and enigmatic character, she met up with him every day at the library despite frequent cold shoulders from the boy.

Meanwhile, no one knew where Chen Fan was during the day. He left the dorm early in the morning and wouldn't return until late in the night.

"I have investigated the area in and around the Jin City, and noticed only a couple spots suitable for casting the Spirit Gathering Array."

Chen Fan stood at the top of a skyscraper and looked down on the colorful and bustling city.

Before him was a large lake that took up half of the Jin City. This lake was called Green Dragon Lake and it was long and narrow, circling the city like a Green Dragon. The East Mountain rose where the long lake started, looking like the pearl inside the mouth of the green dragon.

"This configuration is what makes Feng Shui at the East Mountain so great. The lake was charged with Spirit Qi sprouting out from the mouth of the Green Dragon. What a marvelous land for cultivation!" Chen Fan exclaimed.

The East Mountain Villas were the top real estate development in Jin City. A normal house would cost up to ten million, and the better ones would cost over a few hundred million. It was home to many rich and powerful men and women, including Chen An's grandpa, Chen Huaian.

"I haven't seen grandpa yet after I returned. I need to make time to attend to his illness." Chen Fan thought to himself.

Although he still hasn't created the Essence Enhancing Pill, the Yi Wood Spirit Qi was not any less effective in curing ailments and strengthening one's body. What it lacked were the abilities to prolong one's life.

"I think I should set up my operation inside the East Mountain. There is a swatch of good land there." After comparison, Chen Fan decided to settle on the East Mountain. There was a swatch of clearing tucked away deep in the mountains that were perfect for cultivating herbs. It was far from the noises in the city and the mountains also made it easy to cast arrays.

After Chen Fan had chosen his spot, he went back to the family estate in the East Mountain Villas.

"Xiao Fan, why didn't you tell me ahead of time that you were coming back?" Chen Huaian's face was lit up with joy when he saw Chen Fan.

Chen Fan was the true dragon in the Chen family. Ever since Qin Hua had witnessed what had happened half a year ago, his attitude toward the Chen family improved significantly. By then, he had already become a frequent visitor of his former boss. In addition, Chen Zhenxin was also promoted at work and all in all, the fame of the Chen family was surging.

Chen Huaian knew that Chen Fan was who had brought all these changes to the family.

He still remembered the stunning sight on that day when countless powerful men came to pay tribute to Chen Fan. Afterward, the old man learned that Chen Fan, his grandson was the famous Master Chen, the kingpin of Jiang Bei region. He controlled a multi-billion dollar industry that revolved around the Yun Wu Spirit Water.

Chen Huaian consumed one cup of Yun Wu Spirit Water every morning, noon and evening. After he had supplemented the Spirit Water with Essence Enhancing Pill and Arcane Pills, he felt his terminal ailment has been improved significantly. Other members of the family also got to try the precious Spirit Water from time to time.

"Grandpa, how are you feeling?"

Chen Fan's question served only as a greeting since he had already scanned his grandfather's body with Divine Will and noticed that cancer and already stopped spreading. He wagered that it would take another decade for the cancer to be completely eradicated.

"I am doing well. I drink the Spirit Water and Spirit Pills just like you told me and now I can hang out with my old friends all day long without worrying about my sickness." Chen Huaian let out a peal of laughter.

The sight of his precious grandson lightened his mood significantly. He was tremendously proud of Chen Fan.

"I came here to cure you. I will remove the illness from your body completely." Chen Fan said.

"Thank you! Good! GOOD!" Chen Huaian nodded, he was too excited to say anything else.

"AH- look who is here! Xiao Fan, do you want Grandma to cook some food for you or lunch?" Chen Fan's grandma walked into the room and said with an unctuous smile.

She didn't like Chen Fan because of his mother, however, after knowing how powerful and influential her grandson was, the old granny's attitude toward Chen Fan took a one hundred and eighty-degree turn.

"Thank you, grandma." Chen Fan nodded.

The grandpa and grandson pair set up a small dining table in the courtyard and Chen Huaian even brought out a fifty-year-old Maotai to celebrate his grandson's visit.

"Xiao Fan, Gexin told me that you were absent at school ever since the new year?" Chen Huaian put down the wine cup and asked caringly.

"Yeah, I was at the military headquarters serving as the Cang Dragon's Head Sergeant." Chen Fan said calmly.

Chen Huaian was a resourceful man so Chen Fan knew that he couldn't fool him. The old man had many connections and it was only a matter of time before he found out the truth.

Lo and behold, Chen Huaian was taken aback by the news. "Head Sergeant of Cang Dragon? I have heard that only a General level officer can fill that position. Are you—"

"Indeed, grandpa. I was promoted to the rank of General just recently." Chen Fan said with a smile.

Chen Huaian's body shivered, spilling out half of the wine in his cup. However, he quickly gathered himself and let out a peal of laughter."Haha! So it is true! The Chen Family really is going to take off in your hands. No one will dare to challenge us as long as you are still with us."

The old man's face bloomed.

Deep down, he was not satisfied with his sons and grandson's achievement. Even Chen An did not live up to his expectations. He was cold and aloof and cared only for himself. However, to his surprise, his youngest grandson turned out to be the black horse and achieved greatness at such a young age.

"Chen Family of Jin City is finally going to make a dent in the world." The old man wagged his head and said, drunken by the pride and satisfaction in his mind.

"Grandpa, I also have a question for you." Chen Fan asked abruptly. "Do you know anything about that swatch of clearing inside the East Mountain?"

"You mean the East Mountain Meadow?"

Chen Huaian paused a second and then said with a solemn face; his smile evaporated from his face instantly.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 218: Wang Rong Group

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Tucked away deep inside the East Mountain was a large meadow where small creeks surrounded the sun-kissed grass. The local people called it the East Mountain Meadow and was considered the most peaceful and serene area of the East Mountain.

"Xiao Fan, why do you want to know about it?" Chen Huaian furrowed his brows and asked.

"Grandpa, is there anything wrong with the East Mountain Meadow?" Chen Fan asked curiously.

"That's a can of worms that no one wanted to touch." Chen Huaian heaved a sigh and started to explain to his grandson. The East Mountain Meadow became known to more businessmen after the development of the East Mountain Villas. The size of the prime location of the meadow was perfect for turning it into a resort or a luxury manor.

The city planner of the Jin City had been mostly focusing on the land on the west side of the city until recently. The development of the land on the eastern side of the city brought the East Mountain Meadow into the spotlight. Despite its secluded location, many development groups had been eyeing the property.

Under pressure from many sides, the Jin City was forced to put this swatch of land up for auction.

"In the end, the Wan Rong Group won the bid and bought the land with three billion yuan. Rumor has it that they are planning to invest a few more billions into the land and develop it into a high-end resort center." Chen Huaian heaved a sigh and then continued, "In order to win the bid, the Wan Rong Group fought many wars with other local powers, a few people were dead as a result of the war. However, in the end, Wan Rong Group was able to emerge victorious thanks to its influence and prowess."

"The Wan Rong Group? The richest man in Jiang Bei, Sheng Ronghua?" Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and let out a half-smile.

Shen Junwen was the father of his rival, Shen Junwen. The Wan Rong Group had also acquired the Jin Xiu Group after Chen Fan was dealt a few blows from Shen Junwen and fell from grace.

The Sheng family was a mighty opponent before whom I could only feel fear and despair. However, this time, I can crush them like an ant.

"Xiao Fan, I hope you don't underestimate Sheng Ronghua. Although his power is mostly limited in Jiang Bei region, his benefactor is extremely powerful, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to defeat so many other powerful real-estate companies as well as a company owned by the federal government." Chen Huaian said worriedly: "Plus, the East Mountain Meadow was sold at an unimaginable price, and even Sheng Ronghua needed the support of banks to acquire this land."

"So it all came down to money." Chen Fan was light-hearted by the thought. "Grandpa, haven't you forget that I own the Yun Wu Spirit Water? By now, I have already made over fifty billion Yuan."

In addition to the huge wealth, Chen Fan also had the Medicine God Valley Sect and the Lu family at his disposal.

The Lu family was the dominating figure in southern China and their wealth and power were no less significant than that of the Zhen Family of Hong Kong. The Medicine God Valley Sect on the other hand, despite its seclusion with the outside world, its influence in the world was even more impactful than the Lu family. They had many powerful families wrapped around their finger and were able to raise a few hundred billion Yuan with ease.

"Ah-that's right. Grandpa is getting old and forgot about the Yun Wu Spirit Water." Chen Huaian laughed abruptly. "Speaking of which, you have no idea how popular the Yun Wu Spirit Water is. Many magnates and tycoons from Jian Nan province spared no expense just to get one bottle. After some of my old friends realized my stash, they came to visit me almost every day, trying to mooch off of me. I wager that the profit in selling the water must be more than a trillion Yuan a year."

By now, Chen Huaian finally felt much more comfortable with Chen Fan's potential conflict with the Sheng family.

"My grandson is the Head Sergeant of the Cang Dragon, a Transcendent Grandmaster. He has the backing of General Li and many other leaders in the military of course, he won't be afraid of Sheng Ronghua."

Chen Huaian let out a peal of laughter.

"Now let's drink up! If you wish to take the East Mountain Meadow, you will have grandpa's wholehearted support. Let Wan Rong Group test our might and we will prove it to everyone that the Chen Family has risen to power!"

Chen Fan's grandpa announced confidently in a booming voice. It was the first time in a long time that Chen Fan saw his grandpa straightening his back and be so confident. It was as if his youth had returned to his old bones, transforming him into the strident young man he used to be.

After dinner, Chen Fan treated Chen Huaian's body with the Yi Wood Spirit Qi. Chen Fan noticed that half of the cancer cells in Chen Huaian's body had already died out. It was only a matter of time before he was fully recovered.

After that, Chen Fan lived a few months of mundane college life.

These had been a few notable characters in this year's freshmen. Qi Wangsun was one of them. Rumor had it that he had been studying abroad in a private school in the UK ever since he was a child and he was suddenly transferred back home after a serious violation of the school's policy. He drove a Lamborghini to the orientation all by himself, making him even more conspicuous than Qiu Yilun and his BMW 330. In addition to Qi Wangsun, there were another two attention-grabbing youngsters among this year's freshmen.

Chen Fan was nearly unnoticeable among his fellow classmates. Therefore, very little attention was focused on him.

After a few weeks, the social between Chen Fan's roommates and the girls happened much more frequently, thanks to the increasing temperature between Qian Lulu and Qiu Yilun and Liu Xiaojin insistent attempt to impress Qiu Yilun.

Chen Fan was fallen out of love among the senior girls after his lies were exposed. Although Zhou Qinya sat beside him at each gathering, they never spoke a word to each other. She left in the middle of all the gatherings after having received phone calls. Pan Li told everyone that it was her boyfriend on the other end of the phone call. Her boyfriend was an heir to a powerful Jiang Bei family and he drove a Ferrari that was worth five to six million.

Meanwhile, a lot was going on among the teachers and instructors of Jin City University as well.

Chen Fan's first public elective was about to start.

Many young instructors had been waiting ever since the class was announced to teach this young visiting professor a lesson at his class for using the Jin City University as a tool to decorate his resume.

"Xiao Qiong, have you heard that the professor teaching the elective was a visiting professor. He is young and extremely handsome!" Fang Qiong's BFF said excitedly.

The two gorgeous girls walking in the campus attracted a lot of attention from bypassers.

Fang Qiong's BFF was only eighteen, yet her face looked mature and sultry. Her innocent eyes would melt the hearts of any young man, beckoning and daring them to flirt with her. Fang Qiong knew that her BFF was not an "easy girl " as her overall demeanor might have suggested, and despite the few male friends she was seeing, she had never agreed to anything more than a peck on her cheeks.

On the other hand, Fang Qiong was elegant and deva-like. Although she was not a drop-dead gorgeous out of photoshopped pictures, she was more attractive than even Jiang Churan. Adding on her excellent grades and a powerful family background, many would think twice before flirting with her.

Therefore, most of the passerby's poured their attention to Fang Qiong's BFF instead of Fang Qiong.

"Oh really?" Fang Qiong asked distractedly. There had been a sense of nagging remorse in the back of her mind ever since the term started.

"Xiao Fan had promised me to meet me at Jin City University, did he forget?"

When they were both little, they had promised each other to attend the Jin City University together. Although the promise was still loud and clear in her mind as if it happened just yesterday, she wondered if Chen Fan had already forgotten about it.

"Of course! Xiao Qiong, I saw you have registered for this class, why don't you take me with you?" Her BFF asked hopefully.

"You are in the school of fine arts, why do you need to take biology?" Fang Qiong asked.

Her BFF was very reliant on her. Even though she was admitted to the school of fine arts, she insisted on sharing the same dorm with Fang Qiong. Thanks to her family's influence, the school agreed to change her accommodation.

"That's fine, I'm not there to learn biology, I'm here to see the handsome man!" Fang Qiong's BFF covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

When they finally arrived at the class, the huge classroom was already packed and most of the students were female. It was evident that Fang Qiong's BFF was not alone in her desire to adore the handsome professor.

Since Fang Qiong's BFF was one of the most popular girls in school, she only made a hand gesture and many male students stood up from their seats, eager to please her by offering their seats.

"Uhh..." Fang Qiong grunted helplessly.

She truly liked her BFF except for when she tried to take advantage of the young men using her sexuality.

"Zhong Yaoyao, I won't bring you here if you do that again!" Fang Qiong lashed out at her.

"Sorry, madam." Zhong Yaoyao threw herself into Fang Qiong's arms like a little toddler and said in a kittenish voice. Her action slightly embarrassed Fang Qiong but the embarrassment quickly turned into lightheartedness.

Suddenly, a few screams came up from the entrance. Fang Qiong looked up and saw a tall young man in a black outfit walked into the classroom. His dark eyes glinted sharply and every aspect of his looks seemed to be designed with aesthetic intent.

"OMG! He is so handsome!"

Zhong Yaoyao was so stunned by the appearance of the young man, she could only stare.

"Why... why does he look so much like Xiao Fan?" Fang Qiong was taken aback.

Although she and Chen Fan were separated ever since elementary school, they had been frequently exchanging pictures of each other since then. Therefore, Fang Qiong knew what Chen Fan looked like. Despite Professor Chen's much better looks than Chen Fan, she noticed surprising similarities between his face and Chen Fan.

"I am your new teacher. My name is Chen Beixuan and you can call me Professor Chen."

Chen Fan walked over the podium and scanned the students.

"Can we call you 'oba'?" Many female fans of Korean drama screamed.

Chen Fan didn't reply. He looked over toward the group of screaming girls and his cold glance suddenly quelled the girl's excitement. Chen Fan's indifferent and chilling regard gave them goosebumps on their skin.

"The subject of the class is to introduce Life Science and discuss the future of pharmaceutical research. Now, I would like to start the class by explaining the definition of Life Science."

Chen Fan looked away from the girls and started to write notes on the backboard.

Fang Qiong could only stare.

"Chen Beixuan? Did he call himself Chen Beixuan? Is he the same person who I met last year? Could it be just a coincidence?"

Many questions arose in her mind, stirring up complicated emotions.

Half a year ago, at the lakeshore of the Jin City, she had met a stranger called North Mystic Celestial Lord, Chen Beixuan. He had given her a jade pendant as a gift and left abruptly by running on the water. So thinking, she pressed the jade pendant against her chest.

She had never taken the jade pendant off of her in the half-year. She could feel the difference it made on her overall health the longer she wore it. By now, she was convinced that the jade pendant must have magical powers.

Chen Fan carried out the class for a while and no one interrupted.

Suddenly, someone stood up and said loudly.

"Professor Chen, can you please explain it more? I don't get it."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 219: I Know More Than You About Life

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Everyone looked over and saw a man in his thirties wearing sunglasses stand up and question Chen Fan.

Many students from the Biology faculty recognized the man and some exclaimed.

"Isn't that Mr. Du from the Biology department?"

Other students hurried to ask who Mr. Du was and they learned that he was one of the most outstanding instructors of the faculty. He was well known for his strident and outspoken character, even the Director of the college and been snubbed by him before.

His vociferousness had prevented him from being promoted to assistant professor despite the fact that he had already gained enough experience in teaching and researching.

"As we all know, Life Science is a branch of Biology. It focuses on molecular genetics to study the laws governing the life cycle and the nature of life. Its goal is to cure inheritable diseases, and gene defects using new drugs or improving the ecosystem."

Instructor Du spoke calmly.

"However, Professor Chen had misunderstood such concepts and claimed that the purpose of Life Science is to improve and strengthen one's life energy and enhance human's biological features. This is equating the subject of Life Science with the study of Human Evolution. These two drastically different topics should never be put together. In layman's terms, the real biologists are interested in curing inheritable heart disease while Professor Chen is claiming these heart diseases can be avoided by becoming a superman or spiderman."

Everyone laughed out loud after hearing Instructor Du's witty remarks.

Even many students who didn't have a biology background agreed with him.

"Oh-shoot! So this visiting professor was now just pulling stuff out of thin air the whole time."

"Life Science, and the Future of Pharmaceutical Research, hmm... sounds legit but it's just another way of saying pseudoscience."

"Professor Chen won't lie to us..."

The crowd boiled over. Some jeered at Chen Fan and some defended him. Most of Chen Fan's supporters were girls who came just for Chen Fan's looks. They cared very little about what Chen Fan was actually saying. The girl's infatuation further fueled the male students' anger toward the new professor.

"So you think it's impossible?" Chen Fan stood next to the podium, unfazed by the challenge.

"Of course it's impossible! Although there had been many people that believe in Qi the Soviet also conducted research for superhumans abilities, those were all as fictitious as Hollywood superheroes such as Green Lantern, Spiderman, Hulk or what have you. However, Mr. Chen, Science is not a comic book, its serious stuff and needs to be carried out with scientific methods." Instructor Du announced. "Natural evolution followed its own set of rules and no external force could change its pace and direction."

Many students nodded in agreement.

The students of Jin City University were the best of the best in Chinese society. Unlike the uneducated masses in the countryside who still believed in supernatural powers, they could think rationally and critically.

By then, the exchange started to cast a different light onto Chen Fan, making him look like a snake oil peddler.

Xue Jiao was sitting next to the podium and the smile on her face had long since evaporated. She didn't expect to hear such outrageous theories and claims from Professor Chen either. Pseudoscience might be a benign topic for online communities, they were not meant to be shared with science professors and their students in a university classroom.

"Ah-ah! Was I right or was I right! He is here just for show." Some old professor heaved a sigh and lamented.

"Hehe, he knew nothing about biology and he tried to fool us with stuff he heard on the internet. What makes him worthy of being a professor?" Another young instructor piped up.

Han Dongyu was sitting at the back of the class. He furrowed his brows as he suddenly felt that he had wasted his entire morning for this useless class.

"What if I tell you that I have proof?" Chen Fan asked slowly.

"Proof?" Instructor Du laughed. "What kind of proof do you have? Do you have a pet Godzilla or do you know Captain America?"

"Professor Chen, you should stop this nonsense right now, otherwise, more and more people are going to doubt your credentials as a biologist." Instructor Du said with an edgy voice. "May I ask which university did you graduate from? Who is your advisor and how many research papers have you published?"

Instructor Du finally started to reveal his true intent.

He knew that if Chen Fan couldn't offer a legitimate explanation, he would be kicked off the podium and became a laughing stock of the entire university. By then, Chen Fan would lose any hope of remaining in Jin City University much less teaching his fraudulent theory.

Everyone looked to Chen Fan expectantly, waiting for his answer.

Xue Jiao clenched tightly onto her notebook as many strong yet contradicting feelings clashed inside of her. Her heart wished Chen Fan could teach Instructor Du a lesson but her brain told her that Instructor Du was right. Biology is a science, not a superhero movie.

As the male students and instructors waited for Chen Fan to fall from grace, even the girls started to losing hope that Chen Fan would turn the tables.

However, Fang Qiong had a feeling that if Professor Chen really was the same person she met who could walk on the water, he would not be defeated by a group of academics.

"I have never studied biology."

The crowd exploded after hearing Chen Fan's remark.

"Sigh!"

Chen Fan heard many disappointing long sighs. Xue Jiao shivered a little, as her heart sank to the bottom.

"Professor Chen! How could you confess that in public? Not even the director can save you now."

Han Dongyu shook his head and was ready to leave the classroom.

"You have never studied biology you say?" Instructor Du's smile disappeared as his eyes started to glint sharply. "Someone who knew nothing of biology dares to walk into the Jin City University and pretend to be a visiting professor? How preposterous! This is a humiliation to us all! You are a humiliation to the Jin City University! "

Instructor Du said vehemently and many Jin City University students agreed with him.

They were proud of their university's high standards and therefore, could not tolerate the appearance of academic fraud.

"I will lodge a complaint to the director! If nothing happens I will complain to the board! How could the Jin City University let a snake oil peddler into its campus!"

"Just so! He is not even twenty, yet already a visiting professor! There must be something kind of shady dealing behind the scenes."

"Maybe Professor Chen is innocent... maybe..."

Facing the increasingly angrier mob, the girls felt increasingly reluctant to speak out for Chen Fan.

"Sigh! Professor Chen looked so handsome but he turned out to be a fraud." Zhong Yaoyao leaned on Fang Qiong's body and said. "He was going to become my life-time idol, the love of my life, but it seemed that we could at most be friends with benefits. I don't want to marry a fraud."

"I thought you only cared about his face."

"Nonsense! I am not that shallow. I care about what's inside as much as outside." Zhong Yaoyao protested.

By now, Xue Jiao's face had turned as pale as a piece of paper. She struggled to convince herself that Chen Fan was innocent since everything suggested that Chen Fan was indeed a fraud.

"Mr. Chen Beixuan, what else do you want to say?" Sensing the promise of victory, Instructor Du put on a smile and asked Chen Beixuan.

Chen Fan looked around and let those jeering remarks and glares set in. Then he saw Xue Jiao, Han Dongyu, Zhong Yaoyao, all those people he knew and hung out with during his last life. In the end, he saw Fang Qiong.

She sat quietly and elegantly, looking as charming as a goddess.

Beauty was in the eyes of the beholders. Although Chen Fan knew that objectively, Fang Qiong was just of above average looks as of now, he couldn't help thinking that she was the most attractive woman in the world. The sight of Fang Qiong brought a smile to his face unknowing to him.

"Why are you smiling?" Instructor Du furrowed his heavy brows.

How was he able to bring himself to smile at such an embarrassing situation? Does he know what's going to happen next?

"I am not smiling, I am laughing at you. You know nothing about Life." Chen Fan walked down the podium and said: "Although I have never studied biology, and never have I written a word on the subject, I know much more than you about life."

"You know more than me?" Instructor Du was taken aback by the remark.

"At the end of the day, biology is the science of life. It was dictated by the laws that governed the changes in life. In other words, biology does not define life, it was the other way around." Chen Fan then pointed to a pot of wilted narcissus flower by the window and asked. "When is the blooming season of narcissus?"

"Springtime from January to march."

As an expert biologist, Instructor Du answered readily without any hesitation. It was September right now, and the plant clearly had seen better days.

Chen Fan didn't say a word, instead, he fished out a little bottle from his pocket and poured some solution onto the narcissus flower.

Everyone looked to Chen Fan incredulously as they wondered what Chen Fan was going to do. Is he going to bring the dying plant back to life with a few drops of water? How was that possible?

Xue Jiao around her eyes expectantly.

One second, two, three...

Ten, twenty, thirty...

Nothing had changed. The plant hasn't been watered for a month and a few drops of water was not likely to save it. Its leaves were still shriveled and the flower bud remained a tiny closed dot.

Many older professors shook their heads and were about to leave.

Xue Jiao also turned her head around as disappointment filled her heart.

Han Dongyu had already made his way to the exit. As he wondered if he should ask Xue Jiao out tonight, he heard a cheer erupt behind him.

He looked back and was stunned.

A colorful narcissus flower bloomed like it was in the middle of January.

Under Instructor Du's incredulous stare, Chen Fan put down the bottle and said slowly: "I told you so, I know more about life than you ever could."

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 220: Rise To Fame At Jin City University

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"How is this possible?"

Instructor Du stared at the blooming narcissus flower stupidly. Disbelief was brimming in his eyes.

The more one learned about biology, the more they would be stunned by the development. An ordinary person would brush it off as some kind of magic trick and an uneducated country hillbilly might have thought it was a miracle performed by god. However, the scientists knew this was neither magic nor a divine intervention.

It was possible to let a Narcissus flower bloom outside of its natural blooming season by controlling many factors such as temperature, water quality, etc. However, reviving a dead plant and letting the flower bloom was entirely a different story.

"The core of the Biology study was life. However, you knew nothing about life."

Chen Fan said as he locked his gaze on Instructor Du. Seeing Instructor Du had been rendered speechless, he scanned the room and asked: "Who else has any questions?"

A silence fell over the room as everyone was shocked by the development.

Not even the wildest breakthrough theory they had read on scientific journals could compare to the stunning effect of what was happening before their eyes.

"Well, I will continue the class if there are no other questions."

As Chen Fan carried on, more people started to understand the basic concept that Chen Fan was getting at. What Chen Fan was teaching was a branch of modern biology. The subjects perfected blended the modern biology and that of post-modern and Chen Fan delivered with easy-to-understand language. Although the scope of the class was within the broad umbrella of biology, the depth and breadth of the topic was substantially larger than the topics of current biology research.

Even those old professors who had been about to leave the classroom came back to their seats and listened to Chen Fan's teaching like devoted pupils.

"Ah-Ha! That's why my gene editing experiments failed so many times!"

"No, no, no... This part is the exact opposite of what Mario Capecchi proposed."

"His theory is at least a few decades ahead of our current understanding of biology. No one ever conducted any experiments to prove his theory yet."

The old professors listened attentively. Some were smiling, some furrowed their brows and some was so stunned that they could only stare.

The other instructors and students alike were all rendered speechless.

"Professor Chen really is an expert in biology!"

"Indeed! I had thought he was a fraud. Little did I know that not only did he have tremendous experience in the field of biology, but also was extremely ingenious in his theories."

"By the way, what was in that bottle of water anyways? How could it bring a dead plant back to life so quickly?"

Xue Jiao looked to Chen Fan in surprise. She had lost all of her hope and confidence in Chen Fan, however, Chen Fan was able to turn the tables and transform into a biology expert as easy as Clark Kent pulling off his shirt.

As she watched Chen Fan's scintillating speech at the podium, she found it hard to make the connection between a man of such a young age with a well learned and reputable biology expert.

Han Dongyu had walked back to his seat and locked his gaze on Chen Fan. This was the first time in a long time that he felt his being threatened. He conceded that Chen Fan's knowledge in biology had far exceeded his. However, the presence of a strong foe only ignited his will to fight.

"I will not be subjugated by him, not for Xue Jiao, but for my own honor"

Thus it was, Chen Beixuan knew nothing of modern biology, however, he knew a lot about postmodern biology. As the North Mystic Celestial Lord, he had traveled the universe for five hundred years and discovered many highly developed civilizations. Some of them had achieved an incredible level of development in biology and they leveraged their knowledge in biology to create powerful biological weapons that could rival a cultivator.

One civilization, in particular, found out a way to mass-produce Perfected Immortals of Dao Reunion level. However, before they could do that, the civilization was annihilated by the combined might of a few perfected immortal cultivators.

Chen Fan had stayed on that planet for a few years and was exposed to their advanced stage biology. Therefore, In his eyes, the biology on earth was unrefined and rudimentary.

"If I didn't need the university's special equipment to create the Catalyst Essence Serum, I would never need to go through the trouble of pretending to be a visiting professor"

Chen Fan lamented in his mind.

By then, Zhong Yaoyao's eyes had turned into hearts and began to drool.

"OMG! Xiao Qiong, I think I am in love."

"Aren't you always?" Fang Qiong flung back at her.

She had suspected that the young professor was the same stranger that greeted her half a year ago. The young professor's performance of a miracle had confirmed her suspicion.

By the end of the class, not only was the classroom packed with students, but also outside of the classroom, in the hallway. Many students and teachers got the message from their friends and flocked to Chen Fan's class. Right before Chen Fan was about to dismiss the class, Instructor Du finally asked again.

"Professor Chen, how exactly did you bring the narcissus flower back to life?"

"Ah-right, Professor Chen, please tell us, we have been wondering too!"

Many students pleaded while the other professors waited expectantly. Everyone was not only shocked by Chen Fan's progressive theories in biology but also the incredible experiment he had performed earlier. After all, not just any biology expert could revive a dead plant.

"Have you heard of the Yun Wu Spirit Water?" Chen Fan asked the people around him.

"Yun Wu Spirit Water?"

Most people looked at each other confusedly. However, the name rang a bell in the minds of those students that came from well-off families. The biology professors also furrowed their brows. They had heard of such water but never had the chance of getting their hands on it due to its outrageous price.

"You mean the water that was worth a hundred thousand yuan a bottle?" Someone asked.

"What? What kind of bottled water is that?" The crowd boiled over.

Even the most expensive bottle water was about ten yuan or so a bottle. A hundred thousand a bottle was an outright robbery.

"A bunch of hillbillies!" Zhong Yaoyao snorted. "The Yun Wu Spirit Water was spring water of magical properties from the Yun Wu Mountain near Chu Zhou City. It purported to strengthen one's body, recharge energy and cure all ailments. Long term consumption of such water could significantly improve one's immune system. In addition, it can also smooth one's skin and revive the dry and grey hairs, improving one's overall appearance. Due to its magical property, it is highly sought after and had been a public secret among the top tycoons in China, but most ordinary people would have never heard of it."

Hearing the girl calling them ordinary, many students furrowed their brows and gave Zhong Yaoyao a hot glance. However, after seeing Zhong Yaoyao's cute and innocent face, their anger suddenly evaporated.

"Brother Chen, is that the Yun Wu Spirit Water in your bottle?" Zhong Yaoyao batted her lashes and asked Chen Fan in a kittenish voice.

"Yes and no." Chen Fan didn't even spare Zhong Yaoyao a glance. "Normal Yun Wu Spirit Water would not have revived a dead plant. I have concentrated the medicine substance in one hundred bottles of Yun Wu Spirit Water into this one bottle."

"A hundred bottle of Yun Wu Spirit Water?" Everyone could only stare at Chen Fan's claim.

Just one bottle of Yun Wu Spirit Water could cost over a hundred thousand, a hundred bottles would cost over ten million.

That meant Chen Fan had just wasted ten million yuan to save the life of a narcissus flower! That much money could buy him three Ferraris or ten houses!

If this was not a display of his wealth, Zhong Yaoyao had no idea what else could have been.

He was tall, handsome, charming, knowledgeable, and most importantly of all, rich!

Suddenly, Chen Fan had become the Prince Charming in the eyes of most female students. Zhong Yaoyao's eyes lit up with hope and eagerness.

"The method of refining the water is very complicated and required rare ingredients, therefore, I can not mass produce these concentrations just yet." Chen Fan shook his head.

"The class is over." Chen Fan made a dismissive gesture and then walked toward the exit. Then he turned around and announced.

"ah-I forgot to mention. I am the inventor of the Spirit Water, and I am going to build a lab in the Jin City University to continue my research on mass-producing the water. Any student who is interested in biology and Yun Wu Spirit Water can hand in your application to my assistant."

After he made the announcement, he sauntered out of the room.

At first, the classroom was pin-drop quiet as no one spoke a word, and then the crowd suddenly boiled over.

"What did Professor Chen say? He invented the Spirit Water?"

"Is that for real? Just one bottle of spirit water is worth over a hundred thousand, how much money does he have? A Hundred billion."

"He would make over a hundred billion a year just from selling the spirit water."

Many students talked to each other excitedly, no one regretted attending this class.

However, many professors and leaders of the university were more shocked by the development than the students were.

"So Professor Chen was the inventor of the Spirit Water. No wonder he could become a visiting professor at such a young age."

"Just so! Professor Chen's progressive and ingenious theories is indeed an inspiring eye-opener. Our research subjects simply couldn't compare"

"Professor Chen wanted to build a lab in Jin City University to further research the Yun Wu Spirit Water. Are you guys going to apply to work in his lab?"

Everyone knew that if the Yun Wu Spirit Water was really as effective as it claimed to be, working in Chen Fan's lab was an opportunity of a lifetime for them to get involved in world-changing research projects.

If the Yun Wu Spirit Water could be mass-produced so that everyone could enjoy its benefits, their work would not only be remembered by China but also all the other counties in the world. It was going to change the world.

Its importance was no less than the invention of the steam engine or electricity. Anyone involved in the research would be commemorated in the science hall of fame. Therefore, this was an opportunity that the researches couldn't pass up.

"He had invented the Yun Wu Spirit Water?"

Han Dongyu's face paled.

He had never thought that his battle against the newcomer had ended so swiftly. Compared to the Yun Wu Spirit Water, his research projects were child's play.

"Professor Chen, wait!"

The managers of the university rushed out of the room, trying to catch up with Chen Fan. Despite their huge bellies and short legs, they ran at incredible speeds. They had never thought that the researcher air-dropped by the military could turn out to be a diamond in the rough.

"It's the Yun Wu Spirit Water! Even if we failed to mass-produce it, the lab could surely push the fame of Jin City University to new heights. By then, Jin City University might even be able to replace the Huaqin University and Yan Jin University as the most prestigious university in China. the financial prowess of Professor Chen was able to create a world-class lab for the university, and that alone was an opportunity they couldn't overlook.

The director of the university felt he had stuck gold and good fortune had fallen right into his lap.

By now, countless students and teachers rushed toward Xue Jiao to apply for a position in the lab.

"Easy, easy!. Let's do it one at a time. Please fill in your name and faculty first!"

Xue Jiao shouted as she felt annoyed and happy at the same time.

"He is such a mysterious man"

Zhong Yaoyao said infatuated.

Meanwhile, Fang Qiong sat quietly as light flickered in her eyes.

On that day, the name of Chen Beixuan was heard across the Jin City University. Everyone knew that there was a young and handsome visiting professor at the biology department and he was not only extremely knowledgeable but also rich.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 221: Meeting Me At The Bar

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The details of the lab were quickly finalized, and Chen Fan named it the Laboratory For Future Life Science. Chen Fan provided the funding while the Jin City University contributed with in-kind support such as space and labor. In the future, all results would be shared between both parties, however, Chen Fan reserved the right to purchase the other half of the rights on any of the research results.

Money was not a problem for Chen Fan. He had diverted part of his wealth to his mother in order for her to build her company. However, he still had a tremendous amount of wealth in his disposal, that did not even include the financial power of all the tycoons that supported him back in Jiang Bei.

The department of biology was ecstatic about the research contract. Each year, the government only gave Jin City University a few hundred million at the most, and when that money finally trickled down to the Biology, there would be less than a few dozen million. However, Chen Fan had invested fifty million at once just for the construction of the lab alone. The sudden inflow of cash stunned the managers of the university. Chen Fan had hired Xue Jiao as his representative and assigned her the job of monitoring the cash flow.

Xiao Xue was taken aback for a second. She had never thought that she would become a manager of a world-class lab from being a lowly teaching assistant. Such a position was usually filled by reputable professors. Her thesis advisor, for example, was hired to run a lab overseas.

After Chen Fan had arranged everything, he left for Business School.

The construction of the lab would take time. During that time, Chen Fan was just an ordinary student in the Business School, living a mundane college life. The carefree life started to grow on Chen Fan. He had been living under constant pressure to improve through intense battles for nearly five hundred years, and the life of a college student had been a much-needed vacation.

The first weekend after school started...

"Hey yo, let's go hit the bar! It's all on me!" Qiu Yilun shouted.

The young man had been touring the city in his BMW 330 every day and had visited nearly all the entertainment venues in the city.

"Young Lord Qiu, aren't you afraid of Qian Lulu's ire?" Chen Fan asked interestedly.

He knew that Qiu Yilun and Qian Lulu and been busy under the bedsheets. The fire of their young love was raging and it was wise to not tamper with it.

"ah-ah-ha! I mean. Lulu and her roommates are going with me as well." Qiu Yilun smiled embarrassingly as he gave Qi Wangsun a glance. He had been trying to set up Qi Wangsun and Liu Xiaojin. The proposal to go to the bar was also part of the plan to set them up.

After everyone agreed to go to the party, Qiu Yilun set the time to Qian Lulu. All the boys rode in Qiu Yilun's BMW while Zhou Qinya drove all of her roommates with her BMW mini.

The boys in Chen Fan's dorm couldn't help but stare at the beautiful girl.

Although the business school was filled with young men and women from rich families, two luxury cars appearing at the same time was still a rare sight around here. It was evident that Zhou Qinya's family was the most powerful among her roommates. That also explained why Qian Lulu would fall for Qiu Yilun so quickly.

Most of the entertainment venue in the Jin City was located on the Queen's Avenue. The street was bustling with life after night fell. It was packed with fancy cars and even fancier girls. It was as popular as Sushan Road in the Lin City in its reputation as a destination for club crawling.

"This BM club is run by a tycoon in Jin City. It's very safe inside. We should be safe as long as we don't look for trouble."

Even as Qiu Yilun introduced the club to everyone, a manager of the club had hurried to greet them and offered them a private seating area.

The four girls had spent a few hours preparing themselves for tonight. Their faces were carefully painted and were decorated with glittering earrings. Tight night club dresses hugged their bodies and adding on a pair of high heels that were decorated with dazzling diamonds, they looked nothing like college students. Zhou Qinya's look was much less earthly than the other girls. She wore a black short skirt that revealed her long and elegant thighs. On her feet, she wore roman sandals with straps. A pair of serpentine earring glittered under the neon light, making her look like a club queen.

On the other hand, except for Qiu Yilun, the boys were dressed in normal if not unimpressive clothes. Qi Wangsun wore a black-rimmed heavy set glasses, and looked nerdy as ever; Zhang Mu's pudgy belly nearly sticking out of his Superman T-shirt; Chen Fan seemed to be wearing the same shirt every time the girls met him. Their casual attire made them stick out among the fashionable people around them like sore thumbs.

"Alright, we need to set the rules: Everyone has to drink tonight!"

As soon the waiters brought forward a few bottles of Whiskey and Bourbon, Pan Li opened a bottle and started to pour the contents into her cup.

Zhang Mu was inexperienced in refusing girls, much less attractive girls encouraging him to drink up every time he poured anything in his glass. Within a few minutes, his face had already turned red and a few minutes later, he rushed toward the washroom. Qiu Yilun seemed to know a few people that hung out in the club and he took Qian Lulu with him to greet them. The promise of meeting other rich and powerful men and women excited Qian Lulu.

Liu Xiaojin sat beside Qi Wangsun and tried to strike a conversation with him. After a few drinks, even the nerdy prodigy started to open up. Liu Xiaojin edged closer and closer toward him as the two started to whisper to each other intimately.

Chen Fan sat all by himself and neither was he drinking. Pan Li encouraged him to bottom-up his drink a few times, but Chen Fan outright ignored her. After a while, Zhou Qinya was also getting bored, so she started to talk to Chen Fan.

"Where are you from?"

"Jiang Bei."

"Is Fang Qiong really your girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"You are a shameless liar, you know that?"

"Humm..."

Zhou Qinya furrowed her brows after getting Chen Fan's half-ass replies. Who would do that when an attractive girl was trying to strike a conversation? Who did he think he is?

Encouraged by Qian Lulu, she thought of giving Chen Fan a chance. However, after just a few minutes of conversation, she was already disappointed. She wouldn't even want such a loser as her "spare tire".

Other boys playing hard to get might be attractive to her, but Chen Fan's attempt came off as arrogant and stupid.

There was nothing in Chen Fan that attracted her.

By then, a few men who were attracted by Zhou Qinya's beauty came over to her with drinks.

"Hey, pretty, are you alone?"

Zhou Qinya hid in the booth, but her stunning beauty had attracted attention as soon as she entered the club. After observing the little bird from afar for a while, these men decided to make a move.

Zhou Qinya furrowed her brows and leaned toward Chen Fan.

"I am sorry, I'm with my boyfriend."

These men were all over thirty, some were wearing Armani suits and belts from Hermes. One man reached out an arm as if to stretch his crinkled undershirt, but only to accidentally reveal the Vacheron Constantin he was wearing on his wrist. None of them looked particularly ugly, but they all carried such lewd intent and condescension.

If they were true gentlemen, they would have stopped right there. However, they were clearly not.

"Hey kid, are you still in university? Which one? Maybe I know your principal."

Before Chen Fan replied, Zhou Qinya answered.

"We are from the Business School of Jin City University."

"Business School?" Someone snorted contemptuously.

Everyone knew what the business school was about. It was a place for the heirs of rich families to get a degree only for the sake of getting a degree. Most students in business schools were useless brats.

"I was at a dinner with Principal Hu just last week. I can put in a good word for you next time I see him. We are also always looking for an intern." One of the men handed out a business card.

Zhou Qinya glanced over the card and saw a few lines to titles suggesting the man was a manager of a company in Jin City.

Zhou Qinya looked to Chen Fan and waited for his reply.

"Get out of my face."

Chen Fan said firmly, without even looking up at the man.

"How dare you!"

The men grunted. However as soon as he saw the large frame of Zhang Mu, he decided to let the matter slide for now and left. The same thing happened to another couple middle-aged men and by then, everyone in the club knew that there was a drop-dead gorgeous among them but she was with her protective boyfriend.

"Why do you refuse him, he said he would put in a good word for you."

Zhou Qinya asked with furrowed brows.

"It's none of your business, don't you worry your pretty head about it, or I will throw you onto the street."

Chen Fan said lightly as he took a sip.

"How dare you!"

Zhou Qinya gritted her teeth and wished she could teach Chen Fan a lesson there and then.

After a while, she finally gathered herself, and she realized that Zhang Mu alone should not have deterred so many eager men.

"Hey man, I heard you being an ass tonight. Telling people to get out of your face, didn't you?"

A young man walked over to their table with an ugly grin.

"Brother Loong, my friend is just joking." Qinya rose to her feet and replied as helplessness flickered in her eyes.

"Ah, it's you, Qinya!"

The young man was called Loong Fei, the heir of an above-average family. As soon as he noticed Zhou Qinya, he let out a half-smile and then said: "You have forgotten about me, haven't you? I have heard that you are hanging out with some hotshot from Jiang Bei. Not bad, not bad at all. "

"Stop pulling my leg, Brother Loong." Zhou Qinya's smile disappeared.

"Brother Xu and Young Lord Hai are there as well, why don't you go and have a few drinks with them?" Loong Fei said with a gloating smile. "I have to remind you that Brother Xu is the younger brother of Brother Xiao who owns this place. If you got Brother Xiao angry, regardless of how powerful your pretty little boyfriend is, he wouldn't be able to save you."

"Brother Xiao? Which Brother Xiao?" Qi Wangsun asked abruptly.

"Humph! There is only one Brother Xiao in Jin City." Loong Fei flung back with a smug smile.

"Chen Xiao?" Other guests of the club suddenly pulled a dark face after realizing who he was talking about. Even Zhou Qinya's face turned pale slightly. Everyone knew Chen Xiao and his habit of club crawling. He was one of the most important underbosses working for Tang Yuanqin and nearly half of the entertainment venues in the Jin City relied on his support to continue their business.

"Qinya, Brother Xu is in a bad mood, why don't you say something nice to him and lighten up his mood a little? How big of a deal is that?" Loong Fei pressed on. He barely spared the girl's friends a glance. He knew from the beginning that there was nothing between Zhou Qinya and Chen Fan due to Zhou Qinya's extremely high standards.

Zhou Qinya hesitated.

Her beauty became well known in the city she grew up in ever since he was in high school. Brother Loong was one of her persistent pursuers. Since Zhou Qinya didn't have a boyfriend then, she kept on seeing him but nothing serious happened between them. As soon as she entered university and started to see the rich heir from Jiang Bei, she quickly severed her ties with Brother Loong.

Brother Loong was still bitter about that. He had to watch as his prize slipped away between his fingertips. Zhou Qinya's beauty was exceptional, and hard to come by.

Zhou Qinya was not afraid of Brother Xu, however, that did not mean she could ignore Brother Xu. Her parents were normal middle-class businessmen and owned only a few dozen million assets. On the other hand, Brother Xu was the heir of the reputable family clan in Jin City. The power of Brother Xu's family had increased recently and therefore, if she ticked off Brother Xu, she might even drag her parents and their business down.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 222: Too Scared To Stand Up

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Is that Brother Xu you are talking about Chen Xu?"

Even as Zhou Qinya was about to give up, she heard a calm voice came up beside her.

"Do you know Brother Xu?" Loong Fei was taken aback.

"It had only been half a year and Chen Xu is already getting worse!" Chen Fan shook his head and said: "I thought he would learn his lesson, but he is still the same!"

"Hey asshole, watch your mouth." Loong Fei narrowed his eyes and gave Chen Fan a cold glare.

Zhou Qinya was taken aback by Chen Fan's reaction. He knew that although Chen Xu was still a long shot from the top of the elite class in Jin City, he was still much more powerful and influential than the likes of Chen Fan.

Pan Li and the other college students were stunned by the development.

Qi Wangsun's eyes glinted as he looked to Chen Fan thoughtfully.

"Brother Loong, what brings you here?" Qiu Yilun and Qian Lulu finally returned to the group and seeing the tense situation, he hurried to Brother Loong and said: "He is my classmate, please forgive him if he said anything rude."

"Ah... It's you, Xiao Qiu." Loong Fei looked up and saw the awkward and fearful smile on Qiu Yilun's face. He said: "Your classmate has balls. He just dissed Brother Xu."

"Brother Xu?"

Qiu Yilun's face turned dark.

Although he was a newcomer in the Jin City, he had already got acquainted if not befriended most of the heirs of elite families in Jin City. Therefore, he knew who Chen Xu was and how powerful he was.

As the CEO of the Chens Group, Chen Zhenxin father lacked any talent to boast about. However, the Chens Group had been making tailwinds lately and had acquired many multi-billion dollar assets. Chen Zhenxin was also promoted at work and adding Chen Xiao's increasing influence, the Chen family had significantly boosted their capabilities and became more deserving of the name "Chen Family of the Jin City." Everyone knew that the Chen family had the backing of the military, and no one in their right mind would mess with them.

Chen Xu's prestige surged as his family exerted more influence in the city. He quickly became the leader of his group that consisted heirs of above-average families.

"Brother Loong, do me a favor please, don't tell Brother Xu about it." Qiu Yilun managed a smile.

"Hehe, do you a favor?" Loong Fei's lips curled in a smile. "Fine. Xiao Qiu, I will give you a second chance considering you and your friends are new here. But I want you to know that it will only take Brother Xu a word to get rid of you all from this city."

"Be careful about who you call friends as well. Sometimes you have to learn to distance yourself from some people for your own good."

Loong Fei left after let out a cold laugh, leaving Qiu Yilun to take in his condescending remarks.

"It's over, Xiao Qiu. Next time, you don't have to stand up for your friends you have just met, you know. Brother Xu is not someone you want to mess with." Qian Lulu whispered in her boyfriend's ears.

Qiu Yilun had just taken her to greet Chen Xu and she was still deeply in awe with what she saw.

Compared to the small businessmen she had met before, Chen Xu and his friends were much more powerful than them. Every one of them was connected to huge wealth that was over a few hundred million. Although none of them controlled that wealth just yet, their combined resourcefulness and influence was incredible.

Qiu Yilun was not sure what to make of his girlfriend's comment. She was right that he had to think for himself, but he also felt the need to protect his friends.

"Chen Fan, you need to think before you open your mouth. Chen Xu is not someone we want to mess with." Zhou Qinya said with furrowed brows. "I really have no idea where you have found your confidence. You could think little of Chen Xu, but did you know how powerful his brothers, Chen An, and Chen Xiao are? One of them even worked closely with Tang Yuanqin. They are way out of our league."

"Oh, really?"

Chen Fan replied lightly and kept on sipping his wine as if nothing had happened. His nonchalance didn't sit well with his friends, including Qiu Yilun.

Zhou Qinya shook her head and took out her cell phone. She wondered if she needed to call her new boyfriend for help.

They had just started seeing each other and she had decided to take things slowly this time. He was too good to allow a screw-up. It was her dream to marry into a super-rich family and this was her best chance so far. If she let her new boyfriend know that she got into trouble in a club, she might have shattered her carefully maintained image before him.

"Boss, you are making this very difficult for me." Qiu Yilun heaved a sigh and then said. "I have heard of Tang Yuanqin even when I was in Lin City, and Chen Xu was the brother of one of Tang Yuanqin's underbosses."

"I am not worried for myself since I wager Chen Xu wouldn't do anything to me. But if Chen Xu had his eyes set on you, I wouldn't know how I could help you with the limited resources I have." Qiu Yilun said in a deep voice. "Boss, listen to me just once ok? Go and apologize to Brother Xu. Rich heirs such as Chen Xu loves people saying a good thing about him. I am sure he would let the matter rest if you say sorry to him personally."

"You want me to apologize to Chen Xu?"

Chen Fan rolled his eyes and shook his head lightheartedly. "If I do that, it might scare him so much that he would collapse to the ground."

Chen Fan was telling the truth. His position in the Chen family was even higher than Chen Huaian. He could have fired Chen Xu's father from his CEO position with a single word. If he mentioned what happened today at the family meeting, Chen Xu would be grounded for months. Of course, Chen Xu would be afraid of him.

"This guys is insane."

Pan Li and others looked to Chen Fan as if looking at an idiot.

Qi Wangsun straightened his glasses on his nose and murmured. "Chen Xu, Chen Xiao, Chen Fan... Could they be from the same family? That should explain why he was not afraid of Chen Xu at all as well as his purported relationship with Fang Qiong. "

"Who said that I would be scared?" A loud voice came up from the other side of the room.

"ha, it's you, Brother Xu! " Qiu Yilun's face paled as he hurried to greet the speaker.

Zhou Qinya furrowed her brows and heaved a sigh. She rose to her feet and followed Qiu Yilun.

Surrounded by Loong Fei, a young man with a solemn face walked over towards their table. He was Chen Fan's cousin, Chen Xu.

Chen Xu was in a bad mood of late. He had been hanging out in Jin City for half a year and suddenly got the news that his freak cousin is going to attend the same university as him. His parents reminded him to behave himself and focus his attention on studying.

Indeed, in the eyes of Chen Xu, his cousin was a freak.

Only a freak was able to unleash a Blade Qi from his fingertips and cut open a heavy oak table; only a freak could have reached the level of achievement as high as that of Shen Junwen; only a freak could have bent the knees of all tycoons in Jiang Bei at the age of sixteen.

"He must be possessed by some kind of demon." Chen Xu thought to himself.

The thought of Chen Fan and his indifferent face still gave Chen Xu the shivers. The incident happened half a year ago was still vivid in his mind.

"Hey, prick! Do you say anything about me? You ... you..." Chen Xu walked over to Chen Fan and slammed the table as he shouted. However, as soon as he caught a glimpse of Chen Fan's face, he was frozen in his tracks and words got caught in his throat.

"Brother Xu, my friend didn't mean to offend you. Please don't mind him." Qiu Yilun heaped smiles on his face and as he gave Chen Fan a glance, willing him to apologize. "Apologize ... now..."

Qian Lulu thought Chen Fan was going to lower his head and say sorry, however, to their surprise, they watched as Chen Xu dropped his knees and collapsed to the ground.

"Brother Xu, what are you doing?"

Loong Fei was taken aback and he hurried to help the young man to his feet.

"Why are you so afraid of me?"

Chen Fan furrowed brows. He knew he wouldn't harm his own blood kin.

"Xiao Fan... oh no.. I mean Brother Fan. I am sorry!" Chen Xu struggled to his feet, shaking like a frightened bird. He had completely forgotten that Chen Fan was actually younger than him, and called him "Brother Fan" as if he were his elder.

Everyone was shocked by the development.

What was happening? Why would Chen Xu suddenly shrink like a deflated balloon before Chen Fan?

"Brother Xu?"

Qiu Yilun's smile froze on his face as he was dumbfounded by the development.

Zhou Qinya stared at Chen Fan surprisedly. Could it be that this young man of mediocrity was actually a powerful heir?

Qian Lulu and her friends were also confused by the turn of the event.

"You are a member of the Chen family, so please act with some decency to honor our family name. Don't let grandpa down again." Chen Fan said lightly. "Don't let me hear about you again, otherwise, I will cut off your allowance so you will never get a penny from our family."

"Yes, yes! Brother Fan. I got it!" Chen Fan nodded vigorously.

"Go now." Chen Fan waved a dismissal.

Chen Xu and his entourage turned around and started off. Seeing the way their leader acted before the young man, no one dared to speak up against Chen Fan.

After Chen Xu was gone, Pan Li asked incredulously.

"Chen Fan, who the heck are you? How are you able to handle that?"

"No kidding, Boss! He is Chen Xiao's younger brother. How did you scare him away?" Qiu Yilun asked with complicated emotions.

Chen Fan kept his silence and didn't reply.

"If my guess is right. You must be from the Chen Family as well. I wager you are Chen Xu's younger brother? Is Chen Zhenxin your father? Or is it Chen Qiuxin?" Zhou Qinya asked abruptly. "Although Chen Xu was not the favorite child of his family, he is of the direct line of descent. You can't be a nobody in the Chen Family to scare him like that."

"You are right, I am from the Chen family."

Chen Fan replied lightly. "And as for why Chen Xu is scared of me, that is only because of the strict family rules. If I tell on him before the family leaders, he would be in big trouble."

"AH-I see!"

Realization suddenly dawned upon everyone.

Everyone's eyes were filled with admiration as they looked at Chen Fan.

He was the heir of the Chen family of Jin City! Chen family had suddenly risen to power half a year ago and by then, its power was on par with some of the oldest families in the city. Pan Li's eyes glinted as she realized that Chen Fan was a diamond in the rough.

"I can't pass up this opportunity!"

Pan Li told herself.

Zhou Qinya lowered her head as she wagered that despite Chen Fan's background, his power was a far cry compared to her new boyfriend.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 223: Chen Xiao's Warning

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

After Chen Xu was gone, Pan Li's demeanor toward Chen Fan suddenly improved as she poured her attention on him. Chen Fan ignored her insistent persuasion to drink up, instead, he took only small sips of wine from his cup. He also noticed Pan Li's flirtatious gaze that was locked on his face.

Pan Li had always been a small ball of sexually charged fire. She let her sexual charm loose to attract the attention of Chen Fan, however, she ended up only arousing Qiu Yilun.

A hint of displeasure flickered in Zhou Qinya's eyes. Although she didn't take Chen Fan too seriously, she was curious about Chen Fan's background. Despite coming from a prestigious family, Chen Fan acted as if he was an ordinary person. They had hung out together for a few weeks and not until then did they realize his unusual family background.

"Boss, I will drink up my wine as an apology. I was wrong"

Qiu Yilun lifted the wine cup, looking embarrassed. Before Chen Fan could offer an answer, he poured the contents in his cup down his throat. Under Qian Lulu's influence, he was very close to drawing a line with Chen Fan and siding with Chen Xu. After all, he had thought Chen Fan was just an ordinary college student while Chen Xu was one of the heirs of an influential family.

"No worries. No harm is done."

Chen Fan drunk up for the first time. He knew Qiu Yilun very well. Although his personality was flawed with many shortfalls such as his promiscuity and arrogance, he was extremely loyal to his friends. In that respect, his girlfriend, Qian Lulu couldn't compare.

Qian Lulu also looked embarrassed.

Qi Wangsun remained as calm as before, however, a sharp light flashed in his eyes from time to time as he fixed his gaze on Chen Fan.

"So is it true that Fang Qiong is your girlfriend?" Zhou Qinya asked abruptly.

The question caught everyone's attention. They paused and looked to Chen Fan. Pan Li tightened her face and waited expectantly.

"Of course." Chen Fan shrugged.

"Fang Qiong had been famous when she was only in high school. Many heirs of elite families line up to woo her." Zhou Qinya stared at Chen Fna knowingly as she smiled lightly.

"You guys might not know this. Ever since she was in high school, she has a spot in her father's office and participated in her father's business meetings. She went to school during the day and helped her father run his company in the night. Rumor had it that by then, she was practically involved in every operation of the company. Her father Fang Mingde had given her part of his authority and is going to let her be in charge of their new makeup company."

"Really?" Everyone was impressed.

This information only circulated among the elites of Jin City. An average Joe might not even know who Fang Qiong was.

The thought that Fang Qiong was already going to run a company while they wasted their lives away in bars and clubs made the college students lament how far they had fallen behind.

"Therefore, most of her pursuers were from the top families such as the son of the owner of the Wan Rong Group, Shen Junwen. He was her good friend and classmate for many years. Son of Qin Hua, Qin Wenjun was also on the list." Zhou Qinya looked to Chen Fan thoughtfully.

"I have heard that Fang Qiong's National University Entrance Exam grade was on the top ten list in the province. She could have gone to Huaqin University or Yan Jin University, however, she insisted on staying in Jin City University. Rumor had it that she did so because she is waiting for someone. Is it you who she is waiting for?"

Chen Fan remained calm under everyone's surprised glare. He took a sip of wine and suddenly, sorrow and wistfulness start to flicker in his eyes.

In his last life, Fang Qiong had waited for him for six long years but in the end, he could only get into the Business School at the Jin City University. Although he still failed to attend the Jin City University with Fang Qiong in this lifetime, he was with her under a different persona.

"So you guys are childhood crushes and made a promise to each other to attend the same university! Wow! that's romantic." Qiu Yilun exclaimed

"Humph! Power and knowledge are useless for women. The top priority of us woman is to find a good man. Not everyone can stomach a strident strong woman."

Qi Wangsun's hands shook a little after he heard the remark.

He remembered his girlfriend who he had run away from. She was attractive and talented, but he couldn't stand her strong and stubborn personality. In the end, their conflict drove him to run away far from her to this university in Southern China. His gaze landed on Liu Xiaojin and her innocent and kittenish appearance. It suddenly seemed much more appealing to him than before.

Chen Fan kept his silence and didn't say a thing,

Pan Li was just an average mortal and she would never understand the thought had gone through him and the five hundred years' suffering. She was his destiny. He loved Fang Qiong in his past life, and so would he this time around.

"What the hell, who cares. let's keep drinking!"

Qian Lulu finally broke the awkward silence.

After a while, the party was over. Qi Wangsun unprecedentedly invited Liu Xiaojin for a walk outside. Liu Xiaojin was elated by the turn of the events; her insistent effort had finally paid off.

Qiu Yilun gave the rest of the girls a ride home, leaving Chen Fan alone with Zhou Qinya.

"Do you want to head home now or you are in the mood for another one?"

Zhou Qinya's lips curled into an alluring smile. She rarely smiled, but when she did, it was breath-taking.

The more time she spent with Chen Fan, the less she understood him. In her mind, Chen Fan had transformed from an average joe to not only a direct descendant of the Chen family but also Fang Qiong's childhood crush.

Zhou Qinya had met Fang Qiong once, and she conceded that although Fang Qiong was not much prettier than herself, Fang Qiong's graceful demeanor and breadth of knowledge was what completed her image as the perfect girl. Zhou Qinya wondered what would make a perfect girl fall for Chen Fan.

"It's fine. I will have to leave now by myself."

Chen Fan said lightly as he made his way toward a black Mercedes-Benz parked at the entrance.

Zhou Qinya saw a young man taking a drag in the black car. She immediately recognized the young man by his signature cold and gloomy look.

"Chen Xiao?"

In Zhou Qinya's mind, Chen Xiao was a legend. He rose to power in the Jin City before he even reached thirty and he owned over a few hundred million assets. He was extremely well connected and influential. Zhou Qinya wagered if she could achieve half of what Chen Xiao did in her entire life.

"Chen Xiao came to pick him up? I think Chen Fan is more important to the Chen family than I thought."

With great surprise and shock, Zhou Qinya got into her car and drove away.

Chen Fan linked his hands behind him and walked over to Chen Xiao. Seeing him approaching, Chen Xiao snuffed the cigarette and smiled at Chen Fan.

"Well, should I call you Chen Fan or Master Chen?"

The meeting was rich for those who knew the power dynamic between the two. Chen Xiao was Chen Fan's cousin, but he was also the right-hand man of Master Chen's biggest rival in Jiang Nan province: Tang Yuanqin.

A great man could not brook a rival, so everyone knew that the two would one day clash.

"Just call me Chen Fan."

Chen Fan said lightly.

Even when he was much weaker, he never took Tang Yuanqin seriously, much less after he had proven himself to be the most powerful Grandmasters in China. That title alone should have brought Tang Yuanqin onto his knees.

"You shouldn't have come to Jin City." Chen Xiao shook his head and said: "Boss Tang is a decisive man. If he learned that his rival is on his turf, he would spare no expense to kill you. Once you are dead, the tycoons in Jiang Bei would be rudderless and easy to handle."

"Oh? I didn't know Tang Yuanqin is that ambitious." Chen Fan was lighthearted by the remark.

"Don't you underestimate Boss Tang." Chen Xiao furrowed his brows "His ability and resources are way beyond your imagination."

"If that's the case, why don't you bring me to Tang Yuanqin? Is it because we are related?" Chen Fan asked calmly.

Chen Xiao was quiet for a while, and then answered:

"I know you dominated Jiang Bei using only your personal fighting strength, but not because you are smart. I know the likes of you, the so-called Internal Force users. I am not so dumb as to fight you alone barehanded."

"BUT!" His face contorted as his voice suddenly turned cold and sharp. "However powerful you are, can you defend yourself against guns? I have seen an Internal Force user killed by guns before. So I say it again, Boss Tang will find you and kill you if you don't leave now."

"Ah... It seems that Tang Yuanqin has forgotten to tell you who I really am." Chen Fan looked to Chen Xiao with an eerie grin.

"Who you really are?" Chen Xiao was confused.

"Ah.. never mind. I wager that if he knew who I am, he must have told you. I think not even he knows the truth yet." Chen Fan pondered for a second and then let out a smile. "I think Tang Yuanqin has grown content and disconnected himself with the outside world. Otherwise, he must have learned who I am, and what I have done."

Most Martial Artists knew only the name of Chen Beixuan and only a few knew Chen Beixuan and Master Chen of Jiang Bei were the same person. The thought that Tang Yuanqin was not aware of that amused Chen Fan.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I just want you to know that you should leave the city and don't let me see you again." Chen Xiao snorted and then got into his car. He rolled down the window and added.

"I hope you don't think that your backers in the military could help you. Boss Tang had been in the seat of power much longer than you, and his supporters are much more powerful than you think."

"For the sake of our kinship, this is a warning. However, the next time we see each other, I will not let you get away so easily."

Then, he revved up the engine and drove away.

As the Mercedes-Benz passed Chen Fan, he could see an alluring image of a naked girl in the backseat of the car.

"Bon Appétit, cousin."

Chen Fan shook his head and smiled. Then he turned around and started way.

He didn't care about Chen Xiao's warning. He was way out of Tang Yuanqin's league and anyone who wished to do him harm would have to mobilize a large army equipped with the most powerful weapons.

"Humm... Zhou Qinya was right. I think it's about time to meet Xiao Qiong and give the boys around her a stern warning."

He stood under a wash of street light which cast a long and stretchy shadow on the ground as he looked into the distance wistfully.

64c3e69bf75c4d1715a59001

Chapter 224: A Colorful Night

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The previously delayed orientation and the welcoming ceremony was fast approaching.

The Business School and Jin City University were hosting their welcoming ceremony at the same time. The Business School had spent a great fortune and invited a few famous pop singers to perform at the event. The Business School always had the best welcoming ceremony due to its incredible financial income.

However, Chen Fan didn't go to the ceremony with Qiu Yilun, instead, he walked into the Jin City University.

The Jin City University's welcoming ceremony was much less extravagant than that of the Business School. While it lacked the professional performers and singers, it made up with its refined taste in shows.

Chen Fan stood under a street light and watched the show from afar.

A girl dressed in a flowy white outfit walked onto the stage with a Guzheng. As the girl plugged along, it became evident that she was very skilled in playing the instrument. The music flowed through her finger like a gurgling spring that cleared the earthly thoughts on the listeners' minds.

The song ended on a high note, and a tsunami of applause erupted from the listeners. Although not every audience member was an expert musician, they still felt the performance was exceedingly enjoyable.

"It's just so so. I haven't played it for years." The girl in the white outfit said under her breath.

"Whatever, Xiao Qiong. You used to win national awards for your Guzheng performance. Even experts think you are good at it." her BFF said.

The national award was called the Golden Bell. Only professional performers were qualified to compete for the award.

The two girls chatted on as Xiao Qiong changed her outfit. Afterward, they walked out of the changing room together. However, they were greeted by a smiling young man at the exit. "Hey pretty good job! Do you want to go out and celebrate your successful performance?"

"Just three of us?" Xiao Qiong asked with furrowed brows.

"No, I also invited a few seniors as well as a few of our classmates from Junior High. They are already waiting by the gate." The handsome young man replied.

"Fine then."

Xiao Qiong hesitated for a second. However, hearing her former classmates were already waiting for her, she agreed.

As the three started toward the school's gate, Xiao Qiong's BFF glanced at the pair surreptitiously. She felt that they were meant to be together.

"I kinda feel bad for Xiao Qiong's childhood friend though. Humph... who knows. Maybe he is holding some other girls in his arms right now. Why should Xiao Qiong care about him?"

The girl thought to herself.

As soon as they reached the main road that leads to the school entrance, Xiao Qiong saw someone and then stopped walking altogether.

"What's up?" Her BFF asked curiously.

Xiao Qiong kept her silence and stared at a young man standing in a wash of dim light. Despite the poor lighting, she recognized right away the childhood friend who she hadn't seen for six years.

"Xiao Fan? Is that you?" Xiao Qiong asked incredulously.

"Yes, it is me." Chen Fan stepped out of the street light and toward Xiao Qiong.

Zhong Yaoyao couldn't make out the young man's face until he was close.

"Uh? Why do you look like Professor Chen Beixuan?" Zhong Yaoyao covered her mouth to stifle a surprised cry.

Chen Fan looked ordinary, however, anyone who saw him and Professor Chen Beixuan would come to the same conclusion: they were the same person. Although the difference in their looks was obvious, a few key features on their face remained the same. Looking at Chen Beixuan and Chen Fan was as if looking at the before and after comparison of a photoshopped portrait.

The handsome young man accompanied the two girls suddenly tightened his face as if he felt threatened.

He had never seen such light in Fang Qiong's eyes. There were longings, excitement, and hesitation like that of a housewife who finally saw her husband who had been away from home for years. The moment Fang Qiong saw the man, Zhong Yaoyao and the other young man suddenly became irrelevant, they might as well be nonexistent.

"After so many years, you finally found me." Fang Qiong said softly.

"Yes, it has been a long time." Chen Fan cracked a smile.

For you, it was six years, but for me, it was five hundred years and a lifetime.

The two looked at each other in silence. Chen Fan didn't seem to change much, but Fang Qiong had changed from a cute little girl to a drop-dead gorgeous lady. The sight of Fang Qiong even reminded Chen Fan of the future Zi Qiong Goddess.

"Can you two find a room please?" Zhong Yaoyao could no longer hold in her surprise and shock. She realized that her BFF seemed to have already forgotten that she was here.

Zhong Yaoyao grabbed hold of Fang Qiong's arm and asked hotly: "Are you Chen Fan from the countryside? I have heard that you grew up with Fang Qiong. You know, I could not find out why Xiao Qiong cares so much about you, and after seeing you in person today, I still don't."

"Zhong Yaoyao!" Fang Qiong flung back at her BFF hotly.

"Fine, fine, I will stop." Zhong Yaoyao said ruefully.

Fang Qiong had never raised her voice at her ever since they became best friends until Chen Fan showed up. Zhong Yaoyao felt as if her friend had abandoned her already.

"ah, Xiao Qiong, this is my BFF Zhong Yaoyao and this one is my classmate Shen Junwen." Fang Qiong finally introduced the other two.

Fang Qiong knew how bad jealousy could get among boys, so she paused a second when she was introducing Shen Junwen and chose her words carefully.

"My name is Chen Fan, and I am a good friend of Fang Qiong." Chen Fan said with a slight smile.

The handsome young boy before Chen Fan was the rival of his last life: Shen Junwen.

Sheng Junwen was the instigator of the series of events that eventually lead to the collapse of Chen Fan's family business. The Wan Rong Group eventually acquired Jin Xiu Group and the defeat drove Chen Fan back to Chu Zhou City. After Chen Fan was gone, he pressured Fang Qiong through her family to marry her and nearly succeeded.

"However, as fate would have it, Cangqin the Immortal cultivator saved me at my lowest point and saved Xiao Qiong from you."

Chen Fan suddenly felt light-hearted as he looked at the handsome and stately looking young man.

In his past life, Shen Junwen was away out of his league. Try as he might, Chen Fan could not avoid the fate of being crushed by his opponent. Whenever tragedy happened in Chen Fan's life, he always seemed to be able to find Wan Rong Group lurking in the shadows. This was the case even during the death of his mother, Wang Xiaoyun.

However, in this life, Shen Junwen was about as powerful as an ant to him. He could crush the young man with a single finger.

"However, powerful and rich you are, you are no match against me."

Chen Fan's gaze slowly grew indifferent as he thought so.

There was no bad blood between him and Shen Junwen yet, but Chen Fan was aware that as long as Fang Qiong kept on seeing him, he remained a thorn in the side for Shen Junwen. The rise of Jin Xiu Group would also pose a problem for Wan Rong Group, therefore, their final showdown was inevitable.

"A friend of Xiao Qiong? Great, why don't you join us for dinner?" Shen Junwen let out a charming and warm smile.

Fang Qiong paused a second and then looked toward Chen Fan.

Many things had changed in six years. The Ming De Group had grown from a small company in Chu Zhou City to the top pharmaceutical company in Jin City. Fang Qiong had also transformed from an innocent little girl to the goddess of the Jin City University.

However, Chen Fan didn't change at all, including his fashion choices, if that was even a thing. He still wore cheap knock-off T-shirts that he bought from dingy little shops.

Fang Qiong knew that Chen Fan would stick out like a sore thumb among the other friends, and therefore, she was about to refuse the invitation for Chen Fan. She knew the other dinner guests were spoiled brats who were high on themselves and were loaded with cash from their parents. They were extremely unfriendly, rude and condescending toward people outside of their clique.

"Sounds like a plan to me!"

Chen Fan agreed readily and gave Fang Qiong a comforting look.

Fang Qiong heaved a sigh of relief and was surprised by how sharp that silly little boy's mind had gotten. As her nerves eased, she started to think more about the situation and many questions sprouted out in her mind. Why was he here? Did he get into the Jin City University? Did he have a girlfriend yet?

However, Fang Qiong kept her questions to herself. The four of them walked in silence toward the exit.

Zhong Yaoyao and Shen Junwen had many questions as well. They looked to Chen Fan from time to time and failed to find anything extraordinary about this run-of-the-mill college student. Everything about him was so... bland and average.

The heirs of rich families could put on a cheap T-shirt and still look charming and stand out from the crowd thanks to the sense of nobility and pride instilled by their upbringing. However, Chen Fan could easily blend in with other people on the street. The only thing special about Chen Fan's appearance was a sense of indifference.

"He looked as calm and indifferent as an old man who had lived through troubled times!"

Shen Junwen exclaimed in his mind.

He had only seen such a peaceful state of mind on a few old men who had seen everything the world has to offer. Why did Chen Fan possess the same indifference?

A few luxury cars were already waiting for them at the school entrance. They were not the ostentatious and loud sports cars, but low key Cadillac and Lincolns.

"Goddess Fang! Enchantress Zhong! Young Lord Sheng."

A few young men and women got out of the cars and greeted them.

Chen Fan scanned the crowd and recognized many faces. Although most of them were in their early twenties, they represented half of the future elites in Jin City. Unlike Chen Xu, these heirs of elite families were well mannered and well educated.

Some attended the best schools in Jin City and some had already graduated from renowned institutions overseas. Many of them were already working for their families, being groomed to be the next boss.

"Xiao Fan, these are all my high school seniors." Fang Qiong introduced.

Everyone looked to Chen Fan curiously after they had learned that Chen Fan was Fang Qiong's childhood friend. They had heard in passing that Fang Qiong choose to stay in Jinlin City because she was waiting for someone, however, to their surprise, the man who she was waiting turned out to be a no-body.

Despite their well-hidden contempt, they remained friendly toward Chen Fan since they were trained to hide their real feelings ever since they were children.

"Goddess Fang, let's go to the Green Vines Club! Sister Yifei is there too." A young man wearing a glittering watch said with a smile.

"Sister Yiwei is back? " Before Fang Qiong could answer, Zhong Yaoyao asked in excitement.

Chen Fan listened to their conversation quietly and didn't say a word.

The streetlight beside Fang Qiong cast her under a wash of creamy white, giving her hair a pale and ashen look.

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