Chen Dandan’s gaze never left the person before her as she spoke in a cold voice.
He was a youth dressed in a robe whiter than snow. His face had lost much of the tenderness of the handsome face in her memory and was now angular and sharp…and even more handsome and dazzling.
Besides that, the youth had grown a head taller than her in height, and she now had to tilt her head up to look at him.
As she and the youth stared at each other, she had a vague feeling that the youth was surrounded by an aura of extraordinary refinement that seemed to have come from nowhere, causing her to involuntarily feel a sense of inferiority.
Even the most outstanding among this generation of youths of the Valley of the Medicine Masters had never caused her to feel this way.
This sensation exasperated Chen Dandan extremely.
She, Chen Dandan, was the daughter of Second Elder Chen Tianhe of the Valley of the Medicine Masters, the cream of the crop of the ladies of the Valley of the Medicine Masters, an exalted position.
This Zhou Donghuang was only a country bumpkin from a small village in an inferior-level prefecture in Yunyang country of the Western Ridge of the Chu king. How did he manage to give Chen Dandan this feeling of inferiority?
“Who brought you here to the Valley of the Medicine Masters?” Chen Dandan cut in before Zhou Donghuang could speak.
In her opinion, if Zhou Donghuang were here, it could only be because he had found some way to bypass the person from the Valley of the Medicine Masters who was responsible for the country of Yunyang.
He could not possibly have entered the Valley of the Medicine Masters through the person from the Valley of the Medicine Masters who was responsible for the country of Yunyang.
This was because the person in the Valley of the Medicine Masters responsible for the country of Yunyang was none other than her father, the second elder of the Valley of the Medicine Masters, Chen Tianhe!
Faced with Chen Dandan’s question, Zhou Donghuang paid her no heed, and said casually, “Chen Dandan, it seems that you have adapted well to the Valley of the Medicine Masters…and have already attained level-four of Qi-gathering.”
As he finished speaking, the corners of Zhou Donghuang’s mouth subconsciously curled up into a cruel smile.
Chen Dandan attaining level-four of Qi-gathering at this age was enough to create an uproar in the country of Yunyang, but in his eyes, it was not even worth mentioning!
The level of practice of his younger sister Yun Lu, who was eleven years old this year, had already far exceeded Chen Dandan’s current level of practice.
“How about this? Would you be interested in sparring with me?”
There was a look of cruel mockery in Zhou Donghuang’s eyes, and he looked deeply at Chen Dandan.
Faced with the “challenge” from this youth before her, Chen Dandan’s expression immediately darkened. Although she was now already a level-four adept and beyond comparison to herself in the past, she knew clearly that she was not a match for the youth before her.
When she was still in the Hong family in the prefecture capital of Yunfeng prefecture, she had heard that the youth had killed the head elder Lin Tianzheng of the Lin family, a preeminent family just like the Hong family.
And that Lin Tianzheng had been a level-four adept.
Today, it had been two years since that occasion.
In two years, the youth’s ability had definitely become stronger.
Even if it had not become stronger, she could not hope to match his ability from two years ago in her current state.
“Zhou Donghuang, don’t be gleeful!”
Chen Dandan gave Zhou Donghuang an icy look, and said in a growl, “In the Valley of the Medicine Masters, there are many strong adepts, and people who can do you in are all around!”
Chen Dandan’s speech was an admission to those around her that her ability was no match for Zhou Donghuang, and that she did not dare to fight Zhou Donghuang.
It seemed this brother Donghuang’s ability was considerable…at least greater than level-five of Qi-gathering.
Huang Mingfeng, who was standing not far from Zhou Donghuang, could not help guessing in his heart as he watched Chen Dandan’s reaction.
“Really?”
Zhou Donghuang swept a dismissive glance over Chen Dandan.
This time, Chen Dandan did not manage to reply to Zhou Donghuang in time. The two young men following behind Chen Dandan had already taken two steps forward, flanking her on either side, glaring ferociously at Zhou Donghuang.
“Little fellow, who on earth are you? How dare you be so disrespectful to sister Dandan!” One of the young men growled.
“Someone who is collecting a debt.”
Zhou Donghuang did not spare the young man a glance, his gaze remaining fixed on Chen Dandan as he broke into a smile..
Someone collecting a debt?
The young man could not help giving a start.
“Little fellow, are you also a disciple from the Valley of the Medicine Masters? I have never seen you before. Who invited you in?” the other young man asked with a solemn expression.
In the Valley of the Medicine Masters, those who had the authority to give special invitations were all senior leaders in the middle Connate stage and above, and if the youth before them had been specially invited in, it was proof that there was a senior leader of the Valley of the Medicine Masters at the middle Connate stage backing him.
“I’m not a disciple of the Valley of the Medicine Masters,” Zhou Donghuang replied indifferently, still not bothering to glance at the other young man who had questioned him, his gaze still not leaving Chen Dandan.
“And I have no interest in being part of the Valley of the Medicine Masters.”
Zhou Donghuang paused and hesitated, before giving Chen Dandan a searching look. “There are some people who think that they can rely on the Valley of the Medicine Masters to back them up, seeing themselves as a phoenix even though they are sitting on a branch.”
“In any case, in my eyes, the Valley of the Medicine Masters is no big deal.”
“To the extent that I, Zhou Donghuang, will not even bother joining a small sect like the Valley of the Medicine Masters.”
As Zhou Donghuang finished, not only Chen Dandan but also the two young men were stunned. Huang Mingfeng, who had followed Zhou Donghuang over, and the other disciples of the Valley of the Medicine Masters who had gathered to watch the commotion, were all stunned as well.
This youth was actually saying that he could not be bothered to join the Valley of the Medicine Masters?
And saying that the Valley of the Medicine Masters was a small sect?
“Big words!”
Chen Dandan laughed coldly and followed up by giving the youth a freezing look. “Zhou Donghuang, from what you are saying…you…no one brought you into the Valley of the Medicine Masters, but you came into the Valley of the Medicine Masters on your own?”
“In the Valley of the Medicine Masters, I come and go as I please, why do I need someone to accompany me?”
Zhou Donghuang smiled condescendingly.
“Zhou Donghuang!”
As Zhou Donghuang finished, Chen Dandan glared at him and raised her voice again. “Such gall, you actually dare barge into the Valley of the Medicine Masters!”
“Barging into the Valley of the Medicine Masters?”
When they heard what Chen Dandan said, the group of disciples of the Valley of the Medicine Masters who had gathered around broke into a commotion, and the looks that they gave the youth were filled with hostility.
“Little fellow, you are really quite capable…that you managed to avoid being seen by the elders of the observation towers and sneak into the Valley of the Medicine Masters!”
One of the young men beside Chen Dandan took a step forward, giving Zhou Donghuang a cold look. “We have rules here in the Valley of the Medicine Masters: a light penalty for trespassers is to have their level of practice destroyed; a severe penalty is death!”
“In view of your youth and ignorance, I’ll destroy your level of practice. After that you can find your own way out of the Valley of the Medicine Masters!”
As soon as he finished, the young man’s arms and legs moved without warning, and his whole person seemed to transform into a hound as he sprang at Zhou Donghuang.
“Hng——”
As the youth sprang at him, Zhou Donghuang suddenly gave a cold snort.
The snort did not seem like anything to the gathered group of disciples of the Valley of the Medicine Masters, but pierced into the young man springing at Zhou Donghuang and caused his expression to change completely, and his body trembled suddenly as he stopped in his tracks.
Crash!!
In full view of the crowd, the young man who had sprung at Zhou Donghuang crashed headfirst into the ground, skidding forward due to his momentum, completely unconscious.
Bright red blood ran from both his ears, flowing slowly and steadily like a stream.
“This is…an aural attack technique?!”
There were a good number of experienced disciples among the crowd of disciples of the Valley of the Medicine Masters, and seeing that the young man had been wounded to such a degree in the blink of an eye, their expression changed, and the looks that they gave the youth in white standing with his hands clasped behind his back were now tinged with dread.
In the instant the young man had sprung into motion, Zhou Donghuang had demonstrated an aural attack technique that he had obtained on Earth called “Lion’s Roar”.
Although Lion’s Roar was only a second-grade technique, with Zhou Donghuang’s current level of practice, he could easily kill an ordinary Qi-gathering adept.
If he had demonstrated Lion’s Roar to the fullest extent of his ability, that young man would certainly be dead!
The young man was only a level-six adept of Qi-gathering.
“This…how is this possible?!”
The scene unfolding before her caused Chen Dandan’s beautiful face to go pale. She never imagined that a level-six adept would be so gravely wounded and struck unconscious by just a sound from Zhou Donghuang before even approaching him.
“Aural attack technique?”
“Since when were aural attack techniques so strong? Ke Hui was a level-six adept, but he was struck unconscious at once.”
“Even if the aural attack technique he demonstrated was a second-grade technique, to strike a level-six adept unconscious even if he was unprepared would mean that he is at least a level-eight adept.”
“Him? A level-eight adept?”
“He looks like he is at most seventeen or eighteen years old…a seventeen year old level-eight adept? Are you kidding me?”
…
The gathered crowd of disciples of the Valley of the Medicine Masters chattered among themselves and gave Zhou Donghuang looks full of disbelief, as though they were looking at a monster.
“Level-eight of Qi-gathering?!”
Chen Dandan’s expression changed, and the other young man beside her discreetly wiped away a trickle of cold sweat, giving silent thanks that he had not been the one to step forward first.
Otherwise, the one lying on the ground now would not be Ke Hui, but him.
His level of practice was similar to Ke Hui’s.
“Go and bring Elder Li here!”
Chen Dandan took a deep breath and suppressed her roiling emotions with an effort, instructing the young man beside her in a low voice, “Tell Elder Li that there is a trespasser in the Valley of the Medicine Masters!”
The Elder Li that Chen Dandan spoke of was a Connate-stage adept, the elder of the Valley of the Medicine Masters who was responsible for maintaining order and discipline in the training grounds. His accommodation was near the training grounds.
He would occasionally come to the training grounds to observe, but most of the time he would be found practicing at his accommodation.
“Very well,” the young man acknowledged hurriedly.
After the young man left, the look Chen Dandan gave Zhou Donghuang contained an additional portion of dread, but her gaze was just as chilly and her expression just as icy. “Zhou Donghuang, I could never have imagined that you have already attained level-eight of Qi-gathering.”
“It’s a pity…even if you have attained level-eight of Qi-gathering, today you will surely die here!”
Chen Dandan’s gaze never left the person before her as she spoke in a cold voice.
He was a youth dressed in a robe whiter than snow. His face had lost much of the tenderness of the handsome face in her memory and was now angular and sharp…and even more handsome and dazzling.
Besides that, the youth had grown a head taller than her in height, and she now had to tilt her head up to look at him.
As she and the youth stared at each other, she had a vague feeling that the youth was surrounded by an aura of extraordinary refinement that seemed to have come from nowhere, causing her to involuntarily feel a sense of inferiority.
Even the most outstanding among this generation of youths of the Valley of the Medicine Masters had never caused her to feel this way.
This sensation exasperated Chen Dandan extremely.
She, Chen Dandan, was the daughter of Second Elder Chen Tianhe of the Valley of the Medicine Masters, the cream of the crop of the ladies of the Valley of the Medicine Masters, an exalted position.
This Zhou Donghuang was only a country bumpkin from a small village in an inferior-level prefecture in Yunyang country of the Western Ridge of the Chu king. How did he manage to give Chen Dandan this feeling of inferiority?
“Who brought you here to the Valley of the Medicine Masters?” Chen Dandan cut in before Zhou Donghuang could speak.
In her opinion, if Zhou Donghuang were here, it could only be because he had found some way to bypass the person from the Valley of the Medicine Masters who was responsible for the country of Yunyang.
He could not possibly have entered the Valley of the Medicine Masters through the person from the Valley of the Medicine Masters who was responsible for the country of Yunyang.
This was because the person in the Valley of the Medicine Masters responsible for the country of Yunyang was none other than her father, the second elder of the Valley of the Medicine Masters, Chen Tianhe!
Faced with Chen Dandan’s question, Zhou Donghuang paid her no heed, and said casually, “Chen Dandan, it seems that you have adapted well to the Valley of the Medicine Masters…and have already attained level-four of Qi-gathering.”
As he finished speaking, the corners of Zhou Donghuang’s mouth subconsciously curled up into a cruel smile.
Chen Dandan attaining level-four of Qi-gathering at this age was enough to create an uproar in the country of Yunyang, but in his eyes, it was not even worth mentioning!
The level of practice of his younger sister Yun Lu, who was eleven years old this year, had already far exceeded Chen Dandan’s current level of practice.
“How about this? Would you be interested in sparring with me?”
There was a look of cruel mockery in Zhou Donghuang’s eyes, and he looked deeply at Chen Dandan.
Faced with the “challenge” from this youth before her, Chen Dandan’s expression immediately darkened. Although she was now already a level-four adept and beyond comparison to herself in the past, she knew clearly that she was not a match for the youth before her.
When she was still in the Hong family in the prefecture capital of Yunfeng prefecture, she had heard that the youth had killed the head elder Lin Tianzheng of the Lin family, a preeminent family just like the Hong family.
And that Lin Tianzheng had been a level-four adept.
Today, it had been two years since that occasion.
In two years, the youth’s ability had definitely become stronger.
Even if it had not become stronger, she could not hope to match his ability from two years ago in her current state.
“Zhou Donghuang, don’t be gleeful!”
Chen Dandan gave Zhou Donghuang an icy look, and said in a growl, “In the Valley of the Medicine Masters, there are many strong adepts, and people who can do you in are all around!”
Chen Dandan’s speech was an admission to those around her that her ability was no match for Zhou Donghuang, and that she did not dare to fight Zhou Donghuang.
It seemed this brother Donghuang’s ability was considerable…at least greater than level-five of Qi-gathering.
Huang Mingfeng, who was standing not far from Zhou Donghuang, could not help guessing in his heart as he watched Chen Dandan’s reaction.
“Really?”
Zhou Donghuang swept a dismissive glance over Chen Dandan.
This time, Chen Dandan did not manage to reply to Zhou Donghuang in time. The two young men following behind Chen Dandan had already taken two steps forward, flanking her on either side, glaring ferociously at Zhou Donghuang.
“Little fellow, who on earth are you? How dare you be so disrespectful to sister Dandan!” One of the young men growled.
“Someone who is collecting a debt.”
Zhou Donghuang did not spare the young man a glance, his gaze remaining fixed on Chen Dandan as he broke into a smile..
Someone collecting a debt?
The young man could not help giving a start.
“Little fellow, are you also a disciple from the Valley of the Medicine Masters? I have never seen you before. Who invited you in?” the other young man asked with a solemn expression.
In the Valley of the Medicine Masters, those who had the authority to give special invitations were all senior leaders in the middle Connate stage and above, and if the youth before them had been specially invited in, it was proof that there was a senior leader of the Valley of the Medicine Masters at the middle Connate stage backing him.
“I’m not a disciple of the Valley of the Medicine Masters,” Zhou Donghuang replied indifferently, still not bothering to glance at the other young man who had questioned him, his gaze still not leaving Chen Dandan.
“And I have no interest in being part of the Valley of the Medicine Masters.”
Zhou Donghuang paused and hesitated, before giving Chen Dandan a searching look. “There are some people who think that they can rely on the Valley of the Medicine Masters to back them up, seeing themselves as a phoenix even though they are sitting on a branch.”
“In any case, in my eyes, the Valley of the Medicine Masters is no big deal.”
“To the extent that I, Zhou Donghuang, will not even bother joining a small sect like the Valley of the Medicine Masters.”
As Zhou Donghuang finished, not only Chen Dandan but also the two young men were stunned. Huang Mingfeng, who had followed Zhou Donghuang over, and the other disciples of the Valley of the Medicine Masters who had gathered to watch the commotion, were all stunned as well.
This youth was actually saying that he could not be bothered to join the Valley of the Medicine Masters?
And saying that the Valley of the Medicine Masters was a small sect?
“Big words!”
Chen Dandan laughed coldly and followed up by giving the youth a freezing look. “Zhou Donghuang, from what you are saying…you…no one brought you into the Valley of the Medicine Masters, but you came into the Valley of the Medicine Masters on your own?”
“In the Valley of the Medicine Masters, I come and go as I please, why do I need someone to accompany me?”
Zhou Donghuang smiled condescendingly.
“Zhou Donghuang!”
As Zhou Donghuang finished, Chen Dandan glared at him and raised her voice again. “Such gall, you actually dare barge into the Valley of the Medicine Masters!”
“Barging into the Valley of the Medicine Masters?”
When they heard what Chen Dandan said, the group of disciples of the Valley of the Medicine Masters who had gathered around broke into a commotion, and the looks that they gave the youth were filled with hostility.
“Little fellow, you are really quite capable…that you managed to avoid being seen by the elders of the observation towers and sneak into the Valley of the Medicine Masters!”
One of the young men beside Chen Dandan took a step forward, giving Zhou Donghuang a cold look. “We have rules here in the Valley of the Medicine Masters: a light penalty for trespassers is to have their level of practice destroyed; a severe penalty is death!”
“In view of your youth and ignorance, I’ll destroy your level of practice. After that you can find your own way out of the Valley of the Medicine Masters!”
As soon as he finished, the young man’s arms and legs moved without warning, and his whole person seemed to transform into a hound as he sprang at Zhou Donghuang.
“Hng——”
As the youth sprang at him, Zhou Donghuang suddenly gave a cold snort.
The snort did not seem like anything to the gathered group of disciples of the Valley of the Medicine Masters, but pierced into the young man springing at Zhou Donghuang and caused his expression to change completely, and his body trembled suddenly as he stopped in his tracks.
Crash!!
In full view of the crowd, the young man who had sprung at Zhou Donghuang crashed headfirst into the ground, skidding forward due to his momentum, completely unconscious.
Bright red blood ran from both his ears, flowing slowly and steadily like a stream.
“This is…an aural attack technique?!”
There were a good number of experienced disciples among the crowd of disciples of the Valley of the Medicine Masters, and seeing that the young man had been wounded to such a degree in the blink of an eye, their expression changed, and the looks that they gave the youth in white standing with his hands clasped behind his back were now tinged with dread.
In the instant the young man had sprung into motion, Zhou Donghuang had demonstrated an aural attack technique that he had obtained on Earth called “Lion’s Roar”.
Although Lion’s Roar was only a second-grade technique, with Zhou Donghuang’s current level of practice, he could easily kill an ordinary Qi-gathering adept.
If he had demonstrated Lion’s Roar to the fullest extent of his ability, that young man would certainly be dead!
The young man was only a level-six adept of Qi-gathering.
“This…how is this possible?!”
The scene unfolding before her caused Chen Dandan’s beautiful face to go pale. She never imagined that a level-six adept would be so gravely wounded and struck unconscious by just a sound from Zhou Donghuang before even approaching him.
“Aural attack technique?”
“Since when were aural attack techniques so strong? Ke Hui was a level-six adept, but he was struck unconscious at once.”
“Even if the aural attack technique he demonstrated was a second-grade technique, to strike a level-six adept unconscious even if he was unprepared would mean that he is at least a level-eight adept.”
“Him? A level-eight adept?”
“He looks like he is at most seventeen or eighteen years old…a seventeen year old level-eight adept? Are you kidding me?”
…
The gathered crowd of disciples of the Valley of the Medicine Masters chattered among themselves and gave Zhou Donghuang looks full of disbelief, as though they were looking at a monster.
“Level-eight of Qi-gathering?!”
Chen Dandan’s expression changed, and the other young man beside her discreetly wiped away a trickle of cold sweat, giving silent thanks that he had not been the one to step forward first.
Otherwise, the one lying on the ground now would not be Ke Hui, but him.
His level of practice was similar to Ke Hui’s.
“Go and bring Elder Li here!”
Chen Dandan took a deep breath and suppressed her roiling emotions with an effort, instructing the young man beside her in a low voice, “Tell Elder Li that there is a trespasser in the Valley of the Medicine Masters!”
The Elder Li that Chen Dandan spoke of was a Connate-stage adept, the elder of the Valley of the Medicine Masters who was responsible for maintaining order and discipline in the training grounds. His accommodation was near the training grounds.
He would occasionally come to the training grounds to observe, but most of the time he would be found practicing at his accommodation.
“Very well,” the young man acknowledged hurriedly.
After the young man left, the look Chen Dandan gave Zhou Donghuang contained an additional portion of dread, but her gaze was just as chilly and her expression just as icy. “Zhou Donghuang, I could never have imagined that you have already attained level-eight of Qi-gathering.”
“It’s a pity…even if you have attained level-eight of Qi-gathering, today you will surely die here!”
