Ryan Ling flashed a sly grin. After days of grinding away at his cultivation—and soaking in the Netherworld’s top-tier Infernal Glass Ghost-General Armor—his martial prowess had shot straight to Purple Realm grandmaster. Now, purple energy just poured off him, no effort required.
Purple Realm grandmaster isn’t just strong—it’s the peak. At this level, your body’s maxed out. Bullets? Child’s play. Stand on a bomb and let it blow? You’ll walk away without a scratch.
That’s how freakin’ terrifying Purple Realm grandmasters are!
Anyone at this level is untouchable—the absolute top dog. Nobody’s gonna mess with you, not even the Huo Clan!
Look at all of East River State—how many have ever hit Purple Realm? In the seven Jiangnan cities, Ryan Ling’s the undisputed champ. And he’s only eighteen! Achieving this at his age? He could easily crash the national martial arts rankings and make history.
“Still got the guts to fight me?” Ryan shot a cold smirk at the Blue Realm grandmasters, watching them shake in their boots.
Blue Realm grandmasters are tough, sure—but up against Purple Realm, they’re just cannon fodder. The three top grandmaster ranks—Green, Blue, Purple—might look close on paper, but that last step is a total game-changer.
So, when a Purple Realm master steps up, those four have no choice but to fold—no matter how fierce they act.
The four guys didn’t waste a second—they scrambled backward, practically groveling: “We swear we didn’t know you were Purple Realm, boss! Please let us off—we’re just hired muscle, got no beef with you!”
“You begging for real?” Ryan’s aura crashed down on them, heavy enough to make them sweat.
“We swear on our lives! Let us go, and we’ll ditch the Huo Clan this instant—vanish into the mountains, never show our faces again!” Cold sweat poured down their foreheads as all four hit the floor, groveling like their lives depended on it.
“Smart move. Now beat it! If I catch you hanging around again, you’re dead meat!” Ryan barked. The four guys didn’t need telling twice—they shot off like rockets, tripping over each other to escape. The rest of the Huo goons panicked too, ditching their boss and stampeding out of Divine Medicine Valley.
In the end, only Lady Four Huo was left standing—if you could call it that.
Lady Four Huo’s swagger was long gone. She looked like death warmed over, waving her hands in a panic—total surrender, loud and clear.
“Finally scared, huh? If I’d brought a Ghostfire Bead—a spirit item that explodes with ghostly fire—I’d have crammed it right down her throat!” Angie Chen spat, voice dripping venom. Ryan knew firsthand how deadly those beads were after Angie torched Su Yan; shove one in this hag’s mouth, and she’d be toast in seconds.
"Do her in!"
"Send her to hell!"
"Finish her off!"
......
Jason Lin, Harvey Jin, and the rest couldn’t hold back—they all started shouting for blood. The other Huo lackeys might get a pass, but this venomous old bat was beyond forgiveness. After all the crap she’d pulled, the whole crowd was out for her head.
“Benefactor, let me say something!” Simon Sun clutched his chest and hurried over. “Benefactor, I hate this old bat more than anyone here—she’s made my life a living nightmare for years. I’d eat her alive if I could. But she’s not just any steward; she’s got real clout in the Huo Clan and Hong Kong’s elite. Offing her would shake the whole clan and stir up a hornet’s nest. Jiangdong’s already a powder keg, and your main target should be Azure Dragon Society. If you can avoid making new enemies, do it. Plus, your friend’s hanging by a thread—saving him comes first. I’m blunt, so if I’m out of line, forgive me!”
Ryan took a breath. Simon Sun was an old hand—he saw ten steps ahead. Ryan had already weighed all this, which was why he’d let those Blue Realm grandmasters walk.
Ryan wasn’t scared of the Huo Clan, not by a long shot. But Simon’s last words nailed it—the real reason for coming to Divine Medicine Valley was Warren Yuan.
After all that chaos, Warren Yuan was hanging on by a thread. His Dao-root spine was rotting fast—he was burning up, shaking, even foaming at the mouth.
“Medicine King’s right—this is his turf. I’ll go with his call!” Ryan nodded and tossed the half-strangled Lady Four Huo to the ground.
Lady Four Huo never saw it coming—Simon Sun pleading for her? She hit the ground and kowtowed so hard it was a wonder her head didn’t crack.
“Don’t bow to me—bow to my benefactor! If he wasn’t so generous, you’d be headless by now, got it?” Simon Sun shot her a death glare.
Lady Four Huo spun around, kowtowing to Ryan with a raspy, pathetic "Grandpa!"
Her face was so pitiful it was hilarious—people nearly busted a gut laughing.
“Alright, Lady Four Huo. Shape up and get out—don’t let me catch you in Jiangdong again!” Ryan ordered. Lady Four didn’t dare stick around; she scrambled away, crawling for the exit like her life depended on it.
“Hell yeah, that was satisfying! Humiliating that old hag feels way better than just killing her!”
"No kidding! Lady Four Huo from Hong Kong—always acting like royalty. Seeing her grovel today? Unreal. Ryan, you’re a legend!
He’s not just a legend—he’s a total heartthrob! Hahaha!
The girls nearby started playfully teasing each other.
“Alright, enough fun—Medicine King, please, check on my brother!” Ryan cut in, turning to Simon Sun.
"No problem, I’m on it! And Benefactor, seriously—drop the Medicine King and senior stuff. If you really see me as family, just call me Old Sun. Makes it feel real!" Simon Sun hurried over to Warren Yuan.
"Deal! And you quit calling me Benefactor—just use my name. I’ve got a demon-snake spine ready; it should patch up his Dao-root!" Ryan said, whipping out the demon-snake spine.
"Perfect, we’re brothers now. That demon bone is top-shelf—get Old Yuan inside, I’ll fix him up right now!" Simon Sun finished, and Jason Lin, Harvey Jin, and the others hollered and hauled Warren Yuan in.
......
From daylight to dusk, the surgery dragged on for half a day. By nightfall, Warren Yuan’s Dao-root was finally reconnected. Simon Sun and Ryan were both drenched in sweat—this was no ordinary operation. Ryan couldn’t help but shudder; if he’d tried this himself, he’d have botched it and killed Old Yuan for sure.
"Done! Any later and Old Yuan would’ve been toast. Surviving this—he’s one lucky bastard!" Simon Sun flopped into a chair, wiped out from the bone-setting marathon.
"Th-thank you, Senior Sun, for saving my life!" Warren Yuan croaked, trying to thank Simon Sun.
Simon Sun shot up. "Old Yuan, cut the formalities—we’re brothers now. Just focus on resting!"
"Right. Jason, Harvey, Su Qing—you guys watch Old Yuan tonight. I’ll help Old Sun out!" Ryan said, and everyone nodded.
"Ryan, I’m good—I can still walk!" Simon Sun insisted, but Rose Zhan was already there to help him, fussing over him.
"Don’t worry, I’ve got Simon. Look at you, soaked—Angie’s already set up a bath for you. Go wash up!"
With that, Rose Zhan helped Simon Sun out of the room.
"Man, I need that bath—what a day!" Ryan sighed, then remembered Angie had set it up. She was probably plotting something again.
But this time, Ryan didn’t mind her games. After Lady Four Huo’s fiasco, he actually found Angie’s fiery attitude kind of cute.
But when he got to his room, all he saw was a giant wooden tub—no Angie in sight.
"What’s that little minx scheming now?" Ryan wondered, when a soft, sugary voice chimed in from the side.
"Benefactor, Qianqian’s here to repay you..."