Conrad Wu's five fingers brimmed with powerful energy, faintly tinged with gold, giving off a razor-sharp vibe. As his hand swept through the air, the atmosphere let out a faint, shrill whistle.
He practiced a technique with geng-metal attributes; his yuan force was razor-sharp and destructive. If he grabbed someone at random, he'd leave five bloody holes in their body.
His young master was the clan head's only son, destined to inherit the Chu Family. So even as an Origin Core expert, Conrad Wu treated the Chu Tyrant with utmost respect, always scheming to please him.
Now that this young man had offended his young master, Conrad Wu naturally wanted to show off. So he used half his strength for this grab—figuring even fifty percent was more than enough to handle a Divine Sea cultivator.
Just as Conrad Wu's claw was about to touch Ian Stone's shoulder, Ian Stone suddenly raised his hand and gave an utterly casual flick.
That flick was extremely light and offhand, yet it easily shattered the force behind Conrad Wu's half-powered attack.
"Not good!"
Conrad Wu's expression changed drastically. He quickly released his spiritual sense, only then realizing the opponent was also an Origin Core expert. Wind sprang up at his feet as he retreated, channeling force into both hands and transforming it into fists to strike back.
But just as his fists were about to strike, a palm suddenly landed squarely on his chest.
Boom!
With a muffled grunt, Conrad Wu's body was sent flying out of control, crashing straight toward the Chu Tyrant.
Thankfully, the Chu Tyrant's bodyguards reacted quickly. Two of them lunged from either side, trying to catch Conrad Wu before he hit their young master.
But just as their hands touched Conrad Wu, a powerful force burst from his body, easily ripping through their defenses and slamming into them.
The two froze in place, and Conrad Wu crashed right into them.
Bang! Bang!
All three tumbled across the floor like gourds. Luckily, the Chu Tyrant had jumped aside just in time, or he'd have been caught up in the mess too.
It all sounded like a long process, but it happened in the blink of an eye. Lena Wei only saw a blur as someone rushed in front of Ian Stone, then got blasted back, crashing into two bodyguards and ending up in a heap.
Cough, cough!
Conrad Wu climbed to his feet, glaring at Ian Stone. "You're despicable! You're clearly an Origin Core expert—why pretend to be Divine Sea?"
He'd assumed Ian Stone was Divine Sea, first because the Chu Tyrant said so, second because of Ian's age—he instinctively thought someone so young couldn't be Origin Core. Careless, he hadn't bothered to check with his spiritual sense. Third, he just wanted to hide his own embarrassment.
"He's actually Origin Core?" Lena Wei's eyes lit up as she heard Conrad Wu's words, staring at Ian Stone with a heated gaze.
Ian Stone smirked. "When did I ever say I was Divine Sea?"
The Chu Tyrant was stunned for a moment when he heard Ian Stone was Origin Core, but quickly snapped, "So what if you're Origin Core? Dreamabyss City is Chu Family turf! Here, even if you're a dragon, you have to coil up for me!"
Conrad Wu winced. He'd suffered a real loss in that brief exchange, partly due to carelessness, but with Ian Stone able to take him down in a single move, it was clear his strength far surpassed ordinary Origin Core experts. Best not to make an enemy of someone like that—if you can't kill him, he'll haunt you forever. And someone so young at Origin Core might well be a disciple of some major clan or sect. But the Chu Tyrant just kept running his mouth, not thinking about the consequences. If Ian Stone really was from a powerful family, he'd be dragging disaster onto the whole Chu Family.
Sure enough, Ian Stone just raised an eyebrow at the Chu Tyrant's words. "Even dragons have to coil up? Says who, you ugly freak?"
"You wanna die!" The Chu Tyrant was even more furious at being called an ugly freak. He shouted at Conrad Wu, "Kill him! Kill him now!"
"Young master..." Conrad Wu hesitated, wanting to protest but stopping himself.
Seeing Conrad Wu hesitate, the Chu Tyrant exploded with rage. "What, you want to defy me now? You're just a Chu Family dog! If you don't obey, I'll have my father kick you out!"
"Tsk, tsk. An Origin Core expert being treated like a dog—how pitiful!" Ian Stone teased, making Conrad Wu's face flush red with humiliation and stirring up resentment toward the Chu Tyrant.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and do it!" the Chu Tyrant urged again.
"Why not come serve me instead?" Ian Stone said with a smile. "I see your technique is just peak mortal-grade. Without a King-Grade Technique, you've hit your ceiling. If you're willing to be my servant, I'll give you a real King-Grade Technique. Better a servant than a dog, right?"
"King-Grade Technique?" Conrad Wu's breath caught, his eyes blazing as he stared at Ian Stone. "Are you serious?"
He'd stuck with the Chu Family partly for cultivation resources, but mainly because he knew they had a damaged King-Grade Technique and wanted to get his hands on it.
On the side, Lena Wei was also stirred by the words 'King-Grade Technique'. If she could get one and master it, she'd finally have a shot at avenging her clan. Her eyes flickered with hope.
The Chu Tyrant, seeing this, started to panic. "Conrad Wu, the Chu Family's treated you well! If you dare betray us, we'll never let you go!"
Conrad Wu's last hesitation vanished. He dropped to his knees before Ian Stone. "Conrad Wu greets Master!"
"Good. Here's your first task: go slap that guy a hundred times, then I'll give you the King-Grade Technique!" Ian Stone said with a grin.
"Yes, Master!"
Conrad Wu sprang up, his gaze turning hostile as he locked onto the Chu Tyrant.
"Quick, someone stop him!" the Chu Tyrant yelled.
The Chu Tyrant turned and tried to run, ordering his bodyguards to block Conrad Wu.
Hmph!
Conrad Wu snorted coldly, blurred into motion, caught the Chu Tyrant by the throat, and started slapping him left and right.
The restaurant echoed with a storm of crisp slaps.
"Conrad Wu, how dare you! Let go of the young master!"
"Conrad Wu, you traitor! Release the young master or we'll fight you to the death!"
The bodyguards kept shouting, but funnily enough, while they yelled about risking their lives, not one of them actually moved—they just stood there, not daring to get involved.
After a hundred wild, stormy slaps, the Chu Tyrant's face looked like a beaten pig.
Conrad Wu tossed him to the floor, then respectfully reported to Ian Stone, "Master, the hundred slaps are done. Please give your next order!"
"Here you go."
Ian Stone casually tossed Conrad Wu a book—the Nine Suns Art he’d bought at auction. Conrad Wu flipped through it and immediately recognized it as a genuine King-Grade Technique. Delighted, he kowtowed to Ian Stone again, sealing his loyalty.