Victor Wei is a man of foresight.
After losing to Thomas Chu years ago, he spent considerable effort to send his only fourteen-year-old daughter Lena Wei to Stormwind Martial Academy in Maplecloud City.
The tuition at this martial academy is anything but cheap—fifty thousand taels per year.
Add in living expenses and other costs, and it’s at least a hundred thousand taels of silver a year. Normally, a daughter will marry out sooner or later, so investing so much in her would seem wasteful.
So, for most people, this kind of money-losing deal would be unthinkable.
But Victor Wei did it anyway.
Before sending Lena to Stormwind Martial Academy, he had a two-hour private talk with her.
Lena Wei was naturally beautiful—at just fourteen, she was already graceful and elegant. After entering the academy, she turned down many young masters’ advances, always remembering her father’s words: what you can’t easily get is most valuable.
So, two years later, she earned the nickname ‘Ice Goddess’ at Stormwind Martial Academy, and at sixteen, she was even more stunning.
This led to sons from several major martial clans in Maplecloud City pursuing her.
But to everyone’s surprise, she didn’t choose either of the two legitimate heirs, but instead picked Feng Kai, the second son of the Feng Family.
She knew that even if she dated either of those heirs, she’d never qualify as their main wife, since that position would go to a girl from a family of equal standing.
Plus, if she chose them, she’d be branded as vain and materialistic.
But by choosing Feng Kai, her odds of becoming his official wife rose dramatically. Besides, Feng Kai had excellent talent—at eighteen, he’d reached mid Divine Sea, and was deeply loved by the Feng patriarch.
Although the Feng patriarch had already designated an heir, Feng Kai might still have a chance.
Also, since Feng Kai was at a disadvantage in the competition with the other two heirs, Lena’s choice made him value her even more.
Just as she predicted, once she confirmed her relationship with Feng Kai, he became utterly devoted to her.
But she never gave herself to him—she only let Feng Kai hold her hand.
This only made Feng Kai even more obsessed with her.
So when Lena deliberately dropped hints about wanting to go home for a visit, she made it clear she didn’t want Feng Kai to come along.
When Feng Kai heard about this, he immediately ran over and begged Lena, so she reluctantly brought him back to Changyang Town.
Trying to please his future father-in-law, as soon as Feng Kai learned Victor Wei wanted to seize the Blacktower Mine, he said directly, 'Go ahead and take it. If Gracefield’s people object, I won’t just stand by.'
But to drag Feng Kai fully into the situation, Lena suggested giving him forty percent of the Blacktower Mine shares.
Feng Kai didn’t intend to accept, but Lena said that if he wouldn’t take it, they’d rather not seize the mine at all. Only then did Feng Kai reluctantly accept, thinking Lena was looking out for him—unaware he was being totally used by the Wei father and daughter.
To make sure the news that Feng Kai was now the Wei Family’s backer spread to the martial artists of Gracefield Town, Lena deliberately took Feng Kai sightseeing in Changyang Town today, acting extremely affectionate.
So the spies from Gracefield Town quickly learned Feng Kai’s identity.
When the news reached Gracefield Town, the Qin, Li, Zhou, and Wang families all fell silent, each feeling the urge to back down.
The Feng Family is a major martial clan in Maplecloud City, rumored to have more than three Core Formation masters and countless Divine Sea experts. With such strength, crushing them would be about as hard as squashing an ant.
The mine is important, but if it means offending the Feng Family, it’s just not worth it!
The second realm of martial cultivation is called Divine Ability, and it’s divided into Core Formation, Talisman Gathering, and Yang Spirit stages.
Ian Song also got word of the Feng Family’s involvement.
After waiting a full hour with no sign of the four families’ martial artists coming to discuss things, he knew they’d already backed down and completely given up on fighting for the Blacktower Mine.
He wasn’t surprised at all.
"Master, what should we do?"
An elder asked.
"Of course, we’ll just take the mine back!" Ian replied nonchalantly.
So what if they have Core Formation experts guarding it?
Worst case, he’d have to reveal some of his trump cards.
An hour later, Ian left one elder to guard the Chu estate, then led the other three elders and over a hundred guards toward the Blacktower Mine.
Qin Family.
When Roger Qin heard that Ian Song had set out with his people, he couldn’t help but sigh, “Still too young—just can’t keep his cool!”
The Li Family head also got the news, and sneered while shaking his head, “How could he possibly take on the Feng Family?”
The Zhou and Wang families also heard, and none of them thought highly of Ian Song. They all believed he was just courting disaster.
Less than half an hour later.
Ian Song led the Chu Family’s forces to the foot of the mine.
The road up the mountain was now guarded by warriors from Changyang Town—over ten of them, all at the Divine Power Stage, with a Divine Sea expert leading them.
“Kill!”
Ian stated flatly. He was planning to leave Gracefield soon, and to keep schemers in check, he needed to establish his reputation. So this time, he meant to teach the Changyang warriors a harsh lesson: anyone who offends him will pay in blood and lives.
The three elders and more than a hundred guards charged forward.
Two elders engaged the Divine Sea expert.
The third elder led the remaining guards in slaughtering the Divine Power cultivators.
In just half a quarter of an hour.
It took only half a quarter of an hour for the battle to end—all ten-plus enemy warriors were killed.
But a few Chu guards were injured as well.
They continued onward.
The path up the mountain was just over three li, and they didn’t meet any more resistance.
But when they reached the summit, a group was waiting, fully prepared for battle.
At their head stood Bruno Wei, the Wei patriarch’s younger brother, himself a late Divine Sea master.
Beside him were two mid Divine Sea experts from the Wei Family, and a bit behind them were four more mid Divine Sea cultivators from Changyang’s other two martial clans—the Shen and Bai families.
Behind them stood over two hundred men—fifty Divine Power warriors, and the rest elite guards at Tempering Body ninth level.
Bruno Wei sized Ian Song up with a mocking look. “Didn’t expect you’d really dare come. Aren’t you afraid of dying?”
"Die!"
Without warning, Ian struck.
Blood flashed—Bruno’s head flew into the air.
By the time the head hit the ground and rolled, Bruno Wei’s headless corpse finally collapsed with a crash.
“Second Master!”
The two mid Divine Sea experts beside Bruno swallowed nervously. Had their late Divine Sea ‘Second Master’ really just died like that?
“You have two choices: abolish your own dantian and live, or die!”
Ian’s voice echoed slowly across the mountaintop.
After a long silence, one mid Divine Sea expert from the Wei Family said, “Evan Chu, don’t get cocky. Our Miss Lena Wei is about to marry into the Feng Family in Maplecloud City. If you dare offend the Wei Family, you’re offending the Feng Family too. I advise you to best…”
"You talk too much!"
Ian cut him off, then once again became a streak of blood.
"Splat!"
Blood sprayed—another head flew into the air.
The whole mountaintop went silent; everyone was terrified.