"A Mystic Arts Adept at the entry level can already go toe to toe with an Inner-Strength peak expert?"
Hearing Old Madam Ding's words, Wendy Ding's face changed dramatically. When she looked at Elder Mark Mu again, her gaze was completely different.
She had always thought Elder Mark Mu was respected mainly for his status, not his strength.
"Yes, at the peak, a Mystic Arts Adept is roughly equivalent to a fourth- to third-grade Vajra," Old Madam Ding nodded slightly.
In fact, Mystic Arts Adepts are far more rare by comparison.
If a Vajra expert is one in a thousand, then a Mystic Arts Adept is one in ten thousand.
Especially since the path of divine-ability cultivation is much harder than the martial path.
Not only is progress much slower and harder, but the most important thing is that a Mystic Arts Adept's cultivation requires secret manuals or medicines for support.
Otherwise, their cultivation will simply stall out.
"Strength between a fourth- and third-grade Vajra!"
The faces of the Ding family’s young masters all changed.
At that moment, Elder Mark Mu slowly turned to look at Evan Lin, standing there, and shouted coldly, "I don’t know where you’re from or who you really are, but today you dared kill my disciple and destroy Medicine King Valley’s future! Today, I will not let you leave alive!"
A cold gleam flashed in Elder Mark Mu’s eyes.
He had just finished speaking.
Creak.
The Ding family’s main doors, which had been shut, were pushed open from the outside.
A middle-aged man walked in from outside.
He wore a denim jacket and Nike sneakers as he entered.
He gave off a fresh, clean vibe, but every step he took was firm and resolute.
His chiseled, blade-like profile made him look even sharper and more imposing.
"Who here dared lay a hand on my Cheng family?"
His voice boomed out, full of unstoppable force. The nearest people were knocked to the ground by his shout alone.
It was like a lion had entered the hall, radiating a domineering aura.
"Uncle!"
Seeing who it was, Carter Cheng—his face swollen like a pig’s head and deathly pale—suddenly lit up. He scrambled up from his seat and rushed toward the door.
He threw his arms around the newcomer’s leg, face twisted with emotion, and burst out crying: "Uncle! You’re finally here! I almost got beaten to death!"
"You have to avenge me!"
Carter Cheng cried and wailed, his voice shrill and desperate.
Gavin Cheng saw Carter’s battered face and his own expression darkened with anger.
He helped Carter up, swept his gaze around the hall, and said coldly, "Well? Who hit you? I just came out of seclusion, and someone already dares slap the Cheng family in the face? I want to see just who’s so bold!"
"It was him! That kid right there!"
Carter Cheng spun around, face twisted with rage, and pointed straight at Evan Lin standing on the stage.
Gavin Cheng strode forward, squinting as he looked Evan Lin up and down from a distance. "So you’re the one who hit him?"
"And what if I am?"
Evan Lin looked down with indifference from the stage, his gaze playful as he glanced at Gavin Cheng.
His qi was fierce, inner force externalized, forming its own aura outside the body—stronger than anyone before.
Evan Lin found the newcomer interesting.
But only a little.
Inside Evan Lin, his Dao Foundation was already built. Even without any spiritual qi, the endless true qi flowing through him let him look down on all rivals.
Compared to a cultivator’s Foundation Establishment, the Vajra Realm of martial artists was like earth and sky—worlds apart.
One was the sky, the other the earth.
How could the earth ever shake the sky?
"Tch, Gavin Cheng never kills nobodies! If you’ve got guts, tell me your name!"
Gavin Cheng shouted at Evan Lin, his voice thunderous and overwhelming.
He gave a casual shake of his arm, sending Carter Cheng flying into a nearby chair, then strode toward the stage.
After just a few steps, he spotted Elder Mark Mu standing nearby.
Elder Mark Mu was cradling Zane Zhen’s head in his arms, his face cold and terrifying.
"It’s been a while, Elder Mark Mu," Gavin Cheng said, raising his eyebrows and nodding slightly.
"It’s you," Elder Mark Mu replied coolly. "Gavin Cheng, didn’t you once want to become a Medicine King Valley guest elder?"
"That’s right. Back then, I was only a pseudo-Vajra, not worth your notice. I’ve trained bitterly for years since, and only just managed to reach fourth-grade Vajra," Gavin sighed.
Even facing Elder Mark Mu, Gavin Cheng showed some respect.
To ordinary people, Medicine King Valley was a true giant. Even now, with Gavin Cheng as a fourth-grade Vajra, his strength surpassed most, yet he still had to lower himself before Medicine King Valley.
"Very well. Today, if you join me to kill this boy, I’ll personally vouch for you and invite you to become a Medicine King Valley guest elder. How about it?" Elder Mark Mu’s voice was icy cold.
"Elder Mark Mu wants to invite Gavin Cheng to Medicine King Valley as a guest elder!"
"Did I hear that right? Damn! The Cheng family is about to hit it big!"
"The Cheng family has produced a dragon!"
The crowd heard this and their expressions changed wildly.
Everyone began calculating in their hearts, wondering how they could quickly build ties with the Cheng family.
The Cheng family was already a dominant force in Leighton City. If Gavin Cheng really became a Medicine King Valley guest elder, that title alone would make the Cheng family the undisputed number one clan in the city!
Even the Ding family would be left far behind!
"Carter, if your uncle really becomes a Medicine King Valley guest elder, don’t forget me!" Ding Ru’s eyes sparkled as she hurriedly turned, clinging sweetly to Carter Cheng’s hand.
"Damn!" Carter Cheng was startled, blurting out in excitement. The resentment he’d felt faded away, and he wished he could run home that instant to tell his parents the news.
Shawn Shi’s face turned deathly pale as he muttered, "We’re doomed. A fourth-grade Vajra alone might not be a problem for Your Excellency, but if you add a Medicine King Valley elder..."
Just thinking about it made Shawn Shi feel faint.
The divine abilities of Medicine King Valley elders were legendary. Even so, everyone revered and feared those elders deeply.
"How strong could some skinny old Medicine King Valley geezer be? He’s just putting on a show—half his body’s already in the ground!" Wang Qitong snorted.
"You don’t know crap," Shawn Shi snapped. "Medicine King Valley elders are like immortals! When immortals fight, age and physique mean nothing!"
"With elders like that, the older they are, the scarier they get!"