"Boss, don't be so tense. I don't think these people mean any harm; they're probably just being cautious of us!" Xiaohu's voice echoed in Chen Feng's mind.

"Cautious?" Chen Feng instantly understood, glancing at his current attire—looking like a complete savage. It was no wonder they were on guard.

Grasping the reason for his own tension, Chen Feng relaxed slightly and spoke, "We mean no harm. Just passing through!"

"Passing through? Don't joke! This is the outskirts of Dragon's Crest Mountain! And how do you have an Iron-Backed Silver Tiger by your side?" A voice cut through the crowd. Chen Feng observed the speaker: a man dressed in light grey swordsman robes, holding a longsword, standing firmly. Judging by his stance and posture, he was clearly a master.

"Boss, that's a Fifth-Rank Swordsman!" Xiaohu's voice chimed in Chen Feng's mind.

On this continent, martial artists, much like mages, had clearly defined rank badges. Chen Feng scrutinized the man's uniform and indeed saw a faint blue badge embroidered on his chest, shaped like five sword tips. The man appeared to be only twenty-four or twenty-five, indicating extraordinary talent to have reached this cultivation level.

Chen Feng didn't pay much mind to a mere Fifth-Rank Swordsman, but among the group, four or five others possessed Ninth-Rank Fighter cultivation, and there was even a First-Rank Magus. Even with the three of them plus two Xiaohus, they wouldn't easily gain the upper hand here. It was better to avoid trouble if possible. Having figured this out, Chen Feng stated, "This is my spirit beast!"

"A spirit beast?" A collective gasp went through the crowd, immediately followed by greedy glints in everyone's eyes.

Having an Advanced Illusory Demon Beast as a spirit beast was the dream of every practitioner. However, every Advanced Illusory Demon Beast was immensely powerful. Who on this continent, save for experts at the Dou Zun level, could subdue and contract with them?

Certainly, mages or fighters of lower cultivation could manage it, usually by having an elder in the family capture a young Advanced Illusory Demon Beast and establish a contract from its infancy, forcing submission. But how easy was it to simply capture such young beasts?

Advanced Illusory Demon Beasts had thin bloodlines, and their offspring were exceedingly rare. Furthermore, they possessed intelligence no less than humans. Adult Illusory Demon Beasts would guard their young fiercely, so how could they allow humans to capture them?

Due to these many constraints, the number of individuals across the entire continent who had successfully captured and contracted with an Advanced Illusory Demon Beast was countable on one's fingers, and every one of them was renowned and possessed profound cultivation.

"It's actually a young Iron-Backed Silver Tiger!" Someone in the crowd exclaimed, the sound echoing like a sudden clap of thunder.

"A young Iron-Backed Silver Tiger? That means..." Everyone's eyes burned with fervor.

Advanced Illusory Demon Beasts could only form an equal contract with humans at most. Once this leaf-clad youth was killed, the contract between him and the Iron-Backed Silver Tiger would dissolve, allowing the crowd to form a new contract with the advanced beast.

They hadn't expected such luck, encountering a lone young Iron-Backed Silver Tiger only two days after arriving here!

The gazes of the crowd were filled with infatuation, as if Xiaohu were already their pet.

Chen Feng, who had just relaxed his posture, immediately tensed up upon seeing their expressions. A cold light flashed in his eyes, and killing intent instantly brewed in his heart.

"Young man, how about you give me this Iron-Backed Silver Tiger? Just break the contract, and I guarantee your safety!" The swordsman stepped out of formation and approached Chen Feng.

"Guarantee my safety?" Chen Feng's tone was icy.

The other man, completely oblivious to his anger, said casually, "Indeed! You, a mere First-Rank Fighter, are in no position to own such a high-level spirit beast! Hand it over to me, and not only will I guarantee your safety, but I'll also compensate you with some gold coins! What do you say?"

Tie Jiao had the ability to conceal cultivation, so in everyone's eyes, Chen Feng was just a First-Rank Fighter.

There was no way a First-Rank Fighter could survive under the covetous gaze of this group. It was akin to a defenseless child walking through a deep, ancient forest carrying priceless gems, only to encounter a group of burly men—no one would believe a desire to rob and kill wouldn't arise.

Chen Feng forcefully suppressed his surging anger. "Xiaohu is my spirit beast, and he is my brother. I will not give him away! And I don't need your guarantee of safety!"

Xiaohu, watching from the side, was deeply moved that Chen Feng would risk offending this group for his sake. He stared at Chen Feng with wide eyes, so excited he didn't know what to do!

In this world, the nature of a spirit beast was quite similar to that of a servant; a master could strip away its right to exist over the slightest disobedience. But Chen Feng and Xiaohu shared a Soul Blood Pact. Chen Feng could completely disregard Xiaohu for his own sake. Although killing him would cause some backlash, the control lay entirely with Chen Feng; a single thought could render his existence worse than death.

With a Magus and several Ninth-Rank Fighters present, if they wished to kill Chen Feng, escape would be impossible, yet he chose without hesitation not to abandon Xiaohu. How could Xiaohu not be touched?

For the first time, Xiaohu felt his Boss was incredibly towering. For a moment, he was stunned, muttering in his heart, "Boss, thank you!"

That casual remark, "He is my brother," had a much greater impact on Xiaohu than Chen Feng could have ever anticipated!

What Chen Feng considered was that since Xiaohu recognized him as Boss, he had no reason to abandon him!

The swordsman's face turned ugly upon hearing Chen Feng’s words. He sneered coldly, "You don't know what's good for you! Offering you money was merely a comforting gesture; you actually grew arrogant! Do you think you still have the right to speak now? You lowly, contemptible thing!"

Although Chen Feng didn't want trouble, he wasn't one to be bullied either. Hearing this, he clenched his fists, ready to strike. Chen Feng never showed leniency to those who threatened him; his principle was to strike first, lest he be controlled.

However, before he could make a move, a very tall man, nearly two meters, stepped out from the crowd.

"Steven, don't be rash! Young Master Austin... Master hasn't spoken yet, are you attempting rebellion?"

"Landis, this isn't your place to speak!" Steven shot the stout man a disdainful glance and walked up to Austin, bowing with exaggerated gentlemanly grace.

"Young M-Master, for the sake of my father, please grant me this chance to acquire an Advanced Magical Beast!"

Austin frowned, clearly annoyed by the phrase "for the sake of my father," but seemed constrained by some worry and did not voice an objection.

Steven smirked, then walked swaggeringly past Landis, throwing his head back triumphantly.

Landis anxiously turned to Austin, "Master, he..."

Austin's face showed a flash of resentment, quickly suppressed. He said, "Forget it, Landis!" and lowered his head in silence.

Although everyone coveted Xiaohu, they seemed to fear Steven. None stepped forward. Steven's voice boomed, "You have ten seconds to break the contract, or this will be your fate!"

As he spoke, his greatsword emitted a whum sound as it slid from its scabbard, unleashing an aura of cold, bone-chilling energy.

A boulder about half the height of a man near Steven's left side suddenly exploded, shattering into hundreds of fragments of varying sizes.

Slicing a boulder in half with one strike is simple, but shattering it into fragments is far more difficult. It requires a deeper understanding of Qi control and places immense demands on the weapon. The shattering effect is achieved by using the vibration of the Dou Qi to destroy the stone's inherent structure. If the weapon is inadequate, the sword might break before the stone even fractures.

"Frost Cloud Sword!" A collective murmur escaped the crowd.

The group had only formed their merchant caravan two days ago; Steven’s sword had never been drawn before, and this was the first time anyone had witnessed this legendary treasured blade.

"I didn't expect Duke Locke to let Steven bring out the Frost Cloud Sword! Fifth-Rank Fighter cultivation, paired with Frost Dou Qi and the Frost Cloud Sword—no wonder he's so arrogant!" A man resembling a traveler murmured to himself in the crowd.

Travelers were those who cultivated movement techniques for long-distance running, usually serving as messengers or scouts, making them relatively well-informed.

The person next to him asked, "Is the Frost Cloud Sword really that powerful? I've never heard of it before."

"It's naturally powerful!" the traveler replied. "The Frost Cloud Sword was forged for Duke Locke by Laurenfilis, one of the five great sword masters. The entire blade is made of Frost Stone, making it incredibly hard and peerlessly sharp, earning it a place among the Ten Great Swords of the Empire!"

...

"...Five... Four... Three..." Steven's lips curled into a slow smile. He greatly enjoyed this method of intimidation, finding indescribable satisfaction in seeing others tremble in fear before him. As an imperial noble, he often indulged in tormenting those of lower status for sport. He had experienced this scene countless times; by the time he finished counting to ten, his victims would usually soil themselves and beg for mercy. At those moments, he would laugh heartily; this sense of fulfillment was unparalleled!

However, what puzzled him was that the youth opposite him, a mere First-Rank Fighter, showed no panic in his eyes but an ineffable calm, as if the threat held no relevance to him. This enraged him. A lowly peasant who should be grateful just for being allowed to keep his contracted beast—yet acting like this? He clearly wasn't tired of living. With this thought, killing intent ignited in his heart.

Xiaohu saw Steven's expression and roared, ready to pounce, but Chen Feng's words echoed in his mind: "You guard against that Magus; don't let him sneak an attack! I can handle this guy alone!"

Xiaohu paused, freezing in place, but wind elements slowly gathered around him, ready to unleash magic at any moment.

"...Two... One!" As the ten seconds concluded, seeing Chen Feng show no sign of remorse, Steven's rage culminated. His Frost Cloud Sword, infused with frigid Frost Dou Qi, whistled as it cleaved down toward Chen Feng's head!

The attack was ferocious. All flora within a three-meter radius instantly appeared dusted with a layer of silver frost, and chilling winds swept through the air, instantly turning the area around Chen Feng into an ice cellar.

"Ah... Despicable!" Everyone inwardly cursed Steven for using such lethal force against a First-Rank Fighter!

Seeing the youth emerge from the woods about to be instantly slain, and restrained by their own fears from intervening, the crowd could only close their eyes, unable to watch the execution.

After a moment, hearing no sound, they opened their eyes only to be struck dumb with shock.

The slender youth, clad in grass leaves and carrying a shovel, was holding the fiercely descending Frost Cloud Sword clamped between two fingers! Furthermore, a wisp of dancing flame emanated from his fingertips!

Steven was stunned that his full-power downward strike was halted by two of the opponent's fingers. His face flushed with embarrassment, and he quickly tried to yank the sword back.

However, the Frost Cloud Sword seemed rooted in place, firmly fixed between the two digits, unmoving. Steven urged his internal Frost Dou Qi three times, but the frost energy vanished instantly upon contact with the flame, like a clay ox entering the sea.

Steven’s face immediately turned ashen, all traces of his earlier arrogance gone, replaced by infinite astonishment.

"This is one of the Empire's Ten Great Treasured Swords?" Chen Feng asked quietly, looking at the sword held between his fingers. He had heard the traveler’s commentary and was now gripped by a strange thought: which was stronger, a Ten Great Treasured Sword or the Tie Jiao forged from dark gold iron?

Chen Feng tightened his grip. The physical strength tempered in the Heavy Domain, amplified by the Cyclone Force, reached its maximum potential. With a crisp crack, the Frost Cloud Sword, one of the Empire's Ten Great Treasured Swords, snapped directly where Chen Feng’s fingers held it!

Chen Feng’s icy words rang out, "It seems this sword isn't very sturdy!"

"Th-this... How is this possible..." Everyone was so shocked by Chen Feng snapping the renowned Frost Cloud Sword with just two fingers that they were speechless, unable to believe their own eyes.

"My sword..." Steven sputtered, enraged and heartbroken. As the sword broke, a surge of scorching flame power traveled along the broken hilt into his body. He let out a cry, spitting a mouthful of blood.

"You truly are trashy," Chen Feng stated, then suddenly increased his speed, driving a punch toward Steven's torso!

ps: This chapter is slightly longer than previous ones, hehe, hope everyone enjoys it... Of course, recommendation votes are still needed; they are very important for new authors and new books...