The Prince watched as Justin dispatched his men to surround Chen Feng, his expression darkening. "Justin, what is the meaning of this?"

Justin bowed slightly. "A scoundrel so vicious must be contained and encircled."

"Hmph, the act of a coward!" the Seventh Prince roared. "This man, though insolent, is clearly here for the Rookie Selection Tournament. If you send seven Hermits and a single Master-level fighter to attack him, what face will our Empire's soldiers have left to show if this gets out?"

"But..." Justin insisted, "this red-haired youth is so arrogant. If we don't concentrate our forces to take him down in one go, I fear it will be detrimental to the Seventh Prince!"

"Detrimental to me?" The Seventh Prince sneered. "Don't use me as an excuse. If I were truly incapable of matching him, he wouldn't bother touching me. His only goal in injuring your guards was to find a suitable opponent to fight."

"It seems the Seventh Prince understands me well," Chen Feng commented approvingly from a distance, hearing the Prince's conclusion, yet not pausing his actions, swiftly forcing back the seven attacking Hermits.

When Hermits conceal themselves in mid-air, they are indeed difficult to detect, but the moment they move to attack, they betray some trace. Chen Feng's spiritual power far surpassed that of ordinary men, allowing him to anticipate and evade attacks before they landed. Even against the simultaneous assault of seven Hermits, he managed with relative ease, though adding a first-tier Master made the task considerably strenuous.

Seeing Chen Feng hold his ground against the combined assault of a Master and seven Hermits, the Seventh Prince's admiration for talent surged. He commanded Justin, "Withdraw your men. I intend to win this red-haired youth back myself on the competition stage!"

"This..." A flicker of hesitation crossed Justin's face.

"I appreciate the Seventh Prince's good intentions, but these men cannot hold me," Chen Feng scoffed, suddenly accelerating his pace.

"Chhh, chhh..."

He unleashed three consecutive Shadow Hooks, halting the advance of the men in black. The vortex power beneath his feet erupted violently. With a sharp pop, a Ghost Burn shot forth.

"Ah! Ah!" Two cries of pain echoed, as two Hermits engulfed in flames plummeted from the sky.

Seizing the opportunity, Chen Feng twisted mid-air, diving toward Justin like a great eagle!

Capture the king first to capture the bandits!

Justin immediately recognized Chen Feng's intent, his face paling. Unsuited for cultivation, he was merely an ordinary person. Seeing Chen Feng swoop down, he trembled and actually forgot to dodge.

"Protect the Earl!" Urgent shouts erupted from the surrounding men.

However, Chen Feng had seized the initiative and would not yield it so easily. His speed was lightning fast; his arm shot forward, seemingly extending an extra foot from nowhere, instantly locking around Justin's neck and hoisting him up.

"You wish to kill me?" A chilling coldness washed over Chen Feng's face.

Seeing their master captured, several of Justin's subordinates froze like statues, daring not to move.

Under the siege of one Master and seven Hermits, this red-haired youth had broken through the encirclement and seized the Earl? Was this man even human?

"I..." Justin glanced sideways at the Seventh Prince, only to see him standing by impassively, clearly disdainful of Justin's earlier actions, and certainly unwilling to offer aid now.

"Cough, cough..." For the first time, Justin felt death so close. Protected by bodyguards his entire life, he had never faced a threat. Now, struggling for breath, tears and snot streamed down his face from the intense strain.

"To try and take my life will demand a price," Chen Feng's somber voice slowly emerged. A ball of azure flame sparked to life at his fingertip, burning fiercely before Justin's eyes, like a soul-piercing sword.

"Tell me... what condition... I agree to all of it..." Justin strained to speak.

"A condition?" Chen Feng sneered. "One hundred thousand gold coins."

Chen Feng had only tossed out the figure of one hundred thousand gold coins casually, but the moment it left his lips, he heard Justin reply, "Done! I'll give it to you right now..."

The hands suspended in the air trembled as they fumbled inside a pocket, producing a commerce card and handing it over to Chen Feng. "There is one hundred thousand gold coins here..."

This fellow actually carried a commerce card with one hundred thousand gold coins on his person, leaving Chen Feng slightly bewildered. To kill an Earl in the Imperial Capital—even Chen Feng, in his arrogance, would have to pause and consider the consequences. He had assumed Justin would never be able to produce such a sum, intending to beat him soundly and be done with it. He never expected him to carry ten thousand gold coins on his person!

Comparing men made one realize the gap; Chen Feng couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Having sold fifteen Tier Three Combat Cores and considered himself wealthy with a few thousand gold coins, he now realized that in others' eyes, he barely qualified as having escaped poverty.

Shaking his head, Chen Feng dismissed the thought, took the commerce card, and casually flung Justin to the ground.

Bang! "Oof!" Justin’s slightly corpulent body kicked up a cloud of dust upon impact...

"My Lord Earl..." The men in black and the remaining Hermits rushed forward, helping Justin up.

Chen Feng tucked the card away and fixed his gaze on the Seventh Prince. "Not bad. You are qualified to be my opponent!"

The Seventh Prince returned the unwavering gaze. "You are not bad either. You are also qualified to be my opponent!"

With that, Chen Feng turned and began walking away.

But after only a few steps, he turned back.

Justin, thinking Chen Feng was returning to attack him, instinctively shrank back toward the crowd.

Chen Feng reached the entrance of the Purple Cloud Pavilion, casually tossed a gold coin to the waiter. "That's for the meal. No change needed!" Then he moved to leave again.

"For the three of you... the meal is three... gold coins. You still need... two more..." the waiter stammered nervously.

"...What a greedy establishment," Chen Feng muttered, tossing over two more coins before leading Brent and Judy away.

Brent and Judy, whose cultivation levels were not high, had not participated in the earlier fight. Following behind, they both felt a sense of guilt.

………… The Seventh Prince watched the crescent moon insignia swaying on Chen Feng’s back, the fighting spirit in his eyes slowly igniting. He clenched his fists tightly.

"Truly, talent abounds under heaven. I thought reaching the Eighth Level at the age of twenty-four was fast progress, but compared to this red-haired youth, the gap is immense!"

"Your Highness... I..." Justin looked at the Seventh Prince with abject fear.

"You had best not provoke people like this. To possess such profound cultivation at such a young age—do you think his sect isn't powerful? There are many strong factions on this continent you know nothing about. Forget a mere Earl like you; even my father, the Emperor, would not dare offend him lightly. Do not allow your momentary pleasure to lead to the annihilation of your entire lineage! Also, do not forget Baron Ans!" The Seventh Prince's tone was calm, devoid of overt cruelty, yet these words caused Justin's sweat to pour down, soaking his clothes completely.

"I... I understand!" Justin finally felt a chill of true terror.

This red-haired youth appeared to be no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, yet a Master and seven Hermits under his command couldn't stop him—testament to his deep cultivation. What power must the family or sect capable of nurturing such a youth possess?

Baron Ans, a high-ranking official governing the region and Lord of Genamu Town, commanded considerable might. Rumor had it he even maintained an "Anle Group" of 500 soldiers. That very force was reportedly uprooted in less than five minutes by a single person riding a Wyvern five days ago, leveling the City Lord's Mansion in the process. This news had sent tremors through the Empire's high command, and reminded by the Seventh Prince, Justin’s face turned ashen with fright.

Baron Ans’s power surely surpassed his own by a wide margin, yet he suffered complete annihilation for some unknown slight. Justin realized he needed to curb his arrogance in the future, lest he accidentally cross the path of some terrifyingly powerful family.

The flicker of vengeful thought that had arisen moments ago instantly vanished.

"Let's go."

"Where to..."

"For a meal!" The Seventh Prince declared, walking into the Purple Cloud Pavilion, leaving the stunned and bewildered Justin behind.

………… "To think that the son of just a Minister of Military Affairs would carry such a quantity of gold on him," Chen Feng mused as they walked.

"Actually, you asked for too little just now," Judy interjected suddenly.

"Too little?" Chen Feng was momentarily stunned. Back when he was with John and Yass, even a single gold coin was precious.

"The Rocky Empire is one of the Four Great Empires; it is incredibly wealthy. The Minister of Military Affairs practically controls the expenditures of the entire legion, so the illicit gains are considerable. Forget one hundred thousand gold coins—I believe he would have given you one hundred gold coins without batting an eye," Judy commented with a touch of awe.

"One hundred gold coins..." Chen Feng was truly astonished. To think the man he casually captured could produce that much money! Perhaps they wouldn't need to hunt beasts in the Icebound Demon Garden for their mercenary group anymore; they could just kidnap nobles for ransom.

But he couldn't voice this thought aloud, as Judy would likely go mad if she heard it.

"I was terrified back there," Brent spoke up. "They were the Seventh Prince and the son of the Minister of Military Affairs..."

Brent’s father had been in officialdom for many years, and having grown up in that environment, he harbored an ingrained fear of high-status individuals. His reaction was understandable. Now, thinking of Chen Feng's brazen behavior, he felt a mix of excitement and worry.

"When dealing with such overbearing people, if you retreat, they press further. If you are even wilder than they are, they become afraid!" Chen Feng stated calmly, without turning back.

Brent pondered this, a glimmer of understanding dawning, and finally nodded.

"However, to be wild, you must at least possess strength. Recklessness without strength is just courting death," Brent, being exceptionally sharp, grasped the essence of the lesson instantly.

Strength! Brent finally understood why the red-haired youth appeared so cool: it was due to his power. He possessed the capital for his arrogance because he had the strength; without it, everything was vanity.

With this realization, a rush of fervor surged through Brent’s chest. He clenched his fists, his resolve to become stronger hardening completely.

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