Chapter 150: The Turmoil of Return

Everyone fell silent, quietly watching the scene unfold before them. They watched the young man push the limits of pain again and again. Ten consecutive sessions of tempering were initiated the moment his meridians and bones had just healed. The "Furious Battle" mental cultivation technique operated with frantic intensity, and a powerful, roaring vapor circulated like a fiery dragon, raging and twisting within his meridians. Yet this time, his meridians suffered no damage whatsoever, nor did they show any signs of atrophy; they had actually reached a state where they could completely withstand the shock brought by the "Furious Battle"!

If he were to face Xi Shan in a direct, grueling battle now, provided he had medicinal pills for replenishment, he would not need to worry about his meridians atrophying or spasming due to the overuse of the "Furious Battle," even if the fight lasted for three days and three nights.

After carefully inspecting his body, Le Kai stood up in satisfaction. Looking at the slightly moist eyes of everyone around him, he smiled and said, "Now, it's time for us to go home. I imagine certain people must be getting quite impatient."

"Boss, are you confident you can defeat that freak Xi Bao?" Lambo asked happily.

Le Kai shook his head and replied, "Evil cultivation only exists in legends, and this is my first time encountering it in reality. Just how powerful Xi Bao is remains unknown for now; any predictions based purely on Xi Shan's strength cannot be taken as absolute truth."

The Gun God hesitated and said, "Since we lack certainty, why don't we cultivate here a bit longer? The Eldest Miss can continue her studies here just the same."

Le Kai replied, "Where in this world is there a guaranteed victory? It is precisely because there are challenges and variables that things become exciting. Martial artists never fear battle, and this fight has been anticipated for far too long."

Lambo cursed angrily, "That scumbag Xi Bao! I've had it in for him for a long time. He always acts so arrogant, as if he's the only peerless genius in the entire universe. Boss, I support you in taking him down. Just in case it doesn't work out, all of us brothers will charge together. With our current powerful strength, I refuse to believe we can't beat a single freak."

Le Kai chuckled and said, "Alright, then you can go first when the time comes!"

Lambo was instantly rendered speechless. The scene of the battle between Xi Shan and Le Kai felt as though it had happened just yesterday, and recalling that terrifying spectacle made his legs turn to jelly. He truly lacked even the slightest shred of confidence.

Wu Meitian felt somewhat humiliated, so she glared fiercely at Lambo and snapped, "The Boss is a hundred times more cunning than you. Would he risk walking into danger without absolute certainty? You really do have the brain of a pig."

Le Kai cast a helpless glance at Wu Meitian, whose willful and arrogant personality remained unchanged, and said, "Everyone, pack up everything. We must not leave a single trace behind. We will return immediately."

When Le Kai made a decision, virtually no one could talk him out of it. In truth, everyone's luggage was already minimal, making the packing process extremely easy. Le Kai's spiritual power had already reached the "Spirit Absorption" and "Micro-Perception" realms, nearing completion and rivaling a two-star martial artist. His wrist-watch spatial storage had expanded several-fold accordingly; being about the size of a small cabin, it was spacious enough to hold the "Flame Stone" giant bed.

Since it could fit, Le Kai certainly could not pass up such an exceptional cultivation tool. Cultivating upon the Flame Stone yielded speeds ten times faster than the outside world, allowing both spiritual power and vapor to receive optimal replenishment. The medicinal herbs presented a bit of a problem; Le Kai could not accommodate them temporarily and could only seal the stone house. Besides, the perimeter was guarded by King Kong and an army of mutated beasts. Given King Kong's current strength, even an ordinary two-star martial artist who dared to approach would likely find it impossible to retreat unscathed. On the Azure Planet, a two-star martial artist who operated openly had yet to make an appearance.

Once everything was packed and the group had bid farewell to King Kong, they boarded the flying shuttle amidst the latter's reluctant and lingering gaze. Once they flew out of the central region, Xianxian deactivated the signal jamming barrier of that area.

Having received the news, Lansika had long been waiting to welcome them at the zenith of the municipal government building. As a father, he was deeply gratified by Lambo's transformation and longed to witness the miracle with his own eyes. This bear of a child, who even dared to threaten his own father, had finally met his match and been disciplined by Le Kai into such an obedient state. As a father, he simply had to express his gratitude to the young man.

"Peak martial artist expert? This... How is this possible?"

At the very first glance of Lambo, Lansika was utterly stunned. He rubbed his eyes in utter disbelief, yet the scene still felt unreal. His mouth hung wide open; considering he usually possessed a refined aristocratic demeanor, displaying such a vacant expression could only be described as a miracle. He even forgot the welcome speech he had meticulously prepared beforehand.

"Uncle Lansika, what's wrong with you?" Le Kai asked with the innocent expression of a neighboring younger brother, a lovely smile blooming across his face.

Lansika finally snapped back to his senses, and upon closer inspection, he almost fainted on the spot.

Why did everything feel so dreamlike? How was it that everyone who had accompanied Le Kai had undergone such a complete rebirth, to the point that even Li Yan—a novice with zero prior cultivation experience—had suddenly transformed into a peak martial artist expert?

This... was simply too bizarre!

If one or two people had broken through, it would have been within reason, but for everyone to achieve a breakthrough, with their strength even doubling—that was truly uncanny.

However, a teacher capable of yielding students with such allure and power possessed exactly this kind of charm, didn't he?

A wave of excitement surged within Lansika's heart, and he laughed heartily as he embraced Le Kai, his joy clearly evident on his face.

"Yaner, I never expected you to become an expert as well. You truly make me look at you with new eyes!"

Seeing that Li Yan, who had always been kind-hearted, lovely, and resistant to martial arts, had actually become a martial artist, Lansika could not help but feel sincere admiration. One had to know that Li Yan had detested fighting and killing ever since she was a child.

Faced with Lansika's shock, the group did not display excessive pride, for only they themselves knew the agonizing trials through which their current strength had been forged.

Lansika laughed heartily and said, "To celebrate everyone's return, I have prepared a banquet. We are just waiting for you all to take your seats."

Le Kai was slightly startled. "A banquet? There's no need to make it so grand!"

"It is necessary, absolutely necessary! Three months ago, Xi Bao of the Xi family came out of seclusion and also feasted the entire city. As one of the top three seeded contestants, returning from trials, how could you keep such a low profile? Furthermore, not only has Xi Bao emerged from seclusion, but Hua Wu of the Hua family has as well. Taking this opportunity to introduce you all to each other is for the best."

"They've both come out of seclusion? Since Uncle Lan has already decided, this nephew will simply obey your arrangements." A trace of anticipation flashed in Le Kai's eyes. "I have long yearned to meet these two genius contestants and have wanted to see them for a long time."

Lansika smiled. "In that case, what are we waiting for? Let's go inside!"

The group exchanged smiles, filled with anticipation for the meeting of the three geniuses.

Especially concerning Xi Bao; growing up, even the oldest among them—the Gun God and Wu Ningtian—had never laid eyes on a genuine evil cultivator in the flesh!

He wondered what bizarre sight it was to house an aged soul within a youthful body.

The welcoming banquet hosted at the mayor's residence naturally created a sensation throughout the entire city. Furthermore, since the guest of honor was Le Kai, whose name shook the city of Huazhong, it naturally drew the attention of all citizens, with several online media outlets providing full coverage and real-time broadcasting of the magnificent event.

Unaware that he had become the focal point of thousands of gazes, Le Kai appeared extremely relaxed, walking side by side with Lansika while chatting and laughing as they headed toward the banquet hall. Behind him, Li Yan followed closely without leaving his side, while Lambo trailed right behind them. The entire group marched forward with majestic momentum and an imposing atmosphere.

Lansika solely occupied an entire building, and the banquet hall was incomparably vast; hosting even a thousand people simultaneously would have posed no difficulty. Yet at this moment, the city's celebrities gathered there numbered far more than a thousand. Not only were the children of officials and wealthy elites congregated together, forming clusters of young masters and noble misses, but countless socialites flitted back and forth. With blooming flowers and fluttering dresses, the scene offered boundless spring scenery.

The world of men can never do without the accompaniment of women, and the more upscale the gathering, the more it concentrates beauties.

Upon seeing the mayor's entourage step inside, the gazes of the entire hall instantly converged upon them.

Le Kai walked with detached ease, a faint smile lingering at the corners of his mouth. He did not feel stage fright despite the massive crowd, and this composure secretly won the deep admiration of the Gun God and the others. Even though they were accustomed to grand occasions, the Gun God and his companions still felt a flutter of excitement; how could they possibly achieve the serene calm displayed by Le Kai?

Fortunately, Lansika did not demand that they ascend the stage together; he merely held the hands of Le Kai and Li Yan, striding onto the stage with high spirits.

Instantly, all eyes focused on them—some filled with envy, some with jealousy, some with amazement and shock, and a few even carrying a trace of subtle hostility.

Le Kai's spiritual power had already swept outward. Although there were over a thousand people in the banquet hall, his targets were only three individuals.

Those three were Xi Bao, Hua Wu, and... Li Xiuxiang!

A faint aura of violence clearly lingered around Xi Bao, identical to that of Xi Shan. Although he tried his utmost to conceal it, a trace of hostility still uncontrollably leaked out when he looked at Le Kai.

The second person, much like Xi Bao, was a young man cold as an ice sculpture. He appeared aloof and detached, giving off an air of arrogance—aloof from the mundane world and standing upon the peak of an iceberg—even within the exceptionally lively banquet hall, seeming utterly out of place with the world. Regardless of whether he tried to hide it or not, Le Kai was drawn to him at first glance.

The final person was Li Xiuxiang. Lansika had not informed Le Kai that this young man had already emerged from seclusion; perhaps he deemed it unnecessary, as at least for the present, Li Xiuxiang could not strictly be considered an enemy.

True to expectation, Li Xiuxiang had not only fully consolidated his cultivation realm upon emerging from seclusion, but had even improved slightly, reaching the early-completion stage of the one-star realm. His power had directly surged from his previous seventy thousand ankers to a terrifying ninety thousand ankers. With just one more step forward, he would break through the one-star boundary and become a terrifying two-star martial artist.

Having attained this realm, Li Xiuxiang appeared refined and detached from the mortal dust. Every gesture and movement of his implicitly contained a wondrous rhythm, as natural as creation itself, naturally arousing favorable impressions in others. Every word, every smile, and even every slight movement appeared so flawless that it inspired envy.

A heavy sensation stirred in Le Kai's heart. Li Xiuxiang's cultivation talent was truly terrifying; relying on medicinal pills and desperate, bitter cultivation, he had barely reached the one-star level, yet the other was already on the verge of breaking through to the two-star tier. Le Kai knew profoundly that the higher the realm, the greater the gap between stages, because not only power, but various insights and comprehensions were no longer on the same level.

Almost simultaneously, those three individuals noticed Le Kai's scan, and three pairs of distinct gazes intersected in the air.

Li Xiuxiang's gaze carried faint appreciation and goodwill, while Xi Bao's held undisguised disdain and a sneer. What slightly startled Le Kai was Hua Wu: upon that iceberg-like face, a hint of an interested smile actually emerged. Le Kai concentrated his mind, a shock rippling through him as well. This Hua Wu had actually also reached the one-star micro-perception realm, possessing a full seventy thousand ankers of power, differing very little from Li Xiuxiang before his seclusion. Such a cultivation speed was truly horrifying, likely existing as a rare phoenix feather or unicorn horn across the entire War Wolf Empire. No wonder Hua Keqiang possessed the confidence to confront Lansika.