The Celestial Profound Finger, its momentum unstoppable.
"You animal, how dare you?!"
With a furious roar, Yang Chen, the father of Yang Bujue, suddenly appeared. An Inner Strength Tenth Heaven Martial Artist, his face was a mask of rage. He struck without mercy, clearly intending to kill his opponent.
Long Ao was confident in his own abilities, but he knew his current strength was no match for an Inner Strength Tenth Heaven Martial Artist. Despite this, Long Ao didn't back down one bit. He still unleashed the Celestial Profound Finger and followed it up with the Great Compassion Hand.
BOOM.
The two collided, and Inner Strength erupted. Long Ao was sent flying, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. His body swayed, looking as if he might collapse at any moment.
The suddenly-appeared Yang Chen seemed shocked that this "trash" had actually managed to take one of his palm strikes. He knew exactly how much power he had just used. Forget some piece of trash; even an Inner Strength Eighth Heaven Martial Artist would have struggled to endure it.
"Bullying a junior... the Yang Family is truly despicable and shameless."
"Hmph. It was one thing for you to use petty tricks to defeat my son, but now you want to kill him? You little beast, do you think I won't dare to kill you just because you're from the Long Family?"
"Don't project your own shamelessness onto others. Justice will determine who was right and who was wrong. But as for today's grudge, I will surely repay it one day."
"Repay it?" Yang Chen sneered. His face turned ice-cold, and Killing Intent radiated from his body. "You won't get the chance," he said coldly. "Because you're going to die today."
As he spoke, Yang Chen moved again. Perhaps wary of his opponent's strength and youth, Yang Chen was now clearly intent on murder. He no longer cared about the Long Family backing the boy; he would kill him first and deal with the consequences later.
"Yang Chen, have you no shame?"
The words had barely faded when a figure arrived at lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, he was there. Holding nothing back, he exchanged three moves with Yang Chen in an instant. Yang Chen was clearly outmatched. Struck by a palm, he cried out as his body flew backward like a kite with a snapped string.
As an Inner Strength Tenth Heaven Martial Artist, Yang Chen managed to spin and halt his momentum, but he still swayed precariously, his face pale. He looked at the man who had suddenly appeared before him and said in a venomous tone, "Long Yi, you dare to attack me?"
"And why wouldn't I dare? You dared to try and kill my son. Forget just striking you—even if I killed you right now, do you think anyone would say a single word against it?"
Hearing Long Yi's words, Yang Chen's expression became utterly foul.
Yang Chen knew full well that if Long Yi dared to kill him, his family would certainly not let the Long Family off the hook. But regardless of the outcome, he couldn't afford to die.
"Long Yi, Long Ao, just you wait. I will make you pay for today's humiliation."
"Anytime."
As the figures of the Yang Family members gradually disappeared, the surrounding crowd of onlookers also began to disperse. However, for the rest of the day, the talk of Red Fire Town was all about the incident at the market between the two great families. Everyone was buzzing with discussion.
"Father."
"Follow me."
Long Ao gave a helpless shrug. He couldn't read his father's expression at all, so he could only follow him back toward the Long Family estate.
「In Long Yi and Mu Lin's room.」
"Ao'Er, come here! I've missed you to death!"
Mu Lin, Long Ao's mother, was also a member of the Mu Family from Thundercloud City. Her status in the Long Family was very high for one simple reason: she had a powerful family backing her.
Mother and son, having not seen each other for a long time, embraced and shared their affection. It was only in front of his parents that Long Ao could truly relax. He knew that in this world, there were only two people who would never harm him: his father and his mother.
"Alright, Ao'Er. I have something to ask you. I heard that not long ago, you issued a challenge to Long Yulang. Is that true?"
'So that's why,' Long Ao thought. He had been wondering why his parents had suddenly returned. It wasn't time for the family's annual meeting, so it had to be because of him. A warm current flowed through his heart. 'This is what it means to have family. This kind of selfless love is something only parents can give.'
"Father, I have challenged Long Yulang. And in one year, I will defeat him."
"Then tell me, what Realm has your Cultivation reached?"
Long Yi gazed deeply at his son. Upon returning to the family, he had immediately learned of his son's situation—that he had successfully condensed his Inner Strength. From now on, his son could strive for greater heights in Martial Arts, just like everyone else.
"The Inner Strength Seventh Heaven," Long Ao answered without any hesitation, holding nothing back from his parents.
"The Inner Strength Seventh Heaven?"
He couldn't quite process it. After all, not long ago, his Ao'Er was just a "trash" who couldn't even condense his Inner Strength, a target of everyone's mockery and ridicule. How, in just a few short days, had his son inexplicably become an Inner Strength Seventh Heaven Martial Artist?
Long Yi knew exactly what being an Inner Strength Seventh Heaven Martial Artist signified. If this was true, then his son wasn't trash at all—he was a supreme genius.
Still uncertain, Long Yi asked again, "Ao'Er, say that one more time. What Realm has your Cultivation reached?"
"Father, I have reached the Inner Strength Seventh Heaven Realm."
They stared blankly at their son. Not just Long Yi, but even Long Ao's mother seemed unable to comprehend it.
Suddenly, Long Yi threw his head back and roared with laughter, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. 'Ten years. It's been ten whole years.' His son had fallen from being a genius to being labeled trash, and although he never knew why, the fact remained.
For the past ten years, Long Yi had never given up. He had tried countless methods, but none could help Long Ao successfully condense his Inner Strength. Perhaps the heavens were watching over them after all. His son, Long Ao, was never trash to begin with.
"Ao'Er, well done. I'm so happy to have a son like you." Long Yi's tone grew serious. "But have you considered this? Long Yulang is a genius disciple of the Long Family in Thundercloud City. His own Cultivation has already reached the Innate Realm. Do you have the confidence to break through to the Innate Realm within a year?"
The Innate Realm—a realm countless Postnatal Martial Artists dreamed of achieving. But reaching the Innate Realm was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. After all, not a single Innate Martial Artist had ever appeared in the Long Family, let alone the entirety of Red Fire Town. That fact alone said everything.
"Father, I don't know if I can break through to the Innate Realm within a year. But I only know one thing: when I set my mind to something, I will see it through, even if it means death. I will win this challenge and defeat Long Yulang. I believe I can do it."
In that moment, Long Ao radiated an unprecedented firmness and self-confidence. Long Yi and his wife had watched their son for ten years, but they had never seen him more resolute and sure of himself than he was right now.
'Our son has changed,' the two of them thought simultaneously.