Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Conflict on the Mountainside (Part Two)

"Young Lord, there's no need for you to intervene in this matter!"

Yang Zixu straightened his disheveled hair, looking coldly at the other party as he spoke. Now, Li Fu had already become the Young Lord of the Heavenly Strategy Manor. Although Yang Zixu privately had not changed how he addressed Li Fu, the reality remained: Li Fu was his future superior.

"If I were you, I'd leave now!" The man opposing Yang Zixu took a step forward, staring at Li Fu with a chilling gaze, barely concealing his threat.

"Oh? What now, do you intend to continue the funeral for the Shangguan family?" Li Fu laughed coldly.

"Scoundrel, how dare you speak to Young Master Teng like that?!"

One of Shangguan Teng's lackeys could no longer hold back his fury and threw a fierce punch at Li Fu.

Thunder rolled. Clouds of dust billowed, and no one saw how Li Fu moved, but the lackey at Shangguan Teng's side was slammed hard into the ground. The force was far greater than the previous disturbance.

Not only Shangguan Teng, but even the passing scholars nearby were stunned.

"Not bad. No wonder you managed to injure that useless Shangguan Yu," Shangguan Teng's pupils contracted slightly as he spoke in a deep voice.

"Imperial Guards! Imperial Guards! Someone is attacking scholars here!" Another attendant beside Shangguan Teng reacted quickly, shouting toward the guards stationed at the mountain's summit. It was the first day of the training ground; if anyone dared to fight outside the selection area, they might lose their qualification to enter the Hundred Battles Training Ground.

"Who dares? Are you unaware that fighting is strictly forbidden here?" The commotion had already drawn the attention of several guards atop the mountain. Like tigers descending, they rushed toward the scene, their expressions icy.

"It was him! He attacked us without provocation!" The attendant pointed at Li Fu, sneering coldly.

Shangguan Teng remained silent. Since the initial attack was aimed at Yang Zixu, it meant he knew Li Fu's identity. All Shangguan Teng needed was to draw the guards' attention, shifting the blame and using their authority to cause trouble for Li Fu. If Li Fu's qualification to enter the Hundred Battles Training Ground could be revoked, it would be the best outcome.

Yet, Shangguan Teng didn't expect the guards to actually strip Li Fu's qualification. Anyone who made it here was hardly ordinary.

"Fool."

Li Fu sneered. With everyone's eyes on him, he calmly drew a token from his robe right in front of the guards.

Upon seeing the two simple characters on the token, shock was written across every face.

"The Heavenly Strategy Manor Token—that's the token of King Martial!"

Exclamations erupted around.

Even Shangguan Teng's expression changed! No one in the military was unaware of the token's significance. From the highest generals to ordinary soldiers, anyone who saw it treated it as if they were in the presence of King Martial himself!

Though King Martial was no longer in command of the Heavenly Strategy Manor, his foundation remained, and his successor, Xu Changhai, was his trusted confidant.

"He's Li Fu! The Young Lord of Heavenly Strategy, the Grand Tutor's disciple!"

"My god! I never imagined he'd actually come to the Hundred Battles Training Ground. I thought it was just a rumor!"

A commotion swept through the crowd; someone finally recognized Li Fu.

"So it's the Young Lord!"

"If that's the Young Lord, then he surely didn't start the fight. What boldness, to attack the Young Lord!"

"Take him away! He hasn't even entered the Hundred Battles Training Ground and already dares to fight—utterly reckless!"

The guards' voices rang out among the crowd. As one guard approached Shangguan Teng to escort him away, Shangguan Teng subtly revealed the gold token at his waist.

The guard, upon seeing the token, frowned slightly, then lifted the stunned attendant from the ground and dragged him away down the mountain, bothering Shangguan Teng no further.

...

"Young Master Teng, are we just going to let it go?"

A discontented attendant at Shangguan Teng's side spoke up.

"What's the rush? Once they're inside the Hundred Battles Training Ground, there will be plenty of opportunities to deal with them. No need to hurry."

Shangguan Teng's gaze was cold as he watched Li Fu and his companions walk away. The matter of the decapitated command flag at the manor's entrance and the killing of Shangguan Qing were both directly tied to Li Fu. If one were to ask who the Shangguan family hated most now, it wasn't King Martial or the Grand Tutor, but a sixteen-year-old youth—Li Fu.

Li Fu called out to Yang Zixu. Without sparing Shangguan Teng another glance, they headed straight up the mountain.

The Hundred Battles Training Ground was vast, the entire mountain dotted with tents and bustling with people.

It was the first day, the liveliest time.

"Let's go, we'll worry about everything else after passing the first exam," Yang Zixu, unaffected by the earlier incident, glanced around and said.

Atop the mountain, many guards were stationed, with numerous selection points set up. To enter the Hundred Battles Training Ground, one had to undergo layers of selection to qualify.

If one couldn't meet even the basic requirements of a warrior, entering the army would be pointless, let alone training here, where the useless were not welcome.

The selection was divided into two parts.

The first part tested cultivation. Those below the Earth Origin realm were eliminated.

"Is it true that anyone who withstands one blow from you passes?"

In front of one selection point, Li Fu looked questioningly at the man before him. The test seemed almost too simple.

"That's right. If you can withstand one blow from me, you've passed," replied the man, who was in his twenties, expressionless. He wasn't one of the guards, but seemed to be an instructor here.

"Understood," Li Fu nodded. This was to test whether the candidates had the strength of the Earth Origin realm.

"Begin!"

As soon as the man's voice fell, he threw a punch.

Boom!

In the instant the punch was thrown, a fierce gale erupted. A fist shimmering with lightning, condensed from true energy, shot through the gap, crossing over thirty feet in a flash to reach Li Fu. Even more astonishing, the fist shadows followed, one after another, raining down upon Li Fu.

Dozens of true energy fist shadows, like real fists, came from all directions, like a storm.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A stream of pure true energy overflowed from Li Fu, forming a barrier in front of him through his brocade robe. The fist shadows struck the shield, producing crisp echoes.

When the barrage finally subsided, the true energy barrier stood intact before Li Fu.

Silence fell. Everyone stared dumbfounded at Li Fu, while the instructor's face flushed and paled, his expression ugly.

"Test passed. Please proceed up the mountain," the instructor said, his face red, bowing respectfully as he stepped aside.

"Thank you," Li Fu replied with a slight smile, unconcerned by the crowd's attention.

This level of testing was trivial to Li Fu.

Though only at the Heavenly Origin upper realm, Li Fu had been specially trained by the teacher in Rice Fragrance Village. His speed, endurance, reflexes, and agility far exceeded ordinary men.

Such tests could be easily overcome with his true energy alone. Besides, the instructor's strength was not particularly high; most of the scholars present could pass.

Looking back, Yang Zixu was waiting in line for his test. Li Fu glanced at him, then continued up the mountain without waiting.

A few hundred feet from the summit, a line of instructors stood unmoving before a stone stairway.

As more candidates passed the first test, dusk began to fall, yet the instructors remained motionless. Finally, someone could no longer hold back.

"Instructor, when will this round begin?"