It wasn't until after dinner that Hong Yu finalized his plan.
After checking on Yun ngyao and confirming she was all right, Hong Yu left the Hong Mansion and headed straight for the Underground Alliance.
He first entered the Underground Alliance as Hong Yu and found the mission posting area. Looking at the pretty young woman before him, Hong Yu smiled. "Hello, I'd like to post a mission!"
"Please fill out this form!"
The young woman wore a professional smile.
Hong Yu quickly filled out the information.
"Huh? You're looking for Reviving Grass too?" the young woman asked, puzzled.
Hong Yu chuckled. "Is there a problem?"
"No, not at all. It's just that you're the third person to post this mission recently," the young woman said casually as she began to register Hong Yu's mission. "Everything's filled out. Here is your Mission Card, please keep it safe. You'll be notified automatically when soone accepts your mission!"
Hong Yu nodded.
He was already very familiar with this process.
The young woman asked one last ti, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"I want to register as a Hunter!" Hong Yu said.
This was sothing he had already decided on his way here.
'Since I've decided to draw a clear line with Luo Hua, but will inevitably have future dealings with the Underground Alliance, I naturally need to register a new identity.'
"In that case, please fill out this form as well. Afterward, soone will take you to have your strength tested," the young woman said.
Hong Yu deftly filled out the docunts, and the young woman led him to the strength testing area.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Hong Yu feigned curiosity the entire way, giving off the impression that this was his first ti at the Underground Alliance. The strength testing area was called the Assessnt Hall. Hong Yu was quite familiar with the procedure: upon entering the assessnt point, there would be three stone tablets, with specialists in charge of testing one's strength.
The first stone tablet was for testing Essence Realm cultivation.
The second was for the Earth Soul Realm, and so on.
In a place like Shishui City, Earth Soul Realm experts were already considered top-tier masters. As for Celestial Soul Realm experts, there were only three in total, so there was naturally no need for a higher-level tablet.
"Please wait here for a mont. The test will begin once the next group has arrived!" the young woman said before turning to leave.
Hong Yu found an empty chair, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest.
About ten minutes later, the remaining nine people finally trickled in.
A middle-aged man dressed in the uniform of an Underground Alliance Steward said coolly, "Since everyone is here, let's begin the test."
"First up, Lin ngru!"
This was a young woman in a goose-yellow dress. Despite her youth, she was already a blossoming beauty. Every frown and smile held a natural charm, like that of an alluring vixen. With a dazzling smile, she left the embrace of a tall young man and walked toward the first stone tablet, gently pressing her slender, pale hand upon it.
BUZZ!
Four bands of light rose from the stone tablet, indicating a Fourth Layer Essence Realm cultivation.
"Cultivation at the Fourth Layer of the Essence Realm or above. You pass. You are now a Bronze Hunter!" the Steward announced coolly.
"Hee hee, thank you, Lord Steward!"
Lin ngru gave a sweet smile and said coquettishly, "Brother Lin Yun, look, I passed the Hunter assessnt! Hee hee, you promised you'd buy a gold bracelet!"
"Hahaha, don't worry, Sister ng Ru. I'll buy it for you as soon as we get back!" The young man, Lin Yun, laughed heartily and also walked toward the stone tablet.
It was his turn next.
"Go, Brother Lin Yun! You're the best! You'll definitely be number one in this test!" Lin ngru cheered excitedly.
As she shouted, her flirtatious eyes swept over the others waiting to be tested, not bothering to hide the disdain and contempt within them.
This was especially true when she saw the plainly dressed Hong Yu, at which point a look of disgust and loathing flashed in her eyes.
BUZZ!
After Lin Yun's test, his strength was revealed to be the Eighth Layer of the Essence Realm! Judging by his age, which was about the sa as Hong Lin's, he was also a rare genius.
"Hee hee, I knew Brother Lin Yun was the strongest! These other losers can't even compare to you!" Lin ngru threw herself into Lin Yun's arms like a little swallow, her eyes filled with excitent and pride.
Lin Yun clearly enjoyed the feeling, smiling arrogantly. "Well, what did you expect from ?"
As he spoke, he also glanced at the other Martial Artists waiting to be tested.
All the Martial Artists in this test were youths under eighteen, and their cultivation was indeed no match for Lin Yun's. Faced with his gaze, they all showed fawning expressions.
"So it's the young master of the Lin Family! No wonder he's so powerful. Truly a disciple of the Tiger Sect!"
"Such talent is truly incredible! He'd be hard-pressed to find a match among his peers in all of Shishui City!"
"Among our group of testers, Young Master Lin Yun's strength is without a doubt number one!"
"Hahaha, you flatter , you flatter !"
Lin Yun replied with false modesty.
When he noticed Hong Yu still sitting in his seat, completely unmoved, a flash of anger crossed his eyes. 'He should be gasping in amazent like everyone else. But he's just sitting there, indifferent. Isn't he looking down on ?'
However, Lin Yun wasn't in a hurry to lash out.
'I'll wait for his test results, then I can properly humiliate him and feel better!'
When it was Hong Yu's turn, he was the last one. He smiled at the Steward and said, "I am Hong Yu."
"Oh, so you're from the Hong Family. Go ahead with the test!" Seeing that Hong Yu was quite polite, the Steward's expression softened considerably.
Just as Hong Yu was about to begin the test, an ill-tid sneer ca from behind him.
Lin ngru had taken a disliking to Hong Yu from the start.
She was the only woman among this batch of Martial Artists, and with her naturally seductive charm, what man wasn't staring at her? Yet this plainly dressed young man before her hadn't even bothered to look her way once. Seeing it was now his turn, she sneered, "Judging by his clothes, he must be from a branch family of the Hongs, right? How strange these days. Does even a branch family disciple of the Hongs dare to dream of becoming a Hunter?"
"Hahaha, maybe he's just here to try his luck?" Lin Yun added with a laugh.
"Yeah, how could soone like him possibly pass the Hunter test?"
"I bet he's at the Fourth Layer of the Essence Realm at best. In any case, there's no way he can compare to Young Master Lin Yun!"
"Pah! Comparing him to Young Master Lin Yun is an insult to Young Master Lin Yun!"
Listening to the mockery from the crowd behind him, Hong Yu rubbed his nose in frustration. 'Damn it, did I steal your mom's underwear or take your wife's virginity? Is it really necessary to target like this?'
Perhaps because he had a good impression of Hong Yu, the Steward lowered his voice and warned, "That's the young master of the Lin Family. It's best not to provoke him."
"The young master of the Lin Family?"
Hong Yu paused. The Lin Family was the second-strongest family in Shishui City and had always been at odds with the Hong Family. No wonder their mockery intensified when they heard he was a Hong. The corners of Hong Yu's mouth curled up in a strange smile. 'Eighth Layer of the Essence Realm, is it? Heh heh…'
He shrugged and pressed his hand onto the stone tablet.
BUZZ!
The stone tablet trembled, and bands of light began to rise, one after another.
When the fifth band of light appeared, the mockers behind him fell silent.
When the sixth band of light rose, the faces of Lin Yun and Lin ngru had already turned dark.
Lin ngru bit her pink lip and muttered, "Is this guy really from a branch family of the Hongs? H-how can he be so strong?"
Hearing this, Lin Yun's expression turned ugly. He seed to hate hearing admiration for another man from Lin ngru's lips. He said coldly, "It's just the Sixth Layer of the Essence Realm..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the seventh band of light lit up.
"Damn it, h-he's actually at the Seventh Layer of the Essence Realm? He looks even younger than Young Master Lin Yun. Is he really from a branch family?"
"Since when did a branch of the Hong Family produce soone like this?"
"If a guy like this is still considered a loser, then what does that make us…?"
The faces of the other few were also grim. They all regretted echoing Lin Yun's mockery of Hong Yu just now.
If even the outsiders looked like this, let alone Lin Yun himself, his current expression was as foul as the water one washes their feet in—utterly putrid!
Lin ngru tugged on Lin Yun's sleeve and comforted him, "Don't worry, Brother Lin Yun. He's only at the Seventh Layer of the Essence Realm. You could beat him with one hand!"
"Mm!"
Lin Yun felt a little better.
But in the next mont, his expression, which had just softened, tensed up again.
BUZZ!
A total of eight bands of light shone with a particularly dazzling, piercing glare.
This represented that Hong Yu's strength was at the Eighth Layer of the Essence Realm. Moreover, judging by the brightness of the light, it was clearly the Peak of the Eighth Layer, a step above Lin Yun!
This ti, even Lin ngru's eyes went wide, and she was left speechless.
The corner of Lin Yun's eye twitched.
If Lin ngru's words had been a comfort to him a mont ago, now, thinking back on what she had just said, it was like an invisible hand had slapped him hard across the face.
'Just a mont ago, I swore he was only here to try his luck. When he showed the Sixth Layer of the Essence Realm, I even said "Is that all?" And when he reached the Seventh Layer, ng Ru declared I could crush him with one hand!'
But in the blink of an eye…
Hong Yu had used the simplest and most brutal thod to slap him in the face.
And it wasn't just a single slap. Staring at the eight brilliant bands of light, Lin Yun felt as if two invisible hands were in the air, slapping him repeatedly from left and right, dozens of tis. Every slap was rciless, ringing out with a loud "SLAP! SLAP!"
He felt a burning sensation on his face.
"Heh heh, to think you possess such formidable strength at such a young age. Truly worthy of the Hong Family!" The Steward's face broke into a smile.
When he had brought Lin Yun over earlier, he had had enough of his arrogance and Lin ngru's condescension.
Now that Hong Yu had thoroughly slapped them in the face, the Steward found it incredibly satisfying.
Yet Hong Yu just shrugged as if nothing had happened and even sighed with a look of regret. "My talent is limited. I only just broke through two days ago. I'm truly ashad."
A faint, mischievous smile never left his face.
In reality, was he truly at the Peak of the Eighth Layer of the Essence Realm?
Of course not. He was simply unwilling to reveal too much, holding back his true power. But even this was shocking enough. After all, he wasn't even sixteen years old.
PFFT!
The crowd nearly collapsed.
'Damn it all, can you not be so demoralizing?'
'At your age, breaking through to the Seventh Layer of the Essence Realm already makes you a genius, okay? You're at the Peak of the Eighth Layer! That kind of talent is top-ranked among the younger generation of all of Shishui City. And you still say you're a failure? That your talent is limited?'
The most wounded, of course, was Lin Yun. His expression was now ugly beyond description, and his gaze toward Hong Yu was filled with imnse venom and hatred. "Hong Yu, is it? Good. Very good. You've made lose face today. The first chance I get, I will pay you back with interest."
Lin Yun knew his place. He understood he couldn't do anything to Hong Yu in the Underground Alliance, so after leaving a harsh threat, he departed in a rage with Lin ngru.
He simply didn't have the face to stay there any longer.
Hong Yu rubbed his nose, putting on a harmless and innocent expression. 'You stuck your own face out for to slap. How can you bla ?!'
User Comments
0 comments from readers