「Two cups of tea later.」

On the bank of the Dragon River, with a thunderous crash, the solid ice on the surface burst apart from a powerful force below. A tall young man with a limp right arm sprang up from the hole in the ice. It was Ma Mingfeng, who had plunged into the ice hole and escaped with his life.

Drenched in the chilly river water, he clambered onto the bank, his complexion as pale as paper. He glanced at his right shoulder acupoint and slapped it forcefully. A silver needle shot out, shattering a small tree in the distance.

But even after expelling the silver needle, Ma Mingfeng's complexion did not improve. On the contrary, it turned even more cyanotic. "Kou Ming! You despicable scoundrel! You even poisoned the silver needle!"

Struggling to support his body, Ma Mingfeng headed towards the city. Thinking about how this riverside meeting had involved a misjudgment of Medicine King Hall's strength, costing the Fish and Dragon Association three of its talented junior brothers in addition to himself, made his blood boil.

When Ma Mingfeng, limping and with a face now dark and swollen, returned to the Fish and Dragon Association and relayed the incident to Association Leader Li Yutang and the other elders, the expressions of the Fish and Dragon Association's experts changed dramatically.

"Chen Ku! What a Chen Ku! Medicine King Hall has truly hidden its capabilities well!"

"He single-handedly wiped out seven Mystic Barrier disciples from our association and the Firewood Iron Shop! When Yang Luochen was in the Mystic Barrier Realm... was he ever this terrifying?"

Association Leader Li Yutang, looking at his beloved disciple Ma Mingfeng whose face had turned dark, suddenly said sharply, "Everyone be quiet! First, get someone to see exactly what poison Ma Mingfeng has been afflicted with."

As one of the top three powers in Baojiao County and a leader in the Jianghu, the Fish and Dragon Association had access to all kinds of resources. Immediately, Divine Doctor Fei stepped forward from the crowd. With a rosacea nose, he hunched over and took Ma Mingfeng's pulse. After inspecting his eyelids and tongue coating, he suddenly exclaimed in shock, "Ah, this... seems to be Corpse God Powder! Those damned bastards from Medicine King Hall!"

"What is Corpse God Powder?"

"Corpse God Powder is made from the bizarre 'coffin fungus' found on corpses, combined with 'seven-star cardamom,' and over a hundred other poisons. It's not only an extraordinary toxin but can also corrode a person's spirit."

Divine Doctor Fei said through gritted teeth, "This... this is a poison specifically concocted for Ma Mingfeng."

"What? Medicine King Hall!!"

Li Yutang's chest heaved. From the information Ma Mingfeng brought back, he had initially thought this riverside meeting was his Fish and Dragon Association's chance to challenge the other two factions. He never expected that the other two families harbored the same intentions, and were even better prepared than his Fish and Dragon Association. Especially Medicine King Hall! To think they actually planned to eliminate all their young disciples in one fell swoop at this riverside meeting! This was clearly the prelude, the sounding of the horn for an all-out war among the three major powers!

"Medicine King Hall! Firewood Iron Shop! They all have ambitions of domination! Now everything is out in the open! However, in this riverside meeting, we and the Firewood Iron Shop suffered a complete defeat, losing even our prospects for the next twenty years," one of the hallmasters of the Fish and Dragon Association said, gritting his teeth. "At least we are slightly better off than the Firewood Iron Shop, as Ma Mingfeng survived. Old Fei, you are the number one divine doctor in Baojiao County. Speak quickly, I know you must have a way to cure Ma Mingfeng of this poison."

Although Medicine King Hall was a dominant power in Baojiao County, the Fish and Dragon Association's Old Fei was the true divine healer. This was primarily because the Fish and Dragon Association had connections across many counties, and its members included people from all walks of life, including various unique individuals.

"There is indeed a method," Divine Doctor Fei hesitated and said, "but I cannot guarantee whether Ma Mingfeng's Spiritual Endowment will remain after the poison is cured. This method involves using poison to fight poison. The strange poison afflicting Ma Mingfeng targets the brain directly. To counteract it, we must also start with the brain and administer a potent antidote."

"A fifty percent chance is not low," Ma Mingfeng struggled to speak. "Divine Doctor, just tell me, what must be done?"

"Yes, tell us what you need. The Fish and Dragon Association will surely find it," Li Yutang said.

"The other medicinal ingredients are easy to find, but there is one item that requires a visit to the City God Temple."

Meanwhile, the news of Chen Ku's rise to fame on the banks of the Dragon River spread quietly among the major powers after each had returned to their respective county cities.

The Baojiao County Yamen was the first to receive the news.

Within the courtyard, Shangguan Yun, dressed in white, was placing a chess piece. Upon hearing this news reported by Blade King Wang Yixian, his hand paused, the piece hovering in mid-air, and he let out a slight exclamation, "So astonishing! What cultivation level does he possess to achieve such a feat?"

"Judging from his attacks, his Realm seems to be only at the Second Layer of the Mystic Barrier. However, his Root Bone is so strong that not even a dozen elephants could withstand it, and his Qi Power is nearly that of a Third Realm Martial Practitioner," Wang Yixian said, concealing his shock. For many years, he had never seen a young man with such terrifying Root Bone in Baojiao County.

"Mr. Sui, what do you think?" Shangguan Yun turned to Sui You, who sat across from him at the chessboard.

Sui You, styled Shuo Shi. Deep surprise also appeared in Sui You's eyes. After pondering for a long time, he slowly said, "Undoubtedly, he is an Outstanding-level individual, in no way inferior to those heirs of Great Sects in the Prefecture City. He even surpasses them in terms of Root Bone and Qi Power. In my humble opinion, this is most likely related to his mysterious fire-avoiding Bloodline."

"A Bloodline that can avoid fire, and such Divine Power..." Shangguan Yun asked, "Do you have any guesses?"

"Reporting to you, Superior, bloodlines like this are countless in this vast world. If I were to list examples, it would take a very long time," Sui You said. "Phoenix King, Flame Emperor, Rongguang, Minggong, Xuange... In Ji Country alone, there are dozens of families with similar bloodlines, let alone the entire world."

Unexpectedly, Shangguan Yun lightly retorted, "Mr. Sui, it seems you've forgotten about the Xu Family's Qilin Blood?"

"I haven't forgotten, but that's completely impossible," Sui You frowned and said. "Because on that day, when I activated the Qilin Blood Gu Art with the pellet drum, this lad was right there. If he possessed such a similar Bloodline, he would have exploded and died by now."

"That's true," Shangguan Yun said lightly. "But let's still wait and see."

Wang Yixian asked, "Then, regarding the Firewood Iron Shop..."

Shangguan Yun replied, "Let's see what they're capable of."

「Inside Medicine King Hall.」

Before news of Chen Ku's city-shaking battle achievements spread to the ears of the major powers, the three shopkeepers and four master craftsmen had rarely gathered for a meeting, seated around a large table.

"The above is the news Kou Ming brought back from the Prefecture City. I already told everyone yesterday," Store Manager Qin Sifan said to Yang Luochen and Monk Yunfang. "I'm repeating it today because I was waiting for the outcome of today's minor meeting. We are all aware that the Firewood Iron Shop intends to dominate, backed by the government. At today's minor meeting, they might very well stir up trouble, and lives could be lost."

"I have complete faith in my disciple," Yang Luochen said softly with a smile.

But just as these prominent figures were discussing their next moves against the other two factions...

"Report! The minor meeting results are out! Junior Brother Chen has shaken the entire city!"

By the time Chen Ku and Huo Xiaoxia returned to Medicine King Hall, they saw his master Yang Luochen waiting at the entrance from afar. Seeing him and Huo Xiaoxia appear, Yang Luochen strode over and was the first to pat Chen Ku on the head, saying, "Good lad! You took my staff without even asking?!"

Chen Ku, having been slapped, quickly protested, "I did, I did! You weren't there at the time, so I asked Senior Brother to tell you..."

But before he could finish explaining, "HAHAHA!" Yang Luochen's laughter boomed, echoing down the entire street, hearty and resounding. "Truly worthy of being my disciple, Yang Luochen! Do you know, in just half a day, you've already acquired a nickname in Baojiao County."

"A nickname?" Chen Ku scratched his face and curiously asked, "What is it?"

He recalled using a staff and a saber by the riverside today. Could the nickname be something like 'Little Staff King' or 'Little Saber King'?

Then he heard Yang Luochen say with a beaming smile, "This nickname was given to you by that young lady from the Ming Family. She and her people were the first to spread the news throughout the town. They call you 'Little Fierce Person'."

"Little Fierce Person?" Chen Ku's face darkened. "Might as well call me 'Little Dragon Person'! 'Fierce Person' is fine, but why add 'Little' to it?"

At the same time, a thought struck him: Mingsheng Nan actually knew the location of the riverside meeting and was observing the battle, yet he hadn't noticed her.

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