Another day later, inside the Xue Family Estate, Patriarch's Hall.

Bang!

Xue Yangkai, the patriarch of the Xue Family punched the wall behind him with an expression full of rage and hatred. He then retracted his fist, showing a hole on the wall that revealed the scenery outside.

It must be noted that the walls within the Patriarch's Hall was a foot thick and was made with a precious stone that was even harder than steel, but it was actually penetrated easily by Xue Yangkai's punch! Such absurd power was truly horrifying!

"He dared to kill my son?! That fucking Jiu Shen! I'll fucking tear him into pieces!" Xue Yangkai roared, making everyone inside the hall feel their ears turning numb.

Xue Yangkai looked to be in his forties and although he wasn't on the handsome side, his thick eyebrows and well-defined jawline made him more attractive. He was Fatty Xue's father, but it looked like Fatty Xue didn't inherit his genes aside from his skills in cursing.

"Yangkai, calm your anger. That Jiu Shen is tough to deal with, and don't forget that he has still a servant at the 9th-rank Saint. It will be troublesome if we fight them now. Just endure for a bit until Elder Ming breaks through to the peak stage of the 9th-rank Saint. Elder Ming said that his closed-door cultivation might take several months, and by then, who in the Silver Wing Empire can threaten our Xue Family? Not to mention that we still have the members of the Undying Corpse Sect secretly hidden in one of our territories." A thin old man with a rosy complexion said as he glanced at Xue Yangkai. This old man was the supreme elder of the Xue Family, Xue Yangkun.

Humph!

Xue Yangkai turned his gaze at Xue Yangkun and snorted. The both of them were at the early stage of the 9th-rank Saint and their prowess was almost on the same level, so Xue Yangkai could only silently endure the death of his own son. It was truly infuriating for him.

Looking at him, Xue Yangkun was also worried about his son, Xue Tong since the latter was a frequent visitor of Jiu Shen's store. 'Later, I will tell that son of mine to not visit that damnable store starting today!'

"Supreme Elder Yangkun, I will stay silent about this for now, but I cannot promise the same once Elder Ming finishes his closed-door cultivation." Xue Yangkai said in a cold tone.

Xue Yangkun shook his head with a solemn look suffusing his old face. "Don't destroy the plans of Elder Ming! He meticulously laid out everything for many years and nothing must go wrong with this! We've hidden ourselves for too long, and we can't afford to lose in this war just because of personal reasons! Yangkai, you might not fear me, but don't forget what would happen if you incur Elder Ming's wrath!"

Xue Yangkai's face abruptly changed when he heard Xue Yangkun's words. 'That's right! I must not anger Elder Ming, that demon or I might be refined as a corpse puppet!' Xue Yangkai exclaimed in his heart in terror.

Seeing Xue Yangkai's terrified eyes, Xue Yangkun harrumphed coldly in his heart.

The two of them and all the elders inside didn't even know that there was actually someone listening to their conversation from the hole that was punched through by Xue Yangkai.

It was a man with long and unkempt hair. His expression was deadpan and aloof, but there was a ruthless look in his eyes. This man was none other than Ren Shuang who was tasked by Jiu Shen to monitor the Xue Family.

'Two experts at the early stage of the 9th-rank Saint and someone who is on the verge of breaking through the peak stage of the 9th-rank Saint. I really want to try my twin swords on them, but unfortunately, master said to refrain from attacking them now. In that case, I should just gather more information about their strength before I come back to the store.' Ren Shuang muttered in his heart.

Swoosh.

His silhouette vanished from his spot with a faint swooshing sound.

Xue Yangkai and Xue Yangkun who were deep in their thoughts didn't even sense his presence! It can be seen how good Ren Shuang was when concealing himself...

* * *

Inside the beast fighting arena, on top of the battle platform, one hundred young men were in a horse stance, and their young faces were covered in thick beads of sweat. They were in this position for more than an hour already, and some of them were almost reaching their limits. However, considering that they were merely mortal kids, their tenacity and willpower were still beyond their peers. Even Jiu Shen nodded his head in approval when he saw their stubborn looks filled with unyielding nature.

'Elyk. Elyk. Elyk. Will you regret it if you see these young men's growth in the future?' Jiu Shen chuckled when he thought of that.

After that, Jiu Shen appeared on the battle platform and said in a cold voice. "Everyone except Yang Zenke may take a rest."

"Finally!"

Huff! Puff!

"Sigh! Finally, we can rest!"

The young men immediately sat on the battle platform with exhausted and pained looks while they glanced at Yang Zenke with a hint of pity.

Yang Zenke's eyes were filled with intense fierceness and he wasn't even affected by everyone's glances. Although Jiu Shen was harsh on him, it was actually part of his plans since he had already decided to nurture Yang Zenke as the leader of this group of youths. And as the future leader of these elite young men, he had to be a lot stronger than them.

"Are you tired?" Jiu Shen asked with a calm look as he walked towards Yang Zenke.

"N-No!" Yang Zenke said fiercely, but his legs were already shivering from the numbing pain he felt, but his eyes burned with no intentions of surrender.

Jiu Shen nodded his head and took out a chair from his space earring. He then took a seat and placed one of his legs on top of the other and reclined on the chair with a lazy look on his face. "Are you sure that you are not tired?" Jiu Shen smiled teasingly.

Yang Zenke glanced at Jiu Shen's lazy figure that was reclining on the chair with a comfortable look hanging on his face. "No! I can handle this! My physique is the weakest among everyone present here, so I have to double my efforts! I won't give up! I want to be stronger! I want to be stronger!" He shouted with a contorted look on his young face. Yang Zenke was still thirteen years old and was among the youngest of this group of young men, but his character was the most unyielding and fierce.

Jiu Shen liked the kid's attitude more and more, making his cold eyes reveal a trace of heartfelt praise.

"Up to you." Jiu Shen said in a calm tone.

Pain! Pain! Pain! Arrghh! Yang Zenke shouted in his heart as he persevered with an unsightly look. He could hardly feel his legs anymore, but there was something within him that kept him from collapsing. Everyone can already see that his legs were quivering from exhaustion, but Yang Zenke's legs didn't cave in.

'I have to endure this pain if I want to be stronger! This is nothing compared to facing the ridicule of the noble scions! I don't want to be mocked again! Only with strength can I gain everyone's respect! This is nothing! Argghh!!' Yang Zenke roared in his heart and he didn't even realize that another hour had already passed by.

Jiu Shen stood up from his chair and walked towards Yang Zenke. He then flicked the latter's forehead lightly, and Yang Zenke's frail figure instantly collapsed on the ground.

Thud.

Huff. Puff.

Yang Zenke breathed heavily as he tried to sit down in a comfortable position, but he found it hard to move his body with his numbed legs.

"All of you can rest for another hour. One hour later, I will be back, so use this time to properly rest. We're still not done for today." Jiu Shen smiled at them, making the young kids feel their hair standing on end.

Swoosh.

After Jiu Shen vanished, some young men went towards Yang Zenke and revealed worried looks.

"Brother Zenke, are you alright?"

Yang Zenke glanced at them and nodded his head lightly. "Mn."

They sighed in relief after hearing his response.