The blocking cultivator acted like he’d spotted a lifesaver, urgently calling out “Senior Brother” while ushering Zou Yu downstairs.

“Greetings, Formation Master Zou!”

Many first-floor cultivators immediately saluted and greeted him.

Zou Yu glanced down at Liu Zihao while descending the stairs.

“Access to the formation hall’s second floor requires proper credentials. Have you forgotten this rule after your long absence, Brother Liu?”

Liu Zihao recognized this as another attempt to humiliate him.

He refused to waste time – the Master awaited his return to Song Mountain.

“I’m here to cancel my contract with the formation hall,” he declared louder. “I’ll leave immediately after.”

“Oh?”

Zou Yu stepped closer, eyebrow raised. “We know you’re bitter, Brother Liu, but your two-year dry spell isn’t the hall’s fault. Surely you understand why?”

“Are you deaf? Or just stupid?”

Liu Zihao’s sharp reply shattered Zou Yu’s smug expression.

The man never imagined Liu Zihao would dare address him this way.

“You!”

“I’ve neither patience nor time for this. Fetch someone actually in charge.”

Zou Yu’s face flushed crimson, rage burning in his eyes.

This disgraced former member still dared act arrogantly!

This contract nonsense was clearly a ploy to pressure elders into restoring his position!

“You think I can’t see through you?” Zou Yu spat. “There’s no place for you here anymore. The elders won’t play your games!”

Liu Zihao stared at him like he was examining village idiot.

“Delusional much? Should I fetch a physician?”

“You!”

Zou Yu’s planned humiliation backfired spectacularly, leaving him trembling with fury.

“What’s this disturbance?”

An aged voice drifted from upstairs.

Both men instantly stepped aside and bowed. Liu Zihao watched coldly – he’d never bow here again.

A gray-robed elder descended, nodding at Zou Yu’s group before briefly eyeing Liu Zihao.

Seating himself at the desk, he inquired: “Formation Master Liu. What business brings you here?”

“I want to terminate my contract with the formation hall.”

This marked the third time he’d stated his purpose since entering, his patience nearly exhausted.

The elder chuckled dismissively, “Formation Master Liu, you’re still young. This person needs hardships to grow. When facing adversity, one must endure. In my youth…”

Crash!

Liu Zihao abruptly emptied four thousand spiritual crystals from his storage bag before the crowd. The gleaming pile reached waist height.

“Final warning,” he ground out. “Terminate the contract. Take the crystals. Return my agreement.”

The staggering wealth silenced the formation hall. Even the podium elder froze, unprepared for Liu Zihao’s resolve.

“Impossible!” Zou Yu burst out. “You’ve had no commissions for two years! Peddling formation instruments and diagrams in back alleys barely earns scraps!”

Liu Zihao turned sharply. “How attentive of you, Brother Zou. You’ve tracked my affairs closely.”

Zou Yu clamped his mouth shut, face darkening. The flustered elder finally summoned the contract.

Without another word, Liu Zihao scooped the crystals back into his storage bag, slammed it onto the counter, and strode from the hall. Normal activity only resumed long after his departure.

Back in his second-floor chamber, Zou Yu seethed. “Where’d that failure get such wealth? He thinks leaving the hall improves his prospects? Delusional!”

Old resentments flared – always overshadowed, today’s humiliation fresh. “Fine! Let his precious talent and grand Path of Cultivation save him!”

Disguising his face, he stormed to an unnamed three-story shop in the marketplace. Soon after entering, two average-looking cultivators slipped out, winding through stalls before exiting eastward.

“Done at last,” Liu Zihao murmured, hastening toward Song Mountain. “No more entanglements. Just serve the Master faithfully.” Hope lightened his steps.

Click-clack.

He whirled around. Two cultivators at Gathering Qi’s seventh level closed in rapidly.

“What—?!”

Liu Zihao panicked and quickened his steps.

But the cultivation gap allowed the two individuals to gradually gain on him.

He’d never faced such danger before.

Previous marketplace excursions had always involved escorts from various families. Around Moon Watching City’s outskirts, his master’s reputation had deterred any would-be attackers.

Now, with his master imprisoned in Chongtian City and his formation hall status revoked, opportunistic predators circled immediately.

He still hadn’t linked this incident to Zou Yu, blaming only his own flashy wealth display at the formation hall. His recklessness filled him with bitter regret.

Half a quarter-hour later, the duo blocked his path.

“What do you want?”

“Don’t panic, lad,” one said. “We’re not here to kill you.”

“True,” the other added. “Someone just wants your limbs. Hand them over and we’ll leave peacefully.”

Their casual tone made Liu Zihao’s hair stand on end.

“Not robbery? Who hired you?”

“Rules forbid disclosure, boy.”

“We’re pressed for time. Can’t do it yourself? We’ll help.”

Their murderous aura erupted suddenly, overwhelming Liu Zihao’s senses. He collapsed onto the ground, trembling.

As a formation master, he’d poured most of his energy into formation path studies.

Though possessing Sixth Level cultivation, his techniques remained at second level – his combat strength barely matched ordinary Fifth Level cultivators.

This ambush left him helpless, frozen like livestock awaiting slaughter.

Whoosh—

Swish!

Just as despair consumed him, gale winds roared!

Blurred shadows flashed. The two seventh-level Gathering Qi practitioners disintegrated mid-air, flesh chunks thudding wetly on earth.

Dazed, Liu Zihao barely registered the figure landing beside him.

Yang Lingrui had shadowed him since Song Mountain’s departure, concealing his presence.

The Mayfly Step from The Mayfly Illusion Technique – now at minor mastery – allowed him to glide like water-striding insects, requiring minimal spiritual power.

Neither Liu Zihao nor his attackers had detected him.

“Forgive my delayed intervention,” Yang Lingrui said, helping him rise. “Needed to check for more ambushers.”

“Yang… Yang Lingrui!”

Relief washed over Liu Zihao as his panic subsided.

Calmer now, he studied the youth with growing awe.

Seven years prior during his first Yang Family visit, Yang Lingrui had been a ten-year-old helper at first level Gathering Qi.

Now the boy’s cultivation level not only surpassed his own but reached late-stage seventh level Gathering Qi!

Slaying two same-level opponents instantly? This combat strength rivaled eighth level practitioners!

Could ordinary Gathering Qi families produce such talents?

Witnessing this power, Liu Zihao became certain – joining the Yang Family was his life’s wisest decision.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep