"They’re here? Is it your guest?" Han Xu asked joyfully, hearing Shen Haoran’s words. He was eager to see just what kind of remarkable person this friend was that Shen Haoran had been waiting so anxiously for.

’Anyone who makes Shen Haoran wait like this must be no ordinary person!’ At that thought, Han Xu happily ran to open the door.

CREAK...

With a soft sound, the door swung open. Han Xu stared at the three men before him, the look on his face a priceless mixture of emotions.

"Brother Shen, this... these are the guests you were waiting for?" The corner of Han Xu’s mouth twitched as he turned to ask Shen Haoran.

Standing before Han Xu were three burly, imposing brutes. Each man’s arms were practically thicker than Han Xu’s waist, and their fierce, menacing appearance gave him a huge shock.

Shen Haoran looked at Han Xu and said with a smile, "No, they aren’t just my guests. They’re your guests, too!"

"My guests? I don’t know the three of them. Are you sure you haven’t got the wrong room?" Han Xu turned back to the three brutes and asked.

"Is your name Han?" one of the brutes asked, stepping forward. His booming voice made Han Xu’s eardrums ring.

"Yes!" Han Xu nodded.

"Then is his name Shen?" the brute asked again, pointing at Shen Haoran.

"That’s right. How do you know?" Han Xu’s face was a mask of astonishment. How could these three brutes possibly know who they were?

"Then there’s no mistake!" the brute snorted coldly. He shoved Han Xu aside, barged into the room, and shut the door behind him.

"What... what the..." Han Xu was left speechless, watching the three men act so brazenly.

"Listen up, you two little brats!" the youngest of the Hu Brothers said, pointing arrogantly at Shen Haoran and Han Xu. "We’re the famous Hu Brothers from near Luotian City. Others call us the Executioner Brothers! We’ve come for two things. First, the Pill Recipe for the Sixth Grade Elixir that the Han kid is holding. And second... the head of this Shen kid! Get us those two things, and we’ll leave. If not, then you both can just die!"

Hearing the youngest Hu brother’s words, Han Xu finally understood. "Brother Shen," he said, surprised. "So these aren’t your friends after all! It seems they’re here for revenge!"

"Mm, that seems to be the case," Shen Haoran said casually with a shrug.

Seeing that Shen Haoran and Han Xu showed them no respect whatsoever, the second Hu brother roared, "Listen here, you brats! I’ll give you three breaths. If you don’t hand over what we want, we’ll throw you off this Flying Shuttle! We’re tens of thousands of feet above the ground right now. If you don’t want to die, then do as we say!"

As he spoke, a ferocious aura erupted from the second Hu brother, scattering items across the room and leaving it a complete mess.

"A Tier Three Spirit Marquis?" Sensing the second Hu brother’s aura, both Han Xu and Shen Haoran looked at the trio with intrigue.

"What’s the matter? Scared now?" the second Hu brother sneered at Shen Haoran and Han Xu. "If you’re scared, then hurry up and hand over what we came for!"

"When Tyler sent you, didn’t he mention our strength?" Shen Haoran hopped down from his meditation cushion, slowly approached the Hu Brothers, and asked calmly.

"Strength?" The Hu Brothers roared with laughter. "What strength could two little brats like you possibly have?"

"Damn it! How dare they look down on me!" Seeing the Hu Brothers mocking him, Han Xu rolled up his sleeves, ready to teach them a lesson. "Brother Shen, leave these three to me!" But Shen Haoran stopped him.

"Hey, Brother Han, you’re the client. Let me handle a small matter like this," Shen Haoran chuckled. ’I haven’t fought anyone since breaking through to the Spirit Marquis Tier. This is the perfect chance to test my strength!’

"That doesn’t seem right... How about this? We’ll play rock-paper-scissors. Whoever wins gets to fight them, deal?" Han Xu said, a little hesitant as he proposed a solution.

"Deal!" Shen Haoran agreed.

And so, right in front of the Hu Brothers, Shen Haoran and Han Xu actually started playing rock-paper-scissors.

Watching Shen Haoran and Han Xu completely disregard them, the youngest Hu brother’s eyes burned with rage. Everywhere the Hu Brothers went, other Martial Artists would flee in terror at the mere mention of their name. And today, they were being provoked by two little kids! How could he possibly stomach this insult? He roared, "You little brats! You dare make a fool of your Grandmaster Hu? I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget!"

With a roar, the youngest Hu brother also unleashed a powerful aura. His thick arm shot straight for Shen Haoran’s head, creating a series of sonic booms as it cut through the air.

But even in the face of the youngest Hu’s ferocious attack, Han Xu and Shen Haoran paid it no mind, continuing their game of rock-paper-scissors. Just as the fist was about to smash into his face, Shen Haoran shot out a single hand and caught it. The powerful attack instantly vanished without a trace.

Gripping the youngest Hu’s fist in one hand, Shen Haoran said coldly, "Don’t you know it’s extremely rude to interrupt people when they’re busy?"

As he spoke, Shen Haoran’s grip tightened abruptly. Caught in that immense force, the youngest Hu brother felt as if his entire fist was about to be crushed. Veins bulged on his arm, and large beads of sweat rolled down his face as he was forced to his knees before Shen Haoran.

"Youngest!" the other two Hu brothers cried out, seeing their trembling sibling. They stared at Shen Haoran in utter shock. ’How could this seemingly harmless boy be so powerful?’

"You damn brat, let my brother go! If you don’t, I’ll make you wish you were dead!" the second Hu brother threatened.

"Let him go? Fine. Here, catch!" Shen Haoran sneered. He kicked the youngest Hu brother in the abdomen, and a ferocious power surged through him. The man was sent flying like a sandbag.

The other Hu brothers scrambled to catch their flying sibling. At that exact moment, a grin spread across Shen Haoran’s face. A faint breeze stirred, and he vanished from where he stood.

"Heaven-Breaking Kill!"

With a thunderous shout, Shen Haoran’s fist slammed into the youngest Hu’s back. Savage waves of Powerful Qi shot through his body and into the two brothers behind him. A clear Fist Seal instantly appeared on their chests, and they coughed up mouthfuls of blood that sprayed through the air.

Shen Haoran’s physical strength was already formidable to begin with, and now that he had broken through to the Spirit Marquis Tier, his power had more than doubled. Although he was only a Tier One Spirit Marquis, the quality of his strength and Spiritual Power was in a completely different league from that of ordinary Spiritual Martial Artists. The Hu Brothers stood no chance against him.

BAM! With a dull thud, the three Hu Brothers were sent flying backward in a line, smashing into the far wall before collapsing to the floor.