"Who is it?! If you have the guts, come out! Stop playing tricks and hiding!" The large man looked up and around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Ability? Then I’ll show you just what I’m capable of!" As the voice faded, an invisible wave of Powerful Qi slammed into the large man’s chest.

"PFFT!" The blow sent the Spirit General Level man flying, coughing up blood. He crashed through several market stalls along the street before his body finally came to a stop.

"Second Uncle!" Seeing the large man injured and sent flying, Wu Mengqi cried out in alarm and rushed over to him.

"COUGH, COUGH..." The large man on the ground was pale. He coughed weakly twice, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. It looked like he had suffered a serious internal injury.

"Second Uncle, are you alright?!" Wu Mengqi ran to the man’s side, quickly helping him up as she asked with concern.

"I’m fine. We need to leave, now!" the large man urged, ignoring his own injuries. ’This opponent’s Cultivation is on another level. I was seriously injured without even seeing their face!’ The man knew with absolute clarity that if the other party hadn’t shown mercy, he would be a corpse right now.

"Leave? But..." Wu Mengqi shot a resentful glance at Shen Haoran.

"No buts! Let’s go!" The large man suppressed his injuries and forcibly dragged Wu Mengqi toward the Wu Family estate. He was terrified that if they provoked that mysterious person again, both his and Wu Mengqi’s lives would be forfeit.

The crowd watched the staggering uncle and niece depart, their faces masks of astonishment. The turn of events had been so sudden that they hadn’t had time to react. The great Second Master Wu had actually been scared away by a mysterious figure who hadn’t even revealed themself.

’But this mysterious person’s power is terrifying. Could those two really be disciples from some major family?’ The crowd thought as they looked at Shen Haoran and Ji Lingxuan.

Being stared at by so many people, even someone as thick-skinned as Shen Haoran felt a little embarrassed. He then pulled Ji Lingxuan away and left the street.

Shen Haoran and Ji Lingxuan weaved through Celestial Martial City before stopping in a quiet, secluded alley.

"You can come out, Elder Yan!" Shen Haoran called out softly. A moment later, an ethereal figure slowly materialized in front of him. The newcomer was none other than Elder Yan, who had left a few days prior.

"Elder Yan, why are you back? Didn’t you leave to take care of your own business?" Shen Haoran asked in confusion upon seeing Elder Yan appear.

"Hmph! You brat, you have the nerve to ask? Didn’t I tell you to keep a low profile when you came to Celestial Martial City? And what do you do? You go and provoke the city’s overlords! Why don’t you just ascend to the heavens while you’re at it? If I hadn’t arrived in time, you’d be waiting for them to chop you into pieces!" Elder Yan snorted, speaking in a furious and exasperated tone.

"Elder Yan, it wasn’t my fault! That Wu Mengqi was the one being savage and unreasonable first. I was just teaching her a lesson on behalf of her parents. How was I supposed to know she was the Little Princess of the Wu Family!" Shen Haoran replied with an innocent expression.

"And you think you’re in the right?" Elder Yan glared.

"Alright, alright, Elder Yan, I was wrong!" Seeing Elder Yan get angry, Shen Haoran quickly lowered his head and admitted his mistake.

"Elder Yan, please don’t blame Brother Haoran. It was really that Wu Mengqi who was bullying people first. Brother Haoran was just defending himself!" Seeing Elder Yan’s anger, Ji Lingxuan quickly spoke up for Shen Haoran.

Hearing Ji Lingxuan’s words, Elder Yan’s expression softened. He sighed and said, "Forget it, forget it. I was originally planning for you to make a name for yourself here in Celestial Martial City anyway. After this commotion, I expect the whole city will know about you soon. Even though you offended the Wu Family, the goal has been achieved."

"So you’re not mad at me anymore, Elder Yan?" Shen Haoran said with a cheeky grin, hearing the softer tone in Elder Yan’s voice.

"Hmph. Don’t celebrate too soon. The Wu Family isn’t the type to suffer a loss and just accept their bad luck. They won’t let you off! Fortunately, with me here to intimidate them, they won’t dare to make any major moves. As soon as you get the Fire Elemental Spirit, we’re leaving this place immediately. In my current state, I can’t protect you for too long," Elder Yan said sternly.

"Understood!" Shen Haoran also knew the gravity of the situation and replied in a low voice.

"But we don’t have any leads on the Fire Elemental Spirit right now. How are we supposed to get it? Ling Xuan is running out of time!" Shen Haoran said worriedly.

"You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve spent the past two days looking for news about the Fire Elemental Spirit."

"Elder Yan, you know where the Fire Elemental Spirit is?" Shen Haoran was overjoyed.

"Of course! I was its owner once, after all!" Elder Yan said smugly.

"Then why didn’t you just bring it out?"

"I wish I could! Right now, I’m just in a state of Spiritual Thought. Controlling a few wisps of flame produced by the Primordial Spirit is already my limit, let alone the Primordial Spirit’s main body!" Elder Yan shot Shen Haoran a look.

"Uh, well, let’s go find it then! What are we waiting for?"

"No. I sealed the Fire Elemental Spirit in an Ancient Tomb. With your current strength, going in would be suicide!"

"Ah? Then what do we do?" Shen Haoran was troubled.

"Don’t worry. I’ve already unsealed the Ancient Tomb. In two days, go to the Celestial Martial Auction House and sell this information to them!"

"Sell it to them?"

"That’s right. You can’t handle the traps inside the Ancient Tomb. Use the Celestial Martial Auction House to spread the news. It’s the tomb of a Spirit Emperor. I’m sure that will be a great temptation for the Martial Artists in Celestial Martial City. Let them be your vanguard."

"And don’t worry. Only I know where the Fire Elemental Spirit is. They won’t be able to find it," Elder Yan continued, as if sensing Shen Haoran’s worry.

"That’s good," Shen Haoran said, his worries assuaged.

"Alright, find a place to stay for now. Once your fame has spread throughout Celestial Martial City, then you can go to the Celestial Martial Auction House!" After saying this, Elder Yan returned to his Spirit Storage Ring.

Seeing Elder Yan return to the Spirit Storage Ring, Shen Haoran pulled Ji Lingxuan, and they disappeared from the alley. They found an inn and checked in, quietly waiting for the right moment.

Events unfolded just as Elder Yan had predicted. Over the next two days, the story of a young man clashing with the Wu Family’s little Witch, Wu Mengqi, and getting the better of her, spread like wildfire through Celestial Martial City. The tale continued that Wu Mengqi had then called for Second Master Wu, only for him to be severely injured by the young man’s mysterious backer, forcing them to flee in disgrace. Soon, everyone in the city had heard about it. Shen Haoran’s reputation soared, and he became a celebrity in Celestial Martial City!

At that moment, in the main hall of the Wu Family’s estate in the eastern part of Celestial Martial City, the upper echelons of the family were gathered. Everyone wore a blank expression, and the atmosphere in the hall was exceptionally grim.

BANG! With a loud noise, Second Master Wu slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. His face was beet red as he said furiously, "How outrageous! How dare these peasants spread such rumors and slander the good name of my Wu Family!"

"COUGH, COUGH..." His extreme anger agitated the injuries he had sustained two days ago.

"Second Brother, calm down. We’re not here today to discuss that matter, but the mysterious expert behind that young man," a middle-aged man seated at the head of the hall said softly. He was dressed in fine robes and had the appearance of a frail scholar.

This man was the current Patriarch of the Wu Family, Wu Zhentian!

"Are you certain that the mysterious person severely injured you without even showing themself?" Wu Zhentian asked with a frown.

"Yes. Their power is terrifying. If they hadn’t shown mercy, I would already be a corpse," Second Master Wu said in a low voice. The mere thought of that mysterious person made him tremble uncontrollably.

Seeing Second Master Wu’s unusual reaction, Wu Zhentian’s frown deepened. ’This younger brother of mine is afraid of nothing, yet he’s this terrified at the mere mention of that mysterious person. It just shows how frightening they must be! And to severely injure Second Master Wu, a Spirit General expert, without even appearing... their strength must be at the Spirit Marquis level, or perhaps even the Spirit Aspect level! This is not someone we can afford to provoke.’

"Patriarch, it seems that young man is a disciple from some major family, and with a high status at that. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have such an expert protecting him in secret. But it seems we’ve already offended them. What should we do now?" an elder seated below asked worriedly.

"They didn’t kill Second Brother, so the situation likely hasn’t reached the point of no return. We should do our best to befriend this young man. Even if we can’t repair the relationship, we must avoid angering them further. He’s probably just here for training. He should be leaving before long," Wu Zhentian said after a moment of contemplation, having quickly made his decision.

It had to be said that Wu Zhentian’s judgment was spot on. To have come up with a solution in such a short time showed that he was undoubtedly a qualified Patriarch. Everyone in the hall nodded in agreement with Wu Zhentian’s decision.

Meanwhile, back at the inn, the protagonist of this incident, our dear Shen Haoran, had just awoken from his Cultivation.

"Ling Xuan, what’s the situation outside now?" Shen Haoran exhaled a breath of turbid qi and turned to ask Ji Lingxuan, who was beside him.

"Just as Elder Yan said, you’re a big celebrity in Celestial Martial City now. Everyone thinks you’re a disciple from some major family!" Ji Lingxuan said with a smile. Shen Haoran had been focused on his Cultivation for the past two days, so she had been the one gathering all the information from the outside world.

"Hehe, great. In that case, it’s time to pay a visit to the Celestial Martial Auction House!"

(PS: I’ve been a bit busy lately, but I guarantee at least one Chapter a day, updated at 10:00 PM. Second or third Chapters will be released at irregular times. Please give me some recommendations, add this to your collection, leave a review... please give me anything!!)