"That's not necessarily the case," Phoenix said. "Master, are you going to intervene?"
"This young man, if recruited and properly trained, will surely become a valiant general in the future."
Phoenix turned her head, remaining non - committal. Her master had a sharp eye for people, especially for young men, though she was not so accurate when it came to women. But this was not entirely her master's fault. Despite being a woman, Phoenix believed that in her heart, her master was more like a man. Just look at her. Every time she saw a beauty, she would be completely smitten. In her previous life, she even fell into Xia Wanning's trap.
"Phoenix, keep your thoughts to yourself. As my contracted divine beast, I know exactly what you're thinking," Zhao Shuning said.
Phoenix rolled her eyes at Zhao Shuning and fell silent.
"The fight has started."
The burly man was now extremely angry because the young man had shattered his table. The ball of flame in his hand was burning fiercely.
Phoenix said, "Who would have thought that such a vulgar man is actually an alchemist."
"However, judging from the power of the flame, he should only be around the fourth - grade level."
A fourth - grade alchemist was nothing in the eyes of her master. But for the young men facing the burly man, there was a huge gap in their abilities.
"Senior, Xiao Rui has offended you. Please don't take it to heart," one of them said.
"Take it to heart? I'll make you all pay with your lives!"
With that, the burly man continued to form seals with his hands without hesitation.
Phoenix watched this scene and said, "Master, shall we intervene?"
"Yes, but not yet," Zhao Shuning replied. She wanted to see how many moves the young man named Xiao Rui could withstand in such a situation where the strength was so uneven.
"That young man is just a freshman. He may not even be able to withstand one move," Phoenix said.
"Not necessarily. I sense boundless potential in this child," Zhao Shuning said.
"Fine. But if something goes wrong, don't regret it later, Master."
"Okay, stop nagging and watch them fight."
As soon as the burly man attacked, numerous fragments of spiritual - energy blades flew towards the five or six young men.
The young men dodged carefully, but in just a moment, they were covered in wounds on their hands and bodies.
Someone tried to persuade, "Old Yan, stop now. Giving them a lesson is enough. If something happens to the disciples of the Misty Rain Tower, that crazy woman from their family might come and raze our black market to the ground."
"Pah! Do you think I'm afraid of that woman? Ridiculous!"
Stimulated by this, Old Yan formed the seals even more forcefully. This time, even the space in the black market seemed to distort slightly.
"What is he going to do?"
"The Demon - Exterminating Ghost Curse!"
How could a fourth - grade alchemist know the Demon - Exterminating Ghost Curse? This spell was extremely powerful and was usually used against monsters. The human body was far more fragile than that of a monster. If this spell hit, the young men would surely die.
"Xiao Rui, run!"
Several senior brothers grabbed the young man's hand and tried to escape.
"Want to run? Dream on!"
The burly man sneered. He had already completed the seal - forming. Now, muttering incantations, he managed to block the escape route of the five or six young men all by himself.
"Go!"
The burly man roared.
The young men were trapped with nowhere to go. They quickly mobilized all their spiritual energy for defense, though they knew it was useless against the Demon - Exterminating Ghost Curse.
The disparity in strength was now the arbiter of life and death.
"Bang!"
A loud noise echoed.
A thick cloud of dust rose in front of the young men.
Then, as the dust gradually dispersed, people covered their noses.
They thought the five or six young men must have perished. But to their surprise, after the dust had completely settled, the six young men were standing there unharmed. Their faces showed a look of confusion after the initial shock.
Such a powerful force was not something that many people in the Shanhuazhou Peak could withstand.
Had someone intervened just now?
"Who is it?"
"Old Yan, your skills are getting worse. You've even used the Demon - Exterminating Ghost Curse on these little brats, but you still couldn't kill them."
Roaring in anger at this mockery, the burly man silenced those who were watching the show. Everyone knew that this man was so violent that he would even kill his own companions when enraged. That was why he had been expelled from the An family.
"Who is it!"
The burly man roared again, but there was no answer.
"Damn it! Have the guts to do it but no courage to admit it?"
Zhao Shuning, hiding in the shadows, smiled faintly and said to Phoenix, "Why don't you go?"
Phoenix shrank back. "I don't want to waste my energy on such a nobody."
Seeing no response, the burly man thought there must have been a problem with his spell just now. After all, there shouldn't be anyone here who dared to stop him, except for that crazy woman from the Misty Rain Tower. But if she had been here, she would never have been able to resist his provocation and would have shown up long ago.
Thinking of this, the burly man once again mobilized the spiritual energy in his body. The spell seal appeared in front of him once more.
Zhao Shuning chuckled. "This man is really stupid. He still wants to try again."
The six young men quickly prepared for defense.
"You were just lucky last time. I didn't use my full strength. Now, let you useless people from the Misty Rain Tower see what a real powerhouse is. Weaklings like you only deserve to grovel at our feet."
"Star - Fall Concealment!"
"Go!"
Star - Fall Concealment? There were indeed some talented people in this black market. This burly man even knew such a powerful spell. It was a pity that he was using it for the wrong purpose.
"Aren't you going to intervene yet? These kids are surely doomed. That young man, Xiao Rui, trying to fight against a fourth - grade alchemist beyond his level. He must be out of his mind. I can't believe you still think he's a talent, Master," Phoenix said.
"You noisy bird. Why do you talk so much?"
Phoenix fell silent.
Sure enough, under the attack of the Star - Fall Concealment, the five or six young men were on the verge of collapse. But Zhao Shuning noticed that the young man named Xiao Rui was emitting a faint blue light.
"He actually has the ancestral light to protect his body."
"It seems that this kid's ancestors were not ordinary people."
After the Star - Fall Concealment, the five or six young men staggered and fell to the ground. Almost all their strength had been drained, and now they could only sit there waiting for death. But the young man named Xiao Rui was still standing upright, though he was also at the end of his rope.
The young man's eyes were terrifyingly resolute.
"Are you still not going?"
Phoenix said, "There's still one standing. You're only getting anxious now?"
"If we wait any longer, we won't be able to save any of them."
The burly man picked up the meteor hammers beside him. "Boy, if you kneel down and beg me now, I might consider just crippling your hands and feet and sparing your miserable life."
Just as he was about to swing the hammers down, if these two meteor hammers hit the young man, he would surely be turned into a pile of minced meat.
"I, of the Ye family, descendants of the royal family, would rather die than surrender."