"Brother, what should we do now?" Yun Xiaoya asked as they stepped out of the room.
"We go find Huang Tianxiang!" A flash of cold light crossed Yun Chen's eyes.
Rather than waiting for the other party to come after them, he would take the initiative and go to him.
"Ah, Brother, that Huang Tianxiang is the one who wanted to kill you! If we go straight to him, isn't that walking right into a trap?" Hearing this, Yun Xiaoya was startled and quickly spoke up.
"Little girl, some things have to be faced sooner or later, so we might as well face them sooner. Besides, I don't have any deep grudge with Huang Tianxiang; it's simply that I talked back to him a few times. If he's willing to let this matter go, what harm is there in apologizing to him?"
Even though it felt extremely humiliating in his heart, Yun Chen knew this was his only option right now.
As for his identity as a member of the Yun family, he had no intention of relying on it whatsoever.
Of course, if he were willing to kowtow to Yun Ziyue and the others and let them humiliate him, those people might step up for him. But that was not what Yun Chen wanted.
Yun Xiaoya nodded, half-understanding.
The reason Yun Chen brought Yun Xiaoya along was that he knew very well once something happened to him, she would never survive alone on the beast-drawn carriage. Since that was the case, it was better to keep her by his side.
As one of the stewards of the Heavenly Gate Chamber of Commerce, Huang Tianxiang held a decent status and position on the beast-drawn carriage, which entitled him to a private room on the second floor.
The two of them walked straight down from the third floor and soon arrived at the door of Huang Tianxiang's room.
Standing guard outside the door were two Qi Cyclone Realm cultivators.
"Yun Chen is here to pay respects to Steward Huang!"
Yun Chen cupped his fists slightly and said in a clear voice.
"Yun Chen?" A puzzled voice came from inside, and it was undoubtedly Huang Tianxiang.
The door opened, revealing Huang Tianxiang's face.
The moment he saw the two siblings, a look of obvious astonishment crossed his face: "It's you? You're actually fine?"
Hearing this, Yun Chen became even more certain that the young man he had killed in the main hall earlier had indeed been sent by this fellow.
Judging by his reaction, however, this fellow seemed unaware that his man had already been killed.
That being the case, Huang Tianxiang hadn't taken him seriously at all.
"Indeed, it's me. My name is Yun Chen. Steward Huang, do you mind if I come in and sit for a moment?" Yun Chen said calmly.
Huang Tianxiang had no idea why Yun Chen had come to see him, but no matter what the purpose, he had nothing to fear.
He was a steward of the beast-drawn carriage station, not to mention a Peak Qi Condensation Realm powerhouse. The other party looked like nothing more than a rogue cultivator. How could a mere rogue cultivator ever catch his eye?
"Come in!"
Yun Chen led Yun Xiaoya into the room and closed the door behind them.
"Speak! What did you come here to find me for?" Huang Tianxiang sat down, making no move to offer seats to Yun Chen or his sister.
"Steward Huang, I don't believe I've ever offended you? By the way, about that Cui Yanluo you asked me about earlier—to tell you the truth, that Cui Yanluo has already been killed by me. And the person you sent to the first-floor hall to give me trouble? I killed him too!"
Huang Tianxiang had assumed that Cui Yanluo simply hadn't had time to go after Yun Chen yet. Never did he expect that Cui Yanluo would actually end up dead at the hands of the person standing right before him, causing his expression to shift slightly.
"Are you saying Cui Yanluo died at your hands?" Huang Tianxiang asked in a deep voice.
"That's right!" Yun Chen sneered. "What kind of person Cui Yanluo is, I imagine you know very well."
"Impossible! Cui Yanluo is a Peak Qi Condensation Realm expert, while you are merely in the Qi Cyclone Realm. How could you possibly be his match? Besides, Cui Yanluo obtained a Lower Earth-grade battle skill; even cultivators of the same realm from major sects would have almost no chance of winning against him."
Despite saying that aloud, Huang Tianxiang already believed it to some extent in his heart.
Cui Yanluo had even given him the Origin-Cultivating Pill, so he definitely wouldn't have let Yun Chen go. Yet Yun Chen was still standing here, while Cui Yanluo had vanished without a trace. Needless to say, the man's fate was grim.
This time, Yun Chen did not reply.
A glint flickered in Huang Tianxiang's eyes. After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke: "You came to see me because you're afraid I'll use the Chamber of Commerce's influence to make a move against you, right?"
"That's right!" Yun Chen narrowed his eyes slightly and admitted it frankly.
"You committed murder on the beast-drawn carriage, and I have a myriad of reasons to take you down. However, considering your decent talent, I can spare your life." A fox-like smile crept onto Huang Tianxiang's face.
"How so?"
"It's very simple. Hand over everything you took from Cui Yanluo—I remember he had a Lower Earth-grade battle skill called something like Earth-Exploding Heaven-Shattering... Then, you kowtow and apologize to me, admitting you shouldn't have talked back to me earlier. On top of that, leave this little girl behind to serve me in my bed for three years. Then the grudge between us will be wiped clean. How about that?"
Huang Tianxiang looked at Yun Chen with a sly smile, looking utterly confident that Yun Chen wouldn't dare refuse.
Yun Chen did not reply immediately. Instead, he quietly watched Huang Tianxiang.
Was Huang Tianxiang not afraid he would refuse, or was he certain he had no choice but to agree?
If it were anyone else, they probably would have caved by now.
Wasn't it just handing over some items, kowtowing in apology, and letting your own sister serve someone for three years?
"I can give you the items, and I can kowtow and apologize to you. But this little girl cannot be handed over to you!" Yun Xiaoya was his sister; how could he ever agree to such a thing?
That went against his core principles.
He, Yun Chen, had his own bottom line.
"Brat, I'm not negotiating with you right now; I'm simply informing you. Today, you will agree whether you want to or not!" Huang Tianxiang suddenly slammed his palm down hard onto the table.
"In that case, there's nothing more to discuss!" Yun Chen had already stood up.
"You want to leave?" Huang Tianxiang chuckled derisively.
"No..." Yun Chen suddenly smiled as well.
With a loud "bang," Yun Chen made his move in an instant, driving a punch straight toward the crown of Huang Tianxiang's head.
Because the distance was so close, and because Huang Tianxiang never expected Yun Chen would dare to attack him, it wasn't until Yun Chen's fist was already crashing down toward his skull that he realized someone actually dared to kill him.
Accompanied by a dull thud, Huang Tianxiang's head burst open like a watermelon smashed by a heavy iron hammer.
Yun Chen was a Qi Cyclone Realm Layer 1 cultivator with spiritual qi in his body that was exceptionally pure. At this moment, the force behind a single punch could reach tens of thousands of catties. No matter how sturdy Huang Tianxiang's skull was, it was bound to be smashed to pieces.
Yun Xiaoya had never witnessed such a bloody scene before and let out a piercing scream.
Yun Chen frowned and said in a low voice, "Cut it out, stop screaming! Do you want your brother to be killed by those people?"
There were guards outside the door, so Yun Chen didn't dare to speak loudly.
"Brother..."
"Alright, stop talking," Yun Chen warned hastily.
Hearing this, Yun Xiaoya didn't dare to babble any further.
After a brief moment of thought, Yun Chen moved Huang Tianxiang's corpse onto the bed, took the man's storage ring, and then said to Yun Xiaoya, "We'll leave the room directly in a moment. Once we're outside, we'll head straight back to the main hall. The beast-drawn carriage will take about three days to reach Salt City. As long as nobody discovers that Steward Huang is dead within these three days, we'll be safe. If someone finds out, we'll just have to leave it to fate."
"I understand, Brother, but there's a smell of blood in here..." Yun Xiaoya worried aloud.
Yun Chen frowned slightly as well.
The moment the room door was opened, the smell of blood would waft out, and people would inevitably notice.
If that happened, would anyone really give him three days?
It seemed he had to deal with the smell of blood.
"Brother, should we just wait here until the smell of blood dissipates?" Seeing Yun Chen frown, Yun Xiaoya quickly offered a suggestion.
Yun Chen shook his head slightly. Doing that wouldn't solve the problem at all.
Unless they stayed locked inside this room forever.
"Forever..."
At that thought, an idea suddenly formed in Yun Chen's mind.
Next, Yun Chen gave Yun Xiaoya a few instructions and calmly began to cultivate right there in the room.
As for Huang Tianxiang's corpse, he simply packed it away into a storage ring.
A storage ring could hold any kind of object, provided it had no life.
Since Huang Tianxiang was already dead, there naturally wouldn't be any issues.
Yun Chen had initially been worried that someone might come looking for Huang Tianxiang. To his relief, two full days passed without a soul showing up, and even the two guards outside the door remained completely silent.
Finally, the third day arrived.
A voice rang out across the entire beast-drawn carriage.
"We have arrived at Salt City. All passengers disembarking at Salt City, please leave the carriage. The carriage will continue its journey in half an incense stick of time!"
Hearing this, the two of them let out a heavy sigh of relief. Yun Chen grabbed Yun Xiaoya's hand, threw open the room door, and stepped outside without delay.
Hearing the door open, the two guards assumed it was Huang Tianxiang and prepared to bow in greeting.
"Steward Huang is currently in seclusion and has ordered that no one is to disturb him under any circumstances, no matter what happens. Do you understand?" Yun Chen said with a solemn expression.
"Yes!"
The two guards didn't suspect a thing and immediately bowed in acknowledgment.
It never crossed their minds that someone would dare to murder Huang Tianxiang right on the beast-drawn carriage.
Yun Chen closed the room door and led Yun Xiaoya away at a brisk pace.
Along the way, Yun Xiaoya was visibly extremely nervous.
When getting off the carriage, Yun Chen ran into a few acquaintances.
Fusu Mingyu, Jing Yuan, and others.
Seeing that Yun Chen and his sister were completely unharmed, a hint of surprise crossed Fusu Mingyu and the others' faces.
However, the group merely cast a casual glance at the siblings and paid them no further attention.
As for Yun Chen, he certainly didn't have the time to bother with these people.
It wasn't until the massive beast-drawn carriage rumbled away once more that Yun Chen finally let out a long breath of turbid air.
For the short term, he was safe.
Next, he had to join Dayan Mountain. Furthermore, he had to enter the inner sect and become an inner sect disciple; otherwise, once the Heavenly Gate Chamber of Commerce came looking for them, there was no guarantee Dayan Mountain wouldn't just hand the siblings over.
Killing a steward was no small matter. Only by becoming an inner sect disciple of Dayan Mountain would the Heavenly Gate Chamber of Commerce think twice before making a move.
Salt City Plaza.
Salt City Plaza was the largest plaza in all of Salt City, without exception. Spanning hundreds of miles, it was vast enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people.
At this moment, right in the middle of Salt City Plaza, the disciple selection ceremony of Dayan Mountain was in full swing.
When Yun Chen arrived with Yun Xiaoya, the entire plaza was already a sea of people.
"Look at that! If you want to join the outer sect of Dayan Mountain, your physical strength must reach over ten thousand catties. Only by lifting that huge bronze bell can you pass the first round and participate in the subsequent tests!"
Beside Yun Chen, a young man pointed toward a massive bronze bell placed at the front of the plaza.
That bronze bell was at least two and a half meters tall, engraved with various totems and weighing well over ten thousand catties.
Without ten thousand catties of strength, don't even dream of moving or lifting that bell.
"Xiaoya, what kind of spiritual roots do you have?" Yun Chen asked Yun Xiaoya beside him.
If her talent was outstanding enough, Yun Xiaoya would have a chance to enter Dayan Mountain.
"I don't know. Uncle and the others never told me!"
Hearing this, Yun Chen frowned slightly.
Since Yun Xiaoya was able to cultivate, she definitely possessed spiritual roots; it was just a mystery what grade those roots belonged to.
Regardless of the grade, Xiaoya was only fifteen years old and had already reached the Mid Spirit-Guiding Realm. Joining the outer sect of Dayan Mountain shouldn't be too difficult. And if she somehow failed to get in, he could always pull out that letter of recommendation and trade it for a spot.
"Rise for me!"
Up ahead, a burly teenager wrapped his arms around the huge bronze bell and let out a roar, actually managing to lift the bell entirely off the ground.
However, after three full seconds, he could no longer bear the strain and released his grip. With a loud "bang," the heavy bronze bell crashed back onto the ground, the sound causing many people standing nearby to suffer from temporary deafness.
"Passed! Proceed to the next round of testing!"
Off to the side, a steward clad in Dayan Mountain attire spoke indifferently.
Hearing this, the burly youth's face lit up with joy as he hurried toward the rear. There, another massive bronze bell stood, though this one looked far more archaic than the first.
"Strike the bronze bell to pass the second round of testing, regardless of the method you use!" A steward standing beside that second bronze bell said expressionlessly when he saw the burly youth approach.
To join Dayan Mountain, one had to pass a total of three tests.
Lifting the bell, striking the bell, and finally, the spiritual root test. As long as your spiritual root wasn't too abysmal, you could generally secure a spot in the Dayan Mountain outer sect.
Though there were only three tests, none of them were things an ordinary person could easily accomplish.
"It's Zhang Tao!"
At that moment, Yun Xiaoya noticed a familiar figure.
Right now, that figure was walking up to the massive bronze bell.
Seeing Zhang Tao, Yun Chen watched with passing interest.
Back on the beast-drawn carriage, this fellow had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation with him, but his attitude had visibly chilled the moment he learned Yun Chen had offended a steward.
"Rise for me!"
Zhang Tao was already in the Mid Qi Cyclone Realm. With a heave of his arms, he hoisted the bronze bell into the air and managed to hold it steady for more than ten seconds before finally setting it down.
"Not bad!" The steward offered a word of praise.
"Thank you, Steward!"
"Under seventeen years of age, Qi Cyclone Realm Layer 5. Your talent appears quite decent. Go on! Ring the bronze bell."
Zhang Tao cupped his fists slightly and stepped up to the second bronze bell.
He stared at the bell, narrowed his eyes, stepped forward abruptly, and lashed out with a palm strike.
"Eight Desolations Palm!"
He roared, his palm surging with pure, unadulterated spiritual qi, and slammed it fiercely against the body of the bronze bell.
As his palm connected, the bronze bell rang out with two consecutive echoing booms.
The sound wasn't deafening, but it carried clearly across the entire Salt City Plaza.
"To make the bell ring twice in a row—this guy's strength is nothing to scoff at. Looks like once he joins the outer sect, he'll definitely be a standout among the outer sect disciples."
"Indeed, this fellow's talent is quite respectable."
"Making the bell ring once is enough to pass, but ringing it twice means he'll definitely draw the attention of the sect. Ringing it three times makes you a true genius."
"A while ago, someone actually made the bell ring eight times in a row. That guy was taken in directly by an elder as a personal disciple. Tsk tsk..."
The crowd buzzed with discussion, looking at Zhang Tao with a mix of envy.
Being able to make the bell ring twice meant he had proven himself quite capable and was guaranteed a spot in Dayan Mountain.
Next, other participants stepped up to take the test in succession.
Unfortunately, no one else managed to pass.
"Xiaoya, go give it a try!"
Knowing they couldn't afford to wait any longer, Yun Chen spoke directly to Yun Xiaoya.
"Yo-ho, if it isn't our Yun family's genius! What, did you also come here to participate in the disciple selection for my Dayan Mountain?"
A sarcastic voice suddenly rang out.
Without even looking, Yun Chen knew that annoying fellow Yun Ziyue was back.
Sure enough, a few figures walked over from the side.
Yun Ziyue, Yun Zhongfei, Yun Shanshan, and Yun Mengchen.
Since Yun Ziyue was an inner sect disciple, the surrounding people hurriedly stepped aside the moment he appeared, not daring to get anywhere near him.
Yun Chen raised an eyebrow, feeling an even deeper disgust toward the three of them.
Logic dictated that he was still a member of the Yun family; even if they didn't want to help him, the least they could do was refrain from kicking a man while he was down.
Yet looking at them now, Yun Ziyue acted as though they shared a mortal blood feud, always finding a chance to hurl insults whenever they crossed paths.
As far as he recalled, he didn't even have any major grievances with Yun Ziyue, did he?
"Big Brother Ziyue, you guys..." Yun Xiaoya's eyes turned red with anger.
"Don't call me big brother! I, Yun Ziyue, have no such younger siblings!" Yun Ziyue's face darkened as he scoffed coldly. "Because you aren't worthy!"
You aren't worthy!
Those words pierced into Yun Xiaoya's heart like a sharp blade.
"Xiaoya, hurry up and go test! He's just a Qi Condensation Realm cultivator; despite his decent talent, his mindset is exceptionally narrow. Someone like him will only achieve limited success in the future, so you don't need to take him to heart at all!" Seeing Yun Xiaoya tremble, Yun Chen quickly offered words of comfort.
"What did you say?" A chilling light flared in Yun Ziyue's eyes.
"I said trash like you will only achieve limited success. What, did I say something wrong?" Yun Chen showed not a shred of fear.
A mere Early Qi Condensation Realm cultivator—he hadn't taken him seriously to begin with.
Even though he was only at Qi Cyclone Realm Layer 1, he had already killed more than one Peak Qi Condensation Realm expert.
Hearing Yun Chen's mercilessly sarcastic words, Yun Ziyue's face turned ashen with rage, wishing he could slaughter Yun Chen right on the spot.
"What a sharp-tongued little bastard. Right now, I actually hope you manage to join Dayan Mountain. Once you're inside, we'll see how I deal with you." Yun Ziyue spoke coldly.
This time, Yun Chen couldn't be bothered to respond.
It wasn't that Yun Ziyue didn't want to make a move; he simply couldn't do it here.
Fighting was strictly forbidden in Salt City, and with quite a few sect elders present, starting a brawl here would inevitably displease them. Affecting his own future just to teach Yun Chen a lesson was not worth it.
At this point, Yun Xiaoya had already stepped out of the crowd and arrived in front of the giant bronze bell.
Since Yun Xiaoya was already in the Mid Spirit-Guiding Realm, lifting this bronze bell logically shouldn't be an issue.
In the Daxia Nation, ordinary people possessed far greater physical strength than people from Earth, routinely possessing thousands of catties of raw power. Once they stepped onto the path of cultivation, that strength would multiply manifold.
The Mid Spirit-Guiding Realm granted at least ten thousand catties of force.
Yun Xiaoya wrapped her arms around the bronze bell and, with a soft cry, managed to lift the massive bell right off the ground.
In the blink of an eye, five seconds passed, and she was still holding the giant bronze bell without the slightest sign of letting go.
"I must not let my Brother down! Brother has always been the one protecting me, and now it's my turn to protect him!"
The little girl hardened her heart, gripping the bell for dear life to keep it from falling.
Finally, a full minute ticked by before she finally released her grip, letting the bronze bell crash down with a dull, heavy thud.
"Not bad!"