—Arrogant!
Lu Chen’s actions caught everyone off guard, yet carried a reckless, defiant audacity—like a man burning his boats behind him!
It made everyone present feel a chill in their hearts.
Everyone had assumed Lu Chen would just have to swallow Zhao Wanliang’s show of force.
No one could have imagined that Lu Chen would turn the tables and give him a taste of his own medicine—even daring to threaten the Zhao family in public!
He hadn’t even formally joined the ranks of the rising stars yet, and he already dared to openly challenge the Zhao family—the most powerful and influential force in Jiangdu City right now.
Seeing the two sides evenly matched.
For a moment, people really couldn’t tell whether this was recklessness or deliberate calculation.
At this moment, the atmosphere at the City Lord’s Mansion entrance was tense to the extreme—and delicate to the extreme. One wrong move, and a spectacular conflict would instantly erupt!
“Young friend Lu, you and I are both people of standing in Jiangdu now. Saying such things—isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”
There was no question that Zhao Jiutang was furious at being provoked like this by a wet-behind-the-ears kid.
But considering this kid’s relationship with the Sun family, his ties with City Lord Yu Feng, and the foundation of those three thousand Raksha Cult members…
Right now, Lu Chen—or rather, the Lu family—genuinely had the confidence to challenge any major family in Jiangdu City.
Even Zhao Jiutang had to secretly weigh his options.
He forced down his anger and said coldly, “Besides, I’ve already apologized to young friend Lu for my servant’s earlier recklessness. Pushing this so aggressively—don’t tell me you really don’t take the Zhao family seriously at all?”
Lu Chen chuckled softly, his tone indifferent and completely unswayed. “Family Head Zhao, there’s a saying that makes sense: whether you apologize is your business; whether I accept it is mine. If you want to make amends, I can’t stop you. Likewise, whether I forgive you or not—that’s none of your concern. That’s just my style!”
“You—!”
Zhao Jiutang’s expression changed drastically. He was about to erupt when Zhao Wanliang reached out a hand to stop him.
The corner of Zhao Wanliang’s mouth curved in something between a smile and a sneer. “Kid, you really are arrogant.”
Lu Chen narrowed his eyes and shot back, “Compared to Young Master Zhao, my little edge is already quite polite.”
“So you’re dead set on having a go at the Zhao family?” A coldness spread through Zhao Wanliang’s eyes.
The murderous intent in Lu Chen’s eyes was no less fierce. “At the end of the day, the Zhao family is just one of Jiangdu’s major families—you’re not invincible.”
Before the words even faded, he took a sudden step forward.
In an instant, his eyes turned crimson.
BOOM—!!
A vast surge of netherworld underworld energy shot skyward, manifesting behind him as a phantom of the King of Hell with a green face and fangs, its oppressive aura terrifying.
Black electric serpents writhed and leaped around his body—the most ferocious and baleful [Netherworld Divine Thunder].
Everyone present changed color, thoroughly shaken!
Disagreeing on a single word, and he immediately used force to suppress the other?!
Who could have imagined that the one pressing forward step by step, pushing the show of force to its limit, was the seemingly “outnumbered” Lu Chen!
In an instant, pressure came crashing down like Mount Tai, pouring entirely onto the Zhao family!
Zhao Wanliang’s brows locked tight. He let out a cold snort, and golden light exploded around him. Blazing golden divine thunder surged up from beneath his feet, converging above his head into a thunder pool.
Amid the crackling thunder, a faint dragon’s roar echoed.
In a flash, the Netherworld Divine Thunder and the golden divine thunder collided violently, tearing and annihilating each other.
Fierce gales of energy spilled in all directions. Even the weaker first- and second-rank spiritual practitioners in the distance were sent staggering.
However, Zhao Wanliang was, after all, a full major realm higher—and the thunder arts of the Thunder Division naturally countered the Netherworld Divine Thunder. The golden lightning quickly gained the upper hand.
Yet Lu Chen’s expression didn’t change.
The next moment, the [Plague Emperor Banner] flew out from his ring, its fabric snapping in the wind as it summoned a more domineering plume of green miasma that intertwined with the netherworld energy, hanging above his head.
The moment this treasure appeared, its overwhelming divine might and extraordinary quality made everyone present gasp.
—A [Plague Division] treasure?!
With the plague arts empowering it, the Netherworld Divine Thunder’s momentum suddenly surged, like a fierce beast opening its maw—it devoured the golden lightning bite by bite and pushed it back, turning the tide in an instant!
Seeing this, Zhao Wanliang’s knuckles went white as he gripped his fingers, staring fixedly at Lu Chen. He ground out word by word: “Good. Very good! But you think you’re the only one with a treasure?!”
He was about to summon his own treasure and go all out—
“ENOUGH!!!!”
At that moment, a furious roar like a great bell, wrapped in immense power, swept out from within the City Lord’s Mansion.
In an instant, it smoothed away all the residual waves of their clash.
Both men grunted and staggered back.
Lu Chen retreated two steps.
Zhao Wanliang retreated a full three steps.
“I told you to come discuss matters, and you come causing trouble?! Have you no shame?! Get in here, all of you!!”
Yu Feng’s voice rang out, his anger unmistakable.
“Cult Master…” Zeng Rou immediately looked over with concern.
Lu Chen waved a hand, signaling he was fine.
Across from him, Zhao Jiutang also pulled back his nephew Zhao Wanliang, shaking his head slightly.
“Hmph!” Only then did Zhao Wanliang reluctantly withdraw his power.
“Both of you, stop arguing. It’s not worth it over such a small matter—the City Lord has already spoken.”
The other family heads immediately began smoothing things over, and the powder keg was temporarily defused.
Zhao Wanliang shot Lu Chen a vicious glare, then followed Zhao Jiutang into the mansion.
“You alright, Xiao Chen?” Sun Qingcang and the others gathered around.
“I’m fine, Uncle Sun.”
“You really do have quite the temper.” Sun Qingcang said this, but his face carried a scolding smile.
Sun Yourong gave a direct thumbs-up. “Well done!”
“Yourong.” Sun Qingcang shot his daughter a look, then said, “Let’s head in first. The City Lord will be getting impatient.”
“Alright.”
Lu Chen nodded and followed behind the Sun family group.
Nearby, Qin Guangshan, Wu Jingzhi, and the others also cupped their hands with smiles. “Young friend Lu truly is a young talent. Admirable, admirable!”
Lu Chen smiled faintly, noncommittal.
He knew full well that the other families in Jiangdu were dying to see him and the Zhao family go at each other.
But falling out with the Zhao family had been part of Lu Chen’s plan all along.
If they wanted to watch, he’d let them watch their fill.
As everyone stepped into the City Lord’s Mansion…
Inside the City God Hall.
Through the image projected by the City God Seal, Li Chenghuang’s face was so dark it looked like it could drip water.
“That brat! I warned you not to provoke them! Not to provoke them!!! And you just wouldn’t listen!!!”
Now look what happened.
Just moments ago, he’d said he wanted a smooth transition until the mansion position was settled.
And then the two sides clashed this fiercely the very first time they met.
Which meant this grudge was now thoroughly cemented!
A vague unease stirred in Li Chenghuang’s heart.
This variable had come too suddenly, completely beyond expectations.
For the first time, he felt a sense of panic—like the situation was spinning out of control and everything was going off the rails.
“Nothing to do but take it one step at a time. Hopefully it’s just a small hiccup.”
Li Chenghuang prayed silently.
The City Lord’s Mansion, central hall.
Yu Feng was already seated in the main position.
Seeing the various families file in—especially when his gaze swept over Zhao Wanliang and Lu Chen—his brow furrowed:
“Truly young heroes, aren’t you? One wrong word and you dare to start a fight right outside my City Lord’s Mansion? You two certainly have some nerve!”
Lu Chen and Zhao Wanliang exchanged a glance, then cupped their hands in unison. “Please calm your anger, City Lord.”
Yu Feng let out a cold snort and waved his sleeve impatiently. “Sit.”
“Yes.”
The family heads took their seats in order.
But once seated, everyone’s eyes unconsciously drifted toward Lu Chen again.
By convention, Lu Chen was from the north of the city, and with Ma Shilong already detained, his vacant position should rightfully be filled by Lu Chen.
But that would mean he’d have to sit behind the Zhao family.
At least on the surface, he’d have to defer to the Zhao family as the lead.
Yet the two sides had just had a fierce clash. If Lu Chen really sat there now, it would amount to a veiled submission.
But if he didn’t sit… was he supposed to just stand there alone?
Fortunately, Sun Yourong quickly saw his predicament and waved him over. “Lu Chen, come sit next to me.”
“Hey, young friend Lu lives in the northwest of the city—sitting on my side makes more sense.” Qin Guangshan immediately chimed in with a smile, taking the opportunity to stick it to the Zhao family and settle an old score.
Lu Chen shook his head slightly, thanking them both for the kind offer.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Zhao Wanliang’s expression—waiting to see what he’d choose, a faint provocation in his look. Lu Chen directly cupped his hands toward Yu Feng:
“City Lord, may I sit where I did before?”
He pointed to the spot in the middle of the hall where he’d sat during the last discussion.
Yu Feng’s face was expressionless as he nodded. “Sit wherever you like. There’s never been a rule that you must sit in a particular seat.”
There was clearly deeper meaning in those words, and the family heads immediately exchanged glances, their looks toward the Zhao family growing more and more meaningful.
Zhao Jiutang and Zhao Wanliang’s eyes sharpened, their expressions growing uglier.
“Thank you, City Lord!”
Attendants brought over a chair, and Lu Chen didn’t stand on ceremony—he sat down squarely and boldly.
Last time, there had been people questioning him. This time, he was attending the meeting with full legitimacy.
No one in the hall made another sound.
“Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s officially begin the discussion.”
As he spoke, Yu Feng suddenly rose to his feet.
“But before we begin, let me announce some good news. Let us congratulate the head of the Lu family—Lu Chen—on earning the qualification to advance to rising star status. Everyone, join in the congratulations!”
With that, he led the applause.
The other family heads rose to join in.
Zhao Jiutang hesitated for a moment, then also stood.
Only Zhao Wanliang remained seated.
“What’s this? Young Master Zhao won’t even give this City Lord some face?” Yu Feng looked over with a cold smile.
A chill ran down Zhao Wanliang’s spine. Helpless, he reluctantly stood and clapped along with everyone else.
“Thank you all!” Lu Chen bowed in salute.
“Family Head Lu, please step forward.”
Yu Feng took an official document from a serving girl beside him and handed it over with both hands.
“This is the formal document for advancing to rising star status. With this, once you complete the verification of your assets and military achievements, you may formally establish your headquarters and build a shrine for the Lu family!”
“Thank you, City Lord!!”
Lu Chen accepted the document, his heart filled with mixed emotions—and tremendous excitement!
He’d finally made it to this step!
This rising star qualification!
—I, Lu Chen, have finally officially obtained it!!!
“Congratulations, Family Head Lu!”
“Congratulations, Family Head Lu!”
Voices of congratulation rose all around.
At this moment, amid the crowd, Zhao Jiutang and his nephew stood out as incongruous.
Although they had come today specifically to witness Lu Chen’s advancement to rising star status.
The situation before them was completely different from what they’d expected.
Zhao Wanliang still couldn’t figure it out.
Why had this kid reacted so violently?
He’d merely followed convention and given the other a simple little show of force.
Yet he’d ended up kicking a steel plate.
And landed himself in an awkward spot instead.
“Is this crazy kid even more vindictive than I am?!”
Zhao Wanliang cursed inwardly with hatred:
“Damn it. Damn it all!”
