However, reality often falls short of expectations.
Shen Cheng frantically spurred all the true qi within his body, yet Du Fei's hand gripping the blade remained unmoving.
"Scram!"
Du Fei let out a soft exclamation, then shook his hand.
Immediately, Shen Cheng, like a drunkard, could no longer stand firm, stumbling backward uncontrollably.
"Take a punch from me too."
Before he could regain his footing, Du Fei threw a punch.
This punch was utterly unremarkable, appearing to onlookers as soft and languid as a casual stretch.
But Shen Cheng felt a tremor run through his entire body, as if he had been locked onto by Du Fei's punch.
No matter the weather or where he fled, it would be useless.
With no other recourse, Shen Cheng gritted his teeth, forcefully suppressing the churning blood and qi within him, and brought his saber across his body, intending to block Du Fei's punch.
*Crack.*
The saber, which Shen Cheng cherished, for which he had invited the era's finest weaponsmith and fused over a dozen rare heavenly materials, shattered into two halves.
Following this, Du Fei's fist wind struck Shen Cheng's chest.
Shen Cheng flew out dozens of meters like a kite with a broken string.
Upon landing, everyone present was horrified to discover that a large section of his chest cavity had caved in, his skin had burst open, and blood sprayed out like a leaky faucet.
"Supreme."
"This young man is actually a Supreme!"
Master Wufa of Leiyin Temple and Daoist Songran wore expressions of disbelief.
Du Fei ignored the two. He picked up Xie Qilin, who had already been paralyzed by fear, and slowly walked towards Xie Zhenghong, tossing him over as if discarding trash.
"Did your Xie family ever consider this day would come? When you are trampled underfoot by those stronger than you, can you then empathize with those you have bullied?"
Xie Zhenghong, questioned so openly in front of everyone, clenched his fists silently, almost grinding his teeth to dust.
When his gaze fell upon Xie Qilin, who Du Fei had thrown before him, he felt an urge to kill him.
This scoundrel had destroyed everything he had painstakingly built over decades.
If not for him provoking Du Fei, this young Supreme, then in another ten or even twenty years, the Xie family had a high probability of becoming one of the ten great families, and he himself would have become one of the highest-ranking family heads due to his outstanding achievements. But now, all of it had vanished like smoke.
Even if Du Fei didn't kill him, he was severely injured, and the other top experts of the Xie family were either dead or wounded.
From this day forward, let alone becoming one of the ten great families, it would be a luxury to merely prevent the Xie family from being devoured by other clans.
"To prevent you from continuing to do evil, I will reclaim all of your cultivation."
With that said, two cold glints shot from Du Fei's hand towards the dantian of Xie Zhenghong and Xie Qilin.
"No!!!"
Xie Zhenghong could only manage a roar before feeling a sharp pain in his dantian. He then realized his dantian was empty, and his clenched fist had become weak and soft.
Xie Zhenghong, who was once the patriarch of the Xie family, an existence revered by countless martial cultivators, was now a common person, his dantian and sea of qi destroyed.
This drastic fall left Xie Zhenghong wishing he could die immediately.
"Martial cultivators cultivate martial virtue and refine their character. If anyone relies on their strength to bully others and oppress the weak, I do not mind reclaiming their cultivation one by one!!"
Du Fei's gaze swept over everyone present. All the martial cultivators, including Master Wufa and Daoist Songran, involuntarily lowered their heads, none daring to meet Du Fei's eyes.
Shen Cheng and the father-son duo of Xie Zhenghong were the prime examples. A Half-step Supreme could not withstand a single punch from Du Fei, let alone them.
Regardless of how many astonishing young geniuses emerged, this Martial Arts Tournament could no longer shock them.
For Du Fei, the Supreme, had stunned everyone.
...
"Why are you back so soon?"
As soon as Du Fei returned to the hotel, he saw Fang Chao also returning shortly after.
He remembered Fang Chao saying the Martial Arts Tournament was scheduled for three days.
"Brother Fei, you've been hiding your strength too deeply," Fang Chao said with a wry smile, looking at Du Fei. "I was just at the scene when you displayed your might. After you left, the scene completely descended into chaos, and the Martial Arts Tournament was called off inconclusively."
Looking at Du Fei now, Fang Chao's eyes were filled with disbelief.
He had initially thought that after taking the Marrow Cleansing Pill, the gap between him and Du Fei was not that significant.
But he never dreamed that Du Fei was actually a Supreme.
"You didn't ask either,"
Du Fei chuckled, not dwelling on the topic.
When he found Liu Shishi, Yu Suqin and her daughter were also with her.
"Sister Qin, Shi Shi and I will be returning to Rongcheng in the next couple of days. I've already warned the people who captured you, but if you're still worried, you can also come back to Rongcheng with me."
If it were before, Yu Suqin would have absolutely refused to leave the place she had lived in for so many years if Du Fei had made such a suggestion.
But being captured twice in a row had made her as skittish as a startled bird.
Although Du Fei had told her he had warned those people, if they went mad one day and Du Fei wasn't there, it would be dangerous.
Coupled with her desire for her daughter to grow up safely, Yu Suqin made her decision after a moment's consideration.
"Du Fei, Shi Shi, then I will have to trouble you both from now on."
Come to think of it, because of Yu Suqin's husband's gambling addiction in the past, all his friends and relatives had been frightened away. Now that there was nothing holding her back, it was perhaps for the best.
Liu Shishi smiled and hugged Zhuang Jiaxin, who obediently rested her head on Liu Shishi's shoulder.
Du Fei then went to Fang Chao's room next door and briefly explained the situation of Yu Suqin and her daughter.
Upon hearing this, Fang Chao immediately stated that he could arrange accommodation, work, and Zhuang Jiaxin's schooling for the mother and daughter once they arrived in Rongcheng.
Du Fei was overjoyed to hear this.
To be honest, when he had first suggested to Yu Suqin that she could return to Rongcheng with him and Liu Shishi, it was primarily out of concern for their safety.
He never expected that Fang Chao, after hearing about Yu Suqin and her daughter, would even consider their living arrangements, work, and schooling. This had saved Du Fei a lot of trouble.
"Brother Fei, now that the Martial Arts Tournament has been called off, why don't you and Sister-in-law stay here and enjoy yourselves for a few days?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking. I'll confirm with Shi Shi later, and we plan to stay in Wangchuan for a few days. You can help us book our return flight tickets in advance then."
Du Fei had the same idea. He had originally brought Liu Shishi out for a trip, and the Martial Arts Tournament was merely incidental.
Now that he had caused the Martial Arts Tournament to end early, he might as well spend a few more days with Liu Shishi.
Fang Chao readily agreed.
After making the arrangements, Du Fei left Fang Chao's room.