Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 186: Chapter 143: The Real Refining Force

After parting ways with Tan Xiao, Wan Ze returned to his room, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to begin his Breath Regulation.

Less than an hour later, a loud banging sounded at his door. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

”Ah Ze! Open up, open up! I know you’re in there!”

Zhai Jia’s voice, brimming with energy, came through the door.

Wan Ze opened his eyes, got up, and answered the door.

Zhai Jia stood at the door with a wicked grin and immediately threw an arm around his shoulder. ”You’re not holed up in here jacking off, are you? Hurry up and come hang out with us!”

Wan Ze’s expression darkened.

Tan Xiao peeked out from behind Zhai Jia.

Zhai Jia chuckled, shaking Wan Ze’s shoulder forcefully. ”I heard about your heroic deed... Holy shit, you beat Zhou Yuan from the Refining Viscera Realm half to death! You’re one hell of a guy!”

Tan Xiao added dryly from behind, ”You should have seen it. Ah Ze even argued that Refining Force expert into silence.”

Zhai Jia’s eyes went wide. ”Holy crap! Ah Ze, you even took on a Refining Force expert?”

He immediately looked Wan Ze up and down as if he were some kind of rare animal.

”Seriously, is your mouth even tougher than your fists?”

Wan Ze shot them an annoyed glance. Not wanting to dwell on the topic, he changed the subject. ”Aren’t you and Brother Yu here to clean up the mess? Why do you need me to go over there?”

”We’re here to get some payback for you,” Zhai Jia said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. ”Alright, Brother Yu’s waiting for us. Get yourself ready and let’s go.”

Wan Ze nodded and went back into the room to grab a jacket.

Zhai Jia leaned against the doorframe, watching him, and suddenly mused, ”Ah Ze, I’ve realized something about you...”

”What’s that?”

”You’re just too unflappable.” Zhai Jia clicked his tongue. ”You beat up people from the Divine Martial Society, stood up to their Refining Grandmaster, and then you just go back to eating, drinking, and cultivating like nothing happened. If that were me, I’d be too nervous to sleep.”

Tan Xiao silently nodded beside him, in complete agreement.

Wan Ze put on his jacket and glanced at them. ”Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep Brother Yu waiting too long.”

He stepped out the door first.

Zhai Jia and Tan Xiao exchanged a glance and hurried to follow.

...

「The Sheng Family’s Living Room」

Elder Peng sat in the seat of honor, his expression dark and stormy.

Liu Qing and Shi Lei stood behind him. One’s eyes were slightly red, the other’s fists were clenched. Both were seething with suppressed anger.

Sheng Yunfeng held a teacup, an expression of perfectly measured concern on his face. ”Elder Peng, regarding Nephew Zhou’s and Nephew Zhao’s injuries, I have already arranged for the best doctors to examine them. Please rest assured, their injuries aren’t serious. They’ll be fine after a period of rest and recovery.”

He spoke with great warmth, his tone filled with what sounded like the utmost concern.

’But his true thoughts were crystal clear.’

’What the hell does those two little bastards getting beaten to a pulp have to do with my Sheng Family?’

’If you from the Divine Martial Society hadn’t insisted on using my son as a pawn, would any of this have even happened?’

He showed none of this on his face, continuing his solicitous inquiries. One moment he was asking if they needed to have any restorative supplements sent over, the next he was mentioning that the Sheng Family had another residence in the city where the two nephews could move to recuperate in peace.

As Elder Peng listened, his expression didn’t improve in the slightest.

’After living for decades, how could he not see through such false sincerity?’

Just as he was about to speak, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.

A moment later, a Sheng Family butler hurried in, bowed, and said, ”President Sheng... people from Dragon Eagle are here.”

Elder Peng’s eyelid twitched.

The expression on Sheng Yunfeng’s face froze instantly. The hand holding his teacup paused in mid-air.

Before he could even react, a group of people had already crossed the threshold.

Zhai Yu led the way.

He was dressed in simple, dark casual clothes. He was tall and slender, and his pace was steady and unhurried.

Zhai Yu’s face was devoid of expression, but the moment he entered, his gaze swept over everyone in the room.

Sheng Yunfeng, however, felt a chill run down his spine. ’This Dragon Eagle Martial Artist has such a piercing aura!’

Behind Zhai Yu were Zhai Jia, Wan Ze, Tan Xiao, and two disciples of other Dragon Eagle Elders.

A smile played on Zhai Jia’s lips, but his eyes roamed the room, finally settling on Liu Qing and Shi Lei as if he were observing something amusing.

Wan Ze’s expression was calm as he stood there casually, his thoughts unreadable.

Tan Xiao stood at the very back, his gaze vigilant.

After taking a few steps, Zhai Yu stopped.

His gaze fell upon Elder Peng as he spoke, his tone flat. ”I’m here today to collect a debt.”

Elder Peng’s face turned livid.

Before he could speak, Liu Qing, standing behind him, was the first to snap.

”You of Dragon Eagle are going too far! You beat our members and still dare to show up at our door to collect a debt? When has the Divine Martial Society ever suffered such a humiliation? If you have any guts, fight us!”

Shi Lei also stepped forward, his face grim, and snarled, ”Exactly! A warrior can be killed but not humiliated! If you want a fight, then let’s fight!”

Zhai Yu said nothing.

He simply turned his head and glanced at them.

Just one glance.

In that instant, the expressions on both Liu Qing and Shi Lei’s faces changed completely.

An astonishing Momentum erupted from Zhai Yu, pressing down on the two of them like a great stone on their chests, making it impossible to breathe.

Liu Qing stood with her mouth agape, unable to utter a single word. The color visibly drained from her face, leaving it deathly pale.

Shi Lei’s muscles tensed violently. He instinctively wanted to retreat, but his feet felt as if they were rooted to the ground; he didn’t dare move an inch.

”You... you... You’ve actually reached the Refining Force Realm?!”

Liu Qing’s eyes widened, her beautiful gaze filled with utter disbelief as she stared at Zhai Yu’s impossibly young face.

’This person... just how old is he?’

’Twenty-six, maybe twenty-seven at most?’

’He’s already reached Refining Force?!’

’In all her years of Cultivation, every Refining Force Expert she had ever seen was over forty years old.’

’When Elder Peng broke through to the Refining Force Realm, he was already thirty-eight, and everyone in the Divine Martial Society had hailed him as a genius for more than a decade.’

’This young man, who couldn’t be much older than her, was already in the Refining Force Realm... How was that fair?’

Standing beside her, Shi Lei’s expression was even uglier than Liu Qing’s.

’It wasn’t that he didn’t believe it; he was utterly horrified.’

’How could Dragon Eagle be so different from what he’d always imagined?’

’When he first joined the Divine Martial Society, his seniors had told him that Dragon Eagle and the Divine Martial Society were two of a kind—major powers in the martial world, evenly matched, keeping each other in check.’

’But what was the reality?’

’First, there was Wan Ze, who was younger than him but already in the Refining Viscera Realm—a level where even Senior Brother Zhou Yuan was no match for him.’

’And now there’s this Zhai Yu... Refining Force! He was at the same goddamn Realm as his own master!’

Shi Lei’s mind was reeling.

’If he had known Dragon Eagle was this powerful, why the hell did he join the Divine Martial Society?’

’Goddammit! Fuck!’

Sitting in the seat of honor, Elder Peng’s face was as black as the bottom of a wok as he watched the pathetic state of his two disciples.

He took a deep breath and stood up.

”A young man who has just entered the Refining Force Realm dares to come here and flaunt his power before me?”

Zhai Yu met his gaze, his expression unchanged. ”This junior has indeed only just reached the Refining Force Realm, so my foundation is unstable. If Senior wishes to offer some guidance, I would not refuse. However, this junior doesn’t know how to hold back. Should I accidentally injure Senior, I hope you will forgive me.”

Elder Peng’s pupils contracted. He laughed in fury. ”What nerve! As expected, the disciples taught by Situ Bai are each more arrogant than the last!”

Zhai Yu didn’t reply.

He simply raised his hand in a cupped fist salute and said three words, his tone as light as a passing cloud, ”Please enlighten me.”

Just as Zhou Yuan had once forced Wan Ze to fight, Zhai Yu was now stepping forward for Wan Ze’s sake.

He knew full well his purpose in coming here was to collect a debt.

But before that, he was determined to stand up for Wan Ze, without a moment’s hesitation.

Elder Peng’s expression shifted multiple times.

’Of course, he could see Zhai Yu’s intention.’

’He was standing up for Wan Ze.’

’But he was caught in a dilemma.’

’If he didn’t fight, how could he save face today?’

’His Divine Martial Society disciples had been beaten, and he, their master, hadn’t dared to even squeak in protest. If word of this got out, how could he ever show his face in the martial world again?’

’But if he did fight...’

’Even if he won, outsiders would only say he was a senior bullying a junior.’

’He was a Veteran Martial Artist who had been famous for decades. Fighting a junior in his twenties... winning would bring no honor, and losing...’

’Losing was impossible.’

’How could he possibly lose to some wet-behind-the-ears kid who had just entered the Refining Force Realm?’

”Fine!”

Elder Peng said in a low voice, ”Since you wish to fight, then this old man shall grant you your wish!”

The moment the words left his mouth, his figure blurred, and he appeared before Zhai Yu.

He struck out with a palm, and a fierce wind howled!

The attack of a Refining Force Expert was indeed on another level.

Wherever the palm strike passed, the very air seemed to tear, and the teacups on the table hummed from the shockwave.

Zhai Yu sidestepped.

The palm strike grazed past his ear, the force of it washing over his face.

Then, he moved.

No one saw how he moved.

They only saw his figure flash before he appeared at Elder Peng’s side, feinting a palm strike toward his ribs.

Elder Peng turned to block, counterattacking with his other hand simultaneously.

But Zhai Yu had vanished again.

In the next instant, he appeared behind Elder Peng.

The palm strike was as unpredictable as a ghost.

Elder Peng’s body swayed, and he staggered forward a step.

Before he could regain his footing, Zhai Yu appeared at his side again.

The second palm strike came.

BAM!

Elder Peng stumbled back three consecutive steps to the side, the soles of his shoes scraping harshly against the floor.

His expression changed drastically as he desperately tried to steady himself for a counterattack, but Zhai Yu was already standing before him.

He delivered the third palm strike.

This strike landed squarely on Elder Peng’s chest.

”PFFT!!!”

Elder Peng coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward, only barely stopping his momentum when he slammed into the wall behind him.

For a moment, there was dead silence.

Liu Qing’s mouth hung open, her eyes looking as if they would pop out of their sockets.

Shi Lei stood frozen in place, his mind a complete blank.

The teacup in Sheng Yunfeng’s hand fell to the floor, splashing tea all over his pant leg, but he was utterly oblivious.

Sheng Rulong, standing in a corner, was the picture of astonishment... He had seen it.

He had seen it all with his own eyes.

’Elder Peng, the Divine Martial Society’s Refining Force Expert, had been defeated in just three moves by a man in his twenties?!’

’Just three moves.’

’And it was an utter rout!’

’Holy shit!’

’Does Dragon Eagle only raise monsters?!’

...

Zhai Yu stood in place, not even the hem of his clothes disheveled.

He raised a hand, dusted off his cuff, and then pulled a Jade Pendant from within his robes.

It was the very same one Elder Peng had thrown at Wan Ze two hours earlier.

He walked over, stopped before Elder Peng, and looked down at him. ”You said before that Dragon Eagle should bring the Jade Pendant to collect its debt. Now, I am here. I trust that Senior will keep his word.”

He then held the Jade Pendant out in front of Elder Peng.

Elder Peng’s chest heaved violently, with blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth.

He looked at the Jade Pendant, then back at Zhai Yu’s young, expressionless face.

”You!!!”

Elder Peng’s lips trembled. He wanted to say something, but no words came out.

He failed to catch his breath, and his face turned from livid to white, and from white to purple.

”PFFT!!!!”

Another mouthful of blood sprayed out.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fell backward, stiff as a board.

He had passed out cold.

Liu Qing screamed and rushed over. ”Master!”

Shi Lei stood frozen, completely at a loss, his entire body trembling.

Zhai Jia popped out from behind the others. Seeing the scene, his eyes went wide. ”Holy crap? Is he trying to fake an injury?”

Then, pointing at the unconscious Elder Peng, he sneered, ”Don’t you Divine Martial Society folks think you can get away with this! If you don’t give us a satisfactory explanation, I’ll personally lead men to smash your headquarters!”

Cradling Elder Peng, Liu Qing’s tears streamed down her face, and she couldn’t even form a coherent sentence. ”You... you people...”

Shi Lei opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.

Zhai Yu frowned slightly.

He put the Jade Pendant back into his robes. ”The Divine Martial Society must pay this debt. Otherwise, the next person to pay a visit will be my master!”

With that, he turned to leave.

At the doorway, he suddenly stopped and glanced back at Sheng Yunfeng.

Sheng Yunfeng shuddered and subconsciously took a step back, forcing a smile that was uglier than a grimace onto his face.

”As for your Sheng Family... you’d best be on your best behavior.”

After saying his piece, Zhai Yu withdrew his gaze and continued on his way out.

Wan Ze followed behind him. As he passed Sheng Rulong, his steps faltered for a moment.

Sheng Rulong’s body went rigid. He even forgot to breathe.

Wan Ze glanced at him.

Just one glance.

Then he looked away and walked on.

The living room fell into a dead silence.

Only the sound of Liu Qing’s weeping remained...

This time, the Divine Martial Society had been utterly defeated.

No matter how glorious their previous display at the Ming Family residence had been, at this moment, they had lost all dignity.