"Where is that old man who slapped me just now? This is the first time I ever get slapped in my life!"
Xian Zhenfei rubbed his cheek, sneering at Han Zhen lying on the floor unconscious because Xian Ran kicked him away. He then splashed a basin full of cold water over Han Zhen's face, making him awake, just as he had the previous time.
"How did you like that slap I gave you?"
The first thing Han Zhen saw as he opened his eyes was the fat man in the lines he had just slapped. The man was grinning, but there was a certain kind of edginess in his voice.
"How could you do this?" Han Zhen stuttered, his voice quivering.
"How come you're not poisoned?"
Xian Zhenfei retorted, then his throat bulged and he spat a mouthful of saliva onto Han Zhen's face as he laughed. "Because we didn't drink anything!"
Han Zhen was stunned. They hadn't drunk the wine? That meant they hadn't lost their cultivation at all! But if that was so, why were they playing this twisted game?
He didn't even get to absorb it anymore when Xian Zhenfei jumped toward him. He slapped Han Zhen's face over and over, sounds resonated in the room, teeth and blood flying with every hit.
"How could you, Uncle Wu?" he burst out as he was shocked to see that the elders had not lost their cultivation.
"Haha, nothing! We were just putting on a show for people like the Lingyun Sect! " Xian Wu chuckled as he stretched out a hand, easily catching Pengfei, who had made a dash for the other room in an attempt to escape.
"A show? Why?" Xian Ran furrowed his brow in puzzlement.
"Isn't it all for you? Haven't you felt the differences inside yourself?" Xian Wu asked, his eyes aglow with excitement.
"Changes within myself?" Xian Ran was shocked, looking at his palms. Now he could feel it; there has been tremendous improvement in his cultivation and far stronger combat strength than before.
"Everything was to help awaken your special physique!"
"Your body is unique; it can only be activated by strong grief and rage. The most effective way is to see your loved ones die. With the coming of the Lingyun Sect, we old folks decided to use the chance to activate your powers!" Xian Wu explained, a knowing smile on his face.
"Is that so?" Xian Ran's realization dawned on him. He recalled seeing the elders drink the toxic wine and the intense grief and rage that surged within him. It felt like shackles had been shattered, restoring his cultivation in an instant!
"So, everything you've done was just a game? You didn't lose your cultivation at any point?" Pengfei, now pale and trembling, could hardly believe the revelation.
"Game? Ha! You flatter yourself. You think too highly of yourself as being important. It's as easy as crushing an ant. If it weren't for Xian Ran, I wouldn't even bother to glance at a place like your Lingyun Sect!" Xian Wu sneered.
"You have the audacity to want to know the secrets of the Xian family? You feel you are worthy?
"What is this physique that Xian Ran awakened? Is it really worth all this effort?" Pengfei asked in a quivering voice, full of fear.
They had spent years entrenched in their sect and had still never discovered Xian Ran's potential!
"What physique? His capabilities surpass your imagination, and the heights he could reach are unfathomable. If you treat him sincerely and he chooses to share some resources with you in the future, your Lingyun Sect could easily outstrip the Yunxiao Dynasty. It's a pity you wasted a golden opportunity and targeted the Xian family instead!"
"Okay, I have said what had to be said. Now prepare for the inevitable death!" Xian Wu squeezed harder, making Pengfei cough up blood. The force applied was too great for him to endure. He felt like he was up against an entity from another dimension, totally no match.
The most dangerous of all is those which pretend to be weak and hide their strength!
"Wait! Even if I must die, how did you know the wine was poisoned?" Pengfei shouted desperately, utterly unable to comprehend this turn of events.
"Do you really want to know?" Xian Wu leaned closer, whispering, "Because our Xian family's patriarch foresaw your Lingyun Sect's actions and ensured that we didn't consume any of the poisonous wine."
"It was precisely for this reason that we had destroyed the Cangwu Sect and the Blood Knife Sect but did not kill you. This was so we could see your actions to awaken Xian Ran's physique!
"After all of it was for Xian Ran. You should thank him for even letting you live this long!"
Then Pengfei opened his eyes in horror. All along, they knew what they would do in the future? His overconfident plots had made them look like fools in the eyes of their adversaries!
These cunning people performed so convincingly that they became oblivious to the whole scheme going on underneath!
"Xian Ran, I was blind to your potential as a hidden genius. For the sake of the sect that nurtured you, please spare my life!"
Desperate for a chance to save himself, Pengfei called out to Xian Ran with a final plea for mercy, which is the only card the other elders who survived would use.
"Are you really this dumb? You didn't notice a genius right within your midst? Xian Ran was on the verge of breaking through the Nascent Soul Realm in such a minor sect as yours before even breaking through his physique. Won't that mean he's a genius?"
"If the conditions had been better, it would have been easy for him to break into the Soul formation Realm or even beyond. Your Lingyun Sect has overlooked such a talent; no wonder you remain a minor force even after so many years!"
As this confrontation unfolded, Xian Ran's eyes burned with a fierce intensity, his expression devoid of mercy, almost like a vengeful god!
"I saved Han Pu's life once, but he repaid my kindness with injury. Uncle Wu, I won't stand in your way. Deal with them as you see fit!"
At this moment, Xian Ran's voice grew cold and in his eyes the rage dissipated back into nothingness of usual calmness. He suddenly staggered and almost fell on the floor.
Xian Wu immediately released a wave of energy toward him which stabilized the body of Xian Ran and healed all his wounds promptly.
Xian Ran looked at Uncle Wu and couldn't help but be astonished at his capabilities.
"Since you said so then kill him!"
Pressure from Xian Wu was applied, and Pengfei's consciousness was suddenly extinguished, leaving behind a lifeless corpse.
"Spare my life, for the love of God! Tear out this arm. I'll be satisfied to live. I'll be a beast of burden and never bear it against you, I swear upon my honor!"