Chapter 29: Offending the Heavenly Firmament Sect

The crowd of onlookers was utterly stunned. Why had the people of the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce arrived at the Wangyue Sect? Furthermore, they seemed to have come specifically for Qin Xingchen.

The Tiancang Sect, the Su family, the Lu family, the Chen family, and now the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce—these were among the most powerful and elite forces in the Tianhe Dynasty. No one had expected them to gather at this small, obscure Wangyue Sect, locked in such a tense confrontation.

"Master!" Seeing Jiang Rong appear, Su Jingya hurried over and asked, "Why are you here?"

Jiang Rong replied, "Naturally, I came for Young Master Qin." She then turned to the elders of the Tiancang Sect and declared, "Elders of the Tiancang Sect, with the three great families and our Wanjin Chamber of Commerce present today, don't even think about touching Young Master Qin!"

Yang Wankang frowned slightly. "Is this not President Jiang? Why does the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce wish to protect this boy?"

"That is none of your concern!" Jiang Rong retorted.

Yang Wankang’s face darkened. He could not fathom what was so special about this kid, Qin Xingchen, that both the three great families and the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce were insistent on protecting him. He continued, "Are you truly willing to make an enemy of the Tiancang Sect just to shield this boy?"

Su Zhengyang stepped forward and said, "Others may fear your Tiancang Sect, but our three families do not. If you want to fight, then let’s fight; we will accompany you to the end. But if you aren't going to fight, then get lost! Stop dawdling here!"

Yang Wankang’s expression turned grim. The combined strength of the three great families and the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce was enough to match the five of them. To win this fight, they would have to summon the Sect Master of the Tiancang Sect. However, bothering the Sect Master for such a trivial matter would likely provoke his fury, and it simply wasn't worth it.

After much hesitation, Yang Wankang glanced at Qin Xingchen and said coldly, "Boy, I don't know what is so special about you that you have drawn the protection of the three great families and the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce. You are lucky today; we will not do anything to you for the moment. But let me tell you, you have offended the Tiancang Sect, and we will not let this matter rest! Let’s go!"

With that, he led the members of the Tiancang Sect away from the Wangyue Sect.

Once they had departed, Jiang Rong turned toward Qin Xingchen, cupped her hands in a respectful salute, and said, "Mas... Young Master Qin!" She had intended to call him Master, but remembering his instruction not to reveal their relationship just yet, she quickly corrected herself.

"Mm," Qin Xingchen nodded slightly. "President Jiang, why have you come here?"

"I heard that the Wangyue Sect had produced a peerless genius capable of triggering a heavenly phenomenon, so our Wanjin Chamber of Commerce wished to come and recruit him," she explained. She then glanced at Luo Shan with a look of disdain. "I never imagined that this supposed genius, capable of such a phenomenon, would turn out to be a piece of trash who couldn't even take one of your moves, Young Master Qin! It is truly disappointing."

Hearing this, Luo Shan struggled to his feet, his face deathly pale and hideous with rage. He glared at Qin Xingchen, his voice dripping with hatred. "Qin Xingchen, so what if you have the three great families and the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce protecting you? You have offended the Tiancang Sect. My sister and the sect will not let you go. Once you are left without these powerful protectors, let’s see how you handle their revenge! Hahaha..." He laughed hysterically in malicious glee.

In a flash, Qin Xingchen vanished from where he stood and instantly appeared in front of Luo Shan. Luo Shan’s face drained of color. Qin Xingchen grabbed him by the throat with his right hand and hoisted him into the air. "Luo Shan, you don't need to worry about what happens to me later. But as for you today... you are a dead man!"

"Qin Xingchen, let my son go!" shouted Luo Changgu.

Qin Xingchen looked at him. "Fourth Elder, I said it before: this is a battle of life and death. Your son Luo Shan’s life belongs to me now!"

"Qin Xingchen!" Luo Changgu roared. "Didn't Luo Shan only have a minor conflict with you at the Ancestor's birthday banquet? Is it really worth killing him over such a small matter?"

Qin Xingchen sneered. "No, if it were only a minor matter, I would not have killed him." He turned his gaze to Luo Shan, his expression turning icy. "I want him dead because he has repeatedly sent people to assassinate me. Therefore, he must die!"

"Wait!" Luo Changgu gritted his teeth. "Qin Xingchen, you heard it yourself—my daughter, Luo Xiuxiu, is a core disciple of the Tiancang Sect. If you kill my son, she will never forgive you!"

"Is that so?" Qin Xingchen tightened his grip. *Crack!* Luo Shan’s neck snapped, and he died instantly.

The crowd was frozen in shock. No one had expected Qin Xingchen to actually kill Luo Shan. Qin Xingchen tossed the corpse in front of Luo Changgu. "Threatening me? Hmph. If your daughter dares to come for me, I will kill her as well."

Looking at his son’s body, Luo Changgu was consumed by overwhelming rage, losing all sense of reason. He looked at Qin Xingchen, his body trembling with fury. "Qin Xingchen, you... you actually dared to kill my son! You... you deserve to die!" He let out a blood-curdling roar and charged onto the life-and-death stage, unleashing the aura of his Sixth Heaven Mortal Martial cultivation, and struck at Qin Xingchen with a palm.

"Seeking death!" Jiang Rong’s figure blurred as she stepped in front of Qin Xingchen, her graceful form twisting sharply as she delivered a horizontal kick toward Luo Changgu.

Luo Changgu’s expression shifted in terror, but Jiang Rong’s foot had already connected with his face. *Boom!* Luo Changgu was sent flying like an arrow shot from a bow, tumbling across the ground outside the stage until he finally came to a stop. His face was visibly misshapen from the impact, and he looked utterly wretched.

"Hmph!" Jiang Rong glared at him coldly. How dare he try to kill her master in front of her? She would never allow it.

Yu Tianba gritted his teeth in anger, but he dared not speak. Jiang Rong was the President of the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce; the Wangyue Sect could not afford to offend her. He forced himself to remain calm and asked, "President Jiang, what is your relationship with Qin Xingchen? Why are you protecting him so fiercely? I ask that you enlighten us."

Jiang Rong sneered. "Old Sect Master Yu, since you are so eager to know, I suppose I can tell you." She paused for a moment before continuing, "Do you know what the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce values most?"

Yu Tianba fell into deep thought. It was common knowledge that, aside from the Imperial Capital, the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce was the wealthiest faction in the entire Tianhe Dynasty. They dealt in all kinds of trade throughout the land. The business that brought them the most pride and profit was the sale of medicinal pills, as pills were incredibly valuable to martial artists. To sell pills, one needed pill refiners—alchemists.

Alchemists were rare in the Tianhe Dynasty. The highest-ranked were only Third Grade, and only the Imperial Capital and the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce possessed them. The Imperial Capital had two, while the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce had one. However, the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce held the largest number of alchemists overall, making them the largest purveyor of pills.

Yu Tianba suddenly realized. "President Jiang, what you value most must be alchemists. You are protecting Qin Xingchen so intensely... could it be that Qin Xingchen is an alchemist?"

"I didn't realize you were so sharp, Old Sect Master Yu!" Jiang Rong said. "That's right. Young Master Qin is an alchemist—and a Second Grade one at that!"

The crowd was shocked. How could Qin Xingchen be an alchemist?

"Impossible!" Yu Tianba stared at Qin Xingchen in disbelief. "He is nothing but trash; how could he possibly be an alchemist?" He knew the weight an alchemist carried in the Tianhe Dynasty, so he refused to believe it. Yet, he realized that if Qin Xingchen weren't an alchemist, the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce and the three families would never have stepped in.

"My god, so Qin Xingchen is an alchemist! No wonder the three families and the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce are protecting him."

"But I heard that his cultivation was crippled a year ago. Now, not only has he recovered, but he has also become an alchemist? Just who is he?"

On the stage, Jiang Rong looked at Yu Tianba. "Now that you know he is an alchemist, do you have anything else to say?"

Yu Tianba glared at Qin Xingchen. "Qin Xingchen, since you are an alchemist, why didn't you say so?" He felt that if Qin Xingchen were an alchemist, he should have been refining pills for the Wangyue Sect.

Qin Xingchen cast a look of disdain at Yu Tianba and scoffed, "Why on earth would I have told you I was an alchemist?"