Chapter 8

"Kid, watch your words! Do you know who you're talking to?" After saying that, Gan Feng immediately left the Supreme Sword Sect.

Fa Wa remained silent from beginning to end, his eyes emitting a terrifying cold glint. "Gan Feng, don't get arrogant just because you have a son working in the empire. The empire is not a force that acts arbitrarily. If you keep behaving like this, it won't be long before your Boundless Valley disappears from the She Dynasty." Fa Wa's muttering went unheard by anyone.

Then he looked at Xiao Tian. "This boy has been hiding his strength from me. Even now, he's not using his inner energy; he's only using his physical strength to face Xing Han. I have brought back a good seed."

Fa Wa also looked at Ziyan Rouxi. "Rouxi, did you know your brother's strength? Until now, I can't even tell what realm he's in; he's so good at hiding his inner energy that my eyes can't see it."

Ziyan Rouxi shook her head. "Grandfather, if you can't see it, how could I, a swordsman who just entered level 2? I didn't know he was that strong; I was also surprised by his strength. It seems I have to work harder; my brother has already far surpassed me."

Ziyan Rouxi smiled bitterly. She thought her adopted brother was very weak, even thinking Xiao Tian had no interest in learning martial arts. But who would have thought the person she considered weak had already far surpassed her?

****

Liu Qingyun approached Xiao Tian with a smile. "Young Master, I didn't expect you to hide so deeply that none of us knew you were this strong. May I ask what realm you have reached?"

Hearing Liu Qingyun's question, everyone immediately turned their gaze to Xiao Tian; they also wanted to know the level of this young boy.

Xiao Tian just smiled slightly. "Elder, I only train my physical body; I haven't developed my inner energy."

Hearing Xiao Tian's answer, not only Liu Qingyun but everyone else also didn't believe it. However, they didn't want to force Xiao Tian to tell the truth, so they just waited for him to reveal his true realm.

Xiao Tian handed the sword back to Daniel. "Senior, I'm returning your sword. Thank you for lending it to me."

Daniel smiled bitterly as he took his sword. He thought he was the strongest among all the disciples under 17 years old. Who would have thought that at 15, he was already far behind a 9-year-old boy? "Junior Tian, your strength is astonishing. In the future, I want to exchange blows with you; I hope you are willing."

"I'm looking forward to it. Whenever you're ready, senior, I'm ready," Xiao Tian responded with a friendly smile. Even though he had far surpassed Daniel, he remained humble and kind, always showing a friendly demeanor.

Now the atmosphere felt different. The students who usually mocked Xiao Tian fell silent. There were no more sneers or insults. All the students seemed awkward and hesitant to speak harshly as usual.

Nu Muyun, the student who always led the insults against Xiao Tian, was now silent. His 14 years seemed meaningless compared to Xiao Tian, who had just demonstrated his strength. Nu Muyun, who was usually arrogant and proud, now looked sweaty and embarrassed. His face flushed with shame, and he glanced at Xiao Tian with fear and anxiety. He never expected the boy he considered weak and worthless to possess such remarkable strength.

Nu Muyun felt horrified seeing Xiao Tian easily defeat his opponents. He glanced at his friends, who also looked worried, and said fearfully, "I never thought he was that strong. I'm afraid Tian will come after me for revenge for always insulting him."

His friends exchanged worried looks, recalling the times they also bullied Xiao Tian. They tried to hide their fear, but it was evident from the cold sweat on their faces. They realized that if Xiao Tian wanted revenge, they wouldn't be able to face him.

However, Xiao Tian seemed indifferent to their feelings. He walked steadily, his face calm and cold, not glancing at Nu Muyun and his friends. He went straight to sit behind Fa Wa and began regulating his breath as if nothing had happened.

Ziyan Rouxi immediately grabbed Xiao Tian's hand, smiling alluringly at him. "Brother Tian, you've been hiding your strength from your sister. This is unpleasant."

Xiao Tian only responded with a smile. Fa Wa didn't say anything. He stood up to announce the prizes for the participants.

Daniel's position as champion wasn't replaced by Xiao Tian, as Xiao Tian wasn't part of the competition. However, people now knew that the strongest disciple under 17 wasn't Daniel but Xiao Tian.

****

After everyone returned, Fa Wa called Xiao Tian into his private room. "Tian, sit down."

Xiao Tian sat in front of Fa Wa. He didn't say anything, only showing respect towards Fa Wa.

"Tian, now it's just the two of us. Grandfather wants to know how much inner energy you have. I know you didn't reveal it earlier because you didn't want others to know. Now that it's just us, can you tell me?"

Xiao Tian made a hand seal.

Buzz—

Xiao Tian released his aura, allowing Fa Wa to feel his inner energy.

Feeling Xiao Tian's inner energy, Fa Wa was stunned. He didn't expect a 9-year-old to be close to reaching the Earth King warrior realm.

Fa Wa looked at Xiao Tian seriously. He thought Xiao Tian had lied about his identity. Fa Wa didn't believe a child with such talent came from an ordinary village. He must have a powerful background.

"Tian, did you lie about coming from a small village destroyed by bandits?"

"Grandfather, I didn't lie about my origins. I know you're curious about my inner energy. I'll tell you how I reached this realm. But first, I must apologize because I didn't just work on cleaning the library books. I also read all the books. After reading them, I understood the cultivation techniques. But I didn't dare tell you. I tried practicing the techniques myself, and the results were extraordinary; I could absorb natural energy to become inner energy."

Xiao Tian paused, then took out a book and pen, and began writing the cultivation techniques he discovered. Fa Wa was amazed by Xiao Tian's writing skills; it didn't look like a child's handwriting. Fa Wa saw it as the writing of an expert. All the techniques were detailed, leaving nothing out. The cultivation techniques could be understood not only by martial arts experts but also by beginners.

Though Fa Wa was very surprised, he hid his reaction. He tried practicing the cultivation techniques written by Xiao Tian, and the results were astounding. Though it didn't bring a change for Fa Wa, the technique was extraordinary.

"Tian, is this the technique you created after reading all the books?" Fa Wa still couldn't believe a child could create such a powerful cultivation technique.

"Grandfather, it's true. If you don't believe me, I can recite all the books in front of you, as I've memorized them all."

Boom—

Hearing that, Fa Wa felt like thunder had struck him in broad daylight. "What did you say? You've memorized them all?"

Xiao Tian nodded.

"Sttt."

Fa Wa took a deep breath. He looked at Xiao Tian as if seeing a terrifying monster.

"Tian, how could you memorize all the books in the library? You must know, even I haven't read them all. Those books were left by the sect's founders, not only about cultivation techniques but also various martial arts skills. How could you memorize them all?"