Chapter 3

An Ran Pavilion, a rather inconspicuous place in the Lieyun Palace, was where Shen Fei had some unforgettable memories. At his age, when the seeds of love were just beginning to sprout, it was easy for him to be captivated by a beautiful woman, and Shangguan Yu happened to be the girl who captured his heart.

Regaining his confidence, Shen Fei wore a faint smile and ignored the pointing and whispering of the Lieyun Palace disciples along the way. It wasn't that he didn't have a temper; it was just that such scenes had been a daily occurrence over the past year, and he had long become numb to them. Today, with a better mood, he paid even less attention to these petty people.

The further he walked, the closer he got to An Ran Pavilion. Just as Shen Fei turned a corner, a scene in the pavilion made him pause, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

There were two figures in An Ran Pavilion, and the graceful silhouette was immediately recognizable to Shen Fei as Shangguan Yu, the girl he had been thinking about. However, the appearance of the other man made Shen Fei's face turn somewhat dark.

But as he stood there in a daze, he saw the handsome man extend his hand and gently hold Shangguan Yu's right hand. She made a symbolic attempt to pull away, but failed to do so under the man's firm grip and stopped her movement.

"Buzz!"

This scene felt like a heavy blow to Shen Fei's heart. His mind went blank, and he could only stare dumbly at the two figures in the pavilion. The position that man was in should have been his, Shen Fei's.

The force with which he gripped the pendant on his right arm was so strong that the five fingers of the pendant had pierced through his palm, but the blood did not fall to the ground; it was absorbed by the pendant. However, Shen Fei did not notice any of this. In his blurred vision, he could only see the two figures in An Ran Pavilion.

"Is she doing this on purpose?"

Fortunately, a year of沉淀 (settlement) had made Shen Fei's character exceptionally resilient. After a long while, a bitter smile appeared on his lips, and he instantly understood that Shangguan Yu's invitation yesterday was meant for him to see this scene.

He laughed bitterly, feeling a mix of sadness and self-mockery. He also thought to himself that Shangguan Yu had underestimated him. If she wanted him to leave, why use such a method? A direct word would have been enough. Even if the last bit of dignity he had left was trampled, his stubborn heart kept him from confronting her face-to-face.

"Hey, isn't that Young Master Shen Fei?"

Just as Shen Fei was about to turn and leave, a familiar and strange voice reached his ears. He looked up and saw Tang Ning and the other three, with whom he had a conflict by the river yesterday.

However, this was inside the Lieyun Sect, and Shen Fei was not worried about being treated the same way as yesterday. Bullying fellow disciples was a serious violation of the sect's rules, and Tang Ning and the others did not dare to act so openly.

But Shen Fei had no time to deal with these people. He walked away without a word. Seeing Shen Fei's behavior, Tang Ning exclaimed, "Huh?" and then turned to see the two figures in An Ran Pavilion. He immediately called out loudly, "So Sister Yu is here too!"

Hearing Tang Ning's loud voice, Shangguan Yu in An Ran Pavilion suddenly turned her head. When she saw the grayish-white figure walking quickly, she called out loudly, "Shen Fei!"

Shangguan Yu's voice made Shen Fei stop in his tracks. When he turned around, his expression was extremely calm, which left Tang Ning and the others, who were preparing to watch the show, somewhat stunned.

In the presence of so many people, Shangguan Yu finally broke free from the man's hand and walked out of An Ran Pavilion, quickly approaching Shen Fei. Looking at the calm young man, Shangguan Yu's expression became complex.

"Shen Fei, this is Brother Luotian!"

Shen Fei's calmness made Shangguan Yu suddenly unsure of what to say. It wasn't until the man also approached that she lightly introduced him.

Shen Fei glanced at the man with a faint look and said, "The first genius of the Guiyin Sect, Luotian. We are quite old acquaintances."

The Guiyin Sect was ranked second among the three major sects of the Wuyue Empire, second only to the royal family and the first sect, Luoyue Sect. A year ago, when Shen Fei was at the peak of the Ninth Dan Qi, Luotian had just entered the Ninth Dan Qi. Compared to the then-peak Shen Fei, the brilliance of this Guiyin Sect genius was overshadowed.

Back then, Shen Fei's arrogance had often belittled and suppressed Luotian. Today, outside An Ran Pavilion, Luotian, who had already broken through to the First Small Dan Realm, would not look at Shen Fei with any respect.

But after sensing Shen Fei's strength, Luotian suddenly said to Shangguan Yu, "Yu'er, I have no interest in recognizing such a waste of a person who doesn't even have the First Dan Qi."

"Huh?"

When Luotian said this, not only Shangguan Yu but also Tang Ning and the others were taken aback. Yesterday, Shen Fei was clearly at the Fifth Dan Qi, but unexpectedly, his cultivation had plummeted to this level overnight, not even reaching the First Dan Qi, making him almost no different from an ordinary person.

This situation made Tang Ning and the others even more gleeful, while Shangguan Yu's face changed slightly as she said, "Shen Fei, how did you..."

Seeing the slightly worried expression on Shangguan Yu's face, for some reason, the once beautiful and clear face now seemed somewhat false to Shen Fei. He interrupted her, "It's just as you see. I am now a genuine waste of a person!"

Before Shangguan Yu could respond, Luotian sneered, "A waste of a person has no right to possess anything. I think you'd better leave Lieyun Palace!"

Shen Fei curled his lips and said, "When did the Guiyin Sect have the right to meddle in Lieyun Palace's affairs?"

As Luotian's face changed, Tang Ning quickly interjected, "Brother Luotian is right. Lieyun Palace doesn't keep wastes. You don't even have the First Dan Qi. What face do you have to stay in Lieyun Palace and eat and live for free?"

When Luotian said this, Shen Fei could ignore it, as the former was not from Lieyun Palace. But Tang Ning's words were different. Since Shen Fei's fall from the genius pedestal, this Grand Elder's grandson, Tang Ning, had become the top genius of the younger generation in Lieyun Palace, with a cultivation at the peak of the Eighth Dan Qi, unmatched in the palace.

Although Shen Fei appeared calm, his heart was in turmoil, and he only wanted to escape this place of sorrow as quickly as possible. So he said with a stern face, "If you want me to leave Lieyun Palace, let the Grand Elder come and tell me himself!"

After saying this, Shen Fei turned and said, "Miss Shangguan, what you wanted me to see, I have seen. But one day, you will regret what you did today!"

The unfamiliar title and the indifferent words echoed outside An Ran Pavilion, making Shangguan Yu feel both ashamed and angry. As the daughter of the Lieyun Palace Master, if Shen Fei were still the top genius, she might have given him some leeway. But now, with no First Dan Qi, what right did he have to say such things?

Feeling both ashamed and angry, Shangguan Yu couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "A waste of a person, how dare you be so arrogant, Sister Yu, should I teach him a lesson?"

Inside the palace, Tang Ning didn't have the nerve to act against Shen Fei, but with the support of the Master's daughter, it was a different story. However, after several changes in expression, Shangguan Yu finally shook her head and said, "Go, from now on, we have nothing to do with each other!"

"Nothing to do with each other?"

Hearing Shangguan Yu's cold words, Shen Fei suppressed the bitterness in his heart and turned resolutely, not even glancing at Luotian and Tang Ning. This act of ignoring them almost made Tang Ning lose control again.

Watching Shen Fei's departing back, perhaps sensing Shangguan Yu's unusual attitude, Luotian's face turned dark. "I don't understand why your Lieyun Palace keeps such a waste of a person."

Shangguan Yu didn't respond. She felt some guilt towards Shen Fei. Although they hadn't openly acknowledged their feelings, a year ago, everyone in Lieyun Palace knew about their relationship.

But as the daughter of the Palace Master, Shangguan Yu knew that there was no future between her and Shen Fei. How could the Lieyun Palace Master allow his only daughter to marry a cripple who didn't even have the First Dan Qi? However, she didn't expect that her actions today would shatter Shen Fei's heart into pieces.

Seeing the strange expression on Shangguan Yu's face, Tang Ning's eyes darted around, but it was unclear what he was thinking.

"Ah!"

Rushing to the back mountain, a fierce roar erupted from Shen Fei's mouth. His remaining right hand punched the mountain rock on the ground, and a streak of fresh blood immediately stained the ground red.

But at this moment, Shen Fei seemed to feel no pain from his hand. Clenching his teeth, tears involuntarily streamed down his face.

"Why? Why are you doing this to me? Why?"

The low, fierce roar echoed clearly. Over the past year, no matter how much Tang Ning and others suppressed him, or how much the fickle people of Lieyun Palace humiliated him, Shen Fei had never felt as humiliated as he did today. At this moment, he truly felt like he had hit rock bottom, and he even had the impulse to jump off the mountain.

Just as the anger in Shen Fei's heart reached its peak, the pendant hanging from his chest flashed red. Then, a faint red light flashed in Shen Fei's eyes, and his right hand suddenly lifted, delivering another punch. A hard rock was instantly shattered by Shen Fei's punch.

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