Qingzhou City, located to the southwest of Galaxy Sect, is but a frontier small town within Dajin Country.
As noon approached, along the ancient wilderness path outside the city, a figure clad in white robes gracefully soared through the air like the wind, forming elegant arcs as he rapidly headed towards the northern gate of Qingzhou City.
This figure was naturally Zhao Letian, who had been traveling for several days and had just returned from the distant Galaxy Sect.
"What a magnificent city!" As he sprinted, Zhao Letian looked ahead towards Qingzhou City and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Before him, the city walls stood tens of meters high, spanning across the heaven and earth as if they were an insurmountable barrier, and at a glance, the walls appeared to stretch for dozens of miles, impressively vast and spectacular.
Although Zhao Letian had learned about the appearance of Qingzhou City from his memories, seeing it in person still made it hard for him to believe that such a grand and towering city was merely a small frontier town in this world.
However, on second thought, the powerful beings of this Martial Arts World could easily move mountains and fill seas with a wave of their hand, so constructing such grandiose cities was actually not an arduous task.
Before long, Zhao Letian arrived within the city.
"Zuixiang Building? Renowned as Qingzhou's finest, it is a place where nobles and high officials often gather. Why not sample the local food and drink here before returning to the Zhao Family?" While walking, Zhao Letian suddenly laid eyes on a towering wooden building with many floors, intricately carved beams, and painted rafters, resplendent in its grandeur. With a thought, he stepped inside.
Though it is said that Martial Artists derive their energy from the Primordial Energy of heaven and earth, becoming less dependent on food with higher cultivation, a Martial Artist in the Primordial Martial Realm like Zhao Letian cannot yet live completely without food. Having awakened and not eaten for some time, he indeed felt hungry and needed to nourish himself properly.
"Eh? Is that not the pride of the Zhao Family, Zhao Letian?"
"Zhao Letian has returned? Right, tomorrow is the Zhao Family's mid-year assessment, and it's time for him to come back."
As soon as Zhao Letian reached the second floor, he was recognized by someone at a nearby table. They quietly watched him and whispered amongst themselves.
"Pride of the family? Heh, you probably don't know yet, but he is now nothing more than a waste, no longer any kind of prodigy!"
Just then, a silk-robed young man with a folding fan suddenly sneered loudly, not bothering to be discreet in front of Zhao Letian, displaying extreme arrogance.
Zhao Letian paused in his steps, frowning as he looked over. He didn't recognize the silk-robed young man, but based on his attire, he seemed to be someone from the Sun Family, one of the four major families in the city.
"Young Master Sun, what do you mean by your words? Since when has the pride of the Zhao Family become a waste?"
"Indeed, Young Master Sun, I heard Zhao Letian was a distinguished disciple of Galaxy Sect, how could he become a waste?"
The other people at the table immediately asked with curiosity in hushed tones.
"Galaxy Sect? Hehe, Zhao Letian is merely a mere outer disciple of Galaxy Sect. My family has a brother who is cultivating in the Inner Sect of Galaxy Sect. According to the news my brother sent back, this Zhao Letian, ignorant of his own capabilities, provoked a genius Inner Sect disciple of Galaxy Sect. As a result, he was directly crippled and thrown into a lake to feed the fishes. By all accounts, his bones should have dissolved by now; it's surprising that he's still alive and able to return home – lucky him." The silk-robed young man named Sun glanced at Zhao Letian with a sneer, "However, now that his cultivation has been thoroughly lost, he has become a waste. Returning this time, he's probably just humiliating himself, and will be thoroughly shamed by his peers within the Zhao Family."
"What? Someone dared to cripple Zhao Letian's cultivation? Aren't they afraid of the Zhao Family's retaliation?" The crowd exclaimed in astonishment.
"Retaliation? Heh, what do you think the Galaxy Sect is? The people who can cultivate there, aren't each of them backed by a formidable power? Who would fear the Zhao Family's retaliation?" The Sun-clad young man spoke with disdain, "Let me tell you the truth, the one who crippled Zhao Letian's cultivation is none other than the City Lord Mansion's Shentu Family's Young Master, Shentu Yu. Now tell me, do you think the Zhao Family would dare seek revenge?"
"Could it be? Master Shentu Yu himself? If that's the case, the Zhao Family can probably only swallow this grievance!"
"That's right, although the City Lord Mansion's Shentu Family is considered one of the four great families alongside the Zhao, Liu, and Sun Families, they are in fact the true rulers of Qingzhou City. The Zhao Family wouldn't dare to easily offend the Shentu Family; it seems like Zhao Letian won't be able to avenge this humiliation."
The crowd was greatly astounded.
"Do you think I don't exist?" At that moment, Zhao Letian suddenly spoke up, his face expressionless as he looked at the Sun-clad young man. This person was too arrogant, brazenly humiliating him by calling him trash in his own presence. He must respond in kind, otherwise, in the future, others might think they could walk all over him.
"Are you talking to me?" The Sun-clad young man narrowed his eyes and gave Zhao Letian a cold look.
"What do you think?" Zhao Letian replied calmly.
"Hmph! Just a piece of trash, I naturally don't need to take you seriously. Get lost and stop being an eyesore!" The young man brandished his folding fan carelessly, scoffing disdainfully.
"A piece of trash at only the Primordial Martial Fifth Realm dares to spout such nonsense. No wonder the Sun Family's younger generation can only be at the bottom amongst the four great families." Zhao Letian shook his head slightly and said indifferently.
"How dare you! You trash dare to call me trash? Do you still think you're the Zhao Family's former genius?" The Sun-clad young man abruptly stood up, his folding fan pointing at Zhao Letian as he spoke furiously, apparently ready to discipline Zhao Letian himself, but suddenly his expression changed and he looked at Zhao Letian with a puzzled frown, "Wait! Weren't you turned into trash? How can you discern the level of my cultivation?"
"Master Sun, although his cultivation is gone, his realm remains. With his peak status in the Primordial Martial Ninth Realm, he can naturally see through your cultivation at a glance," someone from the side explained.
"I see." The Sun-clad young man released a sigh of relief. He had originally thought Zhao Letian still had his cultivation, in which case he would have been in big trouble, but now it seemed that Zhao Letian was nothing more than bluffing. He could finally take action with assurance.
With that thought, the young man's mouth curled into a cruel, cold smile. A powerful Primordial Energy Wave surged silently within the palm of his hand; today, he was intent on severely tormenting Zhao Family's son of heaven.
"Boom!"
But before the Sun-clad young man could make a move, Zhao Letian suddenly blurred into action, appearing ghost-like in front of him, and with a fierce punch, struck him squarely in the Qi Sea of his abdomen.
"Ahh!"
Instantly, the Sun-clad young man felt as if he had been hit by a hammer weighing ten thousand pounds, his Qi Sea exploding inside him, the pain unbearable, letting out a pig-like scream of agony. He was sent flying out into the street, his life or death unknown.
"Since you so enjoy calling others 'trash,' I will let you experience what it's like to be trash," Zhao Letian said indifferently, without even a glance at the Sun Family's young master who was thrown out. He then coolly took a seat by a window-side table, leaving the surrounding onlookers still in shock.
Is this the so-called 'trash' mentioned by that Sun-clad young man? What a joke! If such a Zhao Letian is trash, then many among them would not even amount to trash. It seems that the Zhao Family's prodigy is still the son of heaven, and in fact, seems to be even more decisive and ruthless than before. Facing a young master from one of the four great families, he incapacitated him without a second thought, without any concern for the consequences. Zhao Letian never had that kind of ruthlessness before.