Chapter 31: No Iron Fist in His Eyes

Astonishment flared for only a fleeting moment; soon, the crowd’s anger surged once more. One of the Tiger Gate elders slammed his hand against his chair, his voice brimming with fury as he shouted, “How dare you! As the young master of the Ghost Valley, you clearly have no regard for Tiger Gate! You brazenly intrude upon our grounds, kill our disciples—what do you take Tiger Gate for?”

Ling Xiao glanced at him with indifference, not even bothering to respond. Sweeping his gaze across the hall, he ignored the Tiger Gate master and instead fixed his eyes upon the chief elder—the man whose aura was the most formidable and whose strength was second to none among the Tiger Gate members.

Ling Xiao spoke only to those with true authority.

“Who are you?” he asked.

The elder who had spoken before leapt to his feet again, pointing an accusatory finger at Ling Xiao. “You insolent wretch! Don’t get too arrogant! How dare you show disrespect to our chief elder!”

“So much useless chatter. Do you really think you matter?” Ling Xiao’s hand shot forward, delivering a punch.

With a thunderous crash, the elder was sent hurtling backward, smashing through the great hall’s wall and landing outside, his fate unknown.

A deathly silence fell over the hall. As much as they seethed at Ling Xiao’s overbearing arrogance, the onlookers were equally shocked by his power. Even the chief elder, who had been so haughty before, now narrowed his eyes in guarded vigilance as he regarded Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao spoke again. “Was it you who captured my man? Bring him out—now!”

Eleven words, spoken with an air that brooked no refusal, made the chief elder’s eyes narrow further. Stroking his snowy beard, the elder replied coldly, “He’s but a mere disciple of Ghost Valley who dared provoke us. I gave him a lesson—so what? But you, intruding upon Tiger Gate and killing indiscriminately, don’t you think you’ve gone too far?”

Ling Xiao’s expression was unmoved. “Enough talk. Hand him over, or Tiger Gate will be no more.”

The chief elder slammed his hand on the table. “Ling Xiao, don’t get ahead of yourself! You may be the young master of Ghost Valley, and yes, you have their backing, but Tiger Gate is no easy prey! What’s more, we have the Iron Fist Sect behind us! If I report this to them, Ghost Valley will face consequences it cannot bear!”

Ling Xiao did not answer. His face became even colder. “Too much talk. Die.”

With those words, Ling Xiao struck with his fist.

The force of his blow roared through the hall like a tiger descending a mountain, a raging wind that made everyone blanch.

A flicker of shock crossed the chief elder’s face, but he gritted his teeth and declared, “Since you insist on such arrogance, let me see just how strong you truly are!”

With that, he too threw a punch.

Their fists collided in midair, each force holding its ground.

The crowd gasped. “What power this youth possesses! As expected of the Ghost Valley heir, to be able to stand against our chief elder!”

“Give him ten years, and he will be a force to reckon with!”

“But for now, he is still not the chief elder’s match! After all, in all of Jiangzhou, few can rival our chief elder’s strength!”

“Of course. His name has resounded throughout Jiangzhou for decades, and his cultivation has reached unfathomable heights!”

The elders smiled as they watched, failing to notice that Ling Xiao’s expression remained unchanged, while the chief elder’s face was slowly turning red.

“Is this the extent of your strength? And you dared lay a hand on one of mine? Foolish!”

With those words, Ling Xiao took a step forward, his aura surging, his power doubling.

“Not good!” the chief elder cried, eyes wide as he attempted to withdraw, but Ling Xiao’s presence had sealed off every avenue of escape.

With no time to think, the chief elder detonated the blood vessels in his arm, unleashing a blood explosion to boost his power in a desperate attempt to defend against Ling Xiao’s strike.

But how could such mortal means withstand Ling Xiao’s divine might?

The punch crashed down like an overwhelming wave, engulfing the chief elder’s force entirely and sending both the man and his power flying back, smashing him into the wall, blood spraying from his mouth.

“What?”

“How is this possible?”

“There are few in Jiangzhou who can match the chief elder’s strength. How could he be defeated so effortlessly?”

“I must be dreaming!”

“This boy—he can’t be more than twenty, and yet… such strength! If given another decade, just how powerful will he become?”

Ling Xiao slowly drew back his fist. “Now, will you release him?”

Everyone present gulped in unison, hearts pounding.

The Tiger Gate master hurriedly shouted, “Quick! Bring him up at once!”

“Yes, sir!”

The elders rushed out to fetch Ming Cheng, none daring to linger in the hall, terrified that Ling Xiao might kill them on a whim.

Soon, Ming Cheng was brought forth. His clothing was tattered, bloodstains marked his body, and one arm hung limp and broken at his side.

Seeing Ling Xiao, Ming Cheng’s face was full of shame. “Young master, I am sorry. I have disgraced you!”

Ling Xiao took a deep breath, a cold killing intent flickering in his eyes.

“People of Tiger Gate, listen well! Tomorrow night, I expect the chief elder’s head, along with ten billion, to be delivered to the Jiangzhou Grand Hotel as an apology. If you fail, or if there is any trouble, Tiger Gate will vanish from Jiangzhou!”

With that, Ling Xiao turned and strode away, Ming Cheng trailing behind in a daze.

The Tiger Gate assembly was left fuming.

“He—he demands the chief elder’s head and ten billion?! Why doesn’t he just rob us outright?”

“Does he expect us to survive this? Even if he has no respect for Tiger Gate, he should at least give face to the Iron Fist Sect!”

“Perhaps, in his eyes, the Iron Fist Sect is nothing.”

“What?!”

A collective gasp rose from the crowd.

The Tiger Gate master gave a bitter smile. “The chief elder always thought that Ghost Valley, one of the three legendary martial sects, was all reputation and no substance. Today, I see that their depths are unfathomable. As the heir of Ghost Valley, Ling Xiao surely knows that Iron Fist Sect stands behind us. Yet he acted without the slightest hesitation. That alone shows he does not fear them in the least.”

“He’s too powerful! Even when killing the chief elder, he couldn’t be bothered—he left it for us to do ourselves!”

“To him, Tiger Gate is nothing. And neither is Iron Fist Sect.”

A heavy silence fell. A feeling impossible to describe weighed on their chests, making it hard for anyone to breathe.

…

When Ling Xiao returned to the Jiangzhou Grand Hotel, Zhang Wenhe and Xiu’er hurried over.

“Young master, Master Ming, are you all right?”

Ling Xiao said nothing and walked straight to his room, leaving the door open.

Ming Cheng sighed. “I’m fine. Tiger Gate is not worthy to threaten the young master! But I have shamed him today—my guilt knows no bounds. I’ll go in to await his rebuke. Thank you both for your concern. You go ahead with your business.”