That bearded, burly man was the head of a prominent family, roughly the same age as Chu Yuan, and he possessed the strength of the ninth level of the Spirit Martial realm. Because of this, he naturally felt no deference toward Chu Yuan.
As for Chu Yuan's response to the man's provocations, his expression remained utterly unchanged. He simply began to walk forward at an unhurried pace, heading straight toward the burly man. Behind him, Chu Feng and the rest of the Chu Family members followed closely.
It had to be said that the Chu Family's collective advance did indeed carry an overwhelming aura of menace. As they passed through the crowd, many onlookers felt their hearts clench with dread — the numerous severed heads hanging outside the gates of Kaoshan Town had already proven just how ruthless the Chu Family could be.
But compared to everyone else, the bearded man seemed utterly unconcerned. He fixed his gaze on Chu Yuan as the latter approached and bellowed: "Chu Yuan, if your Chu Family wants to unify the Kaoshan region, you should at least send out someone worthy to speak on your behalf. Send Chu Yuanba out here. Otherwise, someone like you trying to lead us? You're really not up to the task."
*Crack!* But the moment the words left his mouth, Chu Yuan struck without warning. A resounding slap crashed across the burly man's face.
The tremendous force sent the man hurtling back dozens of meters. Tables and chairs shattered in his path, and several bystanders were sent flying by the impact, suffering serious injuries from the collision.
But this was still Chu Yuan holding back. Had he not, that single slap could have easily shattered the man's skull entirely.
When the burly man finally recovered his senses, his face was a mask of shock. Clutching his cheek, he stammered in panic: "You — you — you've entered the Yuan Wu Realm?"
"The Yuan Wu Realm? Could it be that Chu Yuan has stepped into the Yuan Wu Realm?"
The moment these words left his mouth, the crowd erupted in astonishment. It was only then that they recalled the aura Chu Yuan had been emitting moments ago — it had indeed felt wrong, because it wasn't Spiritual Energy at all. It was Yuan Force. Chu Yuan had truly entered the Yuan Wu Realm.
Yet Chu Yuan offered no answer to the man's question. Instead, he walked back up to him, raised his leg, and stomped down. A sickening *crack* rang out as the burly man's left leg snapped.
"Ahhhhh!" The man let out a blood-curdling scream, clutching his broken limb and wailing in agony.
Looking down at the man writhing in pain, not a shred of sympathy crossed Chu Yuan's face. A cold smile played on his lips as he said, "Am I up to the task now?"
Witnessing this scene, everyone gasped involuntarily. This time, Chu Yuan had made no effort to conceal his aura — the first level of the Yuan Wu Realm, without a doubt.
"So Chu Yuan really has entered the Yuan Wu Realm. The Chu Family already has two Yuan Wu Realm experts."
"No wonder, no wonder. Even when the Xu, Wang, and Ma families joined forces, they still couldn't match the Chu Family. Their strength is far too great."
In that instant, many who had harbored thoughts of resisting the Chu Family abandoned the notion entirely. They had suddenly realized they had severely underestimated them. The strength the Chu Family now possessed was simply beyond anything they could hope to contend with.
"It's not that I look down on you, but at just the first level of Yuan Wu, you really aren't worthy."
Just then, a withered, aged voice suddenly rang out from somewhere in the crowd. All eyes turned to see a gaunt, skeletal old man rising to his feet. He stood nearly ten feet tall.
The old man was impossibly thin and impossibly tall. Standing there, he resembled a dried-out tree, giving the impression that he might topple at any moment. But those eyes were startlingly bright — bright enough to make anyone think twice about dismissing him.
"It's the head of the Li Family. He really did come." Upon seeing this elder, many in the crowd cried out in surprise, for within the Kaoshan region, he was a figure every bit as renowned as Chu Yuanba — another expert at the first level of the Yuan Wu Realm.
"Old Li, there's no need to be so blunt. At the very least, you should save a little face for the younger generation."
At that moment, yet another elder stepped forward. This one was equally thin, but short in stature — he looked almost like a monkey.
But despite his rather homely appearance, his aura was anything but ordinary. He too possessed the cultivation of the first level of the Yuan Wu Realm.