Two hundred and forty-one!
The entire drill ground instantly fell silent.
When everyone heard the result announced by Steward Li, their gazes froze in disbelief.
In the grandstands, the crisp sound of weapons clattering to the floor echoed intermittently. The Martial Artists who had come to watch the hunting competition were all dumbstruck, their faces filled with incredulity.
The previous best result in the hunting competition’s history was two hundred thirty-two Demon Beasts, yet the Li Family’s score surpassed this record by nine!
"The Li Family is destined to be the First Family!"
Everyone believed the outcome of this hunting competition was already decided.
A score of two hundred forty-one Demon Beasts—no one could possibly surpass it!
"HAHAHA..." In the grandstands, Li Yantian erupted in loud laughter, standing up abruptly. He looked at Li Tianyang and the others, booming, "Well done! Worthy descendants of my Li Family! When you return, each of you will be rewarded with a Deer Yuan Dan!"
Upon hearing Li Yantian’s words, everyone gasped.
The Deer Yuan Dan was a second-grade Spirit Pill, worth several hundred thousand Silver. Seven members of the Li Family team remained. That meant seven Deer Yuan Dans, worth several million Silver!
However, everyone understood that once the Li Family became the First Family and Li Yantian became the City Lord, their power and influence would expand immensely. Several million Silver would be insignificant then.
In that moment, everyone present was filled with immense envy.
The Li Family disciples were also extremely excited, bowing and thanking Li Yantian, "Thank you, Family Head!"
Li Yantian, full of vigor, raised his voice and announced, "Everyone, tomorrow is the joyous wedding day of my son, Li Tianyang, and Feng Lingyue of the Feng Family! I hope all of you here can attend."
As he spoke, Li Yantian’s gaze inconspicuously flickered towards Luotian, a mocking smile playing on his lips, completely undisguised.
"Excellent! Since the Li Family Head is personally inviting us, we naturally have no reason to decline!"
The heads of some smaller families nearby rose to congratulate the Li Family.
The Li Family’s performance far surpassed that of the Feng Family and Han Clan. It seemed that their ascension to First Family was now inevitable, so these people naturally wanted to curry favor with Li Yantian.
Luotian sat to the side, observing all this with cold eyes, feeling a sense of helplessness creep into his heart.
Two hundred and forty-one Demon Beasts. This result was far beyond anyone’s expectations. Although Luo Feng and his team had yet to appear, Luotian felt his hopes dwindling.
In the drill ground, Feng Lingyue’s face was slightly pale. Her fingers were tightly intertwined, and her beautiful eyes stared anxiously at the drill ground gate.
Why haven’t they come yet... Could it be that the Li Family will really become the First Family...
Feng Lingyue felt Li Tianyang’s mocking, lecherous gaze from the other side and couldn’t help but purse her red lips. I’d rather die than marry him!
"Huh? Why hasn’t the Luo Family team returned yet?"
As time passed, someone finally noticed something was amiss. Of the thirty-four teams participating in the hunting competition, thirty-three had returned. Only the Luo Family’s team had yet to appear.
"Could something have happened to them?"
"I heard that after entering the Black Cloud Mountain Range, the Luo Family team stopped near White Forest Mountain and made no further moves. Luo Feng’s whereabouts are also unknown. I wonder if they gave up on this hunting competition, knowing they stood no chance against the Li Family."
"What difference would it make if they didn’t give up? At this point, it doesn’t matter whether the Luo Family team shows up or not. The Li Family scored two hundred and forty-one Demon Beasts, breaking the all-time record! No matter how capable the Luo Family is, they can’t possibly surpass the Li Family’s score."
"Hey! The Luo Family team is back!"
Just as the crowd was buzzing with discussion, a group of figures suddenly appeared at the drill ground entrance. The one in the lead was none other than Luo Xiao!
Feng Lingyue quickly looked over, a hint of disappointment in her eyes, as there was no sign of Luo Feng in the team.
Luo Xiao stepped into the square, his gaze sweeping around, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Young Master, it seems Young Master Luo Feng hasn’t returned yet," a Luo Family disciple said.
They had waited at White Forest Mountain until midday. When Luo Feng didn’t appear, they guessed he had already returned and rushed back themselves to avoid being late. They hadn’t expected Luo Feng to still be missing.
Li Tianyang, arms crossed, sneered when he didn’t see Luo Feng, "Luo Xiao, where’s Luo Feng? He isn’t hiding because he’s scared of me, is he?"
"Li Tianyang, who do you think you are? You’re not even fit to carry my second brother’s shoes. Why would he fear you?" Luo Xiao scoffed, looking at Li Tianyang with disdain.
He now knew Luo Feng’s true Cultivation: a fifteen-year-old mid-stage God Bravery Realm expert! His talent was even greater than that of Panlong City’s foremost genius, Feng Lingyue!
Li Tianyang, on the other hand, had only reached the peak of the Iron Bone Realm at sixteen. Comparing the two, one was in the heavens, the other on earth! His words were no exaggeration.
Li Tianyang was enraged. He knew his own talent couldn’t compare to a genius like Feng Lingyue. But he still looked down on Luo Feng, who was merely at the late-stage Iron Bone Realm. So when Luo Xiao said he wasn’t even fit to carry Luo Feng’s shoes, his fury was imaginable.
Clenching his fists and glaring daggers at Luo Xiao, veins throbbed on Li Tianyang’s forehead. Luo Xiao, he seethed internally, Just you wait and be arrogant for a few more days! Once Father becomes the City Lord, I’ll ensure the Luo Family is utterly destroyed, never to recover!
Luo Xiao ignored Li Tianyang and directly handed over the Demon Beast materials they had hunted to Steward Li for tallying.
After tallying, Steward Li announced loudly, "Luo Family: twenty-four Demon Beasts."
After Luo Feng had left, Luo Xiao and the others had remained at White Forest Mountain, taking no action. The single additional beast was one they had casually killed on their way back.
"What! Twenty-four? I can’t have heard that right."
As Steward Li’s voice faded, the crowd’s gazes towards Luo Xiao and the others turned peculiar.
While they hadn’t held much hope for the Luo Family team surpassing the Li Family, a score of just twenty-four was still difficult for many to believe.
Even the weakest of the minor families in Panlong City had hunted at least thirty-odd Demon Beasts!
The Luo Family, one of the four major families, had only hunted twenty-four!
This was truly unbelievable.
"TSK! Twenty-four? I hunted more Demon Beasts than that all by myself..."
Li Tianyang sneered, his expression a mixture of contempt and delight. He looked at Luo Xiao and jeered, "Luo Xiao, and you call yourselves one of Panlong City’s four major families? What an embarrassment to us all!"
The other Li Family disciples nearby roared with laughter.
The other Luo Family disciples looked rather grim.
They didn’t understand why Luo Xiao had made them stay at White Forest Mountain. If they had hunted diligently, even if they couldn’t have caught up with the Li Family, they wouldn’t have suffered such a miserable defeat.
Luo Xiao, however, remained unfazed. With a wave of his hand, he said to Steward Li, "Hold on! Steward Li, one of our members has yet to return."
Steward Li seemed to have anticipated this. His eyes flickered slightly as he nodded with a smile.
He, too, held high expectations for Luo Feng.
Hearing Luo Xiao’s words, Li Tianyang raised an eyebrow and sneered derisively, "Luo Xiao, are you talking about Luo Feng? I advise you to stop your desperate struggle. We hunted two hundred and forty-one Demon Beasts, breaking the previous record. What can Luo Feng possibly do all by himself?"
Luo Xiao didn’t respond, simply closing his eyes and standing aside.
The Li Family hunting two hundred and forty-one Demon Beasts is indeed unexpected, he thought. But after witnessing Luo Feng’s true strength, I don’t believe this score is unbeatable.
In the grandstands, Yang Wanyi rested her fragrant chin on her clasped hands, watching the drill ground with her beautiful eyes slightly curved. A faint ripple disturbed the usual calm of her lovely pupils.
That boy still hasn’t returned... I wonder what he’s up to...
Her gaze swept slightly, and Yang Wanyi noticed Steward Li’s expression. She paused for a moment, then her rosy lips curved into an alluring arc, and she winked at Steward Li.
Steward Li was already a half-step Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist; his senses were incredibly sharp. He immediately noticed Yang Wanyi’s gaze and a wry smile touched his lips.
I knew I couldn’t avoid this...
Steward Li muttered to himself, and with a flicker of movement, he landed beside Yang Wanyi.
"Steward Li, tell me what you’ve discovered," Yang Wanyi said, blinking her eyes, her red lips slightly parted as she spoke playfully.
Steward Li’s lips moved. The memory of losing track of Luo Feng made his face flush. Knowing he couldn’t hide it, he leaned close to Yang Wanyi’s ear and briefly recounted the events leading up to when he lost Luo Feng.
Yang Wanyi listened quietly, a peculiar light flashing in her beautiful eyes, the smile on her lips growing wider.
"I never imagined that a small place like Panlong City could produce such a genius. It seems my impulsive decision to watch this hunting competition was well worth it."
After hearing Steward Li’s account, Yang Wanyi smiled charmingly and murmured to herself.
Yang Wanyi had long suspected Luo Feng was hiding his Cultivation, so that part didn’t particularly surprise her.
What truly shocked her was that Luo Feng had managed to evade Steward Li’s pursuit.
Yang Wanyi was well aware of Steward Li’s capabilities.
As one of Dayang City’s top experts, even she wouldn’t be completely confident of evading Steward Li under those circumstances.
Yet Luo Feng, only at the mid-stage God Bravery Realm Cultivation, had managed to evade Steward Li. This could only mean his Qinggong proficiency was no less than Steward Li’s.
Steward Li’s Light Martial Art is the high-grade Yellow Level technique, Reverse Stream Cloud Step. Could Luo Feng’s Light Martial Art be a peak-grade Yellow Level technique? Or perhaps even a Profound Level Light Martial Art...
Her captivating eyes glinted, and the curiosity within them deepened.
Li Yantian, seeing the sun high overhead, prompted Steward Li, "Steward Li, it’s already noon. The competition’s outcome is clear. You should announce the results of this hunting competition now."
Steward Li looked up; it was indeed noon.
Why hasn’t he returned yet...
Steward Li frowned slightly.
He also had high expectations for Luo Feng, but rules were rules. As the supervisor of this hunting competition, he couldn’t show blatant favoritism.
There’s no other choice, he thought with a slight shake of his head.
Shaking his head slightly, Steward Li’s figure flickered and appeared mid-air above the drill ground. He announced loudly, "Time is up! This hunting competition..."
Just as Steward Li was about to announce the Li Family as the winner of this hunting competition, a clear voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone looked towards the source of the voice. On a tower over thirty meters high on the southern side of the drill ground, a figure had appeared at some unknown time.
He had a refined face, and his eyes held a resolve that belied his youth. His somewhat slender figure exuded the imposing aura of a great mountain. His attire, stained crimson with fresh blood, and the nearly man-sized long saber slung across his back, added an air of formidable, heroic spirit to his presence.
Feng Lingyue saw the figure, her delicate fists clenched tightly, her eyes trembling slightly, clearly overcome with emotion.
The young man standing on the tower, a confident smile on his lips as he overlooked everything below, was none other than Luo Feng!