"Who the hell dares to injure my brothers, Cao Luo?"
As the two familiar figures drew closer, Cao Luo had clearly recognized them as his second brother Cao Ju and his third brother Cao Jun. He immediately let out a roar of fury so intimidating that many of the young prodigies at the Meridian Introduction Realm didn’t even dare to breathe.
One could imagine that Cao Luo immediately noticed the state of Cao Ju’s right palm, severed at the wrist. Among the candidates for the Outer Disciple selection of the Jade Pot Sect, he was considered one of the finest, someone not to be trifariously provoked.
This was also why the Cao brothers could act so lawlessly in the Yulin Mountain Range. With their eldest brother already stepping into the Meridian Gathering Realm deterrence, even if they offended others, not everyone would dare to take action against them.
These three brothers considered themselves high and mighty prodigies, with Cao Luo being the most overbearing. Now, seeing his second brother in such a dire state, his rage was boiling, with no outlet for release.
"Hehe, what has upset Brother Cao Luo so much?"
Just as the younger Cao brothers were about to recount their ordeal, a soft, sly voice suddenly came from somewhere, diverting everyone’s attention immediately.
In the Yulin Mountain Range, there were few who would use such a tone and dare to address Cao Luo as a brother. As they turned to see the person speaking slowly step out from the crowd, they immediately recognized who had come.
There were two young figures; one was tall and handsome, but there was a touch of sinister intent between his brows, making him slightly uncomfortable to look at.
The other, following the sly young man, had a bulky figure, like a half-cut iron tower, exuding an overwhelming presence, indicating immense physical strength.
"It’s the Zhao brothers!"
Their distinctive looks allowed people to identify them instantly, and a wave of intense murmurs erupted, filled with veiled reverence.
"Hehe, it turns out to be Brother Ningshu and Brother Xingwu. What a pleasant surprise to encounter you here!"
Cao Luo was also a scheming individual. He had just lost composure due to his brother’s serious injury, but now, having calmed himself, his fake, joyless smile wouldn’t fool anyone into thinking he actually found the arrival of the Zhao brothers "pleasant."
The sly and the muscular - these two men were actually the elder brothers of Ling Wan in the Zhao Family. The eldest, Zhao Ningshu, appeared to have a scholarly vibe, but in reality, was full of cunning tricks and never showed mercy when setting up people.
As for the second brother, Zhao Xingwu, he was naturally extraordinary, with phenomenal physical strength from birth, and the status of these two brothers in the Zhao Family was far superior to that of Ling Wan, vastly different as heaven and earth.
Cao Luo particularly disliked the Zhao brothers because he knew that Zhao Ningshu was one of his biggest rivals in this competition. Now that these two had come to Medicine Valley, Cao Luo’s plans might have to change.
Though nearly a thousand participants were taking part in the Jade Pot Sect’s examination, and a hundred would eventually enter the Outer Sect, the ranking for gathering medicinal herbs was also highly influential. Being in the good graces of the Sect Elders could mean a much smoother path ahead and fewer detours.
All these young cultivators wanted to be the first to complete the task. That was why they had rushed to Medicine Valley, aiming for the rare Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and the Middle Level Mortal Rank Pill Recipes.
Had Zhao Ningshu not shown up, Cao Luo would have been the only Cultivator at the Meridian Gathering Realm. Then, once inside Medicine Valley, no one would dare compete with him for Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, with the best items naturally falling into his hands first.
"Brother Cao Luo, it seems your brothers have encountered some trouble. Shall I lend a hand?"
Zhao Ningshu’s face showed a hint of slyness, which elicited a cold laugh from Cao Luo. He thought to himself that this guy was never one to miss out on an advantage, so why was he being so generous today?
"This is a matter for us brothers of the Cao Family to settle ourselves!" Keeping his cautious stance towards Zhao Ningshu, Cao Luo shook his head and then turned to ask, "Second brother, what exactly happened?"
"Big brother, we’ve run into a tough nut this time. They..."
Cao Ju’s eyes were filled with hatred. Just as he was about to describe the events, his eyes suddenly sharpened, and he turned abruptly in a certain direction. A surge of fury exploded from him.
There, in the direction of Cao Ju’s gaze, a number of figures were slowly approaching. Among them, a woman with a graceful figure was leading, and beside her, a youth dressed in plain clothes seemed quite unremarkable.
But it was this unremarkable youth in coarse clothes that nearly made Cao Ju’s eyes pop out of his sockets. He bellowed, "Big brother, it’s him... It’s them who burnt off my hand!"
Upon hearing these words, not only Cao Luo, the eldest of the Cao Family, instantly turned his gaze towards the direction of those people, but hundreds of eyes in the arena also simultaneously shifted, assessing the individual bold enough to have injured the Cao Family’s second son and wondering who this audacious person could be.
However, upon a closer look, many spectators wore a peculiar expression on their faces, especially the Zhao brothers who showed disdain, as if it was embarrassingly shameful for Cao Ju, despite being at the Peak of Meridian Introduction Realm, to be hurt by such a group.
Yet, just as Zhao Ningshu’s contemptuous smile began to surface, Zhao Xingwu, standing beside him, suddenly gasped and said, "Big brother, look, it’s that little rascal from Ling Wan!"
"It really is him!" Alerted by his younger brother’s indication, Zhao Ningshu’s gaze sharpened, and a cold smirk appeared on his face as he whispered: "Since he’s seeking his own death, it’s not our fault."
As his voice faded, Zhao Ningshu glanced back at the Third-Rank Low-Level Vein Demon guarding the valley entrance and thought to himself that Medicine Valley indeed was an ideal place to kill someone without a trace.
Leaving the Zhao brothers’ malicious thoughts aside, upon receiving guidance from Cao Ju, Cao Luo, a Low-Rank Mortal Rank Meridian Refining Master, naturally sensed the Meridian Qi Cultivation of the group, and couldn’t help but frown.
"What happened here? Can’t you deal with these ants?" Cao Luo was clearly frustrated and disappointed; the Cao Family was a prominent family that often held the upper hand against cultivators of the same level, let alone Lower-level Practitioners.
"Big brother, that rustic-looking young man is somewhat peculiar. I suspect that he might also possess a Fire Attribute Ancestor Vein!"
Cao Ju was not foolish after all. Although the display of Ancestral Vein Fire by Yun Xiao was extremely subtle that day, upon deeper reflection, he noticed some clues and brought it up at this moment.
"Ancestor Vein? A Fire Attribute one?"
Hearing Cao Ju, Cao Luo murmured, then amidst his anger, a hint of jealousy surfaced because he himself was just a Low-Rank Mortal Rank Meridian Refining Master, knowing full well how difficult it was to become a Meridian Refining Master, with the hardest part being the activation of a Fire Attribute Ancestor Vein.
Cao Luo himself only managed to activate a Fire Attribute Ancestor Vein upon breaking through to the Meridian Gathering Realm. Yet now, that rustic youth was merely in the Meridian Introduction Realm and already possessed a Fire Attribute Ancestor Vein, which undoubtedly unsettled him.
For individuals as narrow-minded as the Cao brothers, they could never tolerate seeing others stronger than themselves, especially younger cultivators. Enraged and envious, Cao Luo found it increasingly hard to hold back.
The group being glared at with hatred by the Cao brothers was, naturally, Yun Xiao, Tan Yun, and their companions. However, having prepared themselves, they were not taken by surprise.
Before, even in the Middle Stage of Meridian Introduction Realm, Yun Xiao was able to defeat Cao Ju at the Peak of the Meridian Introduction Realm. Now that he had broken through to the Late Stage of Meridian Introduction Realm, even facing the real Meridian Gathering Realm expert Cao Luo, he was not without the strength to fight.
Moreover, it wasn’t without precedent for Yun Xiao to defeat Meridian Gathering Realm cultivators. More than a year ago, at the Shang Family’s Arena Hall, Shang Huiyu had consumed a Blood Erosion Pill and activated the potential of his blood, rising to the level of Meridian Gathering Realm, but still ultimately fell to Yun Xiao’s Ancestral Vein Fire.
"Big brother Yun Xiao, those two over there are my eldest and second brothers!"
However, just as Yun Xiao was on guard internally, Ling Wan suddenly spoke up beside him, causing Yun Xiao to immediately notice Zhao Ningshu and Zhao Xingwu, realizing that this time the trouble was likely to escalate.
Fortunately, Yun Xiao dared to come here, not without plans; the younger talents attending the Jade Pot Sect’s Outer Disciple examination were all competitors, especially outstanding ones like Zhao Ningshu and Cao Luo, who were unlikely to join forces with others, as doing so would be an insult to their status.
But Yun Xiao had overlooked one thing; based on his surface Meridian Qi Cultivation, if he were a powerful genius who had reached the Meridian Gathering Realm, perhaps Cao Luo would have held back temporarily, waiting to settle the account after obtaining the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures within Medicine Valley.
But would a genius like Cao Luo have the slightest concern for a mere ant who, on the surface, was only at the Late Stage of the Meridian Introduction Realm? In his eyes, getting rid of a few individuals, the highest of whom were only at the Late Stage of Meridian Introduction Realm, would hardly take much effort and would not impact the subsequent competition in Medicine Valley.
So, the very next moment, just as Yun Xiao was sizing up the Zhao brothers, Cao Luo’s figure had already swiftly lunged over. An overwhelming surge of Meridian Qi pressure came bearing down, and naturally, Tan Yun, who was at the forefront, bore the brunt of it.
With a strikingly rapid move, the spectators all shifted into a mode of anticipation, and none of them believed that anyone among the group of young men and women would be able to withstand Cao Luo’s palm strike.