Li Fengyuan's eyes turned cold.
He didn't love Shen Yuyan but that also didn't mean that just anyone could humiliate her.
She was a respectable person who had also helped him in his previous life, and that was not going to change just because of his feelings.
That alone was enough.
"Wei Tianhao," Li Fengyuan said flatly, "why don't you f**k off?"
The words fell clearly, without hesitation.
The surrounding area instantly went silent.
No one expected Li Fengyuan to speak so directly—especially not to someone like Wei Tianhao.
Li Fengyuan wasn't in the mood to play childish mind games. To him, Wei Tianhao's tricks were transparent and tedious.
However, Wei Tianhao merely raised an eyebrow, a faint sneer appearing on his face.
"Tsk," he clicked his tongue. "Li Fengyuan, Li Fengyuan… is this how you talk to your seniors?"
His voice grew colder.
"Didn't the Li Clan teach you basic manners?"
Li Fengyuan chuckled softly.
"Heh?"
He lifted his head and finally looked Wei Tianhao straight in the eyes.
There was no anger in his gaze—only indifference, as if he were looking at something insignificant.
"Of course my Li Clan taught me manners," Li Fengyuan said calmly.
"Just not for a low-life like you."
The lackeys stiffened.
Wei Tianhao's expression twitched.
Li Fengyuan continued, his tone unhurried yet merciless.
"Tell me, Wei Tianhao," he said, glancing briefly at the lackeys blocking the path, "if you are such a well-mannered person you claim to be, why are you smearing someone else's name?"
He let out a light laugh.
"Well, I know this is just to get me angry, but—"
Li Fengyuan shook his head slowly.
"Know your place."
The surrounding students sucked in sharp breaths.
Wei Tianhao's smile vanished.
Li Fengyuan wasn't done.
"You call yourself my senior," Li Fengyuan went on, his voice sharp now, "yet the only thing you've surpassed me in is being louder, more arrogant, and more desperate to prove yourself."
He leaned forward slightly, the weights on his body creaking under pressure.
"If provoking someone is what makes you feel superior," Li Fengyuan said quietly, "then you're more pathetic than I thought."
Silence!
Wei Tianhao's fists clenched at his sides, veins bulging on the back of his hands.
For the first time, rage completely replaced his composed façade.
"You—!"
Wei Tianhao snarled, his face darkening.
The calm, dismissive tone.
The utter lack of respect.
Li Fengyuan wasn't angry.
He wasn't reckless.
He was looking down on him.
And that—
That was something Wei Tianhao couldn't tolerate.
Wei Tianhao took a slow breath, forcing down the surge of fury boiling in his chest.
Then he laughed.
It wasn't light or amused—it was cold, edged with menace.
"Good," Wei Tianhao said, nodding slowly. "Very good, Li Fengyuan!"
His eyes hardened.
"It seems you really have forgotten your own place."
He took a step forward, his presence pressing down like an invisible weight.
"Since the Li Clan failed to discipline you properly," Wei Tianhao continued calmly, "then I, as your senior, will teach you a lesson instead."
The intent behind his words was unmistakable.
Zhao Dazhu's expression changed instantly.
"Bastard—!"
He took a step forward, only for two figures to flash in front of him.
Wei Tianhao's lackeys.
Both of them released their auras without restraint—solid, oppressive.
One-Star Disciples.
Zhao Dazhu's face darkened. Jia Hao also stepped up beside him, his jaw clenched.
"Move," Jia Hao said coldly.
The two lackeys sneered.
"You think you're qualified?"
Zhao Dazhu and Jia Hao exchanged a quick glance.
They knew it.
Against one-star disciples, the two of them could fight—maybe even win—but it would take time to defeat them.
Time they didn't have.
By the time they broke through, Li Fengyuan would already—
"Stay!"
Li Fengyuan's voice cut through quietly.
Zhao Dazhu froze.
"Fengyuan—!"
Li Fengyuan didn't turn back. He only lifted one hand slightly, a subtle gesture.
Don't interfere.
Jia Hao hesitated, then slowly lowered his stance. His eyes never left Wei Tianhao.
"…Alright," he muttered. "But be careful."
Zhao Dazhu clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white.
He didn't think Li Fengyuan would win.
But—
Completely crushed?
No!
Not from what he'd seen.
Perhaps he might even win.
Anyway, since Li Fengyuan told him to stay, he knew that Li Fengyuan must have some kind of plan.
Li Fengyuan stepped forward, stopping a few paces away from Wei Tianhao.
The weights strapped to his body creaked softly.
Wei Tianhao looked at him as if staring at prey.
"Last chance," Wei Tianhao said coldly. "Kneel and Apologize. Admit you were wrong."
A cruel smile spread across his face.
"I might even let go of your earlier remarks!"
Li Fengyuan scoffed.
"When did you become such a blabbermouth?" he said lazily.
Wei Tianhao's pupils shrank.
"What did you say?"
Li Fengyuan tilted his head slightly, his expression calm to the point of indifference.
"If you are done talking, let's get started."
Wei Tianhao's killing intent erupted.
"Sure! I will grant your wish!"
With a sharp step, he lunged forward, spiritual energy surging violently around his body.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
His fist shot forward—fast, ruthless, carrying the might of a Two-Star Disciple.
(Novice!)
The moment Wei Tianhao made his move, the training grounds erupted.
"Did you see that?! Wei Tianhao attacked!"
"Li Fengyuan's really fighting Wei Tianhao?!"
"Is Li Fengyuan insane?"
…
Students who had been training nearby stopped one after another. Some climbed onto stone platforms, others gathered at a distance, forming a wide circle around the two.
Sparring and conflicts weren't uncommon here.
What was uncommon… was who was fighting.
A Two-Star Disciple.
Against Li Fengyuan.
Wei Tianhao's fist tore through the air like a cannon shot.
Yet—
Li Fengyuan shifted half a step to the side.
Just half.
The fist brushed past his sleeve, missing by a hair.
Wei Tianhao's eyes flickered.
He didn't stop.
A second punch followed, then a sweeping kick, then another strike—each faster, heavier, layered with spiritual force.
Crack! Crack!
The air trembled with every attack.
And yet—
Li Fengyuan moved.
Not hurried.
Not panicked.
He swayed, stepped, twisted—each motion minimal, precise, timed to the last possible instant.
Every strike missed.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"He dodged that?!"
"No way… that was so close!"
"Is that really Li Fengyuan?!"
Wei Tianhao attacked relentlessly, his expression growing darker with every failed strike.
How?
How was he missing?
With his strength, even seasoned disciples struggled to evade him. Most couldn't dodge even one blow—
Yet Li Fengyuan avoided all of them.
At the very last second.
Every time.
Wei Tianhao finally leapt back, landing heavily on the ground.
His chest rose and fell.
"How…?" he muttered, disbelief flashing across his face. Then he looked up sharply.
"How come I can't hit you?!"
The question slipped out before he could stop himself.
Silence fell.
Li Fengyuan stood there, hands relaxed at his sides, weights still strapped to his limbs.
His expression hadn't changed.
That calm, indifferent look—
The one Wei Tianhao hated the most.
"It's simple," Li Fengyuan said lightly. "You're weak!"
Wei Tianhao's jaw clenched.
Impossible!
That shouldn't be possible.
This shouldn't be possible.
"Good," Wei Tianhao suddenly said, laughing sharply. "Good! Very good!"
His confusion turned into fury—and then exhilaration.
"I was worried it would be too easy," he continued, eyes blazing. "Looks like you're at least worth a little effort."