Almighty Genius

Chapter 2189 - 1683: Strayed from the Path!

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"That guy is Lu Tianfeng…"

When Lu Tianfeng and his group saw Qin Fang, naturally Qin Fang and his companions also noticed Lu Tianfeng and the others. Xu Zizhen immediately gestured towards Lu Tianfeng who was walking at the forefront…

As for Xu Zixiong leaning nearby, he bore some resemblance to Xu Zizhen in appearance, so he certainly was a Xu family member, and Qin Fang couldn't possibly be mistaken.

"Looks quite strong…"

Qin Fang certainly took notice of this group of people, especially Lu Tianfeng, who had surprisingly reached Grandmaster level cultivation… For someone his age, it was undoubtedly considered a remarkably talented prodigy.

It's worth noting that even exceptional individuals like Monk Wukong, with their talents, sects, and resources, were not much stronger than Lu Tianfeng… If they hadn't followed Qin Fang to Japan, it would have taken them many years of accumulation to break through to the Grandmaster level.

But Lu Tianfeng had already crossed into the Grandmaster level, which genuinely caught Qin Fang's attention.

"What a pity…"

However, after Qin Fang carefully observed this Lu Tianfeng, he couldn't help but shake his head.

"What's up?"

Upon hearing Qin Fang's subsequent shift in tone, Xu Zizhen couldn't resist indulging in a bit of gossip, sensing that this Lu Tianfeng might not be as glamorous as he appeared, possibly harboring some hidden issues.

"Just took some crooked paths, that's all…"

Qin Fang chuckled without elaborating, giving a simple evaluation.

This was discernible due to his Scouting Skill; Lu Tianfeng had indeed used some means to achieve Grandmaster level at such a young age… Moreover, it was a technique that harmed both others and himself.

"Just unclear whether he found this heretic technique on his own, or if it's a Lu family cultivation…"

Qin Fang speculated inwardly.

He discovered that Lu Tianfeng had elevated his cultivation through a special heretic secret technique… This heretic secret technique was extremely malevolent, no less than the Netherworld Ghost Qi Qin Fang had encountered.

However, this heretic secret technique doesn't collect living people's blood for cultivation but collects martial artists' essence… Accurately, it's a yin-yang harvesting technique, one even the Baihua Demon Sect's cultivators wouldn't stoop to.

Baihua Demon Sect's harvesting not only extracts but also can feed back… achieving mutual benefit for both parties, which allows it to be a sustainable practice.

Even if some individuals twist the cultivation method, causing harm, it's merely categorized as a demonic cultivation technique, weakening the extracted individuals physically without endangering their lives.

But Lu Tianfeng's harvesting evil art is different; he entirely drains a martial artist's essence, leaving nothing behind… Essentially, upon completion of the extraction, the martial artist's life is completely forfeited.

Though it's a malevolent technique, it can rapidly enhance one's cultivation…

However, it also significantly harms oneself, absorbing various mixed exotic True Qi, which is difficult to fully consolidate and at best can only be temporarily suppressed. As the abundance and volume of such exotic True Qi increase, a day of eruption is inevitable…

At that time, mild cases might lead to self-explosion and untimely death; severe cases could turn into a bloodthirsty, murderous, completely loss-of-consciousness evil being… The stronger the power, the heavier the demonic essence, resulting in increasingly frightening consequences.

"Seems like he has only absorbed one person's essence..."

The reason for Qin Fang's doubt mainly stemmed from discovering just one type of exotic True Qi in Lu Tianfeng, implying he had only absorbed one person's essence… Perhaps he was cautious, or the Lu family had realized the harmfulness of this evil art, hence deliberately arranged it.

"Perhaps I somewhat understand why he insists on marrying Xu Jiao…"

However, staring at Lu Tianfeng, Qin Fang suddenly thought of Xu Jiao, and it all made sense suddenly.

"What's up?"

Noticing Qin Fang's odd reaction, Xu Zizhen couldn't resist asking again, evidently curious about Qin Fang's earlier remark about "taking a crooked path."

"Nothing, let's first go celebrate Elder Xu's birthday!"

Qin Fang shook his head; he was indifferent to Lu Tianfeng, merely hoping he wouldn't cause unnecessary trouble… Otherwise, Qin Fang feared he might not be able to restrain himself from eliminating such a heretically cultivated prodigy.

As for Lu Tianfeng's interest in Xu Jiao, regardless of whether the Xu family noticed Lu Tianfeng's abnormality, as long as Qin Fang explained the misunderstanding clearly, the Xu family wouldn't let Xu Jiao leave, preventing Lu Tianfeng from succeeding.

Given this, Qin Fang naturally wouldn't bother himself with Lu Tianfeng, deciding alongside Xu Zizhen to first pay respects to Old Master Xu, which was Qin Fang's primary reason for being here….

Lu Tianfeng naturally didn't know that Qin Fang had already seen through him, but he noticed that Qin Fang and his group quickly left after meeting them briefly, seemingly displaying some "fear," which made Lu Tianfeng's heart burn with anticipation.

Qin Fang's background made him feel quite apprehensive. If Qin Fang truly hailed from a Great Sect in Dragon Country, then he would have to adopt a soft approach... but if Qin Fang's background was mediocre, then there would be no need for courtesy.

"Ershao, what do you think?"

However, from their first encounter, Lu Tianfeng wasn't too concerned with Qin Fang, yet he didn't become overconfident and instead asked Xu Ershao, Xu Zixiong, beside him.

"Can't see much..."

Xu Zixiong had also closely observed Qin Fang earlier, but couldn't discern anything substantial. If his father hadn't indeed been toyed with by Qin Fang last night, he might have thought Qin Fang was just an ordinary person with no strength to speak of.

But now, he found Qin Fang quite terrifying, almost having reached a state of returning to simplicity. With his strength and cultivation, he couldn't see through him at all... however, this was not something he would say to Lu Tianfeng.

"Can't see through... haha, go in and take a look!"

Lu Tianfeng was evidently satisfied with Xu Zixiong's response. Without further ado, he led the group to the banquet hall.

Since it was a birthday banquet, the birthday star naturally held the place of honor. Old Master Xu sat at the head seat, receiving congratulations from the guests. Some guests even presented gifts in person... none of which were of poor quality.

Old Master Xu's own strength was average, but he had held the position of Family Head of the Xu Family for decades and had increased the family's influence many times over... In addition, his connections, spreading far and wide, woven with powerful figures, bolstered the Xu Family's influence.

Like this current birthday banquet, even after guests were carefully selected, many still came, covering prominent forces from Southeast Asia and neighboring countries and regions.

Even some martially renowned families respected the old master greatly and sent high-level family members to pay their respects...

As soon as Qin Fang entered, he immediately sensed several rather powerful auras, all at the Grandmaster-level tier. Although not as sharp as the Sword Qi from the Sword Cultivation Elder standing beside Old Master Xu, they still exerted considerable pressure.

"Ah, these people..."

In response, Qin Fang could only smile wryly.

These people didn't seem to come to celebrate a birthday or cause trouble intentionally. Using such powerful auras to pressure was nothing against other martial artists, but many ordinary people were here to celebrate.

Qin Fang noticed that several guests entering alongside him frowned slightly at the pressure...

Even though the Sword Cultivation Elder attempted to suppress the aura of other Grandmaster-level experts, some guests still felt discomfort...

Qin Fang's presence surprised many experts, as he seemed to be the only guest unaffected by the aura interference. Even... when their aura touched Qin Fang, it was like a mud ox disappearing into the sea, leaving no trace.

Even the Sword Cultivation Elder noticed Qin Fang at first glance. His murky eyes flashed with a penetrating glare, scanning Qin Fang's body like lightning, then immediately retracting.

"Junior Qin Fang wishes Old Master Xu longevity and good fortune..."

Qin Fang didn't pay attention to the elder's reaction and instead approached Old Master Xu with a smile, courteously offering congratulations, along with a gift prepared by his mother.

"Not bad, not bad... I didn't expect that after twenty years without seeing Miss Qu, her son has grown so promising, dignified and talented..."

Old Master Xu knew Qin Fang's identity, and coupled with Qin Fang's 'generosity,' he became increasingly satisfied with Qin Fang.

Although his appearance wasn't the most handsome, being young, vigorous, and reserved, with hidden talents made him more pleasing to the old man than Lu Tianfeng from the Lu Family...

"Old Master Xu overpraises me..."

Qin Fang smiled, cupped his hands, and modestly responded.

"Please sit over there for a while..."

Old Master Xu was very satisfied, nodding approvingly, and just as he was about to say more, his eyes subtly shifted, then he made a gesture.

"Thank you, Old Master Xu!"

Qin Fang also responded with great courtesy and, along with Xu Zizhen, went to sit aside, knowing that... Lu Tianfeng had entered as well,

It was precisely his arrival that caused such subtle emotional changes in Old Master Xu...

But these were matters the Xu Family would eventually face, and they weren't closely related to Qin Fang, so he didn't intend to get involved. He headed to a seat, but just as he turned, he seemed to sense something unusual.

"Lu Tianfeng truly is outrageously arrogant..."

Without needing to look back, he knew Lu Tianfeng was causing some commotion...(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)