Chapter 108 : Chapter 108

Chapter 108. I Handed You the Cultivation Art, and You Really Went and Practiced It?

The base conference room.

The five members of the Yanhuang Team, along with substitute Lin Wan, sat in the utterly silent conference room, waiting for Jiang Feng to arrive.

The atmosphere the entire time was oppressively heavy, and not a single person dared to break the silence.

In the match two days ago, even without the Spark Team using a Ninth-rank Magical Artifact, the Thunder Team, whose members were all in the sixth realm, had still been defeated.

And the very next second after their loss, the Thunder Team was struck from the team league roster, barred from ever participating in the team league again.

That had been the Thunder Team’s fate. If they lost, their end might be even worse.

Before this, they had looked down on the Spark Team with utter disdain. But now, the Spark Team’s record was enough to prove that they were anything but ordinary.

The Yanhuang Team’s captain, Jiang Feng, frowned deeply, hesitation rising in his heart.

Lin Wan, sitting in the back row, was even more filled with regret.

If she had not broken up with Jiang Yichen back then, perhaps she would have been the next member of the Spark Team.

Then she might have been like Su Linyu, Tang Long, and Chu Xingchen, breaking through to the fifth realm, Grandmaster, with Jiang Yichen’s help, instead of being a piece of trash no one bothered to spare a glance for in the Yanhuang Team.

Lin Wan bit down hard on her lower lip. For over half a month now, she had been warming the bench every match and had not played in a single one.

And after joining the Yanhuang Team, things had not turned out the way she imagined, with everyone revolving around her. Instead, every dirty job and tiring task had been dumped onto her.

If it had been the old Jiang Yichen, he definitely would have held her up and cultivated her as one of the team’s main players.

Lin Wan lowered her head and clenched her palms tightly. The moment she thought of all the grievances she had suffered during this period, her eyes started stinging with tears.

It’s all Jiang Yichen’s fault. You man who wasn’t steadfast enough in love—because of you, I’ve ended up in this situation today, she thought bitterly.

Even now, she still believed none of this was her fault.

Tap, tap, tap!

The sound of leather shoes striking the floor echoed into the silent conference room.

A figure in a tailored suit, immaculate down to the last detail, appeared before the Yanhuang Team.

Jiang Feng’s icy eyes swept coldly across the Yanhuang Team before he sat down in the office chair.

He raised a hand slightly, signaling to the bodyguard.

The man nodded and took six cultivation art recording devices out of his briefcase, handing one to each member of the Yanhuang Team.

The group looked at the devices in confusion.

“The Thunder Team’s defeat made me realize a very serious problem,” Jiang Feng said in his aloof voice.

“The cultivation arts you people practice are too worthless.”

“The cultivation art in your hands is a high-grade Earth-rank Cultivation Art called the Blood-Burning Secret Art. In a short period of time, it can raise your strength to a whole new level.”

“It just has a minor side effect. After using it, you’ll be weak for a few days, that’s all.”

A meaningful smile appeared at the corner of Jiang Feng’s mouth as he looked at the Yanhuang Team.

Aside from the upper ranks of the top families, hardly anyone knew anything about the Blood-Burning Secret Art.

So right now, whatever he said, the Yanhuang Team had no choice but to believe.

And that was exactly what happened.

The moment they heard Jiang Feng’s explanation of the Blood-Burning Secret Art, all six of their eyes lit up.

A cultivation art that could boost strength in a short period of time—this was nothing less than timely aid for people who absolutely could not afford to lose.

“Boss, is the side effect of this cultivation art really just a few days of weakness?” captain Jiang Feng asked.

Though he knew nothing about the Blood-Burning Secret Art in his hands, everyone in the martial world understood one thing: cultivation arts and pills that rapidly raised one’s strength placed a tremendous burden on a martial artist’s potential.

That was practically common knowledge in the martial world, so the side effect the Boss had described sounded far too mild.

“I believe I already said that without my permission, no one is allowed to question me.”

Jiang Feng’s gaze turned even colder. He slammed a palm onto the conference table and stared at Jiang Feng as if he wanted to devour him alive the next second.

Jiang Feng swallowed hard and could only say, “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. I believe what the Boss says.”

The other team members hurried to express the same attitude.

Only then did Jiang Feng’s expression ease slightly. He tilted his chin upward, revealing a jawline as sharp as if it had been carved with a knife.

“You should all be very clear about what happened to the Thunder Team after their defeat. I do not wish to repeat myself.”

“Spend these next few days concentrating on cultivating the Blood-Burning Secret Art. It can elevate the three of you at the peak of the sixth realm straight into the seventh realm, Martial King.”

“And if you still can’t win even then, I’ll make all of you disappear from this world, including your families.”

Jiang Feng’s sinister gaze swept across the Yanhuang Team.

All six of them felt a chill run down their spines. After a month and a half of dealing with him, they had gained some understanding of Jiang Feng.

On the surface, he looked like some brain-dead domineering CEO stereotype, but inwardly, he was more sinister than anyone.

But what pleased them was that this high-grade Earth-rank Cultivation Art, the Blood-Burning Secret Art, could actually raise them to the seventh realm, Martial King.

The gap between a sixth-realm Great Grandmaster and a seventh-realm Martial King was like a vast chasm.

If they could rise to the seventh realm, Martial King, then the Spark Team would definitely lose...

Wait!

Jiang Feng suddenly thought of a problem and quickly asked, “Boss, but if we use the Blood-Burning Secret Art to raise ourselves to the seventh realm, wouldn’t that violate the league rules?”

The league rules clearly stated that those in the seventh realm and above were not allowed to participate.

“That’s right, Boss. If we do that, the referees will rule it an immediate loss,” vice-captain Leng Zhenghan added, worried in his eyes.

But Jiang Feng merely smiled. “That may be what the rules say, but who told you to use it before the finals? I want you to use the Blood-Burning Secret Art during the match itself to break through into the seventh realm.”

“That way, we can perfectly avoid the restrictions of the rules.”

The moment those words were spoken, every member of the Yanhuang Team showed shock.

Thinking about it carefully, that really did seem to be the case.

The competition rules had never specified what would happen if someone broke through during the match.

This was exactly like how the Spark Team had taken advantage of the league not setting an upper limit on weapon rank—a perfect use of a loophole in the rules.

In that case, there was no suspense left in the finals at all.

The Blood-Burning Secret Art could raise their three peak sixth-realm members to the seventh realm, Martial King. With such an enormous gap in realms, the finals would be nothing more than a one-sided slaughter.

“Boss, your brilliance is absolutely unmatched,” Leng Zhenghan said, laying on the flattery. “We’ll definitely win these finals for you.”

Jiang Feng’s furrowed brow slowly relaxed as well, and a look of ease appeared on his face.

Jiang Yichen, this time, I’ll make you regret publicly disbanding the Yanhuang Team.

The league championship is ours for the taking.

Seeing the confidence on the faces of the Yanhuang Team, Jiang Feng smiled faintly.

As for the side effects of the Blood-Burning Secret Art, what did that have to do with him?

They were nothing more than tools that still had some value left to be used. Once they were useless, what would he still need them for?

Jiang Feng’s brows curved slightly as he thought, Man, you won’t be winning the finals. And the thing I have my eye on should be mine by then.

...

Three days until the finals.

The Jiang family estate.

“Chief Clan Elder, the finals of the team league are the day after tomorrow. Don’t you think Jiang Yichen seems more outstanding than Jiang Feng?”

Jiang Zhenglin, the clan elder in charge of legal affairs, pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, hesitation flickering in his eyes.

Before this, he had been absolutely certain that Jiang Feng was better suited to be the Jiang family’s heir than Jiang Yichen.

But the abilities Jiang Yichen had displayed over the past two months had left him shocked and puzzled.

From his fifth-realm Grandmaster strength during the martial exam, overpowering thirty thousand geniuses from Central China University and becoming the only graduate to reach the fifth realm at graduation—

To the current team league, where the Spark Team, a team no one had thought highly of and which had only been established a month ago, had forced its way into the finals.

Luck had certainly played a part, but it was still enough to prove Jiang Yichen’s latent ability.

But as for Jiang Feng, he had merely picked up what Jiang Yichen left behind. The Yanhuang Team, the Phoenix Team, and the Thunder Team were not teams he had built himself.

“Zhenglin, I know what you’re thinking. I’ve thought about this question too.”

In the courtyard, Jiang Qisheng, the Chief Clan Elder, gazed at the scenery before him and spoke slowly. “Jiang Yichen really has been astonishing lately. He has surpassed all of our expectations.”

“Perhaps we chose wrong, but there’s no room left to choose again.”

He let out a sigh. “Xiao Feng is a persistent person. He won’t give up this only chance. Let’s wait and watch what happens first.”

“Once the finals are over, we can decide what to do next.”

Jiang Zhenglin frowned slightly. The Chief Clan Elder’s words were reasonable.

They were on Jiang Feng’s side. If Jiang Yichen still ended up becoming the heir in the end, then he would likely settle accounts with the clan elders who had opposed him before.

If Jiang Feng won in the end, then naturally everyone would be happy.

“Ah... let’s see what happens in the finals the day after tomorrow.”