Chapter 648

Even though Qiao Zhenyu's reaction was already at its limit, his speed was still a step slower than Jiang Feng's strike.

When that word roared out of Qiao Zhenyu's mouth, Jiang Feng had already slightly lifted his head.

Just lifted his head a little.

The movement was slight, like a newly awakened person turning his neck. Yet the moment that motion finished, everything in the courtyard changed.

The black‑clad bodyguards who were rushing halfway suddenly froze.

Their feet still hung in mid‑air, but their bodies, as if a pause button had been pressed, remained motionless there.

Time seemed to stand still on them; even the flutter of their clothing froze in mid‑air, as if something had crystallized them.

The courtyard's clamor vanished in an instant.

The guests who had been chatting, snickering, and pointing now opened their mouths one by one, yet no sound came out.

Qiao Zhenyu's complexion turned deathly pale in an instant.

His pupils contracted sharply, his gaze fixed rigidly on the stagnant space around Jiang Feng; his lips trembled several times before he managed to force out a few words.

"Absolute... Domain..."

His voice trembled.

The trembling was not from fear, but from a deeper, instinctual reverence of a cultivator.

He is a strong practitioner of the Heavenly Human Realm, the sole guardian deity of all Tianzhou, and thought he had already risen high enough. Yet at this moment, facing this young man, a single head‑lift made him realize a fact!

If he were standing on a mountainside, the other would already be on the clouds.

Qiao Zhenyu's legs gave way, and his knees slammed heavily onto the Green Stone Slab.

He crouched so low his forehead nearly touched the ground, his voice forced from deep in his throat with an unprecedented humility.

"Lord Martial Saint!"

His voice was so loud that the entire courtyard heard it clearly.

"They are ignorant peasants who do not know right from wrong, offending the heavenly might of the Martial Saint, pure ignorance! Please, sir, spare their lives!"

The courtyard fell into a death‑like silence.

Everyone stared at the kneeling Qiao Zhenyu, and at the commander of the Military Office who usually stood lofty, even the Governor had to defer to him by three points, now crawling before Jiang Feng like a tamed dog.

The people who had just been laughing the loudest now had expressions as if something had nailed them in place, frozen, even their breathing became cautious.

Lin Zhenhai stood there, looking as if struck by lightning.

His mouth gaped wide, his eyes bulged as if about to pop out, and only one thought raced wildly in his mind.

You motherfucker, didn't you say this guy isn't a Martial Saint?

If he's not a Martial Saint, then why are you kneeling so fast?

He's at least a third‑rank Military Commander, a distinguished top general of Tianzhou, and you knelt like that without any backbone?

He cursed inwardly, yet his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

He stared at the bodyguards frozen in mid‑air, at the kneeling Qiao Zhenyu who dared not lift his head, and then glanced again at the young man still with his hands in his pockets.

A chill crawled up his spine, so cold his teeth chattered.

Lin Zhenyan's perpetually smiling face finally couldn't hold; he quietly stepped back half a pace, hiding himself behind the crowd.

On the other side of the crowd, Du Jianchuan's complexion also changed.

He stood there, his whole body trembling slightly, his face pale, the habitual official smile at the corner of his mouth long gone.

He could attain the position of Governor of Tianzhou only because he was no obscure nobody. The Tianzhou Du Family has operated for a hundred years, its roots deep, and his own teacher is the current Grand Tutor Duan Jianzhang.

Yet even the Duan family behind his esteemed mentor is far from reaching the unattainable limit of the Martial Saint.

The Duan family's founding ancestor has yet to enter the Martial Saint realm; despite the countless members and centuries of accumulation, they are still one step away from that threshold.

Across the empire, among thousands of families big and small, only a few can be counted on one hand that have a Martial Saint seated among them.

Each Martial Saint is a presence capable of reshaping a region's landscape, a target that even the great families and powerful factions would pour everything into courting.

Yet this Lin family daughter, a medical apprentice, so easily took a Martial Saint as her master?

Du Jianchuan's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

He looked at Lin Zhenshan, at the Chamber of Commerce President he had constantly suppressed, and for the first time his gaze revealed a reverence he never imagined he could feel.

What virtue or ability does the Lin family have to attach themselves to such a noble figure?

Jiang Feng stood there, not looking at the people kneeling on the ground.

His gaze fell on Qiao Zhenyu, merely glancing lightly.

With just that glance, Qiao Zhenyu's body jolted, feeling as if a mountain pressed down on him, making even his breathing difficult.

"What do you think should be done to someone who insults the Martial Saint?"

Jiang Feng's voice was not loud, yet each word pierced the ears of everyone present like an ice spear.

A cold sweat seeped on Qiao Zhenyu's forehead; his voice trembled, yet he strained to keep it clear.

"The Martial Saint must not be insulted! By law, he must be executed!"

His words made the guests' faces in the courtyard turn even whiter.

But soon Qiao Zhenyu continued, his voice carrying an almost pleading urgency.

"But these are my Tianzhou elite guardians! The nearby seas of Tianzhou are often plagued by bandits; these men have served the nation with merit. Please, Lord Martial Saint, consider their past deeds and spare their lives!"

He paused, as if making a great resolve, clenched his teeth, and his voice grew a few degrees heavier.

"My Tianzhou Military Office is willing to offer a single Nourishing Soul Elixir as a token of atonement!"

The words caused the entire assembly to erupt in a murmur.

The guests who had been trembling suddenly lifted their heads, as if they had heard something unbelievable.

Nourishing Soul Elixir?

It is a secret Imperial Family Elixir; it is said the entire Imperial Family produces only a few dozen each year, capable of nourishing the spirit, and even at the Martial Saint realm it offers great benefit.

This kind of Elixir cannot be bought on the market at all; it exists only in the internal circulation among the empire's highest echelons. The Tianzhou Military and Horse Office, as part of the Imperial Capital's defense, can obtain a nourishing soul Elixir only once every ten years, so its rarity is easy to imagine.

Du Jianchuan squinted his eyes, and his gaze toward Qiao Zhenyu grew a few shades more complicated.

He knows about that nourishing soul Elixir; it is Qiao Zhenyu's life savings accumulated over many years, and even he could not obtain it when he wanted. Yet now Qiao Zhenyu is actually willing to give it up to exchange for the lives of these bodyguards?

Jiang Feng stood there, watching Qiao Zhenyu's face twisted by tension and fear, and remained silent for a few breaths.

Then the corner of his Mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint curve.

He hadn't expected that this Disciple of senior brother Zi Jian would be such a good example.

Thousand Metal buys a horse Bone, using one nourishing soul Elixir, to exchange for dozens of Human Lives.

It does have a bit of senior brother's demeanor.

He said nothing, merely withdrew that oppressive aura.

Those bodyguards suspended in mid‑air, as if their restraints were released, fell with a clatter, sprawling on the Ground, collapsing and gasping for breath in large gulps.

Jiang Feng didn't cast them a single glance, turned and walked Inside the main building, his voice drifting from behind his Back.

"Apprenticeship ceremony, continue."

Lin Zhenshan was startled for a moment, then as if a switch had been flipped, a huge smile burst suddenly across his face, and his posture straightened instantly.

He hurried to keep up, and his voice again Recovery to that festive, triumphant, exhilarated tone.

"Everyone! Please take your seats! My Lin Family, today formally bows to become a disciple of Kunlun!"

The crowd present instantly seemed revived, each one hurrying along, their faces filled with sycophantic Laughter.

Even Governor of Tianzhou Du Jianchuan was ignored by everyone; all were single‑minded in currying favor with Lin Zhenshan.

They all know clearly that, from today onward, the sky of Tianzhou has changed!