Chapter 135: Full of Doubts Du Yuan

Ignoring Ling Tianyu waiting outside, Zhang Xuan continued to refine his understanding of the acupuncture points that needed to be opened for the Acupoint Opening realm.

After a night of intense effort, he managed to open another thirty acupuncture points in one go, bringing the total number of opened points to fifty. His True Qi strength also reached a full 70 ding. Combined with his physical strength of 90 ding, he could effortlessly unleash a formidable power of 160 ding. This would allow him to easily defeat not only peak Acupoint Opening realm experts but even early-stage Transcendent Mortal realm experts.

The Transcendent Mortal realm involves opening the body's most crucial Transcendent Meridians, allowing power to flow throughout the entire body. Even at the initial stage, one possesses 100 ding of immense strength; the middle stage boasts 200 ding, and so on, with the peak reaching 400 ding.

Zhang Xuan's total combined strength of 160 ding already placed him between the early and middle stages of the Transcendent Mortal realm. Such progress was truly astonishing; if word got out, it would undoubtedly shock a great many people. Everyone knew there was a vast gap between the Acupoint Opening and Transcendent Mortal realms. To find a second person in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom who, at the peak of the Acupoint Opening realm, could defeat a Transcendent Mortal realm expert, would likely be impossible.

Stretching and standing up, Zhang Xuan pushed the door open and stepped out.

“Master, Sir Ling has been waiting outside all night,” Sun Qiang approached.

“All night?” He had been so engrossed in cultivation that he had forgotten about him.

“Well…” Zhang Xuan raised a finger, pondering what to say. Seeing his master's demeanor, which suggested he was about to invite Sir Ling in, Sun Qiang looked on expectantly, only to hear the other party say indifferently, “How about… we eat first!”

Sun Qiang stumbled and nearly fell to the ground. The owner of Tianyu Commerce, a billionaire, had waited outside all night, and his own master still wanted to eat first… However, as a subordinate, he dared not say more and immediately instructed the servants to prepare food.

It had to be said, the maids and servants this fellow hired were quite good; the dishes they prepared were plentiful and tasted delicious. After breakfast, Zhang Xuan strolled around the courtyard for a while. Only when it was nearly ten o'clock did he finally tell Sun Qiang to open the door.

***

Du Yuan was the young master of the Du family, one of the Four Great Clans of Tianxuan Royal City. He had always been idle and utterly decadent. On a typical day, he would walk his dog, play with his birds, and frequent the pleasure quarters. At twenty-four years old, he was only at the early stage of Warrior 3-dan True Qi realm, considered the absolute worst among aristocratic scions.

However, it wasn't that he wanted to be decadent; he had no other choice! His father was originally the strongest candidate for family head, but for unknown reasons, he unexpectedly fell gravely ill ten years ago. This resulted in damaged meridians and blocked acupuncture points, causing his cultivation to plummet from the Acupoint Opening realm, rendering him a cripple. His former rivals seized the opportunity to kick them while they were down, oppressing their branch of the family. Although he had inherited his father's talent and was quite capable, possessing the qualifications to compete, his branch of the family had already been severely suppressed. If he truly displayed his abilities, he would undoubtedly face persecution. Under duress, he was forced to feign decadence, living each day as it came, like a carefree wanderer.

Today, he slept until the sun was high in the sky before finally taking his beloved dog and swaggering out, strolling slowly down the street.

“Hmm? Isn’t that… Sir Ling Tianyu of Tianyu Commerce?” He suddenly stopped in his tracks. A familiar figure appeared before him. Ling Tianyu was a prominent figure in Tianxuan Royal City, a billionaire whose imposing presence and decisive manner were widely known. Although Du Yuan was a rake, he belonged to one of the Four Great Clans and usually moved in high circles. He had met Ling Tianyu many times before, as Tianyu Commerce had several dealings with the Du family. This man was on the same level as his own grandfather, so why… was he standing by the roadside now, covered in dew and looking disheveled, as if he hadn't been home all night?

“Whose residence is this?” He quickly noticed something was amiss. This prominent figure, Sir Ling Tianyu, seemed to be standing in front of a mansion, waiting for the door to open. He frequently walked this street; this mansion had been vacant for a long time, and he had never heard of anyone living there. Besides, even if someone did live there, what status could they possibly have to make Sir Ling wait like this?

“I heard Sir Ling was already waiting here as soon as it got dark last night!”“Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. It seems Sir Ling wanted to meet the owner of this mansion, but the owner completely ignored him. Only a butler came out and said he could either keep waiting or never come back…”“My god, is that true? Who is this person? Making Sir Ling Tianyu wait all night? That's really audacious!”“I don’t know either… That’s why I came over early this morning to see, and sure enough, he really did wait all night…”

While he was wondering, he overheard a conversation happening nearby. “Waited all night?” Du Yuan gasped. Only by being in the upper echelons of society could one truly understand Ling Tianyu's influence. Although he was merely a merchant, he was on good terms with all the heads of the Four Great Clans, befriended nobles and royalty, and even donated annually to the national treasury. Even Emperor Shen Zhui considered him a cash cow and was careful not to offend him. Someone of such standing was actually standing outside someone else's residence, waiting all night… If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it just by hearing it from others. Is it true? Who exactly is this person? So incredibly powerful?

“Do you know who the owner of this house is?” Du Yuan couldn't help but walk over to the people who were talking.

“I don’t know, but it seems they only moved in the day before yesterday!”“They made quite a spectacle; they only moved in the day before yesterday, and they already hired dozens of guards, servants, and maids!”“I’ve seen the resident of this house; he looks like a middle-aged man, around forty, a bit sallow and thin. I’ve never seen him before!” said the few people who were in the know.

“A middle-aged man? Hired dozens of guards and servants?” Du Yuan was utterly baffled.

“Look, the door’s opening…” Just as he was filled with doubt, the tightly shut main gate directly in front of them slowly creaked open, and a stout man with a protruding belly walked out.

“Sun Qiang?” He recognized the stout man. This fellow ran a house rental center at Tianyu Commerce. Du Yuan had once rented a house from him to keep a mistress, and after learning Du Yuan’s identity, Sun Qiang had been utterly obsequious, a perfect example of a shrewd commoner who knew how to read faces. How was this guy here? Could he be a servant here?

As he was wondering, he saw the Sun Qiang he knew wave his hand grandly and say, “Sir Ling, my master bids you enter!” His voice held no trace of politeness, as if he didn’t consider the other party important at all. A mere small merchant from Tianyu Commerce speaking to its owner like this?

Du Yuan expected Ling Tianyu to be furious, but instead, he saw Ling Tianyu sigh in relief. Far from being angry, his eyes were full of gratitude as he stepped forward and handed over a pile of items: “Thank you, Brother Sun, for your kind words. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it; I will surely repay you generously in the future!”

“Huh?” Du Yuan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Damn… can anyone tell me what the hell is going on? What he witnessed today surpassed his understanding; it was as if his entire world had been turned upside down.