Chapter 58: Clan Influence
A peculiar scene was unfolding in the yard.
There were ten ranks within the nature level. Huge gap existed between each two of these ten ranks.
For instance, Roger, White Fiend, and Black Fiend, who had all just reached the nature level, were at the first rank.
Cultivators at the nature level were able to generate life vitality. They could use this life vitality as weapons to kill their enemies quietly.
Randall and Jon, the best of the Imperial soldiers, had already reached the fourth rank of the nature level. They possessed great mastery of life vitality at this rank.
That would give Randall a significant advantage if he fought against Roger or the others.
Another fact that gave Randall an edge was that he had mastered the chill intent, which could give his opponent's soul frostbite in the blink of an eye.
Jon's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He had agreed to help simply because he wanted to do Roger a favor. Otherwise, he would rather not make a dangerous enemy like Randall. He and Randall were both at the fourth rank, but Randall's mastery of chill intent made things different. If they fought with each other, Jon would have to pay a great deal of attention to Randall's intent. It would be a tough fight.
But what on earth was going on here? Jon found himself utterly at a loss of the situation.
If he wasn't mistaken, the youngster following Roger wasn't even near the threshold of the nature level. This kid was still at the marrow refining level. He couldn't even discharge life energy yet, let alone generate life vitality.
Where did he get the nerve to challenge Randall? How did he dare say something like 'you are bringing shame to yourself'?
And to Jon's surprise, not only had this kid said it, he had done it.
Jon had witnessed the unusual scene. Randall's intent hadn't hurt Zen at all. Instead, Zen had snorted lightly at the attack, and then, Randall had screamed with pain.
How could he have done that?
Jon racked his brain to find an explanation but failed.
Liam's mouth gaped open, impossibly wide. Although Randall had never revealed his true ability in front of them, Liam could sense it from their daily contact. Randall's majestic presence suggested that his force was way above those of White Fiend and Black Fiend.
Randall was far out of their reach. If it hadn't been for Fren, Liam would never have gotten the chance to work with Randall.
But again, what happened just now…
How did Zen manage to hurt Randall so badly with just a snort?
Liam knew Zen better than the others. Zen was a lowborn boy who had entered Drizzle Peak not long ago. A few days earlier, by some dumb fluke Zen had defeated Leo, his sect peer.
Liam knew Zen's past, so he was more surprised at this scene than others.
Roger's eyes lit up as delight coursed through him.
Roger always prided himself on his knack of assessing people. As such, Roger had studied Zen and now believed that he had an accurate judgment about Zen. Although Zen was still at the marrow refining level, he would stand a chance of winning in a fight against a body refiner at the nature level.
This assessment by Roger showed how high Zen's skills were.
Roger trusted his judgment. He also knew that if he tried telling people about it, nobody would believe him.
Despite Roger's high assessment of Zen's abilities, the young boy still surprised him. Roger was now sure that although he was confident of how Zen would perform, Zen's actual abilities and potential were still unknown to him.
How many more secrets did Zen have? Was he holding back his abilities?
Roger raised his chin as he thought about what Zen was capable of. He was smart enough to understand that it was unwise to reveal one's own true position and intention to the others. Some secrets could only be shared with your closest family members. Roger knew better than to ask stupid questions.
Nevertheless, his decision to help Zen seemed pretty wise now.
As assumed earlier, Roger was now confident that his clan could use this guy and his power to their advantage.
Randall felt as though his head was going to split. It was like a sharp sting had pierced his soul, and the unutterable pain from his soul was tearing him apart.
Fortunately, the soul was a special form. It could heal itself as time wore on, but the excruciating pain from attacks to the soul was inevitable.
What Randall couldn't endure was that he had been publicly humiliated by this brat, a kid at the marrow refining level!
Jon had witnessed all this. He might tell the soldiers. If that happened, Randall's authority would be destroyed.
He must kill this brat to redeem himself!
As Randall got to his feet, life vitality surged through his body. The air in the yard cooled instantly. Although it was a hot summer day, all onlookers felt chilled to the bone. The temperature must have dropped by dozens of degrees.
“You do have a death wish, don't you? But I'm afraid you picked the wrong way. You pissed me off, and you will regret it. There is going to be a hell lot of pain waiting for you before you die,” Randall growled at Zen. A terrifying pressure radiated from Randall's body as he spoke. In the next instant, the force was directed at Zen.
Zen's body tensed. The pressure was like a massive iceberg. Once it fell on him, he would be crushed to pieces. Randall's force was indeed extraordinarily powerful. He was not a common body refiner at the nature level!
“Jon?” At this point, Roger called out and gave Jon a look.
Jon understood. He took a step forward and placed himself in front of Zen. Then with a low voice, he said, “Just let it go, Randall. Fighting with a kid will not make you look good.”
“Out of the way, Jon. His life is mine to take!” Randall roared. Normally, Randall would consider Jon's advice. But now he had completely lost it. He couldn't think about anything else except tearing Zen apart.
“Randall, just because you have the Zhuge family supporting you, you think you can do whatever you want?” Jon's face darkened. It seemed that Randall was not going to think rationally.
“So what? You want a fight?” Randall clenched his fists. As white tufts of frost covered his hands, the air around Randall shimmered with cold. This was Randall's life vitality.
“You think I am afraid of you?” Jon didn't flinch at Randall's rage.
Seeing that the two were going to fight, Roger became impatient.
“I'm in no mood to watch you two fight. Just let Martin go. Jon, if you can't get it done, I will go find my uncle,” Roger said with displeasure written all over his face. He had been confident that Jon could handle the issue. Randall could do this the easy way or the hard way, but apparently, he had chosen the latter.
Jon's expression changed at Roger's words. If Roger's uncle were involved, it would take this situation to a whole different level. Jon didn't want that. He said quickly, “Young master, there is no need to trouble your uncle with such a little thing.”
Roger shrugged. He gestured around the yard and asked, “To me, it seems that they don't want to release Martin. Do you have any ideas?”
Jon turned to Randall. “You heard the young master. If you don't release Martin, the Flying Dragon General will be involved. If that happens, this can get really ugly for you.”
The Flying Dragon General was one of the commanders who were in charge of Dragon Fort. Nobody knew the depth of his force. His reputation, however, was well-known. For his achievements and skill, he had earned the title of 'anchor' of the Dragon Fort. The Flying Dragon General was undoubtedly the most famous general of the Imperial Army!
“He.. He knows the Flying Dragon General?” Randall's expression conveyed the skepticism he felt when he heard what Jon had said.
If Roger had the support and protection of the Flying Dragon General, Randall would release Martin at once. But Randall had been through a lot of battles. He wasn't a man who would be easily intimated by words.
“Try crossing me, and you'll find out!” Roger said calmly. Compared with Zen, his attitude was indifferent toward Randall, an undeniably stronger opponent. Roger had a domineering air that was exclusive to someone born with privilege, such as disciples from noble clans.
“This is the young master of the Meng Clan. As to his relationship with the Flying Dragon General, you can take a wild guess now that you know his identity,” Jon sneered.
It was only when he heard the mention of the Meng Clan that Randall came to understand the situation. It was no small wonder that Jon had dared to offend the Zhuge Clan. Jon had the Meng Clan behind him now. Not only did they put pressure on Randall with the Meng Clan's name, but they also threatened to involve the Flying Dragon General.
Randall wasn't some green boy. He knew what decision to make if the situation changed.
Fren did have a certain reputation on which Randall could rely. But now the young master of the Meng Clan was standing in front of him.
Randall sighed as he knew there was no wiggle room left. Still, making a concession was never a pleasant experience. As feelings of resentment coursed through Randall, he turned and shot Zen a venomous glare.
Roger, understanding that he had won, gave a cold laugh and turned to leave.
If Roger involved the Flying Dragon General in this, Randall knew it wouldn't end well for him. “Okay,” Randall said through gritted teeth. “I will let Martin go!”
“Great!” Roger looked back when he heard Randall. Then he insulted the man further with a mocking retort. “We could have saved ourselves a lot of talking if you had been wiser.”
Randall didn't respond to Roger's riposte. He turned to the side and asked his accomplice to bring Martin.
Randall was a tough guy, yet with a few words, and Roger had bent Randall to his will. Zen was impressed. Disciples from noble clans really knew how to achieve their goals by merely mentioning the influence of their clans! In comparison, an individual with no supporting clan seemed so small and powerless.
Zen had no clan influence he could count on. All he had was his force, his fists.
But that was okay. He would climb to the apotheosis of body refining based on his skills. Then, he would have his influence!
Soon Martin was brought to the yard.
The bruises all over his body implied that he had been beaten badly while in captivity. However, his calm expression and his state of mind conveyed that he was fine. Such injuries were not a big deal for a body refiner who was half a step into the nature level.
Like others, when Martin saw Zen, he looked as if he had just seen a ghost.
“Zen… bro, you're alive! You're still alive!” Martin exclaimed excitedly.
“Yeah, Martin, I survived,” Zen replied with a smile.
“That's great, wonderful...” Martin muttered. Throughout his imprisonment, Martin had been tormented over the death of his brothers during the fight with the blade locusts. It wasn't the lashes meted out to him that pained Martin the most. No, it was the thought that Zen had sacrificed himself by volunteering to bait the queen blade locust to save Martin. All these times, Martin had not been able to stop thinking about what had happened. It was true that Martin blamed himself. If only he hadn't been so careless! If he had noticed there was something wrong with the marching route early enough, those people wouldn't have died.
How Zen had survived was beyond Martin's understanding. The sight of Zen standing in the yard unscathed filled Martin with surprise and joy.
“Zen, Randall is responsible for all this. He is the culprit!” Martin turned to Randall and pointed as he spoke, “As I recall, I had no beef with you before. But you changed our marching route without permission, which put my teammates' lives on the line. I will give my life to hold you responsible for your actions!”