Free Web NovelChapter 40: Chapter 40: Snapping a Finger
A family that controls countless Cultivation Resources, possesses a profound heritage built over time, and revolves around Martial Power with Martial Artists as its pillars—such a family is known as a Martial Arts Family.
In the Yunxiao Empire, there are countless Martial Arts Families. The four most powerful reside in the Imperial Capital: the Gong Family, the Xiao Family, the Su Family, and the Lu Family. Unlike the so-called Li and Qin Families of Anxing City, these four great families boast histories spanning several hundred years.
With generations of accumulation, the profound heritage of these four great families is beyond imagination. It is from these four families that most of the geniuses in the Yunxiao Empire emerge.
Lu Chen was the most outstanding figure of the Lu Family’s younger generation, and a renowned prodigy at Mingxin Academy.
Lu Chen had been proud and arrogant since childhood. The thing he took the most pride in was his birthright. He looked down on everyone except for members of the other great families, and he held commoner Martial Artists in utter contempt.
Lu Chen glanced at Qin Ya, who was being mocked by Lin Liyang nearby, and felt a surge of contempt. ’I’m already an Earth Element Realm Martial Artist, while that commoner is merely a Profound Origin Fifth Grade. The difference between us is like the heavens and the earth.’
Walking over, Lu Chen stared at Qin Ya impassively. "I’ll give you three breaths to get out of my sight. Lowlifes like you have no right to set foot in here."
"You’re all really starting to piss me off." Qin Ya’s gaze grew cold. "Do you own the Mountain Delicacies Tower? The proprietor hasn’t told me to leave, so what gives you the right?"
The young men and women with Lu Chen walked over, hearing Qin Ya’s words just in time. They all burst into scornful laughter.
"This kid’s got some nerve, talking to Young Master Lu like that. He must have a death wish."
"I remember the last commoner who talked back to Young Master Lu. The very next day, his Qi Sea was crippled and he was expelled from the Academy."
"Heh, just a mere commoner, yet he dares to be so arrogant. How amusing. Then again, how could a frog at the bottom of a well know how vast the sky truly is?"
"Does he really think he can afford the delicacies at Mountain Delicacies Tower? Even if he bankrupted his entire family, I bet he could only afford a bowl of rice porridge."
These people made no attempt to hide their disdain. Yet, no matter how much they mocked him, Qin Ya’s expression remained neutral, showing no hint of shame or anger. The only change was the frost in his eyes, which grew even colder.
He lifted his eyes, his gaze sweeping over them like a blade. Lu Chen and the others felt as if they had been targeted by an ancient Fierce Beast. A chill shot up from the soles of their feet to the crown of their heads, and they couldn’t help but shudder.
"Lowlife, do you have any idea who you’re talking to?" Lu Chen’s eyes narrowed, his pupils contracting. His voice was laced with a sinister coldness.
Witnessing the scene unfold, Yun Xiu sighed inwardly and cast a pitying glance at Qin Ya. Though he was also a Martial Artist from one of the Noble Families, his family was leagues below the Lu Family. He wanted to help, but he was powerless to do so.
"All you can say is ’lowlife.’ Weren’t you raised properly?" Qin Ya stated coolly. Lu Chen’s face darkened, and he moved to attack.
Just then, Lin Liyang saw an opportunity and stepped forward, pointing at Qin Ya’s nose as he cursed, "You lowlife! How dare you speak to Young Master Lu like that! Do you have any idea who he is? He’s a rising star of the four great families and a renowned prodigy at the Academy!"
Lin Liyang had clearly seen this as an opportunity to curry favor with Lu Chen. Hearing his words, Lu Chen looked quite pleased with himself, his gaze toward Qin Ya filled with nothing but contempt.
’That’s right,’ he thought. ’I’m a genius, as lofty as a Divine Dragon. Why should I lower myself to get angry with this insignificant ant?’
Pleased that his words had the desired effect, Lin Liyang was about to say more when he suddenly heard a sharp CRACK. A moment later, an excruciating pain tore through him.
"AHH!!" Lin Liyang let out an agonized scream, clutching his finger and wailing. Pea-sized beads of cold sweat dotted his forehead as his bloodshot eyes stared daggers at Qin Ya.
Lin Liyang’s hand was swollen, his index finger twisted at a horribly unnatural angle. Everyone present gasped, staring at Qin Ya in utter disbelief.
Qin Ya’s expression was unchanged, as if he had done nothing more than swat a fly. This, however, only sent a deeper chill through Yun Xiu and the others.
"My finger... it’s broken! Damn you, you fucking lowlife! Die!" His mind consumed by pain and fury, Lin Liyang lunged at Qin Ya like a wild animal.
The next instant, he was sent flying backward even faster than he’d charged, knocking over tables and chairs before crashing against a wall. Covered in food and soup, with blood trickling from his mouth, he was a pathetic sight. The onlookers couldn’t help but feel a flicker of pity for him.
Qin Ya slowly lowered his right foot and casually brushed off a speck of imaginary dust. "A dog should know when to heel," he said slowly. "Stop your yapping. It’s getting on my nerves."
Lin Liyang’s eyes were glazed over, his mind a complete blank. As he saw the pitying looks from the crowd, an unbearable wave of humiliation crashed over him. Then, hearing Qin Ya’s final words, he was drowned in a sea of rage, shame, and mortification. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he passed out.
The crowd exchanged glances, then turned to look at Qin Ya with fear in their eyes. Lin Liyang may have been a spoiled brat from a Noble Family, but he was a Profound Origin Seventh Grade Martial Artist. To be taken out with a single kick...
’Just who is this guy?!’
"You damned lowlife!" Lu Chen snarled, grinding his teeth.
"Who is causing all this commotion?" A voice, deep and resonant as a great bell, boomed. A burly man walked up the stairs, his face sinking as he took in the scene. "Students, this is not proper conduct for dining at the Mountain Delicacies Tower."
The expressions of Lu Chen and his friends shifted slightly. Looking at the burly man, Lu Chen said, "White Guard, this matter was all started by this lowlife here. He attacked first."
"Lowlife?" The White Guard’s brow furrowed in displeasure. "Student, everyone who dines here is a guest of the Mountain Delicacies Tower. There are no distinctions of class. Please mind your language."
At these words, Qin Ya glanced at the burly man in surprise, his opinion of the Mountain Delicacies Tower improving slightly.
"I misspoke," Lu Chen said. He was annoyed, but the Mountain Delicacies Tower was owned by Mingxin Academy. Even as a member of one of the four great families, he couldn’t be too brazen on someone else’s territory. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
But Lu Chen had no intention of letting Qin Ya go. "A person dining here is a guest, certainly. But this man hasn’t even ordered. And besides, he’s a mere commoner. How could he possibly afford a meal on the third floor?"
Each floor of the Mountain Delicacies Tower was more expensive than the one below it. Even Lu Chen rarely visited the third floor. He was only here today to celebrate his recent breakthrough in his cultivation.
Lu Chen and his cronies watched Qin Ya with undisguised glee, eagerly anticipating the humiliated look on his face when the White Guard kicked him out.
"That’s right! Forget about eating, the guy doesn’t even know the rules," someone else jeered. "A minute ago, he was trying to go up to the fourth floor, which is only for instructors."
Hearing this, the White Guard looked at Qin Ya doubtfully. "Student," he said slowly, "only instructors are permitted to dine on the fourth floor. I don’t suppose you..."
Before the White Guard could finish, Qin Ya produced an object.
