“No need for compensation.”

Mu Zhong was expressionless as he transmitted his voice, “That punch just now should have been even harder.”

Dust flew everywhere.

Xu Yan’s figure had already been slammed into the crumbling wall.

Gu Shen reached out and caught Xu Yan’s drawing.

Many people in the courtyard felt a sense of relief…

Including Han Dang.

“Cough… cough, cough…”

A low cough slowly echoed through the collapsing dust.

Xu Yan leaned against the broken stones, slowly standing up.

Even now, there was no anger on his face.

He still wore a faint smile.

Xu Yan shook his head, scattering stone fragments. Having been punched by Gu Shen, he didn't seem to have suffered any fatal injuries, just covered in dust. The young man patted the dust off his clothes as he softly chuckled and asked, “Brother Gu… wasn’t it a little inappropriate for you to intervene just now?”

“What’s inappropriate? I just did what everyone wanted to do.”

Gu Shen said calmly, “Besides, I’m not familiar with you. Don’t call me that. It makes me feel disgusted.”

What everyone wanted to do?

He glanced around.

The entire Mu Clan hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The gazes directed at him did indeed carry “some” animosity.

Seeing this, Xu Yan laughed even more heartily.

He rubbed his cheek and walked out of the dusty, crumbling wall.

He didn’t seem to be injured.

But in reality… the cheek he was covering was bleeding and slightly swollen.

That punch.

Gu Shen used eighty percent of his strength.

The reason he didn't use full strength wasn't because he was showing mercy to Xu Yan, but because this was, after all, the Mu Clan hall. If he really let loose, this ancient place that had stood for centuries would probably be demolished.

“Brother Gu, you seem very angry?”

Xu Yan looked at the drawing, softly chuckling as he asked, “Could it be that you know the girl in the picture?”

Gu Shen stared at Xu Yan, expressionless.

The stunning girl in the painting was none other than…

Chu Ling.

It was precisely because he saw Chu Ling’s portrait that he couldn’t control his emotions and threw that punch.

Of course… even without this.

That punch would have landed on Xu Yan’s face anyway.

But after throwing the punch, Gu Shen fell into deep thought, unable to understand.

Where did this painting… come from?

“This is very unreasonable.”

Chu Ling, who had been watching the scene through their mental link, also spoke up.

“I have never met him.”

The implication of this sentence was—

He has never met me either.

In the world of the Source Code, there was no ambiguous concept like “should.” Chu Ling said she had never met him, then she had never met him. But the content of this drawing couldn't be faked.

Wait a moment.

Gu Shen glanced at the drawing again, noticing the details.

The background in the painting… seemed to be under the Ninghe Bridge in Snow Forbidden City. There was one person who had seen such a scene.

Bai Lu.

Did Bai Lu tell Xu Yan about Chu Ling?

No… impossible.

Bai Lu had been in seclusion in the Bai Clan ancestral hall for the past year, rarely venturing out.

Moreover, based on Gu Shen's understanding of the Bai family's demonic nature, this newly emerged Xu Yan would only disgust her… If they met, they would definitely fight, and it was impossible for her to reveal information about “Chu Ling.”

Now… there weren’t many possibilities left.

“I don’t know how he did it… but he probably ‘stole’ the content of the painting from Bai Lu.” Gu Shen narrowed his eyes. Xu Yan’s file was blank, but the ability he displayed during the S-rank assessment was a powerful mental-type power.

Perhaps he could steal Bai Lu’s memories?

In any case… the content of this drawing, as well as what Xu Yan had just said, thoroughly disgusted him.

“I’ve heard that within Qingqiu, there is also a descendant of divination arts.”

Xu Yan patted his head, laughing as he said, “That woman is extremely stunning, but no one has ever seen her face… except for you, Brother Gu.”

Seeing Gu Shen's reaction.

Everyone roughly understood the true identity of the stunning girl in the painting.

However.

This descendant of divination arts had never left Qingqiu.

How did Xu Yan see her?

“These past few days, I tossed and turned, meeting this girl in my dreams. Perhaps she used divination arts to send me a dream, wanting to meet me.” Xu Yan smiled, “Brother Gu, why not be a matchmaker and let me enter Qingqiu once, what do you think?”

Gu Shen silently looked at the young man before him.

In reality, he didn’t care what kind of reputation Xu Yan had gained in Nagano, nor did he care about the evaluations of outsiders.

He didn’t care.

But… he couldn’t tolerate this guy sowing discord between the Gong and Mu families, and even more, he couldn’t tolerate Xu Yan focusing his attention on Chu Ling!

He attacked once more.

In just an instant, he arrived in front of Xu Yan.

Still a simple, unadorned punch, delivered with extreme speed.

This time, Gu Shen used all his strength.

Blazing fire surged out, enveloping his entire fist.

But just as it was about to make contact.

Gu Shen caught a fleeting smile in Xu Yan’s eyes.

He could dodge.

But… he didn’t dodge.

The force of the second punch was greater than the first. The blazing sea of fire almost overflowed, and the vast extraordinary source material almost filled the entire long street in an instant. However, under Gu Shen’s exquisite control, the vast sea of fire instantly dissipated, and all the destructive force was concentrated on Xu Yan alone. Xu Yan was sent flying nearly a hundred meters, smashing through several walls in succession.

Since he didn’t want to dodge.

Then so be it.

Gu Shen chased after him expressionlessly. At this moment, the rules of Nagano were thrown to the back of his mind. What he wanted to do wasn’t just to beat up Xu Yan.

It was to kill Xu Yan directly.

The reason Gu Shen didn’t participate in the Newcomer Battle was very simple.

The battles in Nagano were all just small-scale skirmishes!

If he used his full strength, then… it would be a battle to the death!

In a battle between those of the same cultivation realm, delaying even a sliver of opportunity could lead to a disadvantage. One wrong step could lead to another, and in the end, everything would be lost!

Earlier, when Han Dang encountered Lu Nan Jin in the courtyard, he didn’t dare to relax in the slightest. With his eleventh-level spiritual extraordinary strength in the Deep Water Zone, he still had to keep a finger on his brow, so that he could release his domain with full power as quickly as possible, because he knew this principle.

Once he relaxed.

Even if Lu Nan Jin's understanding of the Deep Water Zone was slightly lower than his, as long as she got close, the outcome would already be decided!

The moment the courtyard wall shattered.

Gu Shen shot out like a bolt of lightning.

He stepped on Xu Yan’s chest, then slammed his elbow down heavily, causing the ground to crack open. The sea of fire contracted like a lotus flower, once again hammering down on Xu Yan’s face…

Vast mental power poured down fiercely.

But this time, to Gu Shen's surprise.

Xu Yan was carrying an extremely powerful “defensive sealing object” that blocked all of his mental power!

This was too abnormal.

Gu Shen had never encountered this situation in a battle between those of the same cultivation realm.

His mental power could be said to be a great weapon. Only the most steadfast in will among those of the same realm could resist one instance of hypnotism… Before attacking, he had already prepared to hypnotize him twice, or even more.

However, the sealing object on Xu Yan’s body was the most powerful mental-type object Gu Shen had ever seen in his life.

The mental power that he had slammed down was returned to him without a single error.

Gu Shen's expression didn’t change, and he directly abandoned the idea of a mental attack.

He launched a fierce assault on the skinny body, with a storm of attacks landing on Xu Yan. The latter laughed as he raised his hands, blocking them in front of his face. Both bodies launched near-instantaneous attacks and dodges at the same time… Within the small, shattered space, hundreds, even thousands, of afterimages flickered!

As expected.

It was just as Gu Shen had expected!

This guy’s physical skills were very strong… seeming to be no weaker than his own. He could have dodged his two punches earlier, but he chose to “take them head-on”?

It was precisely because of those two punches.

Xu Yan had completely fallen into a disadvantage.

At this moment, the commotion on the long street attracted the attention of many people.

Many onlookers arrived at the scene. The Mu family’s extraordinary individuals quickly mobilized, blocking the unrelated people from entering… but the scene of the long street engulfed in fire was still captured.

People saw a shocking scene.

In the sea of fire on the long street.

Gu Shen… was beating up Xu Yan!

Thus, the Deep Water Zone forum exploded.

Yesterday!

Just yesterday!

Xu Yan was still the sensational new “S-rank” genius of Nagano. Countless posts were discussing the strengths and weaknesses of him and Gu Shen. Some people comprehensively discussed the difference in talent and strength between Xu Yan and Gu Shen. And the conclusion drawn online was… Xu Yan was likely to be somewhat stronger than Gu Shen.

But now.

Xu Yan was being rubbed on the ground.

Although no one knew how these two S-ranks had started fighting… it was clear that the sea of fire flooding the long street came from Gu Shen’s S-rank ability “Blazing Fire.” This exquisite control engulfed the entire long street, but didn’t burn any of the other objects on the street. With each punch, the ground would shatter and bloom into a larger and deeper spider web!

Even though extraordinary individuals maintaining order immediately mobilized, building protective measures and using sealing objects to create barriers to block everyone’s view… there was still a thunderous sound shaking the earth.

Just listening to the sound, one could roughly imagine the specific scene.

The Safety Committee also arrived on the scene. The first thing they did wasn’t to “mediate,” but to wait anxiously, because the strength of these two extraordinary individuals was estimated to have reached the “third level.” The strength of the few extraordinary individuals who arrived on the scene first was clearly not enough.

Finally, after a few minutes.

A “big figure” arrived on the long street.

……

……

In the sea of fire.

Xu Yan blocked the fierce storm of attacks while glancing sideways. He saw the surprised gazes outside the long street and knew what this fight meant.

The more people watched, the happier he seemed.

As if he didn’t care about the pain he was feeling at the moment.

“Gu Shen… do you really want to kill me?”

Xu Yan said softly.

“Or rather… can you really kill me?”

Of course, Gu Shen wouldn’t stop because of this.

Since he had seized the initiative in this fistfight, there was no way he would stop because of a few words.

“Whether you live or die doesn’t matter.”

Gu Shen said calmly, “I just… want to beat you up.”

Xu Yan came to Nagano with great fanfare, comprehending and breaking through!

Zhu Wang created momentum for him!

Under the overwhelming wave of public opinion, Snow Forbidden City had elevated this young man to an unprecedented height. Many people even expected Xu Yan to fight Bai Xiu in the future!

And this time, Gu Shen directly moved the battlefield to the long street, just to let everyone see that this fight between Xu Yan and himself… As long as the footage of this fight spread, all the efforts Xu Yan had made before would be in vain.

An S-rank genius?

Just a joke!

“Perhaps… I don’t care about these things as much as you think?”

Xu Yan laughed softly.

And the next moment.

A figure stepped into the sea of fire!

“Gu Shen, stop!”

The one who came was Zhu Wang.

Zhu Wang arrived on the long street as quickly as possible. He stretched out his large hand, directly grabbing towards Gu Shen… And the next moment, a boundless domain of light opened up above Gu Shen’s head.

A large scale cast its shadow on the ground.

The next moment.

Zhu Wang’s outstretched palm was deflected by the domain of the Boundless Scale.

“Keep fighting, don’t stop.”

The Old Man also stepped into the sea of fire on the long street.

He stood on the other side of the long street, speaking calmly, exuding an imposing aura.

Clearly.

He had long been displeased with this Xu Yan… Since Gu Shen had the opportunity to beat him up, how could he stop just like that?

In reality, the news that two S-ranks had gathered at the Mu Clan hall couldn't be concealed from Nagano's [Wind Eyes]. In fact, many people had been paying attention here before this farce even occurred… And as soon as the fight broke out, the big figures began to rush here.

Zhu Wang stared at the Old Man, his expression gloomy.

Immediately after, a figure in a wheelchair slowly crashed into the sea of fire.

Gu Lu Shen had arrived on the long street.

However, he stood on the same side as Zhu Wang. When the third titled expert entered the sea of fire, the balance of power shifted. The mental domain of the Boundless Scale was immediately suppressed, retreating bit by bit.

Gu Qi Lin just sneered, not retreating in the slightest. Instead, he withstood the pressure from the two, re-spreading the Boundless Scale, hanging it above Gu Shen’s head, and calmly said, “Fight! I’ll bear the consequences if the sky falls!”

This stalemate didn’t last long.

A few seconds later—

The fourth titled powerhouse… arrived in the sea of fire, and his appearance shocked both sides.

“Stop fighting.”

“This… is, after all, my Mu Clan’s century-old hall. If you continue fighting, the Mu Clan can move out of Nagano.”

This voice caused the Old Man Gu to retract his domain, and also caused Zhu Wang and Gu Lu Shen to stop.

Inside the collapsed Mu Clan courtyard, the group of elders, upon hearing this voice, gradually became more unsightly.

This farce came to a “close” with the arrival of the Mu Clan Head.

The Mu Clan Elder Council walked out of the main gate one by one, welcoming the arrival of the Clan Head.

On both sides of the long street were two opposing factions, with the Mu family standing in the middle.

Mu Ya also walked out of the courtyard wall. She looked at the Clan Head with a dim gaze, seeing the Fourth Elder who had arrived on the long street with the Clan Head, as well as her younger brother, Mu Nan, who looked anxious and was constantly waving at her.

Finally, she hesitated for a moment, not choosing to return to the Mu family’s camp. Instead, she came to the Old Man Gu’s side with the support of Lu Nan Jin.

Those people.

Made her feel uneasy.

The Mu Clan Head looked at Mu Ya with a very apologetic expression.

Unfortunately, he had been in seclusion yesterday… not even paying attention to Xu Yan's matter. By the time he learned the news, it was already too late.

Most importantly.

This matter had caused irreparable damage to the Mu and Gong families.

He couldn’t imagine how he would face his old friend, Gong Qing, after this matter was over.

……

……

Han Dang returned to Zhu Wang’s side with a gloomy expression, briefly explaining what had happened earlier through mental voice transmission.

Subtle changes appeared in Zhu Wang’s expression, but he remained calm on the surface.

Gu Shen finally stood up.

He calmly looked at Xu Yan, who was “on the verge of death” beneath him.

Although they both possessed physical skills similar to [Complete Flash], it was clear that the two punches Xu Yan had allowed at the beginning had cost him a huge price. He was covered in blood, lying miserably on the ground, while Gu Shen, on the other hand, didn’t have a single injury on his body.

There was almost no suspense.

It was a complete victory.

However… Gu Shen knew that after this fight, he would inevitably attract some trouble.

In Nagano, fighting was allowed.

But… it needed to comply with the law.

What Nagano supported was a fair and just duel.

This was a protection for low-level extraordinary individuals.

And Gu Shen had realized that if Zhu Wang were to hold him accountable next, then Xu Yan’s initial “intentional concession” would play a very important role… Of course, Xu Yan could say that he hadn’t reacted at all, but that would cause his reputation to plummet even further.

He silently looked at the man lying on the ground, covered in blood, but grinning at him.

Clearly.

Xu Yan didn’t care about such things.

He was doing it on purpose.

Not just today’s fight…

Perhaps there was more to it, or perhaps it was everything.

“Gu Shen… [Wind Eyes] has captured everything you did in the hall. I think you need to explain.”

Zhu Wang rubbed his brow.

He said calmly, “What was your purpose in violating Nagano’s extraordinary law and doing what you did to Xu Yan?”

“Of course… not to me.”

Zhu Wang cast his gaze into the distance of the long street.

More and more big figures were coming here.

The Chairman of the Safety Committee, the old Mr. Zhou Wei, also rushed to the long street. After the sea of fire subsided, the street didn’t show the signs of being burned down as imagined. Gu Shen’s Blazing Fire hadn’t caused any actual collapses, but the power of Gu Shen’s punches was too great, shattering several walls, with rubble all over the ground.

“Old Zhou, the entire Nagano is watching this matter… I think you need to handle it impartially.”

Zhu Wang said calmly, “I suspect that Gu Shen has a mental disorder. I believe he should be directly detained and closely monitored for at least forty-eight hours. If Xu Yan’s injuries are too severe… I demand that the Safety Committee isolate Gu Shen to resolve his potential for loss of control.”

……

……

(p.s.: 1. Seeing some of the comments makes me a little tired. This plot is very long, the longer the foreshadowing, the longer the corresponding climax will be, so I really want to write it perfectly. To see the overall picture, some things must be sacrificed. I’ll say it one last time, all the villains will get their retribution. I will no longer respond to related issues. I very much respect the reading experience of every paying reader, I can only say that I will ensure the quality and try to write more, write faster. 2. Friends who see this passage should already be at the beginning of the month, I hope everyone will vote for the monthly vote at the beginning of the month.)