“These are my two good-for-nothing disciples, Hou Zhiwei and Cui Si’te,” Fan Taining introduced the two youngsters to Wang Teng. Then, he said to his two disciples, “This is Runemaster Wang Teng. He will be staying with us. Do not be impolite to him.”

“Runemaster!”

Hou Zhiwei and Cui Si’te were stunned. They thought that they had heard wrong. At first, they were curious about the identity of this young man who came back with their master. They thought that it was his new disciple.

Yet, their master told them that this was a runemaster.

This… was incredible!

They were of a similar age, but his rune mastery had exceeded theirs.

They didn’t think that Fan Taining was joking with them. They were dumbfounded and quickly greeted Wang Teng, “Master Wang Teng.”

In the universe, power and status were everything. Since Wang Teng was a runemaster, even though he was around their age, they must treat him politely.

Wang Teng gave a reserved smile and nodded at them. He didn’t act proud or too amiable. He had status. If he was too friendly, Fan Taining might look down on him.

“Master Wang Teng, please follow me. I’ll show you your room.” After the introduction, Fan Taining led Wang Teng into the house. He brought him to his room enthusiastically.

“This room faces the sun, so the lighting is good. You’ll be able to see the scenery in the backyard by pulling the curtains up. What do you think?”

“Not bad. I’ll stay in this room then. Sorry to trouble you,” Wang Teng smiled and replied.

“You’re too polite. This is nothing.” Fan Taining waved his hand. Then, he said to the robot behind him, “Ella, tidy the room and prepare lunch. Use the best food to welcome our guest. Oh, and bring out my treasured Baccarat Golden Rum.”

“Yes, my dear master,” the robot called Ella replied. Then, it started to get busy, portraying the role of a robot butler perfectly.

“This robot is quite useful,” Wang Teng exclaimed.

“Haha, these kinds of butler robots can’t be compared to battle robots. They’re the cheapest. Once you enter the Secondary Career Alliance and get a few missions, you will be able to afford it too,” Fan Taining laughed and replied.

“It looks like I have to enter the Secondary Career Alliance soon. I don’t even have money to eat now.” Wang Teng mocked himself.

“Hahaha!” Fan Taining burst out laughing.

Hou Zhiwei and Cui Si’te stared at each other when they saw Fan Taining’s attitude toward Wang Teng. This didn’t seem like their master at all. He always had a stern face. Was it just a disguise?

In the afternoon, Wang Teng received Fan Taining’s warm welcome. All the dishes were prepared by Force chef masters. As for the Baccarat Golden Rum, it was said to be produced on a planet known for making great rum. It had been kept for a hundred years and was given to Fan Taining by a celestial-stage martial warrior who had a favor to ask from him. He couldn’t bear to drink it, but he took it out to welcome Wang Teng today. This showed his sincerity.

Wang Teng fully savored it. He had to admit that this was a good bottle of rum. It was of a higher grade than Lafite and Romanee-Conti.

He twirled his glass lightly. The alcohol inside was gold in color. It was beautiful and extravagant. Its taste was fragrant and intense, mesmerizing the drinker.

Fan Taining and Wang Teng had a good conversation at the dining table. Fan Taining asked him a few questions and received answers for all of them. This made him even more enthusiastic.

After lunch, Wang Teng finally had the chance to get rid of this ‘irritating’ old man. He left the house. He had something more important to do.

Fan Taining and his disciples watched Wang Teng go. His disciples finally couldn’t help but ask, “Master, where did Master Wang Teng come from? He’s so young.”

“I brought him back from the No. 4 Defense Planet.” Fan Taining smiled proudly. “I don’t know his exact background or his identity… this isn’t something you should ask either. You just have to know that his rune mastery is high. If you have the heart, you can ask him for advice. It will be of great help.”

Hou Zhiwei and Cui Si’te were even more astounded. They didn’t think that their master would think so highly of Wang Teng.

“Of course, you mustn’t disturb him.” Fan Taining couldn’t help but remind them.

“Yes!” The two of them turned serious when they saw Fan Taining’s stern gaze, replying in a hurry.

…

Wang Teng didn’t know what happened after he left Fan Taining’s house. At this moment, he was heading to his next destination with the help of Round Ball’s guidance.

He called for a rune energy flying car, paid the fare, and headed to the center of the city.

Things were a little troublesome in Great Qian City. One couldn’t fly randomly, or it would be seen as a provocation. If one accidentally flew over a powerful martial warrior’s head, he might get struck down instantly.

Of course, it was forbidden to fly in the city in the first place. Even heaven-stage and universe-stage martial warriors had to abide by this rule.

You could do whatever you wanted once you left the city.

The rune energy flying car traveled at a fast speed. After some time, they reached their destination.

Wang Teng alighted and looked at an ancient and towering palace-like structure in front of him. He was in awe.

This was the district with the highest number of powerful martial warriors. It was also the most mysterious location. This was because the leader of the Great Qian Empire lived here.

The Great Qian Palace.

But Wang Teng wasn’t going to the palace. His destination was… the Great Qian Noble Family Consultation Chamber!

There were many administrative buildings built around the Great Qian Palace. The Great Qian Noble Family Consultation Chamber was situated to the southwest of the palace.

The Great Qian Noble Family Consultation Chamber was where matters of the nobles got resolved. This chamber possessed great power, the kind that could hold up the sky. If Wang Teng wanted to take back Nangong Yue’s baron status, he must go through the procedures here.

Of course, things weren’t as simple as they seemed on the surface. He didn’t come here today simply to get the title back. He also wanted to tell someone that he was back!

He was back for Nangong Yue’s baron status!

He wanted to place himself in everyone’s vision so that the people in the dark wouldn’t dare to act rashly. He would do everything based on the rules of the Great Qian Noble Family Consultation Chamber.

This was his outright and bold plan.

After walking for a few hundred meters, the Great Qian Noble Family Consultation Chamber entered his vision. This was a dignified and majestic structure. It was shaped like a high tower, cutting straight into the sky.

A huge black stone tablet was erected at the entrance. It was more than ten meters tall, and the name of this building was carved in gold.

When Wang Teng stood in front of the stone tablet, he felt immense pressure soaring toward him.

“Hmph!” Wang Teng snorted. His spiritual power surged out and blocked the pressure as he continued walking forward.

He crossed the stone tablet and walked in. Immediately, he saw a giant bronze bell hanging right below the structure.

“Wang Teng, knock it!” Round Ball’s voice echoed in Wang Teng’s mind. It sounded serious yet excited. “The louder, the better.”

“How many times?” Wang Teng asked with shining eyes.

“Seven times!” Round Ball replied.

“Why seven times?” Wang Teng asked.

“Seven times means there’s injustice. It means an error in the inheritance of a title,” Round Ball explained.

Wang Teng didn’t probe further. He took a step forward and glanced around him. He didn’t see anything he could use to knock the bell. He frowned.

“Use your fist!” Round Ball said.

Wang Teng felt helpless. A sharp glint appeared in his eyes. “Since you said the louder the better, I’ll let everyone hear it!”

Ancient God’s Body, activated!

Boom!

An occult golden pattern appeared in the middle of Wang Teng’s forehead. Boundless strength surged out of his body like a powerful current, tossing and turning in his limbs.

Fourth-level Strength of Ultima!

Wang Teng released his fist and slammed it on the bronze bell.

Bang!

The bronze bell vibrated, and a dull sound came out of it, spreading out in circular sound waves.

“What happened?” A figure sitting in the dark in the depth of the Great Qian Noble Family Consultation Chamber opened his eyes abruptly and exclaimed in surprise, “Someone knocked the bronze bell. I wonder what’s the matter.”

As the ringing of the bell spread, the people around it heard the noise too. They stopped in their tracks and looked in the direction of the chamber. Everyone wondered what had happened.

Wang Teng’s expression changed. He felt a powerful and enormous vibration coming out from the bronze bell, forcing him to take a step back.

“Not enough!”

He didn’t think that the bronze bell would be so difficult to knock. Even a 2-star Ancient God’s Body couldn’t handle it and was forced to retreat. Wang Teng made a decision and quickly added blank attributes to his Ancient God’s Body.

Ancient God’s Body: 1/300000 (3-star)

After using more than 80 thousand blank attributes, he managed to raise his Ancient God’s Body to the 3-star level.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

His heart started beating like a drum. Fresh blood flowed around his body like a stream of mercury. There was a tinge of gold in his blood. Dense golden patterns appeared on his bones, increasing in number compared to when he was at the 2-star level.

In an instant, Wang Teng’s physique started to change. He became extremely tough and strong. He was like a human-sized ferocious beast.

Round Ball thought that Wang Teng’s knock was good enough. But it also felt the frightening change in his physique. He had become many times more powerful than before.

“What a monster!” it muttered to itself.

Its voice was drowned out by the sound of the bell.

Bang!

Wang Teng punched the bronze bell again. This time, he didn’t stop. He continued punching the bronze bell and bore with the vibration it released forcefully. All his punches crashed heavily on the bell.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

He released six punches at once. Each time, it got harder and harder. The vibrations released by the bell increased in intensity.

But Wang Teng didn’t move. His lean body remained as sturdy as a mountain. Each punch was more powerful than the last. The noise it produced got louder too. It echoed in the air and astounded numerous people.

Seven times!

Something huge was about to happen!

The person’s expression in the Great Qian Noble Family Consultation Chamber changed. He stood up and strode toward the door.

“My name is Wang Teng. I come with the Nangong family’s token!”

A loud and clear voice followed the echoes of the bell.