In the antiquated private dining room, the moment Shi Feng and his two companions stepped inside, Fang Xiaotian and Fang Mingyu — both seated at the table — couldn't help but cast surprised glances their way.
"Who let them in?" Fang Xiaotian's gaze locked onto the door, his voice sharp and cold as he demanded an answer.
Fang Xiaotian was seething inside. He had already ordered Shi Feng and the others to get lost, yet here they were, walking right through the door. And there hadn't been a single commotion outside — the only explanation was that some bodyguard out there had let them in without permission.
But a full three seconds passed after Fang Xiaotian's question, and there was no response from beyond the door.
Not a single answer came, as if nobody was out there at all. A strange feeling settled in Fang Xiaotian's chest.
Could they all have defected?
But after a moment's thought, that didn't make sense. These bodyguards had been trained at enormous expense by the family and were absolutely loyal. Even if one had turned traitor, there was no way all four would defect simultaneously.
"You don't need to bother asking, Young Master Fang — they're all sound asleep at the door," Shi Feng said, stepping forward of his own accord as he watched the shifting expressions on Fang Xiaotian's face.
"That's impossible!" Fang Xiaotian's instinct was to disbelieve it.
He knew exactly what those four bodyguards were capable of. Though each had only just entered the Dark Force level, the four of them together would give even a national tournament champion a run for their money. How could they have been neutralized without so much as a sound?
Behind Shi Feng, Lei Bao couldn't help but shake his head.
Four fighters who had barely entered Dark Force were indeed formidable — but compared to a true Transformation Force Grandmaster, they were as fragile as infants. When a Transformation Force Grandmaster truly wanted to enter somewhere, their extraordinary perception, reflexes, and physical prowess made them virtually impossible to block, let alone by a mere handful of bodyguards.
Shortly after, one of the bodyguards behind Fang Xiaotian went to the door to check. The four guards were slumped in the corner against the wall, completely unconscious.
"Young Master… A-Tao… they're really all out cold," the investigating bodyguard stammered.
The room fell silent in an instant. Fang Xiaotian couldn't help but scrutinize Shi Feng and his companions more carefully. Being able to neutralize his four bodyguards without any fuss whatsoever — that level of capability demanded his full attention.
"No wonder you had the confidence to come see me," Fang Xiaotian said, looking straight at Shi Feng. He showed not a trace of panic over the fallen bodyguards, remaining perfectly composed. "But if you think this little display of force will intimidate me into changing my mind, you can forget about it."
"I know who you are, Shi Feng. You run the Tiandou Training Hall, and before that you defeated Wang Zongquan, making a name for yourself among the martial arts schools and training halls of Fenglin City. You're also one of the core executives of the Zero Wing Guild — and Zero Wing has been developing quite well lately. It's already become a near-superpower in the Divine Realm, dominating a vast territory on the Eastern Continent. Word is you're even trying to use the Tiandou Training Hall to absorb a flood of talent and push Zero Wing even further."
"But you'd better understand — the Divine Realm is the Divine Realm. This is reality! Without connections or backing, you're nothing! I wouldn't even need to lift a finger to deal with you — a single sentence from me, and you'll never be able to show your face in Fenglin City again!"
Fang Xiaotian's words brought a wave of pressure crashing down on Xiao Yu.
Economic suppression alone wouldn't have been so frightening — what was truly dangerous were the underhanded moves that could come from other directions. And for those, they had no counter.
Just then, Fang Mingyu suddenly stood up, his presence like a brown bear materializing in the private room. At two meters and three centimeters tall, he towered over everyone present, making them look like children. His arms and thighs were thicker than a woman's waist, and his bronze-colored skin gave him the appearance of the legendary Golden-Bodied Arhat.