Qi Jun rolled off the table. His burly physique, weighing nearly two hundred jin, crashed to the ground with a dull thud, alerting the entire Nine Dragon Restaurant.
The banquet hall manager of the Nine Dragon Restaurant had already noticed the commotion. He was initially perplexed as to who dared to cause trouble, intending to have the troublemakers ejected. After all, although the Nine Dragon Restaurant was not a large establishment, its background was extraordinary. Even ordinary billionaires would not dare to cause a scene here.
However, upon seeing the two individuals causing the disturbance, he broke out in a cold sweat and dared not ascend the stairs.
"Miss Qin Luoshui, the eldest daughter of the Qin family..."
"Young Master Qi Jun, the second son of the Qi family..."
Neither of these individuals was someone he could afford to offend. Even the influential figure who served as the backing for the Nine Dragon Restaurant had to treat them with utmost courtesy. As for him, a mere banquet hall manager, if he dared to interfere, he would likely end up being beaten and then forced to apologize.
Therefore, despite the fierce fight between Qin Luoshui and Qi Jun, which left the exquisitely decorated interior slightly damaged, no security guards stepped forward to intervene.
"Cough..."
"Brother Jun, are you alright..."
"Brother Jun, should I call for backup?"
...
The group of young masters accompanying Qi Jun quickly rushed forward to express their concern. At the same time, they cast fearful glances at Qin Luoshui. If even a formidable figure like Qi Jun could be injured by a single punch, wouldn't it be as easy as drinking water to defeat them?
Qi Jun waved his hand, signaling them to quiet down. He then looked at Qin Luoshui, a smile playing on his lips, and said, "Luoshui, I didn't expect that in just over a year, you would become so formidable. You must have reached the peak of True Qi cultivation, haven't you?"
Qi Jun himself was at the late True Qi stage. If Qin Luoshui could defeat him, her strength would naturally be at the peak of True Qi. As for the Innate realm? He didn't consider it. Firstly, if she were a true Innate master, she wouldn't need to engage in such a prolonged struggle to defeat him; a single move would likely suffice. Secondly, in his opinion, achieving the peak of True Qi in such a short period was already incredible. Innate cultivation? That was simply impossible.
He was unaware that Qin Luoshui was indeed an Innate master. However, her combat experience was severely lacking, which was why Qi Jun could hold out for a short while.
Hearing Qi Jun's words, Qin Luoshui remained unmoved, even feeling a slight urge to laugh. In terms of cultivation alone, she had already reached the late Innate stage, just a step away from the peak Innate realm. It was just that this power had come too suddenly, and she couldn't control it perfectly yet. Naturally, Qi Jun's assertion that she had reached the peak of True Qi struck her as amusing.
"You should leave. If there's a next time, I won't hold back," Qin Luoshui stated, looking at Qi Jun. She had indeed held back during their exchange. Otherwise, with her strength, if she had unleashed her full power with a single punch, would Qi Jun have survived? Although she disliked Qi Jun, she had no intention of killing him.
Zhang Fan sat quietly to the side, remaining silent. He understood that Qin Luoshui's words were a plea for Qi Jun's safety. If Qi Jun persisted in bothering her and provoked Zhang Fan into intervening, there would be no chance for him to survive. However, this was also something Qin Luoshui wished to avoid. Qi Jun was a highly valued disciple within the Qi family. If he were to perish at Zhang Fan's hands, the Qi family would undoubtedly seek retribution.
"Luoshui, with your talent and strength, as long as you are willing, you can certainly join the Shadow Guard. I have already passed their assessment and will be joining soon. With the Shadow Guard's training, both of us can break through to the Innate Grandmaster realm..."
Qi Jun ignored Qin Luoshui's words and continued to speak enthusiastically, painting a picture of their future.
"Someone like you could actually pass the Shadow Guard assessment? It seems the Shadow Guard is declining," Zhang Fan shook his head and scoffed, interrupting Qi Jun. The last time Zhang Fan was invited by Liu Chuqing to serve as the chief instructor for the Shadow Guard and train its members, the weakest among them possessed late True Qi cultivation. With their growth and the abundance of spiritual pills Zhang Fan supplied, the strength of the Shadow Guard members must have significantly improved. Now, even the weakest should possess peak True Qi cultivation. Yet, their standards for assessing members seemed to have stagnated, leaving Zhang Fan disappointed with the Shadow Guard's assessment system, as Qi Jun, with his mere late True Qi cultivation, had managed to pass.
Hearing Zhang Fan's words, Qi Jun, surprisingly, did not get angry. He glanced at Zhang Fan with a hint of disdain and said, "A frog in a well! You probably don't even know what the Shadow Guard is, yet you dare to comment so presumptuously." He had the fortune to visit the Shadow Guard's base before his assessment. However, everything he experienced there made him realize how weak he was. Even the weakest member of the Shadow Guard could easily overpower and toy with him, which almost made Qi Jun lose his will to live. Fortunately, he had a resilient mindset, adjusted himself, and finally managed to pass the assessment through some connections within his family. Thus, while he was surprised by Qin Luoshui's rapid advancement to the peak of True Qi, he could still accept it. After all, the Shadow Guard was not short of geniuses. According to a Shadow Guard member he was acquainted with, their team leader was only around twenty years old but had already reached the Saint Realm, making him the top expert of the current generation within the Shadow Guard, possessing truly terrifying talent.
"Tell me, who allowed you to pass the assessment? I'll settle the score with them later," Zhang Fan ignored Qi Jun's taunt and asked seriously.
"Haha..."
Zhang Fan's words caused Qi Jun to burst into laughter. He looked at Zhang Fan as if he were an idiot. "Your life is full of pretentiousness, isn't it? Do you really think no one can touch you as long as Luoshui is here to protect you?"
"Since you want to settle the score with Instructor Lei Luo, why don't I invite him over now?" Qi Jun said, promptly taking out his phone. He had initially been troubled about how to discipline Zhang Fan severely under Qin Luoshui's obstruction. Now, Zhang Fan was actively giving him this opportunity, how could he not be delighted? Lei Nuo was the instructor for all new recruits of the Shadow Guard, possessing formidable strength, reportedly just a step away from the peak Innate realm, making him one of the top experts within the Shadow Guard. And Zhang Fan dared to insult Instructor Lei in such a manner. If Instructor Lei Luo were to find out, Zhang Fan would be lucky to survive, let alone escape without severe injury.
...