Chapter 12: An Overwhelming Presence, Standing Out from the Crowd

Jiang Sheng stood before the hall with his hands behind his back, his expression calm and composed.

"Jiang Sheng, a Qi Refiner from Mount Qingping, greets you all, fellow Daoists."

Seeing Jiang Sheng actually appear, many rogue cultivators grew wary.

With Jiang Sheng's arrival, it seemed he did not come with good intentions!

Jiang Sheng cast a casual glance at the Qingzhou cultivators within the county magistrate's office.

"Are you fellow Daoists not looking for this poor Daoist? I am standing right here. If anyone thinks I am merely chasing fame and reputation, feel free to come and try."

As soon as these words were spoken, many rogue cultivators fell silent.

When Jiang Sheng was absent, they could naturally talk nonsense, for the law does not punish the masses; with so many people here, could Jiang Sheng possibly kill them all?

But now that Jiang Sheng himself was standing there, his Foundation Establishment realm cultivation was unmistakably revealed. Among these Qi Refiners who lacked even a Foundation Establishment cultivation, who would dare speak further?

Seeing that no one spoke, Jiang Sheng smiled. This smile was like a spring breeze brushing against the face, melting the ice and snow, causing both Zhang Qing and Xu Xiao to look at him several times.

Even Xu Xiao, who was accustomed to the talents of Qingzhou, felt her heart skip several beats. It wasn't that she lacked experience, but rather that Jiang Sheng was simply too outstanding.

A handsome youth of perhaps not yet twenty, standing there in a green Daoist robe, possessed an ethereal temperament, appearing like elegant plum blossoms or upright green pines.

Especially at the moment Jiang Sheng had soared in and landed gracefully in the hall, all the rogue heroes present seemed to become mere background characters; he was the very definition of a crane standing among chickens.

And as to who was the celestial crane soaring through the nine heavens and who was the mediocre flock of chickens, was there even a need for words?

Wang Tianfang stood there awkwardly. He suddenly realized that not a single one of the cultivators who had been echoing his words just moments ago had spoken up.

Just now, he had only intended to rally more people to build momentum for himself and, incidentally, to curry favor with Young Master Kongxu.

But he hadn't expected that the moment Jiang Sheng appeared, his aura would suppress the entire hall of Qingzhou heroes into a deathly silence.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, a rogue cultivator hurriedly said with a smile, "Daoist Jiang, regarding this matter..."

"This fellow Daoist had best not speak."

As he spoke, Jiang Sheng glanced at the rogue cultivator who wasn't even at the eighth level of Qi Refinement, then turned his gaze back to Wang Tianfang. "Fellow Daoist, your name is Wang Tianfang?"

Wang Tianfang felt a bit unnerved under Jiang Sheng's gaze, but he forced himself to remain calm and said, "I am indeed Wang Tianfang. What business does Daoist Jiang have?"

"Just now, Fellow Daoist Wang said that this poor Daoist regards the heroes of Qingzhou as nothing?" Jiang Sheng asked softly.

Though his voice was soft, it rang in the ears of Wang Tianfang and the others like a clap of thunder, startling their souls.

Wang Tianfang stammered, "I... I..."

Jiang Sheng suddenly smiled. "No need for more words. This poor Daoist understands."

Wang Tianfang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the matter would pass like this.

After all, no matter what, he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a force that could not be ignored.

With this thought, Wang Tianfang's originally somewhat hunched back straightened up.

That's right, he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even if Jiang Sheng could clash with those Qi Refinement rogue cultivators, would he dare to clash with a Foundation Establishment cultivator like himself?

But to his surprise, Jiang Sheng spoke again: "It seems that, for now, Fellow Daoist Wang is not mistaken."

"If the 'heroes of Qingzhou' are merely the sort of trash I see before me now, then I suppose there is no need for me to go out and slay demons, lest I provide more blood sacrifices for the monsters in the river."

"Daoist Jiang! What do you mean by that?!" A Qi Refinement rogue cultivator stood up in rage.

Another Foundation Establishment cultivator slammed the table and rose. "Daoist Jiang, do not think that because you hail from Penglai, you can look down on the heroes of the world! Qingzhou has many heroes; how dare you treat us with such contempt!"

Jiang Sheng remained indifferent. "This poor Daoist has never looked down on the heroes of the world, but I also do not believe that your current state qualifies as being heroes."

Saying this, Jiang Sheng ignored their accusations and looked toward Zhang Qingyun. "Magistrate Zhang, did you invite all these heroes of Qingzhou only to bring such trash?"

Upon hearing this, Young Master Kongxu could no longer sit still. He picked up his teacup, glanced at Jiang Sheng, and spoke in a somewhat effeminate voice, "Is this Daoist perhaps regarding our Qingzhou heroes as nothing?"

"Precisely."

As soon as Jiang Sheng uttered these words, the Qingzhou rogue cultivators were thoroughly enraged.

While the Qi Refinement rogue cultivators still did not dare to stand, every single one of the Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators rose up, demanding an explanation from Jiang Sheng.

With all this commotion, the magistrate's office resembled a gathering hall for martial arts sects, becoming incredibly noisy.

Zhang Qingyun watched the rogue cultivators constantly demanding an explanation from Jiang Sheng, then looked at the renowned cultivators beside him. He truly wanted to see just how much skill Jiang Sheng actually possessed.

Jiang Sheng's previous attitude had truly displeased Zhang Qingyun. If Jiang Sheng's abilities were mediocre, then he would have to make other plans.

Zhang Qingyun remarked, "This Daoist Jiang has been living in seclusion in the mountains, yet his skills are quite extraordinary."

Hearing this, Wenren Jie laughed. "Extraordinary skills? It is the perfect opportunity to see just how extraordinary Daoist Jiang's skills are!"

Qiao Xuan held a green bamboo cane in one hand and smoked a dry pipe in the other. "Indeed. It is not the skill one fears, but the lack thereof. This place is a mixed bag; if we can clear out those who are merely pretenders, it will make subsequent work much easier."

Young Master Kongxu clearly meant the same.

These famous rogue cultivators of Qingzhou all wanted to see exactly how much weight the legendary Jiang Sheng actually carried!

Only then did Zhang Qingyun realize that these individuals had already reached a tacit understanding. Since he also had such intentions, he silently settled in to watch the show.

"There is no need for more words. You may all attack together. Let this poor Daoist see exactly how much weight the heroes of Qingzhou truly carry."

With these words, Jiang Sheng had ensured that reconciliation was impossible.

Although rogue cultivators did not easily clash with one another, Jiang Sheng had effectively slapped everyone in the face.

Even a clay figure would feel a spark of anger, let alone these rogue cultivators who had fought their way up through life's struggles.

Furthermore, they were numerous. Now it was a group against one; no matter how one looked at it, there was no possibility of defeat.

Thus, these rogue cultivators were not polite at all. Several Foundation Establishment cultivators attacked without hesitation, using their most violent techniques at the very first move!

In an instant, wind blades, golden needles, and fireballs surged toward Jiang Sheng, covering the sky and earth. The deluge of spells seemed as if they would completely submerge him.

Simultaneously, the ground cracked as vines surged from beneath, attempting to bind Jiang Sheng in place.

Judging by their attacks alone, one could see they possessed considerable combat experience, and their coordination was exceptionally seamless.

The vines underground were used to control Jiang Sheng's movements, while the overwhelming wind blades, fireballs, and golden needles appeared to be feints to draw attention, yet they were undeniably lethal.

This combination of top and bottom, front and back, sealed off Jiang Sheng's movements.

Qiao Xuan, Wenren Jie, and Young Master Kongxu all looked toward the courtyard.

Even they would have to be cautious when facing a siege by so many Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement cultivators, yet Jiang Sheng was being so arrogant.

With the combined efforts of these Foundation Establishment cultivators, Jiang Sheng's space for movement had been completely blocked.

Asking themselves honestly, even if they were to face this, they could only temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack before seeking another way. Did Jiang Sheng have any other choice?

But if Jiang Sheng could truly handle this, wouldn't that mean they, the rogue cultivators of Qingzhou, were truly mediocre?

For a moment, even these famous Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators felt a complex mix of emotions.

In contrast to the rogue cultivators, Xu Xiao and Zhang Qing felt more concern for Jiang Sheng.

They truly did not want to see such a handsome young cultivator like Jiang Sheng die here for nothing.

Yet Jiang Sheng had used the most indifferent tone to insult these Qingzhou rogue cultivators; this man's tongue was truly quite poisonous.

Moreover, by showing such contempt for the Qingzhou cultivators, he was clearly showing no respect for their Moon-Reaching Sect.

Could it be that this Daoist from Penglai truly had some means to deal with this?

Compared to the complex emotions of the onlookers, the attacking cultivators were already beaming with joy.

This unexpected offensive was difficult even for late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators to withstand; how could this Jiang Sheng possibly resist?

The ground trembled, and the green bricks paving the magistrate's courtyard were sent flying by the erupting vines. The green vines were incredibly tough, binding Jiang Sheng layer by layer.

The wind blades were sharp, the fireballs explosive, and the golden needles piercing; every spell was lethal.

The moment the green vines bound Jiang Sheng, these spells came whistling in, submerging him in the blink of an eye.

For a moment, various spells exploded where Jiang Sheng stood, sparks flew in all directions, and smoke swirled.

Seeing the Foundation Establishment cultivators place Jiang Sheng in a death trap with their very first move, some Qi Refinement rogue cultivators were overjoyed

"The heroes of our Qingzhou are indeed extraordinary! Look, as soon as the Foundation Establishment cultivators struck, that Jiang Sheng had already given up struggling!"

"Indeed! Where did he get the confidence to look down on our Qingzhou cultivators so? He will likely perish right here!"

"To witness a Foundation Establishment cultivator fall before our very eyes is also a stroke of luck for us."

These people were chattering incessantly, and even the Foundation Establishment cultivators who had launched the attack felt they had successfully killed Jiang Sheng.

Unexpectedly, from within the smoke and fire, Jiang Sheng's clear voice rang out once more: "You fellow Daoists of Qingzhou indeed possess some skill."

"Regrettably, if you wish to harm this poor Daoist, you are still lacking a bit of refinement."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed: What?!

Was Jiang Sheng actually unscathed?!

The wind rose!

Unexpectedly, a wind suddenly blew from the west into the hall of the magistrate's office.

It began as a gentle breeze, but the wind grew increasingly violent, becoming a howling gale within a few breaths!

When the wind blew away all the sparks and smoke from the hall, everyone saw that Jiang Sheng was standing in place, completely unharmed, without even having moved a single step!

His jade crown was intact, and his green robe showed no sign of being singed or soot-stained.

Meanwhile, the surrounding green bricks had been shattered beyond recognition.

The smooth, flat fragments left by the cutting wind blades, the scorch marks from the exploding fireballs, and the dense holes pierced by the golden needles—the various traces of spells crisscrossed densely, yet they all stopped exactly three inches away from Jiang Sheng.

Standing with his hands behind his back, Jiang Sheng gave a calm glance, his aura as steady as a mountain, causing the hearts of the rogue cultivators who had just attacked to sink halfway.

They had coordinated a surprise attack with perfect synergy, thinking they could take Jiang Sheng down, but they never expected that he would remain entirely unscathed!