Top-tier Unruly Master

"Now that Qiu Mountain is so chaotic, having one more person would mean I can earn a bit more, if anyone has an issue with that, then go find another car," said the driver quite unapologetically.

Even though Lian Hu felt annoyed by the driver's words, he didn't utter a single complaint in the end.

There were already few vehicles heading to Qiu Mountain, and it had been difficult to find this one; nobody was willing to switch at this point.

The van was a seven-seater; with Ding Fan boarding, it was now full, and he took a seat by the door. Next to Ding Fan sat a woman wearing sunglasses.

The woman wearing the sunglasses clearly didn't want to be recognized. When Ding Fan sat down next to her, she instinctively moved a little further in.

"Everyone's here, let's get going..." the driver called out, then started the van right away.

After the vehicle was on its way, Ding Fan checked out the others in the van.

There were seven people in the van, including the driver. Except for the driver and another man who were ordinary people, the rest were martial artists.

The woman sitting next to Ding Fan had the highest cultivation, around Human Level Seventh Grade. As for the others, they all seemed to be around Human Level Fourth or Fifth Grade.

Without needing to say it, Ding Fan knew these people were heading to Qiu Mountain for the Penetrative Stone Wood.

However, what caught Ding Fan's attention was a young man sitting at the back. He had no cultivation at all. It was surprising that an ordinary person would dare venture to such a dangerous place like Qiu Mountain.

But then Ding Fan understood: aside from himself, the driver, and the woman next to him, the rest were all subordinates of that young man.

They kept referring to him as "Young Master," so it seemed that this young man was probably the scion of some wealthy family.

After the van set off, it took less than fifteen minutes to leave Huang Town.

Having nothing else to do, Ding Fan closed his eyes and rested.

But not long after Ding Fan had shut his eyes, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Ding Fan was startled and looked up; the person who had tapped his shoulder was none other than the so-called young master sitting behind him.

Ding Fan didn't understand why the other party would do so, and the woman with sunglasses next to him also turned around. The young master had directly tapped both of them.

"Let me introduce myself, friends. My name is Lu Renming. My father is the chairman of Singapore New Net... I believe you're also heading to Qiu Mountain to explore the Steel Tree, right?" After a brief introduction, Lu Renming quickly transitioned to the topic concerning the Steel Tree.

"Qiu Mountain is quite dangerous now, so I think it would be better if we joined forces."

Ding Fan roughly guessed that the Steel Tree Lu Renming mentioned was actually the Penetrative Stone Wood he himself was seeking.

"I'm not interested!" Before Ding Fan had a chance to speak, the woman sitting next to him with sunglasses bluntly refused.

Ding Fan was taken aback; the woman with sunglasses was quite forthright. Her rejection was so straightforward she didn't even give a reason.

The rebuffed Lu Renming's face turned somewhat awkward.

"Little sister, our Young Master is inviting you to join the team. That's a blessing you could only attain in several lifetimes, and you just rejected it outright," said a middle-aged man next to Lu Renming, quite displeased.

The woman with sunglasses was undiplomatic in her response, "Whether I team up or not is my own business. I don't need you to be pointing fingers."

The middle-aged man frowned. "Quite an attitude, little beauty. I just wonder if you'll still be able to stand so firm once we reach Qiu Mountain."

The implication in the man's words was clear: they intended to harm the woman with sunglasses once they arrived at Qiu Mountain.

The woman with sunglasses snorted coldly but didn't speak further; she simply crossed her arms and looked out at the scenery passing by.

The middle-aged man curled his lips dismissively. "Just another pushover."

Lu Renming said with a smiling face, "Even if we don't team up, there's no harm in being friends. Here's my number. If you need anything in the future, feel free to call me," as he handed his business card to the woman with sunglasses. After a moment of contemplation, she accepted the card.

Everyone in the van thought the woman with sunglasses might have been intimidated by the middle-aged man's threat, but only Ding Fan could see that she simply did not want to argue with them.

The subordinates that came with Lu Renming were not very skilled in cultivation, all around Human Level Fourth Grade. Since they couldn't detect the cultivation level of others, they were unaware of the woman's actual strength.

But Ding Fan's powers of discernment were impressive; he had immediately sensed the woman's cultivation.

Ancient Martial Arts expert of around Human Level Seventh Grade, she obviously wouldn't fear a few mere Human Level Fourth Grade martial artists.

After the woman with sunglasses refused to team up, Lu Renming did not continue to inquire with Ding Fan. Clearly, what he valued most was the company of the woman with sunglasses.

Despite the sunglasses, her figure was undeniably sexy, and the white skin revealed at her neck was enough to certify her as a great beauty.

Thus, Lu Renming's so-called teaming up was a ruse; his real intention was to hit on her.

After the brief episode with Lu Renming and the woman with sunglasses, the van became quiet for a while. Then the martial artists accompanying Lu Renming started to suck up to him with flattering words.

Finding the conversation sickening, Ding Fan decided to simply cross his arms and drift off to sleep. The woman with sunglasses remained quiet, just watching the scenery outside.

It was unclear how much time passed when suddenly, a rich wave of spiritual energy swept through.

Ding Fan, who had been meditating, abruptly opened his eyes. The energy was extremely dense. Looking around, they had arrived in a deserted place.

The woman, who also felt the rush of dense energy, prompted, "Driver, stop the car," she said to the driver.

"Are we still half an hour away from Qiu Mountain? You want to get off here, in the middle of nowhere?" the driver asked somewhat perplexedly.

"Yes… stop the car," the woman with sunglasses said indifferently.

Squeak… Having no other choice, the driver pulled the car over to the side of the road.

The woman with sunglasses efficiently got out of the car, her figure swayed, and she had already disappeared into the forest.

Just as the driver was about to step on the gas and drive off again, Lu Renming spoke from the side, "Driver, wait a moment, we're also getting off."

The driver was actually quite pleased that everyone chose to disembark here.

Lu Renming promptly led his three subordinates out of the car and then followed in the direction where the woman with sunglasses had vanished.

Ding Fan understood what was happening; Lu Renming and his men getting out of the car clearly meant they were going after the woman with sunglasses. Remembering her cultivation level, Ding Fan knew that Lu Renming and his crew were bound to suffer a major setback.

"Young man, are you getting off or not? You're the only one left in the car," the driver asked Ding Fan, who was still sitting there.

"I'll get off, too," Ding Fan said slowly as he stood up and got out of the car. He then headed in the direction where the woman with sunglasses had disappeared.

The direction in which the woman with sunglasses had vanished was also where the Spiritual Energy was emanating from. Ding Fan got out of the car, naturally wanting to find the source of that Spiritual Energy.

Seeing that all the passengers had left, the driver felt a sense of relief. The area ahead was rather chaotic, and having dropped off the passengers there, he could now return. As far as the driver was concerned, he had made quite the profit.

Whistling, the driver turned the car around and looked back in the direction from which they had come.

…

After getting out of the car, the woman with sunglasses made her way into the depths of the forest.

However, not far from where the woman with sunglasses had walked, two figures abruptly blocked her path. Among them was the middle-aged man from the car who had threatened her earlier.

"Miss, weren't you pretty tough when we were in the car? What now? Got scared and got off early? From the looks of it, you seem to be planning to run away!" said the middle-aged man with a sneer.

"Get out of my way if you don't want to die," she said.

The middle-aged man burst into laughter as if he had heard a very amusing joke. "I would like to see how exactly I am going to die."

"Ah Long, wait!" At that moment, a voice came from behind the woman with sunglasses.

Looking back, the woman saw Lu Renming with a Martial Artist appearing behind her.

"What do you want to do?" she asked.

"Beauty, I admire your looks. We have come from far and wide, and to meet each other like this today must surely be fate. Beauty, if you just agree to keep me company, I will protect you in this forest, and whatever you want, I will provide…" Lu Renming said with a smile.

Keep him company?

Lu Renming's words were rather explicit, suggesting little more than, "Sleep with me."

"Get lost!" the woman with sunglasses retorted coldly. "It seems you really are tired of living."

"Girl, it seems you prefer punishment over a courteous drink. Young Master Lu tries to talk nicely and it doesn't work, so we have to resort to force," said Ah Long, the middle-aged man, who began clenching and unclenching his fists while speaking.

However, just as tensions rose to a breaking point, the sound of footsteps approached from behind the trees.

Lu Renming and the others looked over and saw that the person walking towards them was none other than Ding Fan, who had sat next to the woman with sunglasses in the car.

"Kid...why are you here?" Ah Long called out to Ding Fan.

Ding Fan simply ignored Ah Long. "Just passing by."

Having said that, Ding Fan continued walking slowly to one side without paying any attention to the others.

At that moment, the woman with sunglasses suddenly took action. Her figure darted forward, and a glint of light flashed abruptly.

Splat... The Martial Artist standing next to Ah Long hardly even realized what had happened when he was instantly slain by the woman with sunglasses.

After killing the Martial Artist with a swift strike, another glint of light turned towards Ah Long.

The hand blade of the woman with sunglasses was incredibly fast, its trajectory cunning, the force tremendous, making it very difficult to evade. Ah Long hastily rolled to the side.

Though Ah Long managed to avoid a fatal blow, his left arm was still slashed by the woman with sunglasses, blood soaking half of his sleeve in an instant.

Lu Renming's eyes went wide with disbelief.

He was truly stunned — his two subordinates were so easily defeated in front of the woman with sunglasses, despite the hefty price he paid for their formidable fighting capabilities.

The woman had killed one and severely injured another using just a single move.

How could a woman as stunning as a blooming flower be this formidable...

As Lu Renming stood in shock, the woman with sunglasses had already reached his front, and the Martial Artist who had been there to protect him reacted without hesitation – turned and ran.

The combat prowess of the woman with sunglasses was so overwhelming that not running would have meant waiting for death.

But the man had not gone far before he was struck in the back of the head by a dagger thrown by the woman with sunglasses.

Thump — his body fell to the ground…