Zhang Fei - The Abandoned Son

Chapter 602: Natural Challenge

After spending several hours in the survival challenge, all groups completed all the tests. The elimination of the groups from the Zhou, Ximen, and Dark Demon Kingdoms surprised most of them. Even so, they didnʼt show the slightest happiness, especially since the remaining three challenges were only individual.

They didnʼt have time to rest because another portal descended from above and sucked them in, sending them to the location of the next challenge.

Despite the intense heat in his location, which caused him to sweat profusely, Zhang Fei felt fortunate as the entire area was engulfed in flames and lava, particularly since he was only confronting the fire element in this natural challenge. Moreover, he has mastered the initial stage of the fire element law since four and a half months ago, but he still has difficulty breaking through to the intermediate stage.

”I think that old man deliberately arranged this for me, so I wonʼt waste the opportunity he gave me.” Zhang Fei then floated to the center of the location, sat there cross-legged, and closed his eyes. ”The fire element in this place is incredibly powerful, so I will utilize it to understand and master the intermediate stage of the fire law.”

Unlike when he studied the fire law for the first time, Zhang Fei did not seal his senses because of his familiarity with the fire element, and he released it as he merged himself with nature.

Countless threads of fire elements quickly emerged from the flames and lava in that location, and they moved toward Zhang Fei. Some of them flowed directly into his body, and some others enveloped him like a fire sphere.

When Zhang Fei sensed this, a faint smile appeared on his face. He absorbed them without hesitation, particularly after Mei informed him that they could help his fire element reach its peak stage, thereby boosting its power.

Unlike Zhang Fei, the majority of other participants, including his group members, encountered difficulties in overcoming their natural challenges. Some of them met elements like theirs, but others met different elements, forcing them to give up because they couldnʼt understand their laws.

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Four women were already at the Sky Jade Restaurant, and they seemed to be enjoying the dishes on their table. However, two of them kept glancing up at the second floor, confusing their two friends.

Zhu Yan, who was cooking in the kitchen, was not surprised by the arrival of Gu Hanshuang and Dan Qingying. However, she refrained from asking for their purpose because of the presence of their two friends, especially since Zhang Fei had already told her that they were Huangfu Lianʼs women.

”What are you two looking for? Why do you guys keep glancing up at the top floor?” Ting Ting asked both women.

Gu Hanshuang shook her head slightly before explaining. ”Ten days ago, we met an old friend here, and she came down from the second floor, so we thought she might be here.”

”Unfortunately, she doesnʼt seem to be here right now, so weʼll see her another time.” Dan Qingying added to her friendʼs words.

Both women deliberately mentioned Zhang Fei as a woman, especially since Ting Ting and Ning Wu couldnʼt keep a secret, and they would definitely tell Huangfu Lian if they knew about him, which would bring them great trouble.

”Oh.” Ting Ting responded flatly and continued to enjoy the dishes.

Although Ning Wu did not ask Gu Hanshuang and Dan Qingying anything, suspicion flashed across her eyes as she glanced at them.

ʼThey are both obviously lying to us, and I am sure that the person they are referring to is a man. But who is that man? Why are they looking for him? Is his status better than Prince Lianʼs? If I report this matter to him, he will reward me handsomely, and he might even consider taking me as his woman to replace them.ʼ Ning Wu secretly sent a voice transmission to Huangfu Lian to inform him of the matter. ʼWhat happened? Why canʼt I contact him? As far as I remember, there were no communication restrictions in the Star Tower in the past, yet I couldnʼt contact him.ʼ

Unfortunately, Ning Wu still didnʼt know that Huangfu Lian had returned to her kingdom, and the Huangfu Kingdom was sealed off from outsiders, so she was unable to contact the Huangfu Prince.

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Liu Hua, who was in a meeting with the Wen Twins and the five members of the demon fox group on the second floor, naturally noticed their presence in their restaurant. She then contacted Zhang Fei [1], who was arranging goods in their new shop, and asked him whether he would immediately take action against Gu Hanshuang and Dan Qingying.

Zhang Fei [1] immediately informed Liu Hua that he would meet the two women after he finished arranging their shop, especially since Huangfu Lian had returned to his kingdom, and he might meet them soon, so he had to act quickly.

”Big Sis, are we going to open other restaurants in the other kingdoms?” Wen Yuan asked Liu Hua.

Wen Xuan also spoke to her. ”The area of ​​each kingdom is very large, and this Xian Kingdom is even much wider than the western region in our realm. If we live here, it will be difficult for us to find information about the other kingdoms, so I thought that opening a branch in each kingdom would be our best option, allowing us to monitor their movements closely.”

Liu Hua nodded in agreement with them. ”Feiʼer has already thought about it, and he is thinking of opening another restaurant in the Yun Kingdom first, especially since Yun Shang and Guo Xuehua have openly expressed their intention to establish a good relationship with him. Unfortunately, the rest of our members arenʼt ready for missions in this realm, and we donʼt have a suitable chef yet, so we must find one.”

The Wen twins nodded in understanding, especially since their restaurant sold dishes from the Earth. The best chefs on Zhang Feiʼs side to cook for them were Zhang Chen and Qing Yi, but he would never let his grandmother and mother go to the Yun Kingdom and live there. Moreover, their restaurant in the Xian Kingdom had not been open for long, so he couldnʼt possibly move Zhu Yan to that kingdom.

”Letʼs talk about this matter later, and we just have to wait for Feiʼerʼs decision.” Liu Hua then shared another piece of information with them. ”By the way, he has asked Huan Ya to come here, and she will join our group. Besides her, Situ Yi is his slave, so he is also part of our group, but he asked him to stay in the Yun Kingdom and monitor the people from the alchemy union in the capital city of the kingdom.”

”Is it really okay for that woman to join us, Big Sis?” Wen Xuan asked.

Wen Yuan then added. ”After all, he did not enslave that woman, so she still has her consciousness and will, and she is also still part of the alchemy union.”

”Haha.” Liu Hua laughed softly in response. ”Yuanʼer, youʼve been living with Feiʼer for a long time. Do you still not understand his character? He did not enslave Huan Ya, but she was his former enemy, so he must have done something to her. Thatʼs why you donʼt need to worry about her, especially since she wonʼt be able to say anything about us, and her life is already in his hands. Sheʼll probably be here soon, so Iʼll leave her to you two. Anyway, you guys should come back to our residence once heʼs done with the tower, and weʼll go back into seclusion.”

”Yes, Big Sis.” Both women answered with a nod.

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In the Wasteland Realm, Shang Xiaoyin was angry as soon as she and the two women arrived at their residence, especially after she found Shang Xinyu cultivating in her room. She had waited for several days near the western island, but she had never seen her or the others leave the island, yet she had returned to their residence earlier than them.

ʼWhat are your plans now, Xiaoyin?ʼ Shang Jiali asked.

Shang Xiaoyin frowned as she thought. ʼI want you two to watch over Xinyu for the time being, and I will return to our realm to see my mother. I actually didnʼt want to involve her, but that kid seems to have many special abilities, so I have no choice but to ask for her help.ʼ

ʼAre you going to ask Aunt Ziyuan to suppress Xinyuʼs family?ʼ Shang Yifen asked worriedly.

ʼWhy not?ʼ Shang Xiaoyin asked back with a faint smile. ʼXinyu has become too close to that kid and Yaolin, so I no longer consider her part of us, and I will ask my mother to suppress her family. Moreover, Wuzi is eager to marry her, so I will ask my mother to force her parents to marry them. This way, she will no longer be able to stay in this realm, and she will not be able to gather with the two of them anymore.ʼ

After she said that, Shang Xiaoyin rushed off to the fortress, leaving Shang Jiali and Shang Yife feeling helpless. Once she arrived there, she immediately returned to her realm through the portal that connected the two realms.

Shang Jiali immediately returned to her private place, especially since she didnʼt care much about Shang Xinyuʼs fate. However, Shang Yifen was different from her, and she cared a lot about her friendʼs fate because their situations were similar to each other, so she went straight into her room.

Shang Xinyu immediately opened her eyes. ”What happened? Why is your expression like that?”

”Xinyu, you are in big trouble.” Shang Yifen hurriedly told him about Shang Xiaoyinʼs plans for him and his family, causing Shang Xinyu to panic. ”Xiaoyin is not messing around with her plans, and she is returning to our realm to see her mother. I can only help you to this extent, so you must think of something to deal with this matter yourself.”

”Thank you, Yifen.” After Shang Yifen left, Shang Xinyu rushed to look for Zhang Xiaolong [3] in Shang Yaolinʼs room.

When she arrived there, Shang Xinyu found Zhang Xiaolong[3] just returning from the mountaintop, and she immediately explained her situation to him and Shang Yaolin, causing their faces to darken.

”Can you do anything to help her, Big Sis Yaolin?”

Shang Yaolin shook her head at Zhang Xiaolong [3]. ”Shang Ziyuan is the little sister of our patriarch, and her influence in our clan is second only to his. My father is only a member of our branch clan, and my motherʼs Murong clan is not as strong as our Shang clan, so I canʼt do anything for Xinyu.”

”I see.” Zhang Xiaolong [3] nodded in understanding before showing two of his six tails, surprising both women. ”I just evolved a few days ago when we were still in the western region, but I purposely kept it a secret because many people were watching me. However, I had no other choice now, so I deliberately showed it to you two, or you will be confused about my new ability.” (A/N: He disguised himself as a ten-year-old fox with one tail from the start. Chapter 407: A Black Key.)

”What is your second ability, Longʼer?” Both women curiously asked.

”Hehe.” Zhang Xiaolong [3] chuckled and asked Mei to open a gate, shocking the two women. ”I got this ability from my fatherʼs bloodline, and this gate will take us to our hiding realm before my father sends me to the Netherworld Realm. This way, I can hide Big Sis Xinyu from them, and the situation in that realm is much calmer, so she will be safe there. Regarding her parents, I believe you should ask Aunt Qianying or Aunt Xinxin to hide them elsewhere, as I believe Shang Ziyuan would not dare to go against both clans at the same time.”

”Youʼre right.” Shang Yaolin replied with a nod. ”Even though my motherʼs Murong Clan is not as strong as our Shang Clan, Aunt Xinxinʼs Hong Clan is very strong. Even our patriarch would not dare to find trouble with them directly, let alone Shang Ziyuan, so they would be safe hiding there.”

”In that case, you can contact Aunt Qianying or Aunt Xinxin now so they can act as soon as possible.” Shang Yaolin nodded and contacted the two women directly. Zhang Xiaolong [3] then turned to Shang Xinyu. ”Is it okay if you hide in that realm for a while, Big Sis Xinyu? As long as they canʼt find you, then they wonʼt be able to force you to marry Shang Wuzi. You might be lonely there, but I promise to visit you often, and I will bring Big Sis Yaolin with me.”

”I will pack my things now, and I will hide in that realm.” Shang Xinyu then asked Shang Yaolin, who had finished contacting the two women. ”What about them? Are they willing to protect my family?”

Shang Yaolin told her directly. ”Aunt Xinxin agreed, and she went straight to your familyʼs house to pick them up, so you donʼt have to worry about them.”

”Thank you.” Shang Xinyu then hurried back to her room and packed up her things, and she went straight back to Shang Yaolinʼs room afterward. Zhang Xiaolong [3] took the two women to the Azure Sky Realm, specifically to Azarothʼs former hut.

However, they did not spend much time there before Zhang Xiaolong [3] took Shang Yaolin back to the Wasteland Realm to continue her work. She informed him that Murong Qianying would be arriving tomorrow night, which excited him.

Even so, Zhang Xiaolong [3] was still thinking about Shang Xiaoyin and Shang Ziyuanʼs plans for him, but he wasnʼt too worried about them either, and he immediately cultivated in the room.

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During the natural challenge, the red aura surrounding Zhang Feiʼs body intensified, and his body persistently absorbed the fire elements that were constantly moving toward him. Mei suddenly informed him that his fire element would soon advance to the peak stage, so he immediately accelerated his absorption rate.

A creature with a small fire-formed body and a salamander-like appearance continued to observe Zhang Fei from a distance, undetected by Mei or the system, as his actions piqued its interest.

The fire salamander suddenly came out of hiding and moved quickly toward Zhang Feiʼs location, which caused its presence to be detected by Mei and the system immediately. The female AI immediately informed her master about it, but he chose to ignore it.

Sometime later, Zhang Feiʼs fire element suddenly flared up, becoming much redder than before, and the heat emanating from it was even hotter than before.

[Congratulations! The host fire element has been upgraded to the peak stage.]

Zhang Fei was pleased with that, but he did not immediately open his eyes and continue to absorb the fire element in that place, especially since his understanding of the fire law had not yet reached the intermediate stage. Moreover, he didnʼt have much time in the challenge, so he didnʼt want to waste time and wanted to master it before the available time ran out.

Below Zhang Fei, the fire salamander kept looking up at him, and it patiently waited for him to open his eyes.

About two hours later, another notification appeared in Zhang Feiʼs mind, relieving him.

[Congratulations! The host fire law has been upgraded to the intermediate stage.]

”Phew.” Zhang Fei let out a sigh of relief and opened his eyes before landing in front of the fire salamander, but it immediately retreated when he wanted to touch it. ”Werenʼt you waiting for me? I wonʼt hurt you, so you donʼt have to be afraid of me.”

- To Be Continued -