"It's him!" Even though Tang Yan had moved quickly, Zhang Peng would rather die than forget the humiliation he had suffered at his hands. "Let's go, find the leader!"

...

"You say you ran into the person who robbed you? You're certain?" Upon hearing the report from Zhang Peng and his two companions, a burly young man asked with a dark expression.

"Absolutely certain. I'd recognize him even if he were ground to ash!" Zhang Peng gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Do you know where he went?" the burly young man asked again.

"That signal flare in the distance just now... that should be where he's heading," Zhang Peng deduced.

"Good. Everyone, gather up. Let's go and see for ourselves!" A hint of coldness appeared on the burly young man's face. "To dare slap the face of my Raging Wave Gang... I want to see exactly what kind of deity this person thinks he is!"

Dozens of Raging Wave Gang members immediately gathered, following behind Li Kuanglan as they chased in the direction Tang Yan had left.

The Raging Wave Gang held a certain amount of fame in the Eastern District. Seeing them mobilize in full force instantly attracted the attention of many.

"I wonder who is about to suffer bad luck. Let's follow and watch!" Many people, adopting a spectator's mindset, trailed behind the Raging Wave Gang.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Tang Yan caught sight of Fang Xuan and the other three.

"Tang Yan!" Lin Dongxue had sharp eyes and immediately spotted Tang Yan speeding toward them.

"Not bad, all of your strengths have improved!" Seeing the four of them, a hint of surprise touched Tang Yan's face. "It's only been twenty days. Brother Fang, you're already at the peak of Black Rank Sixth Grade? Oh, Brother Du, you're also at Black Rank Sixth Grade, and Wan Fei is Sixth Grade too!"

Tang Yan was slightly dumbfounded. Just what had these guys experienced to advance their cultivation so rapidly?

Finally, Tang Yan's gaze fell upon Lin Dongxue.

"Peak of Fifth Grade?" The shock on Tang Yan's face seemingly froze.

"Pretty impressive, right?" Lin Dongxue pursed her lips into a smile.

That smile was like a snow lotus blooming in the dead of winter, instantly stunning the world around them.

Tang Yan's heart stirred slightly. Having not seen her for twenty days, Lin Dongxue now carried a chilling sharpness alongside her natural elegance.

"Truly impressive!" Tang Yan nodded in praise.

"Your Star Value?" Lin Dongxue tilted her head up. Seeing that the mark on Tang Yan's forehead was extremely dim, a layer of frost immediately covered her face. "Do you know who did this?"

Looking at Lin Dongxue acting like a mother hen protecting her chick, Tang Yan chuckled. "I wasn't robbed. I traded it for Beast Cores."

"Right, Brother Tang. You mentioned before that three Third Rank Beast Cores could be exchanged for one High Spirit Pill, or one High Spirit Pill for two Beast Cores. Do you still need them now?" Du Shu suddenly interjected.

"I do. How many Beast Cores do you have right now?" Tang Yan asked curiously.

"I have six hundred Third Rank Beast Cores and two hundred and thirty Fourth Rank Beast Cores." Fang Xuan opened his bundle and took out the Beast Cores he had obtained.

"Six hundred and seventy Third Rank Beast Cores, two hundred Fourth Rank." Not to be outdone, Du Shu brought out his own spoils.

"Five hundred and eighty Third Rank, two hundred and sixty-two Fourth Rank," Wan Fei said with a charming laugh. "Tang Yan, with so many Pills owed, when will you ever pay us back?"

"I'll just give you all of mine. Give me whatever Pills you see fit." Lin Dongxue shoved her bundle into Tang Yan's hands.

Tang Yan opened the bundle and took a look, his pupils involuntarily shrinking. A rough sweep revealed over eight hundred Third Rank Beast Cores and more than three hundred Fourth Rank Beast Cores.

Lin Dongxue had the lowest cultivation base, yet surprisingly, she had obtained the most Beast Cores.

"Did you go out robbing people to get this many?" Tang Yan asked.

"Oh, go to hell," Wan Fei shot Tang Yan a glare and explained. "Miss Lin cultivated like a madwoman and advanced extremely fast. Although her strength is the lowest, her attack power is immense. The speed at which she finishes off opponents is even faster than ours."

He already knew Lin Dongxue possessed extremely high talent, but he never imagined that once her Potential was truly tapped, she would display such a terrifying growth rate.

"A portion of these were robbed from others, weren't they?" Tang Yan suddenly asked.

"Ahem... some people tried to rob us, so we just robbed them back instead. Before we knew it, we accumulated this much." Exposed by Tang Yan, Fang Xuan looked somewhat embarrassed.

"It doesn't matter. But as for Pills, I really don't have that many on hand right now. Still, I will make sure you have enough Pills to sustain your cultivation for the next few days. Once we leave the selection zone, I will compensate you in full. Here are ten Pills. Take them and use them to get by for now." Tang Yan handed the Pills over; these were specifically reserved for them.

Although the four felt a bit embarrassed, they had already experienced the effects of the High Spirit Pill. Unable to resist the temptation, they all accepted the porcelain bottles.

"Tang Yan, is your strength really only at Black Rank Fifth Grade? Do you dare to spar with me again?" Fang Xuan clenched his fist, immediately producing a sound like popping beans.

"Save the sparring for later. There are only ten days left. Let Tang Yan quickly raise his Star Value first," Wan Fei said, stopping Fang Xuan.

No one objected to this. Tang Yan was just about to agree when he suddenly glanced into the distance. His expression gradually turned cold. "No need to rush. It seems someone has come to deliver points."

The group followed Tang Yan's gaze. Upon seeing several dozen people rushing in their direction, their expressions shifted slightly.

"Brother Tang, are they all here for you?" Du Shu's voice stuttered slightly.

"If I'm not mistaken, they are," Tang Yan nodded.

"What? What did you do?" Du Shu exclaimed.

"Nothing much. I just beat up some members of the Raging Wave Gang. They must be here to settle the score."

This time, even Wan Fei and the others couldn't maintain their composure. Wan Fei frowned and asked, "You provoked the Raging Wave Gang?"

"I suppose so. Why, are they very strong?" Seeing the four's expressions, Tang Yan asked curiously.

Seeing Tang Yan's look of ignorant fearlessness, the four of them nearly spat blood.

"Big brother, let us not even mention that the minimum requirement to join their gang is Black Rank Fifth Grade. Do you even know that their leader, Li Kuanglan, already has the strength of Black Rank Eighth Grade?" Du Shu asked with a mournful face.

Hearing Du Shu's words, Tang Yan's heart tightened. He knew he had truly stirred up major trouble.

However, Tang Yan was not as panicked as the rest. Looking at the approaching group, he said, "Rest assured, I won't drag you down with me."

"What kind of bullshit is that? We are all brothers. We share in both honor and disgrace!" Fang Xuan said firmly.

"That's right. We'll fight them!" The other three's eyes turned cold, a hint of madness flashing within.

Seeing their attitude, a warm current swelled in Tang Yan's heart.

"Who is Tang Yan?" Li Kuanglan looked at the five people before him and demanded in a chilling voice.

"What advice do you have to offer?" Tang Yan had already noticed the venomous glares from Zhang Peng and his two companions. Knowing he couldn't hide, he simply stepped forward with an open, poised demeanor.

He swept his gaze over this burly youth. The man wore light armor and gripped a long sword, exuding a faint, intangible Force that exerted an inexplicable pressure.

Li Kuanglan stared at Tang Yan. A lean figure, with a cultivation base resting only at the peak of Black Rank Fifth Grade-there was nothing remarkable about him at all. He laughed in anger, "Kid, I don't care where you came from, but in front of me, Li Kuanglan, don't play the fool.

"A few days ago, was it you who plundered the Raging Wave Gang's property and injured my Raging Wave Gang's brothers?"