Crowding and provocation

  Under the loud urging of the foreman, all the workers began to work, and the sound of hammering echoed in the courtyard.

  In the secluded corner of the workshop's backyard, several robust middle-aged martial artists who were working at a leisurely pace were quietly discussing something in low voices, occasionally casting glances at Ye Chen with strong hostility.

  "This kid really doesn't understand the rules! As soon as he arrives, he makes such a big show, doing the work of three people by himself. Isn't this clearly showing off in front of us old folks in the workshop? If he's so capable, aren't we going to look like fools?"

  A warrior hammered at the ore, muttering under his breath.

  "Hu brother, your strength is the greatest, ninth layer of Body Refining Stage. Let's teach him a lesson later and let this kid know whose territory this is!" Another middle-aged martial artist in his forties or fifties also spoke with resentment.

  "Boss Zhang is here, don't make any moves. Let's talk about it when we finish work tonight!"

  That surname Hu's bare-chested strong man wiped his face with a towel and said indifferently.

  Ye Chen was concentrating on using the heavy iron hammer to shatter the xuan tie ore into fine sand, but he didn't notice the hostile glances from several people in the corner.

  Even if he saw it, he wouldn't particularly care.

  Ye Chen understood it very clearly in her heart.

  After he crushed the Xuan Tie ore with one hammer, he expected that the eyes of the warriors in the yard would not be friendly, and they would be filled with envy and cold ridicule.

  Ye Chen started working at Beilu Academy when he was five years old, doing odd jobs for ten years. He had seen many things during those ten years. Among them, he got up early and worked hard, running to the miscellaneous courtyard most diligently, earning more money by doing more miscellaneous work. If he preempted the work, it would definitely make other students who came to do miscellaneous work unhappy.

  For this, I have offended many people and got into fights more than once or twice.

  So Ye Chen did not talk much with other students when he was doing chores at Beilu Academy.

  In this small workshop, Ye Chen didn't need to look much to know that using Tiger Leap Triple Slash to smash the Xuan Tie ore with all his might would make many warriors unhappy. But could he not use his full strength? His monthly rent was one piece of Ling Stone, and if he only earned one piece of Ling Stone in a month working in the workshop, wasn't that equivalent to doing nothing at all? So even if it meant offending people, he had to work with all his might.

  It was almost evening when Zhang Gong left the backyard first.

  The rest of the more than ten martial artists slowly left the small courtyard, but unlike their usual hasty departure, many people intentionally or unintentionally slowed down their pace, waiting to see a lively scene. All the martial artists who had worked in this workshop knew that this workshop belonged to the East family, but this backyard was the territory of several veteran martial artists.

  Ye Chen was the last one to finish work. After completely crushing the third piece of Xuan Tie ore into fine sand, he finally put down the hundred-jin heavy hammer.

  "Finally finished today's work! Every day, I smash and grind three pieces of Xuan Tie ore into fine sand. In a month, I estimate I can earn about three pieces of Ling Stone. One piece goes to rent, the rest is used to buy Tempering Body medicine, which should be enough for myself for now."

  Ye Chen put down the iron hammer and slowly let out a breath, secretly thinking in his heart.

  "Hey little brother, finished work? You did a great job today!"

  A bare-armed big man walked by from the side, smiled and greeted Ye Chen with a wave of his hand, then continued on his way.

  "Uh... yeah!"

  Ye Chen slightly stunned, smiled and nodded, wiping his sweat with his sleeve.

  Wow!

  That burly man took a step forward, suddenly turned around without warning, his face ferocious, and violently shouted, "Take my fist!", a punch full of energy, slammed towards Ye Chen's chest. His sturdy and tall figure made the punch land right on Ye Chen's upper body.

  "Here we go again..."

  Ye Chen had long been prepared in his heart, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and his body suddenly rushed towards the bare-chested big man, his right fist clenched, his whole body's energy surging, and he threw out a fierce punch.

  Bang!

  A dull thud, two fists of force collided head-on with a loud crash.

  Two ninth-layer cultivators of the Refining Body stage did not differ much in terms of their power.

  Ye Chen threw a punch, and with a fierce gust of wind on his foot, he kicked the bare-chested big man with lightning speed, sharp as a knife.

  Bang!

  Another muffled sound.

  That sneaky bare-chested man blocked the double fists, stumbled back a big step, and only then stabilized his footing. His face changed slightly, "Good solid fist footwork, solid foundation, not a martial artist from a wild background!"

  Ye Chen also took a step back and pulled open a distance of one zhang with the bare-chested big Han, his right hand stopping above the hilt of the treasured knife at his waist.

  "What's the meaning of you punching me sneakily?"

  Ye Chen's gaze was fixed intently on the bare-chested big man, his voice cold.

  "Hmph, it doesn't make sense. This is a warning to you. This small workshop can't support many people, and you're doing the work of three people by yourself. If you keep working so hard, soon the boss will cut staff, do you want us all to lose our jobs?!"

  "Bare-chested big Han shouted, 'I've been here for ten years, and no one can make me leave, nor can anyone make my brothers leave. Today I'll tell you, kid, you'd better tone it down a notch, put your skills away, otherwise there's no place for you to stay here.'"

  Inside the courtyard, all the martial artists stopped in their tracks, watching with a mixture of curiosity and schadenfreude. None of them attempted to intervene, and many were probably secretly delighted to see someone take Ye Chen down a peg.

  Ye Chen's eyes sank.

  He naturally understood that he was being ostracized by other warriors in this small workshop, and the ostracism was very severe. The more work he did in a day, the more severe the ostracism became.

  "What if I keep doing this!!"

  Ye Chen said in a cold voice, stretching out his five fingers, and slowly placing his hand on the hilt of the treasured sword at his waist.

  "Old man, I'll come and test your skills today!"

  The bare-armed man's pupils contracted slightly, and he slowly took a step back, casually grabbing a heavy hammer used for work.

  A naked man doesn't dare to be careless.

  Ye Chen's Tiger Leap Triple Slash, with over 2,700 kilograms of violent force, shattered the Xuan Tie ore in one strike. The power was heart-pounding, and taking a hit from it would not be a joke - at best, it would leave one crippled, and at worst, dead.

  Moreover, it can be seen that Ye Chen's moves are ruthless and decisive, with a murderous intent, absolutely not a newly emerged martial artist.

  "Hold on! Brother Hu, don't move your hands!"

  A martial artist in his forties or fifties, who was watching from the crowd, sensed that something was amiss and hastily intervened, "The rules of Tianyun Xianyuan are strict, only the Douxiantai is allowed for sparring and fighting. Fighting is strictly prohibited elsewhere in the city. If anyone gets hurt while causing trouble and fighting within the city, both of you will definitely be expelled from the Immortal City. Why don't we all take a step back? Younger brother, you can ease up on your work, and Brother Hu, don't look at him with disapproval. This way, everyone's life in this workshop will be better!"

  Ye Chen glanced at the warrior and sneered, "Just now when he ambushed me, why didn't you speak up? You're clearly in cahoots with each other, playing a duet to deceive me! If he had hurt me earlier, you would have joined forces to push all the blame onto me! Unfortunately, his chances of winning aren't great, definitely no more than 40% or 50%. Even if he could heavily injure me again, I'd still drag him down with me!"

  "You... don't know what's good for you, I'm thinking of your own good! Forget it, if you want to hit me, go ahead, I don't care. When you're kicked out of the Immortal City, don't blame me for not warning you."

  That forty- or fifty-year-old martial artist was seen through, his old face couldn't be maintained, and he suddenly became somewhat enraged.

  "I must get three spirit stones this month!"

  Ye Chen ignored the warrior and turned to the burly man with a cold expression, "Don't worry, since this is your territory, I won't steal the show or overstay my welcome. Once I've finished what I need to do in a month and gotten the three Spirit Stones, I'll leave!"

  "One month? You're really leaving after just one month?"

  The bare-armed big man said, his eyebrows slowly relaxing. If Ye Chen only did it for a month, he really didn't need to take action again. If they were to fight, he also wouldn't have much confidence. Both taking a step back would be the best outcome.

  "Not bad! I came to Tianyun Xianyuan Castle to seek the immortal way, not to fight with you for a rice bowl. I'll only stay for a month, and it won't interfere with your work here!"

  Ye Chen put away the treasured sword and left the small workshop for refining equipment.

  "This kid has a big mouth!"

  The bare-armed big man sank his face and watched Ye Chen leave. He didn't make a move, nor did he stop him again. Ye Chen's words had also stabbed him painfully.

  "This young lad is only fifteen or sixteen years old, he's really fearless like a newborn calf!"

  "In the Wuxian City, which martial artist does not yearn to become a high and noble immortal cultivator? Don't we want that too? We dream about it every day!"

  "But taking this step is as difficult as ascending to heaven, how can it be easy!!!"

  More than a dozen martial artists inside the small courtyard exchanged a glance, their faces all looking embarrassed and even gloomy, let out a sigh.

  In the city, more than 90% of martial artists, after ten or twenty years of practice, have become mediocre and lost their drive for progress.

  Seeking the heart of Xian Dao, in the gradual decline day by day. But can't bear to leave this fairy city that has brought them countless dreams, just hoping to settle down and make a living in the fairy city, able to keep a miscellaneous job alive, and being content with a meager existence is already a comfort.

  "Let's go, back to training! That kid isn't content with just being a warrior, we can't slack off either!"

  In the small workshop, the martial artists gradually dispersed.