Chapter 112: The Virtue of Humility

The young man seemed a bit shy as he said, "Zhang Tong, could you please give it back to me? I actually really like this Qiankun pouch. Although it’s a very low-level storage treasure, I still like it a lot."

Everyone looked at the boy, noting his shy yet unusually earnest expression, and they were all left speechless. Yun Fan—what was he trying to do? Wanting to take back something he had already given away? Was he trying to tease Zhang Tong? But with his strength, teasing Zhang Tong would be like courting death. Even Yang Shi, known as the young strategist of the Yang family, furrowed his brows in confusion, unable to understand Yun Fan’s mysterious intentions.

As expected, Zhang Tong slowly turned around, a strange smile curling on his lips as he sneered coldly, "Kid, are you joking with me?"

"I'm serious. I never joke about other people’s things," Yun Fan replied, sensing the faint hostility in Zhang Tong’s tone, and he frowned slightly.

"Alright, alright, alright, you’ve got guts, kid... But why on earth should I give it back to you? Now that it’s in my hands, it belongs to me. If you really want it, you’ll have to take it by force." Zhang Tong’s aura surged outward as he unleashed his full power at the Early Return stage, faint yet palpable killing intent radiating toward Yun Fan like a solid force.

Zhang Tong’s allegiance to the Yang family was born out of necessity. The Yangs wielded great power, and to thrive within the Qingchi Sword Sect, aligning with a formidable force was a wise choice. But this approach inevitably invited disdain. Zhang Tong had been looking for a chance to prove his strength through battle, to show the Yang family his worth. Yet, he had no suitable target until Yun Fan stepped forward to challenge his authority. Naturally, Zhang Tong seized the opportunity to strike him down and assert his dominance.

"That thing is something I found. My mother always said that if you find something, it becomes yours. How can you claim it’s yours?" Yun Fan’s shyness vanished, replaced by burning anger. He was clearly upset that Zhang Tong claimed the Qiankun pouch as his own.

"Hmph!" Zhang Tong snorted coldly. He clearly took this as a deliberate provocation. Since Yun Fan kept taunting him, Zhang Tong decided to give him a proper lesson. Otherwise, people might think he was merely being charitable. Fortunately, the Qingchi Sword Sect’s rules for the Tongtian Tower allowed battles to the death unless one party surrendered voluntarily, which gave Zhang Tong the perfect chance to eliminate his opponent.

"If you want it, come and take it yourself. Stop wasting time with pointless chatter!" Zhang Tong deliberately shook the Qiankun pouch with disdainful eyes fixed on Yun Fan. His right hand quietly gathered power, ready to strike the moment Yun Fan came close. Since this was his first battle within Qingchi, he intended to win decisively and cleanly.

"Fine..." Before the word was out, Yun Fan dashed forward like a gust of wind, striking toward Zhang Tong with lightning speed. Zhang Tong barely caught a flicker of movement before instinctively swinging a palm. But the air shifted; his strike met nothing but emptiness, clearly missing its mark. Realizing the danger, he was about to counterattack when suddenly his left hand felt a light touch. When he looked up, Yun Fan was several paces away, waving the Qiankun pouch with a joyous expression.

"You—you little brat actually tricked me..." Zhang Tong’s face darkened. He hadn’t been prepared, and this sudden move caught him off guard, causing the pouch to change hands once again.

"Uh... I didn’t mean to. I was just happy you agreed to give me the pouch, so sorry about that..." Yun Fan grinned. "But no matter what, I still want to thank you. You really are a good person."

"I’m your... good person? Take a few more blows and see what you get," Zhang Tong snarled, his face growing even uglier at Yun Fan’s teasing words. Anger and humiliation churned inside him. He had wanted to assert his dominance in front of everyone, yet now he had lost face. Of course, he intended to reclaim it. Although Yun Fan’s movements were strange, Zhang Tong was cautious as he launched his attack.

Zhang Tong’s assaults were fierce, but Yun Fan relied on agility to dodge and weave, avoiding a direct clash. After several rounds, Zhang Tong grew frustrated. "Kid, if you’re a real man, then let’s have a proper fight. Dodging like this will only drag things on until the Tongtian Tower’s second level opens, and we still won’t be finished."

"You might be right," Yun Fan replied, swinging the Qiankun pouch as he frowned thoughtfully. "Then I’m going to fight you now. You better be careful..."

"Alright, come on. You’re so whiny; you’re practically a woman," Zhang Tong taunted, secretly pleased. Yun Fan’s agility was passable, but his martial skills were no match. During the Qingchi Ten Trials, Yun Fan had only scored a ‘D’ grade, while Zhang Tong’s striking skills were ‘B’ grade.

"What if I break you? I always hit hard, and Mom said you shouldn’t attack others unless absolutely necessary," Yun Fan said with a troubled frown.

"How could you possibly break me? You just talk big. Come on, make your move," Zhang Tong said impatiently.

"Alright... but still, Mom says a true man must take responsibility for his own mistakes. What if I hurt you badly, and you come after me to extort compensation? What should I do then..." Yun Fan hesitated.

"Get the hell out of here, you brat!" Zhang Tong finally lost his temper. He knew Yun Fan was deliberately provoking him to find a weakness, but the constant talk of "Mom said this, Mom said that" was unbearable. He couldn’t hold back his anger any longer. "If you want to fight, then fight. Enough with the nonsense, and don’t you ever say, ‘Mom said this…’ to me again, got it?"

"You actually insulted my mom?" Yun Fan’s cheerful face suddenly turned very grim. "Mom said if anyone insults her, you have to fight them to the death... so go to hell!"

With the force of a dragon emerging from the sea, Yun Fan’s punch surged forward, carrying unmatched power and momentum like a hammer crashing straight into Zhang Tong’s face. Zhang Tong watched helplessly as the iron fist grew larger before him, locked in place, unable to dodge. He tried to raise his hand to block but was too slow; every movement felt sluggish beneath that devastating blow.

*Crack...* The sound of bone shattering echoed as blood sprayed everywhere. Pain unlike any before washed over him. He crashed to the ground like a wooden stake, dazed and staring at Yun Fan approaching him relentlessly. He couldn’t help but ask, "Why? Why is it that you were rated ‘D’ in the Qingchi Ten Trials, but your fists and speed are so insanely powerful?"

At that moment, Zhang Tong remembered that during the Qingchi Ten Trials, Yun Fan’s speed was also graded ‘D’, yet it was remarkably fast. His striking skills were ‘D’ grade, but his punches were incredibly hard.

"Uh... Mom says it’s best to be humble and not show off too much," Yun Fan said, seeming a bit dazed.