"Bastard!" Chen Rongwei exclaimed, his face contorted into an ugly expression as a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.

All of his followers had been defeated, and now he found himself insulted. However, he was in a difficult situation where he couldn't advance or retreat. He desperately wanted to beat up Orion, but Orion's strength proved insurmountable. Even facing four of his followers, Orion emerged victorious. Chen Rongwei lacked confidence in dealing with this powerful adversary. Yet, letting Orion go would tarnish his reputation, especially since he was the one who initiated this incident. Running away was not an option; he refused to retreat with his tail tucked between his legs.

Orion and Chen Rongwei stood facing each other, motionless and silent. Chen Rongwei was uncertain about what to do, standing still with a complicated mix of emotions. Orion, on the other hand, remained calm, waiting for something to happen—or, more precisely, for someone hidden nearby to make a move. Chen Rongwei, who was at the 9th stage of the Qi Condensation realm, is nothing compared to this hidden individual at the 4th stage of the Foundation Establishment realm that hide not far from him.

A gentle wind swooshed, carrying dried leaves that danced between the two.

Onlookers began to whisper quietly among themselves, and Chen Rongwei noticed that they seemed to talk about him in a contemptuous manner. The respect and fear they previously showed him had transformed into disdain.

"Damn it!" Chen Rongwei muttered, "Bastard, you dare to go against me?! My Chen family won't let you go, you bastard!" Chen Rongwei growled.

As expected of an arrogant young master, immediately using his background against others, Orion thought internally. However, Orion already had a plan on how to deal with this troublesome and arrogant young master.

Gritting his teeth, Chen Rongwei retrieved a sword from his storage ring. The sword glowed brightly as he prepared to launch an attack against Orion.

Sigh... still don't want to make a move? Orion pondered internally.

"Take this, you bastard!" Chen Rongwei declared, a swirling wind enveloping him as his sword gleamed brightly. Prepared to unleash his renowned family sword technique, he shouted, "Crimson Serpent Sword Style!"

Suddenly, a stronger wind swirled around Orion, and the ground beneath it cracked slightly. A faint cyan glow emanated from Orion, shocking the onlookers. The sudden appearance of a significant Qi pressure from Orion suffocated the spectators.

Orion had activated the inscription in its body, powering it with LQ-3. While fighting against Chen Rongwei's followers, Orion had only used LQ-0 to activate the inscription. Now, Orion decided to use LQ-3, making the inscription glow brightly and slightly visible from the outside. This drew parallels to a previous experience in Luo Fengwei's workshop, where Orion unknowingly scared Luo Fengwei while testing the inscription on the sword.

Orion aimed to intimidate and deter Chen Rongwei and the Chen family, despite the risk of drawing more attention. However, Orion concluded that they wouldn't dare to be rash.

Onlookers struggled to breathe, some collapsing to the ground, panting and gasping. Chen Rongwei, closest to Orion, sweated profusely. His combat technique dispelled as he lost focus, he gasped for breath and his body trembling in fear. Unknowingly, he even peed himself. Despite this, he still held his sword, pointing it towards Orion, albeit shaking. Tears and snot flowed, making his face even uglier.

"So... so strong!" Liu Jian exclaimed, his heart beating faster due to the tremendous Qi pressure from Orion.

Is this his real strength? Hua Meiying wondered internally. Oh no, I hope I didn't offend Mr. Orion by trying to seduce him previously. Hua Meiying thought internally as she adjusted her hair that got messed up by the wind.

The one who caused it all stood with both arms crossed behind its back, its clothes fluttering wildly in the intense wind.

Finally decided to make a move? Orion pondered internally.

Then, a figure appeared out of nowhere in front of Chen Rongwei, standing close and shielding him from the Qi pressure.

"Senior, please calm yourself. My name is Chen Liang, and I apologize on behalf of my second young master. Please forgive him if he has offended you, Senior. Show some mercy on him," Chen Liang bowed, cold sweat visible on his forehead.

Orion had discerned Chen Liang's presence through a meticulous analysis of data from its multi-band phased array antenna. During this thorough examination, Orion effortlessly mapped the locations of cultivators in its vicinity, even those attempting to conceal themselves. Three cultivators seemed to be hiding nearby, with one of them being Chen Liang.

It became evident that Chen Liang had been discreetly shadowing Chen Rongwei, always lurking nearby—a likely secret guard. Similarly, another individual discreetly followed Liu Jian, presumably acting as his secret guard. The last person had been tailing Orion for the past few days, consistently maintaining a careful distance. This hidden individual followed Orion's city tours and visits to Luo Fengwei's workshop. In the Liu family estate, this cultivator always stayed in the same building located at the back of the property. Orion concluded that this follower must be affiliated with the Liu family, assigned to either spy on or guard Orion, or perhaps both.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

With Chen Liang's appearance and his shielding of Chen Rongwei from the intense Qi pressure, Chen Rongwei found it easier to breathe. He dropped his sword and then slumped to the ground.

"Hmm... I'm certain you've seen how your second young master insulted me, haven't you? And do you expect me to just forgive him?" Orion tried to maintain an air of anger while simultaneously activating the inscription, producing tremendous Qi pressure.

"... senior, it's indeed our second young master's fault. He is still young and inexperienced; please, senior, show some mercy. Our Chen family patriarch will visit your esteemed self personally to apologize," Chen Liang said, having already relayed the news to the Chen family using a communication talisman.

"Well, there is no need to escalate it, and there is no need for your patriarch to apologize. I will forget about what happened, but make sure to discipline him properly so he will stop causing problems," Orion responded. Orion deactivated the inscriptions in its body; the inscription dimmed, and the Qi pressure disappeared.

"Thank you very much for your mercy, senior," Chen Liang bowed deeply, smiling.

"Chen Liang! Why did you just show up?" Chen Rongwei finally spoke after normalizing his breathing and calming himself. "Quick, beat this bastard for me! Break all his bones, then ki..." Before Chen Rongwei could finish his sentence, someone hit the back of his head, rendering him unconscious.

Damn this stupid kid! I just begged for your life, why must you open your stupid mouth? Do you want to be killed that badly? Chen Liang thought internally, frustrated. When Chen Rongwei started blabbering, Chen Liang immediately moved towards Chen Rongwei's back and hit him, knocking him unconscious.

Chen Liang had been assigned as Chen Rongwei's secret guard for a few years. His role was to hide and protect in secret. Chen Rongwei loved to cause trouble, but people would be scared by his Chen family background, and not many dared to stand up against him. Chen Liang mostly had to follow Chen Rongwei around, clean up his mess, and ensure his safety. However, this time, Chen Rongwei had made a big problem. He offended a monster called Orion. If Chen Rongwei couldn't grasp Orion's strength, Chen Liang understood clearly that Orion was a very dangerous and strong individual. The Qi pressure emanated was even stronger than their Chen family patriarch's. Now, Chen Rongwei had offended such a person and even ordered him to attack this formidable individual. If Chen Rongwei were not a young master, Chen Liang would have beaten him himself for his stupidity.

"Mr. Orion, please forgive him. He didn't mean it and doesn't know what he's talking about, so..." Chen Liang pleaded.

"It's fine. Get lost immediately, and better don't make any more trouble with me, otherwise..." Orion cut Chen Liang off. Orion activated its inscriptions again, powering them with LQ-3 briefly. Strong Qi pressure and a thick, strong wind emanated from Orion again for a short time.

Chen Liang cupped his trembling hands, wet with cold sweat, and bowed deeply towards Orion. He immediately grabbed Chen Rongwei and jumped towards a distance, quickly disappearing from view. Meanwhile, Fly No. 1 to Fly No. 6 still lay on the ground unconscious, and Orion didn't care about them.

Taking reference from cultivation novels from Earth, Orion takes a different approach when dealing with arrogant young masters compared to the usual approach taken by the protagonist, who tends to beat up or even kill the arrogant young master. This often leads to escalating problems and the protagonist will end up running all over the place, getting involved in many life-and-death situations, and solely relying on luck or plot armor to survive. Orion is not interested and doesn't have time for such things.

The onlookers who had collapsed to the ground immediately stood up, breathing sighs of relief. They thought, Such a scary person, while looking towards Orion.

"Mr. Orion... are you okay?" Liu Jian jogged towards Orion, a beaming smile of joy on his face. He was incredibly impressed with the fight, completely blown away to discover that his savior was such a strong cultivator.

His eyes lit up with admiration, and his heart raced with excitement as Orion had unknowingly become his idol—a source of inspiration and admiration. "That was really awesome, Mr. Orion! The way you defeated them easily, and the strong Qi pressure that made Chen Rongwei look terrible," he expressed his admiration for Orion.

"It's not a big deal at all," Orion replied, both arms crossed behind its back, standing calmly.

Damn, he's so cool. I wonder if I can become like him? Should I imitate him? Liu Jian wondered internally, filled with excitement, impressed by Orion's effortless victory, intimidating presence, eloquent speech, and heroic aura.

Orion and Liu Jian walked toward Hua Meiying's direction. Liu Jian continued to speak with excitement, and Orion listened quietly from the side. The onlookers started to disperse, but they still talked and discussed the incident. It wouldn't take long for the news to spread in the city, causing a sensation among the residents. The news also caught the attention of all factions in the city, and they started gathering information about Orion.

"Mr. Orion, that was an impressive display of power," Hua Meiying said, no longer using a playful and seductive tone. "And also, please forgive me if I was being rude towards you previously, Mr. Orion." She bowed respectfully.

"It's fine, don't think too much about it," Orion replied.

"Mr. Orion, you are so kind... and also, thank you for teaching that Chen Rongwei a lesson. He's been causing lots of headaches for me," Hua Meiying expressed, feeling satisfaction at seeing Chen Rongwei in a miserable state.

"That guy deserved it, but unfortunately, there are a lot of those kinds of guys in the world, so you better be careful, Ms. Hua if meeting such persons," Orion remarked.

"Thank you for your advice, Mr. Orion," Hua Meiying replied, her expression reflecting a touch of sadness. "Some people are blessed with good backgrounds and talents, but they aren't serious about their cultivation; and only like to cause trouble. And then there are people like me, an ordinary person with an ordinary background and talents, struggling on the path of cultivation." Hua Meiying expressed her challenges in securing resources for cultivation, pondering why individuals like Chen Rongwei, who have abundant resources, choose to play around instead of taking cultivation seriously.

"Everyone has their own path to tread; there is no need to be concerned or compare with others. Just focus on your own path, advance steadily with a firm heart fueled by ambitions. Even mortals can go beyond the sky and reach the space (void)," Orion advised, thinking about the ordinary humans on Earth who could achieve significant feats.

A resounding boom echoed inside Hua Meiying and Liu Jian's heads. In a brief moment, they experienced a sudden flash of epiphany. The occurrence was so fleeting that they didn't fully understand what had happened. It felt as if the clouds in their minds had cleared a little, the bottleneck in their cultivation lessened, and they sensed that their cultivation paths would be smoother.

"... My own path..." Liu Jian muttered.

"... Even mortals can reach the void..." Hua Meiying reflected.

Orion's seemingly casual remark had a profound impact on Liu Jian and Hua Meiying.