Li Xiaoyao stood up and casually strolled over to a group of people chatting around a table. The moment he approached, several eyes turned toward him. After all, his earlier act of defying Nalan Yanran had certainly made waves.

"What do you want?" one of the men asked, not exactly in a friendly tone.

Li Xiaoyao reached into his pocket, pulled out a small pouch of silver, and tossed it onto the table with a smile. "Mind if I sit down?"

The group's attitude shifted immediately. "Oh, of course, take a seat," one of them said quickly. On the continent of Shenzhou, gold, silver, and spirit stones were the main currencies, but for those who weren't part of noble families, spirit stones were a luxury. Most common folk and low-level cultivators relied on gold and silver to get by. And no one ever turned down money.

They made room for Li Xiaoyao at the table. "So, brother, what can we help you with?"

"Well, I'm curious. Why did Nalan Yanran gather the elites of all these families here today?" Li Xiaoyao asked, keeping his tone casual.

One of the men grinned. "You're asking the right guy. The city lord is planning to host Cangyun City's martial competition soon, and Nalan Yanran's just delivering the invitations. But there's more to it than that..."

He paused, clearly enjoying the suspense. "Everyone knows the competition is always for the younger generation, and this year's no different. Nalan Yanran, as the city lord's daughter, is representing the city lord's mansion. She's invited all the top talents to this gathering to get a feel for the competition. You know, sizing up the competition."

Li Xiaoyao nodded. It wasn't exactly news that the competition was coming up. In fact, it was the reason he hadn't returned to his sect yet and had decided to stick around.

"I also heard this year's competition is different. Supposedly, even those outside the major families can participate. Is that true?" Li Xiaoyao asked casually, hiding his real intentions.

"Yep, that's right. The city lord's mansion is using Qiu Lan as a bridge to connect with the unaffiliated geniuses. As long as you've got the talent and want to compete, you can get in through her," the man confirmed.

"Got it. Thanks for the info," Li Xiaoyao said politely before returning to his seat. He had all the information he needed now.

With his head down, Li Xiaoyao quietly ate and drank, completely out of sync with the lively atmosphere of the tavern.

"Nalan Xiong, that's the guy. He dared to disrespect the young miss—go cripple him," a cold voice suddenly cut through the noise, silencing the entire tavern. All eyes turned toward the staircase, where two figures were descending—one was the green-clad girl who had accompanied Nalan Yanran earlier, and the other was Nalan Xiong, the man sent to handle the situation.

"Poor bastard," someone muttered, as sympathetic glances fell on Li Xiaoyao. The crowd began murmuring among themselves, fully expecting trouble.

"This guy's asking for it. Hopefully, he'll learn you can't just mess with someone like Nalan Yanran."

But despite the tense atmosphere and the gazes aimed at him, Li Xiaoyao seemed completely oblivious, still calmly eating and sipping his wine, his face obscured by his lowered head.

"Fool, courting death," Nalan Xiong sneered as he strode toward Li Xiaoyao with cold intent.

"I gotta admit, you've got guts, staying this calm," he mocked when he reached Li Xiaoyao, who hadn't even looked up. "Offending our princess? You're about to regret it."

"Quit wasting time," the green-clad girl snapped impatiently. "Just cripple him already."

"Heh, alright," Nalan Xiong smirked, casually flicking open his folding fan. It looked graceful, but the sharp, blade-like edges glinted dangerously.

At that moment, Li Xiaoyao finally lifted his head, his icy gaze locking onto Nalan Xiong. That cold stare sent a shiver down Nalan Xiong's spine. It's him. His confidence wavered instantly. He hadn't realized the man he was about to confront was the infamous Li Xiaoyao, the subject of countless recent rumors.

Nalan Xiong had personally witnessed Li Xiaoyao's terrifying strength just days ago, right here in this very tavern. Not only was Li Xiaoyao powerful, but his demeanor was downright domineering—no, more than that. He was like a drawn sword, sharp and cutting, impossible to ignore.

And then there were the rumors about the Li family, how Li Xiaoyao had been exiled not because of his father's arrogance, but due to the intervention of his family's Elder. Li Xiaoyao had stolen the spotlight at the Li family's annual gathering, his reputation soaring.

"Leave," Li Xiaoyao's voice was cold, delivering a single word that made Nalan Xiong tremble. The sharpness in Li Xiaoyao's gaze matched every rumor he'd heard. Without thinking, Nalan Xiong began to step back.

"Nalan Xiong, what are you doing? Get on with it!" The green-clad girl snapped, anger rising as she saw him retreat.

However, it seemed like Nalan Xiong didn't hear her. He turned around and said, "Let's go." With that, he began to walk away.

"Did Nalan Yanran send you?" Li Xiaoyao's cold voice made Nalan Xiong hesitate for a moment, but he didn't answer. He continued to pull the girl in the green dress along with him.

Li Xiaoyao couldn't help but sneer inwardly. He had already formed a judgment: those who saw themselves as superior didn't want to get their hands dirty, so they sent their lackeys to do the dirty work, all while pretending to be high and mighty.

Downing the last of his drink, Li Xiaoyao stood up, draped his black cloak over his shoulders, and pulled the hood over his head, enveloping himself in darkness before stepping out into the pouring rain.

People in the Listen to Wind Tavern stared at this odd young man, filled with questions.

"Who is this guy? He just brushed off Nalan Xiong like that. So arrogant and carefree." The crowd whispered among themselves. They had thought Li Xiaoyao was done for, but little did they know, he actually had the strength to back it up, as shown by Nalan Xiong's fearful reaction.

"Nalan Xiong, what do you mean by this?" the girl in green pulled away from his grip and demanded angrily.

"He's Li Xiaoyao," Nalan Xiong replied.

"That useless Li Xiaoyao from the Li family?"

"Useless? Green, how can you believe that nonsense from the Li family? According to the news from our City Lord's Mansion, at the Li family's annual meeting yesterday, Li Xiaoyao made Li Wu roll on the ground with just a word, and then he defeated the Spirit Martial Realm's Li Yang. If it weren't for the intervention of the Li family's elder, Li Yang wouldn't even be here today; he would have been killed by Li Xiaoyao."

"What? You're saying he could beat Li Yang in the Spirit Martial Realm? Even kill him? No way!" The girl in green was skeptical.

"This is the absolute truth. If you don't believe me, just ask the young lady later." Nalan Xiong gave a wry smile. Before he met Li Xiaoyao at the Listen to Wind Tavern, he also thought of him as a useless disgrace to the Li family. But the truth was, those were just rumors spread by the Li family, likely orchestrated by Li Batian to achieve his own ends.

In fact, Li Kai had misjudged the situation; the old Li Xiaoyao really was a useless waste of space. After leaving the Listen to Wind Tavern, Li Xiaoyao didn't venture far. Instead, he headed to an inn not too far from the tavern. There was no way he could return to the Li family, and there wasn't anywhere else to stay in Cangyun City, so the inn was his only option.

He chose a premium room—spacious, quiet, and free from interruptions. Li Xiaoyao began his training as a martial artist. He craved power more than anything now. Only when he became strong could he rightfully reclaim the dignity that had been stripped from him and his father.

One day, he would make the people of the Li family regret what they had done yesterday, and he wouldn't let that day be too far off.