"Alright, alright, since everyone has already given their congratulatory gifts, let’s go back to eating," Liu Yuetao said.
Following that, Ye Feng walked back, and on his way, he even nodded at Minister Li.
Seeing Ye Feng nod at him, Minister Li was thrilled, his excitement lingering in his heart for a very long time.
At that moment, even Lin Shiyu’s cold face broke into a smile as she said to Liu Keke, "How about that, I told you Ye Feng was no ordinary guy, didn’t I? He may not necessarily be worse than our cousin!"
"Humph!" Liu Keke’s face showed her displeasure, "Ye Feng is just lucky to have a powerful friend. It was his friend who gave him the Blood Sun Ring, so it’s his friend who is powerful, not Ye Feng.
Besides, what does giving a gift prove? My brother is a martial artist in the later stages of Inner Strength. Look at Ye Feng, so weak and feeble, just a pretty boy living off women. How can he compare to my brother?"
Lin Shiyu just shook her head and said nothing more. As for martial artists, Ye Feng was one too, and Lin Shiyu had witnessed Ye Feng’s remarkable abilities. She was certainly confident that he was no less capable than Liu Yufan.
After Ye Feng returned to his seat, Lin Jianguo smiled and said to him, "Ye Feng, you’ve done quite well, bringing great honor to the Lin Family. However, with such a valuable item in your possession, why didn’t you give it to your grandfather instead? Giving it away here seems somewhat wasteful..."
Liu Guixiang immediately became furious, "What do you mean by that? Your father is father, and mine isn’t? What’s wrong with honoring my father?"
As the two started to argue, Ye Feng paid them no heed. He had plenty of valuable items, and the Blood Sun Ring was just one of the lesser ones. If he was going to give a gift to Sir Lin Zhen, it would certainly have to be something even more precious.
"Liu Yufan!" Just then, a roar echoed throughout the banquet hall.
Everyone was startled and turned towards the direction of the sound. They saw a young man at the entrance of the banquet hall, dressed in a warrior’s attire.
The warrior, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, radiated a strong Blood Qi, with his temples slightly bulging, clearly indicating he was a powerful martial artist. Ye Feng immediately recognized the young man’s strength as that of a martial artist in the later stages of Inner Strength.
Upon seeing the young man, a disdainful look crossed Liu Yufan’s eyes, "Sun Peng, so it’s you, the trash. And here I thought, who could it be? What are you raving about at the entrance of the banquet hall? This is not a vegetable market!"
"Liu Yufan, three years ago, you humiliated me in front of countless people just because you were a martial artist. Now, having returned from three years of training in the Southern Border, I too have become a martial artist. Do you dare to duel me!" Sun Peng glared at Liu Yufan and loudly challenged him.
"Why wouldn’t I dare!" Liu Yufan responded loudly, filled with confidence.
"Boom!" Instantly, Sun Peng’s Inner Strength burst forth, and he stomped onto the ground. In a blink, he leaped out, covering a distance of ten meters in one jump, and landed close to Liu Yufan, shattering a floor tile that was one and a half meters long under his foot.
"Shh—how terrifying strength!" The crowd gasped in shock at the sight of Sun Peng.
"Liu Yufan, let’s fight!" Sun Peng’s voice was robust and thunderous, the sound waves rumbling and causing the ears of those nearby to buzz uncomfortably.
Liu Yufan, full of confidence, turned to Liu Yuetao, "Grandfather, today is your grand birthday celebration. How about I defeat this trash to liven up the mood? What do you think?"
Liu Yuetao nodded, "No problem, are you sure you can handle it?"
"Of course!" As soon as Liu Yufan finished speaking, he stomped on the ground and catapulted forward, arriving directly in front of Sun Peng.
"Boom~~" The floor tiles he had stepped on cracked apart, even more shattered than those affected by Sun Peng.
"How strong!" After witnessing this scene, the crowd couldn’t help but praise, their eyes filled with surprise.
"Liu Yufan, today I will play with you and give back all the humiliation you brought me back then!" Sun Peng shouted loudly.
"Just you? You don’t qualify!" As soon as he had spoken, Qi Force immediately erupted from both of them.
The clothes of both men billowed simultaneously, wave after wave of Qi Force clashing together incessantly.
Guests who were closer to the two combatants could distinctly feel waves of invisible Qi Force continuously assaulting them, causing expressions of horror to appear on their faces, fearful of getting involved, they all hurriedly stepped aside.
"Die!" At that moment, with a furious roar, Sun Peng made the first move, throwing a straight punch towards Liu Yufan’s face.
That punch, bursting with Inner Strength, tore through the air, emitting a whistling sound of the punch’s vibration and full of momentum.
However, Liu Yufan was not afraid at all. With one step forward, his body suddenly shook, and he threw a counter-punch.
"Bang!" Instantly, their fists collided, creating a fierce wind that blasted outward in all directions, flipping tables and chairs around them.
Upon seeing this, everyone felt relieved that they had timely distanced themselves from Sun Peng and Liu Yufan; otherwise, they would have been affected by now.
Afterward, both men felt a powerful impact on their bodies, the opponent’s Inner Strength.
"Thump thump thump~~" Both retreated three steps in unison, their eyes revealing surprise as they looked at each other.
They hadn’t expected the other’s strength to be so formidable.
Especially Sun Peng, who was only an External Force Martial Artist three years ago, was now on par with Liu Yufan, both at the late stages of Inner Strength, which greatly surprised Liu Yufan.
At that moment, Liu Yufan felt an intense killing intent. Sun Peng’s rapid progress meant he might surpass him in the future, so by killing Sun Peng now, there would be no such possibility later.
With this thought, Liu Yufan’s desire to kill surged, and he was the first to unleash a leg sweep, a leg moving swiftly and powerfully, bringing a strong gust of Qi Force towards Sun Peng.
Sun Peng quickly dodged and retreated backward, and after evading the leg, he quickly moved forward, throwing a punch at Liu Yufan.
The two continued to collide fists, the dull thuds of their punches echoing back and forth incessantly.
Very soon, they had exchanged over a hundred moves, fighting to a standstill with no clear victor in sight.