After a month, the people of Yun Port City finally began to see real change.
The guards who used to prey on the common folk and run roughshod over everyone were becoming a rarer sight.
These two men had once been the top dogs of the Yun Port City underworld, reigning supreme for more than a decade.
Case in point: the Weiyuan Thirteen Eagles Gang and the Ba Fuxi Bang. Each of them had commanded over a thousand enforcers and run dozens of opium dens, casinos, and brothels.
The room was silent, each man wreathed in smoke. After a moment, Brother Chen of the Ba Fuxi Bang spoke up.
If a Grandmaster of Divine Intent like Lu Yun hadn’t burst onto the scene, Bai Longfei would never have even glimpsed the power of that realm in his entire life.
Brother Chen continued, "So, what do you say? Want to risk it all with me on one big gamble?"
Ever since Bai Longfei had successfully become a Half-Step Grandmaster of Divine Intent, he had become utterly devoted to Lu Yun, even asking time and again to be accepted as his disciple.
Cyan Eagle frowned but didn’t respond. If any fool tried to test the waters, they were stripped of their uniform and thrown in jail by the next day.
And that wasn’t to mention the mysterious Mr. Mei operating in the shadows, or the assistance of the White Cloud Sect, which had always acted as the Lu Family’s vanguard.
But now, they were little more than stray dogs. The once all-powerful gang leaders could only cower like rats in the corner of this sunless basement.
Why? Because with a Grandmaster of Divine Intent like Lu Yun openly presiding over the city, who the fuck would dare to stir up trouble? That would be a death wish, wouldn’t it?
These two major gangs had built their fortunes on opium and protection rackets. They had been entrenched in Yun Port City for years, their roots running deep, with over a thousand enforcers at their command.
That was why, in the eyes of Bai Longfei and his son, Bai Chongli, Lu Yun was the savior of the White Cloud Sect.
Even several prominent families, each led by a Grandmaster of Huajin, relocated their entire clans just to put down roots in the city.
They uprooted their entire families and left their homes behind, all for the chance to make a peaceful living in this "City of Peace."
He wouldn’t have had the opportunity to break through, nor would he have touched that once-unattainable threshold.
That was because, a while back, a bastard named Zhou Lie had led a raid on their headquarters.
Others chose to forge their own path, and as long as they didn’t break the law, no one bothered them.
The Ba Fuxi Bang’s leader, Brother Chen, was also at the Peak of Anjin. As for why only four of his top men remained...
Everyone in the room was an Anjin Martial Artist, most notably the leader of the Thirteen Eagles—their Gang Leader, Cyan Eagle.
But once Lord Lu’s supreme directive came down, they too were unable to escape the targeted crackdown.
They were the twelve Hall Masters and the Gang Leader of the Weiyuan Thirteen Eagles Gang, along with the Gang Leader and four highest-ranking members of the Ba Fuxi Bang.
Across from him sat the Gang Leader of the Ba Fuxi Bang. Brother Chen and these four high-ranking members had been quick enough to escape, which was the only reason they hadn’t been finished off by Zhou Lie’s men.
As for the gangs? They could either go legitimate, or they could join the Yun Port City garrison or the guards—drawing a government paycheck and following government rules.
Major opium dens like the Jinhua Building were all shut down. The harmful opium was hauled to the river docks and set ablaze, and the ashes were then loaded onto boats and dumped into the sea.
He was a long-established master at the Peak of Anjin, and his peerless Eagle Claw Technique had made him a major figure in the Yun Port City underworld.
Of course, eradicating evil is never child’s play. In the shadows, there were always troublemakers unwilling to accept their downfall, just waiting for a chance to act.
The arrogant bastards in uniform who patrolled the streets and alleys, demanding money at every turn, had all but vanished.
As the saying goes: to learn the Way in the morning is to be able to die content in the evening.
Inside a room with tightly shut doors and windows, more than a dozen figures were crammed into the small space.
This included, but was not limited to, opening schools, hiring teachers, and buying books, allowing countless children from poor families to learn how to read and write.
He carried out Lord Lu’s supreme directive to the letter, arresting those who needed to be arrested and killing those who deserved to be killed, all to ensure that Yun Port City ran in an orderly fashion.
"The only reason we can even meet here today is because those guards haven’t gotten around to dealing with us. Once they do, we’re next."
This was all thanks to Yan Lintong, Lord Lu’s Registered Disciple, who had taken over as the guards’ Commander-in-Chief.
Teahouses and taverns were packed with merchants from all corners of the land. The number of Martial Artists surged as well, and armed warriors with swords at their waists became a common sight on the streets.
He was a man in his fifties with a sinister face and high, sharp cheekbones.
Although the city’s population had increased more than tenfold, it somehow grew safer with each passing day.
The treasures seized from these opium dens were all confiscated and repurposed to cultivate talent.
If Bai Longfei had failed to break through to become a Half-Step Grandmaster of Divine Intent, the White Cloud Sect would have eventually been phased out.
They raked in fortunes daily. A stomp of their foot could make half of Yun Port City tremble.
This new state of affairs even caused a massive influx of people from the neighboring Yifeng and Shun’an Provinces, as well as several other surrounding regions, all pouring into Yun Port City.
As a result, Yun Port City grew increasingly crowded, its streets and alleys filled with unfamiliar faces.
Lu Yun, however, refused him every time. But Bai Longfei was not one to give up.
"A Grandmaster of Divine Intent is still just a man. I refuse to believe he can predict every eventuality, or protect every single thing."
"Cyan Eagle, that Lord Lu is at the zenith of his power. There’s no place left for us in Yun Port City."
As a Peak of Anjin Martial Artist, Bai Chongli alone could not have supported the immense weight of the White Cloud Sect.
As Brother Chen spoke, Cyan Eagle’s frown deepened, his expression a mask of grim empathy for a creature of his own kind facing its demise.

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