Xiong Fen unleashed his full aura, bellowing in fury.

He didn’t spare the squad leader a single glance, his demeanor and words dripping with the arrogance of a "Cloud Star expert."

Yet the moment his words fell, the other party’s presence surged even fiercer.

The man even rolled up both sleeves and started hurling insults!

"What the hell is a little laborer like you yapping about in front of me? Cloud Star expert my ass—you’ve got some nerve!"

Spittle flew as his finger nearly jabbed into Xiong Fen’s face.

His haughty attitude was even more outrageous than the former Moon God Pavilion Master!

Xiong Fen, who had never suffered such humiliation, was on the verge of erupting in rage.

But suddenly—

The man struck first, raising a hand!

A colossal palm shadow materialized midair, its terrifying pressure locking down the entire vicinity before crashing down like a mountain!

Xiong Fen felt his blood churn.

He tried to summon the power of the Great Dao, but his body refused to move. His face paled instantly.

Gazing up at the enormous palm, it was like witnessing doomsday itself!

Before he could react, both father and son were crushed beneath the monstrous palm, slammed into the ground so hard they couldn’t even twitch a finger, gasping for breath!

"Cloud Star expert my ass! You’ve barely been around and already putting on airs? You’re way too full of yourselves!"

"Lock these two idiots up! Let them starve for three days!"

In the blink of an eye, the Xiong duo were dragged away like chickens and tossed into a pitch-black cell.

The room was damp and gloomy, its only features a heavy iron door and a narrow slit of a window in the back wall—oppressive and bone-chilling.

An eternity seemed to pass before the two could finally move their limbs again.

Staring at each other in stunned confusion, their faces were etched with panic.

"Father!"

"What the hell just happened?! Didn’t you say we were here for the grand assembly? How did we end up as laborers?"

"A few words, and we’re thrown into confinement!"

Xiong Zhong whispered frantically, his voice trembling.

He desperately pounded and groped at the walls but found no weakness. Despite his Sage-level cultivation, he felt like a caged bird, drowning in despair!

"This… this cell is unbreakable! Even the Moon God Pavilion’s meditation chamber wasn’t this fortified!"

"Gulp…"

His throat convulsed as he slid down the wall, collapsing weakly to the floor.

The memory of that colossal palm reignited the terror in his eyes.

"Father! Something’s wrong! That man’s strength far surpasses ours!"

"What in the world is going on?!"

Hearing his son’s desperate cries, Xiong Fen’s mind was in turmoil.

Rubbing his temples, his face twisted with anxiety.

After a long silence, he forced himself to offer reassurance.

"Son, stay calm!"

"That man must be the Third Supreme Expert. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have the authority to give orders. Let’s wait and see—they’ll make their next move soon, and we’ll adapt accordingly."

"This cell is dark, but it can’t harm us. We’re both Sages. Three days will pass in a blink."

Xiong Zhong looked up hesitantly and nodded.

"Guess we have no choice…"

He agreed with his father. Even trapped here, clueless about what went wrong, their status as high-tier Sages meant three days of confinement wouldn’t threaten their lives.

The two fell into silence, replaying every detail of their ordeal…

Three days flew by.

The iron door finally creaked open, revealing the Xiong father and son—now pale and haggard.

They never imagined—

Even as Sages, they could still starve!

This place was downright bizarre.

For three days, they’d survived on stored pills, their eyes gleaming with hunger, barely clinging to their dignity as experts.

Stepping back into daylight, they squinted at the blinding sun, standing frozen with complex expressions.

A familiar voice rang out nearby.

"Consider this a light punishment. If you’ve learned your lesson, get back to work! As laborers, you’d better act like it—no more delusions of grandeur!"

The duo’s eyes twitched.

Turning, they saw the squad leader striding over, his face stern.

Meeting him again, their gazes flickered with wariness.

Even as he repeatedly called them "laborers," they bit back their fury, their lips trembling.

Xiong Fen took a deep breath, steadying himself before speaking.

"Sir."

"I acknowledge your formidable strength, but bullying the weak is beneath you. We are no mere laborers—we are high-tier Sages, Cloud Star experts!"

"As a Sage, I traveled countless miles to attend this grand assembly, to discuss the future of Cloud Star. Yet you treat us like this—is this not an insult?"

His words were measured, but his rage was unmistakable. This was his last shred of dignity, the bottom line of an expert.

A Sage must not be humiliated!

Yet the squad leader’s face darkened further.

"You’ve lost your damn minds! Looks like you need more time in there!"

"High-tier my ass! You’re just a lousy Sage! At the end of the day, you’re still just a Sage. Be grateful you even got a laborer’s job, and quit your whining!"

"Plenty of high-tier Sages work diligently without complaint. Why are you two such a pain?"

The Xiong duo froze.

The squad leader’s words were absurd, dripping with disdain for Sages as if they were mere cabbages. It felt surreal.

Sages weren’t rare, but high-tier Sages were anything but common. Yet this man made them sound worthless?

This was outright blasphemy!

If not for their lingering fear, they’d have lashed out.

As they glared indignantly, the squad leader glanced past them toward the distance.

At the construction site.

A group of helmet-clad workers were hauling bricks. Hearing the raised voices and catching the squad leader’s look, they instantly understood.

Turning in unison, they unleashed their auras.

In an instant, terrifying waves of Dao power erupted!

The seemingly ordinary laborers transformed, their presences overwhelming, each radiating the dominance of ancient titans, their eyes gleaming with supremacy!

The convergence of these monstrous auras seemed to warp the heavens!

Father and son stood as if caught in a storm.

Their eyes bulged, legs trembling.

"Ghk—!"

"H-how is this possible?!"

Among the dozens of workers, high-tier Sages were everywhere, and even half-step Heavenly Realm experts numbered over ten. Such a terrifying gathering was unheard of.

Xiong Fen’s face drained of color, his shock absolute.

"This… this is…!"

His son was nearly catatonic, gaping like he could swallow an egg whole!

The squad leader ignored them, tossing two helmets their way.

"Enough gawking! Get to work!"

"You’re not even worth a side dish. If you’d had a peanut with your drink, maybe you wouldn’t be so delusional. Zero self-awareness!"

His scathing rebuke left the duo speechless.

Even as the laborers reined in their auras, returning to their mundane appearances, $2he father and son were left utterly shattered, their minds blank with disbelief.

Numbly catching the helmets, they shuffled toward the crowd. Under the guidance of a kind-hearted veteran, they suited up and began hauling bricks at the site.

Already weak from hunger, they had no strength left to resist.

Just as he was about to channel the power of the Great Dao, he realized it was completely unresponsive—his cultivation seemed to have vanished into nothingness!

Another wave of shock and dread washed over him.

Yet, neither father nor son dared to make a sound, quietly keeping their heads down and focusing on their tasks.

The father hauled bricks, while the son pushed the cart.

Once noble and privileged cultivators who had lived a life of comfort, they had never done such backbreaking labor before. In less than half an hour, they were both drenched in sweat and exhaustion!

After unloading another cart of bricks, Xiong Zhong panted heavily.

He crept closer to his father, his face twisted in stifled humiliation, as if he’d narrowly escaped death.

"Dad… what the hell is going on here…?"