He thought quite highly of himself.
Xiao Han had gotten a Martial Artist badge, sure, but he had only awakened yesterday. How strong could he be?
At most, he was at the Martial Artist Realm First Level.
Zhao Yu had an A-grade martial soul, after all. He might not actually have to fear him!
At that thought, Zhao Yu felt his courage swell.
Spiritual power circulated through his body, and green light flashed across his arm!
"Hiss, hiss!"
A small emerald snake formed entirely from energy appeared out of thin air and coiled around his right arm.
The little snake flicked its tongue, giving off a cold, sinister aura.
It was his A-grade martial soul—the Emerald Spirit Snake!
"Die!"
Zhao Yu roared and threw a fierce right punch!
The Emerald Spirit Snake on his arm seemed to come alive. It bared its venomous fangs and lunged straight for Xiao Han's face, trailing a foul wind!
He put all his strength into the blow, confident that even if he couldn't seriously injure Xiao Han, he could at least leave him scrambling and bedraggled.
Yet faced with the ferocious attack, Xiao Han couldn't even be bothered to lift an eyelid.
Much less summon his twin SSS+ martial souls, which were enough to shock the world.
The instant the Emerald Spirit Snake was about to bite him, Xiao Han's figure rippled gently like a reflection on water.
Only a blurry afterimage remained where he had stood.
Whoosh!
Zhao Yu's fist and the Emerald Spirit Snake narrowly brushed past Xiao Han's afterimage.
The force of the punch struck empty air, and the wind it kicked up even tousled a few strands of hair over Xiao Han's forehead.
"What?!"
Zhao Yu's pupils contracted, and his heart filled with shock.
He hadn't seen how Xiao Han dodged at all!
It was simply inconceivable!
"Impossible!"
Zhao Yu refused to believe it.
He channeled his martial soul again, his arm turning into a green blur as he attacked Xiao Han furiously, blow after blow. Fist and snake shadows crisscrossed, threatening to engulf Xiao Han completely.
But no matter how frenzied his assault, he couldn't so much as touch Xiao Han.
Every one of Xiao Han's dodges was executed with exquisite precision; he had completely anticipated Zhao Yu's intentions.
Zhao Yu's attacks couldn't even touch him, much less hurt him.
Zhao Yu, on the other hand, was already panting for breath, his movements growing sloppy and leaving openings all over his body.
The onlookers had long since been struck dumb.
"Holy crap! What kind of footwork is that? He's too fast to see!"
"Zhao Yu's a first-level Martial Artist, at least, but he's like a toy in front of him. He's completely playing with him!"
"That Xiao Han... did he really only awaken yesterday? That kind of strength has to be fake!"
"No wonder he has a special badge. He's a genius in the making, no doubt about it!"
As those comments reached Zhao Yu's ears, he grew even angrier and more frustrated, feeling utterly humiliated.
"Damn it! What are you standing there watching for? All of you, get him! Cripple him!"
Zhao Yu turned and roared at his followers, who were still standing there in a daze.
When the followers heard the order, they were also intimidated by Xiao Han's strength, but their boss had spoken, and they didn't dare disobey.
They exchanged glances, steeled themselves, and summoned their martial souls. Most were D- or C-grade, things like the Iron Fist Savage Bull, and didn't look like much.
Then, yelping strangely, they plucked up their courage and charged at Xiao Han.
"Courting death."
Xiao Han's gaze turned cold. He couldn't be bothered to play with them anymore.
Since they insisted on a beating, he would oblige.
His figure flickered.
This time, he didn't dodge. He went straight at them.
He was even faster than before, almost a single blurry streak to the onlookers!
He charged into the middle of the followers in an instant, moving as if through an empty field.
His strikes were clean and precise, so fast that no one could see his movements clearly.
Bang!
The first follower to charge at him saw a figure flash before his eyes, and then an irresistible force struck his chest.
He flew backward, spraying a mist of blood, and rolled several times after hitting the ground before falling unconscious on the spot.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Several more muffled blows followed in quick succession.
The remaining followers went flying almost simultaneously, each in an ungainly pose.
They screamed one after another, then lay groaning on the ground, unable to fight again in the blink of an eye.
The whole thing had happened with astonishing speed!
Only two or three breaths had passed between Zhao Yu giving the order and all his followers ending up flat on the ground!
Zhao Yu was completely dumbfounded. He stood frozen, every trace of arrogance gone from his face, leaving only terror.
He looked at his men groaning on the ground, then at Xiao Han, who didn't have a single hair out of place. His legs began to shake like a sieve.
The gap between them was far too great!
They weren't opponents on the same level at all!
Run!
I have to run right now!
That was the only thought left in Zhao Yu's mind.
He spun around and lifted his foot to run.
But the moment he turned, a hand came to rest lightly on his shoulder.
At some point, Xiao Han had silently appeared behind him.
His face was as expressionless as ever.
"Where are you going?"
Zhao Yu's body instantly stiffened. He turned his head little by little and met Xiao Han's calm gaze, so frightened that his soul nearly flew out of him.
"X-Xiao bro! No, Lord Xiao! I was wrong! I was really wrong! I had eyes but failed to see! Please be magnanimous, treat me like a fart and let me go!"
Zhao Yu dropped to his knees with a thud and clung to Xiao Han's leg, crying with tears and snot streaming down his face. Not a trace of his earlier arrogance remained.
The onlookers felt sick watching him. The guy's attitude had changed far too quickly.
Xiao Han frowned and casually shook his leg.
Zhao Yu was flung aside and rolled over twice.
Before he could get up, he felt a weight on his face, pressing it firmly against the rough ground.
It was Xiao Han's foot!
Humiliation!
Humiliation unlike anything he had ever known!
He struggled desperately, but the foot on his face didn't budge. Even using all his strength, he couldn't move it.
His cheek scraped against the ground, stinging fiercely.
Xiao Han looked down at Zhao Yu beneath his foot, his gaze icy, as though he were looking at a bug he could crush at will.
"You're trash. What gives you the right to act so arrogantly in front of me?"
Only fear, humiliation, and utter despair remained in Zhao Yu's eyes.
He knew he had kicked an iron plate this time, provoking someone he absolutely couldn't afford to offend.
He wanted to beg for mercy, but with his face pinned down, he could only make muffled whimpering sounds.
With his foot still on Zhao Yu's face, Xiao Han swept an indifferent gaze over the silent crowd before slowly lifting it.
He didn't even spare Zhao Yu another glance, merely brushing some nonexistent dust from the hem of his clothes.
Then he turned and walked straight toward the Martial Skills Pavilion.
It was as though he really had just casually cleared away some unsightly trash.
Xiao Han paid no attention to Zhao Yu, who lay behind him like a pile of mud, or to the gazes of the people around him. He went straight deeper into the Warrior Center.
That little incident had been no more to him than crushing a fly after a meal. It wasn't worthy of stirring his emotions in the slightest.
The Martial Skills Pavilion was one of the Warrior Center's core areas, and an important place for all Martial Artists to improve their strength.
The pavilion looked ancient and imposing, with a pair of stone lions standing solemnly on either side of the entrance.
Only after entering did Xiao Han discover that the space inside was much roomier than it looked from outside.
Rows of bookshelves stood within, neatly packed with all manner of jade slips, beast-skin scrolls, and books made of special materials.