Instant Kill?

"Hey, kid, you said you came to exchange martial arts. Isn't this perfect?"

Wu Rei'an's 188-centimeter frame was clearly taller than Lu Li's. He looked down at Lu Li with naked provocation in his expression. "I'm the strongest one here. I'll be the one to kill you."

Facing Wu Rei'an's undisguised killing intent, Lu Li grinned. "I'd heard long ago about the Demons of the Wu Clan, but you really are bloodthirsty. Like I said, I only came to exchange martial arts. I have no intention of killing anyone."

"Huh?"

Rei'an tilted his head, his black eyes looking at Lu Li as though he were an idiot. "What's the point of sparring if you want a deep exchange? Of course we have to go all out and fight to the death!"

Watching the two before her, Wu Fengshui felt things were already heading in the worst possible direction. Just as anxiety gripped her, she caught sight of a savior from the corner of her eye.

Above the ancient steps stood a thin old man with his hands behind his back, smiling as he watched the two beneath the torii. He was Hui-Li-Yang Wu, chief of the Wu Clan.

"Isn't this interesting? A guest has come from afar, Rei'an. Give him a proper welcome."

The old man's words made Wu Fengshui's heart plunge into an icy abyss.

She dearly wanted to tell the chief that Lu Li was an extremely dangerous man. Sparring would have been one thing, but letting someone like Rei'an exchange martial arts with Lu Li would certainly cost someone their life.

It would be fine if Lu Li died, but what if it was Rei'an?

"Heh, it's rare for me and the old man to agree on something. This is my first time seeing someone dare come here for a martial arts exchange."

Rei'an shoved both hands into his pockets and thrust his face forward. "How could I let this pass without giving him a good, brutal slaughter?"

"I have to admit it."

Lu Li examined Rei'an's arrogant face from up close. "You're even more arrogant than I imagined. Arrogant to the point of being brainless."

Veins bulged on Rei'an's forehead at once, and killing intent surged from him. "Kid, you've got guts. Are you already so impatient to be reincarnated?"

Lu Li shook his head. "What I mean is, if I wanted to kill you, you would've died dozens of times already. You still haven't realized what you're facing."

In his fury, Rei'an could not even wait to head to the Wu Clan's usual training grounds. He raised a hand, ready to strike.

But someone was faster. Lu Li stepped back, drove power through his waist, and thrust out a palm. It struck Rei'an's chest and sent him flying upward, landing at the end of the stairs beside chief Hui-Li-Yang Wu.

Rei'an steadied himself in shock and looked down to see a red palm print over his heart. Beside him, Hui-Li-Yang Wu narrowed his eyes even further.

"I held back to give you a chance to use your Removal..."

Lu Li slowly withdrew his stance. He glanced at the torii overhead and the surrounding buildings. "Don't you have a more suitable venue here?"

"Hahaha, kid, you're really interesting! Rei'an!"

Hui-Li-Yang Wu shouted, stopping Rei'an from charging down to fight. "Take our honored guest to the training grounds. And you, calm down. Use everything you've learned. Don't disgrace me."

Rei'an looked deeply displeased, but under chief Hui-Li-Yang Wu's gaze, he ultimately chose to yield. He made a throat-slitting gesture at Lu Li and said, "Come on. Let's go to the execution ground."

Lu Li followed the grim-faced Wu Fengshui up the stairs. As he passed Hui-Li-Yang Wu, he spoke with a sigh. "So you're the first Fang of Metsudo? Time spares no one. I'd really like to see your former splendor in your youth."

Hui-Li-Yang Wu's expression shifted slightly. Then the wrinkled skin on his face moved as if he were smiling. "Kid, it seems you know quite a lot about us. But even now, killing you would not be difficult for this old man."

Lu Li grinned. "I came here to meet friends through martial arts. I'd also like to witness what the Wu Clan's peak assassination arts are like."

"Young man, get past Rei'an first."

Hui-Li-Yang Wu spoke with narrowed eyes, without showing the slightest hint of killing intent.

Lu Li said no more and followed Rei'an. Before long, they reached the Wu Clan's dojo, where quite a few people had already gathered. It seemed they had heard that he would be fighting Rei'an and were very interested in this outsider.

Once Hui-Li-Yang Wu entered, the many members of the Wu Clan made way and gave the old man the best seat to watch the match.

"He's strong. Is this Lu Li really just a murderer who sneaked across the border?"

Wu Horis, nicknamed the Demon-Child Crier, frowned. He was among the top fighters of the Wu Clan, and a single close look told him that Lu Li was no ordinary man. He was likely an expert in ancient Eastern martial arts.

"Rei'an, I permit you to use our clan's secret technique. Use your full strength."

Hui-Li-Yang Wu spoke, effectively announcing the start of the battle.

Rei'an stuck out his tongue and taunted Lu Li. "Kid, I'll tear off all four of your limbs and make you regret not seizing your chance just now."

Lu Li sighed and looked toward Hui-Li-Yang Wu. "How about you take his place instead? Your clan's genius seems somewhat overrated. Even now, he hasn't noticed the key problem."

Hui-Li-Yang Wu seemed somewhat angered as well, feeling that he had lost face. He roared at Rei'an, "Idiot! Why aren't you using Removal already? Your opponent has given you several more seconds by holding back!"

With his seasoned eye, he could naturally tell that Lu Li was an "anomaly."

Although Lu Li did not look as large as Rei'an and his muscles were not abnormally swollen, his strength was absolutely abnormal. By the most conservative estimate, he was stronger than many Wu Clan members after using Removal.

Even with his talent for one hundred percent Removal potential, Rei'an might only be slightly stronger than Lu Li physically after using the secret technique.

Thus, Lu Li had not been bluffing earlier. His first strike could have killed Rei'an, but he had held back because he simply wanted to test himself against Rei'an at peak condition.

"Shut up! You're too damn loud!"

Rei'an roared. As his fury rose, his skin rapidly turned purplish-black, while bulging veins crawled over his body in patterns like lightning.

As Removal activated, Rei'an's aura rose, and his desire to kill swelled. In this form, he truly resembled a Demon.

Sensing the change in Rei'an's strength, Lu Li finally showed some interest. "That's more like it. Now you're at least worth beating."

The moment he entered this world, he had noticed that people here generally had weak perception. Even without any skill that could reveal attributes, he could roughly sense the level of an opponent's strength.

But Rei'an clearly lacked such talent. He had strutted arrogantly before Lu Li earlier, but Lu Li estimated that Rei'an's overall attributes had only been in the teens at the time. Even after Removal, Rei'an's overall attributes were only barely a notch above his own.

"Hah? Once I tear you apart, you won't be able to say that!"

Rei'an spread his legs, drew both elbows back, and flexed his back muscles high. He could no longer suppress his killing intent.

He would charge forward, crush this man, tear this man apart, listen to his screams, and make him understand who was truly the strongest!

With a creak from the wooden floorboards, Rei'an shot forward at extreme speed and arrived before Lu Li in an instant.

He planted his legs one before the other, turned his body sideways, and drove power through his waist. One fist shot toward Lu Li's abdomen while the other struck toward his face—the Wu Family technique, Mountain Breaker!

But Wu Rei'an's two punches failed to land. Lu Li raised both hands as palms, one upward and one downward, and brushed them apart to either side.

The tide of force was redirected to both sides. As Rei'an's two fists swept past Lu Li on either side, Lu Li suddenly leaped, driving his knee into Rei'an's jaw.

Under the immense force, Rei'an's entire body snapped backward. Teeth and blood sprayed through the air as the force traveled through his bones into his brain. Even Rei'an, with his superior Bloodline and one hundred percent Removal, could not endure it and briefly lost consciousness.

Yet Lu Li's attack did not stop. He stepped forward and threw a punch while Rei'an hung in the air, dazed by the concussion. It struck Rei'an in the chest and sent him flying backward.

Boom—

Rei'an crashed into the dojo wall, sending cracks across its surface. His eyes rolled white as he slid down the wall and collapsed to his knees.