"Genius, genius..."
Su Yingxue's mind boomed, buzzing as though countless bolts of thunder were rolling through it.
What kind of goddamn genius could be this absurd?
She really wanted to curse out loud!
[The next upgrade of the Azure Wave Art to Minor Accomplishment will require 250 Merit Points!]
A new line of text appeared.
Lu Chen stared fixedly at the panel before him.
250 points?
He was still short 160 points. Forget it, he would not wait any longer.
He would upgrade another martial art later.
He looked at his cultivation again.
His cultivation had risen directly from Third-Rank Realm (3%) to Third-Rank Realm (90%).
That was equivalent to rising from newly entering the Third Rank to Great Accomplishment Third Rank.
Internal cultivation arts truly were powerful!
"Thank you, Senior Sister Su!"
Lu Chen thanked her. "Besides the cultivation art, do you have any other martial arts? Could you teach them to me as well? Don't worry—the more martial arts I learn, the greater my confidence in killing Zhao Hu!"
Su Yingxue was filled with incomparable shock. Looking at Lu Chen, she said, "Yes. Aside from its cultivation art, Canglang Martial Hall is most famous for a third-rate saber technique called the Tidal Wave Saber Technique, as well as a third-rate lightness skill, Grass on Flying."
"Oh? Could you teach me?" Lu Chen's eyes lit up.
Su Yingxue's expression was complicated as she immediately began reciting the two martial arts aloud.
Just as before, Lu Chen listened with exceptional focus.
By the time Su Yingxue had finished reciting them once,
his panel had already completed its record.
[You comprehended the Tidal Wave Saber Technique. Tidal Wave Saber Technique: Beginner!] [You comprehended Grass on Flying. Grass on Flying: Beginner!]
Looking at the two newly acquired martial arts, he pondered for a moment.
He had only 90 Merit Points remaining. It was impossible to upgrade both martial arts at once.
He could only choose the one with the greatest current value to upgrade.
And in terms of speed, that was clearly his weak point right now.
Therefore—"Merit Points, upgrade Grass on Flying!"
Lu Chen muttered inwardly.
Whoosh!
The entire panel instantly blurred.
Grass on Flying rapidly changed, and it felt as though he had experienced four or five years in a single instant within his mind.
[You consumed 90 Merit Points. Grass on Flying has been upgraded to Great Accomplishment.]
A line of text appeared.
Several important meridians in his legs seemed to have been opened in an instant.
His entire body felt light and nimble.
"Have you remembered everything? Do you need me to say it again?"
Suppressing her astonishment, Su Yingxue asked.
"No need, I remember it all." Lu Chen replied, "Oh, right, Senior Sister Su, do you have any food? Could you help me get something to eat?"
He rubbed his stomach.
It had been nearly a full day since he had eaten anything.
His stomach was painfully hungry.
"Wait, you really remembered it?"
Su Yingxue could not help asking again.
"Yes. If you don't believe me, watch!"
Lu Chen suddenly used Grass on Flying. With a whoosh, afterimages layered over one another in an instant as he circled the courtyard once, then immediately landed back where he had started.
Su Yingxue's mind instantly boomed, her pretty face blank with disbelief.
"Monster... what kind of monster are you?"
"I told you, I'm a genius!"
Lu Chen replied, "Can you prepare food for me now?"
"Alright, I'll make it."
Su Yingxue did not even know how she had left, her mind filled with deep shock.
She admitted that she had been battered until she was completely broken.
There was actually such a martial arts genius in this world!
Not long after,
Su Yingxue had prepared a table full of dishes.
"Junior Brother Lu, eat here first. I'll go out and gather some information, see what the situation outside is like."
Su Yingxue said.
"Sounds good."
Lu Chen lowered his head and wolfed down the food, replenishing his strength.
Su Yingxue quickly left.
About half an hour later, she returned once more.
"Junior Brother Lu, something happened... The yamen has arrested many villagers. They are supposedly all from the village you were in before. Also, more than a dozen of the poor people involved in last night's unrest have been beheaded, and their heads have been hung at the marketplace entrance... One of them was called Sister-in-law Zhang Rong. They say she was colluding with demons and concealed what she knew..."
Su Yingxue hurried over and said, "And Constable Guo has issued an ultimatum. If you do not turn yourself in, he will behead ten people every day until all those rioters have been completely killed..."
"What?"
Lu Chen abruptly raised his head, and a terrifying aura burst from his body.
Like a fierce tiger awakening.
Soul-stirring and terrifying!
"Can the yamen really act without restraint? They kill poor people so casually—aren't they afraid of causing unrest?"
"It's useless, Junior Brother Lu. Those poor people were arrested under the charge of colluding with demons and plotting rebellion... Even if they are killed, they will have died for nothing. Besides... this is a world ruled by force. People at the bottom cannot stir up even the slightest ripple."
Su Yingxue gave a bitter smile.
Rebellion?
Even a First-Rank martial artist could casually blast apart dozens of people joining forces.
That was the sorrow of a transcendent world.
Martial artists stood high above all others. It was not just empty talk.
"Courting death!"
Lu Chen smashed his fist into a stone pillar.
The killing intent in his heart reached an unprecedented height.
In the end, those poor people last night had been implicated by him.
If he had not told them to move the valuables from the Iron Scale Gang, they would never have been arrested.
Nor would they have been killed!
He had still underestimated how fucked-up this world was! Underestimated the malice in people's hearts!
"You want to force me to show myself? Fine! I'll grant your wish!"
A savage smile appeared on Lu Chen's face.
Competing in ruthlessness, were they?
Then let them see who was more ruthless!
"What is Guo Feng's strength?"
"Guo Feng should also be in the Third-Rank Realm. He definitely has not surpassed the Fourth Rank. The strongest person in the city is County Magistrate Lin Mingyuan, but he has gone out of the city to worship the Buddha and will not return for several more days. Right now, all matters in the city should be handled by his son."
Su Yingxue said.
"Is that so? Thank you, Senior Sister Su!"
Whoosh!
Lu Chen stamped his foot, and his body instantly vanished from the spot.
He was as fast as if he had teleported. Even with Su Yingxue's eyesight, she only managed to catch a black shadow flashing past before Lu Chen disappeared.
"Junior Brother Lu!"
Su Yingxue was greatly alarmed and hurriedly rushed outside.
The entire city was shaken.
Countless residents discussed the matter.
Within the vast marketplace entrance, dozens of heads hung from flagpoles.
They drew countless onlookers and whispers.
Constable Guo Feng sat coldly on a chair, surrounded by constables and soldiers.
He was determined to force Lu Chen to reveal himself.
Beside him stood other poor people who had just been dragged from prison, around several dozen of them.
Every one of them wore terrified expressions and sobbed bitterly. "We're innocent, we're innocent..."
"I don't even know Lu Chen. Last night, I only wanted my wages back..."
"Please, I don't want the money anymore. Please let us go..."
"Begging? Crying?"
Guo Feng's face was cold and cruel, mockery glinting in his eyes. "If you want someone to blame, blame yourselves for following the wrong person. If you refuse to reveal Lu Chen's whereabouts for one day, I'll behead you wave after wave. I refuse to believe that Lu Chen still won't show himself."
"My lord, please, I'm innocent! I really am innocent!"
One poor man sobbed as he desperately kowtowed.
"Shut up!"
Guo Feng's expression turned sinister. "Pull out his tongue!"
"Yes, Constable!"
Several constables immediately rushed out and began acting.
"Constable Guo, disaster should not extend to others. Why are you treating us like this? Aren't you afraid that word will spread and shake the whole world?"
Zhao Dezhu's eyes were red as he cried out miserably.
"Shake the whole world?"
Guo Feng sneered. "You think you deserve to say such words? Colluding with demons leaves only one road—death! Not only will you die, your entire family must die as well. This is the consequence of concealing what you know and colluding with demons. In a moment, I'll kill your whole family first and see whether Lu Chen will come save you!"
Within the crowd,
Zhao Hu, master of Rising Sun Martial Hall, Chen Baisha, leader of the Sea Sand Gang, and their other key members had been lying in ambush for quite some time. Each wore a cold smile as they watched their surroundings. The moment Lu Chen dared to show himself, they would pounce without hesitation and subdue him!
"Lu Chen, Lu Chen... let's see how long you can keep hiding."
Zhao Hu sneered inwardly.
He had been the one to offer this scheme to Guo Feng last night.
He refused to believe Lu Chen could be so hard-hearted that he would watch so many people die miserably in his stead.
"Report!"
At that moment, a constable came galloping over on a fast horse from the distance. He hurriedly dismounted, then stumbled and crawled toward Guo Feng, his face filled with horror. "Constable Guo, your family... your entire family has been killed! From eighty-year-old elders to three-year-old children, Lu Chen slaughtered them all!"
Boom!
Guo Feng, who had been sitting high above with a mocking expression, felt his mind go blank, buzzing as though countless bolts of thunder had exploded within it.
He simply could not believe it.
Then his eyes instantly turned red as he threw back his head and howled in grief. "Lu Chen! Fuck your mother!"
Whoosh!
His body shot up as he grabbed that constable on the spot, his eyes bloodshot as he roared, "When did this happen?"
"Just now..."
The constable's face was filled with terror. "Lu Chen charged into your home. No one could stop him. Your old mother was blown apart by a single punch, her corpse scattered everywhere. Your wife was beaten into the wall and turned into bloody pulp. Your three-year-old son was too horrible to look at... Oh, and it seems your eldest son was captured alive by him. Everyone else died without even a burial place!"
Boom!
Blood and tears streamed from Guo Feng's eyes as he threw back his head and wailed miserably.
Like an old ape lamenting, making all who heard it weep.
"Lu Chen, I'll kill you!"
His face was covered in blood and tears, and he was nearly mad. His body shot forward as he charged wildly toward his home without even mounting a horse.
No matter what, he had never expected Lu Chen to be so vicious!
His eighty-year-old mother!
His three-year-old child!
And his wife, who had only just turned twenty-five!
Lu Chen, how could you be so vicious!
Disaster should not extend to one's family!
Before you continue