"Genius, genius..."
Su Yingxue's mind boomed and buzzed, like countless bolts of thunder rolling through it.
What kind of fucking genius could be this absurd?
She really wanted to curse out loud!
The next time Azure Wave Art was raised to the Minor Mastery realm, it would require 250 Merit Points!
A new line of text emerged.
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 add points to other martial arts in a moment.
He glanced at his cultivation again.
His cultivation had risen directly from Third Rank (3%) to Third Rank (90%).
That was equivalent to going from newly entering Third Rank to Third Rank Great Mastery.
Internal cultivation techniques truly were powerful!
"Thank you, Senior Sister Su!"
Lu Chen thanked her. "Aside from the cultivation technique, 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 will be!"
Su Yingxue's mind was filled with overwhelming shock. Looking at Lu Chen, she said, "Yes. Aside from its cultivation technique, Azure Wave Martial Hall is best known for a Third-Rate saber technique called the Layered Wave Saber Technique, as well as a Third-Rate movement technique, Grass Treading Flight."
"Oh? Could you teach me?"
Lu Chen's eyes lit up.
Su Yingxue wore a complicated expression and immediately began reciting the two martial arts aloud.
Just as before, Lu Chen listened with exceptional focus.
By the time Su Yingxue finished reciting them once—
His panel had already completed its record.
You have comprehended the Layered Wave Saber Technique. The Layered Wave Saber Technique has reached Beginner level! You have comprehended Grass Treading Flight. Grass Treading Flight has reached Beginner level!
Looking at the two newly acquired martial arts, he fell into thought.
He had only 90 Merit Points left. It was impossible to add points to both martial arts at once.
He could only choose the one that currently offered the greatest value.
And in terms of speed, that was clearly his weak point right now.
Therefore!
Merit Points, add points to Grass Treading Flight!
Lu Chen silently recited in his heart.
Whoosh!
The entire panel instantly blurred.
Grass Treading Flight rapidly changed, and it felt as though he had lived through four or five years in the blink of an eye.
You have consumed 90 Merit Points. Grass Treading Flight has been raised to the Great Mastery realm. A line of text emerged.
Several important meridians in his legs seemed to have been opened in an instant.
His entire body felt light and agile.
Seeing this, Lu Chen let out a breath of relief. It seemed that only adding points to cultivation techniques consumed an absurd amount. Third-Rate martial arts were still within an acceptable range; even raising one to the Perfect realm would only take a little over a hundred Merit Points. It would not be like cultivation techniques, which required two or three hundred Merit Points for every level.
"Have you remembered it all? Do you need me to repeat it?"
Suppressing her astonishment, Su Yingxue asked.
"No need. I remembered everything."
Lu Chen replied, "By the way, Senior Sister Su, do you have anything to eat? Could you get me some food?"
He rubbed his stomach.
It had been nearly a full day since he had eaten anything.
His stomach was aching with hunger.
"Wait, you really remembered it?"
Su Yingxue could not help asking again.
"Yes. If you don't believe me, watch!"
Lu Chen suddenly unleashed Grass Treading Flight. With a whoosh, afterimages instantly overlapped as he circled the courtyard in a flash, then landed back where he had started.
Su Yingxue's mind immediately boomed, her pretty face frozen in a daze.
"Monster... what kind of monster are you?"
"I told you, I'm a genius!"
Lu Chen replied, "Can you prepare some food for me now?"
"Alright, I'll make it."
Su Yingxue did not even know how she had left. Her mind was filled with profound shock.
She admitted that she had been battered beyond recognition.
There really was such a Martial Dao genius in this world!
Not long after.
Su Yingxue had prepared an entire table 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.
"Fine."
Lu Chen lowered his head and wolfed down the food, replenishing his strength.
Su Yingxue quickly departed.
About half an hour later, she returned once more.
"Junior Brother Lu, something happened... The authorities have arrested many villagers. They're said to all be from the village where you used to live. Also, more than a dozen poor people involved in last night's unrest were beheaded, and their heads have all been hung at the market entrance... One of them was called Sister-in-law Zhang Rong. They said she colluded with demons and monsters and concealed what she knew..."
Su Yingxue hurried over and said, "And Captain Guo has issued a final ultimatum. He said that 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 authorities truly act so recklessly? They kill poor people so easily—are they not afraid of causing unrest?"
"It's useless, Junior Brother Lu. Those poor people were arrested under the charge of colluding with demons and monsters and attempting rebellion... Even if they are killed, they will have been killed for nothing. Besides... this is a world ruled by force. Those at the bottom cannot stir up even the slightest wave."
Su Yingxue smiled bitterly.
Rebel?
Even a First Rank Martial Artist could casually blast apart the combined attack of dozens of people.
That was the sorrow of a transcendent world.
Martial Artists stood high above all others; that was no empty phrase.
"Seeking death!"
Lu Chen punched a stone pillar.
The killing intent in his heart reached an unprecedented level.
Ultimately, those poor people from last night had been implicated because of him.
Had he not told them to move the Iron Scale Gang's property, they would not have been arrested.
Nor would they have been killed!
He had still underestimated just how fucked-up this world was!
He had underestimated the viciousness of the human heart!
"You want to force me to show myself? Fine! Then I'll satisfy you!"
A savage smile appeared on Lu Chen's face.
Competing in ruthlessness, were they?
Then they would 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 Fourth Rank. The strongest person in the city is Magistrate Lin Mingyuan, but he has left the city to worship Buddha and will not return for several more days. All matters in the city should currently be overseen by his son."
Su Yingxue said.
"Is that so? Thank you, Senior Sister Su!"
Whoosh!
Lu Chen stomped his foot, and his body instantly vanished from the spot.
He was as fast as teleportation.
Even with Su Yingxue's eyesight, she only had time to see a black shadow flash by before Lu Chen disappeared.
"Junior Brother Lu!"
Su Yingxue was greatly alarmed and hurriedly rushed out.
The entire city was shaken.
Countless residents discussed the matter fervently.
Inside the huge market entrance, dozens of heads hung from flagpoles.
They drew countless onlookers and discussions.
Captain Guo Feng sat coldly on a chair, surrounded by constables and soldiers.
He was determined to force Lu Chen to reveal himself.
Beside him were other poor people who had just been escorted out of prison, numbering around several dozen.
Every one of them was terrified, sobbing and weeping.
"We've been wronged! We've been wronged..."
"I don't even know any 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 icy, his eyes carrying a trace of mockery. "If you want someone to blame, blame yourselves for following the wrong person. For every day you refuse to reveal Lu Chen's whereabouts, I'll behead you batch by batch. I refuse to believe that Lu Chen will not show himself."
"My lord, please, I've been wronged! I really have been wronged!"
One poor man wept and kowtowed desperately.
"Shut up!"
Guo Feng's expression turned sinister. "Tear out his tongue!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Several constables immediately rushed out and began to act.
"Captain Guo, disasters should not extend to others. Why are you treating us this way? Aren't you afraid that word will spread and shake the world?"
Zhao Dezhu's eyes were red as he cried out miserably.
"Shake the world?"
Guo Feng sneered. "You think you deserve to say such words? Colluding with demons and monsters leaves only one road: death! Not only will you die, your whole family will die! This is the consequence of concealing what you know and colluding with demons and monsters. In a moment, I'll kill your entire family first and see whether Lu Chen comes to save you!"
Within the crowd.
Zhao Hu, master of Pride Sun Martial Hall, Chen Baisha, leader of the Sea Sand Gang, and their other key members had been lying in ambush for a long time. Each wore a cold smile as they scanned the surroundings.
The moment Lu Chen dared to appear, they would pounce out without hesitation and subdue him!
Lu Chen, Lu Chen, let's see how long you can hide!
Zhao Hu sneered inwardly.
He had been the one to offer this scheme to Guo Feng last night.
He refused to believe that Lu Chen could be so hard-hearted as to ignore so many people dying miserably because of him.
"Report!"
At that moment, a constable galloped over from afar on a fast horse. He hurriedly dismounted, then stumbled and crawled toward Guo Feng, his face filled with horror. "Captain Guo, your family... your entire family has been killed! From eighty-year-old elders to three-year-old children, Lu Chen has slaughtered every last one of them!"
Boom!
Guo Feng, who had been sitting high above with a mocking expression, suddenly felt his mind go blank, buzzing as if countless bolts of thunder had exploded within it.
He simply could not believe it.
Then his eyes instantly reddened, and he threw back his head in a grief-stricken howl. "Lu Chen! Fuck your mother!"
Whoosh!
His body shot up as he grabbed the constable on the spot, his eyes bloodshot as he roared, "When did this happen?"
"Just now..."
The constable's face was full of terror. "Lu Chen charged into your home, and no one could stop him. Your old mother was blown apart with one punch, her corpse flying everywhere. Your wife was beaten into the wall and turned into a smear of blood and flesh. Your three-year-old son was too horrible to look at... Oh, right, it seems your eldest son was captured alive by him. Everyone else died without even a place to bury their bodies!"
Boom!
Guo Feng's eyes wept blood as he threw back his head and howled in anguish, his voice shrill and miserable.
Like an old ape crying out in sorrow.
Those who heard it could not help shedding tears.
"Lu Chen, I'll kill you!"
His face was streaked with blood and tears, and he was nearly driven mad. His body shot forward. He did not even mount a horse, instead charging wildly toward his home.
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 just turned twenty-five!
Lu Chen, how could you be so cruel!
Disaster should never befall one's family!
Before you continue