One Against Two

Under the blazing sun, Jiang Donghua mechanically swung his medicinal hoe, sweat dripping from his chin into the soil. But anyone watching closely would have noticed the faint smile twitching at the corner of his bruised mouth every so often.

[Battle Qi Stage Three (67/100)]

The translucent system panel hovered at the edge of his vision, and the number quietly ticked up again.

Jiang Donghua used the motion of wiping away sweat to erase the curve of his lips, though his heart pounded wildly.

"This speed... it's insane..."

According to the original owner's memories, when ordinary disciples cultivated Battle Qi, their meridians could endure at most one shichen of circulation.

If they exceeded that limit, their meridians would ache and swell at best; at worst, their Battle Qi would flow backward and injure them.

Even those with exceptional talent could only gain two or three points a day at most.

Jiang Donghua quietly calculated the time.

Only one shichen had passed since the system activated, yet the progress bar had genuinely increased by 2 points.

At this rate, twelve shichen in a full day would mean—

"Twenty-four days' worth!"

Dragging his exhausted body back to the servants' quarters, Jiang Donghua returned to a drafty thatched hut with moldy straw piled in one corner.

He collapsed onto the straw heap. Every wound on his body burned with pain, yet a cold smile curled across his lips.

"At this rate, I'll break through to Battle Qi Stage Four by the night after tomorrow..."

Closing his eyes, he saw the system panel clearly emerge in the darkness.

[Host: Jiang Donghua]

[Realm: Battle Qi Stage Three (74/100)]

[Idle Gain: Base 1 point/hour]

[Estimated breakthrough time: 26 hours later]

Drawing on the original owner's memories, Jiang Donghua recalled that on Battle Qi Continent, every breakthrough in a minor realm would cause the Battle Qi within one's body to scour the meridians and automatically heal injuries.

In other words, once he reached Battle Qi Stage Four, the bruises covering his body, his fractured fingers, and even the hidden damage to his internal organs would all heal completely the moment he broke through!

"Heh. Zhang Hu, I'll remember every punch you threw at me!"

He bared his teeth, tugging at the wound on the corner of his mouth. The pain made him frown slightly, but his heart felt incomparably satisfied.

"One point an hour. By this time tomorrow, I'll reach 98 points. By the night after tomorrow... it'll be time to break through!"

The next morning, Jiang Donghua went to work in the medicinal fields as usual.

Zhao Tiezhu and Wang Mazi had long been squatting on the field ridge. When they saw him arrive, they immediately began to sneer sarcastically.

"Well, if it isn't our little expert at tattling? What, couldn't sleep last night?" Wang Mazi narrowed his triangular eyes and deliberately raised his voice.

Jiang Donghua ignored them and lowered his head to weed, silently calculating the time in his mind.

[Battle Qi Stage Three (87/100)]

Almost there!

Seeing no reaction from him, Zhao Tiezhu snorted coldly, strode over, and planted his foot on the medicinal herbs Jiang Donghua was tending.

"Trash, are you deaf?"

Jiang Donghua slowly raised his head, his gaze unnervingly calm.

"Senior Brother Zhao, you stepped on the spirit herbs."

Zhao Tiezhu froze for a moment, then flew into a rage.

"So what if I did?"

"You still dare talk back?!"

He raised his hand to slap Jiang Donghua, but Jiang Donghua suddenly smiled.

"Senior Brother Zhao, tell me... what do you think would happen if I ran to the Punishment Hall right now and said you deliberately destroyed the spirit herbs in the medicinal field?"

Zhao Tiezhu's hand froze in midair, and his face instantly turned livid.

"You...!"

Jiang Donghua slowly rose to his feet, dusted the dirt from his clothes, and said softly, "Don't rush. In a few days... we'll settle our accounts properly."

Zhao Tiezhu and Wang Mazi exchanged looks. They both felt that this trash was especially strange today.

Time passed, and the numbers on Jiang Donghua's panel steadily climbed.

[Battle Qi Stage Three (96/100)]

[Estimated breakthrough time: 4 hours later]

Night fell, and snores rose throughout the servants' quarters.

Jiang Donghua silently got up and made his way through the darkness to a secluded cave on the back mountain.

This was a spot he had scouted out beforehand during the day, ensuring no one would disturb his breakthrough.

He sat cross-legged and quietly waited for the final countdown.

"3... 2... 1..."

[ Ding! ]

[ Realm Breakthrough! ]

[ Battle Qi Stage Four (1/200) ]

In an instant, a warm current surged from his dantian, washing through his entire body like a tide!

"Hiss!"

Jiang Donghua clenched his teeth as he felt the bones in his body crackle. His bruises faded at a visible rate, his fractured finger bones healed on their own, and even his pale, malnourished complexion gained a bit more color!

He suddenly clenched his fist, squeezing a faint explosive pop from the air!

"My strength... has more than doubled!"

A sharp gleam flared in his eyes, and a savage curve tugged at his lips.

"So this is Battle Qi Stage Four..."

He rose to his feet and casually threw a punch at the cave wall.

Bang!

Fragments of rock flew everywhere as his fist punched a dent nearly an inch deep into the hard stone wall!

"Not bad."

Jiang Donghua nodded in satisfaction.

"By strength alone, I'm no weaker than that brute Zhao Tiezhu now."

With a thought, the system panel unfolded.

[ Host: Jiang Donghua ]

[ Realm: Battle Qi Stage Four (1/200) ]

[ Idle Gain: 1 point/hour, base 1 point ]

[ Environmental Bonus: None (explorable) ]

[ Number of Clones: 1 ]

"One point per hour. Two hundred points will take... about eight days."

The corners of Jiang Donghua's lips lifted slightly.

Eight days later, he would enter Battle Qi Stage Five. By then, even those two lackeys would no longer be a threat!

On the tenth day, late at night.

Jiang Donghua sat cross-legged in the cave, Battle Qi swirling around him like mist as it surged endlessly through his meridians.

[ Ding! ]

[ Realm Breakthrough! ]

[ Battle Qi Stage Five (1/300) ]

A force even more powerful than before erupted from his dantian, instantly sweeping through his entire body!

His bones crackled, his muscle fibers tightened as though tempered, and even his five senses became sharper.

He could clearly hear insects crawling within thirty feet outside the cave, and he could smell the faint fragrance of spiritual herbs in the soil.

"So this is... Battle Qi Stage Five!"

He suddenly clenched his fist, squeezing an explosive pop from the air!

"My strength has doubled again compared to Stage Four!"

Now, in terms of the sheer depth of his Battle Qi, he was already no weaker than Zhao Tiezhu or Wang Mazi—perhaps even... stronger than them!

The next morning, Jiang Donghua went to the herb fields as usual, still hunched over and wearing a timid, submissive expression.

Zhao Tiezhu and Wang Mazi had long been waiting on the ridge between the fields. The moment they saw him, they immediately sneered.

"Well, if it isn't the lunatic, back to work?"

Wang Mazi narrowed his triangular eyes and deliberately raised his voice.

"I heard you've been running into the mountains all the time lately. Don't tell me you're digging your own grave?"

The surrounding servant disciples all lowered their heads at those words, not daring to get involved.

Jiang Donghua "fearfully" shrank his neck and said in a small voice.

"Senior Brother, you must be joking..."

Seeing this, Zhao Tiezhu strode over and looked down at him from above with a sinister grin.

"Trash, if you dare slack off again today, I'll break your legs!"

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Jiang Donghua by the collar.

Slap!

With a crisp sound, Zhao Tiezhu's wrist was firmly caught in Jiang Donghua's grasp, unable to move an inch!

"Hmm?!"

Zhao Tiezhu froze for a moment, then flew into a rage.

"You fucking dare resist?!"

He suddenly exerted force, trying to break free, but Jiang Donghua's fingers remained motionless like iron pincers!

"Senior Brother Zhao..."

Jiang Donghua slowly raised his head, a cold curve forming at the corner of his lips.

"You just said you were going to break whose legs?"

Zhao Tiezhu's pupils abruptly contracted!

At that moment, he finally sensed that something was wrong.

There was no trace of fear left in Jiang Donghua's eyes.

That was clearly... the look of a hunter regarding his prey!

"You...!"

Before he could finish, Jiang Donghua suddenly exerted force!

Crack!

Amid the crisp sound of snapping bone, Zhao Tiezhu's wrist was crushed alive!

"AAAAAH!"

His miserable scream rang through the herb fields. Every servant disciple looked up in horror to see Zhao Tiezhu kneeling on the ground, his wrist twisted and deformed, while Jiang Donghua...

Looked down at him from above, his gaze as cold and sharp as a blade!

Wang Mazi staggered back two steps in fright, his face deathly pale.

"You... you broke through?!"

"Impossible! It's only been a few days...!"

Jiang Donghua gave a cold laugh and slowly advanced.

"Senior Brother Wang, now... it's time to settle our score."

Jiang Donghua's eyes were icy as his five fingers clamped around Zhao Tiezhu's throat like iron pincers, lifting his entire body off the ground.

"Senior Brother Zhao, do you remember what you said when you kicked over my herb basket?"

Zhao Tiezhu's face turned purple. His legs kicked wildly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

How had this useless piece of trash, whom they had bullied at will just ten days ago, suddenly become so terrifying?!

"Let... let go... of me..."

He squeezed out the words with difficulty. The power of Battle Qi Stage Five erupted wildly, yet Jiang Donghua's hand did not budge in the slightest!

Crack!

Jiang Donghua twisted sharply, dislocating Zhao Tiezhu's shoulder blade in an instant. Before his scream could leave his throat, a knee slammed viciously into his abdomen!

"Ugh—!"

Zhao Tiezhu vomited sour fluid and collapsed to the ground, curled up like a shrimp.

Jiang Donghua looked down from above and planted a foot on his face, the sole grinding against his fleshy cheek. His voice was cold as ice.

"This kick repays the debt for when you stepped on my fingers."

Wang Mazi had long since been scared out of his wits. He turned and tried to flee, but after only two steps, his vision blurred—Jiang Donghua had appeared in front of him like a ghost!

"Senior Brother Wang, where are you rushing off to?"

"N-No, it has nothing to do with me! Zhang Hu ordered it all! I-I was only following orders!"

Jiang Donghua sneered.

They were both Battle Qi Stage Five, but these two were merely trash who had stubbornly scraped their way there over time. Their battle qi was unstable, and their meridians sluggish.

Every strand of battle qi accumulated by his system's idle training, meanwhile, circulated through his meridians with incomparable purity!

After hundreds of hours of battle qi tempering, his body had long undergone a complete transformation!

"Following orders?"

Jiang Donghua grabbed Wang Mazi by the hair and forced him to raise his head.

"Then listen to my orders now. Break Zhao Tiezhu's legs, and I'll spare your life."

Wang Mazi trembled all over, his eyes full of struggle. But when he met Jiang Donghua's utterly emotionless gaze, in the end...

"I-I'll do it! I'll do it!"

He scrambled over and seized a herb hoe. Under Zhao Tiezhu's horrified gaze, he smashed it brutally into his knee!

"AAAH! Wang Mazi, you fucking...!"

Amid the screams, Jiang Donghua turned away indifferently. He swept his gaze over the servant disciples, who had all been frightened senseless, then slowly spoke.

"Starting today, the work in the herb fields is yours to handle."