Jin Yuanbao's Regret

When Li Xuelong on the Martial Arena had been pummeled by Ye Zhen's barrage of fists, his bones cracking nonstop and blood beginning to spurt from his mouth and nose, Ye Zhen finally sent him flying with a kick.

Bang!

The tremendous crash as Li Xuelong, all four limbs shattered, landed limply before Ma Hun, along with his utterly shrill scream, finally jolted the stunned crowd awake.

But Ma Hun was badly startled by Li Xuelong's miserable state.

Perhaps Li Xuelong's luck was simply terrible. One of his legs had already been smashed by Ye Zhen, and when Ye Zhen kicked him flying, that broken leg flailed wildly. By some cursed coincidence, it swung beneath his body.

Crack!

White bone fragments flecked with blood burst out through the broken leg, while blood gushed out like a fountain. Li Xuelong's screams came to an abrupt halt at that moment.

His eyes rolled back, and he fainted from the pain.

Ma Hun struck several points in rapid succession, hurriedly stemming Li Xuelong's wildly spurting blood before roaring at Ye Zhen, "Ye Zhen, isn't this too vicious? You crippled his limbs—how could you be so malicious toward a fellow disciple?"

"Me, malicious?" Ye Zhen sneered. "At least I merely gave him a lesson he'll never forget. Back on the mountain path, the two of you wanted my life!"

At that point, Ye Zhen completely tore away the veneer between them.

Truthfully, Ye Zhen had already shown mercy in Li Xuelong's current condition. Otherwise, if Ye Zhen had truly cut loose in that situation, Li Xuelong would undoubtedly have died.

Ye Zhen still possessed a kind heart and could not bring himself to strike that final blow, leaving Li Xuelong alive. Had it been anyone else, after nearly being killed by Li Xuelong, they would have killed him on the spot.

Still, even though Ye Zhen had held back, with Li Xuelong's present condition, even with the sect's spiritual medicines, it would take at least half a year for his injuries to heal.

And even after he recovered, with one hand now ruined, Li Xuelong's achievements in this life would likely end at the level of an Outer Disciple.

Only now did the Outer Disciples watching the match gradually recover from their shock. Especially those who had already turned and left—each of them cried out in regret. They had missed the most thrilling part of such an astonishing reversal in battle.

Below the Martial Arena, Feng Haoran looked at Ye Zhen and softly said, "Ye Zhen's cultivation is beyond mine. I must go train in bitter seclusion." With that, he turned and left.

Shi Tianjia looked at Li Xuelong, whose limbs were all broken, his face filled with bitterness. He could never have imagined that in barely more than ten days, Ye Zhen's cultivation would advance by leaps and bounds like this.

"Junior Brother Ye, wasn't that a little too heavy-handed..." Li Yuncong, the witness on the Martial Arena, finally came back to his senses. Thinking of how he had just told Li Xuelong to stop at the right point, he had never expected Ye Zhen to erupt with such terrifying combat strength.

"I don't want to be turned into a cold corpse by Li Xuelong's scheme!" With that one sentence, Ye Zhen shut Li Yuncong's mouth before he could say anything further.

"Brother Hun, my hand..." Li Xuelong, who had recovered enough to wake, raised his bloody severed hand as his first words. "Revenge... You have to... avenge me!"

Li Xuelong's words seemed to remind Ma Hun of something. Under everyone's gaze, Ma Hun suddenly leaped onto the Martial Arena like a madman and roared at Ye Zhen, "Ye Zhen, come! If you've got the guts, fight me!"

"Ma Hun, have you no shame at all?"

Looking at the nearly crazed Ma Hun, Ye Zhen's face was full of contempt. "You're an Outer Disciple on the Earth Ranking, and you want to fight a newcomer who has only been an Outer Disciple for a little over ten days? I truly wonder whether your skin is thicker than this Martial Arena!"

"Hahahaha..."

The many Outer Disciples below the Martial Arena burst into laughter, their eyes all turning toward Ma Hun at once. Ma Hun's face immediately turned the color of Duke Guan's.

The crowd had just been wondering whether Ye Zhen had been too brutal, but after hearing him, they immediately understood. Ma Hun and Li Xuelong had deliberately picked a fight to bully Ye Zhen because he was new, only to run into a hard bone instead!

Li Xuelong deserved it!

"Ye Zhen, right here on the Martial Arena, I'll finish you right now!" Old grudges, fresh hatred, and public humiliation drove the enraged Ma Hun to pounce on Ye Zhen like a madman.

Bang!

Without any suspense, the furious Ma Hun was kicked off the Martial Arena by Li Yuncong. "Ma Hun, have you forgotten the sect rules? Keep causing trouble, and I'll report this matter to Steward Liu!" Li Yuncong rebuked him sharply.

That kick seemed to wake Ma Hun up. His fury gradually subsided, but the look he gave Ye Zhen remained incomparably venomous.

"Ye Zhen, you coward!"

"Ye Zhen, you're a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong! If you have the guts, fight me, Ma Hun, openly and fairly! If you don't dare, then you're the son of a bitch!" Ma Hun changed tactics and began challenging Ye Zhen to battle.

"Ma Hun, I've only been in the sect for a few days and haven't even learned any martial arts. Are you the idiot, or am I?" After scorning Ma Hun once more, Ye Zhen stood atop the Martial Arena, and his expression suddenly became solemn.

"Ma Hun, my mother carried me painfully in her womb for ten months before giving birth to me. Calling me the son of a bitch means insulting my mother. You can insult me, but if you dare insult my mother, I will never let you off easily!"

"Just you?" Ma Hun sneered.

Ye Zhen's expression turned exceedingly grave. He suddenly cupped his hands toward all four directions. "I ask Senior Brother Li to bear witness. I ask all my fellow brothers to bear witness. Three months from now, I, Ye Zhen, will fight Ma Hun to the death upon this Martial Arena!"

At that, Ye Zhen's voice burst like spring thunder as he shouted at Ma Hun, "Ma Hun, three months from now, do you dare accept this battle?"

"Three months?" Ma Hun licked his lips. "How much can your cultivation improve in three months? Do you think you're Ren Xihua? Why wouldn't I dare?"

"Good. Since you dare accept, then three months from now, I will definitely beat you, Ma Hun, into the son of a bitch you are!" Throwing down those words, Ye Zhen leaped off the Martial Arena and turned away, leaving the crowd with only his retreating back.

"Kid, you're dead!" Ma Hun clenched his fists fiercely.

Li Yuncong, still on the Martial Arena, frowned slightly. "Three months... That's too short. It won't be enough no matter what. Ma Hun has already condensed several drops of True Essence..."

As Ye Zhen departed, the many Outer Disciples gathered around the Martial Arena gradually dispersed as well.

After the crowd had dispersed, Jin Yuanbao's round figure suddenly appeared. But Jin Yuanbao's face was utterly dejected.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

With a miserable expression, Jin Yuanbao fiercely slapped his own chubby face, each slap ringing loud and clear.

"Serves you right for being blind!"

"Serves you right for being shortsighted!"

"Jin Yuanbao, Jin Yuanbao, you always pride yourself on being clever. How could you let such a chance to strike it rich slip away today? What a waste of these dog eyes!"

After returning from his excuse to take a piss, Jin Yuanbao had discovered in horror that Ye Zhen had actually won against all odds. He nearly regretted it so much his intestines turned green.

A chance to pick up silver and become rich had simply slipped through his fingers.

"There's something strange about that kid Ye Zhen. I absolutely can't miss any of his excitement in the future!" Jin Yuanbao secretly resolved.

After leaving the Martial Arena, Ye Zhen did not return to cultivate. Instead, he headed toward the Scripture Depository. Today's battle had made Ye Zhen realize his shortcomings.

He had no suitable martial arts techniques, much less any suitable movement technique.

If Li Xuelong had not been so arrogant today, and had instead used an exquisite movement technique to fight while circling around him, he could have driven Ye Zhen mad without even fighting head-on. Ye Zhen's victory over Li Xuelong had also been the result of meticulous calculation.

Otherwise, despite possessing a body full of power, Ye Zhen, who knew no martial arts techniques and no movement techniques, truly would have had no way to deal with Li Xuelong—much less fight Ma Hun, who had entered the Earth Ranking.

Therefore, learning martial arts techniques and movement techniques as quickly as possible was absolutely necessary.

At the entrance to the Qi Yun Sect's Scripture Depository, Ye Zhen used the White Jade Token representing his status as an Outer Disciple to smoothly enter the first floor of the Scripture Depository.