Humiliation

Several days later...

In the shadowy secret chamber beneath Third Master Qi's study.

The dim candlelight revealed two figures.

Qi Changshun looked at the disfigured man across from him, his expression complicated. "Brother Yan, you passed the Hunyuan Contending Force on to Yu'er? But... but the price you paid for this secret art still hasn't healed. How can I feel at ease?"

Brother Yan's name was Lu Yan.

Back then, he had stolen this cultivation method amid the chaos, intending to use it to rebuild his foundation. However, he had been pursued the entire way. Before he even had the chance to cultivate it, his cultivation had nearly collapsed completely, and he still hadn't recovered after all these years.

Lu Yan said, "Changshun, you risked the destruction of your entire clan to take me in. I should at least repay that kindness."

Qi Changshun said, "But can he... really learn it?"

Lu Yan said, "I don't know. But all these years, I've looked at that page of golden scripture every day. I repeatedly practiced it in my mind, and then I understood one thing."

"What thing?"

"The Hunyuan Contending Force demands extraordinary comprehension."

He fell silent for a moment, then said slowly, "So high that... you can't learn it, and neither can I."

Qi Changshun smiled bitterly. "Then, Yu'er's comprehension..."

If his son truly had great comprehension, he wouldn't have needed a month to break into the ninth grade.

Though one's innate foundation played a part, the family hadn't skimped on resources for him either.

Those other geniuses had broken into the ninth grade in just three or four days.

By comparison, his own son seemed astonishingly mediocre.

Lu Yan cut him off. "You're underestimating him."

He leaned forward slightly, the candlelight casting shadows across his ferocious face. "There are three kinds of people with terrifying comprehension in this world.

"First, those who understand everything at a glance, draw inferences from related things, and learn one thing while understanding three.

"Second, those who seem dull-witted, yet advance step by step; once they grasp the fundamentals, they can cultivate it to perfection.

"Third, those who possess the strengths of both.

"You may not recognize the dark metallic sheen covering your son's hands, but I'll tell you this: that is precisely the manifestation of perfection.

"Your son may need to spend more time, and even more resources, learning a cultivation method. But once he masters the basics, he can slowly grind it to perfection. If not for that, I never would have passed the Hunyuan Contending Force on to him."

Qi Changshun said nervously, "Then... what if Yu'er can't even grasp the basics?"

Powerful confidence flashed in Lu Yan's eyes. "With me here, he will. Since this child has learned the Hunyuan Contending Force... I've begun to look forward to what he can do."

The next day...

Qi Yu cultivated until he was utterly exhausted, his whole body aching. He felt that the Hunyuan Contending Force truly wasn't a technique meant for humans to practice.

He was almost certain that if he hadn't had the perfect Spirit Serpent Skill as a foundation, anyone else who practiced it would probably end up crippled from head to toe.

He had intended to rest for a day, but his father came looking for him and said Uncle Yan had summoned him to the secret chamber.

At this moment...

In the shadowy chamber...

Qi Yu lay facedown on a low, hard-wood table, his bare back taut. Sweat slid down it, leaving several damp marks on the tabletop.

"Uncle Yan... gently... a little gentler..."

Beside the table, Lu Yan held a silver needle between the fingers of his right hand. He stared solemnly at the youth, as if observing something.

Suddenly, a flash of cold light flickered, and the silver needle sank firmly into a spot on Qi Yu's back.

Hiss~~

Qi Yu's muscles suddenly tensed. He jerked his head up, and a muffled groan escaped his throat.

"Ow!!"

But in the next instant, the needle tip seemed to puncture something. The blocked flow of qi and blood exploded with a roar, and scorching heat and stabbing pain swept through his entire body like a tidal wave.

"Endure it."

Lu Yan's voice was cold and hard, but his hands did not stop moving for even a moment.

Qi Yu clenched his teeth hard, his ten fingers gripping the hard wood on either side as he endured.

Unexpectedly, once the initial agony passed, a numb, swollen sensation seeped out from deep within his body, carrying an indescribable hint of comfort.

Another silver needle descended.

Qi Yu's body trembled violently, yet this time he made no sound.

Lu Yan lightly twisted his fingertips, making the silver needle quiver. Looking at the youth's expression, he seemed to recall something from the past. A trace of remembrance flashed through his eyes, and a smile touched the corners of his lips, but his voice remained cold and hard. "Look at you!!"

Qi Yu was silent for a moment, then replied, "Uncle Yan, it really doesn't hurt. Not one bit. It's just a little itchy."

"Oh?"

Lu Yan inserted another needle.

Qi Yu hurt so badly he was like a shrimp tossed into a pot of boiling oil, his body nearly curling into a bow. But perhaps out of spite toward Lu Yan, he laughed and shouted, "This feels great! This is amazing! Uncle Yan, it feels so good!"

Lu Yan was stunned for a moment. "You little brat, stop shouting."

Pin Hai Restaurant.

"Esteemed customer, that comes to twenty taels of silver."

The waiter bent at the waist, sneaking a glance at the burly youth before the table and secretly clicking his tongue. The cost of this meal was enough to equal more than a year's wages.

However, the youth acted as if he hadn't heard him.

The waiter didn't dare urge him. He retreated to the side with an apologetic smile.

Bang!!

A deafening crash suddenly rang out. The youth slammed his palm onto the table, sending the bowls and chopsticks flying and porcelain shards scattering everywhere.

The restaurant fell silent.

Several martial artists in tight attire quickly surrounded them. Behind the youth, five or six burly men with thick waists and broad shoulders abruptly rose. They all wore black shirts with bear emblems embroidered on their cuffs, their gazes fierce.

The manager hurried forward and cupped his hands. "Young master, Pin Hai Restaurant is open for business, but we can't withstand this sort of disruption. What exactly do you mean by this?"

The burly youth sneered. A black-clad martial artist behind him said, "Our senior brother is Han Yan of the Black Bear Martial Hall!"

Han Yan raised a hand and said lazily, "Call Chu Xiao out. I'll fight him.

"If he wins, I'll pay three times the silver and apologize in public.

"But if he loses..."

He bared his snow-white teeth with a grin. "I'll still compensate you. He'll just need to say three times in public, 'I, Chu Xiao, am inferior to Han Yan.'"

The manager froze for a moment.

Another martial artist behind Han Yan said, "This has nothing to do with Pin Hai Restaurant. Hurry up."

The manager's expression shifted slightly. He turned his head and whispered a few words.

Before long, the crowd parted, and a young man in brocade robes walked over at an unhurried pace. He was tall and slender, his brows and eyes cold and stern. Several of the restaurant's martial artists lowered their heads and stepped aside, quietly calling, "Brother Chu."

Chu Xiao's gaze was haughty. Without sparing these people a glance, he walked straight up to Han Yan.

Although this was his first time seeing the man, he wasn't unfamiliar with him.

For the past few days, people at the tea stall across from the restaurant had been discussing the matter endlessly. The idlers from the eastern part of the city had been wagging their tongues, saying things like, "The Spirit Serpent Martial Hall and the Black Bear Martial Hall in the eastern district have both taken in a genius, but Han Yan of the Black Bear Martial Hall is far stronger than Chu Xiao of the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall."

He had treated it as nothing more than dogs barking.

If Han Yan hadn't come looking for him, he would have let it go.

But now that he had...

He couldn't possibly yield.

The Spirit Serpent Martial Hall was the first stepping-stone on his climb toward greater heights.

Teacher Song's gaze, Senior Sister Song Xue's smile, and even the hidden awe of his fellow disciples at the martial hall all told him one thing—he was a true genius.

As for Han Yan?

The corners of Chu Xiao's lips lifted slightly.

Just a brute.

Chu Xiao walked to the table and looked down at Han Yan.

The latter had one foot planted on the bench. The muscles beneath his short shirt knotted like coiled ropes, and with his thick neck, he looked exactly like a black bear ready to pounce.

Chu Xiao curled his lips and sneered. "A brute trains until his muscles bulge, but can he still bend his arms and move flexibly? The Black Bear Martial Hall... Heh, does it only teach crude tricks?"

Han Yan didn't get angry. He sprang to his feet, pointed outside, and said, "Let's go."

Chu Xiao lifted his chin and said indifferently, "Let's go."

The restaurant and the street outside erupted at once, and many spectators surged over in a great rush.

Outside the restaurant, the sky was overcast.

A short while later...

A light rain began to fall.

Chu Xiao lay on his back on the ground, his cheekbones bruised purple, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth, his nose swollen and his eyes blackened.

Han Yan stood bare-chested. His thickly muscled chest was slightly flushed, but he paid it no heed. He merely grinned as he ground the sole of his boot against Chu Xiao's chest, wiping the mud from it, and said gruffly, "What? The 'genius' of the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall doesn't even have the guts to admit defeat?"

Chu Xiao clenched his teeth.

He couldn't say, "I, Chu Xiao, am inferior to Han Yan."

Once those words left his mouth, it wouldn't simply mean that he was inferior to Han Yan. It would mean that the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall had been trampled beneath the Black Bear Martial Hall.

After a long while...

Han Yan threw his head back and laughed, his arrogance laid bare. He suddenly bent down, seized Chu Xiao by the hair, and forcibly lifted him into the air. Looking around at the sea of people, he shouted, "Take a good look, everyone! This is the genius of the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall. His martial arts are rotten, his martial virtue is abysmal—he's nothing special, nothing special at all!!! Hahahahaha!!"

He wore a savage grin as he abruptly flung his hand, sending Chu Xiao crashing back into the muddy ground.

"Hahaha!"

Han Yan spread his arms and threw back his head, letting the rain wash the sweat from his body. "Brothers of the Black Bear Martial Hall, hand out the flyers! Sign up today and get half off your tuition!"

His disciples had been prepared long ago. They immediately pulled thick stacks of coarse paper from their robes and wove through the crowd, distributing them while shouting one after another, "Black Bear Martial Hall—real kung fu! We don't teach fancy posturing!"

The cold rain gradually grew heavier.

Chu Xiao lay in the muddy water, the rain washing across his face as he stared blankly into the distance. The light in his eyes slowly dispersed.

Qi Yu pushed open the door to the underground chamber and slowly walked out.

He stretched lazily, his muscles and bones extending. He felt as if his entire body had been "rebooted," leaving him indescribably refreshed.

"What a rush..."

A trace of satisfaction swept through his eyes.

Ever since Uncle Yan had begun guiding him at his side, he seemed no longer to need to worry about cultivation backlash. Even every bit of his potential was being squeezed out with perfect precision.

Now, his energy was almost overflowing.

He had originally planned to rest today.

But now... keep going!