But Chen Yan's attention was fixed solely on his own fist.
He knew only this one punch. This was the only punch he had in him, the only thing that could keep him alive!
This punch.
He roared at the Green Snake, roared at life, roared at all the contempt and arrogance!
Within the Saint Breaking Realm, unprecedented golden light blazed from Shen Fei, carrying a wisp of red light. Bright as a river of stars, it surged without end toward the Saint Breaking Tree.
The trunk began to sway. Rolling golden light coursed along its ridges, gathering toward that one golden fruit.
Outside.
Atop the treetop, Luo Puxin's expression turned grave. His brows lifted, and his body froze in that instant.
Like a cannon blast, a roar rang out the moment the Green Snake's body met Chen Yan's right fist.
The enormous blue-green serpent, as massive as a dragon, flew away in an instant. It smashed through a thick tree trunk and crashed onto the mountainside.
A hiss rang out.
The killing intent within it left Chen Yan stunned.
It had been knocked flying, and now it was fleeing. What was wrong with that?
Chen Yan was faster. He darted between the tree trunks.
But the next moment...
The whole earth shuddered violently, as if struck by an earthquake. A pitch-black boulder... a black-clad figure came crashing down from above, slamming into the Green Snake's head. The rolling shockwave struck Chen Yan in the back.
Chen Yan felt the ground tremble beneath him. He looked back in alarm.
A tall figure stood there, both feet planted on the Green Snake's flattened head, meeting Chen Yan's gaze.
Just a moment ago, this man had crushed the Green Snake to death!
A martial artist!
The two characters, Town Martial, on the man's shoulder patch showed that he belonged to the Town Martial Division.
He was a martial artist from the Town Martial Division.
So strong. A true powerhouse!
"What's your name?" Luo Puxin asked Chen Yan. Compared with the snake, Chen Yan was what interested him more.
If Chen Yan's performance earlier, as he dodged and fled from the Qingju Snake, had earned him seventy points,
then that punch just now deserved a score of ninety.
In that instant, Chen Yan's strength had surged, and the punch he'd thrown had displayed the skill of the Body Refinement Fist Technique.
And that skill was certainly no shallow achievement.
Then there was the red glow that had burst from his fist.
A talent like this was far too rare in a place like this.
"Chen Yan," Chen Yan answered honestly.
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"Still in high school?" Luo Puxin's mouth fell open. So he wasn't a college student home for the holidays. He looked straight at Chen Yan and asked again:
"Are you from Qingshan High?"
"Yeah." Chen Yan nodded, then bowed to Luo Puxin.
"Thank you for saving me, Venerable Sir."
Chen Yan looked respectfully at the man before him. The gap between him and the Green Snake had been nowhere near as great as the gap between the Green Snake and this man.
The instant kill still made his heart quake just thinking about it.
Luo Puxin nodded. Only then did he take a proper look at the young man before him. He saw a flicker of excitement in Chen Yan's eyes, followed by a hint of worry.
"Did you have a companion?" Luo Puxin recalled the scene on the mountaintop. His voice grew low.
"My dad should be on the mountain too. I just haven't found him," Chen Yan said quietly.
"Mm." Luo Puxin nodded. After thinking for a moment, he said,
"I'll take you down the mountain first. After that, I'll help look for him. What's your dad's name?"
With an ordinary person, he would certainly have given him a stern scolding. But this young man's performance today had been truly impressive.
A spark of hope rose in Chen Yan's heart. He answered at once:
"My dad's name is Chen Yuxu."
"Mm, Chen Yu..." Luo Puxin nodded, but then froze. A strange look appeared in his eyes.
"Seems my family and yours are fated to cross paths today."
He looked at Chen Yan with a faint smile.
"Your dad didn't go up the mountain. Your younger sister was in a car accident this morning, and your dad has already gone to the county Town Martial Hall."
At his words, Chen Yan's body stiffened. The next moment, all the pressure and worry seemed to melt away. He let out a long breath, but then his eyes suddenly contracted.
"My sister was in a car accident!"
He cried out, his face filled with anxiety.
"She's fine, just scraped up. The driver fled the scene, but your sister and dad only went to the Town Martial Hall to fill out some paperwork. They should be home by now."
Luo Puxin patted Chen Yan's shoulder. He could clearly feel the pent-up strength inside the young man before him suddenly ebb away.
"That's good..." Chen Yan relaxed. A wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over him, and a relieved smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Still, a little anxiety lingered. After all, if the Town Martial Division discovered that a villager had entered Qingshan without permission, they would issue a fine.
But Luo Puxin hadn't brought it up, so Chen Yan could only wait.
Luo Puxin had mostly guessed why Chen Yan had come here. He asked a few questions, and sure enough, Chen Yan's explanation was much as he'd expected.
Chen Yan hid nothing. He even told Luo Puxin about picking the Red-haired Ganoderma.
Lying to a martial artist who had just saved him would have been the stupidest thing to do.
Luo Puxin smiled. His admiration for Chen Yan grew even stronger.
He'd misunderstood Chen Yan earlier.
A seventeen-year-old willing to risk his life and venture into Qingshan for his father needed not only filial devotion, but courage too.
No one could dislike a person like that. A young man willing to brave the mountain for his father surely wouldn't treat others badly either.
Thinking this, Luo Puxin pointed at the dead snake.
"This is a Qingju Snake. Its meat sells for more than ten thousand yuan per jin. I did most of the work killing it, and you helped, so I'll have someone deliver some to your home tonight.
Where do you live?"
To him, a piece of snake meat was just another dish. But for a gifted young man like Chen Yan, it was an enormous kindness.
Knowing Chen Yan had gone up the mountain for his father made Luo Puxin think even more highly of him.
Chen Yan froze, surprised.
"I didn't do anything. It was all you, Venerable Sir..."
"You did help. I, Luo Puxin, wouldn't take advantage of you."
Chen Yan knew that even though he'd thrown that punch earlier, he hadn't really hurt the Qingju Snake.
Luo Puxin had been the one to kill it, but Chen Yan couldn't refuse his offer.
Snake meat worth more than ten thousand yuan per jin was far too important to his family right now.
"Chen Yan, you're well suited to the Body Tempering Path. Although your talent in the Qi and Blood Martial Path is even greater than your talent in body tempering, the Body Tempering Path is actually a better fit for you."
As Luo Puxin spoke, he thought of the punch Chen Yan had thrown earlier. He hadn't expected to encounter such a prodigy here.
"Mm... Hm?" Chen Yan stared at him, slightly stunned.
"My talent in the Qi and Blood Martial Path is high?"
His brows lifted. He'd failed to awaken before.
"High..." Luo Puxin nodded.
"Not high either."
He was about to continue when the walkie-talkie at his waist began to vibrate. Luo Puxin furrowed his brow.
"I'll take you down the mountain first. I'll have someone bring the snake meat to your home tonight. I'll tell you about your Qi and Blood awakening then."
As he spoke, he grabbed Chen Yan by the shoulder.
A shockwave burst around them. The scenery beside Chen Yan blurred and shifted, and in the blink of an eye, they were outside the mountain.
Luo Puxin clearly had other matters to attend to. Chen Yan wanted to ask about Qi and Blood awakening, but decided to let it go.
"I'll remember your kindness today, Chen Yan said."
At the foot of the mountain, Chen Yan bowed deeply to Luo Puxin, then waved goodbye. Luo Puxin smiled and waved back.
"Country folk sure are honest. Elsewhere, you help someone and they think you owe it to them."
Luo Puxin sighed. Chen Yan's conduct had left him thoroughly satisfied, and he felt quite pleased.
Chen Yan didn't dare go straight home. He was filthy from head to toe, so he took a detour to Clear Water Pool, hidden at the foot of Green Mountain.
He jumped into the pool and washed himself and his clothes thoroughly.
It was overcast today, but it hadn't rained, and the air was stifling. Even though his clothes were soaked, they'd be nearly dry by the time he got home.
As he scrubbed himself carefully, Chen Yan noticed bruises of all sizes across his upper body and shoulders.
He sighed softly. He was bound to get a scolding when he went home.
But thankfully, although all three members of his family had run into danger today, they were all safe now.
His younger sister had also been in a car accident. Chen Yan's thoughts stirred. Last year, he'd been in a car accident too, and had been bedridden for a whole year.
How could this be such a coincidence?
Chen Yan shook his head. He'd have to ask about it properly when he got home.
[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 2 (2/15)]
[Saint Breaking Fruit:
Strength: (3/100)
Blood: (12/100)
Skill: (67/100)]
Chen Yan had noticed the changes in the Saint Breaking Realm long ago. When he'd eaten the Strength Character Saint Breaking Fruit, the progress of his Skill Character Saint Breaking Fruit had only been 27/100.
But after the final punch he'd thrown at the Qingju Snake, the progress of his Skill Character Saint Breaking Fruit had surged by forty percentage points in an instant.
He'd broken through his limits several times, and the Blood Character Saint Breaking Fruit had also gained a few points.
That punch he'd thrown earlier seemed to have produced a red glow again. Chen Yan furrowed his brow. Had he failed to awaken again?
Could you fail a second time?
Why had Luo Puxin said he had great talent in the Qi and Blood Martial Path?
"Forget it. I'll think about it later." Chen Yan rinsed his clothes in the pool.
He'd gained so much today!
A Strength Character Saint Breaking Fruit, a huge boost to his Skill Character Saint Breaking Fruit, a Red-haired Ganoderma, and the Qingju Snake meat Luo Puxin had promised him.
Chen Yuxu and his younger sister, Chen Yu, should already be home. Chen Yan didn't wait for his clothes to dry. He put them on and headed home.
"You didn't go to Qingshan?" a surprised voice called out. Chen Yan followed the sound and saw Hu Zeyuan fishing on the other side of the pool.
"I didn't go to Qingshan. Disappointed?" Chen Yan said calmly.
"You?" Hu Zeyuan frowned, anger flickering in his eyes.
"How dare you talk to me like that!"
Chen Yan didn't even look back. He walked away.
"Why aren't you dead in there yet?" Hu Zeyuan muttered where he stood.
Before, he would have slapped Chen Yan hard across the face, and Chen Yuxu wouldn't have dared say a thing.
But lately, the two families had fallen out, and their ties as relatives had all but been severed.
If he hit Chen Yan now, Chen Yan would definitely hit back.
Before you continue