"How long are you planning to keep me locked up?"
In a single-person iron cell in the basement of the Town Martial Hall, Chen Yan stood before the bars, his expression cold.
At first, he had been held in the detention room with Wang Yang.
But now he had been taken to an iron cell. This was no longer detention. It was imprisonment.
The county Town Martial Hall had the authority to imprison criminals, and the iron cells were meant for them.
Sentences of more than a week and less than a year were served in the Town Martial Hall's prison.
Sentences of more than a year meant transfer to a large prison.
In the corridor, a young Martial Division officer looked at Chen Yan and spoke with a hint of sympathy in his eyes:
"The city called just now. You got yourself into big trouble today."
"He was going to chop off Teacher Wang's fingers," Chen Yan said.
The young Martial Division officer fell silent for a moment. He looked at Chen Yan, the sympathy in his eyes growing stronger.
"His boss's surname is Gong. You know that, right? Sometimes the Town Martial Division's rules don't work. The Town Martial Hall's rules matter even less."
Chen Yan's heart sank. He looked at the young Martial Division officer.
"What do you think will happen to me?"
The other man's face stiffened. This time, he met Chen Yan's eyes directly, seeming moved by something. He spoke softly:
"That man's master is only an illegitimate member of the Gong Family. He runs a company, but even so, he's still part of the Gong Family. He has a lot of influence.
"I think you'll be locked up for at least a year. After all, you're just a..."
"I have a Strength Stripe. I'm already a martial artist." Chen Yan took off his shirt, revealing a black pattern on his chest shaped like a Coiled Dragon.
The young martial artist stiffened, staring at Chen Yan in astonishment.
A genius of the Body Tempering Path!
"One Strength Stripe. You're impressive!"
Suddenly, a shout rang out in the corridor. The young Martial Division officer hurriedly stepped back, only to see a man wrapped in bandages like a Pig Head approaching with Director Xin Gongxian.
"You brat, you've got some nerve! You're looking to die? I'll make it happen!"
The man swore furiously, his two vicious eyes glaring at Chen Yan through the openings in his bandages.
"Secretary Ye, calm down. The kid doesn't know any better." Beside him, Director Xin Gongxian spoke, glancing at Chen Yan with utter indifference.
"Calm down? Calm down my ass!" The Suit Man glared at Xin Gongxian and shouted:
"Can't you see I've been beaten half to death? Are you blind?"
Xin Gongxian stiffened slightly. This man was nothing but a dog clinging to the Gong Family, yet he dared to speak to him like that.
Though that was what Xin Gongxian thought, he glared at Chen Yan and said in a low voice:
"Look at the mess you've made!"
A Red Light emerged from Xin Gongxian, and a surge of force swept through the entire corridor. Secretary Ye, still clutching his bandages, was about to curse again, but his expression shifted.
He was furious, and only now remembered that the man beside him, Xin Gongxian, was the director of the Town Martial Hall.
"Chen Yan, you've gotten yourself into terrible trouble this time. No one can help you. Stay here and serve your time. How long you're locked up depends on how you behave!"
Xin Gongxian shouted, his voice reverberating with Qi and Blood until it shook the ears.
He was dissatisfied with Secretary Ye. By scolding Chen Yan, he was also warning Secretary Ye.
This was his territory.
Chen Yan was just a tool he was using to intimidate Secretary Ye.
"How long am I going to be locked up?" Chen Yan asked coldly.
He needed to join the Town Martial Class. If he was locked up for too long, it would be too late.
"You want to get out?" Secretary Ye's expression turned strange.
"Hahahaha!"
He laughed.
"If this weren't the Town Martial Hall, but Yunmeng City, do you think you'd still be alive right now?" His voice turned venomous, like a snake.
He'd been beaten like this by some poor student from a backwater place.
How was he supposed to show his face tomorrow? What would he tell people?
In the past, Chen Yan would have been beaten to death while screaming.
Chen Yan's gaze swept over Secretary Ye and settled on Xin Gongxian, only to find the man looking at him with indifference.
Chen Yan sat down on the seat inside the iron cell, his body fading into the darkness.
"I understand."
His voice was calm, as if he had accepted the fate that awaited him.
Last year, he'd been in a car accident. A few days ago, his younger sister had been in one, too. The Town Martial Hall had no leads.
The Noodle Shop he depended on for a living had been awarded to Zhang Qingsi's father.
Xin Gongxian had handled all of it.
Chen Yan didn't believe the man would give him a fair hearing.
"You little bastard, you..." Secretary Ye was about to curse again, but Xin Gongxian cut him off:
"Chen Yan, you made a mistake. Reflect on it properly."
Xin Gongxian narrowed his eyes.
"But if you keep causing trouble, I'll take your life!"
His voice boomed like a dragon's roar.
Beside him, Secretary Ye's eyes narrowed. His expression grew even more vicious. Xin Gongxian was using Chen Yan to warn him again.
"I understand." Chen Yan's voice came from the darkness.
"I'll train hard and reach Unity as soon as possible, so I won't let all your hard work go to waste, Director."
He sounded perfectly sincere, with a hint of respect.
Everyone froze. Unity?
After the first realm of the Body Tempering Path, the Seventy-two Patterns Extreme Forging Realm, came the Unity Realm.
What was he talking about?
Xin Gongxian narrowed his eyes. This brat was threatening him.
How many people could even reach seventy-two patterns, let alone Unity?
Ridiculous.
Everyone left.
Someone turned off the lights inside the cell. Chen Yan sat quietly. The four walls were like pitch-black inkstone, radiating a deep, secluded chill. The air carried a hint of stench and a few traces of lonely desolation.
[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 3 (1/75)] [Saint Breaking Fruit: Strength: (100/100) Blood (99/100) Skill: (100/100) Physique: (34/100)]
When he shifted his consciousness to the Saint Breaking Realm, he discovered that the [Strength] and [Skill] Saint Breaking Fruits had both ripened.
Golden light still rolled through the Saint Breaking Realm. The Skill Energy left over from the knowledge poured into his mind had dwindled considerably, but there was still enough to grow another [Skill] Saint Breaking Fruit.
Chen Yan swallowed both Saint Breaking Fruits in one go.
Surging power and memories crashed through his body and mind.
Whoosh...
Chen Yan stood up, his expression calm.
Was he angry? Yes.
But anger was useless right now. It would only hurt him.
Other people were trying to harm him. He couldn't keep hurting himself, too.
Seeing the Town Martial Class slip farther and farther out of reach, Chen Yan covered his face with one hand and couldn't help laughing.
"Hahahaha!" His clear voice rang through the darkness.
There was no one left who could help him.
He'd only met Luo Puxin once. Would he help him?
His father couldn't help him.
Teacher Wang Yang couldn't help him anymore, either.
His younger sister was still too young.
"Who can help me?" Chen Yan's lips moved, and a difficult, stifling feeling rose inexplicably in his heart.
After a long while...
"Saint Breaking Tree, can you help me?" Chen Yan murmured inwardly.
At this moment, it was his only hope.
Only the Saint Breaking Tree could help him.
The [Blood] Saint Breaking Fruit was only one tiny step away from ripening completely.
Chen Yan had refused to give up on Limit Breaking Awakening all this time because of the Saint Breaking Tree.
Because of this [Blood] Saint Breaking Fruit.
Today, he would awaken through limit breaking!
He took a deep breath and calmed himself.
With each deep breath, his understanding of the Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon grew more profound.
Breathe, breathe!
Chen Yan's muscles flexed and contracted slightly. His sinews, bones, and skin gradually began to heat up.
A mouthful of Red Mist escaped his lips.
A faint airburst cracked between Chen Yan's fists.
Chen Yan threw another punch into the air. As his fist shot forward, a ring of pale-red force visibly rippled out from it.
Another punch.
The sound of his fist wasn't thunderous, but it was clear and sharp. A faint wave of force stirred the air inside the iron cell.
Airburst after airburst rang out, echoing without end inside the cell.
Punch after punch, he drove himself to his limit.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!
He punched faster and faster, harder and harder, until he was utterly spent. Yet he kept striking, like a tireless machine.
Currents of air rose throughout the iron cell, binding together, twisting around each other, and churning.
Finally, a moment came when Red Mist billowed around him. Chen Yan was drenched in sweat, his muscles bulging.
A stream of heat coursed through his body, through his internal organs, surging and crashing.
Chen Yan had completely absorbed the Skill Energy from the [Skill] Saint Breaking Fruit.
Yet his mind was still filled with obscure knowledge. As he kept punching and breathing, more and more of it became clear.
Sweat seeped out, then evaporated.
The currents of air whirling around him surged more fiercely.
Tired, more tired, utterly exhausted.
Then, in a single instant...
A glimmer of Red Light burst from Chen Yan's fist.
The Red Light shifted, and the blurred figure of a girl appeared.
"What's with you these past few days? You're acting like a lunatic. It's scary."
The girl complained. Her older sister, Gong Fanling, had been making her train day and night for the past few days.
And the person competing against her to awaken through limit breaking was still far behind.
Chen Yan paid her no mind and looked at the Data Panel.
[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 3 (3/75)] [Saint Breaking Fruit: Strength: (15/100) Blood (100/100) Skill: (9/100) Physique: (42/100)]
The [Blood] Saint Breaking Fruit had ripened!
Chen Yan's heart pounded violently as he swallowed the [Blood] Saint Breaking Fruit.
Crash!
A wave of scorching fire, like molten lava, surged through every inch of Chen Yan's body. He gasped heavily, sensing his own flesh and muscles, excitement filling him.
Flame-like Qi and Blood Energy suddenly blazed across Chen Yan's body.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
The vast Qi and Blood Energy surged in an instant through every part of his internal organs.
"What's happening to you? Are you about to awaken?"
The girl in the Red Light cried out, sensing the changes in Chen Yan and jumping in fright.
Chen Yan said nothing. His eyes shone brightly as he sensed every change in his body.
He was about to awaken.
After waiting for a long time...
"You... you're going to succeed."
Within the red glow, the girl let out a troubled sigh and suddenly seemed to lose all strength, sinking to the ground.
But then—
Hiss...
The blazing Blood Energy flames rolling over Chen Yan's body began to recede.
The heat within his five organs quickly faded.
"Hmm?" The girl blinked.
"Did you eat a heavenly treasure?
"It's no use. We're Limit Breaking Awakeners. Only breaking limits can awaken us. No matter how good a treasure you eat, your body won't absorb it."
The girl stood up and rubbed her chin.
"But you must be pretty rich. I could feel how pure the Blood Energy you just unleashed was. I thought you were poor."
"Shut up!" Chen Yan snapped.
The girl fell silent. It was the first time Chen Yan had spoken, and his voice was clear and masculine.
Chen Yan stared blankly at the red glow of Blood Energy fading from his body.
The Blood Energy that the Saint Breaking Fruit had given him was disappearing at an alarming rate.
His whole body tensed as he tried to stop it from vanishing, but to no avail.
His body was like a fire going out, beyond saving.
At last, nearly all the Blood Energy in his body had vanished. Only the final inch remained in his right fist, and it was about to disappear.
"So..." Chen Yan's expression fell.
"You can't help me either."
He watched the inch of flame in his palm dwindle away until only a spark remained.
No one could help him.
Not even the Saint Breaking Tree could help him.
Who could help him?
Chen Yan smiled, looking utterly helpless.
"I told you, it's really hard," the girl said, trying to comfort him.
"This is Limit Breaking Awakening."
Chen Yan punched.
"Can you help me?" he murmured.
"Huh?" The girl blinked.
"We're competing against each other."
Chen Yan swung his fist again.
At the very instant the inch of Blood Energy at his knuckles was about to go out, it seemed to catch a gust of wind and flickered faintly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Red sparks appeared at his knuckles, like sparks flying from a struck match.
That tiny flame burned in his palm, tearing his flesh. The pain was excruciating.
"You... you!" The girl cried out in alarm, sensing the change in Chen Yan.
In his ears rang the sound of Chen Yan's punches, like steel clashing and a mad dragon roaring.
Resolute, ruthless, surging forward without pause.
In the darkness, tiny flames burst forth, burning ever brighter.
It was as if a thousand, ten thousand living beings were roaring and struggling.
Chen Yan kept punching. The pain of the Blood Energy stabbing into his body grew even more intense, but he didn't stop.
Can you help me?
Chen Yan.
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