Chapter Forty-Six: I'm Easy to Kill, So Don't Hold Back

Chen Yan walked through the forest. Compared to the last time he'd entered Qingshan, he now felt a confidence he couldn't quite explain.

He wanted to encounter an Ancient Beast. He wanted to meet a Qingju Snake again and see just how hard his fists had become.

"That's Chen Yan, from Qingshan High School."

Chen Yan looked over. Beneath the blazing sun, two young men stood quietly under an ancient tree, watching him. He paid them no mind and continued on.

He activated his Breathing Technique and adjusted his body's vitality, sharpening his five senses.

Then he headed toward the upper left.

"He went that way. We barely managed to escape. Should we warn him?" one of the two young men asked.

"Warn him my ass. What does it matter to us where he goes?" The other folded his arms and spoke mockingly.

"If he gets eliminated, that's one less spot in the Experimental Zone house for the rest of us."

Hiss, hiss, hiss...

A massive serpentine body scraped across the ground. A giant snake covered in green scales slithered along like a flowing stream.

Beside the snake, Chen Yan stood on an ancient tree, gripping a branch with one hand as he watched the Qingju Snake below. His eyes flashed, and he let go.

The instant he dropped, a blood-red vortex of energy burst from his fist, whistling through the air. Beneath the tree, the Qingju Snake sensed something and raised its eyes.

But it was too late!

With a thunderous crash, Chen Yan's fist swept up a red gale and slammed into the Qingju Snake's head. The moment they collided, its head sank deep into the earth, and its enormous body sprang upward.

Its head caved in from the blow, and brain matter spilled out. A faint smile appeared at the corner of Chen Yan's mouth. So that was all there was to a Qingju Snake.

Chen Yan turned the snake's head over and plucked out its right eye. It was a false eye, probably made of steel, with a number marked on it.

[Seven].

Chen Yan continued forward. In that instant just now, he had thrown a [Crimson Heart Fist], and a great deal of golden light had appeared within the Saint Breaking Realm.

A single punch had yielded more than the ten he'd thrown while training.

And there was the Breathing Technique, too.

When the target of his strike was no longer empty air but an enemy he was trying to kill, his mind, body, and spirit seemed to enter a state of focus unlike anything he'd experienced before.

That single strike had brought him a great deal.

"I can't keep using Crimson Heart Fist." Chen Yan murmured.

"In a normal fight, I need to pay attention to the basics, too. I can't just know how to throw that one punch and not know how to kick or dodge."

He'd made up his mind. He would find a captive Ancient Beast and fight it using only [Crimson Gang Profound Strike Fist] and his usual movements.

[Crimson Gang Profound Strike Fist] was the foundation of [Crimson Heart Fist]. If Chen Yan improved at the former, he would improve at the latter as well.

Behind him, the two young men who'd been watching for a show exchanged strange looks.

"Why did it go quiet? That Chen Yan couldn't have..."

Their faces darkened. If Chen Yan had died, they might be among those responsible for his death.

"Should we go take a look?" one of them asked.

"Maybe we shouldn't."

Just then,

Li Qingyuan, Gao Yuan, Yu Zhiwen, and the others arrived. Seeing the two young men, Li Qingyuan asked,

"Have you seen Chen Yan?"

"N-no..." The two hurriedly shook their heads.

Li Qingyuan narrowed his eyes.

"I'm warning you: Chen Yan is one of us. If you hurt him, you're making an enemy of me!"

The two quickly nodded. Li Qingyuan was not someone to mess with.

"Chen Yan, there you are!"

Zhang Qingsi had finally found Chen Yan. He'd been hiding beneath a tree, but when he saw Chen Yan emerge from the woods, covered in blood, he stood up nervously for some reason.

He'd never seen Chen Yan like this before. He could tell the other boy was exhausted.

As for all that blood...

Zhang Qingsi's heart pounded. Could Chen Yan have escaped after being hunted by an Ancient Beast?

He was insane.

He'd risked his life for a few points.

Thinking this, Zhang Qingsi stopped Chen Yan.

"Chen Yan, sell me your house. I'm not saying it twice. Li Shaowu is my senior. You know who he is."

Chen Yan's expression remained calm.

"Why don't you go after Wu Chuhua? He's the one who took your house."

Before Zhang Qingsi could answer, Chen Yan smiled.

"Because you think I'm easier to bully. You tried to take my Town Martial Class Quota because you thought I was easy to bully, too. Isn't that right?"

Zhang Qingsi said nothing. That was exactly right.

Wu Chuhua had Wu Chuqi, the seventh-ranked student in the Town Martial Class, as his older brother. And among the other students living in the Experimental Zone, there were not only geniuses—some came from powerful families, too.

Chen Yan smiled. "Then come fight me."

Zhang Qingsi narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure?"

He knew Chen Yan was strong, but Chen Yan was obviously exhausted. He felt he might actually be able to beat him.

"No..." Zhang Qingsi began, but the trace of viciousness in his heart was driven away by the sight of Chen Yan drenched in blood.

Chen Yan kicked out. To Zhang Qingsi, the leg blurred into a shadow, too fast to make out.

Crack!

Zhang Qingsi's left leg bent and caved in.

"AAAH!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream rang through the woods. Zhang Qingsi clutched his left leg and writhed on the forest floor.

He hadn't even finished speaking before Chen Yan attacked.

One kick. One kick had broken his leg.

"AAAH!!!"

Zhang Qingsi screamed as pain twisted his features.

He'd been about to refuse! Why had Chen Yan attacked?

Why was he so strong?

Tears streamed down Zhang Qingsi's face from the pain.

"Looks like you're no match for me right now." Chen Yan's gaze was calm.

"Come challenge me again once you've healed. If you win, the house is yours."

Chen Yan left, his eyes turning toward the blue sky and white clouds.

If only this place weren't in the Breeding Area.

He could have slaughtered that bastard who'd nearly cut off his future.

What if he held a grudge?

What if his father came after Chen Yan's family?

Chen Yan thought it over, recalling what Luo Puxin had said that night.

He didn't want to be a bad person, but good people really did get bullied again and again.

Was Teacher Wang a good person?

Very much so.

But what did it get him?

He swallowed every loss, and in the end, others saw him as a worm.

If Chen Yan didn't strike hard today, people would only think he was easier and easier to bully.

So he might as well go all the way.

Not everyone was Wu Chuqi or Gao Yuan.

There would always be fools.

First, he had to grow stronger!

Chen Yan clenched his fist.

He continued on, keeping all five senses alert.

He encountered several more Ancient Beasts, each with a different shape.

Some were strong, some were weak. The number in the left eye of the strongest one was [Fifteen].

Chen Yan had no idea what it meant to kill an Ancient Beast worth fifteen points.

But after several fights, he understood the Breathing Technique, the External Refining Technique, and his finishing move, [Crimson Heart Fist], more deeply. His body's efficiency in attack had also improved greatly.

Within the Saint Breaking Realm, another [Strength] fruit ripened.

Besides that [Strength] fruit, Chen Yan had also consumed two [Technique] fruits and two [Physique] fruits that day.

[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 3 (57/75)]

[Saint Breaking Fruits:

Strength: (0/100)

Blood: (36/100)

Technique: (37/100)

Physique: (21/100)]

At the center of his chest were two solid Strength Stripes. As for the three faint stripes representing his sinews, bones, and skin, they had also solidified to around eighty percent.

The deeper Chen Yan's understanding of the Breathing Technique became, the faster he condensed the Pattern Lines.

By dusk,

Chen Yan found an Ancient Beast with blue-black fur, almost identical to a mountain cat. The number marked on its left eye was [Twenty].

"Hoo." Chen Yan exhaled a stream of red-and-white mist and met the cat's gaze.

A tiny cat, yet it was worth more points than the Qingju Snake.

Chen Yan didn't dare let his guard down.

Across from him, the Green Cat clung to a tree trunk, its eerie eyes fixed on Chen Yan as it lowered its body slightly.

A roar like a tiger's rang out. The Green Cat turned into a streak of dark light and pounced at Chen Yan.

So it was a tiger after all.

Chen Yan's heart gave a jolt. The next instant, his fists swept through the air, and he leapt toward the Green Cat.

A rip!

The cat's claws raked across Chen Yan's arm. His clothes tore, and blood spilled out.

So fast!

Chen Yan marveled inwardly. He turned around, and the Green Cat seemed to taunt him with humanlike scorn.

Chen Yan grinned, even more excited.

This cat was faster than him. He was very pleased.

Again!

The beasts roared. Chen Yan swung both arms, stirring the air around him as he dodged and punched again and again.

Thud, thud, thud!

Bloodstains multiplied across Chen Yan's body, pain shooting through him from every direction.

The Green Cat glared at Chen Yan, its beastly eyes fierce as it panted.

"Come on, keep going!" Chen Yan grinned even more brightly at the Green Cat. He'd just felt as if he'd grasped something, but it slipped away the next instant.

He wanted to keep fighting.

Did it hurt?

It hurt like hell.

But if it didn't hurt, someone else would come along and provoke him.

Killing intent surged in Chen Yan's eyes. He'd thought that once he got into the Town Martial Class, all of this would be over.

But was it over?

No.

To make him sign a contract with the Chu Family, Chu Feiyuan hadn't cared at all about his body or his talent. Since Chen Yan was useful, Chu Feiyuan had tried to use underhanded methods to exploit him.

And Zhang Qingsi—this bastard who'd already taken Chen Yan's spot—had the nerve to come and demand his house?

And what about Limit Breaking Awakening?

Was it dangerous? Was it difficult?

Couldn't he just absorb all the Yin Zhe from those people?

He was sick of it.

He hated it.

He wanted to grow stronger fast and butcher every last thing that deserved killing.

He wanted to crush others beneath his heel, until all they could see was Chen Yan's feet.

"Come on!"

Chen Yan roared.

"I'm not afraid, so what are you afraid of?"

His roar drowned out the Green Cat's. Even the wild beast, born in the wilderness and struggling for its life, froze.

"Come!"

"Today, either I kill you or you kill me!"

Chen Yan spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and smiled, bright and clear.

"I'm easy to kill. Don't hold back."

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

The Red Mist in his mouth blazed fiercely. The skin and flesh on Chen Yan's body tightened, then tightened further; his muscles swelled, then swelled further.

His blood surged at full force, and his heart pounded violently.

Here I come!

With one punch, Crimson Gang appeared!

Crimson Gang Profound Strike Fist, entry level!

Without swallowing a Saint Breaking Fruit, he had reached entry level through his own efforts!

In a single instant, his fist reached peak speed, and his strength reached its limit.

Green Cat hadn't even had time to dodge before the punch sent it flying.

It was dumbfounded. This was the first time that brat had ever sent it flying.

What on earth had happened to him?

But Chen Yan kept charging, laughing uproariously, looking almost mad.

Under the rhythm of the Breathing Technique, the faint markings on his sinews, bones, and skin visibly grew more solid.

"I'm easy to kill. So easy to kill. I even want to kill myself!"

Chen Yan charged forward again, pouncing like a beast. Wind howled around him, sweeping up broken branches and fallen leaves as dust billowed into the air.

Suddenly, at one instant, at one particular moment—

Within the Saint Breaking Realm, a flash of white light appeared.

[Prompt: Absorption of True Intent energy detected. The Saint Breaking Tree is unable to absorb it; the Saint Breaking Tree must be upgraded to level six.]

The Saint Breaking Tree couldn't absorb it because its level was too low.

But the reason the white light had appeared was that Chen Yan himself had just produced a trace of True Intent energy.

With each successive attack, each time he skirted danger, light burst forth within the Saint Breaking Tree.

Orange Light represented strength, golden light represented skill, and Green Light represented Physique.

Aside from the [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit, the other fruits grew rapidly.

And on an inconspicuous branch, a tiny silver fruit was slowly growing, too.