Red Heart

A brief silence fell; not a sound stirred around them.

On the sports field, wave after wave of earth was sent flying. Li Shaowu's head had been smashed deep into the dirt, blood splattering through the mud.

"That's enough!"

A low shout rang out. Chen Yan's arm was raised, about to come down again, when a hand seized his wrist.

It was Chu Li, the principal of Second High. He clamped both hands around Chen Yan's arm and held it fast, but in the next instant, his eyes met Chen Yan's as the young man turned his head.

Fierce. Cold. Brutal.

Chu Li opened his mouth. What a ruthless man. He really meant to beat Li Shaowu to death right here.

He had vanished, and now he had returned for Li Shaowu—to beat him to death in front of everyone.

"You... you're going to kill him!"

For some reason, Chu Li's heart was pounding violently. He forced the words out.

In his gaze, the viciousness in the young man's eyes disappeared in an instant, like clouds blotting out the sky one moment, then vanishing until it was clear for thousands of miles the next.

Chen Yan stood up and looked at Li Shaowu, who could no longer move.

"Looks like you won't be taking my house today. Once you've recovered, we'll fight again."

Chen Yan smiled. No one in the distant crowd said a word, but Zhang Qingsi's face among them suddenly turned deathly pale.

Chen Yan had said those same words to him.

It was as if ten thousand thunderclaps roared in his heart, as if towering waves surged within him. At that moment, his eyes met Chen Yan's, filled with alarm and terror.

Cold sweat poured down, soaking his clothes. Zhang Qingsi felt as if a giant hand had seized him, squeezing the breath from his lungs.

Was this really Chen Yan?

He was going to kill Li Shaowu.

Why?

It was just a house. Just a house!

He had stolen Chen Yan's Town Martial Class Quota. Did Chen Yan want to kill him too?

Nobody discussed it. Even the sound of breathing around them had grown faint, as if everyone were doing their utmost to hold their breath.

Chen Yan was handsome and gentle, looking every bit like the boy next door.

Maybe he'd been bullied. Maybe his family had once been in dire straits. But he'd endured it all, and he seemed like an honest, well-behaved young man.

But now, was that really Chen Yan?

This was a blood-soaked madman baring his fangs at everyone!

And he was strong.

So incredibly strong!

If Li Shaowu had been beaten like this, what chance did the rest of them stand?

Gao Yuan's mouth hung open. Beside him, Yu Zhiwen and the other students stood frozen in place. After staring blankly for a moment, a young man named Li Qingyuan slowly spoke.

"Savage!"

He was savage.

Li Qingyuan was shaken. If they could get Chen Yan to join them, they'd be the ones reaching above their station.

"Get an ambulance! Get an ambulance!"

Chu Li shouted, and the scene erupted into chaos.

At the front, Chu Feiyuan stood rooted to the spot, his cheek twitching uncontrollably.

In his mind, Chen Yan had always been a simple, somewhat clever commoner.

But now, Chen Yan had revealed a brutal, ruthless side, and Chu Feiyuan felt that things were about to slip out of his control.

That kid must hate him, deep down.

If he could beat Li Shaowu this badly just for trying to take his room, then what about him...

He was the one who had secretly sold Chen Yan's Town Martial Class Quota to Zhang Ge.

Chu Feiyuan thought it over, then laughed inwardly.

Was he afraid of Chen Yan?

He was a Second-grade martial artist, a Blood Qi Martial Artist in the Hundred Meridians Realm.

He was a member of the Chu Family.

Afraid of him?

He fell silent. Chen Yan's strength today had been formidable.

Had that punch carried the might of three Strength Stripes?

At this rate of progress...

Chen Yan really was a Horizontal Refinement prodigy!

Li Shaowu was carried away, his fate unknown. Bathed in the warm morning sunlight, Chen Yan stood like a still silhouette.

The summer breeze brushed past. Chen Yan felt light and free, as if he had risen above the dust of the world.

It felt wonderful. His heart was beating, beating hard.

Everyone around him was watching—even Chu Feiyuan had, for one brief moment, shown that he feared him.

So this was what it felt like to be feared.

Chen Yan smiled, his laugh clear and bright.

Come bully me. Come push me down. All of you, come. You've seen it for yourselves: I'm a madman.

I have no choice but to become one.

I've never beaten anyone like this before. It's because you people are too vile, begging to be beaten, begging to be killed.

If I can kill you, I will.

This world... this world is just like that. Others might lend me a hand, but the only one who can set me right is me.

Only me. Just me, one person, one heart, one chest filled with hot blood.

Chen Yan stood alone beneath the ever-hotter sun. As he thought, he seized hold of something that had flickered through him for an instant.

Within the Saint Breaking Realm, golden light representing Skill Energy appeared, along with white light representing True Intent Energy that he could not absorb.

At that moment, something in his heart burst open.

Red Heart!

[Crimson Heart Fist] had reached Entering Subtlety!

These past few days of relentless killing had kept [Crimson Heart Fist] on the verge of Heart-Entering. But at this moment, it had leapt straight past Heart-Entering and reached Entering Subtlety.

Entry, Heart-Entering, Entering Subtlety, Entering Microcosm, Entering Divinity.

One had to reach Heart-Entering before reaching Entering Subtlety.

At that moment, he suddenly understood the words Shen Yiwei had left for him inside the Origin Crystal.

A Red Heart turned outward, a Red Heart turned inward.

"Director Luo, how should we handle this?"

At that moment, Zhang Yuanli, principal of First Martial High, spoke up. He looked at Chen Yan with a complicated, astonished gaze.

Luo Puxin was the chief instructor. It was up to him to determine how Chen Yan's actions would be classified.

Anyone with eyes could see that Chen Yan had intended to beat Li Shaowu to death from the start.

Luo Puxin nodded, then looked at Chen Yan.

"Chen Yan, why did you break Zhang Qingsi's leg in the Breeding Area?"

Chen Yan turned around.

"Because Zhang Qingsi wanted my house, so he challenged me."

"I didn't!" a shrill cry rang out. It was Zhang Qingsi. He was about to protest, but for an instant, his eyes met Chen Yan's.

He lowered his head and said no more.

Before Luo Puxin could speak, Chu Feiyuan chimed in with a smile.

"Come on, the whole point of the Town Martial Class is competition. That's perfectly normal. Zhang Qingsi, I know you wanted Chen Yan's house. Why lie about it now?"

Zhang Qingsi's face turned deathly pale. Chu Feiyuan was speaking up for Chen Yan.

As he spoke, Chu Feiyuan glanced at Luo Puxin from the corner of his eye. Seeing that the man remained expressionless, he continued.

"Everyone knows you and Li Shaowu wanted Chen Yan's house. You couldn't get it yourself, so you tried to buy it. But Chen Yan refused to sell, and then you wanted Li Shaowu to help you vent your anger.

Ask yourself: whose fault was it, really?"

Zhang Qingsi's face grew even worse. He lowered his head and couldn't say a word. The students around him looked at him with contempt.

Picking on the weak, swaggering around just because he had a little money.

This time, you'd finally kicked an iron plate.

Serves you right.

"Our Town Martial Class advocates fair competition, but what you did—what was that?

Having money doesn't mean you'll be richer than Chen Yan in the future. You've seen it yourself: Chen Yan is progressing quickly. He's a genius."

Chu Feiyuan's words made Zhang Qingsi sweat even more.

He was afraid.

Chu Feiyuan's words had genuinely frightened him.

Chu Feiyuan spoke, his smile fading.

"Of course, Director Luo still needs to make the decision."

When Chu Feiyuan finished, silence fell. Luo Puxin's face darkened. He narrowed his eyes at Chu Feiyuan.

"You've said everything already. What do you still expect me to say?"

Luo Puxin was genuinely puzzled. Was Chu Feiyuan trying to win Chen Yan over and get him to sign a contract?

The Chu Family?

As if the Chu Family deserved that!

Chu Feiyuan froze, then nodded and said nothing more.

He looked at Chen Yan, his eyes brimming with a smile. See? I'm the only one here helping you.

Luo Puxin may be impressive, but does he care about you?

If not for me, you'd probably have been expelled on the spot today.

He had thought it through. Chen Yan might harbor some resentment, but now Chu Feiyuan was showing him goodwill. Chen Yan ought to be grateful.

As for the fact that he had added Impure Blood Energy to Chen Yan's Blood Sensing Chamber, Chen Yan didn't know about that.

He understood what Chen Yan wanted: to prove himself, to get help.

So here he was.

Thinking this, Chu Feiyuan walked over to Chen Yan and held out the contract in his hand.

"Chen Yan, you're exceptionally talented. I know this journey hasn't been easy for you. This is a contract from the Chu Family. Take a good look."

His words left everyone around them even more astonished. Every eye was fixed on Chen Yan with intense envy.

With the Chu Family's approval, Chen Yan would surely have a smooth road ahead.

Li Qingyuan glanced at the contract in Chen Yan's hands, his expression changing. Then he shook his head and walked away.

"Brother Li, aren't you going to look?"

A student spoke up.

"No." Li Qingyuan's expression was grim, but he let out a bitter laugh.

"How ridiculous."

It was ridiculous.

This was a contract from the Chu Family. He ought to congratulate Chen Yan, but so many of the students who had originally qualified for the Town Martial Class had lost their places.

The Chu Family was the biggest culprit.

The students from the county's high schools came from excellent families. They looked down on these country folk, too—and members of the Chu Family had been the ones leading the charge.

Chen Yan had once been one of the people they looked down on. Now the Chu Family was offering him a contract.

It wasn't Chen Yan's fault. Anyone would be tempted by a Chu Family contract placed right in front of them. He would be, too.

But a sense of sorrow rose in Li Qingyuan's heart. What exactly were they fighting against?

Being exploited by the powerful families, then accepting their charity and becoming one of them.

Was that all there was to it?

Li Qingyuan smiled, his shoulders trembling. Some people beside him understood how he felt, but most just looked at Chen Yan enviously.

They wanted to be in Chen Yan's shoes now. They'd already forgotten that the Chu Family had once looked down on them and belittled them, too.

Gao Yuan clenched his fists. He felt a knot of gloom tightening in his chest.

He didn't know why. It was a strange, helpless feeling.

"The allowance is five hundred thousand a month. That's six million a year!"

Chen Yan's voice rang out as he read the contract.

Whoosh!

Shock rippled across the entire sports field.

Chu Feiyuan looked pleased. He stood with his hands behind his back, glancing sidelong at Chen Yan with a trace of disdain.

As expected, he was still a country bumpkin who'd never seen the world, stunned by a mere number.

"You'll also get twenty-four hours of access to the Chu Family's Blood Sensing Chamber every month. Of course, since you practice Horizontal Refinement, we'll help you with that as well." Chu Feiyuan smiled. "Once you sign, we'll immediately give you a Martial Grade C Horizontal Refinement technique."

Whoosh...

Another wave of astonished cries swept through the crowd.

The students around them were even more envious.

"Chen Yan, you don't know what Martial Grade means yet, do you?" Chu Feiyuan said with a smile.

"Below Martial Grade is High Grade, and below High Grade is Mortal Grade. The [Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon] you're practicing is High Grade, while Martial Grade techniques completely surpass [Crimson Gang Body Tempering Canon]."

As Chu Feiyuan spoke, his voice was thick with superiority.

He liked feeling this way. Who wouldn't?

Chen Yan had just shocked everyone else. Now he would shock Chen Yan in turn—that was exactly the effect he wanted.

I'll add mixed blood to your Qi and Blood, and you won't even know. Then I'll show you the tiniest bit of kindness, and you'll be grateful to me.

That was what it felt like to toy with someone.

"Join the Chu Family Military Guard and serve for ten years."

Chen Yan read the words on the contract aloud, his voice clear and bright.

"Mm." Chu Feiyuan nodded, smiling.

"Join my Chu Family Military Guard. If you perform well, you can even be promoted to Guard Captain. Then you'll be at Chu Xuansheng's side, with even greater benefits!"

His smile grew brighter.

After a moment of silence, the students around them burst into exclamations.

That was Chu Xuansheng—the Chu Family's True Dragon.

Chu Feiyuan smiled as his gaze met Chen Yan's, but then he gave a slight start.

There was no smile in the young man's eyes. They were cold, disdainful, and mocking.

"Chen Yan, you..."

Chu Feiyuan's smile faded.

"Teacher Chu, do you take me for an idiot?"

Chen Yan's cool voice rang out. His expression was calm as he shook the contract in his hand, making it rustle.

"You're offering me six million a year, and in return I have to work like an ox and horse for your Chu Family?"

Chen Yan's expression darkened.

"Do you take me for a fool?!"

He had never intended to join the Chu Family in the first place. After all, he had already accepted the Military Martial Guard's Heavenly Pride training.

But this contract from the Chu Family disgusted him.

Even without his Limit Breaking Awakening, Shen Yiwei had given him his signature move.

And a Martial Grade C martial art?

Was that supposed to be impressive?

Chen Yan would soon be able to learn the Martial Grade A Blood Qi Martial Technique, Hundred Spears Dark Stab.

Luo Puxin had given him private training and had even taught him combat and killing techniques in the mountains these past few days.

Luo Puxin had made Chen Yan understand what he was worth.

But the Chu Family was insulting him.

The smile vanished from Chu Feiyuan's face. He simply looked at Chen Yan.

"You're not signing?"

Chen Yan didn't answer. He just looked at Chu Feiyuan, his silence like a wordless taunt.

"Think carefully. Not everyone gets such a good opportunity!"

Chu Feiyuan scolded him, his expression dark.

"Then please save this wonderful opportunity for someone else, Teacher Chu."

Chen Yan chuckled.

"With such a generous contract, you're sure to raise plenty of strong fighters."

Chen Yan left.

The onlookers fell silent.

He had refused—he had rejected the Chu Family's contract.

"Isn't that... a little too arrogant?"

A student spoke in a low voice. That was a contract from the Chu Family, after all.

"Arrogant?"

Wu Chuhua, who had been silent until then, frowned.

"If someone offered you six million to work for their family for ten years, would you take it?"

The student nodded.

"Of course I would."

Wu Chuhua gave a low snort and smiled.

"You think you're Chen Yan?

"Chen Yan came from a village and grew up poor, yet he reached the point of defeating Li Shaowu in a short time.

"You think he's ordinary?"

Wu Chuhua snorted. Chen Yan had defeated him.

Twice.

He accepted it. He didn't hold a grudge.

Now he felt Chen Yan deserved to act exactly this way.

The students exchanged glances.

Indeed, if they put themselves in Chen Yan's shoes, Chu Feiyuan's contract really wasn't all that good.

Nearby, Chu Feiyuan's expression was dark.

Today, Chen Yan had made him look like a clown.

"Come on, let's head to the Breeding Area. We need to kill Ancient Beasts as quickly as possible today!"

A young man named Li Qingyuan smiled at the people beside him.

There was a reason Chen Yan had advanced so quickly. He had spent so long in the Breeding Area because he had fought hard for it.

Yu Zhiwen, Gao Yuan, and the other students from poor villages nodded and hurried after them.

Today, Chen Yan had dealt a heavy blow to everyone.

They had all come from villages, yet Chen Yan had left them far behind.

In the group, Yu Zhiwen looked dazed as she gazed in the direction Chen Yan had gone.

In her memory, she had always overlooked Chen Yan. She had thought it was only natural for the top student at Qingshan High School to look down on others.

But in just a few days, she could no longer even see Chen Yan's back.

"Hey, are you still chasing after Chen Yan?" Yu Zhiwen asked the round-faced girl beside her.

"Of course." The girl's face flushed red.

"He was so handsome just now."

Yu Zhiwen was about to say something, but the round-faced girl's expression turned despondent.

"But I can't catch up to him. Yu Zhiwen, we're too far behind him."

Yu Zhiwen said nothing. She walked on in silence, then finally gave a bitter smile.

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