One Punch

Chu Yuan let out a sneer, but didn't bother arguing with Hu Yan Lanruo. His tone and expression made his attitude clear.

Nie Li showed no reaction. Neither Hu Yan Lanruo's praise nor Chu Yuan's contempt could stir the slightest ripple in his heart. Having been reborn, Nie Li didn't take a nobody like Chu Yuan seriously. Chu Yuan didn't even deserve to speak to him!

"Chu Yuan, what kind of attitude is that?" Hu Yan Lanruo furrowed her delicate brows.

"What I'm laughing at is that I don't know what kind of bewitching soup this kid fed you, but you actually think he's a genius! A good-for-nothing with only a Red Soul Sea—what could he possibly accomplish in this lifetime? How could trash like him be fit to associate with us?" Chu Yuan sneered. He was on good terms with Shen Fei, Shen Yue's older brother, and that naturally made him dislike Nie Li.

"You've gone too far!" Ye Ziyun knitted her brows, indignant on Nie Li's behalf. Though Nie Li was a little annoying, there was no denying he had real ability. He was simply too low-key, and many people didn't know how talented he was!

Nie Li's gaze turned cold. He hadn't taken Chu Yuan seriously, so he'd been too lazy to bother with him. But that didn't mean he would keep tolerating this clown jumping up and down in front of him.

"Your talent isn't anything special either, Chu Yuan. You're three years older than Nie Li, and you're still only at the Bronze 3-star Realm. You've got some nerve criticizing other people," Hu Yan Ruolan said with a smile. Many young scions from prominent families who were the same age as Chu Yuan had already advanced to Silver Rank, but Chu Yuan was still stuck at the Bronze 3-star Realm.

Hu Yan Lanruo's words immediately left Chu Yuan embarrassed. Among the few people of his generation, he wasn't the least talented, but he was the laziest. He spent every day drinking and chasing women, so naturally he didn't take cultivation seriously. Even now, he was only at the Bronze 3-star Realm.

"So what? At least I have a Yellow Soul Sea. If I put in even a little effort, breaking through to Silver Rank won't be difficult. But he'll probably never reach the Bronze 1-star Realm in his entire life!" Chu Yuan continued to mercilessly belittle Nie Li. Nie Li hadn't said a word, so he was definitely afraid. People like Nie Li could only rely on their good looks and smooth talk to trick others. What real ability could he possibly have?

A Red Soul Sea meant he was trash!

Nie Li's sharp gaze swept over Chu Yuan. He smiled coldly. "Then I challenge you right now. Whoever loses has to crawl three laps on the ground, barking like a dog. How about it?"

Hearing Nie Li's words, Ye Ziyun immediately grew tense and tugged at him. What was wrong with Nie Li? Why was he challenging Chu Yuan? Nie Li hadn't even reached one-star Bronze, while Chu Yuan was already at three-star Bronze! The gap between their levels was like a chasm—impossible to bridge.

Seeing Ye Ziyun's worried expression, Nie Li felt a faint warmth in his heart. Ye Ziyun really did care about him.

Hu Yan Lanruo, on the other hand, looked at Nie Li with a hint of meaning after her brief surprise. Nie Li didn't seem like someone who acted rashly.

Chu Yuan froze when he heard Nie Li's words, then burst into wild laughter. "What did I just hear? You're challenging me? Hahaha! That's the funniest joke I've ever heard. A one-star Bronze cultivator dares to challenge me? You don't know your place!"

"Nie Li, don't be impulsive." Ye Ziyun thought he'd been angered into challenging Chu Yuan without thinking clearly.

"Even without using Soul Power, my physical strength alone is enough to beat you until you're crawling on the ground!" Chu Yuan laughed arrogantly. Even his raw physical strength had already reached one-star Bronze. "Kid, if you're scared, you can still take back what you said!"

Nie Li flexed his fingers. A series of sharp cracks sounded from his knuckles. He looked at Chu Yuan coldly. "If I had to deal with trash like you jumping up and down in front of me every day, I'd never have a moment to spare! Since you're so blind, I'll just have to step in and teach you all a lesson. There are some people you can't afford to offend!" As he spoke, Nie Li's gaze swept over Shen Yue and the others.

Chu Yuan's face darkened. He glared fiercely at Nie Li. "You asked for this!"

Chen Linjian had also been drawn over. Nie Li was certainly knowledgeable, but when it came to cultivation, he hadn't even reached one-star Bronze yet. How could he possibly beat Chu Yuan? Just as Chu Yuan had said, even without Soul Power, he could easily crush Nie Li!

Still, Nie Li didn't seem like someone who acted rashly. Chen Linjian couldn't help feeling curious. He waved his hand, and the onlookers around them backed away.

"Don't worry. As your man, if I can't handle a little situation like this, I might as well bash my head in and die!" Seeing Ye Ziyun's worried expression, Nie Li leaned toward her and spoke with a quiet laugh.

"You..." Ye Ziyun's cheeks flushed crimson. She stamped her foot. Nie Li was so annoying! She'd only been showing the concern one friend would show another, but he was so glib that it made her inwardly vexed. She might as well let Chu Yuan beat him up.

Seeing Ye Ziyun's mix of embarrassment and indignation, Hu Yan Lanruo gave Nie Li a knowing look. So he wasn't some clueless block of wood; he seemed pretty good at pleasing girls. But he'd been so cool toward her from the start. Was her charm not enough? With her allure, surely it'd be easy to make a little boy like Nie Li utterly smitten! She grew even more interested in him.

The people around them withdrew, leaving two open spaces for Nie Li and Chu Yuan.

Shen Yue watched, a cold glint in his eyes. Nie Li had dared to challenge Chu Yuan—that was practically asking for death. He'd spoken with Chu Yuan several times, and if he got the chance, Chu Yuan would surely beat Nie Li half to death! Yet, for some reason, the confidence on Nie Li's face made Shen Yue feel vaguely uneasy.

Could Chu Yuan lose? That was simply impossible. Chu Yuan's Soul Power had reached the Bronze 3-star Realm!

Though his Soul Power was only 88 and his strength was around 50, Nie Li had a profound understanding of Soul Power and physical strength.

Nie Li's Soul Sea began to circulate, channeling Soul Power into his body. The muscles on his body slowly swelled and quivered. They didn't bulge very much, but within them lay explosive strength.

"I'll give you three moves, so you can't say I'm bullying someone younger!" Chu Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Nie Li arrogantly, a trace of contempt in his eyes.

"Fine!" Nie Li suddenly accelerated and charged at Chu Yuan, driving an elbow toward his abdomen.

"Is that childish move supposed to be a game?" Chu Yuan said mockingly. Just as Nie Li's elbow was about to hit his stomach, he leaped backward with his hands behind his back, keeping a safe distance from it.

Chu Yuan thought Nie Li's elbow couldn't possibly reach him. But then Nie Li's lips curled into a cold smile. Chu Yuan was far too overconfident! Nie Li suddenly shifted his body and accelerated, turning his elbow into a fist. With a thud, it slammed into Chu Yuan's abdomen. Chu Yuan came from a wealthy family and had unsteady footing, clearly lacking combat experience. Though his strength had reached one-star Bronze, he had obviously cultivated it by consuming a great many pills. Nie Li only had to use a few little tricks from actual combat, and Chu Yuan couldn't defend himself.

Against an opponent of this level, wasn't it easy to play him to death?

I'd even prepared so many backup moves, and I didn't need any of them!

As his fist struck Chu Yuan's abdomen, Nie Li's arm muscles suddenly tightened and bulged. It was clear just how terrifying the force behind that punch was.

The smug expression on Chu Yuan's face froze. Clutching his abdomen, he doubled over like a shrimp. With a thud, he fell to the ground, his body convulsing as he let out retch after retch. Nie Li's punch had nearly made him puke up his guts!

The onlookers were all dumbstruck.

Chu Yuan was a three-star Bronze Demon Spirit Master, and his physical strength alone had reached one-star Bronze. Yet Nie Li had knocked him flat with a single punch?

Had Chu Yuan been too careless, letting Nie Li take advantage of an opening?

"Something's not right. Just going by physical strength, even if Nie Li landed a punch on Chu Yuan's abdomen, it shouldn't have caused him any real injury. The gap in strength is too great. But what's going on? Chu Yuan was knocked down with one punch!"

Everyone finally understood. Nie Li must have been hiding his strength. His physical strength had probably already reached at least one-star Bronze, hadn't it?

What they didn't know was that Nie Li hadn't reached the Bronze 1-star Realm. But his control over strength was beyond the average person's imagination. When he threw his punch, he concentrated all his power into his fist and struck the weakest part of Chu Yuan's abdomen. The fact that Chu Yuan hadn't been crippled by the blow meant Nie Li had already shown mercy.

When it came to using strength, Nie Li was an absolute master. Chu Yuan had only one-star Bronze physical strength, but even someone at five-star Bronze or Silver Rank would probably have been rolling on the ground if Nie Li had hit them in a vital spot with that punch!

To Nie Li, people who only knew how to rely on the difference in strength and meet force with force were no different from primitive men.

Deep shock filled Ye Ziyun's clear eyes. Nie Li had knocked Chu Yuan flat with a single punch. The impact this made on the young girl's heart was obvious. Nie Li hadn't even reached one-star Bronze. How had he done it? Only then did Ye Ziyun realize that she had underestimated Nie Li's abilities all along.

Hu Yan Ruolan watched Nie Li with interest. The strength he'd displayed had truly startled her, and her interest in him grew stronger and stronger.

"Interesting." Chen Linjian studied Nie Li with keen interest.

Chu Yuan had convulsed on the ground for a long time and still hadn't gotten up. As a young master from a prominent family, he'd never been beaten so badly. He'd thought his strength surpassed Nie Li's and that he could treat him with utter contempt. He'd even said he would give Nie Li three moves. He hadn't expected to be sprawled on the ground after just one.

His insides churned as if a river were raging through his guts. The pain was beyond anything he could imagine. If he hadn't been forcing himself to endure it, Chu Yuan would probably have already passed out.

At that moment, Nie Li looked at Chu Yuan on the ground and asked with an innocent expression, "You said you'd give me three moves. That was one. There are still two left!"

Hearing Nie Li's words, Chu Yuan tried to rise, gritting his teeth against the pain. His vision swam and darkened. Damn it, did he have no humanity at all? That one move had already taken half his life, and Nie Li still wanted him to give him two more!