Malice

"What... am I doing?"

"If I hadn't broken free just now..."

A chill ran through Zhou Kai's heart.

It wasn't his first time experiencing a dream within a dream, but this was the first time the sense of losing control had seeped so thoroughly into reality.

That indescribable eeriness, and the suffocation brought on by a sense of powerlessness...

Zhou Kai felt inexplicably agitated.

However, just then, the words of Chen Ping exploded in his mind.

"The key to mastering greater power is learning to control your own body."

Perhaps improving every inch of muscle and every nerve would help him break free from this state.

Whether in a dream or in reality.

"Rest well, Sis."

Zhou Kai stared at Lu Yan's face and hands.

In a trance, he seemed to see her palms covered in sticky, cold sweat...

But when he focused his gaze, there was nothing but flawless, fair skin.

A few minutes later, Zhou Kai tucked the blanket around Lu Yan and turned to leave.

On the sofa, the tightly knitted brows of Lu Yan slowly smoothed out.

A midnight taxi drove along the silent streets.

The driver was a chatterbox, complaining about company layoffs from the moment he got in and rambling on about the "employment winter."

Under normal circumstances, Zhou Kai might have chimed in with a few words.

But at this moment, he was preoccupied with how to squeeze every second to become stronger; he truly had no energy for small talk.

The driver rambled on for a while, but receiving no response, he eventually found it dull and shut his mouth.

The only sound left in the car was the steady, rhythmic vibration of the engine.

As they neared the destination, the driver clearly couldn't hold back anymore.

He stole a curious glance at Zhou Kai through the rearview mirror: "Young man, heading to the gym to practice martial arts in the middle of the night?"

There was a hint of hesitation in his tone, as if he had something to say but didn't dare to.

Zhou Kai grunted, "Is there a problem?"

The driver gave a dry laugh: "Ah, practicing boxing is a good thing, it's just..."

He searched for the right words before lowering his voice: "In the last two years, quite a few people have gone missing in Xishan City. You've heard about it, right? It's best not to run around alone at night."

Zhou Kai took the words to heart and countered, "What about you? You're still out working in the middle of the night, aren't you?"

The driver laughed, speaking in a carefree manner: "I have a car. If there really are criminals, it's easier to grab someone on the side of the road than to grab a driver. One stomp on the gas, and who could catch me?"

Zhou Kai raised an eyebrow and asked indifferently, "Is there a possibility that your passenger is that very criminal?"

The smile on the driver's face froze instantly, as if he had been hit by The World.

He couldn't help but sneak a peek at the rearview mirror, seeing a face devoid of expression, eyes as calm as an ancient well.

In an instant, his hands gripping the steering wheel were covered in cold sweat.

"Young man, you, you're joking... ha... ahahaha..."

The driver hurriedly tried to laugh it off.

Zhou Kai said flatly, "Just a joke. Take care of your health, driver; rest when you can at night."

"I'm here, just stop by the side of the road."

At 1:30 AM, Zhou Kai pushed open the door to the Chen Ping Training Room.

Chen Ping was practicing with a blade.

A common steel blade, yet in his hands, it seemed like a living thing.

The blade edge sliced through the air with a resonant hum, each swing whipping up an invisible pressure.

Zhou Kai stood at the door for a moment, unable to help asking, "Does the gym teach weapons too?"

Chen Ping didn't even lift his eyelids, performing a flourish with the blade: "You're here?"

"If a gym wants to stand its ground, fists and kicks aren't enough. There are a few weapon arts worth learning... but that's for after you've officially taken me as your master."

Zhou Kai nodded and changed into his training gear: "My stamina has recovered. Coach Chen, please enlighten me."

Chen Ping casually tossed the blade upward, and before it could fall, his right toe struck the end of the hilt like lightning.

Whoosh!

The steel blade transformed into a streak of silver, spanning the entire training room to embed itself firmly into the bullseye of the target in the distance.

Hummm!

The hilt vibrated violently, emitting a buzzing sound.

Chen Ping had already turned around, beckoning to Zhou Kai with a hooked finger.

"Come!"

[Comprehensive Combat EXP +6]

[Light Footwork EXP +8]

[Your skill: Light Footwork has leveled up!]

As the sky began to brighten, a few beads of sweat finally seeped from Chen Ping's temples, and he seemed to show a hint of fatigue at last.

He looked at Zhou Kai, who was staring blankly into thin air, assuming the kid was finally exhausted and losing focus.

Chen Ping waved his hand. "That's enough, go get some rest."

"Thank you, Coach Chen!"

Zhou Kai closed the panel before him and bowed solemnly.

Chen Ping yawned, waving his hand impatiently. "Alright, stop bothering me. I need to get some sleep myself."

Zhou Kai nodded, turned, and left the training room.

Once he was gone, the exhaustion on Chen Ping's face vanished without a trace, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"I thought he was just a physically weak piece of trash, but who would have thought... he's actually an uncut gem."

"Exceptional physical coordination... and that bottomless well of energy, like a beast of burden."

"This kid is a natural-born martial artist."

"This Seat... actually misjudged someone for once."

Chen Ping's gaze drifted past the weapon rack, landing on a row of dusty trophies.

He offered a smile of ambiguous meaning before withdrawing his gaze.

[Character: Zhou Kai]

[Status: Eroded, Clear-Headed]

[Skills: Comprehensive Combat lv2 (18/25), Light Footwork lv3 (3/50), Soraka Swordsmanship lv1 (3/15), Occultism lv1 (0/15)]

[Items: Residence Permit, Blood-Stained Axe, Rusted Chef Knife, Morning Star Notes, Moonlight Orchid Seed (Plump), Drying Oil Lamp, Rusty Two-Handed Sword]

[General EXP: 7]

"The first level three skill."

Leaving the training room and heading toward the first floor, Zhou Kai's footsteps were uncannily light.

At level three, the skill finally revealed its extraordinary nature.

Light Footwork felt as if it had been welded into his muscles, becoming an instinct of his body; without needing to consciously activate it, he remained in peak condition at all times.

This caused his thoughts to drift back to the Nightmare.

In his memory, that Chain-Hammer Armored Soldier who had smashed him into a pulp wasn't actually that fast.

With level three Light Footwork, he should be able to hold his own against him for a while.

"Move! Get out of the way!"

"The hell, are you blind?"

Just as he reached the second-floor stairwell, a few students surrounding a short, stocky guy came charging toward him.

The short, stocky student was the loudest, and the moment their eyes met, he charged straight at him like a wild bull.

Looking for trouble?

Zhou Kai's eyes turned cold. He instinctively tensed his muscles, preparing to meet the impact head-on, but then a thought crossed his mind. He sneered, shifted his frame, and drifted lightly to the side.

Thud!

The short student lost his center of gravity and slammed headfirst into the wall with a dull thud, shaking loose a flurry of plaster dust.

The lackeys beside him immediately flared up. "Fuck! You dare to bump into Brother Wang? Do you not want to live anymore?"

Zhou Kai spread his hands and shrugged. "The wall bumped him, what does that have to do with me?"

"Damn you!"

One of the lackeys glared, reaching out to grab Zhou Kai by the collar.

But in the eyes of Zhou Kai, who had been ravaged by Chen Ping all night, this movement was so slow that he could have struck a pose while dodging it at the last second; the man was nothing but openings.

"Can you... not cause trouble?"

Zhou Kai shifted his body to the side, and the opponent's fingers brushed against his clothes, missing their mark entirely.

In the very instant that man lost his balance.

Zhou Kai's right hand shot out like lightning, clamping onto his wrist like a pair of iron pliers.

In a split second.

The man felt as if his wrist were about to be crushed, his body pulled uncontrollably by Zhou Kai as he stumbled forward.

"You motherfucker! My hand's gonna break!"

"Hit him! Are you just watching?"

He shrieked for help at the top of his lungs.

But the few men led by Wang Jinquan stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move a muscle.

Enduring the sharp pain, the man looked up and followed his companions' gazes, only to see a cold, stern face slowly emerging from the shadows of the staircase behind Zhou Kai.

"Useless trash fighting amongst yourselves, get lost!"