Martial Apprentice Fifth Heaven

When he heard the report, Zheng Cheng didn't even turn around. Standing with his hands behind his back, he said, "Go on. What news do you have?"

"Reporting to you, Manager Zheng."

Song Hui replied at once, "We haven't found the target yet. However, someone came to report that we've lost five or six men—capable fighters, all at the fourth level of the Martial Apprentice Realm. They were killed in a single blow."

"What?" Zheng Cheng frowned. "Killed in one blow? Give me the details."

Song Hui thought for a moment, then said, "The men were killed in various places, including an abandoned building and a secluded alley. They were caught off guard and ambushed. One punch shattered their hearts and crushed their internal organs; some even had their necks snapped."

"From this, we can tell that our opponent is extremely strong in combat, experienced, ruthless, and cunning. But I estimate his strength doesn't exceed the fifth level of the Martial Apprentice Realm. Otherwise, he wouldn't need to rely on ambushes."

From a few clues, he had immediately deduced a great deal.

"Exactly. I can tell from the wounds on that traitor he killed. The attack was powerful, but his cultivation wasn't high. The fifth level of the Martial Apprentice Realm is the absolute limit."

A glint appeared in Zheng Cheng's eyes. "That fellow is experienced, though, and has excellent fighting skills, so we can't underestimate him. We'll need a capable fighter at the sixth level of the Martial Apprentice Realm to deal with him.

"But the company also needs to guard against ambushes by other gangs and protect its property. We can't send out too many strong fighters at once. Here's what we'll do: send Zheng Hua to find the enemy and kill him on the spot!"

What? Zheng Hua?!

Song Hui's eyes flickered. Zheng Hua was none other than Zheng Cheng's biological son. He was only eighteen, yet had already reached the sixth level of the Martial Apprentice Realm, making him a prodigy at the Black Bear Company.

Despite his young age, he had already mixed with the underworld and gained plenty of combat experience. He was undeniably formidable—but Zheng Hua was Zheng Cheng's son, and his only son at that.

If anything happened to him during the pursuit, Song Hui feared he wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility.

"Manager Zheng, this is extremely dangerous. Our opponent is a desperate man, both ruthless and merciless. I'm afraid this isn't wise." Song Hui's eyes flickered as he tried to warn him.

Zheng Cheng waved a hand. "There's no need to worry. He's only at the fifth level of the Martial Apprentice Realm. How could he possibly do anything to my son? Even if Hua can't beat him, he can still escape.

"Besides, he'll be applying to university in a few months. His current strength still isn't quite enough to be safe, so I want him to gain more combat experience. That'll improve his chances of getting into a top university."

"Yes, Manager Zheng."

Since Zheng Cheng had put it that way, Song Hui had no reason to refuse. He immediately went off to make the arrangements.

That night, in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Black Moon City, there wasn't a soul in sight.

Xia Ping was hiding in a secluded room in the warehouse, where no one could find him.

To evade the Black Bear Company's pursuit, he had repeatedly fought his way out. After killing another five or six ruthless gangsters, he had sustained some injuries and finally managed to break through the encirclement. Now he had come to the warehouse to rest for a while.

But after so many fierce battles, he was feeling exhausted. He'd barely eaten anything, and now he was cold and hungry.

"This can't go on. If I keep this up, I, Xia Ping, will surely die." Xia Ping clenched his fists. He hadn't expected those gangsters to be so vicious. Every last one of them was a desperate outlaw.

They didn't even bat an eye when one of their own died. Instead, they attacked him even more fiercely. One moment of carelessness, and one of the thugs had managed to slash him.

Of course, he had struck back with a palm and smashed the man's head to pieces, making blood pour from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. But regardless, he had still suffered injuries, and his combat ability had weakened somewhat.

"It's a little dangerous, but I have to take the Golden Potion and advance to the fifth level of the Martial Apprentice Realm." Xia Ping's eyes flickered as he finally made up his mind. With his current strength, continuing like this was a dead end.

With a snap, he opened his bag and took out a Golden Potion.

Gulp, gulp.

Without a second thought, Xia Ping swallowed the Golden Potion. At once, he felt an energy like molten lava enter his body, seep into his blood, and flow through countless blood vessels.

His heart pounded like a drum. His blood surged and his muscles swelled, as if molten lava were flowing through his body and he were about to explode.

"Too violent."

He finally understood why only those at the seventh level of the Martial Apprentice Realm or higher could take a Golden Potion. Its medicinal power was too fierce. An ordinary person who took it would explode and die in an instant.

After entering his body, the Golden Potion's liquid turned into a torrent of golden energy that surged wildly through him. It was so violent that his heart, blood vessels, and even his head seemed ready to burst.

Pure Yang Indestructible Art!

With a boom, he immediately circulated the technique and assumed the five-heart-to-heaven posture. The enormous flow of true qi within him surged, and his dantian seemed to turn into a furnace.

The frenzied golden energy coursing through his body seemed to be drawn by a mysterious force. It rushed into his dantian, where the furnace refined it, purified it, and removed its impurities. The violent medicinal power was completely stripped away, leaving only the purest, gentlest energy, which then flowed into countless meridians.

"As expected of the Pure Yang Indestructible Art. It's truly powerful." Xia Ping marveled. Sure enough, once he circulated his true qi in this way, the frenzied energy became as tame as a wolf that had been broken in.

That was only natural. The Pure Yang Indestructible Art was a top-tier cultivation method. It could easily refine even the violent energy of the Sun Essence, so a mere Golden Potion was nothing by comparison.

He felt the gentle energy enter his body. Every cell seemed to rejoice, greedily absorbing it like a Taotie, growing stronger and evolving.

Bang!

After an unknown amount of time, when the energy reached its peak, a meridian was instantly opened. Xia Ping immediately felt the true qi within him grow stronger.

Even his muscles, meridians, bones, and skin were greatly strengthened in that instant. His old scars quickly shrank, his injuries healed, and he seemed to have undergone a transformation.

Vast amounts of true qi flowed through his body like a surging river, roaring as it went. A tremendous current of air rippled around him, sweeping away all the dust nearby.

"Success! I've reached the fifth level of the Martial Apprentice Realm!"

Xia Ping clenched his fists, a glint in his eyes and boundless joy welling up inside him. He had finally opened his fifth meridian and reached the fifth level of the Martial Apprentice Realm. The true qi in his body was more than half again as strong as before.

With a bang, he couldn't help throwing a punch. An explosion of air erupted in front of him as power traveled through his muscles inch by inch. He was as fierce as a tiger or bear, his force radiating in every direction. The blow was terrifyingly powerful.

That punch had a force of at least three thousand pounds, far surpassing Xiong Batian!