There was no earth-shattering explosion.
Only a deep, distant hum, as though it had come from the dawn of time.
A golden beam of light, as thick as a basin and so solid it seemed almost tangible, roared out from the cannon between his palms!
Time seemed to slow at that moment.
The beam was no fleeting flash of light.
It was a continuous torrent of energy, bearing unstoppable force!
It silently and savagely tore through the air ahead.
It swept across the courtyard.
The beam showed no sign of slowing as it slammed into the wall at the far end of the courtyard.
The wall, built of brick, stone, and earth, seemed to have been wiped away by an invisible eraser, leaving a huge, smooth, circular hole.
The beam pierced through the wall and shot into the long-abandoned buildings beyond.
Boom!
Only then did the delayed thunderclap finally arrive!
The beam bored straight through the middle of the ramshackle, abandoned building. The violent energy erupted inside and blasted it into rubble!
Dust billowed into the sky.
Only after destroying everything in its path did the golden beam, dozens of meters long, finally run out of energy and slowly fade into the night sky.
"Pant... pant..."
Ye Feng dropped to one knee, gasping hard, sweat soaking through his clothes.
A powerful wave of exhaustion washed over him from head to toe.
He could clearly feel that the Soul Power vortex inside him, once brimming with energy, was now more than half-empty.
A single strike had drained over half his Soul Power!
He looked up at the ruins leveled in the distance and the smooth, mirror-edged tunnel that had pierced through the wall, and was left utterly stunned.
That power...
Holy hell... it had completely exceeded his expectations.
It was definitely on par with the second Soul Skill of an Assault System Soul Grandmaster.
And in terms of pure penetration and destructive power, it might even surpass it!
This was the trump card he had spent a full two years creating!
He absolutely couldn't use it lightly unless there was no other choice.
Once he unleashed it, he would be at risk of exhausting his Soul Power.
Ye Feng braced a hand on his knee and slowly got to his feet, feeling the flow of Soul Power within him.
Although he had devoted 99 percent of his energy to his Self-Created Soul Skill over these two years, he had never once skipped his daily meditation.
His Soul Power had now reached level seventeen!
At level seventeen, with his trump-card "Baptism of Holy Light," his External Soul Bone, and his increasingly practiced "Light-Gathering Blade"...
At last, he had some means of protecting himself in this cruel world.
It was also time to leave Nuoding City, this beginner village.
He needed to head to a proper intermediate Soul Master Academy and see a much broader world.
However...
Before he left, there was one little matter he had to take care of.
A stiff, nauseating face appeared in Ye Feng's mind.
Yu Xiaogang.
In the past, he might have been wary of that useless theorist.
But now?
Heh.
Ye Feng smiled. The stifling gloom of two years in seclusion seemed to loosen and dissipate with that one smile.
It was time to give this "Grandmaster" a proper graduation gift.
This time, it wouldn't be a war of words.
It would be fists to the flesh.
He turned and went back into the dilapidated little house, packing up the booklet Introduction to Heart Separation Control along with some rations and personal belongings.
When he had finished, he walked out of the little courtyard where he had spent the past two years.
With a creak, he pulled the old wooden door shut behind him.
The sunlight in the street was a little harsh.
He hadn't properly seen the outside world in two years. Now, as he walked down the street, he felt lighter than ever.
He almost felt as if he had fallen out of step with the world.
When the neighbors saw him, they only glanced at him indifferently before going back to their own business.
Their mysterious neighbor had often made all kinds of loud noises over the past two years. Their initial alarm had long since given way to numbness and habit.
As long as he didn't bring the house down on their heads, who cared?
Ye Feng headed straight for the city's busiest shopping street.
He had a clear goal.
A general store.
"Boss, I'd like a black cloak, one that covers the whole body."
"And the thickest mask you've got."
He hadn't forgotten that Yu Xiaogang's bizarre Martial Soul, Luo Sanpao, was a farting creature.
He didn't know how potent it was, but it might actually be enough to knock someone out.
He had to prepare for both physical and chemical attacks.
After paying, Ye Feng picked up his purchases. Instead of returning to the courtyard, he ducked straight into an empty alley.
He quickly changed into his new outfit.
The loose black robe completely concealed his figure. He pulled down the hood, leaving only his eyes exposed.
Then he put on the thick mask. Even his own mother wouldn't recognize him.
Perfect.
Next, all he needed was the perfect place to hunt.
Yu Xiaogang was arrogant and rigid, with a terrifyingly regular routine.
Every afternoon, he left Nuoding Academy on time and followed the same route to a teahouse in the city, supposedly to "seek theoretical inspiration."
Ye Feng needed to find the best place along that route to make his move.
Like a ghost, he slipped through the shadows of Nuoding City.
At last, he chose a corner at a three-way intersection.
There were plenty of people around, but right beside it was a dead-end alley piled high with junk—a perfect place to hide and launch a surprise attack.
So what if he struck in the middle of the street?
He was leaving Nuoding City as soon as the job was done. Who would know who had done it?
Besides, he would be attacking by surprise.
Ye Feng hid in the shadows of the alley, his body pressed against the cold wall, blending into the darkness.
He waited patiently, like a hunter with all the time in the world.
Just picturing Yu Xiaogang with a swollen, bruised face, crying for his mother, lifted Ye Feng's spirits.
Time passed, second by second.
At last, a familiar and loathsome figure appeared at the end of the street.
Yu Xiaogang.
He still wore the same old outfit. With his hands behind his back and his chin slightly raised, he surveyed the pedestrians with a look of pity for all living things, as though inspecting his own domain.
Ye Feng's heart didn't beat any faster.
As still as a well.
He watched Yu Xiaogang draw closer, step by step. Twenty meters, ten meters, five...
Now!
The instant Yu Xiaogang was about to pass the mouth of the alley, Ye Feng moved!
He didn't release his Martial Soul, and there was no fluctuation of Soul Power.
Like a leopard pouncing from the dark, he moved with swift, silent force!
He took one step, and his body was already at Yu Xiaogang's side.
Yu Xiaogang seemed to sense something and started to turn his head.
But it was already too late.
A steel fist wrapped in a black robe, infused with Ye Feng's level-seventeen Soul Power, struck Yu Xiaogang hard in the temple without a hint of flourish!
Thud!
A muffled impact.
Yu Xiaogang was completely stunned by the punch.
His mind went blank. The world spun, and his ears filled with a buzzing roar. He couldn't even see who had hit him.
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