"Heh, a Level 6 Spirit Body, and only halfway there."
Mu Chen gave a noncommittal chuckle and strode toward Shi Hao.
Seeing this, the Zhou-surnamed vendor hurriedly reached out and tugged him back. "Brother Mu, this is a trading market. The guardians are watching us at all times. It's not like the other day."
He was warning Mu Chen.
Two days ago, they had gotten away with skirting the rules at the city gate.
But the trading market was the absolute heart of the Sanctuary, under the watchful eyes of all sides.
If Mu Chen broke the rules by making a move again, did he really think the Five Great Academies were pushovers?
"I'd forgotten. I was just thinking about killing him on the spot. Thanks, Brother Zhou."
Mu Chen stopped and gave the kindhearted man a grateful look.
The burly youth called Shi Hao wore his disappointment plainly on his face.
He'd planned to provoke Mu Chen with words and goad him into making a move, but it had all come to naught.
Hmph. Nosy brat. I'll deal with you when I get the chance.
Shi Hao shot the Zhou-surnamed vendor a discreet glance and marked him down in his mind.
"Sorry to disappoint you."
"Come on. Let's settle this outside the city."
Mu Chen gave Shi Hao a half-smile, half-mocking glance. Then, with a single movement, he vanished.
Shi Hao snorted and led his group of lackeys in pursuit.
"Now this'll be a show!"
The human geniuses nearby were more than happy to watch the excitement. They called their friends over and followed along, as if heading to a festival. The crowd swelled in a grand procession.
In an instant, the whole city was stirring.
Beyond the Sanctuary, in a vast open clearing.
The place was packed with people, a sea of dark heads. Word had spread, and groups from all sides had rushed over. They had surrounded the clearing several rings deep, and the crowd buzzed with excitement.
Two figures of very different bearing stood facing each other in the open.
"See that? They've all come out of admiration for the fame of the Twin Kings of the Shi Clan."
Shi Hao spread his arms, closed his eyes, and wore a look of rapture.
He loved being fawned over.
"Sure, if you say so."
Mu Chen stood with his hands at his sides and gave an utterly perfunctory nod.
Shi Hao was displeased by his poor attitude, but didn't lose his temper.
He turned the Mustard Seed Bracelet on his wrist and summoned a weapon.
With a rumble, a pitch-black iron warhammer crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
It was as big as a millstone and as heavy as a monstrous beast. Including its handle, it stood nearly half a man's height.
Even its gentle landing fractured the ground. It had to weigh at least three or four hundred pounds.
The Heavy Heaven Hammer, a supreme-grade Spirit Artifact and a divine weapon bestowed by the Shi Clan's elders.
Even without the boost of spiritual power, a single blow would be enough to pulp a person, blasting them into a shower of bloody chunks. Its oppressive presence was unmistakable.
"Hiss, that hammer has to be at least a High-grade Spirit Artifact."
Someone in the crowd murmured.
It was true that the rules of this plane forbade spiritual power, preventing Spirit Soldiers of every rank from giving off a spiritual glow. But the art of Spirit Artifacts had developed over the years, and a mature system for judging them had long since been established.
"My ancestors made their living as blacksmiths. So as a descendant of the Shi Clan, carrying an iron hammer around is perfectly reasonable, right? Legal, too."
"Hahaha, that's hilarious!"
Shi Hao finished speaking, then laughed to himself without waiting for anyone to respond.
He didn't seem to be all there.
What a lunatic!
A number of human geniuses broke into a cold sweat.
Even the lackeys this Shi Clan king had brought along covered their faces with their hands, looking so embarrassed they wanted to disappear.
When would their boss finally shake that strange habit of telling corny jokes before a fight?
Mu Chen was covered in goosebumps. He was so mortified he nearly dug a three-bedroom apartment into the ground with his toes.
He stared at Shi Hao without expression, his aura growing colder.
Other people's archenemies were either battle maniacs or peerless prodigies.
At worst, they were Daoist Sect sword cultivators or fiends from the Origin Church.
Why—why were his opponents all bigger fools than the last?
"Hmph. You're a dull fellow, but I'll forgive you."
"Since you don't have a weapon to hand, I'll put mine aside, too."
Shi Hao snorted and actually tossed away his supreme-grade Spirit Artifact in front of everyone.
With a rumble, he casually threw the several-hundred-pound warhammer into the dirt.
"Come. Let's have a fair fight!"
He sank his waist, planted his legs in a horse stance, and formally issued his challenge.
Anyone watching would have cheered inwardly at the sight.
Brilliant! This Shi Clan king might be a bit calculating, but he wasn't a bad sort. He had some real character, real—damn, what was that?!
"Good. Let's have a fair fight!"
On the field, Mu Chen's expression turned inscrutable.
He suddenly let out a long howl, battle intent blazing in his eyes. Under the countless bewildered stares, he summoned an ancient-looking battle staff and charged forward.
"That's—"
When Shi Hao saw what his formidable opponent was holding, his gaze went blank.
The next moment, as he tried to block it with his bare hands, his vision blurred.
BOOM!!!
A fierce gust swept through, and a dark shadow filled his sight.
The savage, primeval force that burst from Mu Chen's long, slender staff sent Shi Hao flying like a rag doll in an instant, leaving him utterly powerless to resist.
The airborne figure smashed through more than a dozen towering trees before finally slowing down and crashing heavily beneath one of them.
With a long, black mark across his cheek, Shi Hao struggled halfway to his feet.
Clutching his chest, he spat out a mouthful of blood and stared at the figure strolling toward him. "Young man, you're not playing fair..."
After those words, his vision blurred. Unable to hold on any longer, he passed out.
Ritian, the times have changed!
By the way, if you ever get the chance, you should change your name.
The name Shi Hao is too profound. Your stature isn't enough to bear its weight.
It won't just drain your fortune and blessings; it'll bring down a backlash, too.
Mu Chen stood with his staff lowered beside the unconscious Shi Hao.
Whoa, more than 1,200 points.
Not bad, Brother Ritian was pretty well-off.
Mu Chen searched the Blood-Colored Token from Shi Hao's pocket and nodded with satisfaction. He immediately transferred all the points over. With these, he'd be able to break through the 3,000-point mark.
The human geniuses watching stared at the scene, dumbfounded.
Come on, explain it to me—what the hell do you call a surprise?
Quite a few veterans cried that they'd fallen behind, left in the dust by the tides of the times.
So that was what a fair fight meant.
I... get it now!
Of course, the victor became king and the defeated were disgraced. No more needed to be said.
Some onlookers had already begun roughly estimating the Hundred Spirits Youth's true strength.
At the city gate, he'd subdued Chu Qi, a peak Level 5 Spirit Body.
Today, he'd knocked out Shi Hao, the Shi Clan's king and a Level 6 Spirit Body, with a single blow.
Though he'd caught Shi Hao off guard, it was still enough to prove that Mu Chen was stronger.
In other words, Mu Chen had likely already broken through to a Level 6 Spirit Body. He was a king, too!
After plundering all the points, Mu Chen left, thoroughly satisfied.
He'd failed to find his wife, but had obtained the black paper. It was time for his journey through the Sanctuary to end.
"Boss, boss, wake up!"
Only after the human-shaped fiend had left did Shi Hao's lackeys dare approach. They all pitched in to lift him up, then, without a second thought, pulled out every kind of spirit pill and force-fed them to him.
"This is all your fault, you bastard!"
"If you'd accepted our boss's invitation earlier, none of this would have happened."
One of Shi Hao's most loyal lackeys saw his boss in such a sorry state and flew into a rage.
The Level 5 Spirit Body turned all his fury on the Zhou-surnamed vendor.
"Trash, get the hell out of here!"
"Ah!"
He had only just been about to make a move when the original owner of the black paper subdued him on the spot.
"Zhou Ling! It's him!"
A human genius recognized him and cried out.
Zhou Ling was another renowned king-level figure.
This king, born in the Northern Sanctuary, had actually appeared in the Eastern Heavens.
Everyone couldn't help marveling: the Sanctuary really was a place where crouching tigers and hidden dragons gathered, with powerful figures everywhere!
P.S. I got curious and checked out the ratings on the browser for a bit. I was so depressed afterward!
Before you continue