Humiliation.
Unprecedented humiliation.
He, Chen Wanglong, was the brightest prodigy Yilin County had seen in years—a genius who had reached Bright Strength after half a year at Zhenlei Martial Arts Hall, and Dark Strength at eighteen. The Zhao Family had gone all out to recruit him, placing their hopes on him as a star of the future.
And yet, in full view of everyone, he had been knocked back three steps with a single punch by an illegitimate son from Loach Bay, then forced to his knees!
All after he had just mocked his opponent, certain of victory.
The looks surrounding him—shock, horror, disbelief, and even a trace of barely concealed glee.
Like red-hot steel needles, they pierced his spine one by one.
"An illegitimate son... A bastard who crawled out of the filthy ditches of Loach Bay!" Chen Wanglong snarled hoarsely. "What gives you the right... What gives you the right to stand here, to take my punch, to—dare to make me kneel?!"
Chen Jianghe stood silently.
His right hand hung naturally at his side, his breathing long and steady, as if that earth-shattering punch had merely brushed dust from his sleeve.
He looked at his cousin, who seemed to have gone mad. There was no pride or mockery in his eyes, only the stillness of a deep pool.
That calm hurt Chen Wanglong more than any taunt.
"I'll kill you—!"
Chen Wanglong had completely lost his reason.
His qi and blood erupted. An unnatural flush spread beneath his skin, while his sinews bulged and writhed like little snakes.
He drove the fierce force taught by Zhenlei Martial Arts Hall to its limit and struck with both fists.
One fist shot straight for Chen Jianghe's face, while the other concealed an attack beneath the ribs, ready to change course and strike at his heart.
This was Zhenlei Martial Arts Hall's Twin Thunder Break, renowned for its ferocity and explosive force. It emphasized pressing forward without hesitation and overcoming skill with sheer strength.
Fueled by hatred, Chen Wanglong unleashed his attack. His fists tore through the air, faintly sounding like wind and thunder!
Chen Jianghe's gaze sharpened.
He could see that Chen Wanglong had completely lost control. The punch carried tremendous force, but was utterly undisciplined, riddled with openings.
But that only made it more dangerous.
A madman who cared nothing for his own life and wanted only to take his enemy down with him could often unleash far more destructive power than usual.
He couldn't meet it head-on.
Chen Jianghe tapped the ground with his toes and slid sideways like a phantom.
His toes barely touched the ground. His body seemed to move slowly, yet was swift in truth, gliding half a step to the left.
The step was executed to perfection, allowing Chen Wanglong's furious thunderous fist to skim past the front of his shirt.
The fierce wind from the punch swept over him. His indigo garment ripped with a sharp "hiss," the tear widening to reveal the lean, powerful muscles beneath.
Chen Wanglong's punch missed, throwing him off balance. His eyes grew even redder, and he spun around to lash out with a sweeping kick aimed at Chen Jianghe's waist and abdomen!
Chen Jianghe twisted his hips and retreated with the leg's momentum, floating away like a fish. At the same time, he joined his right fingers like a blade and jabbed like lightning at the back of Chen Wanglong's supporting knee!
Before his fingers reached their target, Dark Strength struck first.
A soft, yielding force pierced the air. Chen Wanglong felt his right knee go numb, and his entire leg instantly lost its strength. His sweeping kick came to a halt.
"You—"
Chen Wanglong was shocked and furious. He threw another punch with his left, but it was a wild, bludgeoning strike, completely without form.
Chen Jianghe, however, grew steadier still.
He used Phantom Shadow Steps, weaving and turning in the tiniest space, always dodging Chen Wanglong's frenzied attacks by a hair's breadth.
Meanwhile, his hands struck with fingers and palms, jabbing and slapping. Every move was precise and vicious, targeting Chen Wanglong's joints, sinews, and the points where his qi and blood circulated.
After only seven or eight moves, Chen Wanglong was already struggling to defend himself.
His right arm was useless, his left fist was wild and unstructured, and his right knee had been injured by Dark Strength. His steps faltered.
What unsettled him even more was Chen Jianghe's vicious Dark Strength. With each touch, a soft force burrowed into his body like a festering parasite, steadily eroding the circulation of his qi and blood.
"Bang!"
Chen Jianghe's Drilling Fist bored through the opening beneath Chen Wanglong's ribs.
Dark Strength pierced his body.
Chen Wanglong grunted. His face turned deathly pale, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
He stumbled backward and looked down at his side.
His shirt was intact, marked only by a shallow fist print. But inside... his ribs were broken, and his organs were injured!
"No... Impossible..." Chen Wanglong murmured, his eyes full of disbelief. "I'm a genius of Zhenlei Martial Arts Hall... an honored guest of the Zhao Family... How could I... lose to an illegitimate son like you..."
"Get out of my way!" Chen Wanglong bellowed. Ignoring the churning of his qi and blood, he forced his Dark Strength into motion and swept his right leg sideways like an iron whip, aiming straight for Chen Jianghe's waist and abdomen. He meant to force him back and regain his footing.
But Chen Jianghe advanced instead of retreating!
He suddenly sank his hips and crouched, narrowly avoiding the sweeping kick. At the same time, his right hand shot out like a serpent, fingers curled into a claw as he seized Chen Wanglong's right ankle with perfect precision.
"Oh no!" Chen Wanglong thought in alarm. But Chen Jianghe let out a sharp breath, powered the motion with his waist and back, and swung Chen Wanglong half a turn through the air before slamming him viciously into the ground!
"Boom!"
The blue bricks shattered, and dust billowed into the air.
Chen Wanglong was thrown into a daze, his organs displaced. He spat out a mouthful of blood.
Before he could struggle to his feet, Chen Jianghe planted a foot on his chest and released a faint burst of Dark Strength, scattering his qi and blood until he could no longer summon a shred of strength.
Chen Jianghe looked down, his expression still calm and unruffled. Beneath his foot lay the cousin who had once seemed untouchable, now as wretched as a dead dog.
He lifted his right foot and moved it above Chen Wanglong's lower abdomen, over his dantian. His strength remained poised but unreleased. His intent was clear.
Destroy his cultivation and be rid of future trouble for good!
"Stop!"
"How dare you, whelp!"
Two furious shouts rang out almost at once, one sharp and the other aged and authoritative!
The first came from Zhao Mingyuan, who was close at hand. Seeing Chen Wanglong in danger, he could no longer hold back. His long blade sprang from its sheath, flashing like a streak of cold light as it slashed straight at the back of Chen Jianghe's neck!
The blade's arc was vicious and swift, showing no mercy!
The other voice came from beyond the escort agency's courtyard wall. It was old, yet carried a bone-chilling authority, like muffled thunder rolling across the sky.
At the same moment, a vast and overwhelming presence, as imposing as a mountain, suddenly descended from afar and locked onto Chen Jianghe!
A Grandmaster of Transformative Strength!
Every hair on Chen Jianghe's body stood on end. A deadly sense of danger seized his heart in an instant.
If he insisted on destroying Chen Wanglong's cultivation, he would not have time to dodge Zhao Mingyuan's blade from behind—and he might also be killed by the imminent thunderous strike from the Transformative Strength Grandmaster!
In that split second, he made his decision.
His descending right foot abruptly changed direction and stamped hard on Chen Wanglong's right elbow!
"Crack!"
The ear-grating sound of breaking bone rang out clearly.
"Argh—! My arm!!" Chen Wanglong screamed in agony. His sinews and bones had clearly been broken.
Using the force of that stomp, Chen Jianghe spun like a top, narrowly evading Zhao Mingyuan's blade as it slashed toward the back of his neck.
The blade wind swept past. His shoulder garment split with a "hiss," leaving a shallow streak of blood.
Almost at the very moment he spun out of the way—
A gray figure floated soundlessly over the courtyard wall like a phantom, bringing with him an oppressive presence that made it hard to breathe.
It was an old man in a gray cloth robe, with a gaunt face and murky eyes. He leaned on an unremarkable Ebony Cane.
Still in midair, he had already raised his right palm and brought it down from a distance!
Before his palm wind even arrived, a terrifying pressure had enveloped the entire courtyard!
Chen Jianghe's pupils contracted.
He tried to retreat, only to discover that the energy around him had been locked down. He felt mired in mud, unable to move!
That was the might of Transformative Strength! Striking from afar and locking onto one's energy—Dark Strength martial artists were powerless against it!
The gray-robed old man looked at Chen Jianghe with murky eyes and spoke indifferently, his voice hoarse. "So young, yet so vicious. You strike with such merciless cruelty. Leaving you alive would only bring harm to the world."
Just as Chen Jianghe was about to be struck down on the spot by the Transformative Strength Grandmaster—
"Tsk. What's all the commotion?"
A lazy voice suddenly rang out in the courtyard.
It wasn't loud. In fact, it was somewhat muffled, with a nasal quality, as if the speaker had just woken up.
Yet that languid tone was like a spring breeze melting snow. In an instant, it dispelled the gray-robed old man's all-encompassing pressure of Transformative Strength!
The gray-robed old man's expression changed sharply. He whipped around!