Crushing Zhang He's Hopes

In the courtyard used for training, Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui stood before Zhang He, their faces filled with hope.

"There are less than six days left until the Martial Child Assessment. After nearly a month of training, you haven't slacked off, and your progress has been rapid." Zhang He looked at the two. Although the time had been short, the aura emanating from them had changed significantly. Fatty Tang, in particular, could no longer be called "Fatty," as his layers of fat had been replaced by solid, dense muscle. Having been exposed to the sun these past few days, his skin had turned a healthy, wheat-colored bronze.

"We owe everything we've achieved to you," Wang Dachui said, his voice thick with gratitude. Thinking back on the events of these past few days felt like a dream. He had actually reached the Marrow Refining Realm—it was simply inconceivable. If he hadn't been kicked out of the Martial Child Academy by a twist of fate, he would likely still be lingering before the Skin Tempering Realm. If those people at the Academy knew about this, their jaws would surely hit the floor.

"We're brothers; saying things like that is too formal," Fatty Tang said with a carefree wave.

"That's right, we're brothers, so don't be so formal," Zhang He smiled. "Besides, don't say it's all thanks to others; what brought you to this level is actually your own effort. I merely provided a few external items to assist you. Since you've both reached the Marrow Refining Realm and accumulated a vast amount of Qi sensation, I called you here today to help you condense your True Qi Seeds. Only by condensing a True Qi Seed can you achieve better results in the Martial Child Assessment."

"Help us condense a True Qi Seed? Is that really possible?" Wang Dachui's face lit up with surprise. Being able to cultivate a True Qi Seed meant becoming an Elite Martial Child, which came with significant benefits—how could he not be moved? Fatty Tang was equally astonished. Zhang He's words were simply too shocking; the idea of someone helping another condense a True Qi Seed was unheard of.

"I have two precious potions here. After you consume them, they will assist you in condensing your True Qi Seeds. I promised you that you would achieve remarkable results in the Martial Child Assessment and shock those who looked down on you. I keep my word," Zhang He said calmly, producing two vials.

The concoction of the True Qi Condensing Liquid was not actually complex. Its ingredients were quite common, but only Zhang He could brew it, as only he knew how to utilize those poisonous herbs without the resulting mixture becoming a lethal toxin.

With only six days left until the assessment, Zhang He intended for them to condense their True Qi Seeds now, leaving the remaining time for them to practice how to wield their True Qi.

Zhang He distributed the True Qi Condensing Liquid to the two, and under his guidance, they consumed it on the spot. The liquid did not guarantee success on the first try; it merely accelerated the condensation of the internal Qi sensation, increasing the probability of successfully forming a True Qi Seed. For anyone else, condensing a True Qi Seed was a nerve-wracking process, done with the fear of failure, as such opportunities were rare; if one missed, there was no telling when the next chance would come.

Zhang He, however, had no such worries—not with the True Qi Condensing Liquid!

With Zhang He's guidance, the two found the process of condensing their True Qi Seeds incredibly easy. Although Wang Dachui was so nervous and anxious about the outcome that he made a few minor mistakes at the critical moment, leading to two consecutive failures, they both successfully condensed their True Qi Seeds in the end.

"Wahahaha! I'm an Elite Martial Child now! With this True Qi Seed, I'll be a dark horse at the assessment! When the time comes, those pretty girls will surely throw themselves into my arms, wakaka!" Fatty Tang's eyes gleamed with a lovesick expression. Wang Dachui, however, was not as excited; he slumped to the ground, weeping silently.

Seeing this, Zhang He couldn't help but sigh, knowing the immense pressure Wang Dachui had been under. Fatty Tang saw it too; despite his boisterous personality, he wasn't oblivious. Having spent so much time with Wang Dachui, he knew everything about his family situation. Thus, Fatty Tang didn't step forward to help him up, letting him cry it out instead.

"Zhang He, what is your cultivation level now?" Fatty Tang suddenly asked out of curiosity. Zhang He had been helping them train, yet they rarely saw him cultivate himself, making them incredibly curious about his true strength.

"I am already at the True Martial Realm," Zhang He replied with a faint smile.

"True Martial Realm!" Wang Dachui, who had also been curious, gasped in shock alongside Fatty Tang. In their minds, Zhang He had always been low-key, suffering the same bullying from the wealthy Martial Children as they did. To think his cultivation had already reached the True Martial Realm!

The gap between the True Martial Realm and the Force Martial Realm was like heaven and earth. Even in a major family in Mengyin City, there weren't many experts at the True Martial Realm. Take Zhao Feng's family, for instance—a first-tier noble clan—they only had six True Martial Realm experts, the strongest of whom was said to be at the fourth stage. True Martial Realm experts were incredibly scarce!

"You've been too low-key all this time..." Fatty Tang shook his head. In his heart, he felt Zhang He had hidden his strength too well; even they, who spent every day with him, had been kept in the dark.

Zhang He smiled. He couldn't reveal the truth, so he changed the subject: "In the remaining six days, you must focus on practicing the application of True Qi. At your current level, there are few Martial Children in all of Mengyin City who can compare. As long as you perform normally during the assessment, you will surely secure a very high ranking."

As Zhang He spoke, a sharp light flashed in his eyes. He was determined to take first place in the Martial Child Assessment! He, too, would use the remaining six days to intensify his own training; he needed to completely absorb and refine the demonic poison within that Cold Flood Dragon Poison Pill.

"Once I absorb the demonic poison from the pill, my Rejuvenation True Qi will grow once more, and breaking through to the third stage, the Possession Realm, will be a certainty. I might even be able to open the final acupoint, at which point I will be able to unleash the Half-Step Blast Fist." He had made thorough preparations, and he would spend the remaining time exerting every effort to absorb the poison.

Breaking through to the Possession Realm would be no difficult task.

As the sunset faded, Zhang He headed home. Their current residence was in the wealthy district, quite far from their training grounds. Even by carriage, it would take an ordinary person half an hour, but Zhang He traveled on foot. In martial cultivation, one must never be lazy for even a moment. He treated the walk as a form of training to strengthen his legs.

Of course, sprinting through the main streets would only invite ridicule, and Zhang He did not wish to draw attention to himself, so he chose to take sparsely populated alleyways.

Swish, swish, swish.

Zhang He's figure moved through the alleys with the agility of a cat.

As he neared a main street, he slowed his pace. There was a night market ahead crowded with people, and he didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. He stepped onto the street, blending in like an ordinary person.

"Hm?" On a passing carriage, a middle-aged man with a scar across his face suddenly let out a puzzled sound. His gaze fell upon a burly man carrying a saber, who was biting into a pear and disappearing into the flow of the crowd.

"What is it, Zhao Lei?" On the carriage, Zhao Feng pulled his gaze away from the chest of a young woman buying rouge and looked at the scarred man with suspicion.

"Saw an old friend. Heh." The scarred man smiled indifferently, leaned lazily against the carriage, and a look of nostalgia flashed in his eyes.

Zhao Feng grunted. He knew Zhao Lei had spent time in the underworld and had many friends, so it wasn't strange. Suddenly, a figure caught the corner of his eye, and his eyes narrowed sharply.

"Zhang He!"

Sitting in the carriage, Zhao Feng watched that detestable figure head toward an alleyway. Although he had taken the spiritual medicine found in Luowang Prefecture and his arm had fully recovered, the sight of Zhang He still made him feel a phantom ache in his limb. Damn it!

Zhao Feng rubbed his arm, a look of resentment flashing in his eyes. He had already condensed a True Qi Seed and taken a precious pill to boost his True Qi, bringing his cultivation to the peak of the Godspeed Realm; he was only one step away from the Brute Force Realm. While his strength had surged and his confidence had skyrocketed, there was a thorn in his heart.

His father had actually told him to apologize to Zhang He and try to win him over—how could that be possible!

A fierce look crossed Zhao Feng's face. However, he remembered his father's warning: he was not to cause any trouble before the Martial Child Assessment.

Every commoner Martial Child viewed the assessment as a chance to leap over the dragon gate. Unfortunately, while there were many carp, the gate was not easy to jump, and many died before reaching it. Hmph, Zhang He will surely participate in the assessment, and he must have high hopes for it. If I shatter those hopes before the assessment and leave him in darkness for the rest of his life, that would be the best way to torture him!

"Zhao Lei, follow that man. Find a quiet, deserted place and sever the tendons in his hands and feet. Remember, don't kill him—just severing his tendons is enough." Zhao Feng watched Zhang He's retreating figure and smiled grimly. Once his tendons were severed, he would be a cripple. With only a few days left until the assessment, doing this now would destroy his greatest hope; the blow would be devastating.

Zhao Feng could already imagine the despair Zhang He would feel.

Zhao Lei nodded, stepped off the carriage without a word, and quietly followed. For him, such tasks were a daily routine.

"Zhao Lei is at the True Martial Realm; Zhang He won't be able to escape. Offending me, Zhao Feng, has sealed your miserable fate. But I won't kill you easily—that would be too kind. I will toy with you slowly. I'll crush your hopes first, let you taste despair, and break your will. Then, I will slowly destroy everything you love right in front of you, making you experience the immense pain of losing what you hold most dear!"

Zhao Feng curled his lips into a triumphant smirk.