Blood and Qi Made Manifest!

Fan Qingyang, who had been serving as bait nearby, had also noticed the fierce battle.

Seeing Sun Bowei pressing Jiang Feng with a relentless assault, his face broke into a radiant grin. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted at them, "Hahaha! Jiang, you actually dared to show your face!

"Too bad, too bad. You're going to die here tonight. You won't live to see the day Li Yue and I share a bed!

"Li Yue's tiny waist, Li Yue's pretty little face... Just thinking about it gets me so excited!!!"

Jiang Feng knew exactly what Fan Qingyang was up to. He was trying to rattle him with those filthy words and make him lose his composure.

But the words fell on his ears without stirring even the slightest ripple.

Sun Bowei, however, was distracted by the incessant lewd taunts. The airtight rhythm of his assault faltered for an instant.

Jiang Feng had been waiting for just that moment. He seized several openings in quick succession and swung the Ghost-Head Blade at the vital spots on Sun Bowei's body, its edge wrapped in a fierce gust of wind.

But when the blade fell, it only sliced through a few scraps of clothing, leaving several faint red marks on Sun Bowei's skin. It hadn't even broken the skin.

Feeling the futile force behind Jiang Feng's blade, Sun Bowei burst into unrestrained laughter.

"Kid, you think brute strength alone can bridge the chasm between the sixth and eighth levels of the Blood-Moving Realm? Hahaha, you're delusional!

"Only when you can freely control your own blood and qi have you truly stepped onto the martial path. Before then, you're nothing but an ordinary person with a little more strength.

"I could stand here and let you hit me, and you still wouldn't break through my Golden Armor Body!"

Fan Qingyang naturally wouldn't miss a chance to add fuel to the fire. He continued shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Jiang Feng, it must've been hard holding yourself back at the Medicine Hall all this time, huh? Were you hoping to reach the seventh level of the Blood-Moving Realm, make a stunning debut, and leave the Slave Registry to become a guard?

"Too bad you weren't born with that kind of luck! You're going to die here today, a useless wretch, and you'll die with the name of a bandit on your back. That's what you get for crossing me!"

Jiang Feng paid him no heed, but he kept turning Sun Bowei's words over in his mind.

"Control of my own blood and qi...? I think Alchemist Song said something similar."

His gaze swept over Sun Bowei, searching, until he finally spotted the clue. A faint reddish haze, almost imperceptible, clung to the surface of Sun Bowei's body.

That was what had kept Jiang Feng's blades from cutting through his flesh.

"Is this an ability you can only master after reaching the seventh level of the Blood-Moving Realm? Releasing your blood and qi to reinforce yourself?"

A bold idea suddenly took shape in his mind.

But he didn't act rashly. He kept doing his utmost to fend off Sun Bowei's attacks while carefully studying his rhythm, patiently waiting for an opening.

Thanks to the combined support of his Great Accomplishment Iron Stake Technique and Minor Accomplishment Exquisite Breathing Method, his strength had remained at its peak despite the long battle. He hadn't shown the slightest sign of fatigue.

At that moment, lightning ripped across the sky with a thunderous crack, followed immediately by a scream of sheer terror that pierced the rain.

"Ah—!"

Sun Bowei's blade paused mid-swing. He spared most of his attention to glance toward Fan Qingyang. "What happened? Did someone else come?"

Fan Qingyang looked terrified, his voice trembling. "I-I didn't see anyone... But it felt like something strange just slapped me from behind..."

Sun Bowei's eye twitched. He was utterly speechless.

He'd seen through it by now. That useless fool had no talent beyond making a racket; he startled at every little thing.

In the instant Sun Bowei's attention wavered, Jiang Feng moved.

With every ounce of strength he could muster, he dodged Sun Bowei's slash at the fastest speed he could manage and darted behind him like a ghost.

Sun Bowei noticed Jiang Feng's movement. He was briefly surprised, then the familiar mocking smile returned to his face. Without even turning around, he sneered, "It's useless. I could stand right here and let you chop me, and you still wouldn't hurt me in the slightest. Haven't you understood the difference between us...?"

Before he could finish, his eyes flew wide open, and his pupils began to tremble uncontrollably.

He could hardly believe what he was seeing. A blindingly vivid red glow had surged from Jiang Feng's body. In the pitch-black, rain-lashed night, it shone so fiercely that it nearly burned Sun Bowei's eyes.

"This... This is blood and qi made manifest! He... wasn't he at the sixth level of the Blood-Moving Realm? How did he do that?!"

His earlier judgment began to crumble. An absurd thought forced its way into his mind: could this kid have just broken through to the seventh level of the Blood-Moving Realm?

But the manifested blood and qi was several times denser than his own, despite his many years at the eighth level of the Blood-Moving Realm. At a moment when life and death hung in the balance, there was no point in deceiving himself.

"Kid! You're not at the sixth level of the Blood-Moving Realm—you're at the seventh! You've been deliberately misleading me all along!" Sun Bowei roared.

Jiang Feng didn't answer.

His gaze was cold as steel. He drove the Exquisite Breathing Method to its limit, pouring all the immense blood and qi in his body into the Ghost-Head Blade in his hand.

A deep crimson glow enveloped the blade, as if a cold flame had ignited in the downpour.

Then he swung, bringing it down with all his might.

Sun Bowei tried to dodge, but it was too late.

The thin layer of golden blood and qi around him was as fragile as paper before the crimson blade. It offered not even the slightest resistance.

The blade slashed diagonally down from his shoulder blade. With a sickening tearing sound, his entire right arm and half his torso were cleaved away.

The piercing pain sent the tower-like man crashing to his knees. His agonized howls rang far through the rain.

Fan Qingyang stood frozen in the distance. He could never have imagined that Sun Bowei, who had been dominating the fight just moments ago, would nearly be hacked to death by Jiang Feng in the blink of an eye.

At the sight of that figure standing in the downpour, drenched in blood and looking like a demon, Fan Qingyang's courage shattered. Without a word, he turned and ran.

Lying on the ground, Sun Bowei no longer had any of his former arrogance or confidence.

Though the pain twisted his face beyond recognition and made his teeth clatter, he still forced out a smile more wretched than a sob and looked up at Jiang Feng.

"Y-young brother, I think there might've been some misunderstanding between us. Honestly, I can't stand that fat bastard either. I never wanted to attack you..."

"Misunderstanding?" Jiang Feng sneered, cutting off his pitiful excuse. "I don't see any misunderstanding. The victor takes all; the loser has to accept it. If I'd fallen into your hands, I doubt I'd have fared any better."

Before he'd finished speaking, a flash of blade-light sliced off Sun Bowei's remaining left arm at the root.

"Ah—! Stop! Don't cut me anymore!"

Sun Bowei summoned the last breath in his chest and screamed, "I... I admit defeat! I'll pay you! I have quite a bit saved up. If you let me live, I'll give you every last coin!"

At that, Jiang Feng seemed to think of something and stopped. In an even tone, he asked, "What's your name?"

A spark of hope for survival burst into Sun Bowei's eyes. He hurriedly replied, "My name is Sun Bowei! I'm a well-known hunter in Black Water Town. You can ask anyone about me, and they'll tell you. Don't worry, I won't lie to you!"

Jiang Feng nodded, then asked, "Is there anyone else in your family?"

Sun Bowei was taken aback, unsure why Jiang Feng would ask that at a time like this, but he answered honestly. "N-no. You killed my two younger brothers just now. But don't worry. If you spare me, you'll be my benefactor.

"I'll never seek revenge. I can even teach you my family's secret techniques. You haven't formally studied any martial skills yet, have you?

"Don't worry. The techniques of the Sun Family won't disappoint you."

Jiang Feng nodded again.

The light in Sun Bowei's eyes grew brighter, and his voice trembled with excitement. "Young man, d-did you agree?"

Jiang Feng slowly shook his head, a surprisingly gentle smile appearing on his face.

"You're so stupid. If you die, won't all your things belong to me anyway?"

Sun Bowei's expression froze.

In the next instant, a dazzling flash of blade-light swept past. His huge head rolled into the muddy rainwater, mixing with the blood as it spun several times before coming to a stop.