No Cowardly Techniques, Only Cowardly Men

"I'll do it!"

Zhou Qi's voice was not loud, yet the entire place still fell silent for a moment.

Everyone looked toward the frail attendant who had suddenly stepped forward.

Wang Hao froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Well, Yang brother, where did you find this warrior?"

Yang Mingyuan stared at Zhou Qi, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He discovered that he actually could not see through Zhou Qi's cultivation.

Zhou Qi was no longer pretending. He laid his cards on the table and released every trace of his aura.

Yang Mingyuan was at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer. By all reason, he should have been able to see through anyone below the Qi Refining Third Layer at a glance. Yet Zhou Qi stood before him with an aura that seemed veiled in mist, vague and indistinct, impossible to make out clearly.

"You're at the Qi Refining Third Layer?" Yang Mingyuan asked.

Zhou Qi nodded. "Yes, Young Master."

"Which level?"

"The peak."

Yang Mingyuan fell silent for a moment, then gave a soft laugh.

"Go." Yang Mingyuan said. "Win, and this young master will reward you."

Zhou Qi cupped his fists. "Yes."

He turned and walked toward Iron Ox, one step at a time.

Iron Ox watched him approach, a broad grin splitting his face.

"Qi Refining Third-Layer Peak?" Iron Ox looked him up and down. "Interesting. But you're not much stronger than that trash from before. Coming up here just means another beating."

Zhou Qi said nothing.

He stopped three steps away from Iron Ox.

Then he assumed his opening stance.

Mountain-Splitting Fist.

Iron Ox laughed. "That's it? Mountain-Splitting Fist? Zhang Hu used that just now, and I beat him until he was crawling around looking for his teeth. You want to fight me with that?"

Zhou Qi still said nothing.

He merely watched Iron Ox, his gaze as still as a pool of dead water.

Iron Ox grew somewhat uncomfortable under that stare and frowned. "Kid, are you mute?"

Zhou Qi finally spoke.

"Your knee injury hasn't fully healed, has it?"

Iron Ox's expression changed.

Zhou Qi continued, "When you fought Zhang Hu just now, your right leg was a beat slower than your left when exerting force. When you turned, your left knee tilted outward. You've been avoiding putting force through your left leg."

He paused.

"You haven't mastered the Strike-Tempering Art. The knees are its weakest point. Was this injury left over from last time?"

Iron Ox's face changed completely.

"You..."

Before he could finish, Zhou Qi moved.

Attack the heart first, then wound the body!

Too fast.

Iron Ox only saw a shadow rush toward him. Instinctively, he threw a punch.

It missed.

Zhou Qi slipped sideways around the punch and, at the same time, smashed his Mountain-Splitting Fist into Iron Ox's left knee.

Crack!

Iron Ox's left leg gave way, and his entire body pitched downward.

His expression changed drastically as he desperately tried to steady himself.

But Zhou Qi gave him no chance.

Mountain-Splitting Fist, second form—Cleave Mount Hua.

His fist smashed into Iron Ox's right knee.

Crack!

Another crisp crack rang out.

Iron Ox's legs buckled, and he crashed to his knees.

The entire place fell deathly silent.

Wang Hao's smile froze on his face.

Yang Mingyuan's eyes lit up.

All the attendants, including the newly awakened Zhang Hu, stared blankly at the scene.

That tower-like brute, that Iron Ox who had beaten Zhang Hu down for so long, was now kneeling on the ground with both hands braced against the earth, unable to rise no matter how hard he tried.

Zhou Qi stepped back.

Looking at the kneeling Iron Ox, he patted dust that did not exist from his hands.

"So what if it's the Mountain-Splitting Fist? There are no cowardly techniques, only cowardly men," Zhou Qi said.

Iron Ox raised his head, disbelief written all over his face.

His legs had gone completely limp, and agonizing pain radiated from the bones in his knees.

"Your... your Mountain-Splitting Fist..."

Zhou Qi ignored him.

His Mountain-Splitting Fist had already been cultivated to perfection. Naturally, Iron Ox's minor-success Strike-Tempering Art could not withstand it.

He turned and looked at Wang Hao.

"Who else?"

Wang Hao's face looked as ugly as if he had swallowed a fly. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, yet not a word came out.

Yang Mingyuan suddenly laughed.

He strode over, patted Zhou Qi on the shoulder, then turned to Wang Hao with a dazzling smile.

"Brother Wang, what did you say just now? That my servant should fight your servant? Wasn't that it?"

Wang Hao's face turned the color of pig liver.

Yang Mingyuan continued, "Now the fight is over, and my servant won. Brother Wang, it's time to honor your promise."

Wang Hao clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

He stared fixedly at Zhou Qi, as if he wanted to carve this man into his mind.

Then he took a deep breath and forced out a smile. "Brother Yang is right. A bet is a bet, and one must accept defeat."

He cupped his fists toward Yang Mingyuan.

"I offended you today. In the future, whenever I see you, I'll take the long way around."

With that, he turned to leave.

After taking two steps, he stopped again and looked back at Zhou Qi.

"What's your name?"

Zhou Qi said nothing.

Yang Mingyuan answered for him. "Brother Wang, you should be more concerned with whether your servant can ever stand up again."

Wang Hao's gaze turned sinister. He said nothing further and strode away.

Two attendants ran over, hauled the kneeling Iron Ox up, and limped after him.

Only after their figures disappeared around the street corner did Yang Mingyuan withdraw his gaze.

He turned to Zhou Qi, his eyes full of appreciation.

"Good lad," he said. "You've cultivated the Mountain-Splitting Fist to perfection?"

Zhou Qi lowered his head. "Yes, Young Master."

"You stole it?"

"..." Zhou Qi hesitated for a moment. "Yes!"

Yang Mingyuan laughed.

"Interesting."

"You hid yourself deeply enough. You helped this young master win face today. What reward do you want?"

Zhou Qi raised his head.

He looked into Yang Mingyuan's calm eyes, which carried a hint of delight. He knew this man was not easy to fool, and he also knew that Yang Mingyuan hated people playing tricks the most.

So he spoke plainly.

"Young Master, I want the Qi-Nourishing Formula · Intermediate Chapter."

Yang Mingyuan raised a brow.

"The intermediate chapter?" he laughed. "Qi Refining Third-Layer Peak—you've maxed out the introductory chapter, haven't you? Without the intermediate chapter, you're stuck here?"

Zhou Qi nodded. "Yes."

Yang Mingyuan looked at him in silence for several seconds.

Then he said, "Fine. Come to my courtyard to collect it after we return to the residence."

Joy rose in Zhou Qi's heart. He cupped his fists and said, "Many thanks, Young Master!"

"No need to thank me." Yang Mingyuan waved a hand, turned, and boarded the carriage. "You're worth the price."

The carriage slowly began to move.

Zhou Qi followed behind it, walking back step by step.

That phrase still echoed in his mind: You're worth the price.

Yang Mingyuan had said it lightly, but Zhou Qi could tell that it was a transaction.

Today, he had won face for Yang Mingyuan, and Yang Mingyuan gave him the intermediate chapter.

Even? No. In the other man's eyes, Zhou Qi was merely a servant—a servant who happened to be worth investing in.

But none of that mattered to Zhou Qi. With the intermediate chapter, he could continue cultivating.

His golden finger had no such thing as a bottleneck. As long as he had the cultivation method, sooner or later he would break free from his status as a servant of the Yang Family.

An hour later.

Zhou Qi stood in the courtyard of the front hall and accepted the thin booklet from another personal attendant.

Qi-Nourishing Formula · Intermediate Chapter.

He opened the first page, and a prompt immediately appeared on the system panel:

[New cultivation method detected: Qi-Nourishing Formula · Intermediate Chapter]

[Current proficiency: 0/5000]

[Reach perfection to break through to the Peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement]

Zhou Qi closed the booklet, took a deep breath, and suppressed the slight trembling in his body.

He forcibly held back the urge to click immediately.

Just as he had expected, the proficiency balance prompt appeared.

[Usable cultivation method detected. Use proficiency balance?]

Five thousand proficiency points.

He had already accumulated 4,840. He only needed another 160 to reach perfection directly.

One hundred and sixty proficiency points? Mere one and a half hours.

Zhou Qi tucked the booklet into his robes, turned, left the courtyard, and headed toward the servants' quarters of the Yang Residence.

The moment he stepped out through the courtyard gate, he ran into Laifu.

Laifu looked at him, the smile on his face far more sincere than before. "Brother Zhou Qi, congratulations. The Young Master rewarded you with the intermediate chapter. Your future is boundless now."

Zhou Qi nodded. "Thank you, Brother Laifu."

"No need to be polite." Laifu stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Oh, right. News just came from the Wang Family. Iron Ox is crippled. Both his kneecaps were shattered. Even if he recovers, he'll still be left disabled."

Zhou Qi said nothing.

Laifu continued, "The Wang Family's young master has sent word that this isn't over. He doesn't dare touch the Young Master, but you..."

He paused.

"Brother Qi, be careful when you go out from now on."

Zhou Qi nodded. "I understand."

Laifu left.

Zhou Qi stood where he was in silence for a while. He had won face in today's battle, but he had also made an enemy.

But screw that bastard!

"Grind it out!"