Lu Ren hesitated no longer. Sheathing his longsword, he lunged forward and, facing the old man's smug grin, unleashed a rain of punches.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
For a full three seconds, the old man was kept hanging in midair by Lu Ren's fists before the final punch blasted him more than ten meters away.
His skin had been completely shattered, revealing his true form. Looking like a withered, drained corpse, the old man struggled to raise his head and look at Lu Ren.
"I never thought your fist technique... would be even stronger than your swordsmanship. I, Old Xu..."
Before he could finish, Lu Ren stomped Old Xu's head to pieces. After that, there was no more sound.
"Ding! You have stomped the earthbound spirit Old Xu to death. Falcon Fist Proficiency +1."
If Lu Ren had guessed correctly, this Old Xu was likely something like an earthbound spirit. Though he still possessed consciousness, he had ultimately remained trapped in the moment before his death.
Lu Ren turned back to glance at the sunlit town. Yet the sun was already slanting toward the horizon. Once night fell, this place would probably become a ghost domain in an instant.
Without looking back, he left. Just as the town was about to vanish from sight, Lu Ren could not help turning around for another look, and his heart jolted.
At some unknown point, a large crowd had silently appeared along the edge of the town. Every one of them stared at him expressionlessly, their eyes locked onto him without blinking.
The bone-chilling sensation made his heart pound.
"Ding. Having been frightened, your Spirit Proficiency has passively increased by 1."
Damn it, his proficiency did not grow nearly this quickly when he normally practiced the Emotionless Intent Sword meditation