Slaying a Dou Shi by Stratagem, Shocking the Crowd!

In several dim corners of the street.

Several groups were watching the battle between Zhou Changqing and his opponent.

"Uncle, aren't we going to make a move?"

"No hurry. Let's watch first. Since someone wants to be the bird that sticks its head out, let him test this brat for us and see whether he really has a trump card."

"What if he doesn't? If that brat falls into someone else's hands, I'm afraid we won't be able to answer to the clan leader and elders."

"Heh, do you think your uncle is good for nothing? If that brat gets captured, taking him back won't take much effort with my strength."

"Besides, we aren't the only ones watching him. If we strike first, wouldn't we be playing right into their hands? Every one of them wants to be the oriole waiting behind the mantis. Why should I let them have their way? Let's see who the real oriole turns out to be."

Their expressions varied, but none chose to reveal themselves. They simply watched the two combatants closely, waiting for the final outcome.

As time slipped by.

Unable to subdue Zhou Changqing after so long, Steward Liu felt unbearably frustrated and increasingly anxious. His eyes tracked every movement of his opponent, searching for an opening that would break the stalemate!

Zhou Changqing's expression was equally grave as he kept swinging his Horizontal Saber to force his opponent back.

This won't do. This old bastard is stuck to me like a dogskin plaster. If this keeps dragging on, I'll run out of strength first. I need a way to break the stalemate!

I haven't revealed my Dou Qi at all, only circulated it quietly inside my body. This old bastard probably hasn't discovered my true cultivation. In that case, why not...

After forcing Steward Liu back with another slash of his Horizontal Saber, Zhou Changqing's thoughts raced as he searched for a way to defeat him.

His gaze settled on the anxious face of the middle-aged man opposite him.

Soon, Zhou Changqing came up with a plan, and a ruthless glint flashed through his peach-blossom eyes.

And so, when Steward Liu attacked again.

Zhou Changqing slashed with his Horizontal Saber once more.

Only this time, the angle of his Horizontal Saber slash was slightly off!

The edge was misaligned, leaving one flat of the blade tilted slightly toward Steward Liu!

In that instant, Steward Liu keenly noticed the change. Desperate as he was to find an opening, he could not help feeling a surge of delight!

What a chance!

Without a moment's hesitation, Steward Liu shot out his left hand and slapped the flat of the Horizontal Saber facing him!

At the same time, his right hand blazed with yellow light. Dou Qi surged into the many acupoints in his palm as he fiercely struck at Zhou Changqing!

It was the Yellow Tier Low Grade Dou Technique Steward Liu had failed to unleash earlier, Stone-Splitting Palm!

Clang!

The Horizontal Saber was struck, its force traveling along the blade into Zhou Changqing's arm and knocking both his right hand and the weapon aside!

Almost simultaneously, the Stone-Splitting Palm hurtled toward Zhou Changqing's chest!

The incoming palm whipped up a savage gale. Beneath its earthen-yellow Dou Qi glow lurked terrifying power capable of shattering mountain rock and walls, leaving onlookers breathless!

Though the spectators on the street wore different expressions at the sight, every one of them had sentenced Zhou Changqing to death in their minds.

They did not believe this brat, whose strength fell short of a Dou Zhe's, could withstand a Dou Technique unleashed by a Dou Shi after losing the advantage of his Treasure Weapon.

Yet none of them saw the slight upward curl of Zhou Changqing's lips. Even Steward Liu, so close to him, failed to notice!

Gold-Crushing Elbow!

In a flash, he roared inwardly. Dense metal attribute Dou Qi erupted from his dantian, coursing along a special meridian route and surging toward his left hand.

Just as the Stone-Splitting Palm was about to land on his chest, Zhou Changqing swiftly bent his left arm and drove his elbow forward, gleaming with a metallic golden sheen!

Eat my elbow!

At the same time, he circulated Dou Qi through his right hand, which gripped the Horizontal Saber, and swung it fiercely across!

Boom!

Elbow and palm collided in an instant!

Earthen-yellow and golden Dou Qi intertwined, raising a gale that sent dust flying from the ground around them. The shock waves spread outward like ripples!

The force of the clashing Dou Techniques drove the unprepared Steward Liu back a step!

Zhou Changqing likewise stumbled more than three steps backward under the terrifying power of the Stone-Splitting Palm!

Knocked back, Steward Liu could barely process what had happened. He stared at the brat before him in horror.

But before he could speak, a dazzling glint of cold steel flashed before his eyes!

Whoosh!

Slash!

Steward Liu had no time to dodge, much less conjure a Dou Qi Veil!

The keen edge of the Horizontal Saber had already swept across his neck!

"You... are... a... high-level... Dou... Zhe..."

His eyes widened as Steward Liu rasped out the words one by one.

Zhou Changqing did not answer. Drawing back his saber, he turned and channeled lightning attribute Dou Qi into his legs along the circulation route of Thunderclap Flash. Then he flashed away amid rolling thunder, never looking back!

Steward Liu merely watched him leave, no longer moving to block his path.

The hatred and greed in Steward Liu's eyes had long since vanished, leaving only boundless regret.

He had never considered that his opponent's opening might be bait. In his eyes, this little bastard was not even a Dou Zhe and had only held out so long because of the sharpness of his Treasure Weapon.

How could he have imagined that his opponent was not merely a Dou Zhe, but a high-level one?

Moreover, his Dou Qi was incredibly dense, no weaker than that of a peak Nine-Star Dou Zhe. His Dou Technique was formidable as well, powerful enough to stand against that of a Dou Shi like himself for several exchanges!

He had been fooled by this little bastard! Everyone had been fooled!

If he had known his opponent possessed such strength along with a Treasure Weapon, how could he possibly have underestimated him and let down his guard?

He had never imagined that the lesson he had taught his brother-in-law earlier would now be borne out on himself.

I can't accept this!

An overwhelming weakness flooded his body, and his consciousness swiftly sank into darkness. Amid endless remorse, Steward Liu toppled backward, stiff as a board!

The street was utterly silent...

Everyone watching, including those spying from the shadows, had mentally frozen after seeing Zhou Changqing clash head-on with a Dou Shi's Dou Technique and sweep his Treasure Weapon across the man's neck.

They had not even noticed Zhou Changqing leave.

Thud!

Suddenly, the sound of a body hitting the ground rang out.

Though it was not loud, it instantly shattered the silence on the street.

It also jolted everyone present awake!

An uproar erupted!

"Holy shit, holy shit! What the hell did I just see?"

"Is this right? This can't be right!"

"A Dou Zhe! That boy must be a Dou Zhe! There's no way I mistook the Dou Qi fluctuations when he used that Dou Technique!"

"Fuck! Not just any Dou Zhe! With that technique's power and that density of Dou Qi, he's definitely a High-Rank Dou Zhe!"

"But how is that possible?! That boy only looks fifteen or sixteen! A High-Rank Dou Zhe at fifteen or sixteen? Are you kidding me? Even Xiao Yan, the Xiao Clan's third young master who was hailed as Wutan City's greatest genius back then, couldn't do that!"

"So terrifying! Absolutely terrifying!"

"Is that the fucking point? Fine, that really is unbelievable, but what I'm more interested in is how that boy killed a Middle-Tier Dou Shi with only a Dou Zhe's strength!"

"It's the Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapon! Fuck! A Dou Zhe wielding a Treasure Weapon can actually kill a Dou Shi above his level?! The heavens have been turned upside down!"

"No, no! The next time the Mittel Auction House auctions a Treasure Weapon, I'm buying one no matter what, even if I have to bankrupt myself!"

"Ahem, isn't anyone curious about that boy's identity? When did Wutan City produce such an extraordinary genius? Someone that young and that strong probably doesn't exist even in the Imperial Capital, right?"

"Of course we're curious! Does anyone know? Speak up! Which of Wutan City's great clans does that boy belong to?"

"I'm more curious about why a Dou Shi was chasing that genius..."

They looked at the fallen middle-aged man nearby, his head severed from his body and his blood pooling across the ground.

The crowd erupted into a frenzy, exclamations pouring out as everyone spoke over one another. Every face was filled with utter shock!

Even those watching from the shadows were stunned, with relief and wariness flashing through their eyes.

After all, even if the strongest among them surpassed that middle-aged man, the difference was certainly no more than three stars.

If that boy could kill the middle-aged man, then they themselves would probably face a considerable risk of death in his place!

That left them hesitating over whether they should pursue Zhou Changqing and attack him at all.

(End of chapter)