"Trial targets?"
Hearing this, the other young men froze for a moment, then burst into derisive laughter.
"Brother Liu Cheng, this kid thinks we're practice targets." A lean young man standing beside the man in brown sneered disdainfully.
Disdain flashed through Liu Cheng's eyes as well, and he sneered, "Kid, I'd advise you not to play with fire."
"I'm in a good mood. Don't force us to get rough. If we accidentally kill you, we won't even be punished, and you'll have lost your life."
"It's not worth it!"
Hearing this, Chu Tiannan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Were robbers all this polite nowadays?
Had they even started looking out for their victims?
"Hmm..." Chu Tiannan rubbed his chin with his right hand, pondering, while a tall young man nearby reached out, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the black wristband on Chu Tiannan's wrist.
"Hehe, if I hand the wristband over to Boss Liu Cheng, I'll get at least three battle points."
The tall young man moved quickly, reaching straight for Chu Tiannan's wristband.
Crack!
The next second, the crisp sound of a bone snapping rang out.
"Ah! My hand!" A scream immediately shattered the quiet night. The tall young man's face flushed red as he toppled to the ground.
Clutching his broken finger, he screamed over and over.
"Did I say I'd give it to you?"
Chu Tiannan paid no attention to the young man on the ground beside him, simply kicking him aside before sweeping his smiling gaze across the startled figures around him, his lips spreading into a grin.
"I'm in a pretty good mood today. Hand over your battle points, and I'll spare your lives!"
"Kid, you're courting death!" Seeing one of his men taken down in an instant, Liu Cheng's face naturally turned livid as their leader, and he growled.
"Kill him!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
At their leader's command, the remaining figures rushed toward Chu Tiannan at once. Some held short sabers, others daggers, and every young man's face bore nothing but ferocity.
Facing these fellows who barely reached the level of junior martial artists, Chu Tiannan couldn't muster the slightest interest. His gaze passed through them and landed on Liu Cheng, his eyes brightening slightly.
"An advanced martial artist? Now that's something worth seeing!"
With a cold smile, Chu Tiannan drew the longsword he had originally had no intention of using. Moving like a ghost, he swept swiftly past the young men.
He headed straight for the astonished Liu Cheng.
"How is he so fast?" The young men blocking his path felt only a gust of wind sweep past them, and they instinctively slashed with their weapons.
But their blades met only air. Whether it was because of the darkness or because the young man in black was too fast, they couldn't tell.
Not one of them could get close to him!
"What?" Only now did Liu Cheng, an advanced martial artist, look utterly horrified. Naturally, he could see more than the junior martial artists could.
Five men had surrounded one, yet this young man in black had deftly slipped past them all.
Was it a coincidence? Or something else...
"Hmph, you overestimate yourself!" Seeing this, Liu Cheng met him with his saber in hand.
In his view, although Chu Tiannan wasn't weak, anyone below the level of a peak martial artist would be no problem.
Liu Cheng had the strength of an advanced martial artist. He was one of the prodigies recruited early by the North Martial Arts Hall, and he had few rivals on the outskirts of the ruined city.
He believed victory was assured as long as he didn't encounter someone with freakish talent.
"Anyone confident enough to venture alone around the outskirts of the ruins is probably an advanced martial artist at most. Anyone stronger has already entered the core area. Even if I can't beat him, he won't be able to stop me from escaping."
"Besides, I know all those freaks who were recruited early. I don't recognize this person. He's very likely just a self-taught little genius."
Liu Cheng had already formed a plan that let him attack or retreat as needed. Brimming with confidence as well, he naturally had nothing to fear.
"Die!" As the distance between him and Chu Tiannan shrank, Liu Cheng roared angrily, his saber tracing a silver streak that gleamed with an icy chill beneath the moonlight.
"Very good..." As Chu Tiannan charged forward, he naturally saw Liu Cheng swinging his saber toward him. The corners of his mouth rose slightly, and he burst into even greater speed.
At that moment, he unleashed his aura completely. Then, under Liu Cheng's astonished gaze,
he advanced with his sword!
Inside the East Martial Arts Hall's camp
A group of instructors watched the screen with their arms folded, looking intrigued as they chatted with smiles.
"Chu Tiannan's been surrounded? He's probably in for a rough time."
"Are you kidding? This little fellow is at the level of a junior martial master. Those boys trying to rob him are probably the ones in trouble."
"What a decisive way to handle it. He took one little fellow out of the fight right from the start. Ruthless."
When the instructors saw Chu Tiannan break one person's finger, they couldn't help nodding, remarking on his decisive approach.
Even head instructor Wang Jinhai looked at Chu Tiannan with satisfaction. Only Li Dongjie, seated in the center drinking tea, remained calm.
He was utterly unmoved!
"That was a beautiful charge!"
"Good speed..." Many instructors nodded in approval, but a few still chuckled and shook their heads.
"It's just a bunch of little fellows fighting. Look at you all... what!"
"Damn! No way!"
The few instructors who had still been joking carelessly seemed to notice something, and astonishment spread across their faces.
Even Li Dongjie, who had remained composed, now had a flicker of surprise deep in his eyes, seemingly surprised by what appeared on the screen the next moment. He thought to himself,
This little fellow is rather interesting...