"HAHAHAHA—!"
Amid the labyrinthine high-rises, the tall, skinny man sprinted wildly, unable to hold back his maniacal laughter.
Judging from that group's cries, the old man he had severely wounded was Linhai City's director.
He was also Linhai City's only martial artist close to the Fourth Tier.
One had to know that Qingyi Bureaus across Huaxia had to remain vigilant against secret realms beyond the cities and fugitives within them. Martial artists of the Fourth Tier and above rarely had the time to come help everywhere.
And among the students at Ying Province's Martial Arts Universities, there were even fewer freaks who had stepped into the Fourth Tier.
That meant...
"For a short while, all of Linhai City is safe territory for me!"
At that thought, Xiang Bu beamed with delight.
Even if that old bastard from Zhenjiang City had beaten him into serious injury, he was still a genuine Peak Third Order martial artist. Even if there was plenty of water in it, the realm was right there!
Right now, as long as he focused on staying alive, no one in Linhai City could catch up to him... Hm?!
All the hairs on Xiang Bu's back suddenly stood on end.
A piercing whistle tore through the air beside his ear!
"Who is it?!"
Xiang Bu felt his scalp go numb. Almost instinctively, he ducked and dodged to the side.
Boom!
A long spear grazed his scalp and smashed heavily into the ground in front of him, blasting up a shower of rubble. The shaft shook violently from the momentum!
Xiang Bu turned back, his pupils shrinking.
A black figure came hurtling toward him at high speed, riding the momentum to rush before him faster than an ordinary Third-Tier martial artist.
His right arm tensed, and his fist blasted through the air as it slammed into Xiang Bu's raised right arm!
Bang!!
Xiang Bu had wanted to say something, but before he could open his mouth, the tremendous force sent him flying!
It was Ye Li. With the Heavenly Dipper Void-Treading Technique and Riding the Wind Dragon Classic fully unleashed, he had rushed up behind Xiang Bu, his aura surging higher and higher!
Boom—
Xiang Bu crashed heavily into a wall, smashing several cracks into it.
He felt a strange vibration in that incoming fist, one that sent the blood and qi within his body churning uncontrollably!
Only then did he finally see his attacker clearly—
Black hair, golden eyes, a Boy in Black. The golden badge at his waist swayed in the wind, while dense killing intent filled his handsome face!
With Xiang Bu's eyesight, he could naturally make out the words [Fengyun University] on the badge.
"You're from Fengyun University?"
Fury and alarm roiled in his heart as he demanded, "How many credits can you get for catching me? Even the Qingyi Bureau has stopped chasing me. Do you really have to risk your life like this?!"
Under Xiang Bu's furious and alarmed gaze, Ye Li merely gave a cold laugh.
"You've got it wrong. I'm not here to catch you."
"Then you..."
"I'm simply here to kill you!"
The youth's Golden Eyes grew ever more blazing and fierce. The instant his words fell, he stamped the ground, black hair flying as he charged forward once more!
The perfected Dragon Quakes Mountain Fist Technique infused both palms.
True qi surged through his body, and the force of ten thousand kilograms erupted at full power.
His fists descended like a raging storm!
"Bold!"
Xiang Bu roared in fury, spreading his arms as he met him head-on.
Bang bang bang bang!!
The air between them instantly exploded into ripples like rings upon water. Violent winds swept in every direction as fist met flesh!
The ground beneath their feet trembled faintly, and towering buildings swayed when struck!
At first, Xiang Bu only felt that his opponent's fists were absurdly heavy. He had to be a martial artist of the same tier who specialized in the physical body, and the fight felt utterly exhilarating.
But the longer they fought, the more something felt wrong.
In just over a dozen breaths, rolling coldness emerged from within his body. His blood and qi churned uncontrollably, making him dizzy and nauseated!
What the hell was all this?!
The abnormalities inside his body made Xiang Bu's heart pound in terror. His opponent's fists were not only terrifyingly heavy, but the sheer variety of his martial techniques was dazzling!
Just where had this immortal-like monster crawled out from?!
The perfected feel in Ye Li's fists and kicks also stirred a wave of jealousy in Xiang Bu's heart.
"You're also a Third-Tier martial artist. You should understand my hardship!"
He roared furiously, "We Third-Tier martial artists have swallowed every hardship of cultivation. Now I've merely killed a few pregnant women—does that mean I deserve to die?!"
"I don't understand!"
As he spoke, Ye Li unleashed another Dragon Quakes Mountain strike. Laden with rolling coldness, it finally blasted open Xiang Bu's centerline by force!
Golden Soul Revival, Riding the Wind Dragon Classic, Dragon Quakes Mountain Fist Technique, White Mist Frost Snow... With so many enhancements layered upon him, he directly suppressed this severely injured Peak Third Order martial artist and beat him down!
In an instant, a pitch-black spear appeared in Ye Li's hand.
A dazzling light burst from the spear tip, and a distinct dragon silhouette emerged. The threat of death suddenly descended upon Xiang Bu's heart.
"Spare me!"
Xiang Bu cried out, "I'm a Third-Tier martial artist! I can atone for my crimes through meritorious service! Even the Qingyi Bureau wouldn't kill me!"
He was telling the truth. As scarce resources, Peak Third Order martial artists would indeed have restrictions planted within them through secret Qingyi Bureau techniques, then be sent beyond the cities to resist the mutant beasts as criminals redeeming themselves.
That was one reason why he did not fear the Qingyi Bureau.
But after he spoke, the youth before him did not stop. Instead, a flash of cold light suddenly expanded in Xiang Bu's eyes!
"If you kill me, those Zhenjiang University students won't let you off!"
Xiang Bu's body went numb. Unable to move, he shouted his final words—and the final words of his life.
The next second, a massive hole exploded through his chest. Then the dragon silhouette swept across him, annihilating all traces of his life force in the blink of an eye.
[Peak Third Order martial artist killed, Malice Points +!]
Even the system's notification text had turned an excited blood-red.
Ye Li flicked his spear, splattering blood across the entire wall.
Demonic crimson reflected a pair of blazing Golden Eyes.
His black robe remained as neat as it had been when he arrived.
"What were you babbling about?"
Ye Li casually put away his spear, turned, and walked back in the direction he had come from, murmuring indifferently,
"Who cares about your crap? If you don't die, am I supposed to die?"
Tap tap—
Before he had gone far, faint footsteps sounded by his ear.
Ye Li lifted his eyes and saw those Zhenjiang University students hurrying over.
When they saw the scene behind Ye Li, their breathing first caught, then their expressions turned rather ugly.
One of them even stepped forward, a faint anger in his voice.
"Friend, this was our mission. You cutting in like this..."
Before he could finish, a golden badge was tossed over.
The man caught it with a frown, only for his expression to freeze instantly.
"Tell your principal to get his ass to Fengyun University tomorrow and apologize. Bring your instructor along too."
The Boy in Black spoke calmly, his golden eyes cold as they watched the group.
"Any other questions?"
Before his words had even faded, the air within arm's reach became deathly silent once more.
The faces of the Zhenjiang University students turned darker than the bottom of a pot.
A golden badge—the core student of Fengyun University.
When carrying out missions beyond the university, his status was equivalent to a deputy director of the local Qingyi Bureau...
Damn it, damn it!
How could they be this unlucky?!
The man who had stepped forward first had an ashen face, filled with regret over his earlier decision.
This mission had already been their mistake, and now they had happened to run into a core student of Fengyun University. With the authority the other party possessed, getting their university to expel them would be no more than a word!
"..."
But there was no helping it. After a moment, he could only force himself to say,
"No. Thank you for lending us a hand..."
"Mm."
Ye Li casually took the badge from his hand and walked straight back in the direction he had come from.
Having confirmed that his guess had been correct, the youth was in quite a good mood.
PS: Two chapters, five thousand words each. Doesn't that deserve some praise?
Also, the Martial Exam will be served up soon. These two chapters were simply to give you big shots a change of flavor.
Thank you all for your gifts and positive reviews! They really give me a lot of motivation!
Kneeling in thanks orz
Also, I'm terrible at naming things. If anyone has good names or character concepts, feel free to leave them here. I'll pick a few to use in the story.
Before you continue