The Misty Cloud Sect Picks a Fight, Fists Crush the Troublemakers

The silence in the training ground lasted only a moment before an even louder uproar broke out.

"Four-Stage Dou Qi? Wasn't he stuck at the third stage all this time?"

"That punch just now... how was that possible? Did he actually break Senior Brother Zhao's Stone Shattering Fist?"

"This trash... no, how did Xiao Yan suddenly get so strong?"

Amid the clamor, Zhao Li, the outer disciple whose finger had been broken, was both shocked and furious. Clutching his fist, he roared, "You dare hurt me? I'm a disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect! You're trash from a declining clan, and you dare run wild on Misty Cloud Mountain!"

Behind him, two outer disciples who were close to him immediately stepped forward. One had Four-Stage Dou Qi, while the other had reached the fifth stage. Both glared at Xiao Yan with hostile expressions.

"Junior Brother Zhao, I'll help you!" The young man with Fifth Stage Dou Qi stepped forward, Dou Qi surging around him. His bearing was far more imposing than Zhao Li's had been. "Xiao Yan, you dared attack a disciple of our sect here in the Misty Cloud Sect. Today, I'll teach you the rules!"

His name was Wang Hao, and he was considered fairly strong among the outer disciples. As he assumed a fighting stance, he clearly intended to avenge Zhao Li and show off before his fellow disciples at the same time.

Xiao Yan lifted his eyelids slightly. The Four-Stage Dou Qi he had just attained circulated through his body, and together with the insights into mastery of Stone Shattering Fist that the system had just granted him, it gave him an increasingly practiced command of his body. He glanced at Wang Hao and said evenly, "Coming at me together? Save some time."

"Arrogant!" Wang Hao was so furious he laughed instead. "Today I'll show you that the gap between the third and fifth stages is an impassable chasm!"

Before the words had faded, he charged, his steps making the ground tremble. He, too, used Stone Shattering Fist, but driven by Fifth Stage Dou Qi, his punch kicked up a fiercer wind and whistled faintly through the air as it hurtled toward Xiao Yan's chest.

At the same time, Zhao Li forced himself to endure the pain and attacked from the side with a low shout, clearly intending to catch Xiao Yan between them.

The surrounding Misty Cloud disciples held their breath, thinking that Xiao Yan was probably in for it. Fighting two opponents at once, one of them Wang Hao with Fifth Stage Dou Qi, was nothing short of courting death.

Yet Xiao Yan remained composed in the face of the pincer attack.

Just as their fists were about to strike him, his footwork abruptly changed. He had actually used the Xiao Clan's rudimentary footwork technique, Quick Step, but under the command of his overlord-level combat awareness, the ordinary technique became extraordinarily nimble. Like willow fluff on the wind, he lightly evaded Wang Hao's head-on punch while turning sideways to slip past Zhao Li's sneak attack.

"Too slow."

The cold voice rang out beside both men's ears.

Wang Hao and Zhao Li froze. A figure flickered before their eyes, and Xiao Yan was already at their side. The next instant, a more concentrated fluctuation of Dou Qi than before erupted from his fist.

He chose not to attack the stronger Wang Hao, instead driving a punch at Zhao Li, who had left a larger opening!

Bang!

The punch struck Zhao Li squarely in the back. Already injured, Zhao Li was utterly unable to resist. He flew away like a kite with its string cut, slammed heavily into the ground, and passed out.

Having dealt with one opponent, Xiao Yan did not pause. He turned back and punched again at Wang Hao, who had been distracted by his companion's defeat.

This punch was no longer as casual as the last. It incorporated the profound principle of mastery over Stone Shattering Fist: Dou Qi converged into a single point on the seemingly plain fist, carrying an intent to break through hardness.

Wang Hao was horrified and hastily threw a punch to block.

Crack!

Another crisp, teeth-grating snap rang out.

Agony shot through Wang Hao's arm. His Fifth Stage Dou Qi defense proved as flimsy as paper before the punch. His arm bent at a grotesque angle, and he screamed as he flew backward, crashed into a stone pillar in the training ground, and slid to the ground, unable to get up again.

One move defeated Zhao Li, and another punch gravely injured Wang Hao!

In just a few breaths, the two Misty Cloud outer disciples had completely lost the ability to fight.

A deathly silence fell over the training ground. Everyone had been intimidated by his thunderous methods.

That was Wang Hao, who had Fifth Stage Dou Qi! Had fourth-stage Xiao Yan really crippled him with a single punch, just like that?

[Ding! Defeated two Misty Cloud Sect outer disciples in succession. "Establish Dominance" side quest triggered!]

[Quest requirement: intimidate every challenger present so that the Misty Cloud Sect disciples no longer dare look down on the host.]

[Quest rewards: Peak Fourth Stage Dou Qi cultivation, beginner mastery of the movement technique "Wind Walking Step," and one Basic Body Tempering Pill.]

The system notification sounded at just the right time, and Xiao Yan understood. It seemed the system not only issued main quests but also triggered side quests according to the situation.

He raised his eyes and swept his gaze around. Wherever he looked, the Misty Cloud disciples who had been eager to try their hand lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes. Those two clean, decisive punches had completely shattered their fixed impression that Xiao Yan was trash, replacing it with deep wariness.

"Who else?"

Xiao Yan did not raise his voice, but it carried an invisible pressure. It came not from Dou Qi, but from the state of mind and bearing he had possessed as an overlord, and it made every disciple present shudder.

No one answered.

The training ground, so noisy only moments ago, was now so quiet that a falling needle could be heard.

[Ding! "Establish Dominance" side quest complete!]

[Rewards granted: cultivation raised to Peak Fourth Stage Dou Qi; beginner mastery of "Wind Walking Step" attained; Basic Body Tempering Pill deposited in system space (available for withdrawal at any time).]

Warmth surged through his body once more, and his Dou Qi stabilized at the peak of the fourth stage. At the same time, insights into nimble movement merged into his mind-the beginner principles of Wind Walking Step. Xiao Yan could clearly feel that his control over his body had improved another notch.

"Very good." He nodded slightly and looked toward the far end of the training ground, in the direction of the Misty Cloud Sect's inner disciples and elders.

He knew that dealing with a few outer disciples was mere child's play. The real main event was the approaching Three-Year Agreement, his duel with Nalan Yanran, and perhaps even... a clash with the entire Misty Cloud Sect.

Just then, an icy voice came from afar:

"What nerve, Xiao Yan! You've only just arrived on Misty Cloud Mountain, and you've already injured disciples of our sect!"

As the voice rang out, three figures strode over. The one in front wore inner disciple robes and had a steady bearing. He was an inner disciple with Sixth-Stage Dou Qi! The two behind him were also inner disciples at the peak of the fifth stage, evidently having come to investigate the commotion.

The leading inner disciple's gaze was sharp as a knife as he stared fixedly at Xiao Yan. "The outer disciples didn't know better and offended you. I apologize on their behalf. But you injured them, so you must give our Misty Cloud Sect an explanation."

His tone seemed mild, but it carried a condescending pressure. Clearly, he did not take Xiao Yan seriously and assumed he had beaten the outer disciples through sheer dogshit luck.

Xiao Yan looked at the newcomer, a cold curve forming at the corner of his mouth.

I've only just dealt with the outer disciples, and now the inner disciples are here?

Fine. This is the perfect chance to try out Wind Walking Step and the power I just obtained.

He flexed his wrist, Dou Qi building up within him once more. "An explanation? When they were provoking me just now, where were you to ask for an 'explanation'?"

"Impudent!" The leading inner disciple's expression darkened. "It seems you won't learn the rules of the Misty Cloud Sect unless I use force!"

As his words fell, he moved, also using a beginner-level movement technique. Several times faster than Wang Hao, he closed in on Xiao Yan in an instant, his hand forming a claw as he reached for Xiao Yan's shoulder with a fierce gust. It was another of the Misty Cloud Sect's Dou Techniques, Wind Splitting Claw!

"Come on!"

A sharp light flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes. He activated Wind Walking Step at once and slid half a foot to the right like a ghost, narrowly avoiding the claw strike. At the same time, he clenched his right hand, gathered his Dou Qi, and unleashed the profound principle of Stone Shattering Fist once more, striking straight at his opponent's ribs!

The battle of the second installment had escalated!