You Pick a Fight, I Hit You

Zhou Qing lay on the ground, feeling a searing pain in his chest and unable to catch his breath.

Only after several breaths did his eyes gradually clear, and his mind finally come back to itself.

Looking at Lin Changkong's foot planted on his chest, then feeling the state of his own body, his face was filled with disbelief and horror.

He was at the Qi Gathering Fifth Level, with a bit of a reputation even among the older disciples, yet he had been utterly crushed by a new disciple!

The power behind Lin Changkong's slash just now had been absurdly strong. Even when he erupted with the full strength of the Qi Gathering Fifth Level, he had not been able to withstand a single blow.

At that moment, he even began to hate those people around him who had mocked Lin Changkong earlier.

Who the fuck said Lin Changkong used underhanded tricks to take first place among the new disciples? I, at the Qi Gathering Fifth Level, got one-shot by him. And you're telling me underhanded tricks could do that?

Zhou Qing's heart pounded wildly, but he was still an older disciple, and he had someone backing him. Gritting his teeth, he stared straight at Lin Changkong.

"Y-you've got some nerve! I'm an older disciple. If you dare touch me, do you know how much trouble you've caused? Do you know who's backing me? You—"

Bang—

"Aah!!"

Before Zhou Qing could finish, Lin Changkong raised his leg and stomped on his face. Zhou Qing's nose was flattened, and the threats in his mouth were immediately replaced by screams.

Lin Changkong ignored him and gave his face another wild barrage of kicks before sending him flying several yards away with one final kick.

He said faintly, "I don't care who's backing you. You picked a fight, I'm annoyed, so I hit you. If the person behind you is unhappy about it, I'll hit them too.

"Besides, you're an older disciple, yet you still need to wait for someone else to back you up—especially in front of a new disciple.

"All I can say is, if you're bad, practice more. Idiot!"

After saying that, Lin Changkong looked over at the surrounding crowd, his gaze sweeping across every person one by one.

"Who disagrees?"

The entire crowd frantically backed away. Their hearts pounded with fear; how could they dare step forward, much less say another word?

Although many of them were older disciples, they had all been cowed by Lin Changkong's sudden outburst.

Qi Gathering Fifth Level—cut down with a single slash, then subjected to a brutal beating to the face. Lin Changkong had left Zhou Qing absolutely no dignity.

They were all weaker than Zhou Qing, so how could they possibly dare make trouble for Lin Changkong?

Moreover, Lin Changkong had struck with exceptional ruthlessness. If the sect had not forbidden killing, they had no doubt that Lin Changkong would have dared to beat Zhou Qing into a pulp!

After this battle, the rumor that Lin Changkong had used underhanded tricks to claim first place among the new disciples naturally collapsed on its own.

With a single glance, Lin Changkong frightened everyone back, then carried his saber into the cultivation room to continue training.

Zhou Qing was left behind screaming miserably without end.

After a while, several people who were usually close to Zhou Qing finally appeared and carried him away.

Watching Zhou Qing being carried off, many people still found it hard to believe.

"A new disciple promoted from the Servant Courtyard actually crushed Zhou Qing of the Qi Gathering Fifth Level? Just what level has Lin Changkong reached? Could he already be at the Qi Gathering Sixth Level?"

"But I heard that when he entered the Outer Sect, he was only at the Body Refining Peak. It's only been a few days, and he's already reached the Qi Gathering Sixth Level? That's far too unbelievable."

"I don't think he's necessarily reached the Qi Gathering Sixth Level. After all, he has the Crimson Flame Saber. The Crimson Flame Saber is a fifth-rank weapon, and its boost in power is tremendous.

"So he's most likely at the Qi Gathering Fifth Level as well, still some distance from the Qi Gathering Sixth Level. But with the Crimson Flame Saber's enhancement, his combat strength is probably enough to rival someone at the Qi Gathering Sixth Level."

"If he really entered the Outer Sect at the Body Tempering Realm, then the speed of his cultivation advancement is simply too terrifying. It's utterly inconceivable."

"No one knows what the truth is, but this matter probably won't end so easily. Don't forget—someone in the top thirty is backing Zhou Qing."

All kinds of discussion rose and fell. Many people looked toward Lin Changkong's cultivation room, their eyes filled with awe.

But Lin Changkong could no longer hear those voices, nor did he care.

Wielding the Crimson Flame Saber gave him a feeling of exhilarating freedom, and he immersed himself in that thrill, unable to pull himself away.

It was not until evening that Lin Changkong left the cultivation room, only to run into Hong Ye, who had also just come out.

Hong Ye looked at him in surprise and said, "Junior Brother, I heard you caused quite a stir again today. You beat up an older disciple named Zhou Qing. Is that true?"

She had come out a little earlier than Lin Changkong, so she had heard some rumors.

When she learned that Lin Changkong had clashed with Zhou Qing, her heart skipped a beat, and she worried that something might happen to him.

Although she had personally seen Lin Changkong sweep through a group of new disciples with one slash, the strongest among them had only been at the Qi Gathering Third Level. Thus, she had assumed that Lin Changkong's cultivation probably had not surpassed the Qi Gathering Fourth Level.

Zhou Qing, however, was already at the Qi Gathering Fifth Level. Lin Changkong's chances of winning probably were not very high.

But after she grabbed several people and questioned them, she was dumbfounded.

Not only had Lin Changkong not lost, he had utterly crushed Zhou Qing instead.

He had sent him flying with a single slash and even severed one of Zhou Qing's hands. According to those people, Lin Changkong had been like a god descending into the world; Zhou Qing at the Qi Gathering Fifth Level had been nothing but a complete and utter piece of trash before him!

Her heart pounded just listening to it, and her eyes widened.

This guy had actually one-shot someone at the Qi Gathering Fifth Level. When had he reached such a level?

He really leveled up as easily as drinking water!

Lin Changkong wore a calm expression as he said, "It's true. He had no eyes, banging on my door while I was cultivating and speaking disrespectfully. I had no choice but to make a slight move and teach him a lesson.

"But fortunately, I'm handsome and kindhearted, so I only punished him slightly. I was quite gentle."

Hong Ye was stunned. "Uh... but I heard you cut off one of his hands with a single slash and smashed up his face."

Lin Changkong answered with a straight face, "That's right. Is there a problem?"

"And you call that being gentle?"

Lin Changkong replied solemnly, "I didn't even use half my strength. I was quite gentle. As for his hand being cut off and his face being smashed up, that's because he couldn't take a beating. It has nothing to do with how hard I hit."

Hong Ye: "!!!"

Damn it, you took all the bragging for yourself!

Even though Hong Ye had long understood what Lin Changkong was like, his words still left her feeling deeply provoked.

But when she thought about it carefully, she could not say that he was wrong. It was like an ant: a light pinch would kill it, but to the person pinching the ant, he truly had not used much force. He truly had been quite gentle.

So it was not that he had hit too hard—it was that the other party had been too weak.

"Junior Brother, tell me honestly. What realm are you at now?"

Hong Ye took a deep breath and tried her best to steady her emotions.

Lin Changkong said, "Qi Gathering Fifth Level."

He did not hide it. Wasn't leveling up all about showing off, continuing to level up, and standing at the pinnacle of the world? What was the point of hiding it?

But upon hearing Lin Changkong's words, even though Hong Ye had been mentally prepared, her beautiful face still trembled slightly from the shock.

She stared at Lin Changkong with wide eyes. After a long silence, she finally said faintly, "Honestly, Junior Brother, sometimes I feel jealous just looking at you."

Lin Changkong said, "You don't need to tell me. Senior Sister, your eyes are already red."

Hong Ye: "..."

A masterclass in leaving people speechless.

"By the way, Senior Sister, didn't you say this morning that you were going out on a sect mission tomorrow and wanted me to come along? Can you tell me what mission it is now?"

Lin Changkong did not continue tormenting Hong Ye. Changing the subject, he brought up the matter of the sect mission she had mentioned that morning.