Chapter 147: Young Man, You Have No Martial Virtue
Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Young Man, You Have No Martial Virtue
Fang Chen thought rapidly, but his expression remained impassive. Following his Perception, he turned around, his gaze landing precisely on a figure standing in the shadows to his rear.
It was a young man of about twenty, average in build and unremarkable in appearance—the type who would easily blend into a crowd. He wore a gray Combat Suit with an unsheathed broad short blade hanging at his waist. With his arms crossed over his chest, he stared coldly at Fang Chen.
Fang Chen found the man vaguely familiar. After a moment of recollection, he remembered—he seemed to have sliced this guy in the Time Stop Domain.
But...
He wondered, "Is it possible for this guy to remember what happened during Time Stop? That would be too ridiculous."
Fang Chen stopped in his tracks, meeting the man’s gaze calmly.
Seeing Fang Chen look over, the man’s lips curled into a cold, mirthless arc. His voice was low and hoarse. "Quite observant, aren’t you? You noticed me even with your back turned. Your Spiritual Power doesn’t seem weak; no wonder you can pull off some tricks."
"Who are you? Do you need something?" Fang Chen cut straight to the chase, his tone flat.
"Li Chen." The gray-clad young man spat out the two words and strolled forward a couple of steps, stepping completely out of the shadows.
"Li Chen?" Fang Chen searched his memories, confirming he didn’t know him, nor had he ever seen this person in the Yellow Tier public classes or the Skill Transmission Hall. "Never heard of you."
"Lately, I’ve been out doing missions for the Jinyi Society, earning some resources," Li Chen said casually. "I just got back today. So, this is our first official meeting."
"And then?" Fang Chen remained unmoved. "Just say what you want."
The fake smile on Li Chen’s face vanished. His eyes turned sharp, carrying a palpable sense of oppression. "Hmph, stop playing dumb with me. Seeing as you’re a freshman and don’t know the rules, I won’t hold it against you too much. But the moment I came back, I heard you injured Ding Yan a few days ago?"
Seeing Fang Chen not reacting, he continued.
"Heh. In an arena match, accidents happen when Fists and Feet fly. You hurt her. Although my heart aches for her, that’s the rule, and I won’t say anything about it. But—" His tone suddenly turned fierce. "I heard that lately, you’ve been hitting on my girlfriend every day!
"Every day after school, she runs over to your Liuyun Society! Don’t give me that crap about acknowledging a master to learn skills!
"I’ve probed your Aura. A Sword Cultivator with Unharvested Qi—what exactly are you using to learn the Ding Family’s ancestral Rejuvenating Silk Technique?
"That requires Water Attribute True Essence or a Water Attribute Martial Skill! I asked about what happened that day, and you don’t possess either of those abilities at all. You’re clearly using learning as a guise to deliberately get close to her!"
He took a step forward, his imposing manner growing even stronger. Although his short blade remained unsheathed, a piercing blade intent faintly permeated the air. "Has no one told you that Ding Yan belongs to me, Li Chen?"
Fang Chen felt a wave of speechlessness. He hadn’t expected it to be for such a melodramatic reason. His expression did not change as he asked in return, "So, what do you want?"
"Heh," Li Chen sneered, "aren’t you going to explain yourself?"
"Is there a need to?" Fang Chen looked at him, his eyes calm and rippleless. "If I say no, will you believe me? Will you turn around and leave?"
"Naturally not." A cold light flashed in Li Chen’s eyes. "Ding Yan just came out of your Liuyun Society. I saw her in high spirits, but when I asked her what happened, she wouldn’t say. Later, a few other students from your society came out, and I asked around... I heard you gave her a million, as tuition?"
The mockery on his face deepened. "Heh. You’re certainly willing to bleed dry just to pick up a girl, aren’t you? You think having a bit of money makes you amazing? Makes you think you can do whatever you want?"
He closed in again. The distance between the two was now less than three meters—a dangerous range where a lethal attack could be launched at a single thought.
"Since you’re so rich..." Li Chen lowered his voice. "...then that’s great. Why don’t you give me a million to spend, too? Think of it as an apology, and to buy yourself a lesson.
"I can pretend today’s matter never happened. But if I ever see you near Ding Yan again, or if anything similar happens..." His gaze turned ferocious. "...the price doubles."
As he spoke, he seemingly casually took another half-step forward. The muscles over his entire body tensed slightly. His aura had already firmly locked onto Fang Chen, as if he could launch a sudden, violent assault at any moment.
Fang Chen suddenly smiled. The smile contained no warmth, only a hint of faint ridicule. He didn’t look at Li Chen. Instead, he directed his gaze behind his adversary, raising an eyebrow slightly as if he had spotted an acquaintance. Gesturing casually with his chin, he said, "Oh? Am I courting Senior Sister Ding? Why don’t you ask the person involved yourself?"
Hearing this, Li Chen’s expression abruptly faltered. He instinctively wondered if Ding Yan had just arrived. He hurriedly turned his head to look in the direction Fang Chen indicated, his mouth even instinctively explaining, "Little Yan? I wasn’t looking for trouble with him. I was just..."
Halfway through his sentence, his line of sight met only empty space at the corner. Where was there any sign of Ding Yan?
Confusion struck him.
At that exact moment, a sharp energy condensed to the absolute limit had already torn through the air. Carrying a soft whistle, it stabbed directly toward his back!
He thought, "Crap! This young punk has no martial ethics! A sneak attack!"
In his haste, he could only frantically channel his True Essence, condensing a wall of Protective True Essence on his back. The reaction speed and profoundness of a Yellow Tier Three Qi’s True Essence were indeed far beyond the ordinary. A thick, heavy True Essence Barrier with an obvious earthy-stone luster instantly materialized behind him.
SCREECH!
The Sword Aura collided violently with the True Essence Barrier! Fang Chen’s Sword Aura, condensed from the dual intent of the Profound Tiger Wind-Breaking Sword and the Clear Radiance Swordsmanship, slashed ruthlessly against Li Chen’s hastily conjured earthen-yellow True Essence Barrier!
RIP!
An ear-piercing tearing sound rang out as the barrier violently fluctuated. It was actually ripped open, forming a tiny fissure by this supremely condensed Sword Aura! Although it failed to pierce completely through, the formidable impact had already jolted Li Chen into a state of roiling Qi and Blood. His Protective True Essence grew chaotic, and he uncontrollably stumbled backward a couple of steps—THUD, THUD.
"How bold!"
Li Chen was both shocked and furious. He, a dignified Yellow Tier Three Qi expert, was actually forced back by a freshman with Unharvested Qi? Humiliated and enraged, the three streams of balanced True Essence flowing within his body explosively erupted. He was about to draw his blade and unleash a Thunderbolt strike, aiming to completely crush this arrogant brat who didn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth.
However, Fang Chen’s offensive was like a violent storm, giving him no chance to catch his breath at all!
In the exact split second the Sword Aura collided with the barrier, Fang Chen abruptly whipped out his other hand, which had been stuffed in his pocket all along!
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Five streaks of pitch-black light flew as fast as lightning. They were exactly the Black Profound Bone-Piercing Awls he had been gripping in his palm this whole time! Driven right now by his Heaven-Cutting Finger Sword, their power was incredibly concentrated and their speed terrifying!
The five Bone-Piercing Awls struck almost simultaneously, bombarding with peerless precision into the tiny crack the Sword Aura had torn in the True Essence Barrier, as well as its immediate surroundings!
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
The already tottering barrier, subjected to this continuous, precise, and concentrated bombardment, became like a sheet of ice struck by a heavy hammer. Spiderweb-like cracks instantly covered it. Following a loud CRACK, the barrier completely shattered and crumbled!
"Ugh!"
Having his barrier forcefully shattered, the backlash caused Li Chen to let out a muffled groan. The circulation of his internal True Essence experienced an extremely brief stagnation, and his Qi and Blood churned even more violently.
Meanwhile, Fang Chen’s Killing Technique arrived close on its heels!