Chapter 42: Weren’t You Going to Teach Me a Lesson?

Xiang Nan’s eyes snapped open.

A crackling bolt of lightning shot forth from his piercing gaze, dragging the golden light before him straight toward the Ironclad Blazing Tiger.

At that precise moment, a thunderclap split the heavens, hurling a second bolt of lightning down upon the beast. Before the Blazing Tiger could even react, it was reduced to a charred, blackened corpse, falling rigidly to the earth with a brittle, final snap.

The others—Mountain Pheasant and his men—were struck dumb with shock.

What on earth had just happened? A third-rank Ironclad Blazing Tiger, a true monster, had been slain in an instant by the mere glance of an eye?

Was this the legendary, literally electrifying gaze?

Two of the team members rubbed their eyes furiously, half convinced they’d imagined the scene.

But Mountain Pheasant knew with absolute certainty that it was no illusion. He recognized the young man bathed in golden light.

He had witnessed him at the ancestral awakening of the college entrance examination in Song City—a youth who, during his first awakening, had single-handedly slain four newly advanced second-rank beasts. The entire city, and even the nation, had been thrown into an uproar.

He still remembered that the youth’s first ancestral manifestation had been the Benevolent Martial Sage, Wong Fei-hung.

But it had only been a little over ten days since that first awakening, and now here was this very youth, already undergoing a second.

What was even more astonishing was that this time, the phenomenon stirred was so immense it eclipsed even the awakenings of fourth or fifth-rank extraordinaries.

Given the scale of this supernatural display, perhaps it was only natural that he could leap ranks to slay a monster with ease.

A genius like this would one day shake the Nine Provinces to their core.

If only he could recruit him into his own ranks…

The more Mountain Pheasant considered the possibilities, the more excited he became. He resolved, as soon as Xiang Nan’s awakening was complete, to do everything in his power to draw him into his team.

Elsewhere, when all was done, Xiang Nan exhaled a deep, turbid breath. His spirit felt more tranquil and composed than ever.

The Blazing Tiger was dead, and with the golden light still guarding him, he felt no urgency to rise. Instead, he gazed at his system panel.

Personal Information:

Ancestral Manifestation: Zhang Sanfeng (Second-rank, full-star Grandmaster)
Realm: Second-rank, one star
Compatibility: 10% (Initial)
Skills: Supreme Tai Chi Power (Locked); Primordial Heavenly Qi Skill (Locked); Profound Mystery Art (Locked)
Inventory: 100 cubic units

Even at just second rank, one star, Xiang Nan could clearly sense his own power had grown immensely.

Most notably, true qi had begun to gather within him. He had even opened his dantian, allowing him to store true qi inside.

To a martial artist, true qi was like an endless wellspring of inner strength. In the past, Xiang Nan had to rely on brute force and speed in battle. Now, with the addition of true qi, he could achieve much more with far less effort.

What once required great exertion now seemed effortless; each punch carried at least ten times the power of before, yet cost him only half as much energy.

He began to recite the Heart-Cleansing Mantra once more.

With the surrounding spiritual energy so abundant, he had to seize the opportunity to absorb it all. After a short while, nearly all the ambient energy had been drawn into him—a cooling current flowing through his body and, after a small circuit, stored once more in his brow center.

Once everything had settled, Xiang Nan finally opened his eyes again.

In front of him was a face that seemed vaguely familiar.

“You’re Xiang Nan, right? Do you remember me? Back at the Song City awakening event…” Mountain Pheasant, for the first time, restrained his usual intimidating presence and spoke with a pleasant demeanor.

The two team members behind him exchanged glances. Was their captain, known for his tough-guy persona, really acting friendly?

“You’re… the captain of the Dragon Abyss Corps, aren’t you?” Xiang Nan recalled after a moment. The Dragon Abyss Corps were the guardians of the Nine Provinces—he had always paid them special attention.

He’d heard that Captain Mountain Pheasant had a long record of achievements and had recently been assigned to guard the capital’s border.

“That’s right. What are your thoughts on joining the Dragon Abyss Corps?” Mountain Pheasant’s lips curved into a strange smile.

He was not a man who smiled often, and at this, the two team members felt the hair on their arms stand up.

Xiang Nan, however, was unfazed, still lost in the joy of his own breakthrough.

Just then, a petite figure darted toward them from nearby.

It was Xu Jiya, who had been observing from the shadows.

“Xiang Nan, I’m so glad! I can’t believe you completed your second awakening so quickly!” Xu Jiya was so excited she nearly leapt for joy.

“You saw everything?” Xiang Nan scratched his head and grinned.

“Of course I did! You have no idea how much of a commotion you caused just now—it was impossible not to notice. Here, let me describe it for you—just then…”

Brimming with excitement, Xu Jiya began to recount in detail the terrifying phenomenon that had appeared in the night sky during Xiang Nan’s awakening.

Mountain Pheasant, whose conversation had been interrupted, felt stifled.

But in order to recruit Xiang Nan, he could not afford to get angry—not at all. The world is so beautiful… Yes, that’s right! He must leave Xiang Nan with the best possible impression of a kind and approachable captain.

Three full minutes passed.

“Um… Xiang Nan, let’s discuss official business, shall we?” Mountain Pheasant continued, striving to sound amiable.

“Of course, Captain Mountain Pheasant. Go ahead.” Xiang Nan snapped back to attention—after all, the leader of the Dragon Abyss Corps deserved respect.

“I wanted to ask your opinion of the Dragon Abyss Corps.”

“Well…” Xiang Nan began.

Suddenly, a shrill female voice rang out, growing louder as it approached. “Xiang Nan, what on earth did you feed me? Just wait until I deal with you!”

In a flash of motion through the night, Su Yao, soaking wet, appeared before Xiang Nan.

She launched herself at him, locking his head tightly against her chest with a swift elbow chokehold.

All Xiang Nan could feel was a heavy, damp softness pressing down on his head. This was Su Yao’s favorite move, and Xiang Nan didn’t mind it—truth be told, he rather enjoyed it, even if it was a bit much.

“Wow, Yao Yao, your skin is so soft and smooth all of a sudden! Like a baby’s—absolutely flawless!”

“And your features, your face… Did you get cosmetic surgery just now?”

“Oh my god! You’re so beautiful! You could be a total goddess now!”

Girls always cared deeply about their looks. The moment Xu Jiya saw Su Yao, she gasped in amazement, even reaching out to touch her face to check if it was real.

“Surgery, my foot! I just—” Su Yao caught herself mid-sentence, coughing awkwardly. She couldn’t exactly admit that she’d been covered in black grime, too ashamed to be seen, and had jumped into the river for a wash.

“Hm? What did you say? I look more beautiful now? Really?” Realizing what Xu Jiya had said, Su Yao was instantly overjoyed and released Xiang Nan from her grip.

Xiang Nan’s head immediately felt lighter—a sensation he did not welcome.

Hey, hey, hey, can’t you stick to the plan? Weren’t you going to punish me? I’m not even resisting!

Xiang Nan had to marvel at how girls always seemed to carry a mirror with them, even in the middle of the night.

Su Yao, having completely forgotten about Xiang Nan, was now preening in the light of her phone’s flashlight, gazing into her mirror.

Xu Jiya, equally excited, chirped away beside her—the two girls were positively bursting with energy.

It seemed that for women, beauty was truly more important than life itself.