"Is that even possible?" Evan Yang stared speechlessly as the five orbs fused into a single cluster.
Immediately, an even more powerful wave of qi gathered, faster than before. Evan Yang dared not let himself be struck by it—he'd never experienced what it felt like to have five streams of qi fused together, but the shock from just one earlier had already left him uncomfortable.
The crowd watched Evan Yang dodge again and again, exchanging smiles as they gathered together.
"Tang, looks like this guy's luck has run out this time." Gavin Wu sneered.
"You're right. I never expected Hugh to have such a treasure." Brandon Tang also eyed the artifact warily. It was the first time he'd seen a Qi‑Path cultivator wielding a treasure like this against someone stronger than himself—he was genuinely shocked.
Seeing Evan Yang forced to dodge like that, Hugh Hong felt much more satisfied.
But Evan Yang just sneered, "So what if you have a treasure?" With that, he sent out the dagger he'd been preparing inside his body—the speed was so fast it shot straight at the orb.
A loud 'bang' echoed—the dagger smashed the orb aside.
Since the orb was Hugh Hong's Life-Bound Weapon, the backlash hit him instantly—a trickle of blood appeared at his lips, and the five orbs scattered around him.
The sudden turn of events left Gavin Wu and the others stunned.
Thinking he was about to lose, Hugh Hong wiped the blood from his mouth and snorted, "Kid, you're really something!"
"You're too kind!" Evan Yang retrieved his dagger and replied.
"Your Life-Bound Weapon is impressive—even strong enough to knock aside my orb. But if you think that's enough to beat me, you're mistaken." Hugh Hong's expression darkened as he sat down. Suddenly, his coat exploded and his skin turned earthen-colored, while a wave of qi enveloped him.
As the qi wrapped around Hugh Hong, the orbs returned to circle above his head. Just as everyone wondered what he was doing, several powerful streams of qi erupted from him.
Then, five streams of qi, stronger than before, shot straight at Evan Yang.
"Flesh-Body Condensation Art!" Gavin Wu and Brandon Tang exclaimed in unison.
Evan Yang was startled by the shout, then heard Old Clam's voice in his mind: "Kid, dodge those five streams of qi!"
Not knowing how dangerous the five streams of qi were, Evan Yang stayed alert and dodged four. Unable to use his Phantom movement, he was about to be struck by the last one, so he drew two non-life-bound daggers and blocked the final qi stream.
Gavin Wu and Brandon Tang silently hoped Evan Yang would be defeated, and Hugh Hong felt the same.
At that moment, Evan Yang gripped his daggers tightly, resisting the qi as he stepped back—his hands felt numb from the overwhelming force.
Under the crushing force of the qi, Evan Yang kept retreating step by step. "Damn, why is this stream of qi so strong?" he muttered.
"He's finished now!" Gavin Wu and Brandon Tang were secretly delighted as they watched Evan Yang stumble backward.
Hugh Hong sat there, pouring his full strength into controlling the final stream of qi. With his Five Orbs and his cultivation technique, he kept fueling that terrifying power.
"This can't go on!" Evan Yang thought to himself, racking his brain for a solution. When the qi finally collided with his hands, pain shot through him and he cursed inwardly, "How could I forget this?"
Just as everyone thought Evan Yang was about to lose, the stream of qi suddenly swerved, shooting off at an angle and smashing a huge rock behind him with a thunderous crash.
Three pairs of eyes stared at Evan Yang in shock.
"Looks like I win!" Evan Yang straightened his clothes and smiled.
"How is that possible?" Hugh Hong had spent his last ounce of strength on that attack, but was left shouting in frustration. Gavin Wu and Brandon Tang were even more shocked that Evan Yang had dodged such a powerful blow and emerged unscathed.
"Anyone else want to compete?" Evan Yang sneered.
Gavin Wu and Brandon Tang hurriedly hid behind Hugh Hong, asking him what to do next.
Hugh Hong's face turned grim. "Looks like I lost."
"What? Even a near Core-Breaching expert couldn't defeat Evan Yang?" The two felt a sense of dread.
"Anyone else want to try?" Evan Yang locked eyes on the two troublemakers.
"Brother Mu, we just wanted to spar a bit, that's all," Gavin Wu said helplessly, trying to make peace. Brandon Tang immediately started flattering Evan Yang from behind.
"These are the so-called outstanding youths?" Evan Yang couldn't imagine how these guys earned their reputations.
Unexpectedly, Hugh Hong stood up and looked Evan Yang in the eye. "I lost." Under everyone's gaze, he crippled his right hand—just like that.
Gavin Wu and Brandon Tang looked absolutely miserable, especially when they saw Hugh Hong's strange gaze. Both felt a chill run down their spines.
"Mu Yihan, I'll remember what happened today. I'll challenge you again in the future!" Hugh Hong declared with iron resolve, then picked up his severed right hand and left the crowd.
"He lost, but he lost with honor." Watching Hugh Hong's retreating figure, Evan Yang couldn't help but respect him.
With Hugh Hong gone, Gavin Wu and Brandon Tang tried to slip away, but Evan Yang called out, "Weren't you two always trying to mess with me? Why not come at me together now?"
Gavin Wu and Brandon Tang turned around with forced smiles, quickly signaling they wouldn't bother Evan Yang anymore.
"Is that all you two know how to do—goad others?" Evan Yang sneered at their behavior.
"Brother Mu, the Wu Clan is well-known in Everstead City. I hope you'll let us off for the sake of our family," Gavin Wu pleaded, trying to rely on his clan's reputation.
"And don't forget my sect!" Brandon Tang added, hoping Evan Yang would let them go.
"You think you can just walk away?" Evan Yang's expression darkened.
Seeing Evan Yang about to make a move, Gavin Wu quickly said, "Brother Mu, our Wu Clan is famous in Everstead City. Please let us off for the sake of our family."
"And my sect, too!" Brandon Tang chimed in, hoping Evan Yang would spare them.
"If I don't teach you a lesson today, you'll think I'm easy to bully. Here's the deal: aren't you both loaded with Spirit Crystal Ore? Each of you, hand over one hundred thousand." Evan Yang remembered how the two had tried to buy his seat with ore, so he named his price.
Both men were stunned. A hundred thousand wasn't a trivial amount, but before they could haggle, Evan Yang added, "I can take less, too—just let me slice you once with my daggers."
Having seen those daggers block Hugh Hong's strongest attack, they immediately felt their hearts ache and handed over their savings. Brandon Tang had more on him, so Gavin Wu borrowed fifty thousand from him to make up the full amount.
Brandon Tang handed over 1.5 million low-grade Spirit Crystal Ores, and Gavin Wu gave fifty thousand after borrowing from Brandon. The two hundred thousand ores went straight to Evan Yang, who couldn't help but smile at their pain.
Watching their backs as they left, Evan Yang looked at the two cloth pouches of Spirit Crystal Ore and smirked. "Let's see if you dare mess with me again!"
"Kid, you're pretty ruthless—just like that, you extorted two hundred thousand." Old Clam chuckled.
"They're rich anyway—no reason to let them off for free." Evan Yang put away the Spirit Crystal Ore and laughed.
"I have to hand it to you." Old Clam laughed, then asked seriously, "By the way, how did you dodge that last attack?"
"I didn't really dodge it—I just used my own qi to alter its trajectory. Luckily, he didn't notice." Evan Yang recalled the moment, breaking out in a cold sweat. If he hadn't thought to use qi to redirect that powerful attack, he'd still be struggling to block it.
"Wait, that's possible?" Old Clam was astonished.
"I just tried it on a whim. Didn't expect it to actually work. I bet they still don't know what happened." Evan Yang laughed.
"Honestly, your ability is even more freakish than those Qi‑Path cultivators. At least their condensed qi has color—red, blue, or purple—so you can see it coming. Yours is colorless; if people aren't paying close attention, they won't even notice." Old Clam praised him.
"Are you complimenting me or insulting me?" Evan Yang was speechless at being called a freak.
Old Clam just chuckled without saying more.
"By the way, how did you know that last stream of qi was so dangerous?" Evan Yang remembered Old Clam's warning and asked.
Old Clam replied, "The Flesh‑Body Condensation Art is a strange technique. It can temporarily boost a cultivator's qi, but the side effect is that you can't use qi for several days afterward. That guy thought he could defeat you with that overwhelming attack, so he used it. If you hadn't redirected the trajectory, that qi would have pierced right through you."
"That technique is pretty unique," Evan Yang sighed after hearing Old Clam's explanation.
"It's only an incomplete version, though. Rumor has it the full version doesn't have any side effects, but even the Qi‑Path Lineage hasn't found it. And if you're not a Qi‑Path cultivator, it won't work for you anyway." Old Clam shook his head.
"There's really such a thing?" Evan Yang was surprised.
"Of course. Whether on the continent or in the sea regions, there are countless strange techniques—many found in ruins, often incomplete. Some are powerful, but always come with unexpected side effects." Old Clam explained.
"That's true." Evan Yang thought about the many incomplete arts he'd learned and sighed helplessly.
"Kid, you have immense potential. I have high hopes for you—keep at it." Old Clam suddenly said, then disappeared to rest, leaving Evan Yang deep in thought about his journey so far.
"I have to get stronger!" Evan Yang knew the importance of power, especially with even more terrifying battles ahead. He returned to the city, more cautious than ever.
But as soon as he entered the city, he sensed several groups probing him.
"Who are these people?" Evan Yang wasn't sure of their identities, but he could guess most had come because of his public pill delivery to the Chu family—and he even spotted a familiar figure.
"Isn't that Wang Fengtian?" Evan Yang sensed a familiar aura.
He looked toward the source of the aura and saw a familiar figure standing on a guesthouse balcony, watching him.
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