Awakening Skill "Qi Slash"

Three young men stepped forward.

Yang Heng was utterly baffled.

The first was a cool-looking bodyguard in a black suit, and the second was a cheeky brat—both appeared to be around twenty years old.

The third was a slender boy with bandaged hands, his delicate features still carrying a hint of childishness. He couldn’t be older than seventeen, likely still a minor.

In the world of martial arts, as long as one wasn’t halfway into the grave, the older a practitioner was, the more profound their internal energy and the stronger their skills.

These three? They were probably just beginners.

Yang Heng had initially expected the famed "Axe Fist" Wu Tong to make a move and had even brought in the sinister Dark Taoist as backup, fearing he might lose.

But now, seeing three nobodies stepping up to either save the day or throw their lives away, Yang Heng’s eyes burned with excitement.

Tonight, Qin Yao would be his.

The Dark Taoist whipped out a horsetail whisk from his sleeve—a full meter long, though how he’d concealed it was anyone’s guess.

His face was flushed an unnatural red, likely from counterfeit liquor, as he glared at An Yi and gnashed his teeth. "Brat, today this humble Taoist will skin you alive, rip out your tendons, and smash your bones!"

"You drank six hundred bucks of my money! And you still have the nerve to act tough?!"

An Yi spun his dagger deftly in hand, radiating killing intent.

If not for the five million now sitting in his bank account, back when he’d been down to his last two coins, wasting six hundred yuan would’ve been enough for An Yi to fight to the death.

Qin Zhengwei’s expression darkened as he turned to his old friend Wu Tong. "Lao Wu, the Dark Taoist is a master of hidden force. I’m afraid An Yi might not be a match for him."

Wu Tong kept a stern face but shook his head firmly. "Wait. I believe in this kid."

Qin Zhengwei: "…?"

"Can you handle this? Don’t push yourself." Lin Chen asked Fang Jueming, concern evident in his voice.

The kid was still too young.

Song Yan and Qian Xiu were notorious rogue cultivators in the martial world, their strength terrifying.

Fang Jueming stared at Qian Xiu, who was wielding a tombstone, his eyes alight with eagerness. "I want to try!"

After training his fists for so long, he wanted to see just how far he’d come.

"Tee-hee, here I come!"

The demonic child Song Yan struck first. Despite his chubby appearance, he moved like a cannonball, closing the distance in an instant.

Boom!

Lin Chen intercepted him, throwing a punch that sent shockwaves through the air.

Song Yan flipped backward, landing nimbly on the roof’s upturned eaves, spinning like a top. "Not bad, not bad! Let’s go again!"

"Don’t underestimate him! This guy’s strong!" Qian Xiu warned, hefting his tombstone as he charged at Fang Jueming.

Three against three!

The battle was nothing short of terrifying.

The banquet guests were stunned.

None had expected these three to be martial artists—and skilled ones at that! Most were ordinary people who’d never witnessed such a spectacle.

Lin Chen held his own against Song Yan, even gaining a slight upper hand. But Song Yan’s bizarre, monkey-like fist techniques made him slippery, and Lin Chen would need more effort to finish him off.

Fang Jueming, however, was struggling.

Qian Xiu, though lean, wielded his tombstone with monstrous strength, forcing Fang Jueming into a desperate dance of evasion.

As for Fang Jueming’s master, An Yi?

His fight was… unusual.

An Yi and the Dark Taoist stood frozen in their stances—one with a dagger, the other with his whisk—neither making a move.

"Wait a second—!"

The Dark Taoist suddenly halted, his face flushing violently as he doubled over, about to vomit.

Perfect opening!

An Yi’s eyes gleamed as he burst forward at full speed, his figure a blur.

"Old bastard, time to die!"

The Dark Taoist barely registered the attack before An Yi was upon him. His hair stood on end.

"You shameless little—!"

Instinctively, the Dark Taoist stumbled back, swinging his whisk in a wild arc toward An Yi’s face.

But An Yi dodged effortlessly, punching… nothing but air?

The Dark Taoist blinked.

"Are you firing a damn Kamehameha?!"

Before he could react, a surge of force blasted through, scattering his whisk’s strands.

Then—a fist.

Growing larger.

CRACK!

An Yi’s uppercut connected squarely with the Dark Taoist’s chin, launching him into the air.

"Holy shit, a Dragon Punch!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Sure, the kid fought dirty, but his moves were undeniably cool.

The punch packed serious power. The Dark Taoist’s head spun from the impact as he soared upward—only for An Yi to reappear above him, driving a devastating axe kick straight into his ribs.

BOOM!

The Dark Taoist cratered into the ground, shattering the tiles beneath him.

The banquet guests gasped.

Was this even humanly possible?!

Wu Tong was quietly stunned.

Sure, the kid’s fighting style was underhanded…

But his strength was undeniable.

For most martial artists, a lifetime of training was spent chasing just one goal: breaking into the Ming Jin realm.

Those who achieved Ming Jin through sheer skill were rare geniuses—one in ten thousand.

This is exactly why An Yi, despite being dirt poor, still carries himself with an infuriatingly arrogant swagger every day!

His strength speaks for itself!

With his Ming Jin prowess, almost no one can stand against him. Those so-called martial artists in Jiangbei City? They’re no match for him.

Against ordinary people, taking on a hundred at once is child’s play!

If it weren’t for Yan Zhi from the Enforcement Bureau—whose true strength remains a mystery—keeping him in check, he’d have probably bulldozed his way through the entire city by now.

And the Dark Taoist? He’s a master of Dark Jin!

In all of Xia Country, the number of known Dark Jin experts is as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns!

Each one is a towering figure in the martial world, revered and holding immense prestige!

Few, like Wu Tong of the Axe Fist, choose to live humbly in a small place like Jiangbei City, quietly running a martial arts school after achieving fame.

So, when someone as seemingly dull-witted as Yang Heng managed to enlist the help of a master like the Dark Taoist, it left Wu Tong utterly baffled.

The Dark Taoist wobbled to his feet, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, his grin twisted and eerie. "Thanks to you, those two hits knocked me sober!"

He was a Dark Jin expert, after all!

A figure known as the "Demonic Taoist," revered by countless dark practitioners as a legendary elder!

Thankfully, no one in this backwater town recognized him. If word got out that he’d been drinking fake booze and got beaten until he spat blood by some kid under twenty, he’d never live it down!

System, pour all the remaining Evil Power into upgrading Aero Control!

An Yi silently commanded.

Between the chaotic missions and Lin Chen’s 90 Destiny Value steadily feeding him scraps of Evil Power, his reserves had grown quite substantial lately.

Ding! Congratulations, Host. [Aero Control] has reached LV3, unlocking the ability [Aero Slash]!

An Yi glanced casually at the skill description.

[Aero Slash]

Skill Info: A derivative technique of Aero Control! Manipulate the air to form slashing attacks! (Effect scales with the host’s strength.)

An Yi gave it a quick look and nodded to himself.

This must be the move that old man Cheng demonstrated—swinging his hand and sending out a blade of air!

Interesting.

A cocky smirk curled his lips as he taunted, "Old man, sobered up yet? That was just the warm-up. The real show starts now!"