"Equal to me?"
An Yi eyed the fool—no, the murderous aura radiating from the guy before him—with slight surprise.
So, this kid was also some kind of prodigy, a once-in-a-generation genius?
Didn’t look like it!
Xiao Yike seemed like a completely different person now, his face twisted into a wild, arrogant smirk. Out of nowhere, he pulled out a long blade, slung it over his shoulder, and roared like thunder.
"Some third-rate sect leader dares to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with me? This is an insult to Xiao Yike!"
"Don’t worry, you won’t be one for long," An Yi said coolly.
In an instant, An Yi flicked his wrist. A barrage of steel needles shot through the air with faint whistles.
"Pathetic! Is this all the leader of the Asura Sect can do?" Xiao Yike sneered. His broadsword whipped up a gust of wind, effortlessly deflecting the needles.
Clink-clank!
The needles scattered wildly, their trajectories thrown off by the wind.
Xiao Yike brandished his blade with a flourish. "Come on, show me what else you’ve—Damn it! Another sneak attack!"
The hidden weapons were just a distraction.
An Yi had already slipped behind Xiao Yike without a sound.
Twin daggers flashed in his hands, aimed straight for Xiao Yike’s vitals.
This guy had attacked him out of nowhere.
An Yi wasn’t about to hold back—his strikes were lethal from the start.
Slit the throat!
The daggers grazed Xiao Yike’s neck.
Every hair on Xiao Yike’s body stood on end.
In that split second, he threw himself backward, his broadsword whirling around to slash at An Yi.
Clang!
The daggers met the blade again.
But Xiao Yike’s arm was already numb from the impact.
He never expected this kid’s strength to surpass his own!
An Yi didn’t bother hoarding "Malice Points"—he’d cap them at around a hundred, then dump the rest into boosting his base stats.
In raw power and speed, few among the "Hidden Force" experts could rival him.
Xiao Yike let out a furious roar, retreating two steps before drawing the short blade he’d pulled out earlier. He slashed it across his own arm.
Blood spilled.
And then—
His strength surged!
Bloodburst Technique!
Xiao Yike grinned, his eyes turning crimson. His clothes tore apart as his upper body bulged with grotesquely swollen muscles, each one as hard as granite.
But the truly horrifying part was the crisscrossing scars covering his bare torso—a nightmarish tapestry of old wounds.
An Yi stopped holding back. The Dragonfang Dagger in his hand lengthened into a three-foot sword, and he swung it down in a single, devastating strike.
Clang!
Xiao Yike blocked it, steady despite being forced back two steps.
"Not enough… still not enough!"
Xiao Yike’s expression turned manic. He drew the short blade again and sliced another wound into his arm.
Blood sprayed.
The air filled with a mist of crimson.
Xiao Yike’s aura skyrocketed, his eyes now veined with blood.
Swiish!
His broadsword came down like a storm, hacking mercilessly at An Yi.
An Yi met it with the Dragonfang Sword.
The shockwave from their clash tore through the alley, even sending a trash can flying from the entrance.
This time, they were evenly matched.
An Yi’s expression finally turned serious.
"This guy’s interesting—he gets stronger the more he hurts himself."
"Not enough! Still not enough!"
Xiao Yike laughed wildly, raising the short blade to cut himself again.
"Tch. Getting more fun by the second."
While Xiao Yike was busy mutilating himself, An Yi flicked a pulse of energy from his fingertips, striking a pressure point on Xiao Yike’s body.
Air blades were too obvious.
But a tiny, painless energy pellet? For someone with Qi Control Lv. 3 like An Yi, it was child’s play.
"Eh? Why isn’t it bleeding?!"
Xiao Yike’s bloodshot eyes widened in confusion.
He slashed again.
Still no blood.
The flow was unnaturally slow—barely enough to fuel his Bloodburst Technique.
"Damn it!"
After several more attempts, his arm was a mess of cuts, but the blood loss was pitiful.
Furious, Xiao Yike swung the blade straight for his wrist—right at the artery.
Splurt!
Blood gushed like a fountain.
"Damn. You win."
An Yi gave him a thumbs-up.
Then, hands in his pockets, he strolled away, leaving Xiao Yike with nothing but his cool, retreating silhouette.
"Met a psycho. Good luck surviving."
"Holy shit!"
Xiao Yike stared at his spurting wrist and snapped back to reality.
If this kept up, he’d bleed out!
"Wait—Night Emperor! Call me an ambulance!"
Clutching his artery, Xiao Yike howled like a slaughtered pig.
An Yi scratched his ear and kept walking.
"Call an ambulance for you? Yeah, right."
"Too late anyway. You’re done for."
An Yi’s voice was flat.
"I—I have a token for the Vast Heaven Secret Realm! Save me, and it’s yours!"
Xiao Yike’s face paled as he watched his blood pool.
That caught An Yi’s attention.
Vast Heaven Secret Realm.
He’d heard about it from Lin Mei'er.
But what was this "token" nonsense?
Hands still in his pockets, An Yi backtracked, eyes gleaming.
"Friend, save my life, and the token’s yours!" Xiao Yike said desperately, his gaze bloodshot.
"Fool. Kill you, and it’s still mine."
An Yi’s face was stern.
Just then, the system chimed in.
Ding! Congratulations, host, for comprehending [Loot and Pillage]! Malice Points +10!
The system sounded oddly excited—it had rewarded him just for thinking about it.
Hearing An Yi’s words, Xiao Yike turned green. Trembling, he threatened, "M-my dad’s the leader of the Yin-Yang Sect!"
"Uh-huh."
"My family has three thousand followers!"
"Uh-huh."
An Yi looked bored, idly sharpening his combat dagger.
Xiao Yike gulped. "I… I have five million in savings."
"Bro, think bigger."
An Yi tested the blade’s edge with his thumb.
Xiao Yike hesitated, then blurted, "I—I also have two young concubines. Twenty-year-old models. They’re yours too."
An Yi paused.
Seeing his blood still pouring, Xiao Yike panicked. "I’ll serve you! Save me, and my life is yours!"
An Yi raised the dagger, sneering. "Hah. You? Want to be my underling—"
Ding! Accept [Yin-Yang Blade Demon] Xiao Yike as subordinate?
The system’s mechanical voice interrupted.
An Yi promptly slapped Xiao Yike’s shoulder, solemnly declaring, "You’re in!"
Xiao Yike was stunned.
"…This guy changes moods faster than the weather."
An Yi sighed. But if the system said so, might as well keep him. Waste not, right?
"Boss, stop the bleeding first!" Xiao Yike pleaded weakly.
The madness in his eyes faded, revealing the pale, delicate youth from before—shy, almost timid.
It was hard to believe this frail kid was the same muscle-bound berserker from earlier.
"Call me Boss."
An Yi pulled out the Nine Yang Divine Needles from his storage space and deftly pricked Xiao Yike’s arm.
Watching his technique, Xiao Yike’s eyes widened.
"These are… ancient acupuncture techniques! They’ve been lost for centuries!"
Then, An Yi took out a roll of gauze and bandaged Xiao Yike's arm.
Mountains and rivers may bring us together again—fate will decide.
After securing the bandage, An Yi stood up, slipped his hands into his pockets, and walked away with effortless cool.
"Hey, Boss! You forgot the Hongtian Token!" Xiao Yike called out to stop him.
Suddenly, Xiao Yike's eyes turned bloodshot, his expression twisting into something savage as he roared, "Damn it! If you dare give him that token, I’ll hurt myself!"
"Relax. Tokens and such… don’t really interest me."
An Yi didn’t even turn back as he left the alley.
Then, he casually tucked the black token he’d been fiddling with into his storage space.
An Yi wasn’t lying—he truly had little interest in the token.
But whether he wanted it or not? That was another matter entirely.
--