Kill Zhang Kun Song in Seconds! Avenge the Previous Shame!
"What a profound movement technique!"
After meditating for a short while, Zhang Lingxiao suddenly opened his eyes.
He had comprehended it.
"You understood it that quickly?" Su Qing chuckled from where she sat on a tree branch. "Little Man, you really are interesting. You do everything fast."
Zhang Lingxiao's face darkened as he muttered, "Whether I'm fast or not—you should know that best."
His voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it clearly reached Su Qing's ears.
Surprisingly, she didn't take offense.
After all, Zhang Lingxiao had detoxified her, making him half her benefactor. Moreover, he was the man her Master had taken an interest in. Letting him indulge in a little verbal bravado was hardly worth fussing over.
Su Qing sighed lightly as she watched Zhang Lingxiao repeatedly practice Phantom Step beneath the tree. Her slightly dazed eyes gradually sharpened.
Nangong Mengya…
You claim to walk the Righteous Path, yet your methods are so despicable.
You didn't just severely injure me—you even poisoned me with such a filthy aphrodisiac!
Don't be so smug. One day, I'll send you straight into this Little Man's bed and let him thoroughly humiliate you.
Let's see how long you can keep pretending to be pure and noble.
As for you, Little Man… you've really picked up another bargain.
"Hmph."
Beneath the towering tree, Zhang Lingxiao diligently cultivated Phantom Step, completely unaware that the Devil Head above him was already plotting his future once more.
---
The cultivation of a martial skill was divided into two stages.
The first was comprehension of the essence.
The second was actual execution.
They were entirely different processes.
Zhang Lingxiao's comprehension ability was outstanding. He had grasped the essence of Phantom Step with ease.
What surprised him was the second stage.
When he began executing the technique, he found that the movements flowed effortlessly, as natural as breathing—smooth and unimpeded.
Even Su Qing, who had been observing him, was visibly startled.
"Broad meridians… Heaven-defying comprehension… and flawless execution right after understanding a movement technique," she muttered. "He truly is the man chosen by Master."
She leapt down from the tree and waved her hand impatiently.
"Hurry up. Once you deal with the Zhang Family, come back to Qingzhou with me. Your Huangzhou is unbearably dull."
"Qingzhou?" Zhang Lingxiao asked. "Where is that?"
Born in Qingyun Town, Zhang Lingxiao had never left Tianhuo Country. Though he knew the Nine Provinces Continent consisted of nine provinces, he didn't even know their names.
"Qingzhou lies in the eastern region of the Nine Provinces," Su Qing explained casually. "Its overall strength ranks in the middle. First-rate sects are everywhere, and experts roam the land freely."
She glanced around disdainfully.
"Unlike your Huangzhou. The spiritual qi here is thin, the land desolate. And this place—remote even within Huangzhou—is even worse. Along the way, most martial artists I've seen are Qi Wu Realm ants. Even Xuanwu Realm cultivators are pitifully rare."
Her words were filled with open contempt.
Zhang Lingxiao fell silent.
No matter what, Huangzhou was his homeland. Hearing an outsider belittle it so casually made him uncomfortable.
"Actually," Su Qing added after a pause, "Huangzhou wasn't always like this. Long ago, it once stood at the very peak of the Nine Provinces. But several millennia ago, it suddenly declined. The reason remains unknown."
Zhang Lingxiao nodded, saying nothing further.
He was only eighteen—how could he possibly know secrets buried thousands of years in the past?
---
The two traveled swiftly and soon arrived at the gates of Qingyun Town.
Zhang Lingxiao's return this time was not only to clear his father's name and seek revenge—it also carried selfish intent.
Within the Zhang Family, most members merely shared the surname and had no blood relation. Zhang Lingxiao felt no attachment to anyone outside his direct lineage.
For years, his innately blocked meridians had rendered him unable to cultivate. He had endured endless ridicule, cold stares, and humiliation. His feelings toward the family were not fondness, but resentment.
His plan was simple: use Su Qing's power to reshuffle the Zhang Family and elevate his own lineage.
At the same time, by devouring the qi and blood of the Zhang Family's martial artists who would fall in this conflict, he could rapidly raise his cultivation—and eventually escape Su Qing's control.
There was no such thing as unconditional kindness.
If someone helped you without reason, it was because you had something they wanted.
Zhang Lingxiao hated leaving his fate in another's hands.
In the Martial Dao world, the strong preyed on the weak. Strength dictated authority, survival, and even life and death.
And Su Qing was still a looming threat.
"Zhang Lingxiao, you bastard! You made me unable to return home—and you still dare to come back!"
A furious shout rang out.
From the nearby woods emerged a familiar figure, disheveled and furious.
"Zhang Kun Song?" Zhang Lingxiao burst into laughter. "What's this—did the Zhang Family kick you out?"
Wasn't this the same servant who had locked him in the dungeon and humiliated him last night?
"Shut up!" Zhang Kun Song snarled. "The Family Head wants you. Come back with me at once and report, so I can atone for my mistakes!"
Su Qing raised an eyebrow and glanced at Zhang Lingxiao.
"Are martial artists in Huangzhou always this arrogant? He's only at Qi Wu Realm First Heaven."
Zhang Lingxiao sneered. "Who knows?"
Seeing the two casually chatting and ignoring him, Zhang Kun Song exploded in rage and swung his fist.
"Stop pretending! Take this!"
If he could beat Zhang Lingxiao once, he could do it again!
As for the red-clad woman beside him—she showed no spiritual qi fluctuations. Clearly just some brothel girl Zhang Lingxiao had picked up.
Once Zhang Lingxiao was handed over to the family, wouldn't this beauty belong to him?
The punch carried the full force of a Qi Wu Realm First Heaven cultivator—the same strike Zhang Lingxiao had suffered last night.
But this time—
Zhang Lingxiao moved.
His body flickered, leaving behind faint afterimages.
Phantom Step!
His fist met Zhang Kun Song's head-on.
With increased speed came terrifying power.
A flash of shock crossed Zhang Kun Song's eyes, quickly replaced by fury.
"How dare you show off such petty tricks!"
"Before absolute strength, you're courting death!"
Boom!
The fists collided. A violent shockwave burst outward.
Crack!
Zhang Kun Song's finger bones shattered instantly. Agonizing pain surged through him as his body was flung backward.
Before he could land, Zhang Lingxiao grabbed his collar, raised his other fist—
Bang!
Another punch sent Zhang Kun Song flying like a broken kite. He crashed heavily to the ground, spraying a mouthful of fresh blood.
"You—how is this possible?! Weren't you a useless trash who couldn't cultivate?!" Zhang Kun Song screamed in disbelief.
Zhang Lingxiao stepped forward coldly and stomped on his head.
"If I'm trash," he said calmly, "then what does that make you?"
Zhang Kun Song's face turned deathly pale.
"We—we're from the same family! You can't kill me! You'll suffer Heaven's wrath!"
Zhang Lingxiao snorted.
"Too noisy."
"Go complain to the Heavens yourself."
Crunch.
With a single stomp, Zhang Kun Song's head was crushed into a bloody mess.
Even Su Qing blinked in surprise.
He just stepped into the Martial Dao… yet he kills without hesitation.
Even I wasn't this ruthless back then.
This boy—
He truly has terrifying potential.
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