Chapter 5

The next morning, Sun Yuanhai looked at his eldest son as if he were a monster. He was well-traveled and had even represented the family on several missions in Weiyuan County.

But he had never seen anyone cultivate as quickly as his own son.

"Last night, you were at the peak of the Fourth Pulse stage. How did you become a Fifth Pulse cultivator overnight?"

Sun Ang pretended to be calm: "You said I was already at the peak of the Fourth Pulse stage, so of course, there was always a possibility of breaking through."

Sun Yue, clearly not as thoughtful as his father, was very happy about his brother's rapid progress. He waved his small fists: "Big brother, you're so amazing! If you had been like this before, I wouldn't have been bullied by them."

Sun Ang felt a pang in his heart and couldn't help but pat his younger brother's head: "Don't worry, I'll protect you from now on. If anyone dares to bully you, come to me, and I'll make sure they won't even be recognizable to their parents."

"Cough!" Sun Yuanhai coughed heavily. Although he thought his eldest son was right, as a father, he felt he should "educate" his children, so he said reluctantly: "Among relatives, we should still prioritize friendship and love..."

Sun Ang secretly rolled his eyes, thinking that the original owner had been too friendly, and as a result, almost got beaten to death by so-called relatives.

Sun Yuanhai could see that his eldest son wasn't taking it to heart, but he didn't mind. He waved his hand: "Let's go home!"

The three guards and Uncle Guan, along with the father and sons, only Sun Yuanhai had a treasure steed, while the others had to ride horses.

In fact, in the entire Anhui Sun family, there were only three treasure steeds, belonging to Sun Yuanhai, the clan leader Sun Yuanshan, and the Great Elder Sun Ningwei.

A treasure steed is a tamed and domesticated fierce beast. The higher the level of the fierce beast, the more powerful it is. Each level of fierce beast is almost equivalent to a human martial artist's Ninth Rank.

Not only are they difficult to capture alive, but even if they are, they often won't submit.

Sun Yuanhai's treasure steed was a Second Rank Deep Shadow Leopard, which was already a powerful existence among Second Rank fierce beasts.

Years ago, to tame this treasure steed, Sun Yuanhai was left with nine huge scars.

Before that, he had captured six Second Rank fierce beasts, but all of them refused to submit and died, leaving only this one.

However, a Second Rank fierce beast is equivalent to a human martial artist at the Life Spirit Realm, which greatly helped Sun Yuanhai—his treasure steed was also an important part of his combat strength.

In the martial arts world of Dark Sea, there are nine realms, the lowest being the Life Essence Realm, followed by the Life Spirit Realm, Life Cage Realm, Life Lamp Realm, Life Bridge Realm, Life Mystic Realm, Life Migration Realm, Life Extreme Realm, and Life Heaven Realm.

The Nine Pulse Realm, where Sun Ang currently stands, is actually just a preparatory stage. Disciples at this stage are not even considered true martial artists.

During the Nine Pulse Realm stage, they must build a solid foundation in their bodies to further cultivate true martial arts.

The Deep Shadow Leopard roared and charged forward, leaving a series of deep pits on the hard ground. The six horses behind it, already quite magnificent, trembled in fear.

They only dared to start running after the Deep Shadow Leopard had taken the lead by several dozen yards.

Sun Ang looked back at the distant Soul Suppressing Mountain, then turned and shouted, urging his horse to catch up with the others.

The journey from the estate to the county town, which was several dozen miles, took them only an hour to complete.

The Sun family estate in Anhui County was one of the largest, and Sun Yuanhai's Deep Shadow Leopard was a distinctive symbol. As soon as they arrived at the gate, a servant immediately came forward: "Third Master, you're back."

Sun Yuanhai dismounted, but his face was dark as he took down a long box from the Deep Shadow Leopard's back.

Seeing the black iron box, the servants couldn't help but shiver. Everyone recognized it; the box contained the precious First Rank alchemical weapon, the Night Song Sword!

Third Master taking out this alchemical weapon clearly meant he was about to lose his temper!

Why? The reason was obvious. The servants glanced at Sun Ang behind Sun Yuanhai; it was all because of this waste of space.

The incident at the estate was a great humiliation for Sun Sheng, and he certainly wouldn't publicize it, so most of the family still didn't know.

They still thought that this waste of space and coward, like before, would go home and complain to his father to seek revenge.

In fact, even the old Sun Ang rarely complained; it was usually Sun Yuanhai who discovered his son had been bullied and couldn't help but retaliate.

Sun Ang, of course, noticed the servants' gazes and secretly sneered, but he didn't need to explain himself to them.

"Third Brother!" A furious shout came from the main gate, and the eldest brother, Sun Yuanshan, came out with a stern face.

He wore a dark robe with a golden flame embroidered on his chest, his figure imposing and full of the authority of the clan leader.

"What do you want to do?" he demanded as soon as he appeared. Behind him, the second brother Sun Yuanhe, the fourth uncle Sun Yuanxin, and others came out together.

They were all the eldest brother's confidants, and the Great Elder Sun Ningwei, who was closer to Sun Yuanhai, was nowhere to be seen.

Sun Yuanhai sneered: "What do I want to do? Eldest Brother, I want to ask, is Sun Ang your nephew, is he a member of the Anhui Sun family?"

Sun Jie, standing behind Sun Yuanhe, interjected: "It would be best if Sun Ang weren't a member of the Anhui Sun family. Such a waste of space brings bad luck to any family. Unfortunately, we have no choice; he is still part of our family."

Sun Yuanhai was furious, his eyes flashing: "Rubbish! How dare you interrupt when your elders are speaking!"

Sun Yuanhai's aura swept over, but it was blocked by a domineering force. Sun Yuanhe sneered: "Third Brother, Jie is straightforward. Although he may be a bit rude, he's telling the truth. Your Sun Ang has been a disgrace to the Sun family since he was born, and now he's brought shame to the ancestral land. Even the main family knows we have such a useless waste of space..."

Sun Yuanhai was so angry that his whole body trembled, and his hand was already on the black iron box. A hand reached out and gently pressed on his father's arm.

"Father, let me handle it."

Sun Ang stepped forward, looking up at Sun Jie: "Come out, you're ashamed of me, and I'm also at a loss about being in the same family as you."

Sun Jie was delighted; he was looking for an opportunity to teach Sun Ang a lesson: "This is your own doing! You coward, do you think I, the young master, will be afraid of you?"

Sun Jie jumped down, rubbing his hands. Sun Ang suddenly showed a playful expression: "Since you call me a coward, do you dare to bet with this coward?"

"What kind of bet!" Sun Jie looked fearless.

Sun Ang said firmly: "A life bet! If I lose, I'll commit suicide on the spot! If you lose, you'll smash your head against the stone tablet at the gate. Do you dare?"

Sun Jie was stunned by the sudden cold light in Sun Ang's eyes. When he came to his senses, he immediately wondered why this guy was so confident. Was he bluffing? It didn't seem like his style.

But why was this guy so confident? According to what Sun Sheng told me yesterday, this guy is only at the initial stage of the Fourth Pulse, while I'm already at the middle stage of the Fifth Pulse. He can't possibly be my match.

He looked at Sun Ang, then at Sun Yuanhai, and when his gaze fell on the black iron box in Sun Yuanhai's hand, he suddenly understood: So that's it! Third Uncle must have secretly lent Sun Ang the Night Song Sword, which is why he's so arrogant!

Hehe, fortunately, I'm smart and won't fall for your tricks.

Sun Ang sneered: "What, you're afraid? So you're even worse than a coward. What are you, then? Don't bark in front of me anymore!"

Sun Jie gave his father Sun Yuanhe a look, and Sun Yuanhe nodded, indicating he would support him.

With his father's tacit support, Sun Jie sneered and suddenly burst with elemental power, rushing at Sun Ang with incredible speed: "Fool! I'll show you that a waste of space will always be a waste of space!"

"Five Thunder Palm, break!"

A palm shot through the air, empowered by elemental power, instantly swelling to the size of a washbasin, with faint lightning flickering around it, creating a terrifying momentum.

The Five Thunder Palm is a high-level martial technique taught to the disciples of the Anhui Sun family, far surpassing the Eighteen Loose Hands. It is a Second Rank martial technique below the Nine Pulse Realm, on par with the Fire Ox Cannon Fist!

Sun Jie is a year older than Sun Ang. He failed to enter the ancestral land due to fierce competition, but his father, Sun Yuanhe, is a confidant of the clan leader Sun Yuanshan. With Sun Ke, the first genius of this generation of the Anhui Sun family, Sun Yuanshan took special care of their family, and thus, Sun Jie was exceptionally taught this technique.

Sun Jie had trained for more than half a year and had never used it in public. Now, he suddenly attacked to catch Sun Ang off guard and hoped to finish this disgraceful waste of space in one move!

Once Sun Ang was dead, Sun Yue would be no threat.

Without an heir, Sun Yuanhai would eventually lose the Night Song Sword.

But this seemingly flawless Five Thunder Palm, in Sun Ang's eyes, was full of flaws: "Riddled with weaknesses!"

Sun Jie was furious, furiously channeling more elemental power, eager to crush Sun Ang into a pulp.

Sun Ang's figure flickered as he moved to counter. But when he saw Sun Ang's move, Sun Jie almost laughed out loud: "Eighteen Loose Hands! Hahaha!"

Indeed, the Eighteen Loose Hands is the lowest-level martial technique of the Anhui Sun family.

Strictly speaking, the Eighteen Loose Hands doesn't even qualify as a ranked technique. Compared to the Second Rank Five Thunder Palm, it is two full ranks lower and can't possibly be a match.

Sun Yuanhe watched the battle with a mocking smile, stroking his beard and saying insincerely: "Sigh, my Jie is too strong. His opponent is too weak. After half a year in the ancestral land, he hasn't even learned a ranked technique."

Sun Yuanshan and the others felt relieved.

After Sun Sheng's defeat yesterday, everyone was uneasy, wondering if Sun Ang had some kind of miraculous encounter and suddenly become much stronger.

Now it seems that a waste of space will always be a waste of space. A dead fish can't turn over. Sun Sheng must have been too careless yesterday.

As long as Sun Ang is dead, the big plan can be accomplished.

On the other side, Sun Yuanhai was stunned and almost intervened. The Eighteen Loose Hands... it was just too low-level. Even by Sun Yuanhai's standards, it couldn't possibly defeat a Second Rank technique like the Five Thunder Palm.

But thinking that his son was now at the Fifth Pulse stage, he suppressed his urge to intervene and watched anxiously.

Sun Yue, who hadn't started martial arts training, immediately waved his small fists to cheer for his brother: "Big brother, beat him up! He always bullies me!"

"Ha ha ha!" Sun Yuanhe laughed: "Little thing, you're also a fool. Your brother is bound to lose..."

Sun Ang heard his brother's words, and a dark flame flashed in his eyes. The elemental power in his hand increased by a third.

The Five Thunder Palm roared and charged, seemingly unstoppable. Sun Ang's Eighteen Loose Hands, on the other hand, was plain and unremarkable, quietly slipping into the Five Thunder Palm's technique!

At this moment, Sun Yuanhe, who was about to speak, felt as if his neck had been suddenly grabbed. Sun Yuanshan and the others were also shocked. How could this be?

This clash looked incredibly strange, as if Sun Jie had deliberately left an opening for Sun Ang to exploit.

But everyone knew that was impossible.

Yet the fact was, Sun Ang, using the unranked Eighteen Loose Hands, had broken through Sun Jie's Second Rank Five Thunder Palm in one move!

The powerful palm missed Sun Ang and struck the air. Sun Ang's Eighteen Loose Hands easily slipped through a weakness in the Five Thunder Palm, and even though it was an unranked technique, it became the most useful technique at that moment!

"Bang!"

A dull sound, and Sun Ang's palm struck Sun Jie's shoulder. The power of the Fifth Pulse stage burst forth, and Sun Jie felt as if he had been hit by a giant bear. His shoulder bones shattered with a crack, and his entire right side became immobile.

He screamed and stumbled backward, but Sun Ang's hand, still using the Eighteen Loose Hands, easily caught his wrist and pulled him back. At the same time, his knee rose casually.

It looked like Sun Jie was using his soft ribs to hit Sun Ang's hard knee, a clear mismatch.

Crack!

The sound of breaking ribs was clear. Sun Ang's elemental power exploded from his knee, and Sun Jie was sent flying into the air by the powerful force.

But his wrist was still firmly in Sun Ang's grip, and he couldn't escape.

Sun Ang pulled him down again, twisted his body, and kicked him in the groin, like a snake emerging from a cave. Sun Jie only saw a black shadow flash by, and a massive force struck his stomach.

His internal organs exploded, and he screamed in pain, curling up like a shrimp.

Sun Ang completed a three-hit combo, fast as lightning.

He released his grip, and Sun Jie fell to his knees, curled up in a ball.

Sun Ang tilted his head: "Hmm, this position is perfect for another kick."

He swung his leg, and a crescent-shaped glow of elemental power, like a large axe, slashed upward and struck Sun Jie's chin.

This smooth kick sent Sun Jie flipping several times in the air before crashing to the ground, covered in blood, and completely silent.