Chapter 9

**Bang**

A loud explosion echoed, leaving everyone stunned. Long Chen had somehow already appeared in front of Li Hao, like a ghost. This was the effect of the Swift Wind Step, which was incredibly fast, especially at close range, making it impossible to guard against.

Li Hao’s claws were suspended in mid-air as Long Chen’s foot viciously kicked between his legs. The violent force sent him flying into the air.

After the explosion, a round object slid down Li Hao’s trouser leg and was flung into the crowd.

Wang Mang had been fantasizing about how Li Hao would torture Long Chen to the point of wishing he were dead, but the scene before him left him speechless.

He hadn’t noticed the grape-sized object flying straight toward his open mouth. By the time he realized it, the object had already entered his mouth.

Before he could react, the slippery object slid down his throat into his stomach, carrying a strange stench.

“Ah!”

Wang Mang finally reacted, hurriedly extending a finger to dig at his throat. After vomiting for a while, he finally spat out a round object.

Wang Mang’s companions, Zhou Yaoyang and others, looked at the round object and felt a wave of nausea, quickly dispersing in all directions.

“Ah... my balls!”

On the stage, Li Hao clutched his crotch tightly, his face contorted in pain. If he hadn’t used spiritual energy to protect his body earlier, he would have fainted from the pain.

For a moment, the entire venue was silent. Everyone looked at Li Hao on the stage and the mess on the ground, their faces filled with strange expressions.

“Now, you won’t walk crooked anymore,” Long Chen said, nodding.

“You...”

Li Hao was so enraged that his eyes were bloodshot. His only precious item had been stripped away and was now in Wang Mang’s stomach. Even if he retrieved it, it would be useless after being burned by stomach acid.

The previous one was taken by a wild dog, and this one was now ruined. Li Hao was destined to become a man who could not reproduce.

“You damn bastard, die—Rock Fist!”

Li Hao roared madly, forcing his spiritual energy to stop the pain in his lower body. He swung a punch at Long Chen, the air roaring with the force of his attack.

The power of the third level of the Gathering Qi realm exploded. He was now in a frenzy, forgetting Zhou Yaoyang’s instructions, and was determined to kill Long Chen.

Long Chen looked at the frenzied Li Hao, a cold expression appearing in his eyes. He roared like a thunderclap, shaking the surroundings and making the ears of those nearby ring.

An invisible aura swept out, and Long Chen, without any hesitation, swung a punch.

“Bull Strength”

“Boom”

A loud explosion accompanied by the sound of bones breaking echoed. Li Hao let out a惨叫, blood splattering everywhere. In the horrified gazes of the crowd, one of Li Hao’s arms was shattered.

Long Chen maintained his punching stance, his eyes cold and his face expressionless. The terrifying aura made everyone’s hearts tremble.

At that moment, Long Chen looked like a cold-blooded killer, his body radiating a chilling killing intent that made people shudder.

The entire venue was dead silent. The power Long Chen had unleashed was so great that even Zhou Yaoyang, at the seventh level of the Gathering Qi realm, felt a wave of fear.

“How is this possible? He can actually use combat techniques?”

“He can’t cultivate, right? What’s going on?”

“That look is so scary.”

People were shocked. Those who had mocked Long Chen earlier were now filled with fear, looking at Li Hao lying on the stage as if they were seeing themselves, shivering with cold sweat.

On the stage, Li Hao’s arm was shattered, blood flowing profusely. Long Chen’s punch not only shattered his arm but also injured his internal organs.

Even Long Chen himself was somewhat surprised. It seemed he had underestimated the power of a low-grade combat technique, which, when used by him, had exploded with such terrifying force.

He slowly walked toward Li Hao. On the silent stage, the sound of Long Chen’s footsteps was clearly audible, like a prelude to a killing spree, heavily stepping on everyone’s hearts.

“Step... step... step...”

Li Hao’s earlier anger had long dissipated, replaced by fear. Seeing Long Chen approach, he stammered, “Don’t... don’t come over.”

Li Hao tried to move backward, but in his extreme fear, he found himself unable to muster any strength. The approaching Long Chen was like a nightmare he couldn’t escape.

“Don’t... don’t kill me. It was all Zhou Yaoyang’s doing,” Li Hao said, his voice trembling with tears.

Zhou Yaoyang’s face changed, and he shouted, “Li Hao, what are you talking about?”

“I’m not lying. You told us to deal with Long Chen and promised us rewards afterward. This is all your fault,” Li Hao pointed at Zhou Yaoyang, his voice hysterical. In the face of death, he had forgotten everything.

“Li Hao, you’re asking for death,” Zhou Yaoyang’s face turned ashen, his eyes filled with killing intent.

“Zhou Yaoyang, you bastard, you used me. Long Chen, I’m telling you, Zhou Yaoyang is just a lackey. Actually...”

Suddenly, Long Chen felt a chill, sensing the aura of death. Without thinking, he burst backward.

However, after Long Chen retreated, nothing happened. When he looked at Li Hao again, he found that Li Hao’s eyes had lost their focus, and he was already dead.

Long Chen’s face changed slightly as he looked into the crowd. He saw a figure in a hood rapidly fleeing, disappearing from view after a few leaps.

The sudden turn of events left the crowd in an uproar. Clearly, the mysterious person had killed Li Hao.

“Long Chen wins.”

After a brief chaos, the arena’s overseer announced the final result.

Although Li Hao was not killed by Long Chen, Long Chen had defeated him, and killing Li Hao would have been easy. Therefore, declaring Long Chen the winner was justified.

With Long Chen’s victory, many people sighed, as this result left them with nothing to gain.

However, dozens of people cheered loudly, having bet on Long Chen’s win. Fatso and others howled like wolves.

Li Hao, lying on the stage, was ignored. The arena would notify his family to collect his body.

The duel on the life-or-death stage was protected by imperial law, and no one could seek revenge privately. Li Hao was just a bastard, not of high status, so his death would not cause much of a stir. This was the brutal nature of the Fengming Empire.

Long Chen descended from the stage, receiving a hero’s welcome from Fatso and others. Shi Feng gave Long Chen a fierce hug.

“Good kid, when did you become so fierce? You should have told me earlier. My heart was almost out of my chest watching you,” Shi Feng complained.

“Brother Long, no, Big Brother Long, from now on, we’ll follow you. You have to protect us,” Fatso and others said, their eyes shining.

Long Chen laughed and said, “No problem, let’s go collect our winnings.”

The crowd cheered, and in the envious gazes of many, Long Chen collected a total of three million gold coins.

When the crystal card with three million gold coins was placed in Long Chen’s hand, he was even more excited than when he killed Li Hao.

He knew Li Hao was just a small fish, and the information Li Hao revealed before dying made him more alert.

Originally, he thought he was being bullied because of the conflicts between his parents. It seemed the situation was more complex, and he was just a pawn.

He was just a waste of a youth, and his family was poor. The elaborate plan to target him clearly aimed at his father.

“This is complicated.”

However, holding the three million gold coins, Long Chen felt an immense confidence. Was this what it felt like to be rich and powerful?

After leaving with the crowd, Long Chen found a teahouse. After a grand celebration, he returned all the principal to everyone.

However, he kept the winnings and made a promise that left everyone excited: he would take care of their cultivation from now on.

Fatso and others were overjoyed. They were all unable to cultivate, and if someone else had said this, they wouldn’t have believed it.

But Long Chen, who was once like them, had now killed Li Hao with a single move. How real was that?

Hearing Long Chen’s words, everyone was elated. However, Long Chen told them to keep it secret, and they all nodded frantically.

Long Chen spoke so seriously, and it concerned their future and even their lives, so they couldn’t help but take it seriously.

After Fatso and others left, Long Chen chatted with Shi Feng. Shi Feng was a genius, the best among the young lords, already at the eighth level of the Gathering Qi realm, and could enter the ninth level at any time. Entering the Blood Condensation realm before the age of twenty should not be a problem.

After two observations, Shi Feng was definitely a trustworthy person. After asking about Shi Feng’s current cultivation status, Long Chen parted ways with him and headed straight for the Alchemist Guild.

The Alchemist Guild was located in the southern part of the capital, the most sacred place in the entire city. Even the royal family dared not be disrespectful to the Alchemist Guild.

The Alchemist Guild was said to be spread throughout the world, and the one in the capital was just one of them.

This time, Long Chen came to take an alchemist qualification exam. Having a certificate would make it much easier for him to buy medicines and travel in the future.

Alchemists were a very scarce profession, and with this certificate, Long Chen’s status would be different. Even the Fengming Empire would need to think twice before moving against him.

Most importantly, with this qualification, he could buy rare medicinal materials from the Alchemist Guild at a much lower price, saving a significant amount of money.

The Alchemist Guild covered only a few acres but was several dozen feet tall, grand and awe-inspiring.

Entering the hall, two attendants greeted Long Chen. When they heard he was there to take the alchemist qualification exam, they were surprised.

Long Chen looked only fifteen or sixteen years old and had no cultivation aura, but the attendants still led him to the alchemy hall.

When Long Chen arrived, several men were already in the hall, refining medicines with alchemical fires.

“Hmm, it’s you?”

The old man who saw Long Chen was somewhat surprised and asked.

Seeing the old man, Long Chen felt a surge of anger. This was the old man who had examined him, saying he might have amnesia and taking his mother’s jewelry.

“I’m here to take the alchemist qualification exam,” Long Chen suppressed his anger, planning to settle accounts with the old man later.

“Qualification exam? Alchemist?” The old