Chapter 9

"Listen, listen, listen?"

"I... I'm going to kill you!"

As Wang Yuan's lackey, Ma Jiu had been arrogant and domineering among the nominal disciples, bullying others without restraint. No one had ever dared to bully him.

Now, being slapped away by Ye Chen, Ma Jiu, who had never experienced such humiliation, naturally wouldn't stand for it.

Ma Jiu, who had fallen to the ground, let out a loud cry and swung his claws toward Ye Chen.

"Kill me? Do you think you have the ability to do so?"

At the moment Ma Jiu's claws reached in front of Ye Chen, Ye Chen's palm shot out like lightning, instantly grabbing Ma Jiu's wrist.

Then, with a "crack," Ye Chen showed no mercy, directly using his true qi to shatter Ma Jiu's wrist bone under the immense pressure.

"Ah, my hand! My hand is broken!"

The intense pain from the broken bone made Ma Jiu scream shrilly, and the piercing pain caused him to roll on the ground, clutching his wrist.

An inexplicable fear struck his heart like thunder. After being easily blocked by Ye Chen twice, Ma Jiu finally realized that this Ye Chen, whom he had never taken seriously in the past, was no longer someone he could provoke.

Looking at Ma Jiu, who was rolling on the ground and wailing, Ye Chen coldly snorted and stood up.

He wouldn't show any mercy to Ma Jiu.

He remembered that once, it was Ma Jiu who had found a human punching bag for Wang Yuan, and he had targeted Ye Chen. Ye Chen, hesitating for a moment, was kicked by Ma Jiu, breaking several of his ribs. As a result, he not only spent a large amount of silver on healing herbs but also lay in bed for several months before recovering.

To deal with this ruthless Ma Jiu, he had to be even more ruthless!

Breaking his hand was still too lenient.

If it weren't for the sect's prohibition on killing, Ye Chen wouldn't hesitate to kill Ma Jiu.

Glancing at Ma Jiu, Ye Chen walked toward the Martial Arts Pavilion.

He wouldn't waste time on a small person like Ma Jiu.

Whether Ma Jiu went to call Wang Yuan or not didn't matter.

If Wang Yuan dared to come, he would be dealt with just like Ma Jiu.

It wasn't until Ye Chen had walked far away that Ma Jiu managed to get up from the ground. His small eyes stared at Ye Chen's retreating figure, filled with hatred: "Ye Chen, wait! Senior Brother Wang Yuan will definitely help me take revenge! I will make you pay a hundredfold for the pain I've suffered!"

Struggling to his feet, Ma Jiu no longer hesitated and ran directly to Wang Yuan's residence.

...

"Huh, isn't that Ma Jiu? Why is he covered in so much blood?"

As he passed through the mountain gate square, some nominal disciples saw Ma Jiu's miserable state and began to discuss it in surprise.

Ma Jiu glared at the nominal disciple, scaring him into silence.

However, once Ma Jiu was far away, the nominal disciples couldn't help but continue their discussion.

"Ma Jiu is a powerful figure among the nominal disciples, a subordinate of Wang Yuan. Who dares to beat him up like this?"

"Shh, keep it down. Neither Ma Jiu nor Wang Yuan are easy to deal with. We'd better not get involved in this matter," a timid person said.

But there were also those who weren't afraid of trouble: "Judging by Ma Jiu's appearance, he seems to be filled with anger and is going to seek reinforcements. There might be some excitement soon."

"I wonder who dares to provoke Wang Yuan."

In the core area of the nominal disciples' living quarters, in a spacious courtyard, Wang Yuan was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, cultivating. Not far in front of him, seven or eight nominal disciples were trembling.

These seven or eight nominal disciples had been called to serve as human punching bags, waiting to be beaten by Wang Yuan.

Thinking about how they would be beaten by Wang Yuan, their legs couldn't even stand straight.

Running away? They didn't dare to run.

They were only at the first or second level of true qi cultivation. How could they escape from Wang Yuan's grasp? If they dared to run, the beating they would receive would be much worse, possibly even breaking their arms or legs.

They could only wait, enduring the inevitable beating. The waiting was even more agonizing.

Bang!

Just as they were enduring the agony, the door to Wang Yuan's courtyard was suddenly pushed open.

Ma Jiu, covered in blood, ran in.

"Hmm?"

Wang Yuan, whose cultivation was interrupted, frowned and opened his eyes. When he saw Ma Jiu, who was covered in blood, his eyebrows raised: "Didn't you go to find Ye Chen? Why are you injured like this?"

Seeing Wang Yuan, Ma Jiu felt as if he had found a savior. He pointed outside the courtyard, his hand trembling from anger or pain: "Senior Brother Wang Yuan, it was Ye Chen who beat me up like this. Please take revenge for me!"

"Ye Chen?"

Wang Yuan was somewhat surprised, but then his eyes turned cold, and he stood up.

The nominal disciples in the courtyard, who were waiting to be beaten, were even more shocked: "Ye Chen? The Ye Chen who usually comes to be a human punching bag like us? He actually managed to injure Ma Jiu like this?"

In fact, each nominal disciple who was called to be a human punching bag had fantasized about becoming truly powerful one day, to crush Ma Jiu and Wang Yuan and avenge their grievances.

However, they knew it was just a fantasy. Their strength was far too inferior to Wang Yuan, who was at the fourth level of true qi.

Now, this fantasy had actually come true?

Had that Ye Chen really become so powerful? Powerful enough to injure Ma Jiu, who was at the third level of true qi, and powerful enough to not fear Wang Yuan behind Ma Jiu?

The seven or eight nominal disciples gaped in disbelief.

...

"The Martial Arts Pavilion, back to the Martial Arts Pavilion again."

Looking at the three-story building ahead, Ye Chen smiled and walked inside.

A month ago, he was only at the third level of true qi and hadn't even cultivated a proper martial technique.

Now, a month later, he had not only successfully cultivated to the fourth level of true qi but had also cultivated the extremely difficult and powerful "Torrential Rain Sword Technique" to the third form.

Ye Chen enjoyed the feeling of making progress every day and continuously improving his strength.

This feeling was not just the satisfaction of avenging past humiliations by punishing people like Zhao Jing, Bai Kun, and Ma Jiu. More importantly, it was the control over his own destiny.

Only by becoming truly powerful could one avoid being bullied at will and control one's own destiny!

Inside the Martial Arts Pavilion, at the pavilion guardian elder's place.

Flipping through the two returned manuals, the pavilion guardian elder recalled Ye Chen: "Oh, you're the young man who borrowed the 'Torrential Rain Sword Technique' a month ago."

The pavilion guardian elder remembered Ye Chen partly because he had chosen the extremely difficult Torrential Rain Sword Technique, and partly because the young man's confident demeanor when he was reminded had left a deep impression.

"How is it? Is the Torrential Rain Sword Technique really that difficult to cultivate?" the pavilion guardian elder asked Ye Chen with a smile.

Ye Chen nodded: "Indeed, it is very difficult to cultivate."

"I warned you, but you didn't believe me. Now you know, right?" The pavilion guardian elder shook his head helplessly. "Young people, you have to learn from your mistakes. Well, go and choose another martial technique to cultivate. I can give you a discount."

The pavilion guardian elder was sighing and lecturing Ye Chen, but Ye Chen's next words made him speechless.

Ye Chen said, "Thank you, Elder. I won't choose a new martial technique for now. I haven't fully comprehended the third form of the Torrential Rain Sword Technique yet."

"What did you say?"

The pavilion guardian elder stood up suddenly.

"Third form not fully comprehended? Could it be that you have successfully cultivated the first two forms?"

The pavilion guardian elder was full of disbelief.

He had been the pavilion guardian for decades, and hundreds of people had chosen the Torrential Rain Sword Technique. Most of them couldn't even successfully cultivate the first form, and those who could cultivate the second form were few and far between.

The pavilion guardian elder had never seen a nominal disciple who could cultivate the Torrential Rain Sword Technique to the third form in just one month.

"Reporting to the Elder, I have indeed successfully cultivated the first two forms," Ye Chen nodded.

He wasn't deliberately hiding anything. After all, even the first level of the supreme divine technique "Vein Refinement Technique" took him a month to cultivate to the fifteenth of the thirty-three veins.

The Torrential Rain Sword Technique was just a middle-grade yellow-level technique, and successfully cultivating the first two forms wasn't a big deal.

Ye Chen spoke casually, but to the pavilion guardian elder, each word carried immense weight.

After being stunned for a moment, the pavilion guardian elder said, "Can you demonstrate the first two forms for me?"

It wasn't that he didn't trust Ye Chen, but this was truly astonishing.

If Ye Chen really had such insight, he should have already entered the outer sect. Even among the nominal disciples, he should have been well-known, but the pavilion guardian elder had never heard of such a person.

"Demonstrate the first two forms?" Hearing the pavilion guardian elder's words, Ye Chen hesitated for a moment but then smiled. "Why not?"

Clang!

Ye Chen drew his fine steel sword, preparing to demonstrate the first form of the Torrential Rain Sword Technique, "Torrential Rain Falling."

At this moment, a fierce voice came from outside the Martial Arts Pavilion: "Ye Chen, get out here!"

Hearing this voice, Ye Chen frowned and then smiled, shaking his head.

This Wang Yuan had really come looking for trouble!

Sheathing his sword, Ye Chen apologized to the pavilion guardian elder: "Elder, I'm sorry, but it seems I need to deal with some trouble first."

The pavilion guardian elder also heard the voice from outside the Martial Arts Pavilion. He looked out and saw that a crowd had already gathered outside.

"Go ahead." The pavilion guardian elder nodded.

Qingyun Sect did not prohibit fighting, and the rules for nominal disciples were even more relaxed. Therefore, the pavilion guardian elder wasn't too surprised that someone was causing trouble for Ye Chen.

Ye Chen bowed to the pavilion guardian elder and walked out of the Martial Arts Pavilion.

"This young man is quite interesting."

The pavilion guardian elder stood by the window, looking down.

"If he really has cultivated the Torrential Rain Sword Technique to the third form, then the next part will be quite entertaining."