Chapter 3

Du Ming, still in shock, rubbed his aching ribs, the spot where Xu Yang had landed a punch.

"Brother Song, that kid... he’s really something. He actually dared to resist today!" Du Ming ran to Lu Song’s side, tripping along the way, which made Lu Song frown deeply.

"Resist?!" Lu Song snorted, "Then just beat him up and drag him back. Why make such a fuss?"

Du Ming stammered, unable to speak for a long time, his face turning red. He felt both strange and embarrassed, having been hit by a boy who was supposed to be a pushover.

"What’s wrong, just standing there?" Liu Zishan sneered, "You can’t even beat that waste of space?"

Liu Zishan’s words were unintentional, as he didn’t believe that Du Ming, a mid-stage Xuantu, could be beaten by Xu Yang, an early-stage Xuantu. Moreover, Xu Yang’s submissive and cowardly image was deeply ingrained in everyone’s mind.

Seeing Du Ming’s dejected look, Lu Song’s thick brows furrowed.

"Is it really like that? You’re really something," Lu Song said coldly, "Being beaten by a waste of space, aren’t you even more of a waste of space?"

Du Ming stammered, "No, Brother Song, I..."

Lu Song stood up and slapped him, the sound echoing sharply. Du Ming’s vision blurred, and he spun halfway before falling to the ground.

The slap was incredibly powerful, showing Lu Song’s intense anger!

"That kid will come back eventually. When he does, we’ll really have to teach him a lesson!" Lu Song rubbed his hand, his face dark.

"Be careful, don’t kill him," the only middle-aged man in the group, who had been watching coldly, said calmly.

"Don’t worry, Instructor Song, I know my limits," Lu Song replied, a sinister smile on his face.

The middle-aged man sighed. It seemed that the waste of space named Xu Yang was in trouble. However, as the guide for the bitter cultivation path, he didn’t care about the squabbles among these young Xuantu. His only concern was ensuring that the survival rate of these young men remained above the passing line after completing the path.

The sky gradually darkened, and a cool autumn breeze blew, causing the withered leaves to dance.

"Half an hour has passed, and that kid still hasn’t returned?" Lu Song was growing impatient, "He’s probably too scared to come back."

"It’s better if he doesn’t come back," Liu Zishan said coldly, "In the Juyang Mountains, wild beasts come out at night. Without a fire or shelter, his chances of survival are slim."

"Brother Song, calm down, have some water," Du Ming, with one side of his face swollen, offered a water pouch, "It’s a pity for that kid to be killed by wild beasts, at least he won’t suffer. If he dares to show up in front of me..."

Lu Song didn’t take the water pouch but stared intently at the valley entrance. A slightly lean but straight-backed youth was walking confidently into the valley.

"If I appear in front of you, what would you do?" Xu Yang said, slowly walking in from the valley entrance.

His black hair, disheveled by the wind, fluttered behind him. Under his bangs, his black eyes glinted with a cold, piercing light.

"Brother Song..." Du Ming looked at Lu Song, his palms sweating.

"Go, Du Ming," Lu Song said coldly, "You’re one level higher than him, you shouldn’t lose. This is your chance to prove yourself, seize it."

Du Ming’s hand trembled, and the water pouch fell to the ground, spilling water that slowly seeped into the earth.

Seeing this, Xu Yang sneered, "Truly a spineless rat. With your mindset, you’ll never break through the Xuantu stage."

These words shocked everyone. The usual Xu Yang, meek and submissive, never acted like this, standing high and pointing out the flaws of others.

Du Ming’s face burned with anger. He roared, "Stop pretending, I’m not afraid of you!" and lunged forward with a punch.

A simple basic move, but with Du Ming’s anger, it was infused with full force, five units of strength! This punch could knock over a bull.

"Good move!" Xu Yang stepped forward, his bones cracking. He punched back without any flair, directly at Du Ming’s fist.

"Madness!" everyone thought. Xu Yang, with only early-stage Xuantu strength and two to three units of physical power, couldn’t possibly defeat Du Ming’s five units of strength in a direct confrontation.

However, the result was unexpected. Du Ming howled in pain, stumbling back several steps, feeling his body go numb and his fingers nearly breaking.

Xu Yang showed no mercy. As a lackey, Du Ming had bullied him in the past, and Xu Yang remembered it vividly. With a flash of ferocity in his eyes, Xu Yang stepped forward and drove his elbow into Du Ming’s chest.

Du Ming spat out a mouthful of blood, flying backward several meters before landing and rolling several times.

One punch, and everyone was stunned. The young men who had been watching stood up, some even stepping back, looking at Xu Yang with shock and uncertainty.

"Clap, clap," two sudden claps echoed, and everyone turned to see Lu Song.

"Not bad, you managed to beat Du Ming in a direct confrontation. Your physical strength must have doubled," Lu Song said with a fake smile, his eyes gleaming with jealousy, "It seems you’ve had a stroke of luck, probably consumed some kind of strengthening herb! Indeed, you’re lucky."

The young men were enlightened. No wonder he beat Du Ming in one move; it must be due to the herb. Otherwise, it would be unbelievable for an early-stage Xuantu to defeat a higher-level opponent.

Xu Yang looked at Lu Song expressionlessly and said, "You’ve beaten the dog, now the master comes out. Are you going to stand up for Du Ming? I have some old scores to settle with you. Let’s go."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Lu Song shook his head, "It seems the herb has addled your brain. What’s the foundation of a Xuan practitioner? Always cultivation and realm! I’m already in the late-stage Xuantu, with ten units of physical strength! Whether in cultivation or physical strength, I far surpass you. In my eyes, you’re still that waste of space, unchanged. Only now, you’ve added a bit of fun to being bullied."

Xu Yang curled his finger, making a provocative gesture. This indifferent attitude completely enraged Lu Song.

"Die!" Lu Song roared, his feet stomping the ground, launching himself like a spear. His body crackled with energy, twice as powerful as Du Ming, his momentum even more fierce. His fist, like the tip of a spear, aimed directly at Xu Yang’s chest.

Xu Yang’s lips curled into a cold smile. His body, like a bamboo pole, fell backward, narrowly avoiding the fierce punch. He then bent his body, using his legs to kick Lu Song’s abdomen.

This was the "Fish Dragon Posture" from the "Dynamic and Static Qi Induction Technique," a close-range combat move.

Xu Yang’s current physical strength, at six units, wasn’t enough to defeat Lu Song in a direct confrontation. However, he possessed advanced close-combat techniques from a thousand years in the future, far surpassing the brute strength of a mere thug.

Xu Yang could amplify his six units of strength to eight or ten units of destructive power, while Lu Song, with ten units of strength, couldn’t even unleash half of it. His defeat was expected.

The most important reason was that both were at the Xuantu stage, where no one could use Xuan techniques. Thus, close-combat skills were crucial. If they were at the Xuan Shi stage, knowing Xuan techniques, the battle would be decided by who had higher cultivation and more powerful Xuan techniques, not by combat skills.

Lu Song was kicked into the air, howling in pain, feeling as if his abdomen was being sliced by a knife, his intestines nearly torn.

Xu Yang, using the rebound from his legs, executed the next move of the "Fish Dragon Posture," the "Carp Dragon Rebound," leaping up and then using the "Galloping Horse Posture" to charge forward, ramming his shoulder into Lu Song’s chest.

This collision made Lu Song’s eyes roll back, nearly fainting, losing his fighting ability.

The entire exchange was incredibly fast. The young men hadn’t even seen how Xu Yang moved when Lu Song fell to the ground like a broken sack, coughing violently, spitting out blood.

"Such a fierce combat technique. Lu Song is seriously injured; even if he recovers, he’ll have lingering injuries. He’ll need a pill master to refine a medicinal pill to treat them," Instructor Song, the only one who saw everything clearly, was deeply shocked.

"Wait!" Instructor Song was startled when he saw Xu Yang approaching the fallen Lu Song. How had Xu Yang changed so much, becoming so cold and cruel? It seemed he wasn’t satisfied with just injuring Lu Song, but wanted to kill him.

What Instructor Song didn’t know was that Xu Yang came from a thousand years in the future, a time when Xuan energy was scarce, making rare herbs extremely valuable. A single herb could cause dozens or even hundreds of Xuan practitioners to fight to the death. Intrigue and betrayal were rampant, and Xu Yang, having grown up in that era, naturally had ruthless methods.

"Xu Yang, you can severely injure Lu Song, but you can’t kill him," Instructor Song said.

"Why can’t I kill him?" Xu Yang asked, looking up at Instructor Song, feeling a bit wary. This man, with a faint aura of Xuan energy, was at least at the Xuan Shi stage, a true Xuan practitioner.

The difference between Xuantu and Xuan Shi was significant. Xuantu relied on physical combat, while Xuan Shi could use Xuan techniques, greatly increasing their combat power.

"This is my duty as a guide," Instructor Song explained, "On the bitter cultivation path, the guide is responsible for ensuring the safety of the cultivators."

"Then why didn’t you help me when they were beating me half to death?" Xu Yang asked.

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