“What do you want with my teacher?”

Li Cheng颐 sized up the man. Judging by his gait, stance, and physique, he was likely a seasoned martial artist.

His arms were strong and muscular, with distinct bulges, suggesting he specialized in hand techniques.

“The pen is not as mighty as the sword. Back then, you snatched my teaching position in the military. Now you’re hiding away, just sending out your daughter? That’s not right, is it?” the old man said in a low voice.

He stepped closer, closing the distance to barely a meter.

In any form of combat, this was an extremely dangerous range.

Within arm’s reach, it was practically the point of no return.

“So, what do you want? My teacher is already retired. The past is…” Li Cheng颐 was cut off.

“Retired? Retirement settles everything? What a joke! He may be retired, but he’s not dead!” The old man’s eyes widened, a subtle aura of power emanating from him.

“Then what do you want?” Li Cheng颐 frowned. His teacher had just sparred with him, even injuring his hand from overexertion.

Now was not a good time to let this man in.

“Since you’re his students, I assume you’ve learned a few moves, haven’t you?” The old man sneered, sizing up Li Cheng颐.

“You seem to be in good shape. Since your teacher is unwilling to show his face…”

“Then I’ll just have to capture you to force him out!”

Before the words had faded, the old man’s hand shot out, grabbing for Li Cheng颐’s wrist.

He used a special technique, wielding his arm like a whip, his entire body as the handle. The power unleashed with a snap, making it incredibly fast.

*Pa.*

The old man’s palm struck true, firmly gripping Li Cheng颐’s left wrist.

“Lift!”

He exerted force, his foot planted firmly, channeling power through his entire body, attempting to lift and flip Li Cheng颐.

“Old man,” Li Cheng颐 slowly raised his hand, “At your age, you should be enjoying your twilight years at home. Don’t come out here causing trouble. This is a society ruled by law, not your era anymore.”

He slowly and steadily opened his hand, reaching towards the old man’s neck.

Even though his wrist was still held in the old man’s grip, it was not hindered in the slightest.

Against such immense power, the old man’s blood raced, his arms and shoulders bulged slightly, his feet spread apart, gripping the ground.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop the large hand from slowly reaching for his neck.

“A strengthened human!?” His confident expression now turned ashen as the hand approached his neck.

“Even without strengthening, such exaggerated strength… is this divine power!?”

*Puff.*

Li Cheng颐’s left hand gently grasped the old man’s neck.

*Crack.*

A crisp sound rang out.

Zhuang Yi景 shuddered in fear. But she quickly realized the sound was fake.

It was Li Cheng颐 imitating the sound with his mouth.

As she sighed in relief, she noticed the old man’s expression was also visibly frightened, turning from green to white.

“Just kidding,” Li Cheng颐 grinned, retracting his hand and walking past the old man.

The sound of his footsteps faded into the distance.

It wasn’t until the two were more than ten meters away that the old man recovered from his terrified stupor.

He reached out and touched his neck, the skin there faintly aching, clearly with minor damage.

‘This kind of power…!?’

Even ordinary people who had received strengthening injections had an upper limit of one ton. Only a small number of top geniuses, due to their unique physical structure, could unleash even greater power.

But…

Even among geniuses! He had never seen a genius with such immense strength!?

He had even used his Rou Qi (supple energy), yet he still couldn’t overpower the other man’s one hand!?

“What have I been working so hard for all these years!?”

The old man touched the mark on his neck, a sudden wave of doubt washing over him.

“Was it just to be a background, a stepping stone for these naturally strong and terrifying geniuses!?”

“My hard work… my dedication… everything!”

He opened his hands, suddenly feeling as if his entire life had been meaningless.

That person, so young, had negated decades of his hard work and perseverance in a matter of seconds.

Reality was so cruel…

He could barely keep up with Yu Long (Prison Dragon) in the past. But now, that young man…

In that moment, the old man thought of many things.

His once-straight back gradually bent, as if he had aged greatly.

Outside the residential area.

Li Cheng颐 and Zhuang Yi景 stood side-by-side on the side of the road, quietly waiting for their car.

“How is it? Is the martial arts training going well? Can you keep up?” Li Cheng颐 asked casually.

“Compared to sixteen hours of non-stop studying every day, this is nothing,” Zhuang Yi景 said easily. “But Cheng-ge (brother Cheng), if I keep practicing, can I become as strong as you?”

She had witnessed Li Cheng颐’s crushing victory over the old man.

This was the second time she had truly seen how powerful pure strength could be.

“Believe in yourself. It might be different from my path, but you’ll definitely be able to handle this kind of thing easily in the future,” Li Cheng颐 smiled.

He noticed that Zhuang Yi景 had become much more normal since she started practicing martial arts. At least she wasn’t constantly spouting lewd things.

“You’re not lying to me?” Zhuang Yi景 widened her eyes.

“What good would it do me to lie to you?” Li Cheng颐 asked in return.

“That’s true.” Zhuang Yi景 nodded. “Oh right, my teacher asked me yesterday if I wanted to formally become his disciple, his true disciple. Do you think I should agree?”

“??!” Li Cheng颐 blinked. That old geezer hadn’t said anything like that to him, had he?

It had only been a short time, and he already wanted to bring Zhuang Yi景 into his fold?

“Are you sure it’s a formal apprenticeship?” he asked seriously.

“Yes, my teacher made it very clear. It’s a real formal apprenticeship,” Zhuang Yi景 nodded affirmatively.

“Then you’ve hit the jackpot! Agree quickly!” Li Cheng颐 said speechlessly, but still gave his advice. “The relationship between a formal disciple and a regular student is completely different. With that old man’s connections and resources, you’ll definitely come out on top. That guy used to be the chief martial arts instructor for the military.”

“What’s the difference? Can I learn something even more amazing?” Zhuang Yi景 asked.

“Unlike interest classes that are just for making money, a true master-disciple relationship in martial arts is a bond even stronger than father and son.

If a teacher recognizes his disciple, he will use all his resources, connections, and wealth to help them rise and become stronger.

In this regard, that eldest brother you’ve never met is an example. Back then, the teacher used all his resources and connections to pave the way for him, plus he had the ability and temperament. So, it was only natural that he would reach a high position.”

Li Cheng颐 explained carefully.

“This kind of relationship is highly valued, especially in traditional lineages. Whether you want to develop in the military in the future or not, it’s a good thing, a great thing.”

“Is that so?” Zhuang Yi景 wasn’t part of this world before, so she didn’t know the ins and outs. She was thoughtful after hearing this.

“Then I must have to give something in return, right?”

“Support the teacher, help him out, just treat him like a biological father,” Li Cheng颐 answered, and then suddenly realized that Yu Long hadn’t mentioned the apprenticeship to him, perhaps because of his Dead-Angle status.

Dead-Angle people have no future.

So, although he and Yu Long had slowly developed some affection, it was still mainly because of the generous payment Syndra had given in the beginning. And now, people can’t stand hardship and are unwilling to spend a lot of time wasting on a skill that is destined to be no match for the modified modules.

In the end, the martial arts circle is still too small.

The entire martial arts circle is just a closed and narrow self-circulating circle. Their role in society is getting smaller and smaller.

“I’ll think about it carefully.” Zhuang Yi景 was lost in thought after learning the situation.

The taxi arrived quickly.

She got in the car and waved goodbye to Li Cheng颐.

“Oh, right, Cheng-ge, you’re so strong, why didn’t the teacher take you as a disciple?”

Obviously, she had learned from Yu Long that Li Cheng颐 was just a student, not a disciple.

“Maybe it’s because I’m sick,” Li Cheng颐 smiled, giving a random reason.

Dead-Angle people are all sick. A disease that only allows them to live for two years.

Counting from the time he first came into contact with Dead-Angle, it has been more than half a year…

In more than half a year, he has entered Dead-Angle so many times, it is only because he has the Evil Flower. If it were someone else, they would have died without a trace.

Zhuang Yi景 left with questions and confusion.

*Beep Beep.*

Suddenly, a short honk of a car horn pulled Li Cheng颐 out of his thoughts.

The taxi he had called had arrived.

A white four-seater car, with a light red screen on the roof, displaying the words “Radio Dispatch.”

He checked the license plate number, opened the car door, and sat down.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, his expression froze. He didn’t see anyone in the driver’s seat.

The seat that should have been occupied by the driver was empty, with a half-drunk bottle of mineral water next to it.

The mineral water in red plastic packaging, with the cap untwisted, was inserted between the two front seats.

Li Cheng颐 narrowed his eyes and looked out the window.

A faint gray mist was rising outside.

His heart tightened. He quickly opened the car door and stepped out.

The sidewalk outside the residential area, the street lights, the road surface, and the villas…

All were beginning to be shrouded and spread by a layer of gray mist.

More importantly, some of the people who had been on the street and the roadside were now gone.

There were no cars on the road either.

The lights that had been on in the villas were now silently disappearing.

*Ding-dong.*

Suddenly, a familiar sound entered Li Cheng颐’s ears.

‘It’s here…’

He looked in the direction of the sound.

The sound came from a street across from the residential area.

There, there used to be rows of various restaurants and snack shops.

But now, one of the shops in the middle was slowly lighting up from the darkness.

Silent Shop.

Li Cheng颐 saw the shop across the street at a glance.

Even across the street, he could still see the vague counter and shelves inside the shop.

Unexpectedly, the Silent Shop would appear at this time.

He looked at the ground in front of the shop’s door.

The steps were clean, and the blood that had been spilled before had disappeared.

*Hiss.*

Countless purple-red petals swirled around Li Cheng颐, floating and dancing.

In the blink of an eye, the petals condensed into black armor, covering his entire body, turning into the recently acquired Jie Mao Fei Lian Hua Lin Yi (Barbed Petal Flying Curtain Flower Scale Armor).

“This time, it’s time to end it completely.”

Taking a deep breath, Li Cheng颐 lifted his foot and walked step by step towards the shop’s door.

Behind him, beside him, and in the distance.

The gray mist was constantly spreading and engulfing everything.

(End of Chapter)