Chapter Thirty-One: The Floating Fatty

Returning to the cave dwelling, the little demon had already awakened. Seeing that it had broken through to a level equivalent to the twelfth tier of the True Qi Master realm among humans, even Lin Cheng could not maintain his calm. He glanced at the hundred or so fire-attribute spirit stones spent on the ground and couldn’t help but sigh; indeed, the energy contained within each fire-attribute spirit stone far surpassed that of ordinary ones!

He stroked the little demon’s head, cast aside distracting thoughts, and settled down to rest and recuperate.

Two peaceful days passed in the blink of an eye.

“Madman, come on, let’s have a fight….”

He heard a voice from outside. Lin Cheng, deep in meditation, slowly opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. At this moment, Fat Lin was in rare, unbridled spirits. From Funiu Peak all the way here, he’d fought Pang Bo, then had an evenly matched bout with Niu Shisan, and his inexplicable confidence had blinded him to his limits—now he was here to challenge Lin Cheng!

Lin Cheng stepped out of the cave and saw the three of them. When he caught sight of Fat Lin swaggering with a cudgel slung over his shoulder, chin raised in arrogance, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Fatty, you’re getting ahead of yourself…”

“Oh… So you’ve broken through to the seventh tier of the advanced True Qi realm, no wonder you’re so inflated…”

Lin Cheng raised his brows and sized up Fat Lin, sensing his current cultivation. He was astonished—this fellow had advanced three tiers in such a short time.

But thinking further, perhaps it was due to his fire spiritual root shaped by ancestral qi, or maybe the energy from the jade spirit liquid in his body hadn’t been fully absorbed before, so such breakthroughs were possible. Lin Cheng let it go.

Lin Hu said, “Well, Madman, do you dare take one blow from my cudgel…?”

Lin Cheng answered, “Just don’t cry later…”

“Go ahead!”

With that, he folded his arms, waiting for Fat Lin to make his move.

Niu Shisan and Pang Bo, waiting on the side for the spectacle, jeered, “Lin Cheng, give this guy a good thrashing, teach him a lesson…”

“Ah, attack!”

Fat Lin wasted no time. He stomped the ground, leapt into the air, and swung his tungsten-iron cudgel in a fierce arc, aiming a blow downward.

He knew, even with his rapid progress, he couldn’t hope to defeat Lin Cheng, so he wasn’t worried about hurting him.

Lin Cheng dodged Fat Lin’s strike with ease, grabbed his arm, and hoisted him into the air, spinning him dozens of times overhead…

By then, Fat Lin was foaming at the mouth, and Lin Cheng tossed him away without a second thought.

Pang Bo and Niu Shisan hurried to catch the dizzy Fat Lin.

“Ugh…”

After a bout of retching, Lin Hu finally recovered.

Lin Hu groaned, “Madman, you’re ruthless… I almost threw up my stomach.”

Seeing the disoriented Fat Lin, the three burst into laughter.

Lin Cheng called out, “I’m over here…”

Lin Hu shook his head, embarrassed.

Lin Hu said, “You’re a bit too fierce, aren’t you? Just a turn of your hand and I was down…”

Niu Shisan and Pang Bo stared at Lin Cheng in amazement. Though they knew Fat Lin was bound to lose, they hadn’t expected Lin Cheng to win so effortlessly.

At this point, with Lin Cheng not deliberately releasing his aura, they couldn’t sense his cultivation at all.

Lin Cheng stretched lazily, instantly revealing his true level.

“True Qi Master!”

“Eleventh tier, even…”

“Monstrous…”

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Seeing the three stunned faces, Lin Cheng chuckled in satisfaction.

“Let’s go! We need to reclaim our lost pride!”

Hearing Lin Cheng’s words, the three immediately understood—it was time to seek revenge against Zhang Yan and his group.

The thought fired them up.

Today was unlike the past!

Qingyang Sect’s main peak, the Life-and-Death Arena.

The arena was set up by the sect to resolve conflicts between disciples. Unless there was deep hatred, few would step onto it, for once on the platform, life and death were left to fate, and the elders of the sect could not intervene. This was the long-standing rule of Qingyang Sect.

At this moment, two figures were locked in deadly combat atop the arena, each move intended to kill, disregarding any fellowship.

Upon closer look, one was Zhan Peng, who often accompanied Zhang Yan. The other appeared to be a man of twenty-three or twenty-four, with a rugged face and deliberate stubble, dressed in purple—a likely inner sect disciple.

The rugged man unleashed all his power against Zhan Peng, his furious expression betraying a deep-seated grudge.

Zhan Peng easily deflected the man’s attacks, seeming at ease and not exerting much effort, occasionally mocking his opponent.

“Qi Niu, it seems you haven’t improved much this past year… Truly disappointing…”

“If that’s all you’ve got, I’m afraid you won’t be able to avenge your brother… hahahaha…”

“Zhan Peng, ever since you crippled my brother Qi Yun, my sole purpose in life has been to kill you… kill you… until one of us is dead!” Qi Niu’s final words were spat out through gritted teeth.

Facing Zhan Peng, whose cultivation exceeded his own, Qi Niu did not flinch.

Over the past year, he had taken on dangerous missions in the sect, honing himself, all in hopes of avenging his dead brother.

Back then, Zhan Peng not only stole his brother’s beloved, but also gravely wounded and ruined his brother’s cultivation, leading Qi Yun to die in despair. Every time he remembered, Qi Niu’s hatred for Zhan Peng was as deep as the rivers, impossible to wash away.

“Even if I die here today, I’ll become a vengeful spirit, forever seeking your life!”

At this moment, Qi Niu abandoned all defense, unleashing every deadly move. Even as Zhan Peng’s spells struck him, drawing bright crimson blood, he pressed on, oblivious to pain.

More and more spectators gathered below, watching the savage fight. Some who knew the story cast sympathetic glances at Qi Niu, while others whispered among themselves.

“Ah… The Qi brothers truly are unlucky…”

“Indeed… The younger brother was ruined and died in despair. Today, the elder brother likely won’t escape his fate either…”

“Zhan Peng really is vicious—stealing another’s beloved was bad enough, but he had to cripple him too…”

“Alas… All because of a woman!”

“Hush… Keep your voice down, look over there…”

………

Zhang Yan, surrounded by Zhang Bao and his group, strolled slowly to the arena, watching with glee as Qi Niu, bloodied all over, took a beating from Zhan Peng.

He knew the history well, and in fact, he was the instigator.

Years ago, while wandering together, they spotted Qi Yun and his beloved walking hand-in-hand, blissfully happy. Zhang Yan joked, “If you can win that woman, Zhan Peng, I’ll truly respect you.”

It was that careless jest that destroyed an otherwise beautiful relationship.

“Zhan Peng, when did you become so soft-hearted? With your abilities, killing him would take only a moment…”

Seeing Zhan Peng refrain from killing, Zhang Yan couldn’t help but tease from below.

With a palm, Zhan Peng knocked Qi Niu back, turned to Zhang Yan, and replied, “Wouldn’t that make his death too easy?”

At these words, the two exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

Yet beneath their smiles, there was a chilling ruthlessness.