News spread like wildfire through Dragon Cloud City.
"Xu Chen has been expelled?"
"What? The Celestial Flame Sect really kicked him out?"
"Heh, serves him right! He thought he was untouchable just because he was a so-called genius. Now look at him—crippled and abandoned."
Within hours, the rumor had reached every corner of the city. Countless people celebrated, their envy finally released. Once, Xu Chen had towered above them all, but now he had fallen from the heavens into the mud.
Meanwhile, back in the Celestial Flame Sect, Lu Yan sat in his courtyard, his expression twisted with unease.
"Find him," he ordered five of his lackeys coldly. "Scour the surroundings. Bring Xu Chen back."
The disciples clasped their fists and left quickly.
As soon as they were gone, Lu Yan's face darkened, his mutters venomous.
"How could I let you escape from my grasp? Xu Chen… you carry fate that belongs to me. You must return. I will chain you down, crush your pride, and make you my slave!"
His eyes glowed with madness.
At the same time, deep in the sect, a graceful figure in green robes walked out of seclusion.
Xu Mei, the second sister of the sect, frowned slightly. Every time she left seclusion, that annoying man Xu Chen would appear like a shadow, pestering her. Yet today, she saw no sign of him.
At first, she was confused. Then, she smiled faintly.
"So, he's finally not here? Good. That bothersome man who always tried to stick to me is finally gone. What a relief."
She headed toward the residence of her elder sister.
When she learned what had happened—that Xu Chen had dared to confront the sect leader, been crippled, and then thrown off the mountain—she burst into laughter.
"He really dared to oppose Master? What was he thinking?" Her laughter rang like silver bells, sharp and mocking. "Now that he's thrown out, what can he do? Crawl back up and beg like a dog? Master will punish him severely if he dares return."
Her eyes gleamed with contempt. "Trash will always be trash."
In the wilderness, within the forest only a kilometer away from the sect, Xu Chen slowly opened his eyes.
The cave around him was silent, but his gaze was cold.
"Even if I've escaped the sect… Lu Yan will not let me go easily." His voice was calm but firm. "I wonder what scheme he is plotting."
He stood and clenched his fists. "I can't stay here. I need to leave. If I stay within reach of the sect, they'll hunt me down."
Without hesitation, Xu Chen dashed into the forest. His body moved like lightning, and within an hour, he had already fled ten kilometers from the Celestial Flame Sect.
Suddenly, a cold chime echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Host has left the 10 km range of the son of destiny. Cultivation speed increased to 100x.]
Xu Chen froze in place, then his eyes lit up.
"One hundred times speed… this is insane." His breathing quickened with excitement. "Terrifying! If I can cultivate at this pace… if I were to reach the farthest corners of the Blue Planet, across the endless seas, then one day, I will ascend to the very heavens. I will become a god."
But his expression quickly hardened.
"For now, I must focus on survival. My current strength is only at Body Tempering Early Stage. Against beasts or cultivators, I am still weak. If I don't grow stronger immediately, I'll be killed before my revenge even begins."
He soon discovered another cave. Sitting cross-legged inside, he closed his eyes and began cultivating.
Whoooosh!
Terrifying spiritual energy surged into his body. His dantian, once thought crippled, greedily devoured it, expanding rapidly.
As energy filled him, Xu Chen whispered to himself, recalling the realms of cultivation:
"Body Refining. Qi Refining. Foundation Establishment. Core Formation. Nascent Soul. Soul Transformation. Void Shattering. Saint Realm. Immortal Ascension. True Immortal. Celestial Lord. Divine Emperor. Eternal Sovereign…"
"Every realm has four stages: Early, Mid, Late, and Peak."
Not far away, within the same forest, five figures searched tirelessly.
At their lead was a young man with messy hair and an arrogant smirk—Shen Guanghai.
He kicked aside fallen branches, his face impatient. "Where is that bastard? He's injured and without his dantian. He couldn't have gone far. Find him!"
One of his men sneered. "Senior Brother Lu Yan said if he refuses to return, we can beat him until he obeys."
Shen Guanghai's lips curled into an evil grin. "Beat a genius? Haha! This is like a dream. To trample the once-shining Xu Chen underfoot… ah, I can't wait."
The other four disciples laughed along with him, their eyes full of ridicule.
Hours passed. Finally, one of them rushed forward, breathless.
"Senior Brother! I found him! He's hiding deep within the forest, in a cave!"
Shen Guanghai's eyes narrowed. "That cripple actually managed to run this far? Hmph. Doesn't matter. Today, I'll break his legs and make him kneel before me. Let's go!"
The five quickly rushed toward the cave.
Inside the cave, Xu Chen's body trembled violently.
Boom!
A wave of energy burst from him, shaking the walls of the cavern.
He opened his eyes in shock. "From Body Tempering Early… to Mid Stage, in just five hours?"
His voice trembled. "This speed… it's terrifying. Normally, this would require twenty days and countless pills. Yet I've done it sitting here, with nothing but time. This system… this is truly heaven-defying."
Tears almost welled in his eyes, but suddenly, his expression sharpened.
He felt killing intent approaching.
"Celestial Flame Sect disciples…"
Five figures entered the cave.
At their head, Shen Guanghai stepped forward, his eyes widening briefly before bursting into laughter.
"Hahaha! Look at you! You're actually trying to cultivate after your dantian was shattered? Xu Chen, you're even more pathetic than I imagined."
He sneered. "Kneel down now, or I'll make you live in shame worse than death."
Xu Chen slowly rose to his feet, his gaze calm. He raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? And what exactly can you do to me?"
Shen Guanghai froze, then barked with laughter. "You bastard! Still pretending to be proud? Look at yourself. You're trash. Nothing but a cripple!"
He waved his hand. "Go. Beat him until he can't stand."
One of the lackeys stepped forward, grinning with excitement. "Heh, today's my lucky day." The others watched with envy.
The disciple raised his palm, aiming a heavy slap at Xu Chen's face.
Boom!
Blood sprayed across the cave walls. His chest caved in, a bloody hole where his heart once beat.
The disciple staggered back, eyes wide with disbelief. How… how did he recover so quickly…?
He collapsed, unwilling even in death.
Shen Guanghai's laughter froze. His eyes widened.
"You… you killed him? Wait—has your dantian… recovered?"
The other three disciples also stiffened, their mocking grins turning to fear.
Shen Guanghai snarled. "Fool! Do you want to make yourself an enemy of the entire sect? Why kill him? Fine! You might have recovered, but at best you're only Body Tempering Early Stage. Kill him!"
The three disciples roared and charged forward.
Xu Chen sneered, his killing intent overflowing. "An enemy? Hah… I've already been declared one. Why should I fear? Since you've come to die—then die!"
As their punches neared him—
Xu Chen vanished.
Boom!
He reappeared before one of them, his fist smashing down. The man's eyes widened in horror as his skull shattered like glass, blood splattering across the ground.
The two remaining disciples trembled.
Before they could react, Xu Chen grabbed the leg of another and, with a savage pull—
Riiip!
The man screamed as his body was torn in half. His entrails spilled onto the ground, his cry echoing in despair.
The last disciple collapsed, screaming. "No! No!"
Xu Chen turned toward him with cold eyes. But before he struck, Shen Guanghai charged in with a furious punch.
Xu Chen twisted aside, his counter-strike smashing into the last disciple's eyes.
"Aaahhh! My eyes! I can't see!" the man screamed, writhing on the ground.
Shen Guanghai's fist slammed into Xu Chen's chest, forcing him back several steps.
"Bastard!" Shen Guanghai roared. "You're evil! I thought you were a genius, but you're nothing but a demon! Today, I'll kill you!"
He rushed forward with another heavy punch. Xu Chen didn't retreat.
Boom!
Their fists collided, both men flying back.
Shen Guanghai coughed blood, his face twisted in disbelief. "Wait… you're already Body Tempering Mid Stage? How… how is this possible without pills, without time?"
Then, his eyes lit up with greed. "A treasure… you must have obtained some incredible treasure!"
Xu Chen sneered coldly and charged forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
His fists rained down like a storm. Shen Guanghai's defense crumbled as blood spurted from his mouth.
"No! Stop! I won't tell anyone! I'll leave! Don't kill me!" he begged desperately.
But Xu Chen's eyes were merciless.
Boom!
A final strike crushed Shen Guanghai's chest. His body convulsed, drenched in blood, before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Xu Chen turned his gaze to the last disciple, the one clutching his ruined eyes. The man screamed in terror.
Boom!
Xu Chen's punch exploded his skull.
The cave fell silent.
Five corpses lay in a pool of blood.
Xu Chen's expression was cold as he searched their bodies, collecting spiritual stones and pills. Though useless to him now, he pocketed them anyway.
"The first blood debt… repaid."