" I'll play with you, damn it!"
Zhou Chen's voice was as loud as a bell, like the roar of a dragon and tiger, exploding in the silent Dahe Village, awakening countless villagers from their dreams.
His anger wasn't entirely feigned to attract Zhang Long, who was staying at Qin Jianghe's house; he was genuinely furious.
He was enjoying playing with four balls alone, and now a mischievous child was knocking on the door in the middle of the night, disrupting him. Wasn't this asking for trouble?
Bang!
The door exploded, turning into a sky full of wood shards as Zhou Chen rushed out, his hair standing on end with rage.
A strange child, pitch black all over, flew out along with the door's wood shards, gracefully spinning 360 degrees in the air before landing lightly.
His pupils were hollow, and his mouth split open, extending to the back of his ears, staring fixedly at Zhou Chen with a grin:
"Hee hee, big brother, are you here to play ball with me?"
"I'll play with you, damn it!"
The short knife in Zhou Chen's hand instantly unsheathed. With a loud roar, his entire body erupted with power, his blood surged, and all his blood vessels and muscles swelled up.
With a bang, the upper half of Zhou Chen's clothing was shattered by his own qi and blood.
Zhou Chen darted forward with an arrow step, swinging the short knife at the head of the strange child.
Though the short knife was two feet long, it slashed out a three-inch blood-red blade aura.
Boom!
The blade aura and short knife hacked onto the strange child's head, exploding with a terrifying roar, as if two small iron mountains had collided fiercely.
In the next moment.
Both figures flew backward.
Zhou Chen landed, retreating nine steps in succession, each step leaving a deep footprint in the stone slabs on the ground before he stabilized himself, his palm numbed.
He stared hard at the strange child he had slashed away, noting a deep bloodstain on its forehead, with black blood continuously seeping out, bizarre and terrifying.
But Zhou Chen felt slightly relieved in his heart. Although the strange child was strong, it wasn't overly fearsome.
He could still resist.
However, Zhou Chen didn't intend to unleash all his power and fight it mercilessly.
He just needed to delay for a while, waiting for Zhang Long to arrive.
Zhou Chen's previous angry roar had awakened even the ordinary villagers, let alone Zhang Long, who was at the Third Stage of Body Refining, Muscle Refining Realm.
With a whoosh, Zhang Long leapt from his bed, grabbing his knife and running towards Zhou Chen's location.
He moved extremely fast.
With each step covering ten meters, Qin Jianghe's house wasn't far from Zhou Chen's, about a kilometer in a straight line. In just a few breaths, he arrived at Zhou Chen's house.
"Hee hee!"
"I want to play ball!"
The strange child, pitch black all over, stared at Zhou Chen, its mouth split open, letting out an eerie laugh, as if the next moment it would pluck Zhou Chen's head to play ball.
Swish!
Suddenly, the strange child once again charged at Zhou Chen, moving extremely fast, like a shadow, impossible for ordinary people to see clearly, reaching the extreme of speed.
Zhou Chen sensed that Zhang Long had already reached the door, and pretended to raise his short knife in panic to barely block in front of him.
Bang!
A piercing screeching of metal sounded, and Zhou Chen was sent flying.
"Bold fiend, cease your insolence!"
Gripping the knife with both hands, Zhang Long executed a powerful split towards the strange child, with his strength surpassing ten thousand pounds after completing meat refinement and advancing to the Third Stage of Body Refining, Muscle Refining Realm.
The three-foot-long knife dragged a foot-long blood-red blade aura, indestructible. The strange child, having just attacked Zhou Chen, despite knocking Zhou Chen away, also suffered immense counter-shock force.
At this moment, when the old force had dissipated and new force had yet to be born, Zhang Long's surprise attack forced it to instinctively raise its hands to defend its head.
Boom!
This strike was more powerful than Zhou Chen's previous one because Zhou Chen hadn't unleashed all his strength before.
Moreover, Zhang Long's cultivation was higher than Zhou Chen's, and his weapon was better than Zhou Chen's. Amid the chilling screams of the strange child, the blow severed its arms, then unstoppable, cleaved its head in half!
"Ah, ah, ah, I want to pluck your ball and smash it!"
Black energy surged wildly around the strange child as it lunged at Zhang Long.
Zhang Long remained fearless, wielding the long knife densely, attacking and defending, fighting delightfully.
Zhou Chen got back up, gazing at the battlefield.
Zhang Long already held an absolute advantage. It was only a matter of time before the strange child was cut down by him.
"This Ghost Child resembles a ghost yet not quite, having a physical form, but it's not like a zombie. It should belong to the class of evil spirits..."
After acquiring Ji Fengxia, Zhou Chen supplemented his basic knowledge.
He loved learning.
Especially after having Ji Fengxia as his teacher, he spent almost all his free time in the Wind and Moon Treasure Mirror, studying and exploring new knowledge with Ji Fengxia.
Boom!
Moments later, the strange child was slain by Zhang Long, turning into a pile of white powder, yet among the powder remained a crystal stone, clear and transparent.
Seeing the crystal, Zhang Long's eyes lit up with joy, quickly bending down to pick it up and store it in his pouch, fearing someone might snatch his treasure.
"Fengxia, what is that crystal stone? What is its use?"
Zhou Chen asked Ji Fengxia in the Wind and Moon Treasure Mirror with his mind.
"Master, that's a Source Crystal. After evil spirits or ghosts die, there's a chance one may drop. It's greatly beneficial to cultivators, enhancing one's cultivation, more precious than Spirit Stones!"
"I see!"
Zhou Chen suddenly understood, recalling when Zhang Long personally came to Dahe Village to investigate the man-eating tiger incident.
Only seven people had disappeared at that time, and it was uncertain what had happened.
Zhou Chen had previously been puzzled, wondering why Zhang Long, a County Captain, would be so enthusiastic about serving the people?
Given the usual conduct of those officials.
Under normal circumstances, they would most likely send one or two constables to understand the situation. Only when encountering a great terror would someone like Zhang Long act personally.
Now, seeing the Source Crystal, Zhou Chen fully understood.
At that time, Zhang Long was at the Peak of Body Refining Second Layer, needing an opportunity to break through.
After hearing about the events in Dahe Village, he guessed that ghosts might be at play, so he came to take a look. If he could obtain a Source Crystal, it would be ideal.
After arriving, Zhang Long didn't find a Source Crystal but did slay a monstrous man-eating tiger, using it to break through as well.
It wasn't a wasted trip.
"You've completed skin refinement and stepped into Body Refining Second Layer?"
Zhang Long approached Zhou Chen, his tiger eyes scanning up and down, impressed by the perfectly toned muscles, filled with masculine power.
That Ghost Child was formidable. If not for his surprise attack ensuring the initial advantage, it would have taken considerable effort to deal with it.
He might have even been injured.
But Zhou Chen exchanged several blows with the Ghost Child, enduring a few breaths unscathed, proving it wasn't just about refining qi and blood.
At the very least, he'd need to complete skin refinement, with skin tough as leather, impervious to blades and swords, to remain unharmed.
"Your insight is keen, sir. I luckily completed skin refinement a while ago, stepping into Body Refining Second Layer!"
Zhou Chen responded modestly.
"Accomplished is accomplished; luck has nothing to do with it!"
Zhang Long's gaze on Zhou Chen grew fervent, remembering that his own cultivation was recently at the Peak of Body Refining Second Layer.
He was already over thirty years old.
Zhou Chen was only eighteen, a talent far superior.
He might even reach the Body Refining Third Stage by twenty, the same realm Zhang Long was currently in.
Although incomparable with the geniuses of noble families or sect prodigies, in the small Dahe Village, he could be considered a child of destiny.
"You are quite impressive, fearless in front of the Ghost Child. The most crucial thing for martial artists is courage. Our Great Qian needs talents like you!"
Zhang Long promptly extended an olive branch:
"With such talent, dwelling in the tiny Dahe Village hunting is too big a waste!"
"Interested in serving the nation? Should you achieve great feats, you'd be promoted and ennobled, bringing glory to your ancestors!"
Zhou Chen anticipated Zhang Long's recruitment without any surprise, having waited for him to speak.
Zhou Chen appeared thrilled, cupping his hands in salute:
"Thanks to your grace, sir, I'm overwhelmingly honored, willing to serve the nation!"
"Good, good, good!"
Zhang Long rejoiced. Despite Zhou Chen's talent surpassing his own, he felt no envy.
He knew his talent; he'd remain at this level his entire life.
Unless assisted by a noble.
Zhou Chen had excellent talent, and should he achieve more in the future, Zhang Long could benefit by association.
…