A few heavy punches later—
Zhu Si's skull burst apart under Zhao Xuan's fist.
After finishing him off, Zhao Xuan downed a pouch of mid-grade energy fluid, then immediately rushed back toward the flattened hill.
Just as he expected—
The two fifth-rank masters who had taken Zhao Xuan's full-powered blow earlier were nowhere to be seen.
"Hmph. Run? You really think you can escape?"
Zhao Xuan snorted coldly.
He had chased Zhu Si first precisely because he knew the other two wouldn't get far.
Just ordinary fifth-rank masters.
Not geniuses.
Not freakishly durable beasts.
And certainly not capable of withstanding a strike that even a sixth-rank grandmaster couldn't endure.
Besides—
Before arriving at the mountain, Zhao Xuan had spent a hefty sum at the Ability Users Guild to buy tracking powder.
Originally, he intended to use it on Land Kings, in case his prey escaped. After all, the creatures he targeted this time had low defense but high speed.
He didn't want to watch his prey flee right in front of him.
So he spent several million to buy high-quality tracking powder.
But what he didn't expect—
Was that he wouldn't be using it on beasts…
But on humans.
Before the fight began, Zhao Xuan had already sprinkled plenty of tracking powder on his fists and legs, ensuring that anyone he struck would be marked.
Now—
He took out a pair of special tracking goggles.
The moment he put them on, three glowing powder trails appeared before his eyes.
One—his own path back after killing the sixth-rank grandmaster.
One—the route he took while chasing Zhu Si.
And the last—the escape route of the remaining two fifth-rank masters.
"Not bad. You actually knew not to run toward Hang City and instead fled deeper into the mountains?"
Zhao Xuan's eyes gleamed.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
In the next instant, he used Shave and vanished into the forest, chasing after them with cold precision.
It wasn't long before he caught up.
Ahead, the two fifth-rank masters were limping and stumbling through the forest, barely holding on.
They spotted Zhao Xuan immediately—
And their faces drained of color.
"Damn it!! How did that brat catch up!?"
"The tracking powder! He must've laced it onto us during the fight!"
Despite their panic, neither dared slow down. They ran as if their lives depended on it—because they did.
"Run? Where can you run to?"
Zhao Xuan's voice was icy as he closed the distance rapidly.
One chased, two fled.
The gap shrank—
Fifty meters.
Forty.
Thirty.
Twenty.
Ten.
The moment Zhao Xuan stepped within ten meters—
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
Both men suddenly spun around.
Their auras erupted violently.
And they launched everything they had in two desperate, all-out punches.
Cornered beasts biting back.
Hysterical, suicidal retaliation.
"Courting death."
Zhao Xuan had expected this.
Anyone with a brain would know—
Escape was impossible.
That meant their only chance was a last-ditch counterattack.
Ignoring the first man's fist entirely, Zhao Xuan struck out with a thunderous blow.
Lightning roared.
"ROAR!!"
BOOM!!
His fist collided with Liu Er's fist.
Under different circumstances, perhaps Liu Er could match Zhao Xuan evenly—
But not now.
Not heavily injured.
Not exhausted.
Not with shattered stamina.
His arm snapped instantly.
Zhao Xuan's punch plowed into his chest—
PFFFT!
He was launched like a ragdoll.
At the same moment—
Xiao Laosan's fist finally landed on Zhao Xuan's chest.
But with Iron Body, Armament Haki, and thousands of points of physique—
Zhao Xuan merely staggered twice.
"That's impossible!!!"
Xiao Laosan screamed in disbelief.
Before he could react—
Zhao Xuan's hand shot forward, clamping down on his arm.
Then—
BOOM!!!!
A punch blasted him away, crashing him into the ground dozens of meters away.
The earth trembled.
"Hmph. Still trying to run? Do you think you can?"
Zhao Xuan sneered as he watched Liu Er struggling to crawl away, hands and feet scrambling wildly.
Tap!
Zhao Xuan appeared in front of him instantly.
His leg swept out.
"AARGH!!"
The Tempest Kick slammed into Liu Er's legs, sending him tumbling.
Zhao Xuan raised his fist—
Lightning and Armament Haki coiling layer upon layer over it.
"No! No! Don't! I—I know I was wrong! Zhao Xuan… please don't kill me! I have two three-year-old children at home… I'll change! I'll change!!"
Hearing that—
Zhao Xuan's brows briefly furrowed.
And at that exact moment—
A vicious glint flashed in Liu Er's eyes.
He lunged.
His fist rocketed straight toward Zhao Xuan's chest.
"DIE! DIE! DIE!!!"
His scream pierced the forest.
BOOM!!!!
Caught off guard, Zhao Xuan took the blow head-on.
He staggered back seven or eight steps, stopping only after digging deep into the earth.
A large red fist mark glowed on his chest.
His insides churned violently.
A metallic taste surged up his throat.
But before he could stabilize his breath—
WHOOSH!
Liu Er charged again, face twisted in bloodlust.
"Hmph."
Zhao Xuan grit his teeth, suppressed his internal injuries—
Tap! Tap!
He vanished and reappeared before Liu Er.
A punch exploded forward—
Liu Er barely managed to raise his arms to defend.
It didn't matter.
Against the monstrous physique of Zhao Xuan—
Even some sixth-rank grandmasters couldn't withstand such power.
Let alone a dying fifth-rank master.
Liu Er was blasted back dozens of meters, unable to stand.
Before he could regain balance—
Zhao Xuan appeared again.
Then came—
Punch after punch.
Seven punches in mere seconds.
Liu Er screamed, finally unable to endure.
He flew backward, crashing into the dirt.
Zhao Xuan didn't pause.
"Please… please… cough… I—I know I was wrong… I won't dare again… spare me… I really… I really have children… don't— AAAHHH!!!"
BOOM!!
This time—
Zhao Xuan hesitated no more.
Hesitation leads to defeat.
Liu Er had proven that himself.
Zhao Xuan's fist crashed into his chest—
CRACK—CRACK—CRACK!
Ribs shattered.
Blood spurted.
One punch.
Another.
Another.
After three more devastating blows—
Liu Er finally stopped breathing.
Zhao Xuan cast the corpse a cold glance.
Then looked around—
Only to notice Xiao Laosan had fled long ago.
"Running? Useless."
Zhao Xuan's expression was ice.
He followed the blood trail and tracking powder—
And soon caught up.
A few brutal punches later—
Xiao Laosan's lifeless body hit the ground.
Ding! You have experienced a prolonged pursuit and battle. All your abilities (except Swordsmanship) have made tremendous progress. All abilities (except Swordsmanship) proficiency +600!
Warmth surged through Zhao Xuan's body.
His injuries knitted rapidly.
More than that—
His Armament Haki…
grew.
Not just stronger.
Transformed.
If before, his Armament Haki was like mist—
Now it had condensed into liquid droplets.
Refined.
Dense.
Powerful.
His status panel appeared—
[Heavenly Effort System]
Name: Zhao Xuan
Age: 18
Spirit: 49.58 / 187.58
Physique: 764.58 / 1206.78
Abilities:
Shave (Master: 2996/8000)
Iron Body (Master: 3045/8000)
Paper Drawing (Master: 2065/8000)
Moonwalk (Master: 2572/8000)
Tempest Kick (Master: 4354/8000)
Finger Gun (Master: 1535/8000)
Swordsmanship (Master: 435/8000)
Armament Haki (Master: 89/80000)
Azure Dragon Fruit (Proficient: 3698/4000)
Seeing his panel—
A smile slowly crept onto Zhao Xuan's lips.
It grew—
And grew—
Until it became uncontrollable laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
His euphoric laughter echoed throughout the forest.
"With effort, blessings come! I thought I'd need to hunt Land Kings to break through my Armament Haki and Azure Dragon Fruit…"
"But I didn't expect this! Didn't expect this at all!"
Yes—
He broke through.
His Armament Haki had fully advanced.
Not only did his power skyrocket—
But his physique increased by two hundred points.
That was no small number.
Zhao Xuan laughed for a long time before calming down.
"…This won't do. The gap between my Spirit and Physique is getting bigger and bigger."
"Almost 6.5 times now."
"And my Azure Dragon Fruit is about to break through to Master level soon. If I'm not mistaken, the physique increase from that breakthrough is far greater than Armament Haki's."
His brows furrowed.
"Improving Spirit is now a top priority."
His fist clenched tightly.
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