"Ahhhhh—!"
"Brother… my brother, you died so miserably!"
"Rest easy! Rest easy!"
"Your big brother—I swear—I will avenge you!"
"…"
While Zhao Xuan was still gulping down massive amounts of spiritual herbs and medicines like a starving man, swallowing them whole without even chewing—
On the deck of the White Emperor Pirates' ship—
The White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command had finally begun to regain clarity from his boundless grief.
In that instant!
Endless sorrow transformed into endless rage!
"You little bastard!!!!"
"You little bastard!!!!"
He slowly stood up.
His face was icy.
His expression savage.
His eyes filled with madness.
He locked his gaze on the nearby Black Shark Pirates' ship and then—
Boom!!!
He smashed out a punch.
A terrifying shockwave instantly swept across the entire Black Shark Pirates' ship.
Creakkkkk—!
Creakkkkk—!
The ship began to shake violently.
Under the force of that dreadful shockwave, huge cracks split open across the hull.
"N-no—don't!"
"Second Boss! Second Boss, please spare us!"
"…"
On the Black Shark Pirates' ship—
The White Emperor Pirates' lackeys who had been fighting the Black Shark Pirates' grunts immediately screamed in panic.
However—
The White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command was clearly completely consumed by rage.
His eyes were blood-red!!!
He seemed utterly deaf to his subordinates' cries for mercy.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Again and again!
Punch after punch!
He hammered the Black Shark Pirates' ship like a madman.
Creakkkkk—!
Creakkkkk—!
Under the relentless shockwaves—
The ship split apart straight down the middle.
Then—
It sank rapidly into the sea.
At this very moment!
Boom!!!
A figure suddenly burst out from the sinking wreck.
He shot straight toward the White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command.
"Die, you little bastard!"
Seeing Zhao Xuan charge out, the White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command let out a hoarse roar.
Immediately—
He leapt forward, meeting Zhao Xuan head-on, and threw a punch.
"Kill!!!!"
The five to six hundred million worth of spiritual herbs and medicines Zhao Xuan had just consumed were not wasted.
His stamina, previously drained to near exhaustion, had already recovered to seventy to eighty percent.
Facing the furious charge of the White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command, Zhao Xuan showed not the slightest fear.
Boom!!!!
A fist wrapped in Armament Haki and boundless lightning smashed forward.
The next instant!
Their fists collided violently.
Boom!!!!
The shockwave exploded outward, whipping up a terrifying gale.
Woooo—!
For a moment—
Demonic winds howled.
Crashhhhh—!
Crashhhhh—!
The sea churned violently.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
The White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command screamed those words over and over, charging Zhao Xuan like a berserk beast.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Punch! Punch! Punch! Punch! Punch! Another punch!
In the blink of an eye—
The two of them had exchanged dozens of blows.
As mentioned earlier—
In Dragonman form, Zhao Xuan's strength was already on par with an average seventh-tier ability user.
Therefore—
In this frenzied exchange, the White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command gained no advantage whatsoever.
Zhao Xuan didn't gain much ground either.
But!
With Zhao Xuan's terrifying physique—
With his powerful recovery ability—
As long as nothing unexpected happened midway—
The White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command was almost guaranteed to lose.
He clearly realized this as well.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Amid his furious roars, a resolute look suddenly appeared on his face.
The next moment!
Facing Zhao Xuan's incoming punch—
He ignored it completely.
Yes!!!
Ignored it!!!
Bang!!!
Zhao Xuan's fist slammed heavily into his left shoulder.
At the same time—
His own fist smashed into Zhao Xuan's abdomen.
Boom! Boom!
Both men staggered simultaneously and fell downward, crashing onto the deck reinforced with specially treated sixth-tier timber.
Crackkkkk—!
Crackkkkk—!
At the instant they landed—
Two massive holes appeared in the deck.
Cracks spread outward in all directions.
"Kill!!!"
The next moment!
The White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command charged at Zhao Xuan again.
This time—
He did exactly the same thing.
Exactly the same.
He ignored Zhao Xuan's attack entirely.
He took Zhao Xuan's punch head-on while landing his own punch on Zhao Xuan.
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
How could Zhao Xuan not understand what he was trying to do?
It was nothing more than trading life for life!
Zhao Xuan suddenly burst into laughter.
His face flushed with excitement.
With madness.
With exhilaration.
As if you're the only one who knows how to fight like a rabid dog!
As if I'm afraid of you!
Laughing wildly, Zhao Xuan charged straight at him.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant!
The two slammed into each other again.
Punch! Punch! Another punch!
Both of them abandoned all evasion.
Abandoned all defense.
They hammered each other's bodies like madmen.
Ten punches! Twenty punches! Thirty punches! Forty punches! Fifty punches!
In the blink of an eye—
Both of their auras weakened dramatically.
Of course—
Thanks to the terrifying physique enhancement of the Azure Dragon Fruit—
In this savage, primitive clash—
The final victor—
Was inevitably Zhao Xuan.
Boom!!!!
One punch.
The final punch!
Zhao Xuan's fist slammed brutally into the White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command's chest.
Crackkkkk—!
Instantly!
The crisp sound of bones shattering echoed across the sky.
After taking seventy to eighty punches from Zhao Xuan—
The White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command's ribs finally gave out.
They shattered completely!
With the ribcage gone—
The massive force surged straight into his chest like a collapsing flood, crashing toward his heart.
The next instant—
Squish.
His heart was crushed on the spot.
"H-how… how… how is this possible…"
As he murmured weakly—
Thud.
The White Emperor Pirates' second-in-command collapsed onto the deck.
His life force vanished.
"Huff… huff… huff… huff… huff…"
After killing him, Zhao Xuan dropped down hard and sat on the deck.
Under the terrified gazes of the White Emperor Pirates' lackeys, he gasped for breath, his face pale.
Those lackeys—
Did not dare move at all.
They huddled in the corners.
Trembling uncontrollably.
Even though Zhao Xuan looked extremely weak now.
Even though he seemed utterly defenseless.
They still didn't dare.
The scenes of Zhao Xuan slaughtering three seventh-tier ability users replayed in their minds over and over again.
Endless fear engulfed them.
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
Facing the terrified stares of dozens of White Emperor Pirates, Zhao Xuan suddenly burst into laughter.
His laughter was unrestrained!
Arrogant!
Wild!
As he laughed—
A system notification sounded.
"Ding! You have experienced a long-awaited great battle. During this battle, you gained unprecedented insight into all your abilities (except swordsmanship). Proficiency of all abilities (except swordsmanship) +5000!"
Immediately after—
A translucent system panel appeared before Zhao Xuan.
Looking at his status panel, Zhao Xuan laughed even more wildly.
Why?
Because—
With the addition of those five thousand proficiency points—
All of his Six Powers had broken through to the Supreme Grandmaster realm!
Shave!
Iron Body!
Paper Arts!
Moon Step!
Tempest Kick!
Finger Gun!
All of them!
Every single one!
Advanced to the Golden Radiance Realm!
Zhao Xuan's combat power had increased by at least ten percent.
Don't underestimate ten percent.
That was huge.
Because before this—
Even without that extra ten percent, Zhao Xuan could already kill an average seventh-tier head-on.
With this boost—
Even slightly stronger seventh-tier ability users posed no threat to him.
What kind of concept was that?
An explosive one!
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
Laughing wildly, Zhao Xuan opened the ruin space and grabbed handful after handful of fifth-, sixth-, and even seventh-tier spiritual herbs and medicines, stuffing them into his mouth right in front of the terrified White Emperor Pirates.
Every bite was worth tens of millions!
In just a few short minutes—
Zhao Xuan consumed another five to six hundred million worth of resources.
Combined with what he had eaten earlier—
That meant—
This single battle had cost him at least one billion worth of resources.
Extravagant beyond belief!
But!
These herbs were not wasted.
Even though much of the medicinal effect was lost—
Do not forget—
In Dragonman form, Zhao Xuan's absorption efficiency was extraordinarily high.
He absorbed at least half of the effects.
Under the influence of those effects—
A warm current suddenly swept through his body.
Advancing from fourth tier to fifth tier required tempering the limbs.
Now—
Under the impact of spiritual medicine worth tens of billions—
Zhao Xuan's four limbs began to temper themselves automatically.
Realizing this, Zhao Xuan didn't hesitate and continued gulping down massive amounts of spiritual herbs and medicines.
After consuming another three hundred million worth of resources—
The tempering of his limbs was complete.
A powerful aura erupted violently from within him.
"Huff… that wasn't easy. Finally fifth tier."
Feeling the surging power in his limbs, Zhao Xuan smiled in satisfaction.
"I wonder if advancing to fifth tier boosted my physique and mental strength?"
Thinking this, Zhao Xuan opened his status panel again and took a glance.
Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence System
Name: Zhao Xuan
Age: 18
Mental Strength: 264.23 / 456.13
Physique: 986.58 / 3003.45
Abilities:
Shave (Supreme Grandmaster: 1163 / 32000)
Iron Body (Supreme Grandmaster: 10604 / 32000)
Paper Arts (Supreme Grandmaster: 1700 / 32000)
Moon Step (Supreme Grandmaster: 1030 / 32000)
Tempest Kick (Supreme Grandmaster: 2663 / 32000)
Finger Gun (Supreme Grandmaster: 1135 / 32000)
Swordsmanship (Grandmaster: 1935 / 16000)
Observation Haki (Master: 30323 / 80000)
Armament Haki (Master: 25831 / 80000)
Conqueror's Haki (Master: 20500 / 80000)
Azure Dragon Fruit (Master: 22956 / 80000)
"It jumped by four hundred physique points in one go? Damn…"
Zhao Xuan sucked in a sharp breath.
Then—
A look of wild joy spread across his face.
Because!!!!
With those extra four hundred physique points from breaking into fifth tier—
His physique had surpassed three thousand!
What did that mean?
It meant—
In Dragonman form—
With the tenfold physique amplification—
His physique exceeded thirty thousand!
What kind of concept was that?
An absolutely explosive one!
Even among seventh-tier beast-type ability users with naturally high physiques—
Many of them probably couldn't compare to Zhao Xuan anymore.
"Hahahahahaha!"
Zhao Xuan laughed wildly once again.
As his laughter echoed, the White Emperor Pirates on the ship trembled even harder.
After celebrating for a while, Zhao Xuan finally came back to his senses.
"Huff… that was satisfying. Really satisfying. I even broke through to fifth tier in one go. But damn—it cost me a lot. Altogether, I burned about fifteen billion worth of resources."
"Damn… I just looted fifteen billion from the Black Shark Pirates, and I blew it all in half a day?"
"So it really is true—poor scholars, rich warriors."
"Just breaking into fifth tier cost me this much. When I hit sixth tier, won't it take tens of billions?"
"No, no, no. I can't delay anymore. I need money! Making money is the priority! With money, I can fight freely. With money, I can grow stronger!"
Thinking this—
Zhao Xuan scanned the deck.
Then—
Under the terrified gazes of the White Emperor Pirates—
He stomped the deck dozens of times.
The next instant!
He returned to his small sailboat dozens of meters away.
"Whew…"
"That's great!"
"We survived!"
"…"
Seeing Zhao Xuan leave, the White Emperor Pirates let out a collective sigh of relief.
However—
The next moment!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Violent gusts suddenly swept in from Zhao Xuan's direction.
Then—
Terrifying fist shockwaves slammed into the White Emperor Pirates' ship.
Creakkkkk—!
Creakkkkk—!
Already heavily damaged from the earlier battle—
The ship let out several final groans before splitting apart down the middle.
Finally—
Amid the terrified screams of the White Emperor Pirates—
It sank rapidly into the depths.
After personally witnessing the White Emperor Pirates' ship sink, Zhao Xuan finally nodded in satisfaction.
Same old rule—
He was never soft-hearted.
Since he had already killed both White Emperor Pirates' leaders—
They were mortal enemies now.
And enemies—
Deserved no mercy.
Especially since—
Zhao Xuan hadn't forgotten—
He was already on the kill lists of multiple ninth-tier and countless eighth-tier ability users for slaughtering geniuses from various nations.
He wasn't about to plant future disasters by showing mercy now.
After dealing with both the White Emperor Pirates and the Black Shark Pirates—
Zhao Xuan decisively opened the Desert Ruins and stepped inside.
Then—
He saw the Big Golden Rat at the entrance, inhaling its flower.
"Enough sniffing—time to work."
The Big Golden Rat immediately jumped up.
"Chirp! (Got it!)"
Under Zhao Xuan's lead—
Man and rat exited the Desert Ruins one after the other.
The small boat set sail once more.
Guided by the Big Golden Rat, they headed straight toward the White Emperor Pirates' lair.
Two hours later—
Zhao Xuan arrived at the White Emperor Pirates' base.
Same old rule—
Better safe than sorry.
Zhao Xuan didn't know how many seventh-tier ability users the White Emperor Pirates had.
So—
Despite his massive increase in strength—
Out of caution—
He circled around, chose a secluded spot, and secretly landed on the island.
After observing—
And confirming that the White Emperor Pirates had emptied their nest just like the Black Shark Pirates—
He finally relaxed.
No—
Rather than relieved—
It was more like disappointed.
Yes.
After two hours of boring sailing—
Zhao Xuan's hands were itching again.
He really wanted to fight.
"Sigh… what a pity," Zhao Xuan muttered.
"Chirp chirp? (What's a pity?)" the Big Golden Rat asked, puzzled.
"Nothing."
Zhao Xuan continued, "Same rule as before. Help me find the ruin entrance on this island. Payment is one cactus flower."
"Chirp! (Deal!)"
The Big Golden Rat nodded eagerly.
The next moment—
It started sniffing the air.
After a few seconds, it turned to Zhao Xuan and chirped.
"Chirp chirp! (This way!)"
Zhao Xuan followed it, moving deeper into the island, far from the White Emperor Pirates' base.
The further he went—
The more puzzled he became.
Because—
He didn't see any paths at all.
This island was the White Emperor Pirates' lair, yet clearly—
They hadn't explored its depths.
But—
If they hid their spiritual herbs in ruins like the Black Shark Pirates—
Then frequent trips should have carved out paths.
"What's going on?"
Zhao Xuan narrowed his eyes.
A few minutes later, the Big Golden Rat suddenly stopped.
Then—
It waved its paw through the air.
Under Zhao Xuan's focused gaze—
A spatial rift marking a ruin entrance appeared before him.
"Good work."
Zhao Xuan shook his head, setting aside his doubts, and tossed the promised cactus flower to the Big Golden Rat.
Then—
He opened the Desert Ruins.
Whoosh!
In the next second—
The Big Golden Rat vanished.
Immediately after—
Zhao Xuan stepped into the ruin.
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