Chapter 10: Ascending to Greater Heights

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Seeing the astonished look on the burly leader’s face, Wang Chen activated his Lightness Technique. His figure instantly became as elusive as a ghost as he rapidly closed in on the man.

The burly man was startled. He hurriedly formed hand seals and shouted, “Go!”

In an instant, fierce winds erupted around him. Blades of wind materialized one after another and shot toward Wang Chen!

The wind blades gleamed with a chilling sharpness. They sliced through the air, instantly sealing off every avenue of escape around Wang Chen.

“Fireball Technique!”

Watching this unfold, Wang Chen remained entirely calm. With one hand, he formed a spell seal, and a basketball-sized fireball instantly appeared in his palm. Under his control, it hurtled directly toward the incoming wind blades!

Boom!

In an instant, the fireball exploded. Its terrifying heat scorched the air and incinerated the wind blades along with it.

A dreadful wave of heat surged toward the burly man. Even the hair on his body began to curl.

“Ah!”

A shriek of agony escaped the man as the searing heat made his entire body tremble.

Although Wang Chen’s fireball had been reduced somewhat after being obstructed by the wind blades, it still slammed heavily into the burly man’s chest.

The resulting explosion sent the leader flying. His entire body was covered in blood.

In the distance, Li Qing, who had been secretly watching everything unfold, was so terrified that he nearly wet himself. His eyes were filled with disbelief, and he clapped both hands tightly over his mouth.

Was this really the timid, cowardly man he remembered?

How had he become an entirely different person after only a few days apart?

And what was with his cultivation? Why was it so powerful?

Hadn’t this fellow been stuck at the second level of Qi Refinement for a long time?

Endless questions surfaced in Li Qing’s mind. His expression became horribly grim, and the depths of his eyes were filled with fear.

It was not Wang Chen’s displayed strength that frightened him. Rather, Wang Chen’s power had suddenly left him utterly helpless regarding his mission.

If he failed to complete the mission this time as well, the fate awaiting him would undoubtedly be miserable.

At the thought of this, an uncontrollable terror rose in Li Qing’s heart.

Daring not remain there any longer, Li Qing hurriedly turned and left. He had to think of a solution.

Just as Li Qing was quietly retreating, Wang Chen reached the burly leader and looked down at him from above.

“Speak. Who sent you?”

“I—I don’t know. The gambling house really did send us to collect a debt.”

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The burly man’s voice was filled with panic, and his face was marked by terror and unease.

The arrogance he had displayed at the beginning was now completely gone. All that remained in his heart was boundless dread.

Late-stage Qi Refinement!

This man’s strength had certainly reached the late stage of Qi Refinement!

If he had known earlier that Wang Chen was this formidable, he would never have accepted this mission, no matter what.

But regret was useless now. He could only hope that Wang Chen would spare them.

Wang Chen asked several more questions, but the burly man knew nothing about any of them. Wang Chen understood that this fellow was merely a pawn sent to the front lines and had no idea who was behind everything.

With that realization, Wang Chen helplessly shook his head and could not be bothered to continue questioning him.

He then flicked a finger. A strand of spiritual energy burst from his fingertip and pierced straight through the man’s dantian.

“Ah!”

A scream rang out. The burly man’s face turned deathly pale as he clutched his abdomen with both hands, his eyes filled with fear and venom.

“You—you crippled my cultivation!”

At that moment, the burly man felt as if the heavens had collapsed.

To a cultivator, the most miserable fate was not death, but having one’s cultivation crippled.

In a world where the strong preyed upon the weak, having no cultivation meant that anyone could trample all over you.

Even staying alive would be worse than death.

What was more, as an enforcer for the gambling house, he had no idea how many people he had offended.

No one had dared seek trouble with him in the past precisely because of his mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivation.

But now that his cultivation had been crippled, he could already imagine the fate that awaited him.

For a moment, the way he looked at Wang Chen was filled with undisguised hatred.

Wang Chen paid no attention to it. He raised his hand and flicked out four more streams of spiritual energy in succession, piercing through the dantians of the other four men as well.

Then, leaving the four men howling where they stood, Wang Chen calmly departed.

The rules of the Outer Ward were not as strict as those of the Inner Ward, but killing someone in broad daylight was still forbidden.

Thus, Wang Chen could only cripple their cultivation and leave them with their miserable lives.

However, such a punishment was even more severe than killing them outright.

Before long, these men would likely vanish from the world one by one.

Since he could let others dirty their hands instead of his own, why would Wang Chen not be pleased?

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As he hurried home, Wang Chen reviewed all the memories left behind by his predecessor, trying to search for any possible hidden enemies.

Yet after pondering for a long while, he still had no clue.

His predecessor had never been reckless or arrogant and had not offended anyone. Moreover, as a lowly rogue cultivator, he had never become involved in any major interests or disputes.

He truly could not figure out who was trying to harm him.

To uncover the answer, he would probably have to find Cloud Moon Pavilion.

But knowing that Cloud Moon Pavilion intended to deal with him, would he really take the initiative to walk into their trap? Wouldn’t that be madness?

Although he now possessed some strength, he was far from invincible. Cloud Moon Pavilion surely had powerful cultivators stationed there. Paying them an imprudent visit would be foolish indeed.

Moreover, he would have to be more careful from now on.

The reason Cloud Moon Pavilion’s scheme had failed this time was entirely because they had not known that his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.

But now that his true strength had been exposed, if Cloud Moon Pavilion made another move against him, they would certainly send powerful experts.

At this thought, Wang Chen felt a growing sense of urgency, and his steps quickened.

Regardless of who his hidden enemy was, as long as he became strong enough, he would have nothing to fear.

If the late stage of Qi Refinement was not enough to deter his opponents, then he would reach the peak of Qi Refinement—and establish his foundation!

The system had just returned a Perfect Qi-Gathering Pill to him. He was eager to see just how powerful its effects were.

With this thought in mind, Wang Chen hurried even more.

Before long, he arrived at his wooden cabin.

After closing the door, Wang Chen put away the supplies he had purchased and immediately sat cross-legged on the bed, taking out the Perfect Qi-Gathering Pill.

He poured the pill into his hand and examined it carefully. Four cloud-like markings appeared and disappeared faintly across its surface, while its luster was smooth and full. It was a level above even a Premium Qi-Gathering Pill.

Unlike a Premium Qi-Gathering Pill, whose extraordinary nature could be recognized at a glance, the Perfect Qi-Gathering Pill gave off no spiritual energy at all aside from the four cloud markings on its surface. It looked no different from an ordinary medicinal pill.

After studying it for a long time, Wang Chen still could not determine what made it special.

In the end, he decided not to waste any more time. He raised his hand, tossed the pill into his mouth, and swallowed it.

In an instant, the pill exploded within his body.

A surging force of spiritual energy rapidly filled every part of him.