Xu Yang didn’t rush to leave. Instead, he found a time-honored shop and savored a meal of Cyan Yang City’s local delicacies. Only then did he leisurely walk out of Cyan Yang City.

The seasons were now changing from autumn to winter. Although the sun blazed high in the sky, Xu Yang felt none of its sweltering heat.

After leaving the populated areas behind, he didn’t rush to use his Lightweight Skill to travel. Instead, he tried using his Gang Qi to draw the Wolf Fang Saber from his back.

After many failures, he had finally figured it out.

With just a thought, his Gang Qi could jolt the saber out for him to grab. It was an incredibly convenient way to draw his blade, and it looked impressive too.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, he instinctively sensed something was wrong. He hadn’t noticed anything specific; it was just a primal warning. This must be a form of precognition for danger, a result of his body’s enhanced functions since achieving Qi Cultivation Gang.

BANG!

The next moment, a patch of grass to his side exploded. Smoke and dust churned as a figure burst through, shooting toward him like an arrow.

A tyrannical aura erupted like a volcano as a fierce wind kicked up. The figure skimmed along the ground, its aura carving a trench in the earth and sending dirt flying.

Before the figure even arrived, he had already unleashed a palm strike toward Xu Yang from a distance.

A red light flashed on his hand, and his Gang Qi erupted.

Xu Yang had no time to think, let alone dodge. His Golden Gang Skill roared to life. Pinkish Gang Qi shot out from every pore of his body, weaving together in front of him to form a barrier of red light. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The next moment, the attacking Gang Qi arrived, slamming heavily into his Protective Gang Qi.

CRACK!

A sound like shattering porcelain rang out. The ambusher’s Gang Qi slammed against his Protective Gang Qi and disintegrated on impact, the residual force scattering in turbulent streams in all directions.

A tremor ran through Xu Yang. His Protective Gang Qi was instantly covered in a web of cracks, and it felt as though he had been struck by a heavy sledgehammer.

Fortunately, despite the hasty defense, the quality of his Gang Qi was extraordinary. He had taken the hit head-on, and though his Protective Gang Qi had cracked, it had ultimately held. It left his insides churning, but he was uninjured.

’I’ve been ambushed, and by a Bone Marrow Cleansing Master!’ Xu Yang’s heart sank.

Bone Marrow Cleansing Masters could achieve Mind Entering the Body, merging their Gang Qi into every limb and bone. Their self-control reached a microscopic level; holding their breath was nothing—they could even temporarily stop their own heartbeats without difficulty.

That was why, despite the man’s proximity, Xu Yang’s five senses hadn’t picked up a single heartbeat or breath. Only when the attacker made his move did Xu Yang’s instincts finally scream a warning.

Of course, the man’s concealment technique was also superb. He must have been waiting here a long time, certain that Xu Yang would pass this way.

"Gang Qi?" Li Rui’an cried out in shock, his expression twisting.

The only reason he’d dared to ambush Xu Yang was his belief that Xu Yang had not yet achieved Qi Cultivation Gang. He had been confident in his ability to kill him; that was the source of his courage.

But now, it was clear that Xu Yang had already achieved Qi Cultivation Gang, and his Cultivation level seemed terrifyingly profound.

He had launched a fully charged sneak attack, and Xu Yang had responded in haste, yet his strike had merely shattered the boy’s Gang Qi, failing to harm his body in the slightest.

For a moment, his heart filled with shock and regret. But he had a tiger by the tail now; his only choice was to press the attack, erupting his Gang Qi to strike Xu Yang down.

Just as the Gang Qi-wreathed palm was about to cleave Xu Yang’s skull, Xu Yang reacted. He ignored the cracks spreading across his Protective Gang Qi as nine sharp cracks echoed from within his body.

Thunder Shock Fist—Ninefold Force, layered.

Xu Yang’s muscles and bones moved as one, his tendons humming like taut bowstrings. With a turn of his body and a swing of his arm, his fist shot out like a great spear, stabbing diagonally toward the incoming palm.

BANG!

CRACK!

The two sounds rang out almost simultaneously—one of Gang Qi colliding, the other of Gang Qi shattering.

A visible red ripple radiated from the point of impact, carrying the power to shred everything in its path. The Protective Gang Qi shields of both fighters shattered instantly.

’It’s that bastard Li Rui’an!’

Another tremor shot through Xu Yang. He could now clearly see his ambusher’s face. It was none other than Li Rui’an, the very man who had proactively sought peace with him before. Though Xu Yang had never planned to spare him anyway, he couldn’t suppress a surge of cold fury.

If he hadn’t achieved Qi Cultivation Gang and made a qualitative leap in strength, he would have met a bitter end here today.

The Ninefold Force poured out madly, his Gang Qi erupting like a volcano as he ignored his shattered Protective Gang Qi.

Without his Protective Gang Qi, he still had his physical body, which possessed the Vajra Indestructible Attribute and could withstand the shockwaves of Gang Qi.

PING! PING!

The Gang Qi ripples slammed into his body, creating a metallic ringing before dissipating completely and shattering the ground beneath him.

"Hngh!"

Li Rui’an’s face twisted in pain as a grunt escaped his lips. He felt a savage force crush down on him, nearly shattering the bones in his hand. His own skeleton seemed to groan under the unbearable load.

The shattered Gang Qi slammed into his chest, and he staggered backward as if he’d been hammered.

"How is this possible..." he couldn’t help but shriek.

It felt like he was trading blows with a humanoid beast; every backward step he took gouged a deep crater in the ground.

He was the ambusher, yet he was the one being utterly suppressed.

A sharp glint flashed in Xu Yang’s eyes. He wasn’t one to show mercy when he had the upper hand. Having forced Li Rui’an back with one punch, he tapped his toes on the ground as if on a spring, and his figure vanished.

BOOM!

A shockwave ripped through the area, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

Suddenly, ten consecutive cracks echoed from within Xu Yang’s body.

Tenfold layered Force!

The astonishing aura blasted away the dust cloud, revealing Li Rui’an’s face, which was a mask of pure horror.

"Brother Xu, this is a misunderstanding!" Li Rui’an roared.

He had a feeling that if this kept going, he would be the one dying here today.