Chapter 64: One-Kicked

“Shang Xingren? What is he doing here?”

Jiang Yan still had some impression of this former opponent he had defeated. After all, Shang Xingren possessed the legendary spatial Talent and had once escaped from Jiang Yan’s grasp, which made Jiang Yan remember his name.

As Shang Xingren approached, he directly stated his purpose.

“Jiang Yan, this time, I want to fight you fairly and squarely!”

Jiang Yan laughed and retorted, “Didn’t you lose fairly and squarely last time?”

Shang Xingren choked, realizing that seemed to be the case, but he stubbornly insisted.

“I want to challenge you again to see how much I’ve improved these past few days.”

Jiang Yan nodded in agreement. “Fine, let’s do it. I’ll also see how much I’ve improved these days.”

“Hurry up and start. I’m quite busy.”

Upon hearing this, Shang Xingren unleashed his full Aura and once again vanished into the shadows.

Jiang Yan smiled helplessly. Why was it this move again?

Now that Jiang Yan’s reaction speed had doubled, even the slightest ripple in space could catch his attention. Shang Xingren’s move was full of openings to him.

Jiang Yan turned and casually threw a punch into the Void.

Thud—

A dull sound echoed from the Void as Jiang Yan’s punch disrupted space itself, severely injuring Shang Xingren.

Shang Xingren was flung out of the Void and lay weakly on the ground. For a moment, he felt as if he had seen his deceased grandmother waving to him, her voice and appearance still vivid in his memory.

“He’s even stronger now…”

Shang Xingren gazed at the sky, clear and serene, blood trickling from his mouth. Yet, his state of mind was eerily calm at this moment.

He suddenly felt a sense of release.

Shang Xingren was still at the Innate Middle Stage. While Jiang Yan had progressed from First-Rank Body Tempering to Third-Rank Innate Perfection, Shang Xingren’s cultivation had remained stagnant.

Was Shang Xingren’s cultivation speed slow? On the contrary, his speed was among the top Aptitudes of all Geniuses.

But such is life—even if you give your all, you may still be unable to catch up. The gap between people can be that stark.

This profound sense of powerlessness, however, drastically reduced the pressure Shang Xingren felt.

“Losing to him doesn’t seem like a shameful thing.”

“Perhaps years from now, when people mention me, Shang Xingren, they’ll be amazed to discover that I once had the honor of fighting Jiang Yan!”

“Hahahaha, I understand now! I understand!”

Shang Xingren jumped up from the ground, his mind never more open and enlightened, as if Jiang Yan’s punch had cleared his meridians.

His elder brother stepped forward and grasped his shoulders, looking pleased. “It seems you’ve grown up. Now, leave the rest to your elder brother.”

In Shang Xingren’s eyes, his brother’s figure appeared majestic, striding step by step toward that formidable BOSS.

Of course, this entire scene unfolded through the lens of the brothers’ shared perspective.

In Jiang Yan’s eyes, however: “What are these two muttering about?”

“Jiang Yan, is it? Today, I, Shang Yueren, will test your skills.”

Shang Yueren advanced step by step, his Aura rising with each stride.

Faintly, Jiang Yan saw the Phantom Image of a White Tiger behind him.

Innate Late Stage Realm!

Shang Yueren’s cultivation almost represented the Peak among Blue Star Person of the same age.

The White Tiger Phantom Image grew to three meters tall, its roar as the king of beasts threatening to suppress everything.

Then, bare-handed, he lunged at Jiang Yan.

Thud!

Jiang Yan kicked him flying.

A streak of white Haste cut through the air.

That white streak surged forward, landing on the ground and carving a deep trench, dragging mud and splattering it everywhere. The once pristine lawn was plowed into a wretched mess.

Boom!

It wasn’t until he crashed into a parasol tree that Shang Xingren’s figure finally came to a halt.

“Brother!”

Shang Xingren exclaimed in shock, rushing over.

“Brother! Are you alright?”

Shang Xingren reached out to help his brother up.

“Don’t move! It’s about to break…”

Jiang Yan watched from a distance, blinking awkwardly. “Seems I used a bit too much force.”

It really wasn’t Jiang Yan’s fault. For that kick, he had only used thirty percent of his strength. Yet, despite that, Shang Xingren, who had been so fierce just a moment ago, was sent flying the next second.

“Looks like my strength has reached an exaggerated level. I’ll have to be more careful next time.”

Jiang Yan looked heartbrokenly at the ravaged lawn, regretting that he should have kicked Shang Xingren into the air instead.

“Brother, pull yourself together!”

Shang Xingren kept shaking his brother’s shoulders.

“I was defeated in an instant… I was defeated in an instant…”

“Brother! Don’t wallow in defeat like this!”

“I lost… I couldn’t even withstand a single move. I…”

“Brother! Think about how you encouraged me before. You have to pull yourself together!”

“I wasn’t even worthy of making him draw his saber. I’m truly useless…”

“Brother!”

Shang Xingren’s eyes were vacant, lost in his own world, oblivious to everything around him.

Who could have imagined that just as one member of the Shang Family had stood up, another had fallen?

Shang Xingren may have seemed mature and composed, but in reality, he was still just an eighteen-year-old youth.

Bold and spirited, surging forward—that was the melody of their youth.

But during this time, he had encountered Jiang Yan. A man who trampled others’ pride underfoot with a single kick, ruthless and utterly despair-inducing.

Shang Xingren let out a bitter laugh. “I thought I was open-minded. I thought my Dao Heart was clear and bright. Turns out, it was only because I had never lost before~”

Jiang Yan walked over and gave Shang Xingren a kick.

“Stop wallowing in self-pity for now. Fill in this trench for me first.”

Shang Xingren: ?

Can’t you see I’m still grieving?

“Why are you glaring at me? If you hadn’t challenged me, would this lawn have been ruined?”

“Hurry up and smooth out the ground. You can go back to wallowing afterward.”

Shang Xingren had no time to grieve anymore, because if he didn’t move, he’d be facing Jiang Yan’s righteous iron fist.

And so, the esteemed Young Master of the Divine Capital’s Shang Family, under the blazing sun, picked up a shovel and began digging and filling the lawn. This sight would have surely shocked the Shang Family’s servants had they seen it.

Young Master, this must not be!

…

It wasn’t until noon that Jiang Yan finally let these two fools leave.

“I’ve been so busy cultivating these past few days that I forgot to go pick a Martial Skill.”

The contract had clearly stated in black and white that Jiang Yan could freely use any Martial Skill in the Martial Skill Library.

“I wonder what kind of power lies beyond Heavenly Grade Martial Skills?”

Yan Thunder Destruction Slash, as a Heavenly Grade Martial Skill, had accompanied Jiang Yan through countless battles, defeating every enemy with a single slash of his saber.

While his peers were cultivating Earth Grade Martial Skills or even lower, Jiang Yan was already reaching for something higher.

A higher Realm, stronger Martial Skills, greater Talent—the aura of genius that once surrounded his peers had vanished without a trace in Jiang Yan’s presence.

Shang Xingren could be considered one of the strongest among his peers, yet he couldn’t even withstand a single kick from Jiang Yan.

This was the gap.

Jiang Yan left the villa and followed the navigation to the so-called Martial Skill Library.

The Martial Skill Library was quite spacious, with a simple and ancient style of decoration, perhaps having stood for some years. Students frequently came and went through its doors.

“Show your student ID.”

At the entrance stood a middle-aged man who looked like a security guard.