Chapter Fifty-Seven: Finally Over

Jiang Yuan was also somewhat surprised, but his reaction lasted only a moment. I glanced at the two machetes in my hands, thinking they would soon be sliced in half by Snowblade. Unexpectedly, the roar of Snowblade grew even stronger. It was as if it was resisting Jiang Yuan’s control, retracting on its own and even struggling to point itself toward me.

As Snowblade’s power intensified, Jiang Yuan could no longer hold it and was forced to let go. Snowblade shot swiftly in my direction, and I caught it steadily. The instant it was in my grasp, I felt it cheerfully hum again. I let the blade emerge, and found its body shining brightly, brimming with vitality.

Jiang Yuan snorted disdainfully, then reached into my ring to retrieve his own machete. I took a deep breath and suddenly launched an attack. On the way, I tossed the two machetes in my hand one after the other; though they couldn’t harm Jiang Yuan, at least they could distract him. Sure enough, by the time he raised his arm to block the last machete, I was already upon him.

I raised my blade and struck, my moves bold and sweeping, full of spirit. The spiritual energy within Jiang Yuan was no less than mine, able to withstand Snowblade’s force. I slashed several more times, but he blocked every attack, mocking me as he did.

“Is this all the strength you have? Pathetic.”

His henchmen echoed him.

“Give up already, I don’t think you’re any match for our boss.”

“Yeah, better to die early than suffer needlessly.”

Jiang Yuan lifted his blade with confidence, but as the old saying goes, pride comes before a fall.

Seeing that brute force wouldn’t work, I circled him, striking from angles, but every exchange was inconclusive. I kept searching for an opportunity, a decisive strike. Thanks to Snowblade’s aid, I was able to match him blow for blow; Jiang Yuan was not only stronger, but his speed matched mine.

Suddenly, Chen Chen charged out of the house, stabbing fiercely at Jiang Yuan’s lower back with his weapon. Yet Jiang Yuan, a second-level Spiritual Leaf, was formidable. He merely turned and kicked Chen Chen back into the house.

But that was enough. I seized the moment and slashed Jiang Yuan’s left hand, drawing a roar from him.

Seeing their boss wounded, his henchmen moved to surround me, weapons drawn, but Jiang Yuan, unwilling to lose face, insisted on one-on-one combat. I sneered and lunged forward again.

Logic dictated that Jiang Yuan’s injury should weaken him, but instead he fought harder, giving me no quarter. I was forced onto the defensive, adopting a Bajiquan stance.

But as before, arrogance exposes flaws.

Indeed, when he withdrew his blade, I caught a split-second opening. I thrust fiercely into his shoulder, but he still had fight in him and managed to slash my left shoulder in return.

I gritted my teeth, refusing to cry out.

Finally, I kicked him away, putting some distance between us. Gasping for air, I tore a strip of cloth from my shirt and wrapped it around my shoulder.

Strike while your opponent is weak—that lesson was not lost on Jiang Yuan. He attacked again as I recovered.

Thinking quickly, I formed a seal with one hand and shouted, “Spirit Gathering Technique!”

Suddenly, spiritual energy surged from my fingertips, striking Jiang Yuan directly. He froze, tried to raise his blade to block, but my technique sent him flying several meters.

Ecstatic, I noted that while it didn’t cause much damage, it was still quite effective.

But now was not the time for celebration. I hurried to Jiang Yuan and pressed my blade to his throat.

He sneered, then closed his eyes with resignation.

Just then, Chen Chen and the others ran out. Seeing that I’d defeated Jiang Yuan, they were overjoyed, except for Chu Yao, who remained calm, as if she’d expected nothing less.

I told Chen Chen to remove my ring, then rummaged through it for a rope and bound Jiang Yuan tightly.

He seemed indifferent, letting me tie him up without resistance.

I dragged him to a chair in the warehouse, stuffed the Ghost King’s card into his arms, and gagged him with a piece of rag.

“What are you doing?” Chen Chen asked, puzzled.

“He’s holding the Ghost King’s card. To prevent more deaths, we have to tie him up and wait for the Ghost King’s judgment.”

After finishing, I glanced at my phone—only thirty-something players remained.

Jiang Yuan’s game was long, lasting until eight o’clock the next morning.

By now, all Jiang Yuan’s henchmen had left, leaving just us in the warehouse.

I thought carefully: keeping him in the warehouse risked discovery, so I dragged him to the old restroom.

I tossed him into the grass, knocked him out, and left.

Without the Ghost King, perhaps Jiang Yuan and I could have been good friends...

“Yao, you’re amazing! Spirit Gathering Technique, hey, ha!” Li Zijian mimicked my moves as we walked, his antics lightening the mood among us.

“Lin Yao, look,”

Chen Chen spoke beside me, showing the leaf on his forehead.

“Not bad. Looks like you’ve stepped into the cultivation world,” I patted his shoulder, and he nodded firmly.

I turned to Li Zijian, “Look at him—what about you?”

Li Zijian shamelessly sidled up to me, saying, “With you around, Yao, you’ll protect me, right?”

I laughed, speechless.

...

Returning to the dorm, I collapsed onto the bed and slept soundly. After such an exhausting day, my energy was long spent, and my body was sore.

I slept deeply, waking after one in the morning.

I looked at the dark sky, unable to fall back asleep, so I took out the Heavenly Movement Finger Technique to study.

Last night, I’d truly witnessed its power, and I believed the subsequent techniques would only be stronger.

Eagerly, I turned to the second page.

This technique was also offensive, called Five Spirits Technique.

Compared to Spirit Gathering, it was like an advanced version—more powerful, but it required more spiritual energy.

I flexed my fingers and began practicing, awkwardly at first.

Though it was an upgrade, the difficulty had increased several levels.

Many unfamiliar moves appeared, accompanied by mental cultivation methods, making it a strenuous process.

After a while, my temples throbbed painfully. I had to rest before continuing.

...

By the next morning, I finally put down my aching hands.

It was already past six.

Thinking that I could leave today, I felt invigorated.

I stretched and got up, opening the door to go outside.

This time, I didn’t wander aimlessly. Instead, I warmed up with a few exercises and began practicing Bajiquan.