"To think you actually found out!" Liu Tong said flatly, not in the least surprised by Su Chen’s appearance.
These words made Su Chen’s face turn slightly grim.
"You did this on purpose?" Su Chen asked.
Liu Tong did not reply. He looked Su Chen up and down, seemingly gauging the young man’s strength.
"Are you a descendant of the Zhu Family?" Liu Tong suddenly asked, sensing that Su Chen was quite young.
"The Zhu Family?" Hearing this, Su Chen’s expression shifted slightly as he recalled the information he had seen earlier.
One of the sins Liu Tong had committed was slaughtering all thirteen members of the Zhu Family.
But judging from his tone, did the Zhu Family still have survivors?
"Forget it. Whether you’re a remnant of the Zhu Family or not, since you’re here to kill me, you can leave your life behind!"
Liu Tong shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it. What was the point of overthinking things with a dead man?
Before his voice even faded, Liu Tong made his move. Gripping his steel saber, his aura changed in an instant.
In stark contrast to the amiable demeanor he had shown during the day, Liu Tong now exuded a chilling apathy from head to toe. It was as bone-piercingly cold as the edge of his blade.
Seeing Liu Tong lunging toward him, Su Chen retreated, crashing through the window and landing squarely in the backyard.
A cold glint flashed in Liu Tong’s eyes. With a single sweeping strike, he cleaved the wooden door apart and dashed outside in pursuit.
"Trying to run?" Seeing that Su Chen intended to retreat, a cruel smile crept onto Liu Tong’s face.
He had waited painstakingly for Su Chen to show himself; there was no way he would let him escape so easily.
He kicked a piece of firewood in the courtyard, sending it hurtling toward Su Chen. Then, accelerating, he seized the moment Su Chen parried the projectile to close the distance instantly.
"What kind of skill is relying on a blade? Fight me barehanded if you have the guts!" Su Chen shouted.
The fierce blade instantly cut off his escape route. Faced with Liu Tong’s lethal attacks, Su Chen was left with no choice but to fight as he retreated.
Hearing this, Liu Tong sneered, and his attacks grew even more ferocious.
"Hmm?" But as they exchanged blows, Liu Tong sensed something was off. Su Chen seemed to be purely evading, yet he did so with effortless grace.
"Using me as a sparring partner? Let’s see if you have the skill for it!" Liu Tong said coldly. A nameless fury rose in his heart; this was the first time he had been looked down upon so blatantly.
He unleashed his mastered saber techniques without reservation. The blade moved so fast it left afterimages, descending like a torrential storm. In just a few breaths, he unleashed dozens of slashes, the whistling of the blade ringing ceaselessly in the air.
Unfortunately for him, not a single strike landed on Su Chen.
Su Chen’s body was remarkably agile. His palms even collided with the steel blade, letting out the sharp, ringing sound of clashing metal.
This made Liu Tong look at him in astonishment. Could this guy be a Horizontal Refining Martial Artist?
Despite this thought, Liu Tong’s movements grew increasingly vicious, aiming to take Su Chen down as quickly as possible.
As time passed, however, Liu Tong was shocked to discover that Su Chen’s evasive maneuvers were becoming more and more effortless.
If, at the beginning, Su Chen had been like a Martial Artist possessing a massive treasure trove, then now, stimulated by Liu Tong’s relentless assault, he was fully drawing out the potential of that treasure.
Liu Tong was astonished, and Su Chen was equally surprised—though, for the latter, it was mostly a pleasant surprise.
When he fought Qian Huan and the others previously, it had been a simple, brutal, one-sided crush. Now, facing an evenly matched opponent like Liu Tong—who even surpassed him in certain aspects—Su Chen was forced to get serious.
Under his opponent’s pressure, the fist and palm technique experiences infused into him by the panel gradually became second nature.
The transformation was as if he had only thoroughly grasped three moves before, but could now adapt effortlessly, fully comprehending nine.
Naturally, this made Liu Tong feel that dealing with Su Chen was becoming exceedingly thorny. Conversely, Su Chen found it easier and easier.
Although he was hindered by his opponent’s weapon and couldn’t unleash his full strength, dodging was more than manageable.
Now, it was just a matter of who would reveal a flaw first.
"Hmph, let’s see how long you can keep dodging!"
Liu Tong held back his bubbling frustration. He remained relatively rational and made no mistakes. He simply hadn’t expected Su Chen to be so troublesome.
Suddenly, while exchanging blows, Liu Tong locked eyes with Su Chen.
His expression froze. For some reason, he thought he saw mockery dancing in Su Chen’s eyes.
Dodging a strike, Su Chen abruptly retreated several paces, putting three meters of distance between them.
"Hmm?" Liu Tong paused, stunned, before his face drastically changed. A wave of numbness began to spread through his body.
"You... you used another poison?" He widened his eyes in disbelief, staring at Su Chen with absolute horror.
Su Chen shrugged noncommittally. He just watched Liu Tong quietly, like a hunting beast waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"Damn it!" Liu Tong was enraged from humiliation, but the numbness coursing through him only intensified.
In less than a moment, the sensation crawled from his limbs to his head, making his eyelids feel as heavy as if they were inlaid with Gold. His vision gradually blurred, and all the strength was sapped from his body.
With a heavy THUD, Liu Tong could no longer hold himself up and collapsed to one knee before Su Chen.
He shook his head, trying to muster the last ounce of his strength to prop himself up and flee.
Unfortunately, Su Chen had been waiting for this exact moment. Why would he let Liu Tong escape?
Just as Liu Tong turned to run, Su Chen thrust out a palm, striking him squarely in the back and sending him flying.
BAM! He crashed heavily onto the ground, dragging a meter-long trench in the dirt and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Even so, Liu Tong was still alive. Relying on sheer tenacious willpower, he managed to stay conscious.
This actually surprised Su Chen a little. He picked up the dropped steel saber and walked toward Liu Tong, step by step.
"Wait, don’t kill me! Whatever you want, I can give it to you..."
Su Chen remained unmoved. The reflection of his silhouette in Liu Tong’s pupils grew clearer and clearer.
"L-Listen to me..."
He was answered by a clean, simple slash. Accompanied by a fountain of spurting blood, Liu Tong’s head tumbled to the ground.
This gory scene didn’t cause the slightest ripple in Su Chen’s expression.
"Sorry, but I don’t want to listen," Su Chen said slowly, only speaking up after Liu Tong was completely dead.
A moment later, Su Chen let out a long breath.
He stood there for a long time, his expression complex.
"I almost stumbled in a shallow ditch!" Su Chen muttered.
"Good thing I added Soft Bone Powder to the Sleeping Powder. Otherwise, tonight’s outcome really would have been up in the air!
"Liu Tong and I should both be at Perfect Power Cultivation, but relying on a weapon, he clearly had the advantage. Even with my fist and palm techniques perfected, if I were hit, I would have ended up dead or crippled.
"Sigh. Lately, getting stronger because of the panel and having things go so smoothly time after time made me lower my guard.
"I can’t let that happen again.
"Of course, if my strength had been absolutely overwhelming, this wouldn’t have happened.
"So, in the end, it’s still because I’m not strong enough!"