Xiao Feng tightened his grip on the short blade. The cold metal reflected the eerie, flickering light of the Ghost Mist Forest. Before him, the bound bandit leader roared with fury, trying frantically to channel his Qi, but Li Chen’s shadow tendrils held his inner energy locked behind an iron cage.
— Little bastard! Undo this spell and I’ll grant you a swift death! — the bandit snarled, his eyes bulging with rage.
Xiao Feng’s heart hammered against his ribs. He had spent his entire life fleeing from danger, hiding in the shadows of the apothecary, living as a helpless victim of the world’s cruelty. But looking at the cold, unyielding figure of Li Chen standing nearby, he realized that mercy in this world was nothing more than a invitation to perish.
With a hoarse shout, Xiao Feng lunged forward, thrusting his blade straight toward the bandit’s chest.
CLANG!
The short sword struck the bandit’s bone chest-plate, producing a spray of sparks. The force of the impact jarred Xiao Feng’s arm, causing him to stumble back. The bandit laughed maniacally.
— Is that all? You can’t even pierce my armor, worthless worm! This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
— Channel your Qi into the edge, — Li Chen’s calm, detached voice echoed through the mist. — Do not swing with muscle. Let your intent flow into the steel. Cut the shadow, not the bone.
Xiao Feng took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a fraction of a second. He recalled the blue spirit stone Li Chen had given him, remembering the feeling of the raw energy entering his meridians. He opened his eyes, now burning with a fierce determination.
A faint, flickering dark aura coated the blade.
Xiao Feng stepped forward again, his movement smoother, swifter. He sidestepped the bandit’s wild headbutt and drove the weapon directly into the gap beneath the bandit’s chin.
The blade pierced flesh cleanly. The bandit’s roar turned into a wet gurgle, his eyes widening in disbelief as life drained from his body.
Li Chen released the shadow tendrils, allowing the corpse to slump heavily into the mud. Immediately, the Dark Dan in Li Chen’s Dantian pulsed, pulling the fallen bandit’s vital essence into a thin ribbon of crimson mist that dissolved into the surrounding air—a fraction of which flowed into Xiao Feng’s body, causing the boy's breath to hitch as his Qi instantly surged.
Meanwhile, the other two skeletal-masked bandits stood frozen in horror. Seeing their leader killed so casually, they turned to flee into the dense mist. Follow the newest chapters on novelping . com.
— Did I say you could leave? — Li Chen whispered.
Two pitch-black spears formed out of thin air behind Li Chen’s back. With a soft sound of tearing air, the spears launched forward, skewering both fleeing bandits through their backs and pinning them to a massive ancient tree fifty yards away.
Xiao Feng stood over the fallen leader, wiping the blood from his blade with a trembling hand, his breathing heavy. When he looked up at Li Chen, his posture had changed—the fear in his eyes had been replaced by an unwavering loyalty.
— I did not disgrace you, Master, — Xiao Feng said, bowing deeply.
— You survived. That is the only standard that matters, — Li Chen replied, walking past the bodies without a second glance. — Strip their belongings. We are entering the inner perimeter of the forest. The Ghost Market awaits.