"Ahh!~"
A piercing scream of agony echoed across the area, sharp enough to stab into everyone's ears and send shivers down their spines. The sheer intensity of the cry made it clear how unbearable the pain must be for the person behind it.
To the shock of the onlookers, the scream came from Du Feng. With his back turned toward the crowd, no one could see what had happened. All they noticed was his body trembling violently before he slowly collapsed backward.
"Du Feng!"
Roger shouted in alarm as Du Feng finally fell to the ground on his back, clutching at his groin with trembling hands. He writhed in pain, letting out blood-curdling screams that resembled the squeals of a dying pig.
Only then did the crowd notice Li Yunxiao lowering his right leg. It turned out that he had kneed Du Feng squarely in his manhood.
Seeing the horrified and astonished expressions around him, Li Yunxiao spread his hands innocently. "You all saw it—he came at me first. All I did was lift my knee. Who could've guessed he'd ram himself into it? Truly unlucky!"
"It was a knee strike? This guy is vicious!"
The male students watching instinctively shivered and covered their lower regions with their hands.
"Nooo! I'm ruined!" Du Feng howled as blood and other fluids seeped between his fingers. He continued to roll on the ground in agony, screaming at Roger, "Kill him! Roger, kill him now!"
Roger clenched his fists, the popping of his knuckles like firecrackers. "Li Yunxiao, you're too ruthless! How could you use such a despicable move against a classmate?"
Li Yunxiao shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't be so shameless. Everyone saw it—he ran into me himself. There are dozens of witnesses to back me up."
"You!" Roger was momentarily at a loss for words. Even he couldn't discern any foul play in the situation. But how could such a bizarre incident happen?
The onlookers were equally puzzled.
"That guy really just ran straight into him? Who the hell fights like that?"
"What an idiot. Who gets themselves injured like that? This is beyond strange!"
"Regardless of how it happened, you're still responsible!" Roger roared. "Today, I'll destroy you—cripple your limbs to avenge Du Feng!"
With that, he charged forward. This time, wary of the earlier mishap, he attacked from the side with a powerful punch.
The force of his punch whistled through the air like a storm, carrying enough strength to smash through a boulder.
"He's strong! He's clearly a high-level Martial Disciple!"
"A Martial Disciple with five opened meridians can achieve that kind of power. I wonder how many he's opened?"
"Judging by his punch, he's likely opened the fifth meridian. That's bad news for Li Yunxiao."
"Yunxiao, dodge!" Han Bai shouted urgently, rushing forward to intercept the attack. Though no match for Roger, he figured taking the punch himself would only leave him injured, whereas Li Yunxiao might lose his life.
"Zheng!"
Li Yunxiao calmly grasped the hilt of a heavy black iron sword planted in the ground. With great effort, he raised the sword and held it in front of him, the tip pointed toward Roger. His arms shook under the weight, and his stance looked unsteady, as though a gust of wind might topple him.
"Bang!~"
A sharp hum resonated as Roger's fist collided directly with the blade's edge.
"Ahhh! My hand!~"
Roger screamed in pain, clutching his bleeding right hand with his left. Blood dripped freely to the ground, and the excruciating pain made him tremble. To his horror, he realized that his knuckles had fractured under the impact.
Han Bai, halfway through his charge, froze mid-step, completely dumbfounded.
"What just happened?"
Even the most clueless observer could sense that something was off.
"How could anyone punch directly into a blade like that? Does he think he's a Martial Artist with enough inner energy to deflect swords?"
"Who would be that stupid? Something about that guy with the sword isn't right!"
"I agree, but he doesn't seem to have any inner power at all. I swear I saw Roger aim his punch straight into the blade!"
"This is insane. It's just like what happened with Du Feng earlier!"
The crowd buzzed with astonishment, unable to grasp the situation.
In truth, Li Yunxiao, though devoid of strength himself, had relied on his keen martial instincts as a former Emperor of the Nine Heavens. Predicting Roger's attack trajectory, he had subtly adjusted the sword's position just in time for Roger's fist to hit the blade.
"Hmph. If I can't even handle a few Martial Disciples, I might as well bash my own head in!" Li Yunxiao sneered, hefting the massive sword onto his shoulder and walking toward Roger. "You dare harm my friends? I'll destroy both your hands!"
He swung the sword downward. Roger, sensing impending doom, tried to retreat, only to find himself completely cornered. The blade seemed to cover all his escape routes, forcing him into a state of helplessness he had never experienced, not even against Martial Artists.
"Ahhh!~"
The sword landed squarely on Roger's left hand, shattering it in a burst of blood. Both his hands now lay mangled and useless.
"Come after me again, and next time I'll destroy your manhood!"
"Ahhh! No, please! I was wrong! Have mercy, Young Master Yun!"
"Bang!~"
Without hesitation, Li Yunxiao brought the flat of the blade down onto Roger's groin. The sickening sound sent shivers through every male onlooker, many of whom instinctively backed away.
"B-big brother, why didn't he even try to dodge?"
"I don't know, but let's get out of here. This guy is ruthless! I…I think I wet myself!"
Li Yunxiao turned his gaze to the writhing Du Feng. With a swift motion, he severed the tendons in both of Du Feng's wrists, leaving him to faint from the pain.
"Li Yunxiao, is that really you?" Qin Rushue asked in disbelief, struggling to process what she had just witnessed.
Chen Zhen suddenly grinned. "Young Master Yun, have your meridians healed? Have you opened your energy pathways?"
Li Yunxiao shook his head with a sigh. "Not yet."
"Then how…" Chen Zhen gestured toward the unconscious figures.
"They brought it on themselves," Li Yunxiao replied with a smile. "Didn't you see them run into me?"
Chen Zhen was at a loss for words. "Well, yes, but still…"
"Enough. You'll understand in time. I'm going back to the dormitory," Li Yunxiao said as he slung the heavy sword over his shoulder. "If the academy investigates, you all saw what happened."
"Li Yunxiao, you've caused a huge mess. The Du and Luo families won't let this go!" Qin Rushue shouted after him, her voice filled with worry.
Li Yunxiao paused briefly, then chuckled without turning around. "If they come looking for trouble, I'll just break all their little birds!"
Qin Rushue flushed red in anger and stomped her foot. "This Li Yunxiao! So crude! And why has he changed so much? It's infuriating!"
After leaving the crowd, Li Yunxiao made his way back to his dormitory in the academy. The academy was divided into various levels, and students here were either the elite prodigies selected from across the nation or the offspring of influential families, like Li Yunxiao.
Even though his family had abandoned him due to his constitution, as a member of the prestigious Li family in Tianshui, he still had access to a private dormitory with an attached training room.
"Phew!~"
Li Yunxiao casually tossed the heavy black iron sword to the ground and began stretching his body. He bent his knees, rotated his arms, and practiced various movements to loosen up his muscles and joints.
"This body is too weak. I need to strengthen it as soon as possible. The 霸天炼体诀 (Overlord's Body Refinement Technique) is the ultimate technique for cultivating physical strength, brimming with yang energy. In my past life, I acquired this technique too late and didn't have time to practice it before dying. Now, this is the perfect opportunity!"
He took a deep breath, crouched low, and slowly bent his body backward. His spine arched like a drawn bow, and a strange aura began to emanate from his body.
"Hah!"
A sharp, searing pain shot up his spine like a blade splitting him apart. His face contorted in agony as the pain overwhelmed him. Unable to control himself, he abruptly snapped back upright, staggered several steps, and fell heavily to the ground.