Chapter 29: Epiphany

"Core force!"

"Another Core Force practitioner!"

As Li Pin and Wang Daoyi exchanged blows, the black market Guardian, Qi Dongyuan, and the others had their hearts shaken.

That young man had actually managed to cultivate Core Force!

Wang Daoyi had such rotten luck that he inadvertently chose a Core Force expert while he was trying to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys![1]

However, after careful consideration, this result actually seemed reasonable. The fact that that person had the audacity to spectate the battle by himself meant that he was either an ignorant fledgling simpleton or he was truly confident in his own capabilities.

Before the spectators could even laugh at Wang Daoyi's misfortune, the intense clash between him and the young Core Force user invigorated their spirits.

In the blink of an eye, the three consecutive Core Force attacks clashed with the speed and intensity of lightning, showcasing vividly the ferocity of a martial artist's life-and-death struggle.

Just as the rabbit jumps, the eagle plummets toward it! [2]

With just one misstep, that young Core Force user seized the opportunity, delivering a fatal blow that ended the fight!

Throughout the fight, neither participant showed even half a second of hesitation. Every move and technique was unleashed with maximum force, executing at its strongest state, showcasing the greatness of Core Force and the Core Formation realm at its absolute limit.

This was not only a confrontation of qi and blood, but also a showdown between spirit and will! If it were anyone who had showcased even a sliver of hesitation, fear, or thoughts of retreat in their hearts, they would undoubtedly have died even faster than Wang Daoyi.

Unfortunately, although Wang Daoyi was strong, that young Core Force user was even stronger!

When Wang Daoyi had heavily smashed into the ground, the sound of the collision reverberated like a giant hammer violently striking the hearts of the ten odd spectators in the arena, shaking each of them to their core.

"So powerful! This Core Force...!"

The pupils of Qi Dongyuan, who was also a Core Force user, dilated sharply. He had a feeling that if he had been in Wang Daoyi's shoes, he would've suffered the same fate!

Not to mention him, even the black market Guardian's eyelids couldn't stop twitching due to fear, and he was a Core Formation expert! Despite being a battle-hardened Core Formation martial artist, he wasn't confident that he would've been able to do better than this young Core Force user in a fight against Wang Daoyi, who had even already been injured prior to their fight!

"When did such a powerful person appear in Zanglong City? And judging by his voice... he seems to be very young!"

Additionally, Qi Dongyuan was bewildered.

His physique is obviously inferior to Wang Daoyi, so him using a head-on exchange of violent collisions to cause Wang Daoyi's internal injuries to flare was indeed the correct tactic! But... he clearly has not reached the realm of Core Formation, how can he release three consecutive Core Force attacks!? How is his body able to withstand such an explosive eruption!?

His heart was truly filled with bewilderment as he stared at the young man standing calmly in place.

***

"Core Formation."

Li Pin calmly stood in place, quietly replaying and experiencing the feeling when his Core Force clashed with that of Wang Daoyi. He felt the discomfort and pain brought about by the violent vibrations of Core Force penetrating his skin and compressing the bones with each clash.

This kind of feeling...was like a sensation of being reborn.

In many cases, people's senses were limited to the larger parts of the body, such as the torso, limbs, and head.

However, under the penetrating reverberations of Core Force through his body, Li Pin could feel not only his muscles, meridians, and bones, but also a sharp, perforating pain from inside his bones, stemming from residual injuries caused by the Core Force to his periosteum, bone structure, and bone marrow. These kinds of feedback and sensations... allowed him to keenly feel the presence of each and every part of his body, as if they were greeting him with the warmest gestures.

He couldn't help but let out a deep sigh from the depths of his heart.

"It hurts."

It was precisely these painful sensations that made him realize that he was no longer just a mind in a body, like a driver in a vehicle. He and his body had become one, a union of mind and body, one that formed an indistinguishable whole.

"This is great," Li Pin muttered to himself.

It was like a massage. Although the process was a bit painful, it was truly comfortable afterward.

After a while, Li Pin moved his red and swollen arm slightly. After feeling a hot burning sensation, he contentedly relaxed from his mental immersion of the sensations derived from the vibrations, clashes, and microfractures caused by Core Force on his body.

Showing no regard for the dignity of an expert, he rifled through Wang Daoyi's corpse. Not long after, he retrieved two booklets, a data disk, and a few large denomination banknotes.

Without a shred of politeness, he directly stashed these spoils of battle away. After that, he looked at the members of the Five Elements Sect, black market Guardian, and the eight martial artists. As his gaze swept over them, the eyes of the eight martial artists, including three big, burly men, simultaneously flinched.

Not daring to stay here any longer, they swiftly left with their seven peers.

On the black market's side, that Core Formation martial artist smiled faintly and asked, "Should we dispose of these corpses?"

"Mr. Yi, you don't need to worry about this. They are all members of the Five Elements Sect. We will need to bring them back," Qi Dongyuan said while forcibly enduring his injuries.

The Core Formation martial artist known as Mr. Yi nodded, turned, and cupped his hands toward Li Pin, indicating that he meant no harm before leaving with the other two people.

"Thirty million yuan?" probed Qi Dongyuan.

"Of course," Li Pin replied.

Hearing this, Qi Dongyuan's heart flinched.

Having witnessed Li Pin's ferocity, they did not dare to try and weasel out of the amount demanded and hurriedly urged, "Please give us your contact or account number, Sir."

Li Pin gave them an account number.

Qi Dongyuan said sincerely, "Please rest assured, Sir. We will transfer the money to your account promptly."

"I trust in the reputation of the Five Elements Sect," Li Pin said and turned to leave.

Only after Li Pin left did the several Force Cultivators, who had previously scattered and fled, rush back over.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Their faces filled with mourning as they stared at the bodies on the ground.

Qi Dongyuan sighed and said, "Bring them back to the sect first."

***

It was the following dawn.

The Five Elements Sect was shrouded in an atmosphere of sorrow.

At this moment, not only had the other experts of the Five Elements Sect gathered, but Cao Tianyou and Zhao Yuan, who were far away in the capital, had also rushed back to Zanglong City.

"Bastard! What a bastard!"

At this moment, Zhao Yuan's complexion was flushed red. He was livid, and he vented his anger out on Wang Daoyi's corpse.

Meanwhile, Cao Tianyou, the aged Aura Force Grandmaster, sat next to Cao Zuoqiu's corpse. His eyes were filled with boundless pain and sorrow. He was sixty-six, but he appeared far older at this moment.

Cao Zuoqiu was Cao Tianyou's son. Although he was not his only son, he was the only one amongst his children that inherited his mantle and cultivated to the Core Formation realm.

His death undoubtedly crushed the spirit and broke the spine of Cao Tianyou, the sect master.

"Sect Master...."

A slightly cleaned-up Qi Dongyuan looked at Cao Tianyou, whose spirit had collapsed, and said in consolation, "The dead cannot be brought back to life. My condolences...."

"I never imagined that my son would go before me..." Cao Tianyou said forlornly, finally withdrawing his gaze from Cao Zuoqiu. "Place him into the coffin."

Instantly, the disciples quickly arranged it.

Other scions assisted Cao Tianyou into another room.

"Have you found out anything?"

"We have people in the bank; they have investigated, he gave his real name and account number."

Qi Dongyuan handed over a package of information.

Cao Tianyou glanced at it, focusing momentarily on the "Changfeng Martial Arts School" Li Pin came from and his age of twenty-two.

"It's inevitable... the younger generation will surely surpass the older generation."

It was a while before he instructed, "Transfer the money over as soon as possible."

After saying that, he let out a long breath, "Our Five Elements Sect can no longer withstand such turmoil anymore."

1. Chinese idiom that means to make an example out of someone to keep others in line ☜

2. Chinese idiom referring to a situation showcasing extreme reaction speed and agility ☜