Chapter Forty-Two: Courage Born of Shame

Page 1/3

The cold wind rustled through the empty streets at night.

Inside the Changyun Inn, dozens of cultivators trembled, their teeth chattering uncontrollably.

The scene of Xu Zhe unleashing two punches and slaughtering nearly a hundred "Jingshen" assassins on the spot lingered in their minds, haunting them.

"Too... too terrifying."

"Earlier, I thought that if 'Jingshen' wanted to take down Xu the Prodigy, at least ten of them would have to die. I thought I was already overestimating him, but I never expected this..."

"How did he do it? It's only been five days since his awakening—what can one accomplish in five days?"

"Bronze skin, a physical body, the Foundation Establishment realm, and Golden Core-level strength, all in just five days!"

"No prodigy before him has ever achieved such a cultivation speed—it's beyond our comprehension."

"When he defeated Qi Ming, perhaps many dismissed it, but after tonight's battle spreads, countless people will be unable to sit still."

"Xu the Prodigy seems to have stirred up muddy waters, and now he's waded into them himself. Who knows if he'll be able to climb out again?"

The crowd whispered among themselves, their shock and awe palpable.

In an upstairs private room—

Liu Gaoqing, Zhang Wuma, Lin Xiu, and several disciples of the Dao of Destiny sat silently, staring at each other, the air heavy with tension.

"What do you two plan to do?" Lin Xiu finally broke the silence.

Liu Gaoqing and Zhang Wuma could only force a bitter smile and shake their heads, unable to answer.

Lin Xiu continued, "If tonight's events spread, it will surely incite chaos. Countless factions will become interested in the secrets Xu the Prodigy carries."

"More than that," Liu Gaoqing sighed, "even the Four Continents Council will probably get some wicked ideas."

"This is tantamount to forcing Xu the Prodigy into a dead end," Zhang Wuma frowned.

"But there's nothing we can do—the number of witnesses tonight is too great. And Xu the Prodigy spared many 'Jingshen' assassins; once they return, there will only be more frenzied attempts on his life."

Lin Xiu looked up, his expression complicated. "That punch was too astonishing, too powerful. In all the techniques of the human race, when has such a fist technique ever existed?"

"Hahaha, think back to just five days ago—everyone looked down on him, discussing the 'mortal bloodline' with such arrogance. And now, within five days, those people have all become a joke," Zhang Wuma laughed.

"I have a feeling that Xu the Prodigy, the last of his kind, may well overturn this era and the rule of the beast-blooded," Liu Gaoqing said solemnly.

"Enough," Lin Xiu suddenly stood. "I propose we seal and keep confidential tonight's recorded footage, at least for now."

"What? Senior Brother Lin, are you mad?"

Liu Gaoqing's eyes widened in shock. "Even if we keep the footage secret, word of tonight will still get out. Are we really going to just throw away this achievement that fell into our laps?"

"But at least this way, our consciences will be clear," Lin Xiu said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"In this line of work, since when do we talk about clear consciences? Don't forget the precept of the Dao of Destiny: the people of the world have the right to know," Liu Gaoqing snapped.

"Let's put it to a vote. Those in favor of releasing the footage, raise your hands," Lin Xiu said, shaking his head, unwilling to argue further.

"Release it!"

Liu Gaoqing immediately raised his hand. After a moment's thought, Zhang Wuma did as well.

The other disciples hesitated briefly, then raised their hands too. Such a great achievement—they couldn't just let it slip by.

"I'm withdrawing," Lin Xiu said indifferently, stepping downstairs.

Page 2/3

The faint moonlight spilled across his form, stretching his shadow longer and longer until, at last, he disappeared from their sight.

In the private room, Liu Gaoqing, Zhang Wuma, and the others were left speechless, a faint sense of suffocation growing in their chests.

Amid the silence, Liu Gaoqing seemed to recall something. His expression changed abruptly.

"This is bad."

He stood up at once and rushed out the door.

Zhang Wuma started, then quickly followed, leaving the Dao of Destiny disciples exchanging confused glances.

What's going on?

Two hours later, a streak of light shot out from the depths of the Prodigy Valley, landing at the border.

It was Lin Xiu.

A giant sword strapped to his back and a token in hand, he passed through the border guards without trouble, stepping into the Southern Sky Continent.

He swiftly produced a Universal Jade Tablet, manipulating it nimbly.

"This achievement—I'll take it for myself," Lin Xiu sneered, uploading a recorded segment to the Spirit Web.

...

Meanwhile, in the city of Tianhe—

Xu Zhe had already returned to the Prodigy Tower. He washed up, packed a few changes of clothes and some provisions into a bundle, and slung it over his shoulder.

In the trash bin, the storage ring still lay where he'd discarded it.

Xu Zhe glanced at it calmly, a faint smile on his lips.

Saying farewell to the storage ring was like truly saying goodbye to his past.

He was leaving.

Tonight's battle had revealed his shortcomings.

Though those two punches were powerful enough, the technique itself was forced—a taxing offensive art that depleted both his spiritual sense and inner energy by more than half.

In other words, with his current strength, he could only unleash four full-force "God-Breaking Delusions."

If his enemies were bunched together, one blow could at most affect fifty people.

Four punches—at most two hundred could be slain.

But what if, this night, there were not two hundred assassins, but two hundred and one? Wouldn't he be in grave danger, at risk of dying suddenly all over again?

Every time this thought crossed his mind, Xu Zhe felt as though he sat on pins and needles, a thorn stabbing at his back and a bone stuck in his throat...

For an Immortal Emperor to die suddenly—there was no shame in that.

But I, Xu Zhe, must know shame, and thus grow stronger.

Collecting the offensive arts of the Twelve Divine Halls and perfecting the "Classic of Righteousness Sealing Demons" was now urgent.

In this life, I cannot die!

Xu Zhe clenched his fists, shouldered his bundle, and turned to leave.

The street outside the Prodigy Tower was still deserted under the night.

Xu Zhe took a step forward.

Squish!

He seemed to step on something. Looking down, he saw a pair of enormous eyeballs burst beneath his foot.

Page 3/3

"Strange... could it be that Heaven is warning me—to observe and reflect upon myself more in the future?"

Xu Zhe paused, nodding silently.

Indeed, he ought to. After all, he was no longer who he was in his past life—no longer sheltered by a powerful family, nor the recipient of endless resources. Now, everything depended on himself.

Xu Zhe, you must not squander time again.

It's already been five full days since awakening. With such a body full of potential and a handsome face, and yet only just stepping into Foundation Establishment—what sloth and idleness!

Setting out once more, Xu Zhe took up a pen in one hand and his diary in the other, jotting down today's reflections as he walked.

Half an hour later, after crossing countless blocks, he slipped into a dim alleyway.

He moved aside a battered water jar and, standing in a dilapidated corner, used a series of hand seals as described by those subsidiary disciples of the Rooster Hall near Zhang Lin.

Boom!

The entire wall shuddered, dust falling away as circles of bright runes lit up.

Then, the wall slowly turned translucent—becoming a pane of crystal-clear glass!

At the center, a round hole appeared, rapidly widening into the entrance of a tunnel.

"This glass..."

Xu Zhe started, a scene flashing in his mind—the self-generating glass domes on that deserted island ten thousand years ago.

"No, when I checked those sleeping pods before, all the glass covers had become ordinary tempered glass, easily shattered with brute force. What's going on..."

Xu Zhe furrowed his brow, pondering, but found no answer.

The glass at the tunnel's entrance began to fade, as if it would revert to being a wall.

"Never mind, this isn't urgent," Xu Zhe murmured, stepping into the opening.

The entrance closed behind him, the glass vanishing, the wall returning to its rundown state. The water jar slid back to its original spot.

...

Within the tunnel, all was pitch black at first.

But as Xu Zhe entered, a gentle glow gradually illuminated his path.

The light came from small luminous stones set into the tunnel walls.

"Nightglow stones—nothing special," Xu Zhe noted, preparing to move on.

But suddenly, in the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a painting.

He stopped, turned back to the stone wall, and saw, scattered among the nightglow stones, a series of murals. Perhaps worn by the passage of ages, most had lost their color—some were mere outlines, others had faded away entirely.

"These murals... seem to depict a great war."

Xu Zhe narrowed his eyes, observing closely.

"A group of people... no, these appear to be cultivators fighting against one person—and a fierce beast? Why does the beast look like a dog? Wait, what's this? Later on, it's a group of cultivators battling a giant dragon?"

Xu Zhe was baffled—the missing sections of the mural were too many, the rest too blurred for him to gather much from the fragments.

...