Chapter Nine: The Powerful Left Arm

After an unknown length of time, the blood-red world surrounding Jiang Feng gradually faded, and a brilliant light shone into his eyes.

“How many days have passed this time?” Jiang Feng yawned and slowly opened his eyes.

“Hmm? The three-segmented pearl fruit is indeed gone.” He glanced at his leg.

“What’s this! The strength in my left arm remains. As expected, things gained in the Blood Prison Killing Realm can be brought out, though the injuries were illusory.” Jiang Feng punched the wall, producing a cracking sound.

A thick beam of wood snapped in two.

“So powerful, the strength in my left arm is at least at the second stage of Nether Martial, perhaps infinitely close to the third stage.”

“I never thought the Blood Prison Killing Realm would have such benefits.”

Jiang Feng left the small house and headed straight for the kitchen.

“Young master, you’re awake.” Inside, Lan Xin was busy; upon seeing Jiang Feng, she hurriedly stood up.

“How many days did I sleep this time?” Jiang Feng frowned slightly. In the Blood Prison Killing Realm, he couldn’t control the passage of time well—indeed, a problem.

“Four days.” Lan Xin’s eyes widened. This young master used to go four days without sleep, now he sleeps for four days straight—truly odd.

“No wonder I’m so hungry. Hurry and bring me something to eat.”

Lan Xin uttered a startled cry, hastily set aside her work, and scrambled to prepare food for Jiang Feng.

“Anything happen these past days?” Jiang Feng asked as he ate.

“Not much, just that the old master scolded the third master, Young Master Jiang Shan woke up yesterday, Young Master Jiang Xin fell into a big fish the day before, and Ah Xiang from the East Courtyard bought a—”

“All right, all right, I got it.” Jiang Feng nearly spat out his food. This little girl’s stories seemed to stray ever farther.

His memories of the family appeared to end right here. Aside from his father’s passing in a year, there was nothing useful. It seemed everything depended on himself; he couldn’t presume that being reborn meant he could act without restraint.

Jiang Feng sighed, preparing to lift a bowl of chicken soup to his mouth.

But with a crack—

His left hand had barely touched the porcelain bowl before crushing it to fragments, hot soup splashing everywhere.

“Ah—are you all right?” Lan Xin jumped in fright, quickly pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the oil from Jiang Feng’s clothes.

“It’s fine,” Jiang Feng said with a smile.

“Though my left arm is strong, it will take some time to control it freely.”

Wiping his mouth, he said, “Lan Xin, tell my father I’m going out for a while—it could be days, it could be months before I return.”

Lan Xin nodded, but dared not ask where the young master was headed; servants were not meant to meddle in such matters.

Jiang Feng didn’t leave through the main gate, but slipped through the back hill, making his way straight to the towering courtyard wall.

The wall was built of black stone, reputed to have a deterrent effect on low-level Nether Beasts; this was why the Jiang family dared settle at the edge of the Nether Beast mountain range.

The wall was three zhang tall—for Jiang Feng as he used to be, even climbing over it would have been difficult. (In the story, zhang is like meters, decimeters, centimeters.)

But now, he was utterly changed.

He crouched, his left arm pressed to the ground, judged the height, and suddenly leapt upwards. He moved so swiftly the nearby branches shattered and fluttered in the wake.

Landing steadily, Jiang Feng pressed onward, deeper into the mountains.

This was the extreme edge of the Nether Beast range, at best a branch of a branch. Yet even so, the dangers lurking in these wild hills were not for ordinary people to challenge.

Those who ventured here were either Nether Bandit gangs or family powers.

After walking a while, the trees grew taller, and all manner of unfamiliar plants vied for attention. Small creatures, startled by his footsteps, scattered in all directions.

“Only small fry here. If I want to train against stronger beasts, I’ll have to go further in.” Without hesitation, Jiang Feng continued deeper.

A low, guttural roar suddenly sounded, immediately catching his attention.

“Something’s moving!”

His heart leapt; he darted behind a large tree. Not long after, a massive black wild boar lumbered into view.

Jiang Feng stared intently at the creature. Its entire body was covered in black bristles, hard as needles, two tusks and a single horn reflecting a chilling light beneath the sun.

“Well now, just outside and I run into a formidable foe. The One-Horned Iron-Hair Boar—a first-tier lower Nether Beast, its strength nearly matches the third stage of Nether Martial. But thanks to its powerful defenses, even experts at the fifth stage are reluctant to provoke it. You’ll be my first prey.”

Licking his lips, Jiang Feng strode out boldly.

“Roar—!” The boar, accustomed to charging at will, suddenly found a human brazenly appearing before it, and roared in fury. Its thick hind legs stomped the ground, sending a fierce gust as it thundered toward Jiang Feng, the ground shaking violently.

Its two huge tusks and lofty horn looked like sharp halberds, poised to pierce Jiang Feng through.

As the boar was about to ram him, Jiang Feng’s feet moved in strange patterns, swiftly sidestepping to the right. The iron-haired beast, unable to control its momentum, crashed straight into a nearby tree, toppling it with a crash.

“Perfect opportunity.” A cold gleam flashed in Jiang Feng’s eyes; surging power filled his left arm as he slammed a punch at the boar’s ear. The boar, a full zhang tall, was knocked flat, its head buried in the earth, blood streaming from its seven orifices.

Jiang Feng didn’t dare relax, raining blows like a storm onto the boar’s skull, the sound of bone shattering echoing forth.

“Phew—” Once the beast lay utterly still, Jiang Feng let out a breath. “First real combat—far too tense. The first punch clearly killed it, but I couldn’t control my instincts, wasted strength. That’s absolutely forbidden in battle.”

“This time will serve as a lesson, but I now understand my left arm’s power. To kill a beast famed for defense with a single punch—that’s already the strength of the fourth stage. But it was only because I found the boar’s weakness that I could strike so decisively. That’s how fighting should be—never blindly waste energy, focus everything on the critical attack.”

The sun climbed higher, but in the dense forest, the air remained cool and pleasant.

But that was only for the temperature. Anyone seeking shade here would not last an hour before their bones were scattered.

From a patch of brambles, a black shadow suddenly shot forth, its speed so great it left afterimages. Yet even so, another shadow was quicker: as the first leapt, another appeared at its right side, as if from nowhere, and a small fist wrapped in wind struck it before it could dodge.

Bang—

Jiang Feng dropped from the air, half-kneeling, faint traces of blood on his left hand.

The other shadow was hurled to the ground, bouncing several times before splattering blood everywhere, unmoving.

“This Ghost Rabbit’s speed is indeed extraordinary, the fastest among first-tier Nether Beasts. Pity it met me. Turns out the Shadow Dance Soul-Shattering Step not only evades attacks, but can launch surprise assaults. This near-instantaneous movement is truly miraculous! But it drains my spirit; each fight, I can only use it once, or I’ll collapse. The range is too short—against giant creatures or wide-area attacks, it’s useless.”

Jiang Feng reviewed his current strength.

“If I encounter Fang Shan again, he’ll surely use Double Wood Killing Fist right away. The safest approach is to raise my own strength to the fifth stage of Nether Martial. Unfortunately, the fourth movement of the stepping technique can’t be cultivated—just mimicking half a form exhausted my spirit.”

Suddenly, a black shadow sprang from the brambles, silently darting for Jiang Feng’s neck, its fangs gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Jiang Feng snorted, reaching back with his left hand. The sound of shattering bones and a scream followed. A first-tier lower Nether Beast, the so-called livestock killer Ghost Rabbit, was crushed in one move.

“Dare to ambush me—asking for death!”

“There’s no point staying here any longer. Using these first-tier lower beasts to familiarize myself with killing has served its purpose. Next, it’s time to raise the challenge.”

Casually picking up the Ghost Rabbit, Jiang Feng found a flat spot, built a fire, and roasted it for his meal.