"I'll restrict my strength to that of an early-stage martial lord, but let me warn you, just because you're now a late-stage martial lord, don't think you can be complacent," Murdoch said with a sharp tone."I'll show you that the difference between stages and levels can be completely disregarded, especially since I sense an unusual life force within you. My strikes will be lethal, so from now on, you'd better remain vigilant at all times because I might attack suddenly."Now, let's see your strength," Murdoch continued. "Hit me with everything you've got. If you manage to make me take even half a step back, I'll count today as your win!"Chase hesitated at Murdoch's dismissive attitude. He could not quite grasp the situation. First, Murdoch claimed to know his father and offered to teach him some advanced techniques. Now, he wanted Chase to hit him?Chase could not help but wonder if this old man was a masochist.Murdoch's impatience flared. "You've got such a dull spirit! I told
Chase lay flat on the smooth, water-like surface, resting for a good one to two hours before he managed to muster enough strength to get up.With a thought, he exited the Dragon Vein Secret Realm and reappeared in Herb Hall, only to see Trek and a few other Basalt comrades staring at him in disbelief."Trek, go call Miracle Doctor Skylar," Chase ordered weakly, not wanting to move."No need, I'm already here. What on earth happened to you? Why do you look like this?" Skylar asked, his face filled with shock. As a skilled healer, he could easily tell that Chase had taken quite a beating.Chase did not bother explaining and simply asked Skylar if he had any medicinal herbs to help nourish his body."I do have them, but why do you need them? Did the battle with Chandler really injure you that badly?" Skylar asked curiously."Yes, a bit, but mostly, I need them for my closed-door cultivation," Chase replied evasively.This simple response caused Quinn, who had been standing nearby,
Stretching lazily, Chase sat in front of Trek and Quinn, taking sip after sip from the bottle of wine. Seeing their worried, long faces, he chuckled. "I'm fine, really. My strength is advancing by leaps and bounds."Hearing this, Trek and Quinn exchanged glances. It seemed Chase had somehow managed to gain insights even while getting beaten up.Once he felt a bit better, Chase sent Trek off first. Trek was only helping out at Herb Hall during the day and still needed to return to the base at night. Fortunately, his cultivation level made the distance easy to cover.The next day, Skylar told Chase that no one had signed up to challenge him. Without hesitation, Chase went straight into the Dragon Vein Secret Realm to continue his training.Before starting, he casually asked if he should practice some blade or sword techniques.Murdoch flew into a rage, scolding him about not even having learned how to walk properly yet and already wanting to run. After that, Murdoch used the pretens
"That's right. The most powerful person must be an elite from the sects and clans. At the very least, it would be a successor from an influential family, not people like us. That's the last fight. There's no need to be impatient. We should focus on what's happening now and decide on who to bet on and earn some extra money." "Yeah. I heard that Bactria Express wants to turn this into the match of the century. They're working with the Two Sects, Three Schools, and Four Clans, as well as the Eight Influential Families to organize this. They even prepared extravagant prizes for the top three fighters. I heard that the strongest among them will receive a spiritual treasure!""A spiritual treasure?! I can't believe a treasure like that would exist in this world!"…The streets and alleys of Capital City were filled with such rumors, and everyone was talking about them. Even ordinary people who were not martial artists knew about them.Despite this, ordinary people did not think much of
Chase's cultivation this time was a rare opportunity for him as Murdoch was quite brutal and strict with his training. Even so, Chase had never once thought about giving up. He was not only training his divine abilities, he was also training to be resilient.When it came to passing down knowledge and answering questions, a knowing teacher was better than a renowned teacher. Murdoch was a knowing teacher who knew exactly how to teach despite never explaining or preaching much to Chase.His teachings somehow influenced Chase subtly and unknowingly.That was the reason why Chase was willing to let Murdoch train him however deemed fit.There was another reason for that. After the first time Chase was beaten up, the divine Black Turtle suddenly contacted Chase. He specifically informed Chase to learn from Murdoch without worry. He even advised Chase not to be in a hurry to meld his realms. Chase could sense that the divine Black Turtle was being very serious about this and took the ad
This was the start of the Martial Arts Challenge of Capital City, Bactria.There were only two days left before the challenge started, and Chase finally left his secret realm. He appeared in Herb Hall.Compared to before, Herb Hall was now much livelier.This was especially after Bactria Express released a statement with the nine top sects. Besides Chase, there would be three other defenders in Herb Hall. Many people had arrived in the hopes of becoming a defender of Herb Hall.A few days had passed, and the three other defenders had been chosen.Chase saw three people at Skylar's quarters."These are the three young, talented people who emerged at the top from the matches. This is Chase Collins. The four of you will represent Herb Hall, and I hope that you'll be able to emerge at the top. It's going to be harder on you, Chase, because you need to lead them. Come on, you should get to know each other," Skylar said casually.There were two men and one woman. Chase did not know wh
"Can we attack another arena?""That wasn't specified, but I think we can. The other defenders might consider us weak and easily bullied, and they might make a targeted attack on us, which is not impossible.""Who did you three initially decide to be the first to defend our arena?" Chase asked the three of them."We had initially decided for Stan to take the first shift. He had requested it as well. You might not know this, Chase, but Stan got to where he is today through his own hard work at cultivating. He achieved his cultivation level by facing various challenges. He doesn't fear being challenged by another fighter, but if you want to be the first to be in the arena, that's fine with us as well."Summer had a good impression of Stan."That's fine. I'm good with your decision."Chase did not mind the arrangement. He knew from the moment he met them that all three of them were not his match. If that was so, there was no reason to win a fight over people whom the three of them c
Chase approached Nikolai alone to prove his thoughts.It was a strange feeling. Chase could clearly sense that he was just an ordinary man. There were no fluctuations in his body, and he was just the same as any other ordinary person out there, but Chase had to find out for sure."Nikolai?" Chase called out cautiously.The man who looked like Nikolai ignored him.Chase decided not to bother the man further when he was ignored.However, the man called out to him the moment Chase turned around."Why would you doubt yourself when you've already recognized me?""It is you, Nikolai. Why did you leave the Salvatores' secret realm and come here?"Chase was surprised but bewildered at the same time."Leave? I never left. I've been waiting for you to do business.""Oh? What business is this?"Chase got interested at the mention of a business opportunity."I'm preparing to put up bets for this challenge. I'm placing a bet on you as the upcoming champion. Try to refrain from revealing
"That's right! Kill him!"The remaining warriors gritted their teeth, their faces twisting with rage as they spread out and surrounded Chase.Although they were wary of Chase's strength, there was not a trace of fear in their expressions."I don't enjoy killing unnecessarily," Chase said calmly as his gaze swept across the group. "If you leave now, I promise not to harm any of you.""Stop wasting your breath!" the bearded man roared. Brandishing a long blade, he charged at Chase. "Kill him! Kill this beast!"In an instant, icy flashes of blade light sliced toward Chase.These attackers, all at the mid-stage of martial god, unleashed their sharpest attacks without hesitation. Each move was deadly and decisive, aiming to give Chase no chance to retaliate.However, Chase simply raised his palm and struck. With each punch, he unleashed an overwhelming force that shattered all the incoming blades of light.The last attacker was blasted into the air, coughing up a mouthful of blood b
'This place must have more monsters. I'll return later to collect them. If other warriors grab the spoils, it'll be a huge loss,' Chase thought to himself.He stood up, his gaze sweeping across the distant warriors. "Scram," he said coldly.At that moment, the sound of rushing wind echoed in the distance. Eight warriors dashed forward at incredible speed, landing near Chase in the blink of an eye.These eight individuals were all martial gods, and among them were two particularly powerful elders who had already reached the mid-stage of martial god.The two leading figures radiated the most imposing aura. One wore a purple crown while the other had a thick beard and piercing, sinister eyes."Where's Lysander? What happened to him?" the bearded man demanded."He's dead," Chase replied indifferently."What?! Who dares to kill him?!" The bearded man erupted in rage, his eyes burning with fury as he glared at Chase.The other warriors were equally shocked. Lysander, an early-stage m
Lysander's body trembled as he gathered all the martial god energy within him, channeling it into his legs. He unleashed a flurry of kicks, each imbued with the force of his energy.At that moment, Lysander appeared like a masterful fighter. His movements were sharp and relentless.Each kick was faster than the last, and every punch carried a force that could shatter mountains as it slammed into the wild tiger's abdomen.The tiger howled in pain as its massive body slid several feet to the side. Its stomach was dented and bleeding profusely.However, Lysander's situation deteriorated rapidly. His body was drenched in blood, and his injuries became critical.The tiger lunged again, its jaws clamping down on Lysander's shoulder with a sickening crunch. Bones shattered, and blood sprayed in all directions, soaking his clothes."Help me!" Lysander cried out desperately."Run! Just run!" shouted the remaining martial artists who had not gotten far.The scene resembled a nightmare, l
The next day, Chase continued his journey.Suddenly, the ground began to tremble violently. In Chase's line of sight, a massive tiger-leopard hybrid came barreling toward him, its enormous paws smashing trees into splinters as it charged forward.This beast was akin to a martial god-level wild tiger, with a hulking frame, fur as tough as iron, and an aura radiating intense negative energy.The wild tiger let out a deafening roar. Its soundwaves reverberated in all directions, shaking the earth and instilling sheer terror in anyone who heard it."Damn it! That beast is back again!" a young martial artist cursed through gritted teeth.His left arm hung limp, shattered, and his chest bore a gruesome gash. He had nearly died from the tiger's earlier attack."Run! If we don't run now, we're dead!"The remaining five or six young martial artists turned and fled in panic.This wild tiger's strength was overwhelmingly powerful. Even elite martial god-level warriors would avoid a direct
The giant ape's massive club swept through the air, creating a terrifying gust that caused the crowns of nearby ancient trees to tremble violently.Meanwhile, Chase executed the techniques of his secret codex with agile movements. His figure flashed like lightning as he dodged the attack with precision.He surged forward without hesitation and delivered a fierce punch directly to the ape's abdomen.This strike was even more powerful than before, twisting the ape's intestines into a mess and splattering blood across the ground.The giant ape howled in anguish, thrashing wildly in an attempt to shake off its pain.Out of the corner of his eye, Chase noticed a crimson serpent coiled nearby. It slithered sinuously, measuring around ten feet long, with a body that released a pungent stench.The snake's cold, piercing gaze was fixed on Chase. It emanated a chilling sense of oppression. Its forked tongue flicked out menacingly as it launched itself at him.Chase's expression hardened.
The massive ape spread its enormous wings that spanned 25 feet in width, creating a dark shadow that blocked out the sunlight like two great black clouds.The ape let out a deafening bellow, a primal roar that resonated with the ferocity of an ancient beast.In an instant, the surrounding area—nearly 300 feet in radius—was swept by fierce winds. Sand whirled through the air, grass was uprooted, and trees swayed violently as their branches rattled and leaves scattered.The air was heavy with a menacing energy."A monster!" Chase muttered, narrowing his eyes as he took a defensive stance.The aura emanating from this creature was suffocating, its strength comparable to that of a martial god at its peak."Perfect! Let this serve as a lesson to all those fools that I'm not someone to be trifled with!"Chase launched himself forward without hesitation, closing the distance with the towering beast.His fist collided with the air, creating a sharp sonic boom that reverberated through
A sharp blade appeared in Chase's hand.This was a spiritual artifact named Azure Edge, forged by a renowned swordsmith after considerable expense and effort.A flash of cold light swept across, instantly felling over a dozen ghostly creatures.They stood no chance against Chase's strikes. Their throats were slit, and their heads separated cleanly from their bodies.A crimson crystal dropped into Chase's palm.It appeared unremarkable at first glance, but it contained a thick, viscous vitality and was more potent than ordinary blood. A faint spiritual essence seemed to pulse within it, emanating an almost sentient energy."Is this a ghost crystal?" Chase's eyes lit up with excitement.He immediately sat down cross-legged, focusing on restoring his depleted vitality.Within his core, his Sea of True Energy roiled and churned. Vitality surged as waves of energy coursed through his bloodstream, refining his muscles and bones."This ghost crystal is incredible. It's allowing my bo
Chase's pupils contracted as he sensed the impending danger.He unleashed a barrage of punches in an instant, executing the most powerful technique from the Dominion Codex.The void trembled and cracked as Chase staggered back several steps. Despite the force of his strikes, his attack barely grazed the massive beast's claws, leaving only minor scratches.The beast howled furiously, its eyes filled with unrestrained violence.Chase fixed his gaze on it, and he asked in a wary tone, "Who… or what are you?"The creature's aura was pure savagery. Its heavy, steel-like scales were nearly impenetrable. Chase's full-strength attacks barely left a mark, let alone inflicted critical damage.The beast let out a deafening roar and leaped forward, spewing a foul, dark liquid at Chase.Where the liquid hit the ground, it immediately began to corrode, releasing an acrid stench. The substance seeped into the soil like acid, causing nearby plants to wither and die almost instantly.Chase reac
"Damn it! What kind of mysterious medicine is this? The pain is unbearable!"Moments later, Chase calmed down, and his expression was dazed as he muttered to himself, "That scene… Could it have been an illusion?"Chase refused to believe it was merely an illusion. After all, if it were, how could he have seen that towering, majestic mountain?That night, Chase stayed in the cave instead of leaving. He continued to study the Dominion Codex, determined to master the technique as quickly as possible and ascend to a higher realm.…Meanwhile, a man clad in armor stood suspended in the air in another location.The man's posture was upright, his features sharp and striking, with eyes as deep and vast as the cosmos. He exuded an overwhelming aura of sharpness and power."So, it was an illusion?"The man frowned slightly, sensing a faint aura belonging to the Ghost King bloodline emanating from Chase. This discovery puzzled him."Something feels off," he murmured. "This human's bloodl