Piercer of Heaven (Chapter 35) (Patreon)

“Lin Xi, are you okay?!”

Suddenly, a tall, broad-shouldered young lady, more handsome than pretty, rushed out of the crowd of students. Coming to Lin Xi’s side, she showed an appearance of wanting to help, but not knowing how.

The protagonist, pale and trembling from pain, opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.

“Soul Force can allow a cultivator to withstand a level of pain they are normally unable to.”

Xu Shengmo didn’t even look at Lin Xi, nor did he pay attention to the young lady, giving him a resentful glare. Throwing aside the broken willow branch, he continued speaking.

“The reason why I could easily defeat you all is simple—strength and speed. No matter what clever tricks you come up with, when used against a superior opponent, they are worth less than trash.”

His cold gaze scanned the students, the youths feeling like Xu Shengmo could see the unease and fear in their hearts.

“Other academies may impart some flashy tricks, but under me, the only ‘tricks’ you will learn his how to strike vital spots, becoming more effective at the practice of killing…”

The elder’s eyes found Xu Zhenyan’s and, not seeing any hesitation or discomfort in them, the corned of his lips quirked upwards—a ferocious-looking grin.

“…but for those who want to remain on this bloody path until the end, perhaps even managing to keep their lives, there is only one method—engaging in endless real combat, persisting from day-to-day even when tired and injured.”

Giving Lin Xi’s bleeding form a quick look, he scoffed.

“Those wounds are barely skin-deep. Aside from pain, they will not impair you in any way. However, if you find it’s too much to bear, then you needn’t come to tomorrow’s lesson. Martial Skills isn’t for the faint hearted.”

However, it was clear to everyone there Xu Shengmo’s words weren’t just meant for Lin Xi, but them as well. Given most first-years were from well-to-do backgrounds, unused to hardship, many were already having second thoughts.

Then, out of nowhere, the elder suddenly started laughing.

“After seeing your fellow student beaten into such a miserable state, do you really want to give it a shot, nephew? Even if you had a breakthrough, you will end up just like him.”

Turning his head, his eyes once again locked with Xu Zhenyan’s.

The group of students collectively showed expressions of shock.

“Wait a minute… both surnamed Xu, could it be elder Xu and young master Xu are actually related?”

Suddenly, a female student, having put-two-and-two together, shouted involuntarily. Of course, it wasn’t just her—others also had suspicions, but after Xu Shengmo’s violent display, they didn’t want to make a nuisance of themselves.

Xu Zhenyan’s smile was a bit helpless.

In fact, he and Xu Shengmo were indeed related, but their blood-ties were distant, Xu Shengmo being a descendant of his great-granduncle. Xu Tianwang didn’t have a good relationship with that side of the family, so he’d never met any of them.

“…as expected of elder Xu. Without touching or even getting close to me, you’re already aware of my Soul Master cultivation.”

Given they had no relationship to speak of, he didn’t dare address Xu Shengmo with familiarity.

The man’s handsome face, marred only by a thin scar running from his left eye across his cheek and lips, twisted into a sneer.

“Don’t talk so much. I know you look down on that kid, thinking if it was you, you’d put up a better fight. In fact, I think you should come forward now, make it clear to everyone there won’t be preferential treatment.”

His tone didn’t contain a hint of familial affection.

It was worth noting that toward Lin Xi, Xu Shengmo only expressed indifference, mixed with some distain. However, toward his own nephew, he actually seemed to have some feelings of malice.

Xu Zhenyan didn’t miss Xu Shengmo’s attitude toward him.

Being barely discussed in the novel, he had no idea about the Xu family’s internal politics. Yet, it seemed the relationship between their two sides of the family was even worse than expected.

“…if you insist Elder, but I ask you go easy on me. Having only broken through last night, my foundation isn’t stable yet.”

Sighing inwardly, he took of his blue academy robes, exposing the plain white shirt underneath.

Since awaking from his coma, he wasn’t conservative at all when it came to eating, nor did he neglect his physical conditioning. For that reason, his appearance was no longer so skeletal, having gained at least twenty pounds over the past few months.

While the two members of the Xu family conversed calmly, the students’ shock only grew. What concept was that, breaking through to Soul Master at the age of fourteen? It was completely nonsensical.

“There’s no way… absolutely not.”

Qiu Lu, the same young master Xu Zhenyan met on the road and started a conflict with Lin Xi during admissions, spoke dumbly.

Yet, despite the words coming out of his mouth, he didn’t think elder Xu was lying—as soon as the two exchanged blows, Xu Zhenyan’s true abilities would be revealed for all to see.

Even Lin Xi, despite his injured state, had Hua Jiyue, the girl from earlier, help him into a sitting position.

Actually, at this time, he still wasn’t sure whether Xu Shengmo had a grudge against him or if he was just naturally vicious. After all, the two of them had never met before today, so there was no time for enmity to develop.

“Soul Master cultivation… even so, I don’t believe I’ll lose to him.”

He quietly voiced his determination, having marked Xu Zhenyan as someone he needed to surpass.

Hua Jiyue looked at him like looking at an idiot.

“What are you talking about, you almost died just now, yet you’re already looking for the next beating? Better to just sit still and recover, you still have Equestrian Archery after this.”

Shaking her head, she took a salve from goodness-knows-where before attending to his wounds.

“Wow, you really came prepared. Could it be, you actually knew elder Xu was so…”

Lin Xi, impressed by her forethought, started speaking, but when he saw Xu Zhenyan coming to stand in front of Xu Shengmo, he knew the fight was about to begin. Ignorant as he was about cultivation, now more than ever, he needed to watch and learn.

Xu Zhenyan breathed slowly and steadily, already having come up with a plan on how to proceed. Unfortunately, although he agreed with Xu Shengmo regarding the importance of strength over tricks, because of the difference between them, he could only rely on the latter.

‘…I don’t know his cultivation, but it can’t be less than State Master or Sacred Expert. Though, even if our levels were similar, his skills are far superior to mine. Victory is impossible, but getting a good hit in, maybe that’s within reach…’

Taking his time to warm up, he reflected on the only two advantages he possessed—his doubled reserve of Soul Force from having two souls, as well as the ability to replenish Soul Force while in combat.

The latter wasn’t something he could reveal, being impossible according to conventional knowledge of ki. The former, while unusual, wasn’t. Although it would surprise Xu Shengmo, some cultivators did indeed have naturally bigger reserves.

That is to say, if Xu Zhenyan pooled all his strength into a single blow, it would be twice as powerful as that of a normal Soul Master.

“How much longer are you going to take? In the border army, one needs to be ready at all times—there’s no such thing as being able to warm up meticulously before a fight.”

Xu Shengmo’s tone was impatient.

Not seeing any point in more strategizing, Xu Zhenyan nodded before assuming a stance.

Leading with his left foot, his hands hands were held at varying heights in front of his torso, one near his waist and the other at shoulder level. It was a common boxing technique in the Xu family called Three-Pointed-Star—one he learned from childhood.

Yet, to Xu Zhenyan’s surprise, just as he was about to start, Xu Shengmo suddenly attacked, covering the space between them in the blink of an eye! It wasn’t only that he didn’t signal the match’s start, but that he actually made the first move, unlike his ‘fight’ with Lin Xi!

Caught completely off guard and not having time to think, Xu Zhenyan’s gathered strength erupted in a single moment, his body actually shimmering faintly as his double Soul Master cultivation erupted all at once.

From not having time to think, he operated on pure instinct. At the same time he pivoted on one leg, avoiding Xu Shengmo’s advancing palm, aimed at the middle of his chest, while sending a scything kick toward his opponent’s waist.

A cloud of dust, rocks and leaves were flung into the air, almost like an explosion going off near his feet. In fact, his movements were so fast the students didn’t even have time to be surprised, never mind actually following along with their eyes.

The difference between his counterattack and Lin Xi’s paltry resistance was stark to the point of absurdity. In fact, their movements couldn’t even be compared—it was like contrasting the speed of an average couch potato with that of an Olympic level athlete.

However, not only did his kick not land, Xu Shengmo didn’t even bother blocking it. Without being able to understand what happened, Xu Zhenyan suddenly realized the man had already entered his blind spot, his movements more like a flashing shadow than a human being.

The youth tried bringing up his guard, but it was already too late. The next moment, a blow slipped past his raised arms, so fast his eyes almost couldn’t follow it. It landed squarely under his ribcage, seeking out his liver with uncanny accuracy.

There wasn’t even a sense of pain—one moment, he was still perfectly lucid, and the next, his vision shifted from red to white, his feet leaving the ground as he was sent flying into the air, tumbling tail over teakettle.

-----------------------