Chapter Two: Shocking to the Core

An iron fist swept through the air, and one could almost see the shadow of a fierce tiger leaping across the sky—its presence awe-inspiring. Cheng Yu was immensely powerful, his strength surpassing two thousand jin. As the direct heir of the Cheng family, his mastery of the Tiger Fist was exceptional, his understanding honed to perfection. The ferocious roar of a tiger echoed, compelling and soul-stirring.

“This is bad. This claw alone is far beyond what I can withstand. But retreating now is courting death—this man will not let me go. If I turn my back, true annihilation awaits. Better to stake everything in one desperate fight than die without resistance.”

Lin Fan berated himself for being discovered, but his reaction was quicker than thought. With a thunderous roar, he strode forward, shattering Cheng Yu’s momentum at the most critical moment. He transformed into a starving tiger, pouncing with a ferocity that brooked no rival. It was the only correct choice—when enemies meet on a narrow path, the brave prevail. To withdraw was to accept defeat. Their strengths were worlds apart; retreat spelled certain ruin. It was better to fight for life with all he had.

Though both wielded Tiger Claws, their auras were worlds apart. Cheng Yu was a tiger descending the mountain, Lin Fan a starving beast driven to the brink. Their hands collided; the crack of bone followed. Lin Fan was hurled sideways, his right hand instantly rendered useless.

“Foolish wretch—how dare you strike at me?”

Cheng Yu sneered coldly. Lin Fan’s desperate, death-defying momentum had startled him, and that alone was infuriating. He lashed out again, furious. Two thousand jin of force was an overwhelming gulf above Lin Fan’s mere hundred. Lin Fan’s body was sent flying once more; three ribs snapped, blood frothing at his lips. He was grievously wounded—if not for his extraordinary will, he would have lost consciousness entirely.

“A mere menial dares to steal the Cheng family’s techniques? Even the outer disciples wouldn’t dare such a thing. Perhaps you don’t know how I discovered you. In fact, I noticed you from your very first day, Lin Fan—just a servant feeding the savage beasts.”

Cheng Yu scoffed. He had known all along that Lin Fan was secretly learning, and had even uncovered his background in detail.

At this, Lin Fan could no longer doubt that Cheng Yu had been toying with him. He had known from the start but hadn’t exposed him immediately. No doubt, even the place where Lin Fan practiced had been under Cheng Yu’s watchful eye.

As expected, Cheng Yu continued, “Your talent is impressive, I’ll admit. You’ve already grasped most of the basics—perhaps another month, and you’d have mastered it. But I wanted to shatter your illusions at the final moment. Menials will always be lowly, less than human even. Stop dreaming of leaping from the carp’s pond to become a dragon.”

A heavy hand struck down—Lin Fan felt excruciating pain. More of his ribs had broken; his whole body burned as if on fire.

Yet Lin Fan remained silent. He knew that begging for mercy would only invite deeper humiliation. He buried his hatred deep within.

“Brother Cheng, a wretch like this isn’t worth dirtying your hands. Leave him to us.” Seeing Cheng Yu about to strike again, several lackeys hurried forward, eager to ingratiate themselves.

Cheng Yu nodded at their words, clearly pleased. Lin Fan was as insignificant as an ant to him, but cultivators needed their amusements. In this, Lin Fan played his role well.

“Boy, you’ve only yourself to blame for your ignorance. Offending Brother Cheng—no one can save you now. We’ll break your limbs and toss you to the savage beasts. Dying at the fangs of those you’ve fed is a fitting end.”

The four lackeys sneered as they advanced. In the sect, their status was at the very bottom, but still above that of menials like Lin Fan. They were used to being bullied and had twisted hearts. Lin Fan was the perfect scapegoat for their frustrations.

Their attacks were ruthless, though not immediately fatal. The sound of bones breaking echoed, blood flowed, but Lin Fan uttered not a word. His hatred soared, his gaze ice-cold, fixed unyieldingly upon his tormentors, as if to engrave their faces into his memory.

“What are you staring at? What can a menial do? Brother Cheng, this one’s a menace. He’s ruthless at heart—only his weakness keeps him in check. If he ever gets the chance to rise, we’ll be in real trouble. Why not cripple him completely?”

One of the lackeys suddenly shivered with dread and spoke up.

He felt a chill to his core; Lin Fan’s cold indifference was terrifying. Had they suffered such abuse, they’d have begged for mercy, but Lin Fan remained eerily calm, his gaze deadly. Clearly, he was not to be underestimated. This unsettled them.

Cheng Yu frowned, having noticed Lin Fan’s demeanor and feeling inexplicably irritable. He ordered the lackeys to handle it and turned to leave.

A mere menial was nothing to him, an insignificant insect, while Cheng Yu himself was of noble birth. Their worlds would never intersect—a menial’s death was not worth a second thought.

Once Cheng Yu departed, the four exchanged glances, their expressions growing even more vicious.

The leader slammed his shoe onto Lin Fan’s body, sneering, “Menial, I almost admire you for daring to steal the technique. But you were caught. Someone like Brother Cheng won’t care about you, but we’re not the same. Today you’ll learn your place.”

A large shoeprint was stamped onto Lin Fan’s face—a mark of humiliation. The lackey’s laughter was wild; it gave him a sense of existence and accomplishment.

Suddenly, he crippled Lin Fan’s other hand with a harsh blow. The crack was piercing, but the group grew all the more excited, striking again and again until every bone in Lin Fan’s body was shattered, blood gushing forth.

None of them noticed that the crushed stone Lin Fan had hidden in his clothes was now drenched in blood—until, at last, it vanished into his chest, merging with his heart.

“That’s what you get for stealing—less than a pig or dog! Torture him, make him pay!”

The lackey laughed coldly, dealing a final, vicious blow that splintered Lin Fan’s bones to fragments—ruthless as a mad dog.

“Enough.” A clear, cold voice cut through the air, its force sweeping across the heavens. The four lackeys paled instantly, dropping to their knees, sweat pouring down their faces—they knew a true power had arrived. Their previous arrogance vanished.

A massive shadow hovered above them—a celestial crane, though everyone’s attention was fixed on the figure atop its back. She seemed a fairy from the highest heavens, aloof from the world, untouched by mortal dust. Yet her gaze was glacial, as if it would freeze all creation.

“Do you know why this happened to you today?”

The melodious voice was tinged with unyielding cold. From the woman’s hand shot a beam of divine light—a pill, which instantly merged into Lin Fan’s body.

His cheeks flushed; the medicinal power spread. Lin Fan was amazed to find a warm current flowing through him. In just a few breaths, he had recovered somewhat—at least enough to speak.

“Because I am not strong.”

No excuses, no emotion—his voice was calm as still water, so placid it made one frown.

The woman’s lips curved in a trace of satisfaction, though no one could tell what means she used. A streak of white light enveloped Lin Fan’s body. The celestial crane cried out and soared into the distance, vanishing beyond the sky.

“Brother Feng, what do we do? That woman must be a major figure in the sect—perhaps even a true disciple. We may not have done much, but Lin Fan won’t spare us now. If he really rises, we’ll be finished!”

The four lackeys were already terrified; the woman’s strength was unquestionable, her identity not hard to guess. Now that Lin Fan had left with her, not only would he recover, he might even rise in the future. They couldn’t help but recall those venomous eyes—cold as vipers in the night, making their hearts pound with dread.

“Go. Tell Brother Cheng everything. If the sky falls, he’ll bear it.”

The leader, Brother Feng, looked grim but forced himself to remain calm. He hurried the others away, determined to report every detail to Cheng Yu.