Volume 1, Chapter 36: Breaking Through to Foundation Establishment

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Still, having the symbiotes charge into the front lines while he stayed behind to direct everything seemed to contradict the “moral declaration” he had just made.

After delivering a long-winded speech filled with words bound to offend people, Qi Aotian had somehow managed to make all the logic come full circle. Today, Qi Aotian was offering no comforting platitudes, but rather poisonous ones—grounded in reality and returning to reality. Though he could never clear himself of threatening Meng Mi, from a broader perspective, he appeared to be innocent.

The big brother had already fled. How could the others possibly keep fighting? Seeing their panicked companions and ferocious enemies, the Green Gang’s enforcers no longer had any reason to hold out.

Looking back, Xia Qi’s tactic of charging in recklessly while cursing like an idiot had been far too straightforward. His intention was simply to crush you beneath an overwhelming advantage in resources. If your strength was sufficient, you still had a chance to turn the tables.

Just as Zhenyi was pondering the matter, a crow-man came up before him, completely unnoticed.

When he saw Sun Li, he hurriedly stood at attention and said, “Good morning, Teacher Sun. I’ve come to report today.”

The monster flew into a rage after being thrown so suddenly. With its back against the ground, it could not get up at once. It struggled and thrashed, roaring furiously.

After Xu Xiangqing finished speaking, she and Tang Lu left the dormitory together. What happened afterward was unknown.

Just as Zhao Sier was preparing to charge out of the deep sea in one final burst, his footsteps abruptly halted. Through a dim window, he had seen an extraordinarily strange scene outside.

Pei Xietang saw that he had stopped attacking and realized that the news of Xie Chengyin’s recovery had shocked him. She quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Broken stones flew through the air. Amid a thunderous crash, Qin Sheng burst through the wall and saw a cold, bespectacled man in his thirties preparing to throw a punch and attack from a distance.

Altair, however, had not thought that far ahead. Once she saw that Anz had made his preparations, she charged straight at him with a military saber in hand.

In any case, when a leader spoke, one had to treat his words with proper reverence. One could not let him lose face, after all. A little flattery and fawning helped as well, and the Old Dragon King’s expression improved considerably. Did leaders not all enjoy this sort of treatment?

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What Gu Jinghan was thinking was that if she could tell him she had missed him terribly these past few days, then he would agree to anything she asked.

“Yes, I have ulterior motives!” Gu Jinghan’s dark gaze fell upon her, and he made no attempt whatsoever to defend himself.

Su Chenxia suddenly felt that asking him to be interviewed had been a mistake. If the program was produced, its ratings and public buzz would certainly be outstanding, and she would absolutely achieve what she wanted.

Long Youyun did not actually like the feeling of being touched, but Editor-in-Chief Qiu’s solemn expression showed that she had no other intentions. Only then did Long Youyun set aside her misgivings.

“You’re right. He Nian­ nian is his Achilles’ heel. I rather like you, so I’ll plead with the Buddha Lord on behalf of the Fu family.”

With that, Ksitigarbha vanished.

Qin Sheng did not move. The humanoid demon, however, trembled violently. Astonishment surged into its eyes, and its enormous body involuntarily retreated.

Zhang Xi’s face reddened. “I just thought your senior sister would be deceived by your master.”

She had sensed that something was going on, but she could not understand exactly what.

Sure enough, Liu Ningya looked at Village Chief Fu with a puzzled expression as he turned back, then turned around to look at Village Chief Liu. Village Chief Liu waved his hand, indicating that it was nothing to worry about.

Uh… Physical contact seemed capable of fostering an ambiguous atmosphere. Could he really have been speaking with two meanings, harboring some ulterior motive?

Early the next morning, the landlady rose unusually early. While Wang Bin and I were still fast asleep, she went out. By the time she returned, she had already brought breakfast back for us.

The atmosphere infected the other contestants. Many of them were eager to join in, because once Qin Feng’s screening team was defeated, they would have a chance to challenge Qin Feng directly for a spot. They would no longer need to fight through several rounds of elimination.

The owner was devout as well. He raised a hand and gestured for me to wait upstairs. I climbed the stairs and eventually sat down in a chair. A gramophone was playing music—the sort of song played every day in the Pleasure House.

I did not understand what any of it meant. I only felt that the scene was terrifyingly eerie. Besides, I had just received that phone call. Surely it could not have been those dead children calling me, could it?

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Some people, however, knew the truth. Their foundations were solid, and they had minds of their own. They were deeply dissatisfied that the battalion commander had chosen Qin Feng so early as the camp’s sole seeded contestant for the grand martial arts tournament, and they wanted to cause trouble and humble him.

Yu Chengzhu wielded those sword techniques—feints concealing real moves, real moves concealing feints, truth and illusion interwoven until it was impossible to distinguish one from the other—with consummate skill.

The moment Mu Zhengting heard this, he knew that Mu Yunqing must be cultivating and had deliberately instructed Green Intent and Green Jade to keep outsiders away.

As for such a colossal pool of blood and forest of bones, he had never heard of anything like it before. He vaguely sensed that whatever was imprisoned within must be capable of astonishing heaven and earth and making ghosts and gods weep. Naturally, it must also contain limitless killing intent and danger.

After writing all that, he barely mentioned Lu Lin’s circumstances at all, saying only that everything was well at Mount Tushan. Nothing more.

When Lu Lin saw Ye Sizhu in that state, he immediately realized that she must know something about matters of a sexual nature. He quickly rose and walked over to her.

Long Sihan’s stern face had just undergone all this, and when he looked over, it had taken on a faint flush. Even his breathing had grown tight.

Chu Jinran’s heart rose into her throat again. She looked at Xi Wang with anxious anticipation, afraid that he might suddenly say something irresponsible at such a moment.

“Senior Brother, could we form an alliance with the Imperial Wind Escort Agency and the Plainheart Palace? If you, Yi Qilin, and Yun Xiaomeng compete in six matches, our chances of victory will be very high!” Zhan Wei asked with a solemn expression.

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