Chapter Eighteen: Ye Bai

At that moment, a celestial crane soared through the sky, alighted upon the grass, set down a large food box, and flew away again.

“Brother Xu, do you think we could spar together more often in the future?”

“I feel that I’m far inferior to you when it comes to martial techniques,” Niu Dali muttered gloomily.

“No problem. With you as my partner for practice, I’m sure my progress will be swift,” Xu Chen nodded.

“Let me treat you to a meal, Brother Xu.”

Niu Dali opened the food box and laid out the dishes upon the ground. Xu Chen saw that everything was vegetarian, gleaming with verdant freshness.

“These are all made from spiritual herbs and vegetables. The taste is quite good—try some, Brother Xu.”

He tasted them and indeed found the flavor excellent.

After their meal, the man and the ox resumed their cultivation. As the day passed, Xu Chen realized that, apart from his vegetarian habits, Brother Niu was the perfect companion for training.

That night, upon returning home, Xu Chen reflected on the events of the day.

“It’s certainly better than cultivating alone.”

Within the Sacred White Space, Xu Chen struggled desperately to fend off the onslaught of the Sacred Ape Six Forms clone. Each move inflicted intense pain, whether he tried to block or evade—he felt as though he were caught in a carefully woven trap.

At the thirty-first move, “Monkey Picks the Peach,” the clone instantly seized Xu Chen’s weak spot.

In that instant, every hair on Xu Chen’s body stood on end.

“Find another way to kill me—don’t do this!” Xu Chen pleaded with a bitter expression, knowing it was pointless but unable to help himself.

“Bang!”

The clone squeezed with force, and Xu Chen exploded.

Within ten breaths, his body already burning with exertion, Xu Chen pushed open the wooden door with sudden vigor.

“A true man may be killed but never humiliated!”

Xu Chen abandoned defense, launching a fierce assault upon the clone.

Yet after just one exchange, the clone caught him by the throat.

Just as the clone was about to crush him, Xu Chen’s qi and blood surged explosively, and he delivered a sudden groin kick to the clone’s vulnerable spot.

“Bang!”

The clone, expressionless, crushed Xu Chen without hesitation.

“Little brat, you’re getting bolder.”

The wooden door swung open again, and a now-calm Xu Chen continued his duel with the clone.

After his consciousness collapsed twelve times, Xu Chen finally sank into a deep sleep upon his bed.

At dawn, while the man and the ox trained together, a spirit boat descended from the sky.

A ten-year-old child stepped off the spirit boat.

“Xu Chen.” The child’s tone was unfriendly, his gaze tinged with disdain and challenge.

“What is it?”

Xu Chen, in the midst of practicing the Twelve Wave Body-Forging Method, stopped.

“Elder You Xian is my master. I heard you used to be his registered disciple, but since fate favored me, I replaced you,” the child said arrogantly.

“And then?” Xu Chen’s voice was calm.

“Your status as a registered disciple was replaced by me without reason—you must feel dissatisfied. There is bound to be karma between us.”

“?” Xu Chen’s gaze grew stranger.

“So, what brings you here today?”

“I’m here to defeat you, resolve this karma, and make you submit, both in heart and word.”

“You, with your meager talent, are not fit to be Master’s registered disciple, nor even a disciple of the Daxi Sect.”

“I am ten years old, have already entered the Qi and Blood realm, and possess the strength of four tigers.”

“In time, I will become so powerful that you won’t even be able to glimpse my shadow.”

“This may be your only chance in this lifetime to defeat me. Fight me, so you may be convinced and our karma resolved.” The child’s face was full of arrogance.

Niu Dali, who was training nearby, put down the giant stone he was lifting and watched the scene with great interest.

“I am already convinced. There’s no karma between us—you can leave now,” Xu Chen waved his hand, uninterested in playing with the child.

“No! In the face of my challenge, you remain so calm—you must be a deep schemer.”

“We must fight, and only after you understand the gap between us will our karma be ended.”

The child spoke, his qi and blood surging, taking an attacking stance.

“Child, what is your name?”

“My name is Ye Bai.”

No sooner had Ye Bai spoken than he charged at Xu Chen.

The four-tiger strength unleashed by Ye Bai was utterly unthreatening in Xu Chen’s eyes.

In just three moves, Xu Chen pinned Ye Bai to the ground and gave him a light slap on his backside.

“You say I’m scheming, but at your age you’re so arrogant and brash. If I don’t get rid of you now, you could become a huge threat to me in the future.”

Xu Chen feigned a sinister tone, and Ye Bai, pinned to the ground, couldn’t help but tremble.

“Do you think I should kill you now to prevent future trouble?”

“Brother, the karma between us does not involve killing. Someday, when I defeat you, our karma will be settled.”

As Ye Bai finished speaking, a large blade was pressed against his neck.

“I don’t believe you!”

“If you kill me, you won’t survive either.”

Ye Bai’s legs began to shake; his expression revealed he was truly scared.

“All right, now that we’ve fought, our karma is resolved,” Xu Chen withdrew the blade and released Ye Bai, his expression gradually softening.

Ye Bai got up, hurriedly boarded his spirit boat, and soared away into the sky.

“We’re not done yet! I was unprepared today, but next time I’ll surely defeat you!” Ye Bai shouted at Xu Chen from the edge of the spirit boat.

Watching the spirit boat recede into the distance, Xu Chen fell into thought.

“Brother Xu, impressive!”

“With such power from ordinary talent, I believe you’re destined to defy fate,” Niu Dali declared confidently.

“Then I’ll borrow your words, Brother Niu.”

Just then, Huang Kaishan emerged from the dense forest.

“A new brother has come to stay—welcome, welcome!” Seeing Niu Dali, Huang Kaishan’s face immediately turned enthusiastic.

“Brother Niu, would you like to join me at the market?” Huang Kaishan raised his brows.

“You don’t look like a good person—stay away from me!” Niu Dali frowned.

Hearing this, Huang Kaishan’s first reaction was to look at Xu Chen with alarm.

The Golden Armored Thunder Ox clan had been integrated into the human race for many years, and their most distinctive trait was this: if, upon first meeting, a member said someone didn’t look like a good person, it meant that person’s character was truly questionable.

“Brother Huang, best not to associate much in the future,” Xu Chen sighed, feigning regret.

“Brother Xu, don’t listen to his nonsense—I’m a good person!” Huang Kaishan hurried over.

“I believe Brother Niu. Brother Huang, please keep your distance,” Xu Chen said, taking three steps back as Huang Kaishan approached.

“You’re not a good person—you want to teach me bad things,” Niu Dali grumbled.

Huang Kaishan glanced at Niu Dali, then at Xu Chen, and turned to walk back to his own lodgings.

“Brother Niu, is he really not a good person?” Xu Chen asked curiously.

“He’s not entirely good, nor entirely bad. I just dislike his manner.”

“Come, Brother Xu, let’s continue sparring.”

Niu Dali summoned his qi and blood, his golden armor gradually tinged with red.

“Let’s begin!”