Chapter Eleven: The Warrior

“Wan’er, you don’t need to practice martial arts for the time being. Focus on your studies—the end of term exams must be coming up, right?” In the grand villa, an elderly man affectionately patted the young girl’s head.

The girl’s almond-shaped eyes and delicate oval face perfectly embodied the beauty of the East; even without any makeup, she was enough to draw every gaze in the room.

The only regret was her cold, distant air, as if untouched by the mundane world, as if she had never known how to smile.

“Master, it’s no bother,” she replied, then returned to the courtyard to assume a horse stance.

Though her clothes were loose, they did nothing to conceal her flawless and toned figure.

The old man said nothing, but his gaze betrayed a hint of lust.

Yet he quickly averted his eyes.

The fruit was not yet ripe; the time to enjoy it had not come.

Suppressing his restlessness, Chen Yu maintained an outward calm.

As a martial artist in Beihai, he was already among the elite, having played with countless women. But someone as rarefied as Ye Wan’er was a once-in-a-century encounter.

It was even more fortuitous that her talent for martial arts was unparalleled—a heaven-sent opportunity.

Now Ye Wan’er had been studying under him for two years, and had grown especially trusting of her master.

If it weren’t for the powerful Ye family, he wouldn’t have needed to go through so much trouble. If he liked someone, he would simply take them.

Soon, it wouldn’t be long now. Once Ye Wan’er broke through her bottleneck, he would finally have his reward—and his own strength would rise to new heights.

Everyone knew Chen Yu was formidable, but none knew the real method behind his power.

At this thought, a smile crept over his lips.

There is nothing I, Chen Yu, desire that I cannot obtain!

Suddenly, he sensed someone trespassing on his domain.

The whole Yurun Garden was under his surveillance; ordinary people would never even draw his notice.

But if a martial artist entered, he would sense it at once.

Chen Yu frowned, but made no move.

Yurun Garden was the most luxurious villa complex in Beihai, home to many prominent families, so it was not unusual for a few to invite martial artists in.

The intruder’s presence was weak—utterly insignificant. Chen Yu dismissed it from his mind.

But as he began his cultivation, he noticed the feng shui in the area suddenly change, which startled him!

Martial artists could not perceive spiritual energy directly, but to them, the more abundant the spiritual energy, the better the feng shui.

Chen Yu instantly realized someone was here to snatch a slice of his pie. How could he tolerate that? With a cold snort, he decided to give the intruder a stern warning.

He had reached the peak of the External Strength stage, just a hair’s breadth from refining Internal Strength—and now, that presence was nearly formed.

Without hesitation, he sent a thread of his Internal Strength directly toward the intruder’s location.

Then he exhaled a turbid breath.

Chen Yu had no intention of taking the man’s life—the opponent was just a weakling. But even a mere trace of his Internal Strength could leave the victim bedridden for half a month.

“Still just a little,” he sighed. “If I manage to cultivate true Internal Strength, I’ll be able to sense everything within miles. What a pity...” To reach that level, he would need Ye Wan’er’s help.

But in the next instant, he was stunned.

His wisp of Internal Strength was instantly dispersed, vanishing as though it had never existed!

Before he could even be puzzled, a bone-chilling terror stabbed straight into his heart!

Chen Yu broke into a cold sweat, utterly overwhelmed by the fear of death.

He felt as if he were surrounded, unable to move a muscle—any rash motion and he would be torn to pieces on the spot!

This was no novice—this was a true powerhouse!

Chen Yu knew at once he had kicked an iron wall.

Without a second thought, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed several times.

“Master, it was my recklessness! I sincerely beg your pardon for disturbing you! If there’s ever a chance, I will come to apologize in person! Please, be magnanimous and forgive my offense!”

His heart pounded wildly, the grandmaster’s composure utterly gone.

But Chen Yu dared not move a muscle; the terror his opponent inspired was absolute.

He might have reached Internal Strength—or perhaps even a higher realm! A being who could crush him without effort!

Still kneeling and trembling, Chen Yu thought the stranger might not forgive him, and was about to plead further when the sense of mortal peril abruptly vanished.

In that moment, he collapsed to the floor, lighter than he’d ever felt in his life.

It took him a long time to compose himself. After bathing and changing his clothes, he sought out Ye Wan’er.

“It’s getting late; you should go home. And be careful—there may be a... powerful figure nearby.”

Even as he spoke, Chen Yu couldn’t help but shudder, the dread still lingering in his heart.

Ye Wan’er nodded without expression, but in truth, she was deeply surprised.

Her teacher was not invincible, but in Beihai, finding someone able to harm him was already extremely difficult. Who could possibly frighten him to such a degree?

What Chen Yu did not know was that Ling’er lived just nearby.

She had merely investigated who had tried to harm Jiang Xiaotian, with no ill intent.

But she was a true dragon, a being above all things; the suppression that came from her bloodline could never be resisted.

What puzzled Ling’er, in fact, was that Jiang Xiaotian never seemed afraid of her...

“Hey!” Ling’er tugged his ear.

Jiang Xiaotian yelped in pain, grimacing. “Ow, ow, ow! What’s going on?!”

He snapped back to his senses to find Ling’er staring at him.

She shrugged, showing no sign of apology. “Be careful. There seems to be a powerful human martial artist around.”

Jiang Xiaotian instantly wilted—after all, Ling’er had told him she was once besieged by human martial artists!

“So what should we do? Should we run? How strong is he—could he hurt you? I’m still so weak; I can’t protect you yet!”

Ling’er was momentarily taken aback.

She hadn’t expected Jiang Xiaotian to say that, and warmth blossomed in her heart. But a mischievous thought arose. “That’s right, he’s very strong. I’m afraid I can’t beat him. So you need to train hard and protect me when the time comes!”

Jiang Xiaotian could only smile wryly to himself. The gap between him and Ling’er was so great, and if she couldn’t win, what hope did he have?

But Ling’er had been so good to him, so Jiang Xiaotian replied without hesitation, “Don’t worry, I will. But you’d better run first—just in case I get killed instantly...”

She watched him seriously pondering this.

Ling’er pursed her lips, that strange feeling rising in her chest again.

“Run, my foot!” she snapped, giving his ear another twist before turning away.

Jiang Xiaotian was baffled. She really did seem anxious—her temper had grown irritable. No wonder he’d felt someone watching him earlier...

It seemed he really needed to train hard. Otherwise, these good days would soon be over.

Another sleepless night passed, yet Jiang Xiaotian felt as energetic as ever. He had no time to lounge around at home today, so he went to class at university, having bought Ling’er a cell phone as well, making it easier for them to stay in touch.

But she acted like an old lady, constantly forwarding him clickbait articles like “Eat this meat to stay young forever!” and “Women should eat more meat!”—the kind of junk news that made Jiang Xiaotian roll his eyes.

He didn’t mind, though; now that he had money, he’d simply buy some meat for her on the way home.

But what did concern Jiang Xiaotian was that Zhang Wei hadn’t shown up. He was always punctual, never late, let alone skipping class.

Jiang Xiaotian had planned to talk to Zhang Wei today, but was disappointed to find him absent.

He tried calling, but Zhang Wei didn’t answer.

So as soon as class ended, he went straight to ask their counselor.

Strangely, the counselor knew nothing about it; Zhang Wei hadn’t asked for leave.

Jiang Xiaotian sensed something was off, but didn’t press further.

But over the next two days, Zhang Wei still didn’t appear, and his phone remained unreachable.

Now Jiang Xiaotian couldn’t sit still. As soon as class was over, he hurried to Zhang Wei’s home.

Zhang Wei came from a regular family, living in a residential complex.

Just as Jiang Xiaotian entered the complex, a girl happened to walk out.

Jiang Xiaotian nearly lost his composure at the sight of her.

She was cold as ice, but stunningly beautiful!

Ye Wan’er had always avoided unnecessary trouble, but she sensed that the boy before her was also a martial artist.

She glanced up at Jiang Xiaotian, but when she saw him staring at her, all her goodwill vanished.

Men are all the same.

She walked away without looking back. She’d thought that, as a fellow martial artist, his mentality might be different. But in the end, there was no difference at all.