"Chen Fei?" Bai Xiaochun blinked and quickly swept his eyes over Chen Fei and the two men flanking him. After sensing their cultivation levels, he calmed down completely.
"Bai Xiaochun," Chen Fei sneered, "even if you were to kneel and beg now, it'd be too late. You were the one who came up with the idea that ruined us and made us outer sect disciples. I, Chen Fei, have waited a long time for this day!"
He laughed loudly and waved his right hand. Instantly, the spiritual energy of a fifth-level Qi Condensation cultivator erupted, sending a swirl of fallen leaves into the air around him. It looked rather impressive.
"Since entering the outer sect, I've spent all my time cultivating. Finally, I've reached the fifth level of Qi Condensation. Bai Xiaochun, today I'm telling you straight—I'm going to bully you, break your bones, and tear your tendons!"
His laughter carried arrogance and pride. Forming a hand seal with his right hand, hum!—a half-foot-long cyan flying sword appeared before him. It looked simple and old, gleaming with a faint cold light.
The two men behind Bai Xiaochun also smirked, revealing their own flying swords as they released their fourth-level Qi Condensation cultivation.
With the three of them surrounding Bai Xiaochun, they were certain they could completely overpower him. Especially now that their understanding had improved, they had already concluded that Bai Xiaochun never fully mastered the technique of treating heaviness as light.
"If you had just stayed on the mountain, that would've been fine. But since you came down, left the sect… today, you'll learn the price of your past mistakes!" Chen Fei felt an immense satisfaction as he declared this, as though releasing years of pent-up frustration.
"You three cornering me here… Aren't you afraid of violating sect rules?" Bai Xiaochun asked curiously.
"Sect rules? Hah!" Chen Fei laughed. "This is already outside the sect boundaries! Besides, if your skills are inferior and you end up with broken bones and torn muscles, you can't blame anyone but yourself. Worst case, we apologize later and the matter is closed!"
Chen Fei's smile was brimming with arrogance. He could already picture Bai Xiaochun's miserable expression and had even prepared some taunting words for after the beating.
But very quickly, he felt something was wrong. Bai Xiaochun was too calm. Surrounded by the three of them, instead of looking anxious or frightened, he had a strange expression—and even struck the pose of a master cultivator before casually replying:
"Oh, I see… In that case, I won't hold back."
Chen Fei's eyes narrowed further. Something felt off, but before he could think more, he growled:
"Attack!"
With that command, he and the others formed hand seals, and their flying swords shot straight toward Bai Xiaochun.
Just as the three swords neared him, Bai Xiaochun smiled. He didn't even bother to summon a magical item. He simply stepped back—and in that moment, the three men's vision blurred. Bai Xiaochun had vanished.
He reappeared instantly beside one of the fourth-level cultivators on the left. That man's eyes widened in shock, but before he could react, Bai Xiaochun's right fist crashed into his stomach.
*Boom!* The man trembled violently. A mouthful of blood sprayed out as his body folded in half and was launched backward like a cannonball, crashing into a nearby tree.
The tree shook violently. The man vomited blood again and immediately lost consciousness.
Everything had happened too fast. The other fourth-level cultivator stared at Bai Xiaochun in horror, his mind blank, as if struck by thunder. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined Bai Xiaochun could be this fast—or this strong.
Chen Fei's expression drastically changed. He gasped and instinctively stepped back, staring at Bai Xiaochun in disbelief.
"You…"
"Too weak," Bai Xiaochun said coldly, striking the pose of a master cultivator—aloof and untouchable. As he spoke, he stepped toward the other fourth-level disciple.
That man roared, unleashing his full cultivation, and sent his flying sword hurtling toward Bai Xiaochun. But Bai Xiaochun's speed was even greater. Since mastering the Undying Iron Skin, his physical body and agility had become monstrous. He effortlessly dodged the flying sword and, once again, smashed his fist forward.
*Boom!* A blood-curdling scream followed. The man coughed up blood and was sent flying over ten zhang, crashing to the ground, organs trembling, unable to get up. He was barely clinging to life.
"Too weak." Bai Xiaochun shook his head and turned to look at Chen Fei, whose legs were now trembling.
"You… you…" Chen Fei's mind was buzzing. He was dumbfounded. Just a moment ago, he was certain of victory, but now, Bai Xiaochun seemed like a totally different person—a monster in human skin.
With just two punches, he had knocked both of his companions unconscious. Chen Fei couldn't even comprehend how much strength that would require. He swallowed nervously and stumbled backward, his mind focused solely on *escape*.
But before he could flee very far, Bai Xiaochun dashed forward at incredible speed, caught up instantly, and threw another punch.
As the punch landed, Chen Fei's body flashed with light—a small shield appeared and blocked Bai Xiaochun's fist.
*Boom!* Bai Xiaochun let out a surprised grunt, slightly slowed by the impact. The shield trembled violently, its spiritual glow dimming, and was sent flying from the force of the strike.
Chen Fei was utterly terrified. That shield had cost him a fortune in sect contribution points. Even a sixth-level Qi Condensation cultivator would struggle to break it quickly—yet Bai Xiaochun had destroyed it in *one punch* and severed its connection to him.
"Bai Xiaochun, y-you've gone too far!!" Chen Fei screamed in fear.
"Hmph. I'll tell you plainly—today, I *am* bullying you. I'm going to beat you until your bones are shattered!" Bai Xiaochun's heart was already bursting with joy. Seeing Chen Fei terrified was too satisfying, so he decided to repeat Chen Fei's own words right back at him.
Then, Bai Xiaochun let loose his full cultivation. The power of the sixth-level Qi Condensation exploded outward like a storm. His hair fluttered in the wind, and his aura became overwhelming.
"Sixth-level Qi Condensation…!" Chen Fei's eyes bulged, and his scalp went numb. He staggered backward in panic, but Bai Xiaochun had already caught up. Another punch landed—this time, with no shield to stop it.
Chen Fei shuddered as blood sprayed from his mouth. Screaming, his body flew through the air. He didn't lose consciousness, thanks to his sturdy build and fifth-level cultivation, but he was badly injured. Desperate, he scrambled to flee, deeply regretting everything. He cursed himself for choosing a location *this far from the sect*.
As Bai Xiaochun rushed forward again like a beast, Chen Fei wailed in terror.
"Bai Xiaochun! Don't you care about violating sect rules?!"
"Sect rules? Hah!" Bai Xiaochun chuckled. "This is outside the sect! Besides, if your skills are inferior and you end up with broken bones and torn muscles, you can't blame anyone but yourself. Worst case, we apologize later and the matter is closed!"
He repeated Chen Fei's words exactly, then stepped forward and kicked.
*Wham!* The kick launched Chen Fei into the air again. More blood spurted from his mouth, and despair filled his eyes. Before he could even land, Bai Xiaochun charged in, punching and kicking furiously.
Chen Fei screamed in terror, his cries growing weaker and weaker. Soon, his body was swollen and bruised, his face pale. He collapsed, numb, unable to move. When he looked at Bai Xiaochun now, he was utterly consumed by fear.
To him, the pale and slightly thin Bai Xiaochun looked like a terrifying beast wrapped in human skin. What horrified him even more was that *Bai Xiaochun hadn't even used a single magic item*—he had relied purely on his body and frightening speed to completely overpower them.
In the distance, the two fourth-level cultivators slowly regained consciousness. As they opened their eyes and saw what was happening, their scalps tingled and their hearts pounded. Without hesitation, they *pretended to be unconscious again*, not daring to move, terrified of drawing Bai Xiaochun's attention.
Seeing that Chen Fei was on the brink of death, Bai Xiaochun lost interest. He withdrew his spiritual energy and, amid their terrified gazes, searched through their storage pouches and took everything—including Chen Fei's little shield. Then, humming a cheerful tune, he continued down the mountain path toward the sect.
"Damn it! Who told me that Bai Xiaochun won the competition at Fragrant Cloud Mountain through trickery?!" Chen Fei wanted to cry. If he had known how terrifying Bai Xiaochun really was, he wouldn't have come to provoke him *even if someone paid him*.
The two fourth-level cultivators looked equally miserable. As they watched Bai Xiaochun's back vanish into the distance, their eyes brimmed with fear.
"Senior Brother Chen… what do we do now? Maybe we should just stop bothering him. I heard even Xu Baocai made peace with him."
Chen Fei was silent, bitterness filling his heart. After a moment, he clenched his jaw.
"Of course I want revenge. But if I can't beat him… then what choice do I have? I'll… I'll think it over…"