"Ding. Attribute points successfully added. The Chrono-Sacred Body gains 1,100 additional Spirit Marks. Current total: 1,580 Spirit Marks."
As the system's notification echoed, the number of spirit marks in Wang Jianqiang's body exploded upward.
He slowly clenched his fists. All 1,580 spirit marks vibrated in unison, flooding his body with a torrent of golden radiance. His entire figure now looked as though it had been cast from molten gold.
He unleashed the full power of the spirit marks, merging them into a single stream under his control — a surge of explosive might condensed into his fist, which then drove forward in a single devastating punch.
An invisible wave of force shot forth, distorting the very air in its path.
The man opposite him hadn't taken Wang Jianqiang seriously at all.
To him, this newly advanced Foundation Establishment novice was little more than a fledgling.
He had no spirit weapon, hadn't even had time to cultivate a Foundation-level technique — what could he possibly use to fight him?
In fact, the man thought Wang Jianqiang might not even be as strong as Wang Yuyao. Someone like that couldn't threaten him in the slightest.
But when Wang Jianqiang's fist struck out, his expression instantly changed.
The power in that blow was completely beyond anything he'd imagined.
At the instant the punch was thrown, a chill of death coursed through his body like lightning. Every hair on his body stood on end.
A violent shudder ran through him; instinct kicked in.
He hastily activated his defensive spirit artifact.
A barrier of spiritual light formed around him—
—only for the next moment to shatter like fragile glass.
The defensive shield that could block Wang Yuyao's full-force strike crumpled before Wang Jianqiang's punch as though made of paper.
The fist force crashed directly into him.
His chest caved in; he spewed a mouthful of blood mixed with shattered organs, and his body shot backward like a rag doll.
He smashed into the ground like a falling meteor, leaving a deep crater in the earth.
The ground quaked violently at the impact, and everyone watching felt their hearts tremble.
That single strike from Wang Jianqiang silenced the crowd.
Especially the inner sect disciples standing in the back — their eyes went wide in disbelief.
"Zhou Feng… got taken out in one hit!"
"How is that possible?"
"He just broke through to Foundation Establishment — how can he be that strong!?"
…
The outer sect disciples might not have known who Zhou Feng was, but the inner disciples certainly did.
Zhou Feng's cultivation had already reached the peak of early Foundation Establishment — only one step away from mid-stage.
He possessed two spirit artifacts, and his strength was considered upper-middle tier within the entire inner sect — quite famous among his peers.
Ordinary early-stage Foundation cultivators weren't his match.
Even someone like Wang Yuyao, who had only recently broken through, would have been instantly defeated.
Even against mid-stage Foundation cultivators, Zhou Feng could at least hold his own.
And now, he had been obliterated by a single punch from a man who had just broken through?
Even Elder Dong Yue couldn't help showing surprise.
She knew that cultivators with Five-Element Spirit Roots possessed terrifying potential, and that a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a Five-Element constitution was extremely powerful.
But Wang Jianqiang had just advanced — he hadn't even had time to practice any Foundation-tier techniques, let alone fully adapt to his new power.
For him to erupt with such overwhelming might in this state was astonishing.
While everyone gaped in shock, Wang Jianqiang's expression remained utterly calm.
He looked down at the crater.
A blood-soaked figure was dragging himself up from its depths.
"Still alive?" Wang Jianqiang raised an eyebrow. "Pretty tough, aren't you?"
"In that case… take another."
Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, Wang Jianqiang shot downward like a golden meteor.
Zhou Feng looked up, and terror flooded his face.
"You can't kill me!" he screamed. "If you kill me, you'll be violating sect law — they'll execute you!"
"I was just defending myself!"
But Wang Jianqiang's advance didn't slow in the slightest.
"No—!"
His scream was cut off as Wang Jianqiang crashed into him.
It was like iron slamming into foam. Zhou Feng's body burst apart instantly.
Blood and flesh rained through the air.
The crowd froze, their faces filled with horror.
Nothing left — not even bones.
Too ruthless!
Wang Yuyao saw it happen. There was no joy on her face, only growing dread.
Dong Yue, on the other hand, sighed softly. At this point, there was nothing to undo — her expression steadied.
Suddenly, her eyes narrowed; she turned toward the back of the crowd, her voice low and grave.
"They've come."
Almost as soon as she spoke, a cold, harsh voice echoed through the air.
"How dare you slaughter a fellow disciple within sect grounds? Such audacity!"
Five figures shot forward, clad in matching uniforms, each bearing a crimson character — "刑" (Punishment) — emblazoned on their chests. The red gleamed like freshly spilled blood.
"It's the Punishment Hall!"
The onlookers blanched.
Except for Dong Yue, whose brow furrowed, and Wang Yuyao, whose face filled with worry for Wang Jianqiang, everyone else instinctively backed away as if fleeing a venomous snake.
"How bold — to fight privately within the sect," said the leading man, a gaunt middle-aged cultivator.
His eyes were as sharp and cold as a hawk's as he locked his gaze on Wang Jianqiang.
Wang Jianqiang met his eyes calmly. "He attacked me during my breakthrough, trying to exploit my vulnerability. I was only defending myself."
"I care nothing for your excuses," the gaunt man said coldly. "Murder within the sect demands death."
Wang Jianqiang's expression hardened. "That's not what the sect rules say. At worst, this would count as excessive self-defense."
"How I enforce the law is not for a brat like you to question!"
The man's face darkened.
He had been interrupted mid-cultivation with his three Dao companions to handle this mission — he was already irritated. He'd planned to wrap things up quickly and return, yet now some newly advanced nobody dared to argue with him?
"Elder!"
A voice rang out just then.
The gaunt man frowned and turned his cold gaze toward the speaker.
Facing that glare, Wang Yuyao's heart clenched. She bit her lip but forced herself to speak.
"I can testify for Senior Brother Wang. This conflict began because Zhou Feng tried to devour his Foundation Phenomenon. Senior Brother Wang only fought back in anger. I beg the Hall Master to show leniency."
"The judgment will be made once we return to the Punishment Hall," the man said coldly. "Do not obstruct law enforcement — or you will be treated as his accomplice."
As he spoke, he released a surge of Core Formation–stage pressure.
The weight of it slammed into Wang Yuyao, reigniting her wounds and forcing blood from her lips.
The man sneered and turned his gaze back to Wang Jianqiang. "Will you come quietly, or must I subdue you myself?"
Wang Jianqiang glanced once at Wang Yuyao, then fixed his eyes on the gaunt man. A flicker of icy light passed through them.
For some reason, that gaze made the Core Formation cultivator's heart tighten with an inexplicable trace of fear.
His expression sank.
He was a Core Formation expert — how could he possibly feel fear toward a mere Foundation Establishment junior?
Even the faintest hint of that emotion was an intolerable humiliation.
"So, you refuse to yield?" he growled.
With a cold snort, he thrust out his hand.
A massive hand of condensed spiritual power materialized in the air and swept toward Wang Jianqiang.
Just as it was about to strike him—
—a figure flashed into existence.
A wave of sharp, cutting spiritual energy erupted, shredding the giant hand apart in an instant.
Then a cool, detached voice resonated directly in the Core Formation man's mind:
"Yan Biao — this one is under my protection."