The Asura Sect was a demonic sect forged for war. It lived by battle, rose through battle, and even after death its disciples would become Asura, continuing their path of slaughter within the Asura Realm. This was the creed of the sect—conflict must be settled through force.
Li Bin had always bullied the honest Niu Geng, but he rarely went too far with Zhuge Xiang. Today, however, having secured from his cousin Zhao Feiyun a promised Blood Spirit Fruit, he already fancied himself someone who would soon comprehend Qi Jin and rise as a full disciple of the Asura Sect. Emboldened by this imagined future, he acted far more arrogantly than usual, and Zhuge Xiang's calm indifference only made him feel slighted. Their clash was inevitable.
Every dragon has its inverse scale—touch it, and death follows. The same holds true for people. For Zhuge Xiang, who had grown up as a beggar, being mocked for lacking "education" was precisely that forbidden scale. So he challenged Li Bin to a duel.
In a sect like the Asura Sect, where every grievance was resolved by force, no one declined a duel. Refuse, and not only your peers but even elders and masters would look down on you.
Li Bin froze. He had never imagined Zhuge Xiang would actually challenge him.
In Shura Sect, even killing one's opponent in a duel was considered a minor consequence. Seeing the bloodlust in Zhuge Xiang's eyes, Li Bin immediately regretted provoking him, but now there was no backing down. Although he believed receiving the Blood Spirit Fruit would guarantee his advancement, he did not yet possess it. Just like Zhuge Xiang, he was nothing more than an ordinary mortal with no comprehension of Qi Jin.
"What? Afraid?" Zhuge Xiang sneered, easily reading Li Bin's hesitation. "Just as I thought—dogs that bark don't bite."
"You're just like me, a mortal who hasn't comprehended Qi. What makes you so proud? Fine, I'll do it."
Stung by the taunt, Li Bin—young and impulsive—forced himself to accept. He had no guarantee of victory, but in his mind Zhuge Xiang's lack of Qi Jin meant there was nothing to fear.
"Take this!"
The moment Li Bin agreed, Zhuge Xiang—already prepared—lunged without a word. His sudden attack caught Li Bin completely off guard, his fist whipping forward with vicious force.
Though he had yet to comprehend Qi Jin, Zhuge Xiang had trained diligently for a year in the Asura Sect. Yang Qi Fist might not be powerful, but for someone who had mastered its basics, his punches carried real weight.
In battle, hesitation meant defeat. Li Bin barely managed to raise an arm to shield himself, but the blow hammered his wrist, sending him staggering back several steps as numbness shot up his arm.
Strike while the enemy falters—there was no room for mercy. Seeing Li Bin reeling, Zhuge Xiang pressed forward, kicking off the ground like a predator pouncing on prey. No flourish, no wasted motion—just a clean, full-force straight punch.
Boom!
Li Bin was blasted back again, slamming into the wall hard enough to rattle his organs. With nowhere left to retreat, he could only watch as Zhuge Xiang closed in with yet another crushing blow.
"Enough! You've gone too far!"
Backed into a corner, Li Bin roared and threw his own punch, meeting Zhuge Xiang's head-on.
He had no choice. One misstep had put him at a disadvantage, and unless he fought back now, he might never recover. His only hope was a desperate counterattack.
But Zhuge Xiang, who knew how to seize momentum and never let go, had no intention of giving him that chance.
Their fists collided—one fully prepared with the force of three stacked blows, the other a frantic counter. The outcome was obvious. Though the shock halted Zhuge Xiang's advance for a breath, Li Bin took the full impact. Pinned against the wall, he turned deathly pale as his insides churned.
A cold light flashed in Zhuge Xiang's eyes. While Li Bin was frozen in pain, he drove a savage kick straight into Li Bin's abdomen.
The human body had bone and muscle to protect the head, chest, and limbs, but the abdomen was vulnerable. A hard strike there caused damage several times worse than a hit elsewhere.
Li Bin felt as though his guts had snapped. He collapsed, curled like a shrimp, vomiting bile as he clutched his stomach, unable to fight any longer.
Zhuge Xiang paid no heed to his agony. He grabbed Li Bin by the neck and hoisted him up, slamming him back against the wall with a grip like iron.
"Zhuge Xiang, stop!"
Dueling was sacred in the Asura Sect—no one could intervene before a victor was decided. Though Niu Geng had watched anxiously, he dared not interrupt. But now that Li Bin was clearly defeated and Zhuge Xiang was about to kill him, he could no longer hold back.
Zhuge Xiang ignored him. Eyes cold, he brought his face close to Li Bin's. "Well? Do you yield?"
Li Bin, stomach twisted in agony and struggling to breathe under Zhuge Xiang's grip, had no courage left. Trembling, he nodded and stammered a choked apology for his earlier insults.
"Ding. Defeated ordinary mortal Li Bin. Gained 10 experience points. Acquired Iron and Steel Elixir."
Just as Li Bin admitted defeat, a mechanical voice rang out in Zhuge Xiang's mind, startling him. At the same instant, an object materialized in his hand—a pale yellow pill, the size of a soybean, exuding a faint, unusual fragrance.
Iron and Steel Elixir: Temporarily increases physical defense by 150 points for one minute.
Lines of information floated before his eyes. Familiar with the game system's rules, Zhuge Xiang was overjoyed. So defeating opponents granted experience—and items.
A whole year of hard training in the Asura Sect had only earned him 80 experience points, yet defeating Li Bin had given him 10 in an instant. One fight was almost equal to six weeks of cultivation.
These ten points thrilled him. He needed just ten more to level up, cultivate Qi for the first time, and finally become an official disciple of the Asura Sect. Hope was within reach.
"I don't accept this duel! I wasn't ready—you attacked too suddenly! I refuse to acknowledge it!"
Just then, Li Bin—his pain easing slightly—suddenly shouted.
Though he had been beaten and humiliated into apologizing, he was unwilling to accept defeat. In his mind, since neither he nor Zhuge Xiang had comprehended Qi Jin, losing was impossible.
"Not convinced?" Zhuge Xiang's eyes glinted. If Li Bin wanted to keep earning him experience, even better. "Then what do you want?"
"I want another fight! Three days from now, a formal duel at the Martial Arts Field. Do you dare to show up?" Li Bin growled, glaring fiercely.
"Li Bin, Zhuge Xiang, why are you doing this? We're roommates—we live under the same roof…" Niu Geng pleaded, distressed at the growing hostility between them.
But Zhuge Xiang paid him no mind. In his view, this was a chance he wouldn't refuse.
He agreed without hesitation.