A sudden deathly silence fell over the gravel training ground.
Everyone who had been laughing and mocking just moments ago now fell completely quiet, their eyes locked onto the lone‑armed figure in the arena. Dark blue poison veins crawled across half of Lin Chen's neck. His body, beneath tattered clothes, looked weak, yet those calm eyes exuded a bone‑chilling coldness—like a sheathed blade, waiting only to drink blood.
The bald youth lay on the ground, clutching his broken wrist and screaming in agony. Blood gushed through his fingers, soaking the gravel beneath him and filling the air with a thick stench of iron. He glared at Lin Chen with hatred, roaring: "You dare break my wrist! I'll tear you to pieces!"
Lin Chen glanced down at him indifferently, without a trace of mercy.
In this trial ground of the Shadow Assassins Pavilion, mercy was the path to death.
"Too noisy."
With that single word, Lin Chen shifted his foot and shot forward!
No hesitation, no wasted movement. Late‑stage True Martial true essence roared through his body, surging violently into his only arm. The air split open as he tore through it, a sharp whistling sound cutting through the courtyard. True essence rippled outward from his body, shaking the gravel on the ground.
The bald youth's pupils shrank violently, terror flashing in his eyes. He tried to struggle to his feet, but the agony of his broken wrist left him powerless. He could only watch as that figure approached like a ghost.
Lin Chen's right arm clenched into a fist, his knuckles white. True essence condensed at the fist's tip, glowing with a faint white light. This strike had no fancy forms, yet it contained all his strength and killing intent. The wind howled, sharp enough to slice through air, slamming straight toward the bald youth's face!
"No—!"
His desperate scream was cut short.
Boom!
A dull, thunderous impact echoed. The fist crashed into the bald youth's nose. The crisp sound of shattering bone was clear. Blood erupted instantly, mixed with broken teeth, splattering across Lin Chen's clothes and cheeks.
The bald youth's head snapped back. His body flew backward like a sandbag struck by a hammer, slamming heavily into a stone wall several feet away. A dull thud followed. His body twitched a few times, then went completely still. Blood trickled down the wall, pooling into a dark red stain on the ground.
One strike!
Just one strike, and the arrogant provocateur was dead.
Everyone in the training ground paled, gasping in shock. The contempt and mockery in their eyes were gone, replaced only by deep dread and terror.
"He's at the True Martial realm! How is that possible?!"
"A one‑armed, poisoned cripple with this kind of power? Impossible!"
"What brutality! One punch, one kill—no mercy at all!"
Exclamations erupted, yet no one dared step forward.
Lin Chen stood there, slowly lowering his right arm. Blood dripped from his knuckles onto the gravel, splattering tiny crimson dots. The poison in his chest stirred from the outburst of true essence, sharp pain spreading through him, the blue veins darkening even more. Yet his gaze only grew colder, and the true essence around him raged harder than before.
"Who's next?"
He lifted his eyes, sweeping over every youth in the yard. His voice was calm, yet carried undeniable pressure—like a midwinter wind, cutting across their skin and chilling them to the bone.
From the crowd, three figures stepped forward abruptly. Leading them was a tall, thin man with a sinister expression, wielding a short dagger. He stared at Lin Chen with vicious eyes: "Quit posturing! You just got lucky with a sneak attack! A poisoned, one‑armed trash dares act arrogant here! Brothers, attack together—kill him and take whatever he has!"
Before his voice faded, all three unleashed their true essence, turning into three blurry shadows that charged Lin Chen from different directions!
The dagger glinted coldly, fists tore through the air, legs swept like wind. The three moved in perfect coordination, their attacks ruthless and tricky—clearly seasoned killers, trying to overwhelm Lin Chen with numbers and finish him off.
Facing the three‑way assault, Lin Chen's expression did not change. He stood alone, and true essence erupted from his body!
Late‑stage True Martial pressure surged outward like a tidal wave. An invisible wave of energy spread from him, sending gravel flying into the air.
"Come!"
A low shout. Lin Chen moved.
Instead of retreating, he advanced. His right arm swept sideways, true essence coiling around it into a sharp arc of energy, slashing directly at the dagger coming from his left.
Clang!
A piercing metallic clang echoed, sparks flying! The tall, thin man felt a monstrous force travel up his dagger. His arm went numb, his palm splitting open, blood spurting out. The dagger nearly flew from his grasp.
Lin Chen pressed his advantage without pause. His feet crushed the gravel, and he closed in instantly, bending his right arm into an elbow that slammed into the man's chest!
Boom!
The elbow's condensed true essence tore through his clothes and struck his chest. The sound of cracking ribs echoed one after another. He spewed a mouthful of blood, his body flying backward like a broken kite, crashing to the ground—lifeless.
With one man down, Lin Chen did not stop. Spinning around, his right fist shot out, striking the youth to his right faster than the eye could follow.
The youth's pupils shrank. He frantically raised his arms to block, but Lin Chen's fist carried monstrous true essence—power beyond measure.
Crack!
The youth's arm snapped instantly. The fist continued unabated, slamming into his skull. Blood and brains splattered. He died on the spot.
The last man's soul nearly fled his body. He turned and fled!
"You want to run?"
A cold glint flashed in Lin Chen's eyes. His right arm snapped forward, launching a condensed stream of true essence that sliced through the air like a blade, piercing straight through the youth's back!
Pfft!
Blood erupted. The youth's body froze, then slowly collapsed to the ground—dead.
In just a few breaths, all three attackers were killed.
Blood dyed the entire gravel training ground red, the stench thick enough to make one retch.
Lin Chen stood alone amid the corpses and pools of blood. His lone‑armed silhouette stood sharp and solitary in the setting sun. The true essence around him gradually calmed, yet the killing aura seeping from his bones left everyone trembling in silence, not daring to move.
He looked down at the darkening blue veins on his chest, his brow faintly furrowing.
He had expended too much true essence. The poison was no longer fully suppressed.
But his gaze remained as firm as iron.
He had to pass the Shadow Assassins Pavilion trial.
He had to obtain the antidote.
Whoever stood in his way would die.