I Start with a Mysterious Island

He put force into his arm.

THUD.

Zhou Tianci’s face made intimate contact with the ground.

The grey brick pavement shattered on impact, and blood gushed from Zhou Tianci’s mouth and nose.

His face still pressed against the ground, Zhou Tianci saw stars from the heavy blow. His head throbbed as if it were about to explode.

At that moment, his Perception picked up an unmistakable signal. The man in the black hood was emitting the Spiritual Energy Waves of a Second Order Middle Stage Cultivator.

’Second Order Middle Stage... This guy is emitting the Spiritual Energy Waves of a Second Order Middle Stage Cultivator! He’s not a Second Rank Initial Stage Cultivator at all! He deliberately hid his true cultivation from the very beginning.’

"Aaargh!" Zhou Tianci roared, struggling to scramble up from the ground, but the flaming palm held his head down, pinning him in place.

BAM.

BAM.

BAM.

Seeing Zhou Tianci struggle, the man in the black hood kept him pinned down. With his free right hand, he clenched his fingers into a fist and began punching Zhou Tianci, who was already bleeding from his mouth and nose, right in the face.

One punch, two, three... fifteen, twenty...

Each punch landed with a sickening thud. The man in the black hood relentlessly hammered dozens of blows into Zhou Tianci’s face.

Zhou Tianci struggled with all his might at first, but after dozens of punches to the face, his movements slowed, like a deflating ball, until he barely reacted at all.

Any other Second Rank Initial Stage Cultivator would have been beaten to death long ago by such a relentless assault.

Zhou Tianci was holding on only by gritting his teeth and relying on his awakened Superpower. But if this continued, he wouldn’t last much longer. His defenses were just a few punches away from shattering completely.

Every heavy blow from the flaming fist rapidly depleted Zhou Tianci’s Spiritual Energy. The moment his Spiritual Energy ran out and his Superpower deactivated would be the moment he died.

"Stop... Stop hitting me..."

After dozens of punches, Zhou Tianci’s face was swollen like a pig’s. He knew the Spiritual Energy left in his Dantian was almost too depleted to maintain his Superpower. Death was closing in, and terror flooded his heart.

"What do you want? I’ll give you anything, just spare me!"

Hearing Zhou Tianci’s pleas for mercy, the man in the black hood slowly lowered his raised right fist instead of delivering another punch to his face.

When Zhou Tianci saw that this terrifying enemy had stopped hitting him after hearing his pleas, he breathed a silent sigh of relief.

The flames on his hand died out. The man in the black hood grabbed Zhou Tianci’s bloody head and hauled him up from the ground.

"Aaargh..."

Zhou Tianci let out a pained scream as he was lifted off his feet by his head.

"I can give you money! A lot of money! Just spare my life!"

Zhou Tianci, who had lived a life of luxury and never suffered such a brutal beating, wailed loudly, begging the terrifying enemy before him to let him go.

"First, you brought your wicked servant to ambush me. Then, you plastered notices everywhere trying to find me so you could come after me again..."

"This beating settles the score between us. If you ever dare to mess with me again, it won’t end with just a simple beatdown like this..."

The man in the black hood finally spoke, his tone indifferent as he addressed the wailing, begging Zhou Tianci.

"Huh?" Zhou Tianci, still dangling by his head, had been screaming in pain and begging for mercy. He froze when he suddenly heard the man in the black hood speak.

After hearing what this terrifying enemy said, the image of a certain person instantly flashed through Zhou Tianci’s mind.

"It’s you...?!" Zhou Tianci’s eyes went wide. He let out a choked cry, his gaze filled with utter disbelief.

...

THUD.

After giving his warning, the man in the black hood flicked his left hand—the one gripping Zhou Tianci’s head—upward, tossing him into the air.

Then he spun, twisting at the waist and raising his right leg, and delivered a vicious roundhouse kick to Zhou Tianci’s falling body.

"Aaargh..."

Zhou Tianci let out a bloodcurdling scream as he was kicked. His body shot backward like a cannonball and slammed into a wall, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the solid surface.

THUD.

Zhou Tianci slid down the wall and collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. His Superpower deactivated, and his bronze-colored skin faded back to its normal hue.

After kicking Zhou Tianci away, the man in the black hood didn’t spare him a second glance. He turned and walked toward a distant alley.

Wang Xiaoliu, who had long since taken cover, watched the man in the black hood disappear into the distant alley.

He scrambled out from his corner and rushed to Zhou Tianci’s side.

"Young Master! Young Master, are you all right?" Wang Xiaoliu cried, kneeling beside the unconscious Zhou Tianci.

If Zhou Tianci could move right now, he would surely have slapped Wang Xiaoliu and started cursing him out.

’Are you fucking blind? Do I look like I’m okay? Get me to a clinic, now!’

The onlookers who had been hiding on both sides of the street began to emerge from their hiding spots. They had taken cover earlier, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire between the two Cultivators.

Now that the fight was over, they naturally reappeared to gawk at the aftermath.