Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

Zhao Dong didn't reply, muttering to himself instead, "Your aura seems off. You must have an internal injury that hasn't healed for a long time. This recent pain… it wasn't the first time, was it?"

A look of shock flashed in the young man's eyes, soon turning into admiration.

He smiled faintly. "I'm surprised. For someone so young, your medical skills are truly remarkable."

Zhao Dong shrugged. "It's nothing. I know much more. Even healing that internal injury of yours wouldn't be a problem."

"Impossible!" The young man shook his head. "I've sought out countless famous doctors for this injury, but they all said it was incurable. How could you possibly succeed where they failed?"

Hearing this, Zhao Dong didn't argue. Death is imminent, so why bother with such trivialities? He sighed, lay back down, and quietly waited for his end to come. His face was a mask of humiliation and resentment, but he was utterly helpless.

Seemingly noticing that something was amiss with Zhao Dong, the young man walked to the edge of the bars and nudged him.

"I don't think I've seen you before. Which Elder's disciple are you? What did you do to get locked up in here?"

Zhao Dong gave a bitter smile. "I'm not a disciple of the Qingyun Sect. As for my crime? It's as the saying goes: an innocent man is blameless, but his treasure is his downfall."

Hearing the bitterness in Zhao Dong's voice, the young man frowned. "What exactly happened? Tell me everything."

"What's the use in telling you?" Zhao Dong said listlessly.

The young man chuckled. "Consider it the commiseration of two men on the brink of death. How about that?"

His words carried a carefree air, as if the concept of death meant nothing to him. That single sentence perfectly showcased the nonchalant temperament he had already displayed. If he had a longsword, he would be the very picture of a dashing, drunken swordsman of the martial world.

Zhao Dong was infected by the young man's mood. He smiled wryly. "You're right. Let's call it the commiseration of two condemned men."

With that, Zhao Dong sat up and began his tale. "I came to the Qingyun Sect after winning the Preaching Conference. Everything was going smoothly, but I absorbed the Jade Marrow Stone while soaking in the Spirit Medicine Pool.

"Afterward, Great Elder Jiang Feng coveted the stone inside me and tried to kill me for it. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't defeat me. Not only did I injure him, but I also killed his attendant disciple.

"But when the matter came to light, that bastard refused to admit he tried to murder me for my treasure. He even framed me, claiming I stole the sect's ultimate treasure, the Enlightenment Stone. To torture a confession out of me, he didn't just whip and torment me; he threw me into the Soul Destruction Cage in front of a huge crowd.

"Though I clenched my jaw and refused to confess," Zhao Dong finished bitterly, "I know my death isn't far off. If I don't die, Jiang Feng will be in danger. He has no other choice."

Hearing this, the young man didn't seem particularly shocked by Jiang Feng's actions. Instead, he looked Zhao Dong up and down with surprise.

"You brat, you were actually thrown into the Soul Destruction Cage? But aside from your soul force being a little weak, your meridians are completely unharmed!" he said. "How did you manage that?"

Zhao Dong shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just thick-skinned."

The young man chuckled and shook his head. "Jiang Feng may be the Great Elder, but he's the weakest of all the elders. He only has his position because of his seniority. By offending him, you've offended a real piece of work."

With that, the young man nonchalantly lay back down and fell silent. The air grew still.

After a long while, Zhao Dong couldn't resist asking, "How did you end up in here? Did you offend Jiang Feng, too?"

The young man shot Zhao Dong a sidelong glance with a faint smile, then looked away. He laced his hands behind his head, crossed his legs, and stared blankly at the ceiling in silence.

After a long time, the young man finally said nonchalantly, "I wasn't locked in here."

Zhao Dong was completely baffled.

"But you were clearly thrown in here by the disciples and locked in the dungeon. How is that not being locked in?"

The young man smiled indifferently. "You're right, I was indeed thrown in here by them. But if I wanted to leave, I could do so at any time. A mere dungeon like this cannot hold me."

Hearing this, Zhao Dong's eyes filled with shock. This dungeon can't hold him? What kind of status and power must he have?

But a moment later, Zhao Dong laughed at himself. How have I become so gullible? What normal person would willingly stay in a dungeon? He's obviously just bragging, isn't he?

Zhao Dong said with annoyance, "I didn't realize you were such a braggart."

At his words, the young man sighed but didn't offer a defense. He turned to look at Zhao Dong. "Kid, did you hear about the guy who fought a bunch of disciples in the sect plaza today? They say he took down a whole group all by himself. Even made that show-off Hai Dongqing vomit, apparently."

As he spoke, the young man clutched his stomach and roared with laughter. "That Hai Dongqing is so pretentious. His strength is mediocre, but he loves to run his mouth. The thing he cares about most is his pride. Getting beaten until he puked in front of so many people? That must have been a hilarious sight, hahahaha…"

Watching the young man laugh so freely, Zhao Dong couldn't help but marvel. This guy might be a braggart, but his carefree attitude is definitely not an act. I'm practically suffocating from indignation at being locked up in here, yet he still has the heart to laugh at Hai Dongqing?

Zhao Dong said helplessly, "The person you're talking about is me."

"What!?" The young man's laughter cut off abruptly. He shot to his feet, sized Zhao Dong up, and then burst out laughing again. "Hahahaha! Right, of course! I should have known it was you! Who else here would dare to teach Hai Dongqing a lesson?"

His face filled with incredulous excitement. "I have to admit, you've really got some skills, kid. No wonder you were able to absorb the Jade Marrow Stone."

Zhao Dong gave a bitter smile. "What good is strength? Now I truly understand what they mean by 'a tall tree attracts the wind' and 'genius meets an early end.' Locked in here, what can I do but wait to die?"

Hearing this, the young man simply smiled and waved his hand. He sauntered to the door of his cell.

He threw a deceptively casual punch.

BOOM!

After the massive explosion, Zhao Dong was dumbfounded. The door, forged from Meteorite Iron, had been blown apart by that single strike!

He then strolled into the corridor, walked up to Zhao Dong's cell, and with a powerful tug, ripped the door clean off and sent it flying.

An indescribable shock seized Zhao Dong, his heart trembling wildly. These cell doors are made of Meteorite Iron! Even I couldn't break one open, which means none of the Qingyun Sect Elders could either! Yet this young man blew one apart so effortlessly? And this place has a Formation that suppresses Spiritual Energy! How is this young man completely unaffected?