I Cheated While Cultivating

“Wasn’t he taken away by You Ziheng?”

“Disciples of Pure Yang Palace descend the mountain so quickly?”

Wang Qing and the other five were all looking at Zhou Heng with shock and disbelief.

They had never thought that Zhou Heng would come back so soon.

According to previous information, even if Zhou Heng passed the assessment and was accepted into Pure Yang Palace, he would only be an Outer Sect Disciple at best, and considering his ranking on the Martial Artists’ Roll, he might at most advance to Inner Sect Disciple.

And usually, for an Inner Sect Disciple to leave the mountain to travel, they at least needed to have mastered a unique martial art of Pure Yang Palace.

Moreover, Pure Yang Palace was countless miles away from Huangtong Mansion City, and it could take years for a Martial Artist of Lower Third Rank to reach there. It was unlikely for an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple to have a Middle Third Rank powerhouse to escort them personally, much less have a custom route and designated arrival point.

According to the people from Chang Xing Sect, they wanted to torture those related to Zhou Heng in this place for a long time, making their lives worse than death, in order to truly achieve the effect of revenge.

They would consider leaving when news of Zhou Heng reappeared in the martial world.

After all, Zhou Heng’s strength was exceptionally formidable; he was able to fight against three Seventh Rank opponents alone without a scratch and slay them. Such strength definitely surpassed these ordinary Seventh Ranks.

They couldn’t afford to provoke him!

But Wang Qing and the others never expected that Zhou Heng would actually return now and come straight to them.

Therefore, without a second thought, upon recognizing Zhou Heng, they immediately chose to flee.

Escaping was the best strategy!

Wang Qing had the highest martial arts skills among them, and he was the first to react and act, immediately leaping up, smashing through a nearby window, and escaping the hall, aiming to climb over the wall and flee.

The other five also acted in quick succession, either escaping through the window broken by Wang Qing or punching through the walls beside them to swiftly flee.

In short, none of these people thought about resisting after recognizing Zhou Heng; they all wanted to escape as quickly as possible.

They couldn’t beat him!

Yu Yingying, who was beside Zhou Heng, was stunned, watching Wang Qing and the others escaping in disgrace, and momentarily wondered if she was dreaming.

In the past, when she saw Wang Qing and his group, they were always arrogant and despised everyone. She had never seen them in such a panicked state.

Outside the door, there was still a significant crowd gathered to watch the excitement.

In the previous days, the people of Huangtong Mansion City had seen how Wang Qing and his group had been pressing down on the Yu Family and Longxing Martial Arts Hall; they all knew the reason why.

Now that Zhou Heng had returned, looking ready to take revenge for the Yu Family and Longxing Martial Arts Hall, there was certain to be a good show.

But these onlookers had not expected that upon seeing Zhou Heng, Wang Qing and his crew would immediately leg it, showing not even a trace of the demeanor of strong Mmartial Artists.

They were like mice that had seen a cat.

“Incredible! Zhou Heng’s reputation is indeed outstanding; he scared off six Seventh Rank experts without even lifting a finger!”

“Impressive, truly impressive! Maybe the speculations on the Martial Artists’ Roll weren’t wrong, perhaps he really is the reincarnation of a great power!”

“Wang Qing and his men are Seventh Rank experts, after all. Even if Zhou Heng is powerful, he couldn’t entirely overwhelm them, right?”

“Haven’t you seen the latest Martial Artists’ Roll? Zhou Heng is so formidable it’s boundless, it is said he’s even gotten involved in the strife among the pinnacle Fourth Rank experts!”

“Against the heavens! Zhou Heng is truly a genius!”

Many people were exclaiming in astonishment, full of admiration for Zhou Heng, while at the same time casting pitiful glances at Wang Qing and his crew.

It seemed that the Chang Xing Sect members were in for it today.

Most likely, they would be left with severe injuries.

After all, they were also disciples of Chang Xing Sect. Zhou Heng would probably not recklessly inflict heavy injury on them.

Just then, Zhou Heng made his move.

His figure was like a gentle breeze, light as if it had no weight, with just a slight flicker, he instantly spanned a distance of nearly thirty feet, and stood in front of Wang Qing.

“Where are you going?” Zhou Heng stood on the wall, looking down at him, and said indifferently, “Are you coming yourself, or should I make my move?”

“No, you can’t kill me!” Wang Qing knew he couldn’t escape and shouted loudly: “I, I was just following orders, the misfortunes of the Yu Family and Longxing Martial Arts Hall were not my intention, you…”

Bang!

Zhou Heng kicked Wang Qing in the chest, a faint golden light flashing over his leg.

Wang Qing’s ribs broke and his chest caved in on the spot, sending him flying backward, crashing into and shattering a rockery in the courtyard and getting buried under a pile of stones.

The other men didn’t wait for Zhou Heng to stop Wang Qing before they accelerated their run, without looking back. The speed of Zhou Heng’s qinggong was terrifyingly fast, making their hearts tremble with fear.

If they didn’t escape now, there would really be no chance!

Clang!

A sword’s ringing sound filled the air as a longsword materialized in Zhou Heng’s hand. With a flick of his wrist, the longsword seemed to have a life of its own as it flew straight towards the five fleeing men.

Cross Mysterious Door Sword!

A sharp weapon!

Sword of a Hundred Steps Flying!

This sharp longsword traced an arc through the sky, effortlessly beheading the five men like slicing through vegetables, circled in the air once more, and then returned to Zhou Heng’s hand.

“Congratulations! For killing the defenseless enemy Wang Qing, you’ve acquired a Fortune Bag [Copper] +1.”

…

“Congratulations! For killing the non-threatening enemy Wu Shengyi, no reward acquired.”

…

“Congratulations! For killing the non-threatening enemy Bai Song, no reward acquired.”

Reward notifications sounded in Zhou Heng’s mind.

His actions were clean and decisive.

He didn’t leave a single survivor.

He dealt with Wang Qing and his six men right there and then.

All around, silence reigned, so quiet it was almost tangible.

Whether it was Yu Yingying or those who had come to gawk at the excitement, everyone was dumbstruck, their faces a picture of disbelief.

Zhou Heng sheathed his Cross Mysterious Door Sword with an unflustered demeanor.

He felt a tinge of regret.

Wang Qing and his Seventh Rank underlings were simply too weak; they weren’t nearly a match to sharpen his martial arts.

“Although these six men were all Seventh Rank, they were so easily defeated, it seems unlikely that they achieved their breakthrough by constantly battling others to refine their martial arts and finally creating their unique Seventh Rank martial arts,” Zhou Heng thought to himself.

The method Yan Shouyi mentioned before was actually just a “trick”.

It wasn’t the only way to advance from Eighth Rank to Seventh Rank.

As long as one could build their inner heaven and earth and clarify their will, they would have the basic conditions to break through to the Seventh Rank of the Martial Path.

There wasn’t a single method to achieve this foundation.

The vast majority of common martial artists in the world use a method akin to “grinding it out,” relying on decades of time to accumulate experience, bit by bit exploring their own conditions, and finally meeting the criteria.

Those who reach the Seventh Rank in this manner are certainly much weaker in actual combat than those who have been battle-hardened and have innovated their own martial arts techniques.

Later, Zhou Heng leapt down from the top of the wall, and just as before, like a wisp of breeze, floated to Yu Yingying’s side.

At this, the crowd suddenly erupted.

“My goodness, that was so decisive!”

“Such a resolute killer, terrifying indeed!”

“This is what a top-ranked fighter looks like, this is what a jianghu hero is, this is the true spirit of swift retribution!”

“Aren’t they afraid of retaliation from the Chang Xing Sect??”

The people discussed animatedly, their eyes filled with worry when they looked at Zhou Heng.

Even though Yu Yingying was happy about Wang Qing’s death, she still felt a bit anxious.

She tugged timidly on the corner of Zhou Heng’s clothing, whispering, “Big Brother Zhou, are you really okay after doing this? After all, Chang Xing Sect is the strongest Martial Path sect near Huangtong Mansion City.”

“Don’t worry, nothing will happen,” Zhou Heng said as he patted her head and smiled, “Come on, take me to see Yu He and your dad.”

“Okay,” Hearing Zhou Heng’s words seemed to contain a comforting power, Yu Yingying’s previously chaotic mind instantly settled.

Zhou Heng left the residence with Yu Yingying, leaving behind a throng of onlookers still buzzing with commentary.

Before long, the head constable of the prefectural city, Meng Xing, arrived with his men. The overwhelming stench of blood and the sight of Wang Qing and the others’ corpses made his brows furrow intensely.

“What exactly happened here, has Zhou Heng come back?” He sent his constables to ask around, and after a short while, he had a rough idea of what had taken place.

“What should we do now?” Meng Xing felt troubled, his head spinning with worry.

Six Seventh Rank experts of the Chang Xing Sect died in Huangtong Mansion City, and as a government authority, the Imperial Court definitely couldn’t do nothing, or it would lose face. Even the promotion and career path of the mansion’s lord, Wu Zongshan, would become difficult.

Although previously hindered by the complex relationship between the Imperial Court and the Sect, the prefectural city’s yamen office could not directly target Wang Qing and the others, but they still offered some covert assistance to the Yu Family and Longxing Martial Arts Hall.

This was to avoid Zhou Heng coming back and blaming the prefectural city yamen office and to facilitate the future mediation between Zhou Heng and Wang Qing, ensuring they didn’t directly come to blows.

However, they had never anticipated that Zhou Heng would return so quickly, nor had they expected him to act so swiftly and decisively, targeting the “main body” as soon as he got back and killing Wang Qing and the others in the blink of an eye.

Setting other aspects aside, speaking of this strength alone, it was already terrifying.

The constables who had come with Meng Xing also had worried looks on their faces, unsure how to handle such a tricky situation; they could only look to their superior, Meng Xing, waiting for his decision.

Meng Xing was silent for a while before saying, “You go back first and report the situation to the mansion lord. I’ll go have a talk with Zhou Heng.”

…

At the Yu Family.

Yu He lay on the bed with a swollen, bruised face. When he saw Zhou Heng and his sister walking into the room, he almost thought he was dreaming. Rubbing his eyes, he suddenly opened them wide and laughed, “Hahaha! You’re back!”

“Mmm, I’m back,” Zhou Heng nodded as he approached Yu He’s bedside, frowning at the injuries on him, “Did Wang Qing and those people do this?”

“That bunch of bastards really hit hard. I reckon I’m going to need to spend a good half a month in bed,” Yu He forced a smile, “I was planning to invite you out for drinks when you got back.

“That’s out of the question now. Those bastards have left my family broke; we’re even running out of food. And I’m such a waste, stuck in bed, that I had to ask my sister to go out and borrow some grain…Sigh.”

“Brother, no need to sigh,” Yu Yingying laughed, “Just now, Big Brother Zhou and I went to the residence where Wang Qing and the others were staying, and he killed all of them.”

“What??” Yu He was stunned, staring at Zhou Heng in shock, “You killed all six Seventh Ranks from the Chang Xing Sect??”

“Consider it just like killing chickens,” Zhou Heng said with a nod.

“Disaster!” Yu He ruffled his hair, turned to Yu Yingying and said, “Yingying, do we still have any money left? Give Zhou Heng some travel expenses and let him flee right away. If people from the Chang Xing Sect come, he’s done for.”

“Ah??” Yu Yingying turned pale upon hearing this and quickly said, “I, I will go look for it right away.”

“There’s no need to worry,” Zhou Heng paused Yu He’s hand and smiled, “A mere Chang Xing Sect cannot trouble me. If they wish to seek revenge further, then let them come.”

“You’re insane. The Chang Xing Sect has a Fifth Rank Sect Master. Even if it’s just that old guy Liu Songshan who wants revenge, he is a Sixth Rank in the Martial Path and can easily crush any Seventh Rank,” Yu He said with wide eyes, “Originally, Liu Songshan had no direct excuse to seek revenge on you, but now that you’ve killed six Seventh Ranks from the Chang Xing Sect, you’ve given him the perfect opportunity. Even if you are an Outer Sect Disciple of Pure Yang Palace, he might not let you off.”

“Dare Liu Songshan kill me?” Zhou Heng said with a light laugh.

“Even if he doesn’t dare to kill you, he’ll definitely leave you injured. And with swords and sabers lacking conscience, if he wishes to take revenge, what room is there for reason?” Yu He shook his head, “Zhou Heng, I know you’ve risen in the Martial Path, and you’ve become a disciple of Pure Yang Palace, full of vigor, but this is still Huangtong Mansion, far from Pure Yang Palace. If you were an Inner Sect Disciple, perhaps you could intimidate the Chang Xing Sect, but the status of an Outer Sect Disciple might not be enough. Listen to me, leave quickly to avoid the storm.”

“If I leave, what about you guys?” Zhou Heng asked.

“Don’t worry about us for now. Even if Liu Songshan is bold, he wouldn’t go as far as to annihilate my entire family,” Yu He mustered up some energy and pushed Zhou Heng, “Go, now. Don’t delay for a moment.”

“What if I’m a True Disciple of Pure Yang Palace?” Zhou Heng said with a smile, “Would Liu Songshan still dare to make a move?”

“If you’re a True Disciple of Pure Yang…what??” Yu He’s entire being froze, staring at Zhou Heng in utter shock, “You’re a True Disciple of Pure Yang Palace??”

Right at that moment, Meng Xing happened to be walking over, guided by a servant of the Yu Family. When he overheard Yu He’s words, he nearly stumbled, a Seventh Rank Martial Artist almost falling flat on his face.

“Young Master Zhou, you, you’ve become a True Disciple of Pure Yang Palace??”