The blade of the rapier was still lodged fast between Xiao Luo’s two fingers.

  It was a shocking sight, and no one had expected a scene similar to a martial arts movie to play out right before their very eyes. The kendo students, sprawled on the floor after being beaten down by Xiao Luo, were all struck dumb. The sword thrust by Senior Brother Qinghe, a level five kendo exponent, was deadly and not to be trifled with. Even their master would not have dared to attempt to face such an attack head-on without his sword in hand.

  “Oh, Gawd, Ice Face is a grandmaster in martial arts!”

  Su Canye was dumbfounded as he watched Xiao Luo confront his attackers. He knew about Inner Power and was aware that such people existed in the martial arts world, and one of them being the master of this very kendo gym. Their master had once performed a stunt of slicing apart a stack of wooden planks using the qi energy of the sword. Su Canye did not just join the gym to woo the girl he fancied, he was, in fact, willingly attending kendo training as he aspired to become a grandmaster himself one day.

  Su Xiaobei was seated on the bench behind Su Canye, and like him, her pair of big round eyes were gazing at Xiao Luo in astonishment.

  As Guo Qinghe tried to dislodge his trapped blade, the corner of Xiao Luo’s mouth once again lifted into a wry smile. With a quick twist of his wrist, the tip of Guo Qinghe’s sword snapped off, accompanied by the sound of a metallic clink. An immense force immediately surged along the blade to Guo Qinghe’s hands.

  CLINK!

  Guo Qinghe’s arm immediately went numb, and the sword dropped from his hand. He stumbled off four or five steps before he regained his footing. As he looked up, he saw Xiao Luo glaring at him and tossing the broken tip of his sword aside.

  “So, do you still want to fight?”

  Xiao Luo’s voice was cold and murderous. His words sent a chill down everyone’s spine and left them shaking in fear.

  Guo Qinghe was very afraid, and it was then that he suddenly realized that he had never understood Xiao Luo. However, as frightened as he was, he couldn’t accept that Xiao Luo had become so powerful to the extent that he could snap his sword with his bare hands. There was only one thing that he was more concerned with, and it came down to his perceived dignity. With a grim expression on his troubled face, he lunged forward with a ferocious cry, intent on taking Xiao Luo down even without his sword.

  “Arrogant fool!”

  \r \r \r

  Xiao Luo’s mouth formed into a scornful smirk as he moved in like a phantom, throwing Guo Qinghe off momentum, and smashed his clenched right fist into his opponent’s abdomen.

  “OOOFPH!”

  Guo Qinghe grunted in agony as blood spurted from his mouth. He was winded from the body blow, and this time, he flew backward and was left slumped on the floor, his body bent in spasms as he held his stomach in pain. His face became distorted from the excruciating pain, and he let out several guttural groans as he felt like every organ in his body had ruptured.

  In a way, Xiao Luo felt somewhat vexed that Guo Qinghe had disregarded his warning, so he no longer felt the obligation to go easy on him.

  He stepped across to where Guo Qinghe lay and looked at him with no emotions on his face. “You didn’t expect our first meeting in Xiahai to be like this, did you? Well, me neither. You were our class head, and you’ve even helped me apply for bursaries when we were in university, and I really respected you. Ask yourself why things ended up this way. The problem isn’t me, I never wanted to be your enemy. But, what you’ve done is disappointing—and as for who’s right and who’s wrong, that is something we already know.”

  Guo Qinghe struggled to get up, his body quivering and half-bowed as he endured the intense pain. He winced but managed a grin and said, “Xiao Luo, s-stop pretending…… if I knew that you were such a cruel person, I wouldn’t h-have helped. You ingrate! Trash like you b-belong to the bottom of society and d-deserve to be spurned forever. C-curse you!”

  “Ungrateful? Trash?”

  Xiao Luo smiled devilishly and then laughed aloud, acting that he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. “You said it so profoundly that I even believed in it. But, please realize, you are not qualified to comment on the kind of person I am.”

  After he said those words, his expression turned icy cold, and he slammed his foot into Guo Qinghe’s chest.

  “AAARGH!” It was like being hit by a speeding car, and Guo Qinghe was lifted off the ground and sailed back a distance. This time, it was a heavier blow, and Guo Qinghe’s chest exploded in searing pain with blood trickling from his nose.

  Xiao Luo once again walked up to him like he was taking a stroll. He lowered his head and asked again, “Do you submit?”

  Guo Qinghe’s mouth twitched, and a look of terror filled his eyes, but his pride and anger prevailed. Being the former class head, he always felt that he was above any of his classmates in every aspect. But, in Xiao Luo’s case, not only did he have a more successful career, he was even more capable in martial arts. Guo Qinghe simply refused to accept it.

  “I…… I will never be afraid of you…… I will never submit!”

  “Then I shall keep whacking you until you do.”

  Without further warning, Xiao Luo immediately sent Guo Qinghe flying in the air once again.

  The kendo students were in despair as they watched Guo Qinghe being kicked back and forth like a football. Screams of anguish would follow every sickening blow, and everyone cringed in horror. He was badly bruised all over his body, and even his kendo gi was now torn and tattered.

  “This is cruel. Isn’t Ice Face afraid that the cops will invite him over for tea?”

  Su Canye muttered to himself as he formed a fresh new perspective of Xiao Luo. The man may look gentle but became terrifying when provoked. He vowed to himself that he would never make Xiao Luo angry again, as he didn’t want to end up like Guo Qinghe.

  Suddenly, a shrill voice pierced the air: “Stop, or this little girl will have it from me!”

  Su Canye turned to the direction of the voice, and he was stunned. The girl whom he fancied, Wang Tuyun, had sneaked around the crowd and now held Su Xiaobei captive. She had Su Xiaobei’s neck in a chokehold with her right hand and appeared to be using some force as the little girl’s face was flushed, and she was crying in pain.

  “Wang Tuyun, release her now!”

  Su Canye yelled in a panic. He would never allow anyone to hurt Su Xiaobei, regardless of whether Wang Tuyun was the girl of his dreams.

  “Shut up, you have no place to speak here!” she hissed.

  Wang Tuyun wore a deranged and frightful expression as she glared Su Canye. Then, she turned to glare at Xiao Luo and said, “Do you hear me? Stop right now!”

  “D-daddy……sob, sob.”

  Su Xiaobei’s anguished voice was laced in pain as tears rolled down her face copiously.

  A raging fury welled up Xiao Luo, and he glared ominously at Wang Tuyun. “Release her now, and I will let you go. If you don’t, I will kill you!”

  A murderous aura emanated from his body, and a chill permeated through the entire kendo gym. Suddenly, there was a deathly lull.

  The crowd cowered as they could sense his overwhelming intent to kill. ……