Han De, who was hovering in the night sky, was baffled. He had left in a hurry so that the Qui family could deal with MC in their natural, undisturbed habitat. But naturally, he left his spiritual sense behind to watch the process.
'That's… pretty ballsy, not gonna lie…'
While Han De wasn't impressed with their mental gymnastics, he couldn't help but appreciate their way of handling things. A storage ring was a cheat item in this world. The fact that the patriarch recognized it instantly showed that he had some foresight.
Han De couldn't help but gloat a little too. The sword's ordinary appearance completely fooled them! It was the exact effect he was going for!
Han De diverted his spiritual sense to the imported MC once again. He was still at the outer region of the settlement, slowly making his way to the center as he beat up more and more mobs. With the blue hair, determined eyes, tastefully dirtied/torn clothes, he really looked like a protagonist no matter how Han De looked at him.
Boy A, on the other hand, was still 2 courtyards away. From his slow pace and deliberate movements, Han De could tell that Boy A was psyching himself up. Meanwhile, the MC started monologuing once again. At least this time his audience was a guard beaten to a pulp.
"Didn't you always say that trash should know its place? You should follow your own advice uncle Qiu Bo. This god-king will give you a chance, even if you don't deserve it!"
"URGH!! You t-trash!!"
The guard lashed out to grab the MC, but the latter dodged with ease.
'There's that classic disdainful look! Hah, he even straightened his back!'
"Hmph. To think that you would throw away my benevolence. How impudent!"
The MC fortified his fist with a small amount of spiritual energy and punched the guard from the back.
Han De was high up in the sky, using his spiritual sense as a camera. Seeing Wuxia in live-action, in a situation where he had no stakes at all, turned out to be exhilarating! He could understand why those old monsters would occasionally peep at other people's lives. This was the Xianxia reality television!
At the same time, he wondered if the MC could detect his spiritual sense. Technically speaking, such a feat was impossible. Nascent Soul was 3 major realms higher than Qi Condensation. But an MC was an MC, and MCs operated with different rulesets. There was still that hammer treasure too.
To test some waters, Han De concentrated on the guard instead, just to see if the MC could detect his spiritual sense.
MC's Qi fortified punch had knocked the guard down to the ground. Neither the punch, nor the technique was impressive, but the guard couldn't get up even though he kept trying. A cursory look with spiritual sense was enough to see why. Coincidentally, the guard himself had arrived at the same conclusion, and started to cry and scream with everything he had.
"AAAAAAGHHH!!!! You trash!! UEGH- I will!! AAARGH-"
"Silence mongrel."
"AAAA…. Kill you a thousand times… and… and rape your AAAHHHH!! corpse! Then I will feed you… AUHAUUHH!! to your wretched father!! AAAAHHH!!!! Filthy blood AAAARGGHHH, begets…-"
MC smashed his foot to the back of the guard's head. A sickeningly wet impact sound later, silence returned to the area. Han De retracted his spiritual sense to a safe distance. Watching gory scenes with Ultra-ultra-ultra HD resolution didn't appeal to his senses, especially after eating 5 jumbo-sized pizzas.
"Not only did you refuse this god-king's benevolence but also insulted his parents? Hmph. Very well. Let this god-king teach you a lesson."
The MC broke the guard's limbs one by one with simple finger strikes. 3 bones from each leg and arms were cleanly broken in multiple places. By themselves, they could be healed given time, but that was not the case for the completely shattered spine from before. This guard would never be able to walk again. His recovery would be full of pain and suffering, if he could recover at all.
'...That's pretty cruel. Although I shouldn't be the one to talk, I've done a lot worse.'
Suddenly, MC got down on his knees, and his face was warped with pain.
"ARGH!!...
What a weak body! It can't stand my Nine-Heavens Bronze Finger art. Even the Myriad-Beginnings Fist, being as simple as it is, puts a heavy burden after each use! It seems revenge will not be possible at this stage..."
'... He's still monologuing, goddamn...
Hmm. I guess that Boy A guy didn't hear it. When is he going to jump in? Now's the perfect time.'
MC entered the lotus position and tried to control his breathing. From the looks of it, he couldn't detect the spiritual sense around the area. Han De still decided to play it safe and did not let his spiritual sense touch the MC. Only a minute later, under the watchful eyes of Han De in the sky, and Boy A from behind a wall, the MC started groaning. Groans became muffled screams, then became fully-fledged screams of agony.
Curiosity got the better of Han De, and he sent his spiritual sense to the MC's body.
'Man, his insides are all messed up. It's a miracle he reached the 1st stage of the Qi Condensation realm this quickly. Now he is forcefully breaking through to the 2nd stage? Just hide for a few months and do it slowly you idiot. What's the rush?
*Sigh* And Boy A... Why the hell are you waiting for him to transform? Just slap him already...'
"HUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA….AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!"
*Cough*
A mouthful of black blood splattered on the ground. Unfortunately, unlike in the Xianxia novels, the MC didn't look like he instantly felt better. His face became pale, and his eyes looked out of focus. Still, he stood up and faced towards the direction where Boy A was hiding.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"Young master of the Qoods, you've been watching me intently. I know I'm impressive, but if you keep that up people will start to talk..."
Boy A came out in the open with a frown.
'Qoods? What the hell is Qoods? Their family name is Qui- oh... Their family name and the word for dog sounds alike in their language... I see... Not that funny or original.'
"The Qiu family took care of you and your father when everyone in the empire had turned their backs on you. We overlooked your father's transgressions, overlooked your lack of talent, and gave both of you a place to call home."
Boy A gazed towards the crippled guard. For a moment he seemed to care about the guard's wellbeing, but the facade crumbled and a wicked smile quickly replaced it.
"Hmph. Not only a trash, but an ungrateful, unfilial one too. Do you still wonder why Wang Xun didn't choose you? You were unworthy then, and you are unworthy now. Forget Martial Disciple, even if you were to become a Martial Master overnight, Wang Xun still wouldn't choose YOU!!!"
Boy A sprinted toward the MC with a fist full of spiritual energy. Presumably, it was the Mountain Smashing Punch. Unfortunately, the punch itself did not connect with the MC, but Boy A didn't give up. He rapidly tried to punch a few dozen times, but the MC was able to dodge them all with ease.
Being completely inexperienced with hand-to-hand combat, Han De didn't know what to make of their 'battle'. Unlike the fight between Boy A and Boy B, this time Han De didn't need to interrupt them, which allowed him to focus on the spiritual power usage of both. He didn't know how to throw a punch, but he did know how to analyze spiritual power.
'What a S#$%%& cultivation method and a S#$%%& martial art. How did he reach the 3rd stage with this? Unbelievable. No wonder they can't even reach Foundation Establishment level.'
The Qi produced by the scripture was impure at best. Not only was the circulation method different from what Han De had comprehended from the Qiu family scroll, but it also did cumulative damage to the body as a whole after each cycle. The refinement method did not benefit from rich spiritual energy, and the application of Qi relied solely on the subject's bloodline.
Usually, when the transmigrated character reaches a certain level of knowledge, they would be able to give advice to anyone about any cultivation method. Han De realized that wasn't the case with him. If he didn't comprehend the scripture in question, his default answer was 'do it better somehow'. Pointing out some common errors was vastly different than fixing them altogether.
Nevertheless, he could analyze commonalities of other cultivation methods. And the methods that Boy A cultivated were clearly made for an era where every ounce of spiritual energy was precious. In contrast, the MC was using methods that used spiritual power far more freely. His only limitation was the blocked meridians that were limiting his output.
That punch technique of the MC was quite deadly to his current opponents. Boy A's Mountain Smashing Fist though, was highly unlikely to cause major damage, even if it did connect with the MC.
'Hmmm. Looks like Ning Bi when she was at 4th Stage, could take on a few dozen 10th stage 'gods' of this planet easily. Can't even call this a noob planet at this point.
Meanwhile, a familiar-looking man started to run towards the fight. That man was the 2nd elder, father of Boy A, but Han De was too lazy to recall those useless details. The MC still wasn't in the clear due to having blocked meridians, but there was no tension left after looking at the situation. Even if the patriarch was here, the MC could find a way to run away based on his skills. Han De keenly realized, in a Xianxia novel this event would be known as filler!
"Junior! Stay your hand!!"
Right when the MC was about to strike Boy A after flanking him, the 2nd elder appeared just in the nick of time.
'Oh that's it, that's the stuff!'
A genuine "Junior!" from a genuine arrogant elder! Han De was absorbed by the wild elder's expressions. The aura of arrogance, anger, and disdain!
'Not bad, easily 8 out of 10. He should've reduced the anger though, maybe swap some of it with generic disgust, as if even seeing the MC makes you uncomfortable due to difference in status. Body movement looked a bit stiff, giving away the inner surprise. It's good that you recognized something was amiss with the MC, but don't make it that obvious man!'
"...-ill have the contract. If Wang Xun wants to annul the engagement, all she needs is to kowtow to me 50 times and beg for my forgiveness."
The smug voice that was speaking belonged to the MC. While Han De was evaluating the elder's performance, at some point, the same elder was beaten up by the MC, and was lying on the ground beside his equally pitiful looking son, Boy A. Father and son's faces were twitching with anger and disbelief while the MC was giving them a no-look look.
"Pui! You are just trash!! Know your place!!"
The owner of the shout mixed with growling was Boy A.
'You can still spit? Are you looking for death? My god… The disappointing arrogant young master is channeling his inner arrogance at last...'
"She was never your woman! Did you really think someone like her would become yours?! HAHAHAHA…"
The quality of the taunt was quite lacking, and the delivery was deeply flawed. Han De gave it 4 out of 10. Most of the points came from the fact that Boy A seemed like he could barely stay conscious but was still giving everything he got to his craft. An admirable, but ultimately mediocre performance.
Han De did not notice the MC's expression while evaluating Boy A's work. He realized things had gotten serious after sensing the killing intent oozing from the MC.
'S#$%, that's right. This guy was betrayed by his harem! Damn, Boy A, I misjudged you… That was actually the worse choice you could've made…'
Yu Xian started to condense the little spiritual energy that remained in his body. He had just broken through and was obviously trying to gather spiritual energy while posturing. Under normal circumstances, this level of spiritual energy could mortally injure a 3rd stage Qi Condensation disciple easily. On this planet though, Han De wasn't sure. Maybe Boy A would experience the true meaning of becoming a popcorn.
The thought of someone's internal organs splashing everywhere immediately sobered up Han De. The free Wuxia show was fun to watch, the fact that he wasn't involved at all made it even more enjoyable. However, this wasn't a show. It was reality. Bruises were one thing, watching someone get mutilated was another. Han De instinctively averted his gaze.
"Junior! Stay your hand!!
...
Junior!! You dare?!"
*BOOOM*
"Hmph! Unfilial!!"
While Han De was feeling queasy about what was about to happen, the Qui family patriarch had appeared out of nowhere and blocked the attack, then sent the MC flying with a kick of his own.
'Oh my god. They keep coming! What's next, will the Qui ancestor appear too?'
Apparently, that kick wasn't enough for the patriarch. While the MC was furiously coughing up blood, the white-haired patriarch kicked the ground and closed in on his target.
'This guy… I can't believe he isn't giving the MC a chance to retaliate… What a pro!'
The MC was able to dodge a stomp and two kicks, but Han De could tell he was at his limit. This was the time to pull up a bulls#$% escape technique out of nowhere.
'He has it right? He must have. Didn't he call himself God-King? He even kept monologuing, he must know thousands of scriptures… Surely...'
Unfortunately, MC did not use an escape technique. He tried to dodge another kick, but the white-haired patriarch was too fast for the gravely injured MC. The kick grazed his shoulder, and slammed him into the stone wall.
Han De checked the MC's condition with his spiritual sense. He was still breathing, but it was obvious that wouldn't last long with the patriarch running towards him. The old man was truly relentless. He started closing the distance before the MC hit the ground!
It was getting harder to watch by the second. Although the MC was a harem protagonist, he was still a person. Maybe this was part of his character development. Maybe he still had a way to escape. Or maybe his head was about to get bashed in by a crazy old guy.
Han De did a cost-benefit analysis on his head.
'I can get a get-out-of-jail-free card if I save him right now…'
The chances were low, but there was a still teeny tiny chance that Han De could encounter this MC in the future. If he was a true MC, he was bound to leave this planet for greener pastures! Helping him when at his lowest point was an easy way to score points!
After receiving a thumbs up from his conscience, Han De used a simple spiritual spell to enhance his voice.
*Cough* “Junior, stay your hand..."