Shackles of Humanity

Inside the valley, the more lavishly dressed group was from Qiantian Square, led by a handsome young man wielding a Green Light Long Sword. Being able to command an Energy Weapon at such a young age meant he had clearly begun the initial stages of Energy Infusion.

Opposite them, the Shifang Association was led by a dark-skinned youth clutching a great saber. The blade, which emanated a faint, dark glow, was also an Energy Weapon.

The two glared daggers at each other for a moment before raising their weapons and clashing.

After a Martial Artist undergoes Energy Infusion, both their Power and speed increase dramatically. They also gain the ability to slightly manipulate Energy in combat, making their fighting prowess far greater than that of an ordinary High-level Martial Artist.

The young man with the Longsword was named Xi Haotang, a Direct Disciple of the East Sea Xi Family. His attacks flowed like clouds and water, seamless and traceless, yet they carried a powerful drawing force. His technique was truly profound.

The dark-skinned youth’s name was Kang Peng. The blows from his great saber, which emanated a faint, dark glow, were heavy and powerful. He met constant change with constancy, employing a defensive counter-attack strategy.

One was fast, the other slow, and both pushed their respective skills to the absolute limit. The battle was so fierce it was impossible to determine a winner in the short term.

Luo Kai watched for a while but quickly grew bored. He had no interest in getting involved in their squabble. Just as he was about to leave, his expression flickered. Another group had arrived at the edge of the valley. It was a mix of men and women—the men tall and handsome, the women radiant and beautiful. Every one of them held a vibrantly colored Energy Weapon, and their auras were overwhelming.

As this new group arrived, the valley immediately fell silent. The combatants hastily ceased their fight. The three people next to Luo Kai even began to cower and back away, looking as if they were about to flee.

This group of men and women strode into the valley, their gazes sweeping across the area. Everyone else lowered their heads, daring not to meet their eyes.

After a moment, a man in the group with sharp, sword-like eyebrows spoke coldly. ”Xi Haotang, I told you to resolve this matter. Is this your solution?”

Xi Haotang put away his Longsword and said sheepishly, ”Cousin, these guys started it.”

The man with the sword-like eyebrows heaved a long sigh. ”Go back to the Geomagnetic Tower and focus on your Cultivation. I don’t want to see you for the next two months.”

Xi Haotang was clearly in awe of him and didn’t dare say another word. He departed with his group, his tail between his legs.

The man with the sword-like eyebrows then turned to the dark-skinned youth. ”I’ll have Gu Bin compensate you handsomely. You can name your terms. How does that sound?”

The dark-skinned youth didn’t dare object. He simply nodded, beckoned to his followers, and likewise departed with his large group.

A massive brawl that had been on the verge of erupting was defused into nothing by just a few words from the man.

...

With no more excitement to be had, Luo Kai returned to Rufeng Valley.

Tuoba Ye and a large young man were standing in front of his small wooden cabin. The youth bore some resemblance to Tuoba Ye—equally tall and powerfully built—but he had a simple, guileless look about him. His wide, round eyes stared over with curiosity.

Luo Kai smiled and asked, ”This must be Xiaoyong.”

Tuoba Ye smacked the youth on the back of the head. ”Quick, call him Uncle.”

The youth looked back, confused. ”Dad, he’s about my age. Shouldn’t I call him Big Brother?”

”Damn it! I said call him Uncle, so you call him Uncle! What’s with all the damn chatter?”

The youth was still unconvinced, but he didn’t dare argue. He mumbled in Luo Kai’s direction, ”Hello, Uncle.”

Luo Kai instinctively reached for his pockets. It was customary to give a gift upon their first meeting, but he had nothing on him. He said, ”Old Tuoba, use my share of the materials to make a gift for Xiaoyong.”

Tuoba Ye seemed to have been waiting for just those words. His face immediately lit up with a broad grin. ”You got it!”

Luo Kai rolled his eyes in resignation. ”Alright, spit it out. What brings you here today?”

He chuckled. ”It’s nothing, really. Just wanted to come and catch up.”

”Just get to the point. I don’t have time to waste.”

Tuoba Ye rubbed his hands together sheepishly and pulled the youth beside him forward. ”So... this is my son, Tuoba Yong. Xiaokai, I was wondering if you had some time to teach him a thing or two.”

Luo Kai frowned. He spent all his days immersed in comprehending Heaven and Earth Energy; an entire day could pass by while he was lost in thought. He didn’t have time to take on a disciple, but he found it hard to refuse. After a moment’s hesitation, he sighed. ”Alright, have Xiaoyong come find me on Sundays.”

Tuoba Yong, however, wasn’t having it. He protested, ”Dad, he’s not even as strong as I am. Why should he teach me?”

Tuoba Ye smacked him on the back of the head again. ”Enough nonsense! Kneel and kowtow to your master!”

Tuoba Yong knelt resentfully but stubbornly refused to kowtow.

Tuoba Ye immediately raised his arm, looking as if he was about to strike him.

Having been beaten by his father his whole life, Tuoba Yong’s eyes instantly reddened. He opened his mouth wide and burst out crying, ”WAAAH... I want to go find Grandma! Dad’s hitting me again!”

Luo Kai froze. He finally realized Tuoba Yong had some sort of intellectual disability. Seeing this, he suspected it might have been beaten into him by Tuoba Ye. Speechless at his friend’s parenting style, he hurried forward to intervene. ”Old Tuoba, that’s enough!”

Then he turned to Tuoba Yong and said in a gentle voice, ”Xiaoyong, how about we have a contest of strength? Whoever wins gets to be the master. How does that sound?”

Tuoba Yong sniffled, ”Okay. But you can’t cheat. He cheats all the time.”

The ”he” was clearly a reference to Tuoba Ye. His father’s face flushed, and he grumbled, ”I’m a Body Master! It’s all my own skill, how is that cheating?”

”Alright,” Luo Kai said. ”Neither of us will cheat.”

Luo Kai took a few steps back and rolled up his sleeves. His dense muscles rippled like liquid mercury. ”I’m ready,” he said.

Tuoba Yong first shot a timid glance at his father before getting to his feet. In an instant, his entire demeanor changed. He stomped his foot, and a sound like muffled thunder rumbled from deep underground. He charged forward like a rampaging, humanoid suit of armor.

”Fuck!”

Luo Kai barely had time to curse before he was sent flying by the direct impact. His body tore through the paddy field, pulverizing the grass and rice stalks in his path and leaving a long wake of destruction.

”Haha!” Tuoba Ye roared with laughter. Though his son was intellectually challenged, he was born with monstrous strength. When he unleashed it, his Power was no less than that of a casual strike from a Body Master. A talent like that might not appear in one out of a hundred million people.

Luo Kai got to his feet and shot Tuoba Ye an annoyed glare. He then took a deep breath, his chest heaving. The Energy latent within his organs rapidly suffused his entire body. He hadn’t accelerated his Qi and Blood Circulation in a long time, and doing so again felt different. Although the Energy inside him was being consumed at a ferocious rate, his body was also rapidly absorbing Energy from the outside world. The replenishment was minuscule, but he had already touched upon the preliminary stage of the Unity of Heaven and Man.

Once in combat, Tuoba Yong entered a Selfless Realm, completely unaware of how to hold back. With another stomp, he charged forward again like a humanoid Tyrannosaurus Rex. His fist shot out like a sky-piercing missile, the sonic boom deafening as it tore through the air.

This time, however, Luo Kai was prepared. His rippling muscles channeled Power into his fist. As he unleashed the striking technique of Azure Wave Force, a sound like rolling thunder filled the air. Unlike before, when he could only rely on his own strength, this time, as his Fist Power erupted, the surrounding air rapidly compressed into a series of wave-like rings. An endless, layered Power surged forward.

The two fists collided. BOOM! The explosive force blasted a huge crater in the ground. The ensuing shockwave flattened the entire surrounding paddy field. And this was within the campus’s standard one-G Gravity; outside, the Power of the blow would have been even more astounding.

This time, Luo Kai stood his ground, but Tuoba Yong was sent flying backward. He scrambled to his feet and stared blankly at his bleeding fist, then looked back at Luo Kai. Finally, he knelt and kowtowed. ”Master.”