In the training ground, Tatsumi was training fiercely, sweat dripping from his forehead as he practiced with his sword.
"You look improved," said Zhang Yong as he approached.
Tatsumi stopped suddenly, then turned with a tired smile. "Zhang Yong! Where have you been? You disappeared for days!"
"Some... personal matters," Zhang Yong replied vaguely, then looked at Tatsumi's sword. "Want a sparring match? Don't worry, I won't use my abilities."
Tatsumi stared at Zhang Yong for a moment, then smiled with renewed confidence. "You're challenging me? Even without your abilities? Don't underestimate me!"
Zhang Yong kicked a wooden sword up from the ground and caught it deftly. "Let's see what you've learned while I was gone."
Tatsumi immediately launched a swift attack, his sword cutting through the air with a sharp whistle.
But Zhang Yong moved smoothly, turning the edge of his wooden sword downward.
Clang!
The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed through the training ground. Then Zhang Yong pulled his sword back and aimed for Tatsumi's neck.
Tatsumi stepped back, eyes wide. "Your speed... has increased!"
Zhang Yong looked at him mockingly. "You too. Before, you would have taken that hit, but you dodged it."
Tatsumi laughed arrogantly. "Of course, after all, I've been training hard."
"Then I'll get serious. Block this strike," said Zhang Yong with a smile, then lunged like lightning.
Heaven-smashing Sword – Twilight Glimmer
This attack was different. Zhang Yong didn't use spiritual energy, but the drawing and cutting technique was perfect, leaving a faint twilight trail in the air from the wind.
Tatsumi tried to block, but the speed of the strike exceeded his expectations. The wooden sword stopped just one inch from touching his neck.
"The spar is over," Zhang Yong whispered.
Tatsumi stood frozen in place, his eyes staring at the wooden sword nearly touching his throat. A cold drop of sweat slid down the back of his neck.
"That's... impossible," he whispered hoarsely. "How did you become so fast?"
Zhang Yong withdrew his sword coolly and smiled. "Constant training, my friend. And you're improving too."
Suddenly, the sound of applause rang out. Bulat was approaching the two. "That's good, you two are working hard."
"Big Brother!" said Tatsumi, smiling as Bulat praised him.
Bulat approached the two, his eyes shining with pride. "Tatsumi, you've improved a lot. And Zhang Yong, your body now looks in much better shape than at the beginning. That last move of yours reminds me of an old man I trained with in my early days, hahaha... it was hell." Bulat laughed, but there seemed to be pain behind his laughter from remembering the past.
'Well, that old man Gensei was your teacher after all. But I think his time for action will come, and you'll be forced to kill him,' Zhang Yong sighed secretly with a hint of mockery.
"How about a spar with me?" Bulat offered, smiling broadly. His teeth seemed to gleam.
Soon, Bulat picked up a wooden spear while Zhang Yong held his wooden sword.
Zhang Yong stood before Bulat, the wooden sword in his hand suddenly feeling unusually heavy.
The air around Bulat was different. Not because of spiritual energy as usual, but because of the experience radiating from every movement he made.
"Don't hesitate," Bulat smiled, raising his wooden spear with one hand. "I won't be gentle."
The spear moved like lightning, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
Zhang Yong barely turned in time, feeling the brush of air against his cheek as the spear passed.
But Bulat gave him no time to think. Spear strikes poured down like rain, each one as precise as a surgeon's scalpel, aimed at the weak points in Zhang Yong's defense.
Heaven-smashing Sword – Horizon Severance
Zhang Yong tried to attack, but Bulat evaded with a subtle shift of his body, then struck the butt of his spear into Zhang Yong's back, sending him tumbling to the ground.
"Guh!" Zhang Yong tasted blood in his mouth. 'Even without spiritual energy... this man is a monster!'
"Strength without technique is just noise," said Bulat as he approached, his spear pointed at Zhang Yong's neck. "You're fast, but your movements are predictable. I watched how you move your sword, and once I got used to it, I could counter it."
Zhang Yong knocked the spear aside with a quick punch, then leaped to his feet.
"Alright... let's try this."
Heaven-smashing Sword – Dawn Ascent
Zhang Yong lunged forward. His sword rose from below to above, cutting in a vertical ascending arc.
"Oh?" Bulat raised his eyebrows with interest. "That's interesting."
Bulat raised his spear upward and brought it down in a vertical cut to clash with Zhang Yong's sword. With the size of the spearhead and the force he was applying, it was inevitable that his strike would cancel out Zhang Yong's technique.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Unexpectedly, Zhang Yong pulled his sword back and cut vertically again.
Three consecutive strikes, each faster than the last. Bulat blocked them all, but he stepped back, his eyes widening.
Just as Zhang Yong seemed to have found a gap in Bulat's defense, the latter moved with lightning speed.
"Impressive!" Bulat laughed. "But..."
Clang!
A sudden sideways strike from the wooden spear hit Zhang Yong hard in the ribs, sending him rolling on the ground again.
"Guh!" Zhang Yong felt as if his rib had broken. 'Even with the Tyrant's body... this pain!'
Bulat stood over him, his spear pointed at his neck. "Surrender?"
Zhang Yong looked at the spear, then at Bulat. His purple eyes gleamed with determination. "Not yet."
In an instant, he wrapped his legs around the spear and pulled back hard, trying to wrench it from Bulat's hand. But the latter didn't move even an inch.
"Good try." Bulat smiled as he easily lifted the spear, raising Zhang Yong completely into the air before slamming him back to the ground with force.
Oof!
The air rushed out of Zhang Yong's lungs as his back hit the ground. This time, he didn't get up immediately.
Tatsumi, who had been watching from the side, shouted, "Zhang Yong! Are you alright?!"
Zhang Yong raised his hand in a "wait" signal, trying to catch his breath. 'Impressive... even without using any energy, his physical strength and technique are unbelievable.'
Finally, Zhang Yong sat up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Alright, I surrender. Phew, it's been a while since I enjoyed myself like this."
Bulat laughed heartily as he extended his hand to help him up. "Don't feel bad. You fought well. If you had used your abilities, the result would have been different."
"Maybe," said Zhang Yong, rubbing his sore rib. "But today I realized something."
"What's that?"
"I still have a lot to learn." Zhang Yong stuck out his tongue and winked.
"Oh." Bulat's cheeks seemed to redden slightly. "It's good that you learned that from me."
Both Zhang Yong and Tatsumi looked at Bulat, unable to respond, feeling a strong urge to vomit. They even turned pale. 'Is this man really gay?'
After the sparring ended, the three returned to the hideout where the rest of Night Raid were gathered.
"Oh, finally!" said Mine, leaning against the wall. "I was starting to think you got lost in the forest."
"We were training," said Tatsumi simply as he sat on one of the benches, his body sore from the training.
"Training? Looks like Zhang Yong and Bulat put you through some harsh one" said Leone as she handed him a cup of water.
Tatsumi drank the water greedily before answering. "Bulat here... can turn training into hell easily."
Bulat laughed mockingly. "Oh come on, there's nothing better than a close bond between men through blood and sweat"
Everyone laughed while Bulat nodded proudly.
"Anyway, we've got a mission after a long time. This time our target is Tonto. He arrived in the capital about a year ago and his business is going well, but the money he started with came from robberies across the country. One of the survivors of the robberies tracked down who was behind it and submitted a request to us."
Lubbock smirked. "So this is a case of someone hiding his true face?"
Leone replied with a calm smile. "Well, I'll search and find some evidence of his actions."
---
A week after this event, Zhang Yong was training at the Gensei Dojo, but in recent days the place had started to look crowded.
Zhang Yong was surprised to find new trainees inside the dojo. 'This... this isn't supposed to happen. Is it possible that I've changed the future as well? This organization of four people is supposed to continue their operations until Night Raid assassinates them, but now...'
The place that had been quiet and deserted days ago was now teeming with activity.
Dozens of trainees wearing white training uniforms were practicing basic sword movements under the supervision of the four teachers. Noise and the sound of wooden strikes filled the air.
"What... in the name of hell?" Zhang Yong whispered to himself.
Gensei, who had been watching the trainees from the side, suddenly turned as if he had sensed Zhang Yong's presence. His narrowed eyes met the young man's gaze.
"Ah, finally! Come here, you lazy one!" Gensei shouted, waving him over.
Zhang Yong approached cautiously, avoiding the trainees rolling on the ground. "When did you get all this numbers?"
Gensei laughed loudly. "After we defeated a group of bandits a few days ago, word spread that there were masters in the mountains! These fools came seeking training!"
Kokkie tugged proudly at his long mustache. "We've become famous again! After years of retirement!"
'Bandits? This didn't happen in the original story... the butterfly effect is growing,' Zhang Yong thought worriedly.
Gensei slapped Zhang Yong's shoulder hard. "You, ever since you arrived, things have become interesting! Maybe you're a lucky rat!"
"Or a rat that brings trouble," Zhang Yong whispered as he looked at the trainees. 'Wait. Doesn't this mean he won't die? Not that this old man's part will negatively affect the story, but...'
Zhang Yong worried about the consequences of this process. For example, if these people are trained well and sent to the army... you could imagine hundreds of Bulats fighting on the battlefield. Although the story will end in less than a year, this is just one of countless infinite possibilities.
---
After training ended, Zhang Yong quickly returned to the Night Raid hideout. He had to understand what was happening.
When he entered the main room, Najenda was there alone. "Oh, Zhang Yong, where have you been?"
"Nothing important. Just training." Then he looked around. "Where is everyone?"
"On the Tonto mission," she said, lighting her cigarette. "Remember that girl Tatsumi and Sheele brought? We returned her to her father, but that scoundrel sent assassins after them, and now Sheele is chasing him with Mine, and I sent Tatsumi and Leone as well."
"I see." Zhang Yong looked down coldly, thinking.
"You seem upset," said Najenda, exhaling her cigarette smoke.
'How can I not be upset? A disaster could happen because of the butterfly effect,' Zhang Yong sighed quietly.
"Nothing. It's just that Tatsumi and Sheele... how should I put it, they act more on emotions than like assassins," Zhang Yong said, crossing his arms and grumbling.
"Even if someone is an assassin, they're still human, and certainly have feelings. That's fine as long as it doesn't get in the way of the mission," Najenda smiled calmly. "I just said something cool, didn't I?"
Zhang Yong laughed sarcastically. "Somehow I agree with that."
Najenda opened her cigarette case and took one out. "Want one?"
Zhang Yong raised his hand. "I don't smoke."
"Come on, life is short anyway. Enjoy it," Najenda waved her hand as if telling him to hurry.
Zhang Yong took the cigarette hesitantly between his fingers, then nodded to Najenda, who extended a lighter to him. With his first puff, he felt the burn of smoke in his lungs, but he quickly got used to it.
"Life is indeed short," he whispered, looking at the rising smoke.
Najenda laughed lightly. "Tch, look at this boy acting pretentious. It's not as if no one knows. That's why they do whatever they can to please themselves as long as they're alive. That's what caused the capital's corruption."
Zhang Yong looked coldly at the ceiling, his gaze very dark. 'No, it's not a matter of life being short or long. Even the world of cultivation, where people live for a long time, is not free from corruption. It's not a matter of fear, but a matter of human desire itself.'
As the smoke rose from Zhang Yong's cigarette, he was still thinking, then an idea occurred to him.
"Leader, I'll leave first. I have something to do."
Zhang Yong left the hideout, climbed to the summit, and sat in the lotus position.
'I can't believe I didn't think of this before, and I only could after a single cigarette,' Zhang Yong looked at the moon and smiled.
Then he opened the storage and took out the Fusion Card and activated it.
"Alright, this should be the way. I need the speed of the Great Spiritual Energy Cycle, the purity of the Mysterious Heaven Technique, and finally the Five Sacred Elements Technique to absorb spiritual energy from anywhere."
(Fusion Cost: 5,000,000 Points)
'But I only have 9 million... if I do this... I need to increase my level quickly and bring some disasters to the capital. To survive against at least the strongest existence, I need to reach level 30... but... damn, it's all or nothing.'
[Techniques fused successfully!]
[New technique created: Eternal Yin Yang Cycle]
Zhang Yong opened his eyes, and they were radiating alternating golden and purple light.
[Host's mental power has broken through to the Lower Void Realm]
[Host's level increased to 25]
"Wow, that's a fast increase... I'm a genius!" Then Zhang Yong noticed his body.
He felt his body become like a sponge, greedily absorbing spiritual energy from the world around him. Air, earth, moonlight, everything became a source of Qi.
"Amazing..." Zhang Yong whispered, examining his hands. "But this isn't enough."
He looked at the distant capital, where the city lights glittered under the moonlight.
Immediately, he closed his eyes and began to meditate, but he immediately noticed... the Qi in the air had stopped.
"What... it's all absorbed?!" Zhang Yong looked in disbelief, as the grass had completely dried up and he could no longer absorb spiritual energy.
Then suddenly, his energy pathways began to spin and coil around themselves.
"What?!" Immediately, the pathways began to dry up and fill again with spiritual energy.
His energy pathways exploded one after another, like overcharged wires bursting under pressure. Blood flowed from his eyes, ears, and nose, while his body trembled like a leaf in the wind.
[Spiritual energy level exceeds body capacity]
[Absorbed energy is too intense for the host's body to bear at his low level]
"Guh... ah!" Zhang Yong tried to scream, but his voice choked in his throat. He saw his hands turning black, the skin cracking like dry earth, and the flesh beneath charring.
"No... I can't... die... like this..."
Wood Path – Sacred Wood Art
Heavenly Demon Records – Phoenix Cloak
A powerful green energy exploded from Zhang Yong's body, intertwining with the black flames of the Phoenix Cloak.
Nearby trees suddenly dried up and turned to ash, while Zhang Yong's wounds began to heal with unnatural speed, only to explode again under the pressure of excess energy.
"Arrgh!" Zhang Yong screamed as his body oscillated between regeneration and decomposition.
[Warning! Body unable to withstand Eternal Yin Yang Cycle]
[Available solutions:
1- Stop the technique, but you will not be able to use your cultivation techniques and will be forced to use a new technique (50% chance of death)
2- The pressure will be sealed in your body, and if you do not reach level 50 within one month, you will die by explosion (10% chance of success)]
'Great choices, really!' Zhang Yong thought sarcastically as his blood boiled in his veins.
In an instant, he made his decision.
"I choose the second option."
Unspeakable pain exploded in every cell of Zhang Yong's body, as if he were being crushed between a hammer and an anvil.
He saw stars falling before his eyes as his body twisted in violent convulsions.
[Pressure sealed]
[You have only 30 days to reach level 50, or the seal will explode and you will lose your life.]
"Guh... that's better than dying now," Zhang Yong whispered, panting, his body covered in sweat and blood.
He looked at his trembling hands. "But how will I reach level 50 in one month? That's double my current level, not to mention... the experience required for each level is higher than the one before it."
Then a smile appeared.
Zhang Yong smiled viciously. "General Budo... you will be my game. Charging by disaster is good, but it's good by this world's standards. In the other world, if I were struck by lightning at the level it is here, I wouldn't even increase one level. So I'll take advantage of the opportunity."
It was obvious that increasing 25 levels in about a month was nearly impossible, but with the plan he had prepared, he wouldn't need all that time. All he had to do was break through five layers within a maximum of two weeks, then he could jump to higher levels.
But, during these two weeks, no... within one week, the assassination mission would be issued, and that's where Sheele would die.