C11 I Want Your Life

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

"A mere servant dares to bare his murderous intent towards a core disciple of the Lin family on the sparring platform? Impressive."

"I failed to kill you last time, but this time, you're definitely going to die by my hand," Gao Yubo declared.

Gao Yubo halted in his tracks, his gaze landing on Meng Yang, causing his sinister face to darken further.

With that, a smirk appeared on his lips, which, coupled with the gruesome scar on his face, made him look exceptionally brutal.

The icy words that seemed to squeeze through his clenched teeth forced Meng Yang to take several deep breaths to quell the rage within him.

He responded with a smile, as though greeting an old friend, but then he said something that caught Gao Yubo off guard.

"Your last name is Gao, and the Lin family has kept a record of the flesh puppet sparring sessions. That's also quite fortunate."

Gao Yubo's brow furrowed, and the smile on his lips stiffened. He asked reflexively, "What do you mean?"

"It means that if I kill you, not only will the Lin family not hold me responsible, but I might even be promoted to a disciple ahead of schedule..."

Meng Yang's face showed excitement, yet his voice was chilling, as if echoing from the darkest abyss.

"Kill me?"

Gao Yubo burst into laughter as if he had just heard the funniest joke ever.

His laughter, filled with contempt and a piercing shrillness, immediately drew the attention of many onlookers from the surrounding sparring platforms.

"A lowly cur like you thinks he can talk about killing me?"

"Let me tell you, if I can injure you once, I can do it twice, three times, a hundred times over."

"Let's just see about that..."

Their exchange made the heads of all the training partners and guards present tingle with unease.

Meng Yang, with eyes ablaze with lethal intent, didn't wait for Gao Yubo to respond and strode towards a sparring platform a hundred meters away.

Gao Yubo, with a malicious grin, silently followed, stepping onto the platform as well.

As the wind swept by, the two men, now face to face, simultaneously sprang into action.

Meng Yang concealed his murderous aura, his expression turning grave as he flawlessly executed the Soul Stealing Palm technique.

The fingers of his hand, tightly pressed together, struck like a venomous snake thirsting for blood, aiming straight for Gao Yubo's heart.

With a malevolent scowl, Gao Yubo bellowed and surged forward with the speed of a mighty python, barreling towards Meng Yang.

The wind from his raised fist howled like a wild beast's roar, delivering a swift and ferocious blow.

"Bang..."

A spiral of force erupted as the two exchanged blows.

Meng Yang was forced back three steps by the punch's power. Regaining his footing, he involuntarily raised an eyebrow.

"Bone Tempering first level!"

Feeling the weight of the punch, easily over a thousand pounds, Meng Yang's expression turned grim.

He could distinctly feel the pain of fractures spreading through the bones in his palm from the impact.

Yet, to Meng Yang's delight, his nearly mastered Soul Stealing Palm had also caused Gao Yubo to retreat a step.

This unexpected outcome took both Meng Yang and Gao Yubo by surprise, the latter's eyes widening in astonishment.

The training partners and guards spectating from a distance were equally taken aback.

"No wonder you dared to harbor murderous intent towards me. If I don't kill you today..."

Gao Yubo's voice trailed off as he suddenly tensed, his body exuding a dense spiritual energy that swirled into a blood-red stream.

He indulged in a fantasy of triumphantly standing over his opponent, who would be pleading for mercy beneath his feet.

Alas, in moments of arrogance, one can often miss crucial details, such as the flicker of surprise in Meng Yang's eyes.

While Gao Yubo's retreat was noteworthy, Meng Yang was more thrilled by the data appearing in his right pupil.

The flesh puppet had absorbed an attack, adding 5 points to his proficiency.

Current proficiency: 9545/10000.

The successful deployment of the Soul Stealing Palm added 3 more points.

Current proficiency: 9891/10000.

Realizing that he was a mere 109 points shy of the coveted 10,000 mark, Meng Yang was so exhilarated he nearly roared with excitement.

"Gao Yubo, oh Gao Yubo, not only did you bring me to this world, but you're also unwittingly aiding me in surpassing the 10,000 threshold. I can't fathom how to thank you enough. The Soul Stealing Palm proficiency has increased by 5. It seems the heavens have decreed your demise."

At that moment, Gao Yubo sprang into action. His three fingers, aligned side by side, lunged at Meng Yang like a dragon darting through the river. The gap of three meters closed in an instant.

"Bring it on!"

Meng Yang's face tensed, and as his spirit quivered, he sprang into the air with a powerful leap. Executing the Water Serpent Style mid-air, he twisted his body, narrowly evading Gao Yubo's piercing strike.

Regaining his balance, Meng Yang quickly shook his aching left hand and braced for another round. The two exchanged a rapid succession of over ten moves. Throughout this flurry, Meng Yang's opponent landed seven or eight punches on him.

Each hit brought a sharp pain that radiated through his body, but the increased proficiency in his flesh puppet technique allowed Meng Yang to realize that Gao Yubo's strength wasn't as formidable as he had anticipated.

With newfound confidence, Meng Yang intentionally took the hits to his palm to avoid a fracture. As his proficiency in the Soul Stealing Palm grew, so did his mastery of the flesh puppet technique and the Water Serpent Style.

Finally, within the time it takes to sip a cup of tea, all three martial arts skills achieved a breakthrough.

Ding! Soul Stealing Palm has reached its limit and advanced to level 2, unlocking the True Martial Will and Mind-Withering Force.

Ding! Flesh puppet technique has reached its limit and advanced to level 2, unlocking the True Martial Will and Iron Flesh Skin Bone.

Ding! Water Serpent Style has reached its limit and advanced to level 2, but the comprehension of True Martial Will has failed.

"True Martial Will, what's that all about?"

As Meng Yang pondered the unfamiliar information before his eyes, he felt an uncontrollable twitching throughout his body, as if countless hands were massaging his muscles. A warm flow, stemming from the transformation of the Soul Stealing Palm, coursed through him.

This warmth not only mended the fractures in Meng Yang's palm but also rapidly healed the bruises on his body. Concurrently, a faint gray aura emanated from his physique.

Caught off guard, Meng Yang was snapped back to reality by Gao Yubo's scornful chuckle as the latter raised his fist for another powerful blow.

Just as the fist was about to smash into Meng Yang's forehead, he suddenly lifted his head. His gaze was clear and devoid of anything, yet the slight upturn of his lips caused Gao Yubo's heart to skip a beat. A wave of unease and chill washed over him, transforming his expression from one of disdain to utter astonishment.

"How can this be possible?" Gao Yubo gasped, his eyes bulging with fear. He recoiled, but he was too late.

A pained groan escaped as blood trickled from the corner of Gao Yubo's mouth, and he was sent flying by Meng Yang's palm strike. This palm, devoid of Qi or spiritual energy, not only left Meng Yang himself in shock but also the spectators, whose eyes widened as their hearts were thrown into disarray.

They had all witnessed that Meng Yang's palm hadn't even made contact with Gao Yubo. This level of martial force was only attainable after reaching a profound level in martial arts refinement.

"The True Martial Will, the Mind-Withering Force, is truly formidable. Gao Yubo, your life is mine," Meng Yang declared, his expression steely as he pursued with the Water Serpent Style, sending a jolt of alarm through Gao Yubo, still reeling in midair.

The familiar starting gesture of the Soul Stealing Palm was now, in Gao Yubo's eyes, akin to the menacing glint of a spearhead. His five fingers, poised like blades, exuded a palpable sense of impending danger even before striking.

If Meng Yang's Soul Stealing Palm had seemed feeble before, it now resembled a grim reaper's scythe—sharp and unstoppable. A hit from this palm would inflict damage akin to a lethal stab wound from a sharp dagger.

For the first time, Gao Yubo's face was etched with gravity and the color of fear as death loomed close. Gasping for air, with several broken ribs, he was utterly defenseless. With death staring him in the face and cold sweat beading his forehead, Gao Yubo's eyes darted around in desperation before he clenched his teeth in a grim resolve.

As though a decision had been reached, slender fingers slipped behind the waistband and yanked out a Whip Sword with a resounding clang.

A blood-red glow clung to the blade as the frigid Whip Sword descended sharply.

The spectacle caused the hearts of the two hidden observers to pound furiously, and it also sent a wave of panic across Meng Yang's face, who was too late to retract his move.

The sword plummeted with the speed of lightning, its blood-red aura menacingly intense.

Meng Yang faced a dire choice: dodge and risk having his arm severed, or stand still and be cleaved in two.

In a moment of intense focus, Meng Yang made a decision that left everyone utterly astonished.