C17 Fifth Rank Martial General

Lee Cann was utterly bewildered by the turn of events.

He hadn't anticipated the first rank Martial General to be such a formidable opponent.

With a forceful stomp, he halted his backward momentum.

Channeling Genuine Qi into his leg, he propelled himself forward with a powerful thrust, charging at the retreating Martial General like an arrow shot from a bow.

Genuine Qi surged into his arm, casting a faint golden glow around it.

But the Martial General was no pushover.

He twisted his body in an unusual manner and slapped the ground, launching himself into the air. The blood vessels in his eyes deepened to a vivid crimson.

As Lee Cann closed in, the Martial General met him head-on.

"Thud!"

Their arms clashed, golden against blood-red, emitting a dull thud.

When Lee Cann's offensive was thwarted, he swung his other arm in a straight punch aimed at the Martial General's head.

Regrettably, that punch was blocked as well.

Lee Cann had never spun around as swiftly as he did in that moment.

He had never before faced such a challenge in this world.

His battles were typically swift and decisive, never before engaging in such close-quarters combat.

Moreover, in his past life as a model citizen of a bygone era, Lee Cann had never thrown a punch.

But who hasn't heard the proverb about eating pork and seeing pigs run?

He raised his knee!

With a brutal force, Lee Cann's knee collided with the Martial General's groin.

The Martial General had never faced such a dirty trick.

Lee Cann's hand morphed into a claw, seizing the Martial General's arm to prevent any defense.

"Crack!"

Lee Cann's knee struck true, hitting the Martial General's groin with pinpoint accuracy.

It was as though a jolt of electricity shot from his groin to his brain.

The Martial General's expression contorted in agony as a chill crept up his spine.

His legs began to shake, seemingly unable to support the weight of his body.

This was Lee Cann's moment.

And he was not about to let it slip away.

His right arm, aglow with golden light, slammed into the Martial General's abdomen.

The Martial General was hurled through the air.

Lee Cann, not relenting after his successful strike, stomped on the ground, propelling himself skyward.

He caught up with the Martial General and stomped down on him mid-air, transforming the Martial General's trajectory from a fall to a plummet.

"Bang!"

The first-rank Martial General crashed to the ground, causing the earth itself to splinter and crack.

Lee Cann descended gracefully beside the fallen warrior.

What he did next was astounding!

Without a care for decorum, Lee Cann mounted the first-rank Martial General's back, indifferent to the disgrace such a pose might suggest to onlookers.

To prevent any resistance, Lee Cann pinned the Martial General's arms beneath his knees.

Then, his fists, glowing with golden light and the size of buns, relentlessly pummeled the still somewhat recognizable face.

The first-rank Martial General was dazed, his consciousness fading with each blow to the head, aware only that this was a critical moment.

Time lost meaning as Lee Cann's hands began to throb with pain.

Upon inspecting the Martial General again, his face was grotesquely swollen, unrecognizable from moments before. To put it bluntly, not even his mother would know him now.

Exhausted from the continuous assault, Lee Cann ceased his attack.

He exchanged for a few recovery pills from the Merchant Shop, and after ingesting them, he roused the first-rank Martial General with a kick.

Slowly regaining consciousness, the Martial General winced at the agony in his face.

The bloodshot in his eyes had vanished, and his level had plummeted to that of a seventh-rank Martial Master.

Such was the curse of the "Bloodthirsty Demon"—a temporary boost of two levels, followed by a severe drop and a permanent cap on one's potential.

In essence, he was now doomed to remain a seventh-rank Martial Master for life.

"Hey, better behave and lead the way, or you won't see another second," Lee Cann warned, now back at his peak condition, the Dragon Cry Sword in hand.

"Who are you?" the seventh-rank Martial Master asked, shaking his head to clear it.

"Me? I'm the so-called worthless prince they all talk about, the one obsessed with nothing but art and literature," Lee Cann replied with a mocking sneer.

Little did the seventh-rank Martial Master know that the prince, once deemed useless, was now Lee Cann, armed with the power of the Crazy Leveling System from another world.

He was convinced that the Crown Prince was grossly misunderstood by the world. The Crown Prince was a master of intrigue, and the masses had been thoroughly duped.

"The Second Prince has conspired with our Fiend Sect, boasting that his scheme was foolproof. He clearly underestimated you."

"What nonsense about the Second Prince? Spare my life, and I'll do whatever you ask."

He was known for his decisiveness, yet the prospect of death still instilled a trace of fear in him.

"You don't need to do much—simply inform the Second Prince that I, Crown Prince Lee Cann, have made my return!"

"Okay, okay, I'm on it!"

The Seventh Rank Martial Master sprang to his feet and dashed off like a lunatic to deliver the message to the Second Prince.

Meanwhile, Lee Cann remained rooted to the spot, his resolve wavering. When he had used demonic energy to boost himself to the level of a First Rank Martial General, he had already felt the strain.

Clearly, it was time to master a superior cultivation technique.

And that was just a guard he had faced. He had no idea if there were any more formidable adversaries lurking within the palace.

To prevent any unforeseen mishaps, Lee Cann decided it was time for an upgrade.

He accessed his information panel:

"Name: Lee Cann."

"Title: Crown Prince of the Southern Tang Kingdom in the Land of Fertility."

"Rank: First Rank Martial General."

"Experience: 500,000/1,000,000."

"Weapon: First Rank Magic Weapon, the Dragon Cry Sword, capable of evolution."

"Cultivation Technique: Dragon Emperor Divine Art (Incomplete), the esteemed cultivation method of the Southern Tang Royal Family."

"Exchange Points Available: 2,364,846."

"Inventory: Dash Talismans x4, Recovery Pills x6, First Rank Magic Weapon: Bloodthirsty Sword, High-Rank Mortal Weapon: Meteor Hammer,..."

Lee Cann was taken aback by the number of exchange points he had accrued; he hadn't realized they could amass so swiftly.

He had assumed that accumulating exchange points would be arduous, yet here they were, rising rapidly.

After converting 2,000,000 experience points, Lee Cann ascended to the rank of a Fifth Rank Martial General.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for advancing to the rank of a Fifth Rank Martial General."

"Name: Lee Cann."

"Title: Crown Prince of the Southern Tang in the Land of Fertility."

"Rank: Fifth Rank Martial General."

"Experience: 2,500,000/3,000,000."

"Weapon: First-grade magic weapon, the Dragon Cry Sword, capable of evolution."

"Cultivation Method: Dragon Emperor Divine Art (Incomplete Version), the esteemed cultivation method of the Southern Tang Royal Family."

"Available exchange points: 364,846."

"Inventory: Dash talisman x4, recovery pill x6, first-grade magic weapon: Bloodthirsty Sword, high-tier mortal weapon: Meteor Hammer..."

He closed the information panel.

Lee Cann clenched his fists, sensing an infinite surge of power within him.

In an instant, Lee Cann vanished from sight.

A Seventh Rank Martial Master bolted from Lee Cann's location, dashing toward the study in a frenzy.

Unbeknownst to him, Lee Cann had materialized silently behind him, stealthily tailing him.

"Second Prince! Second Prince! There's trouble!"

The Seventh Rank Martial Master burst into the study without hesitation.

"Catch your breath, then explain slowly," the Second Prince commanded with a hint of impatience.

"Yes, Second Prince. It's urgent—the Crown Prince... the Crown Prince has..."

"What about the Crown Prince?"

"The Crown Prince... he's returned!"

"Hahaha, that delicate scholar? I could defeat him with one hand!"

"Second Prince, you've got it wrong. We've all underestimated the Crown Prince. His true strength was well-concealed. Now, I can't even discern his level. He's been cutting a swath through the palace gates, and he's likely almost upon us!"

"I don't believe it! I'll see for myself!"

Lee Cann, now a fifth rank Martial General, overheard every word within the study.

In a flash, he materialized at the study's entrance, just as Lee Yuan was stepping out, channeling the might of a fifth rank Martial General into his right hand.

"Bang!"

A resounding crash echoed, accompanied by the subtle sound of bones fracturing.

Second Prince Lee Yuan was sent hurtling back into the study.