C15 I like It When You Try to Act Tough

After stepping out of the room, Yang Rui stretched with a satisfying yawn. "Wow, I feel absolutely invigorated!" In just one day, he had advanced to the ninth level of the Bone Forging Stage, a feat virtually unheard of.

Yang Zhantian, however, was oblivious to his son's extraordinary progress, still under the impression that his prodigious child had only reached the third level. But to Yang Rui, reaching the Nine-forging level in a single day was no small feat. Who would believe such rapid advancement? Yet, there he was, firmly at the Nine-forging level of the Bone Forging Stage, without cutting any corners. Did he think the system's 99% efficiency was a joke?

Now, it was time for him to enjoy himself a bit!

Alas, his power had grown too swiftly, inflating his ego. He needed to find someone to deflate his sense of superiority. And as for lacking martial skills? That was hardly an issue. They were merely beginner-level skills, nothing challenging at all.

So, without a second thought, Yang Rui headed out, not bothering to invite Chuncao or Yixia along for the outing.

"Ah, truly, the best approach is to balance work with leisure!" Yang Rui mused to himself while strolling through the streets. "And look at that, that young lady over there isn't too shabby either!"

Chiba City wasn't particularly large, but with a population in the hundreds of thousands, it wasn't exactly small either. Yet, fate has a way of bringing people together. As Yang Rui meandered, he heard a familiar voice in the distance. Ximen Haoyu was swaggering down the street with his entourage. There was no avoiding him; if he was looking for trouble, Yang Rui was ready to give him a piece of his mind.

Meanwhile, Ximen Haoyu was grumbling as he approached, "Where's that little twerp been hiding these past few days? When I see him, I'll give him a thrashing!"

"Yes, Young Master!" his followers echoed.

Yang Rui couldn't be less interested in dealing with him. As long as he kept out of Yang Rui's way, all would be well.

The two of them continued on their paths, eventually coming face to face, standing a dozen meters apart, eyeing each other... or rather, not quite seeing each other at all.

Indeed, Yang Rui acted as if he hadn't seen him and just kept walking.

Alright, Ximen Haoyu had to admit he was being blatantly provoked!

"I'll knock your block off! Yang Rui, you jerk, how dare you ignore me?" Ximen Haoyu felt a surge of humiliation. He had slapped Yang Rui's face in front of everyone just two days ago, and now he was being ignored as if he didn't exist?

"Yang Rui!" Ximen Haoyu bellowed, "You really dare to ignore me?"

Hearing this, Yang Rui just shook his head and chuckled, "Hey, I clearly steered clear of you. Why are you still trying to approach me?"

"What?!" Ximen Haoyu grew even more furious, "You dare to argue?"

Suddenly, Ximen Haoyu charged at him, swinging a punch. They were only about ten meters apart—a negligible distance for a martial artist. His punch stirred up the waves of Elemental Energy, a clear indication of his Rank 7 Bone Forging Stage. Yang Rui instantly assessed Ximen Haoyu's strength.

"You're embarrassing yourself with such feeble strength?" Yang Rui's grin became more pronounced, while Ximen Haoyu's rage intensified with the mockery.

"Hmph! Even this 'feeble' strength is superior to a worthless nobody like you!" Ximen Haoyu scowled. Everyone knew Yang Rui didn't practice his cultivation, yet this nobody dared to scoff at him? He was determined to make Yang Rui taste his fists soon enough, to teach him about the disparity between them.

But as the saying goes, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," and even more so for someone with a system cheat like Yang Rui.

Yang Rui didn't bother to block Ximen Haoyu's punch; he simply sidestepped, and Ximen Haoyu, missing his target, continued to charge forward, brushing past Yang Rui's clothes.

"What?!" A bad feeling flickered through Ximen Haoyu's mind, but he was reluctant to accept it.

Refusing to believe his instincts, Ximen Haoyu stopped, spun around, and unleashed a back kick at Yang Rui. Yang Rui arched back and once again dodged Ximen Haoyu's kick! Even a fool like Ximen Haoyu could tell Yang Rui was different now. Was this the same Yang Rui who used to cower and brace for a beating whenever he struck?

Yang Rui stood with his arms crossed, looking at Ximen Haoyu with a look of pure contempt. "I've always said you weren't cut out for cultivation, but you wouldn't believe it. With your flimsy moves, you can't even lay a finger on me. You're truly useless."

The label 'useless' made Ximen Haoyu's face turn red with embarrassment, yet he found himself unable to come up with a retort. He silently continued his futile attempts to strike Yang Rui.

"Red, take a look at Yang Rui. He went from not cultivating at all to a point where even Ximen Haoyu can't handle him. Don't you think the change is a bit drastic?" Lau Junyu, standing on a nearby balcony, expressed his doubts to Chung Hong, "And in just a few days? Could it be that the Yang family has done something to bring about this transformation in their son?"

Chung Hong didn't care to engage with Lau Junyu's speculation, but her own curiosity was undeniable. "Still, it doesn't make sense. Personalities don't just change. Have you not noticed that Yang Rui isn't as meek as he used to be? He's become downright arrogant! Just the other day, he gave Ximen Haoyu a beating, which is completely out of character for him!"

Lau Junyu furrowed his brow upon hearing this. Indeed, the recent buzz around Yang Rui had been significant, and they had felt the changes most acutely.

Meanwhile, Yang Rui, still with his arms crossed, effortlessly sidestepped Ximen Haoyu's attacks while taunting him, "Is that all the strength you have? I'm not even feeling challenged!"

Ximen Haoyu remained silent, his sole focus on landing a punch on Yang Rui—even a glancing blow would suffice.

But Yang Rui was no longer interested in toying with Ximen Haoyu. "There's absolutely no challenge here. What's the difference between you and trash? I'm done playing with you!"

With those words, Yang Rui suddenly uncrossed his arms, clenched his right fist, and, with no finesse whatsoever, hurled a punch straight at Ximen Haoyu's chest!

"Thud!"

The outcome was predictable when Ximen Haoyu, at the fifth stage of the Bone Forging Stage, clashed head-on with Yang Rui, who was at the Nine-forging level. Ximen Haoyu was sent flying by Yang Rui's punch, slamming hard into the wall, which even indented slightly from the impact.

"Pfft!"

Blood surged up and Ximen Haoyu couldn't hold it back, spewing it out. His energy severely diminished, the overwhelming power of the Nine-forging Bone Stage over the Fifth-forging Bone Stage was all too evident!

Ximen Haoyu showed no further inclination to fight back, his eyes wide with disbelief and confusion. He had been sent flying with a single punch by someone he had bullied daily, someone he had deemed worthless. Injured, Ximen Haoyu was now questioning his entire existence. Who was the real trash? Could he not even lay a finger on that so-called trash's clothes?

"Trying to act tough in front of me? I'll beat you so badly even your mother won't recognize you!" Yang Rui cast a disdainful look at the still dazed Ximen Haoyu, then at the shivering servants of the Ximen family. With a dismissive turn, he walked away with swagger.

From this day forth, who in the martial world wouldn't know the name Yang Rui?