I Cheated While Cultivating

Due to the chaos within Yuyang County City last night when Zhou Heng cast a spell to kill Xuan Yang, and because the vast majority of people had fled toward the east and west gates, there were not many people near Zhou Heng.

Later on, when Xuan Yang descended in his Dharma Body, nearing the area where Zhou Heng was, the nearby people were immediately knocked unconscious by the powerful spiritual shock.

This led to almost no one knowing how last night’s “monster” had died.

However, for most people, how they were saved didn’t matter.

What mattered the most was that they were safe and sound.

After a night of terrifying excitement, Yuyang County City finally regained its usual calm.

The morning sun gradually rose, and the brilliant glow of dawn spread across the eastern sky, imbued with a vigorous spirit, as if symbolizing a brand-new beginning.

After the panic of the previous night, many people in Yuyang County City cherished the hard-won tranquility. At the first light of dawn, they went out of their homes, bathed in the morning glow, and took a walk to relax their minds.

And on such a morning, rumors quietly began to spread.

“Zhou Heng? The one ranked ninety-ninth on the people’s list, known for his Bone-Breaking Injury? Yeah, I know him. Before that monster appeared yesterday, he used a secret treasure to kill Chao Xian.”

“Right, that’s him. Sigh, it’s such a pity for Chao Xian, an ordinary man who became remarkable later in life, only to be surpassed by a magical weapon possessed by a disciple of a Martial Dao Sect.”

“It indeed is a pity. The disciples of the contemporary Martial Dao Sect are enviable.”

“Tsk, what’s there to envy? They’re just some people relying on their backgrounds. To be honest, these Martial Dao Sect disciples might not be much stronger than us.”

“Hey, even if they don’t have real skills, they can use the weapons in their hands to defeat those much stronger than themselves; don’t you understand the principle of weapons overpowering people? Zhou Heng is just like that.”

“That’s exactly what I was about to say—it’s so infuriating. Chen Song and Chen Feihong, both from ordinary Sects, trained in martial arts with hard work, yet they couldn’t stand against even one weapon of Zhou Heng!”

“If you ask me, without his weapon and secret treasures, Zhou Heng would definitely be no match for Chen Song.”

“I think so too.”

“Hey hey, have you heard? Chen Song found an opportunity, entered the Seventh Rank realm, and is planning to challenge Zhou Heng to wash away his previous shame.”

“Ah, what’s this about challenging Zhou Heng? Isn’t Zhou Heng only Ninth Grade?”

“Heh, that’s what you don’t know. Zhou Heng is a disciple of Pure Yang Palace, always carrying a magical weapon with him. Even if he’s only Ninth Grade, he can use his weapon to overpower others, making peak Eighth Rankers steer clear of him.”

“Oh oh, now I remember, ‘Thunder Sword’ Chen Feihong was once defeated by Zhou Heng using a magical weapon, and even had his weapon crushed.”

“That weapon must be incredibly powerful! Is all of Zhou Heng’s record of victories relying on that magical weapon? Is his position in the people’s ranking also due to that weapon?”

“Very likely!”

“Damn, can it even be like this? A disciple of a top-ranking Sect really is something, not only occupying the top spots in the people’s list but even fighting for those last few rankings with a weapon.”

“Exactly, it’s going too far. If it continues like this, where will ordinary people have a way out?”

As the rumors grew more exaggerated, a multitude of ordinary martial artists became incensed.

In this era, communication among ordinary people was not developed, and much of the information was hearsay and not entirely clear.

But with more people, inevitably there were some who knew better.

“But I heard that Zhou Heng was originally just an apprentice in an ordinary martial arts school and only after two years of hard practice did he catch the attention of Pure Yang Palace; he’s just an ordinary person like us.”

It’s just a pity that when the momentum had been stirred up, even rational and objective statements were branded as betrayal.

“It’s all lies. How could an ordinary person be noticed by Pure Yang Palace? He must have used a backdoor connection or spent a lot of money! That story about practicing hard for two years and then being discovered is just fooling idiots; do they really think people will believe that?”

“That’s right, I heard that the Martial Dao Sects select their disciples with pre­determined slots. Ordinary people have no chance of being chosen. Otherwise, why have you and I never been given any attention?”

“But I heard…”

“Stop listening to hearsay. We ordinary folk need to know our place. Why do you speak for those Great Sect disciples?”

“Exactly, listen to me, you must recognize your own status.”

In the inn.

Shen Jingjing had gone to buy breakfast and upon returning, she saw Zhou Heng standing by the window, eyes slightly closed, basking in the morning glow, calming his mind to cultivate his inner strength.

After achieving great proficiency in the Authentic Internal Energy Heart Method, the requirements for posture during cultivation became much more lax. Essentially, one could cultivate and operate their Inner Qi, increasing their cultivation, whether walking, sitting, or lying down.

“Young Master Zhou, did you hear the rumors outside?” Shen Jingjing put the breakfast on the table and chuckled lightly, “Now the crowd is outraged, feeling that you, a disciple of the current Martial Dao Sect, are bullying others.”

“…” Zhou Heng slowly opened his eyes and turned to look at Shen Jingjing, smiled and said, “How am I bullying anyone? I, a mere Ninth Rank Warrior, am weak, pitiable, and helpless. Can’t I even use a weapon to defend myself?”

“Weak, pitiable, and helpless??” Shen Jingjing stared at Zhou Heng in astonishment, stunned for a good while before she couldn’t help laughing and said, “Young Master Zhou, doesn’t your conscience hurt when you say that?”

A Ninth Rank Warrior who kills Eighth Ranks as if they were chickens claims to be weak, pitiable, and helpless.

What sort of bewildering behavior is this?

“The conscience of those who spread rumors doesn’t hurt, why should mine?” Zhou Heng walked over to the table and took a bite of the bean curd breakfast Shen Jingjing had bought, “But with the rumor spreading so wildly, if people from the Three Poison Sect or the Plague Emperor Sect are here, they should already be aware of my identity.”

“Are you trying to lure the snake out of its hole?” Shen Jingjing’s eyes lit up, but then she immediately expressed concern, “Isn’t that too dangerous? The martial arts of the Three Poison Sect and the Plague Emperor Sect are very bizarre. A moment’s carelessness can lead to falling prey to their tricks, making them very difficult to deal with.”

The two had already talked openly about the Three Poison Sect before, and Zhou Heng had clearly stated that he was investigating the whereabouts of the Three Poison Sect for the purpose of killing members of the Plague Emperor Sect.

Therefore, Shen Jingjing could roughly guess Zhou Heng’s next move.

“Now is a good opportunity,” Zhou Heng smiled, “If all goes well, we can draw them out. If we miss this chance, there’s no telling when we’ll have another.”

“Then when Chen Song comes to challenge you, shall I watch from the shadows, to prevent the people from the Three Poison Sect and the Plague Emperor Sect from taking advantage of the situation?” Shen Jingjing said.

She shared the same goal as Zhou Heng, to deal with the Three Poison Sect and the Plague Emperor Sect, and naturally agreed to cooperate.

“No need to wait for Chen Song to come to me.” Zhou Heng finished the bean curd, picked up his bundle, and grabbed his waist knife, “Since he is so eager to wash away his previous shame, I shall give him this opportunity.”

“You want to confront him proactively?” Shen Jingjing asked in surprise. Wasn’t this a bit too rash, not even considering the circumstances before making plans?

“He wants to manipulate public opinion, to make everyone believe that without a weapon, I am useless,” Zhou Heng had already walked to the room door and smiled, “Then I shall fulfill his wishes and chop him down with one strike.”

Having said that, Zhou Heng left the room, leaving Shen Jingjing standing there in a daze.

She was somewhat lost in thought, and after a while, she whispered to herself, “Is this what the storyteller calls ‘the delight of enmity and camaraderie’?”

Then she followed discreetly.

To watch out for people from the Three Poison Sect and the Plague Emperor Sect.

As soon as Zhou Heng stepped out of the inn, he immediately attracted the attention of many people.

Under the influence of some people setting the rhythm, a crowd gathered around, and even some bolder individuals came closer, asking Zhou Heng questions with giggles and laughter.

Once one person starts, it doesn’t take long for a second, a third, and many more to join in the questioning.

“Are you really only ranked on the Fighter’s Leaderboard because of your weapon?”

“Without your weapon, what level of strength do you think you have? Can you defeat an Eighth Rank?”

“Chen Song said he wants to challenge you. Do you dare fight him without using your weapon?”

“If you didn’t use a sharp weapon, how many moves do you think you could withstand under Chen Song, who has already reached the Seventh Rank?”

Zhou Heng stopped in his tracks, his gaze swept over the faces of these people. He smiled, said nothing, and simply continued forward.

Some meddlers came over to stop him, spreading their arms to block Zhou Heng.

But the moment they made contact with Zhou Heng’s clothes, it felt as if they were trying to stop a sharp knife. A severe pain struck immediately, and they hastily withdrew their arms.

Even so, one of their arms was nearly severed, blood flowing freely.

The others who attempted to stop Zhou Heng met with a similar fate; it was as if his body was covered in blades, slicing anyone who tried to impede him.

This scene shocked the onlookers, especially those who had taken money to spread rumors. They were so terrified that they sat paralyzed on the ground, watching Zhou Heng in disbelief.

My god!

What’s happening, is this invisible sword energy?

Could it be that Zhou Heng has reached the Eighth Rank?

The extraordinary scene Zhou Heng displayed, in the eyes of these common martial artists, was very much like invisible sword energy.

And usually, one would have to reach at least the Eighth Rank, allowing Inner Qj to flow out of the body, to achieve this.

At this moment, many people were regretting their actions so much that they were turning green with envy and cursing non-stop in their hearts.

Who the hell spread the rumor that Zhou Heng was nothing without a sharp weapon?

Whose trash can release invisible sword energy, injuring people in silence?

That’s too deceitful!

Meanwhile, Shen Jingjing, who was hiding in the shadows, also saw this scene and thought to herself:

“No wonder he doesn’t care about those rumors. Because in the face of truly powerful strength, all rumors are meaningless and will collapse on their own. But how is he this formidable?”

She watched Zhou Heng’s retreating figure with a hint of trance.

The way Zhou Heng dealt with the meddlers was simple.

He had placed the sharp +1 enchantment on his clothes.

Anyone who tried to stop him only needed to touch his clothes to feel as though they were being attacked by a blade.

Even ordinary clothes, with the addition of sharp +1, could compare to some decent quality weapons.

Common martial artists couldn’t withstand it at all

Moreover, this effect could be achieved with invisible sword or knife energy, and even if he was only at the Ninth Grade, if he had mastered some special martial arts, he could achieve a similar effect.

This could lead to some reasonable misunderstandings.

Zhou Heng made his way to the inn where Chen Song and Chen Feihong were staying, followed by a large crowd of people who had come to see the fight between Zhou Heng and Chen Song.

Of course, no one dared to stop him this time.

At this moment, Chen Song in the inn was fantasizing about how Zhou Heng would react with frenzied vexation after hearing those rumors and knowing about the surging public opinion.

The more he thought about it, the happier he became, with a smile growing broader on his lips.

In his view, Zhou Heng only had two choices.

One was to save face and use a knife or a sword, in which case he was completely confident of defeating Zhou Heng.

The other was to shamelessly keep using sharp weapons, so even if Zhou Heng won, his reputation would be ruined, and that would make him equally happy.

“No matter the situation, I will be the final winner.” Chen Song laughed softly to himself, very satisfied with the stratagem he had planned.

“Zhou Heng is coming here.” Just then, Chen Feihong suddenly came over. She frowned slightly, “Zhou Heng didn’t wait for your challenge, he’s just come over with a sword.”

“Ha ha, he has been affected by those comments after all. If he uses only a sword, he is certainly doomed!” Chen Song laughed and then walked out of the inn with his sword in hand, “Perfect, he’s come to me. Sis, just wait, watch me go and kill him!”

In another room of the inn where Chen Song and Chen Feihong were staying.

Two men sat before the window, looking at Zhou Heng in the street outside the door.

Their faces were pockmarked with dense scars and splattered with various colors, with holes in their lips, noses, and ears, making for a very eerie appearance.

While their clothing was ordinary, just coarse hemp fabric, their belts were fancy, colorful, and adorned with little pouches.

These pouches sometimes twitched, apparently containing live things, with tails or spikes occasionally poking out.

It was quite a scary sight.

“Zhou Heng, he is an outer disciple of Pure Yang Palace. If we kill him, we should get a reward from our master, maybe even get noticed by the upper sect.”

“Let’s find the right moment and poison him to death!”

“Heh heh, I have a feeling that the upper sect’s experts are probably nearby too.

Maybe this guy will just die of illness before we even poison him, heh heh.”

“The upper sect’s methods are profound and unfathomable, indeed possible.”

In a clinic not far from the inn.

A kind-looking doctor in his fifties or sixties, who was treating a patient, suddenly looked up towards Zhou Heng and smiled meaningfully.

“Doctor, what are you looking at?” the patient asked curiously.

“Looking at the next patient.” The doctor chuckled, while touching a point on this patient’s body.

Within three days, the patient would die from a worsening condition.

By now, on the street in front of the inn, dozens, if not hundreds of people had gathered.

All of them were there to see the excitement.

But around Zhou Heng, the area was relatively empty; no one dared to provoke him.

Chen Song, with his sword in hand, emerged from the inn. He glanced at Zhou Heng, his chin lifted slightly as he sneered, “Zhou Heng, have you come to challenge me?”

“Wrong.” Zhou Heng shook his head, simultaneously drew his sword, and with a swift motion like treading on waves, he was instantly in front of Chen Song, “Icameto kill you!!”

Before he finished speaking—

Boom!

A clap of thunder rang out, as though spring thunder had burst forth!

It sent shivers down the spine of everyone present.

At the same time, purple lightning gleamed on the waist knife in Zhou Heng’s palm.

It struck down at Chen Song like a bolt from the blue sky!

The first strike of the Purple Thunder Seven Strikes!

The Outburst of Spring Thunder!

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!