3: Chapter 3 Market Conflict, One Punch Sends Him Swooshing!

The biting wind of the punch ruffled the black hair on Lin Yan's forehead.

Jia Lie Ao's sneering face rapidly magnified before his eyes; that fist, condensed with the power of a 6th Stage Dou Zhi Qi, whistled through the air, aiming straight for his face. To the onlookers, this punch was fast, ruthless, and precise; it was certainly not something an ordinary 5th Stage Dou Zhi Qi could easily withstand.

However, in Lin Yan's perception, the trajectory of this punch was as clear as slow motion. The Living Spirit Flame had not only strengthened his body but had also subtly enhanced his five senses and reaction speed. In his eyes, Jia Lie Ao's movements were full of flaws.

He did not choose to dodge, nor did he use any fancy Dou Technique—the original body didn't know any Dou Techniques at all. All he did was to thrust his right fist, which had already been coiled and ready, in the most direct and simple manner, straight out to meet Jia Lie Ao's fist!

There was no outward burst of Dou Qi, no earth-shattering momentum. To outsiders, it looked as if a weakling, pushed to the edge, was instinctively throwing a punch in a panic to resist.

"Looking for death!" A fierce glint intensified in Jia Lie Ao's eyes as he added another fraction of force to his punch, preparing to cripple Lin Yan's arm with a single blow.

"Bang!" Under the gaze of countless people, the two fists collided head-on without any flair!

The sound of shattering bones that was expected did not ring out. Instead, a dull thud echoed, followed by Jia Lie Ao's suddenly distorted groan of pain!

The instant the fists struck, Jia Lie Ao felt as though he hadn't hit a body of flesh and blood, but had smashed into a piece of solid refined iron wrapped in supple leather! A massive force, far exceeding his estimation, surged from the opponent's fist like a bursting flood. It not only instantly crushed the Dou Zhi Qi on his fist but also charged into the meridians of his arm like a hot knife through butter!

"Crack!" A subtle sound of bone fracturing came from Jia Lie Ao's own wrist.

"Ah—!" The intense pain made him scream. His whole body felt as if it had been struck by a heavy blow, and he uncontrollably stumbled back seven or eight steps, finally staggering and collapsing onto the ground. His right hand hung limp, his face turned deathly pale in an instant, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He looked up in terror, watching Lin Yan, who was standing in the same spot, having merely swayed slightly before returning to normal. His eyes were filled with disbelief and horror.

Silence! A deathly silence instantly enveloped the area.

The onlookers had their mouths wide open, enough to fit an egg. The two Xiao Family youths who had been blocked were even more dumbfounded, as if they had seen a ghost.

Jia Lie Ao, a direct descendant of the Jia Lie Clan with 6th Stage Dou Zhi Qi, had actually been blown back and injured by a single punch from an obscure collateral descendant of the Xiao Family who looked to be at most 5th Stage Dou Zhi Qi? And looking at Lin Yan's calm and composed demeanor, he clearly hadn't used his full strength!

How could this be possible?!

"Young Master Ao!" The two Jia Lie Clan lackeys finally woke from their dream and rushed over in a panic to help Jia Lie Ao up.

Jia Lie Ao was in pain, ashamed, and furious. The intense pain and feeling of powerlessness coming from his right wrist made him realize that his hand was likely crippled for the time being. He stared fixedly at Lin Yan, his eyes almost spitting fire: "You... you hid your strength?!"

Lin Yan slowly retracted his fist and lightly shook his wrist, revealing a perfectly timed expression of "surprise" and "forced composure," as if he hadn't expected this punch to be so effective himself. He imitated the original body's slightly reserved tone, but spoke clearly: "Young Master Jia Lie Ao is joking. I am just a collateral descendant; what strength could I possibly hide? Perhaps Young Master Jia Lie Ao was careless just now, or... I was lucky enough to break through to the 5th Stage, and my strength increased a bit?"

5th Stage? Who is he kidding! Jia Lie Ao was so angry he nearly vomited blood. He was 6th Stage Dou Zhi Qi; even if he was careless, it was impossible to have his wrist broken by a single punch from someone who had just entered the 5th Stage! This bastard must be at least 6th Stage, maybe even higher! But there was no evidence; the fluctuations on Lin Yan really were around the 5th Stage, and that punch just now was plain and simple, revealing nothing of his true depth.

"Good! Very good!" Jia Lie Ao struggled to stand up with the help of his lackeys, his face livid, his eyes full of malice. "Lin Yan, is it? I'll remember you! The Xiao Family is truly full of hidden talents; even a collateral descendant has such skills! Let's go!"

He knew he had lost a lot of face today; continuing to tangle here would only make things uglier, and his wrist was in agonizing pain and needed treatment. He glared fiercely at Lin Yan, as if wanting to carve his image into his bones, and then, surrounded by his two lackeys, squeezed through the crowd in a sorry state and hurried away. The Purple Leaf Orchid that had caused the dispute was left lying on the ground, with no one bothering with it anymore.

Only when the backs of the three Jia Lie Clan members disappeared was the silence broken.

"Whoosh—!" The sound of discussion surged like a tide.

"Did I see that right? Jia Lie Ao was beaten back with one punch?"

"What's that Xiao Family kid's name? Lin Yan? I've never heard of him before!"

"Looks like he just broke through recently, but this strength is too frightening. Jia Lie Ao's hand is probably broken..."

"The Xiao Family has finally let out a breath of frustration this time; the Jia Lie Clan has been too arrogant lately."

The two Xiao Family youths rushed to Lin Yan, their faces flushed with excitement: "Brother Lin Yan! You are too amazing! Thank you!" The looks they directed at Lin Yan were full of gratitude and admiration. They weren't particularly close to Lin Yan, but they were all collateral descendants and usually had no conflict. Since Lin Yan had stood up for them and defended the family's honor, he naturally won their favor.

Lin Yan waved his hand, his face showing a hint of "exhaustion" and lingering fear: "It's nothing, we are all of the same clan; it's only right. I acted in a moment of urgency... I didn't expect..." He bent down to pick up the Purple Leaf Orchid and handed it to one of the youths: "Here is your herb, take it. In the future, try to finish transactions with money and goods exchanged clearly to avoid trouble."

"Mm, mm! Thank you, Brother Lin Yan!" The youth took the Purple Leaf Orchid and carefully put it away.

At this time, the Xiao Family steward of the market, having received the news, arrived to ask about the situation. Lin Yan and the two youths told the truth, but Lin Yan downplayed his own role, saying only that Jia Lie Ao was too overbearing, forcing him to retaliate, and he was lucky to repel the opponent. The steward looked at Lin Yan, then at the crowd still discussing, a glimmer of surprise flashing in his eyes, but more of it was gratification. He patted Lin Yan on the shoulder: "Well done, you didn't lose face for the Xiao Family. However, that Jia Lie Clan kid is vengeful; be careful recently. Everything is fine here, go back to work."

Lin Yan nodded in agreement and returned to his stall. Curious and inquisitive gazes swept over him from time to time, but he pretended not to notice and continued his dull caretaking work, as if that earth-shattering punch just now hadn't been thrown by him at all.

Only he himself knew that with that punch, he had not only used the power of 7th Stage Dou Zhi Qi, but more importantly, he had infused the meridians of his fist with the nourishing energy of that wisp of Living Spirit Flame. This energy had no violent destructiveness, but it allowed his fist to possess extraordinary toughness and power concentration in an instant, like refined steel wrapped around an endless core. This was the real reason he could use a "5th Stage" performance to defeat the 6th Stage Jia Lie Ao in one blow!

[Ding! Side quest 'Maintenance and Establishing Prestige' completed!]

[Rewards distributed: System points ×40, low-level storage ring ×1 (1 cubic meter).]

A dark, simple-looking ring quietly appeared in the corner of his system inventory.

Lin Yan felt happy; having a storage ring was much more convenient. 40 points could also be considered start-up capital. He was more concerned about another prompt:

[Mission 2 'A Small Display of Talent' completed!]

[Rewards distributed: Basic Dou Technique draw chance ×1, system points ×30.]

A total of 70 points credited, and he also obtained a Dou Technique draw! This was exactly what he urgently needed right now; having strength without suitable Dou Techniques to utilize it was always a shortcoming.

He suppressed the urge to draw immediately and continued to work patiently until the sun set behind the mountains and the flow of people in the market thinned. After the handover was complete, he returned to the Xiao Family with Lin Xiaohu.

On the way back, Lin Xiaohu had already heard about what happened in the market and excitedly swarmed Lin Yan, asking questions left and right, marveling at his "breakthrough to the 5th Stage and ability to beat back Jia Lie Ao." Lin Yan only responded vaguely, attributing everything to "luck" and "the opponent's underestimation."

Night fell once again.

Returning to his quiet little room and closing the door, Lin Yan finally relaxed completely. Everything that happened today was proceeding according to his expectations, or even better. He had initially established prestige, obtained rewards, and maintained his basic disguise.

He sat cross-legged on the bed and first took out the low-level storage ring. The ring felt slightly cool to the touch and had a metallic texture. He tried to inject a wisp of Dou Zhi Qi into it and immediately felt an independent space of about one cubic meter, which was completely empty. He put the few dozen gold coins he had on him and the meager reward given by the steward today into it, and with a thought, he could store and retrieve items freely.

"Good stuff." Lin Yan nodded with satisfaction.

Next, he brought up the system interface and looked at the [Basic Dou Technique draw chance].

"System, use the draw chance."

[Command confirmed. Starting Basic Dou Technique draw...]

The familiar vortex of light lit up again, though it was much smaller in scale than the ten-consecutive draw. After the light flickered a few times, it fixed in place.

[Congratulations host, obtained Profound-tier Low-level Dou Technique: Eight Extremities Collapse (Fragment)!]

"Eight Extremities Collapse?" Lin Yan was stunned, and then his expression became strange. Wasn't this one of Xiao Yan's signature close-combat Dou Techniques in the original work? Although it was only Profound-tier Low-level, when practiced to great success, the attack contained eight layers of force, stacking layer upon layer, with power comparable to a Profound-tier Mid-level technique. He had actually drawn this? And it was a fragment...

He checked the description: [Eight Extremities Collapse (Fragment)]: Contains the cultivation method for the first four layers of force. Although it is a fragment, it already possesses the essence and is sufficient to cultivate to small success, with considerable power. Subsequent force layers require the host to deduce them yourself or find the complete version.

"The first four layers... that's enough." Lin Yan quickly felt relieved. For him at the moment, a Profound-tier Low-level close-combat Dou Technique was the most practical choice, and the one that could best utilize his physical advantages. As for it being a fragment, there might be a chance to complete it in the future.

He immediately chose to learn it. A stream of information regarding the cultivation method, force-exertion techniques, and the path of Dou Qi circulation for "Eight Extremities Collapse" flooded into his mind and was quickly digested and understood. Thanks to the nourishment of the Living Spirit Flame and the improvement of his soul power, he mastered it extremely quickly.

"With Eight Extremities Collapse, my combat ability will be raised to a new level. Combined with my true 7th Stage cultivation and the body strengthened by the Living Spirit Flame, even if I only use the first two layers of force, the power will definitely exceed that of an ordinary Profound-tier Low-level Dou Technique." Lin Yan's confidence increased further.

He looked at his system points, 70. He looked at [Random Single Draw], which required 100 points; he didn't have enough for now. The [System Store] was still grayed out, indicating that unlocking required "host reaching Dou Practitioner cultivation" or "consuming 1000 points."

"It seems that breaking through to Dou Practitioner is the next key node, or I must accumulate points as quickly as possible." Lin Yan pondered. He pulled up his personal information.

[host: Lin Yan] [Cultivation: 7th Stage Dou Zhi Qi (Stable)] [Soul: Mortal Realm Mid-stage] [Cultivation Method: None] [Dou Technique: Eight Extremities Collapse (Fragment, Not yet entered)] [Heavenly Flame: Ten types of seed flame origins (Living Spirit Flame has initially fused)] [Comprehensive Combat Power: Can rival ordinary 8th Stage Dou Zhi Qi; relying on Eight Extremities Collapse and physical advantages, may briefly contend with 9th Stage]

His strength was steadily improving, but it wasn't enough. He needed more resources and a faster growth rate. Alchemy was undoubtedly one of the fastest ways to make money and assist in cultivation.

His gaze fell on the ten types of Heavenly Flame origins in his inventory, especially lingering for a moment on that intangible and formless "Fallen Heart Flame (Seed Flame)."

Living Spirit Flame for body forging, Fallen Heart Flame... perhaps it could be used to attempt "Qi Tempering"?

A bolder idea quietly sprouted in his heart.

The night grew deep. Deep within the Xiao Family, in an exquisite courtyard, a stunning young girl in a pale green robe was listening to her subordinate whisper a report about the day's events in the market. When she heard the name "Lin Yan" and the description of him beating back Jia Lie Ao with one punch, the young girl slightly furrowed her beautiful brows, and a faint trace of doubt and inquiry flashed in her autumn-water-like eyes.

"Able to injure 6th Stage Jia Lie Ao with one punch, yet only revealing 5th Stage cultivation... This Lin Yan seems much more interesting than he appears."