Soul Emperor Martial God

Chapter 4: Chapter 3: The Five Excellences of Xingyi

Xiao Jie, whose Martial Soul was the Fire Burning Vine, possessed an Orange-rank Plant Based Martial Soul, and had reached the Mortal Realm Fourth Layer in cultivation.

Xiao Shi, whose Martial Soul was the Fire Wolf, had an Orange-rank Beast Martial Soul. Although his cultivation was only at the Mortal Realm Third Layer, the Fire Wolf was a demon beast of considerable strength, so his combat power was by no means inferior to that of Xiao Jie, who was at the Mortal Realm Fourth Layer.

Both were Martial Artists, but Yiyi was just an ordinary person, not even comparable to the Mortal Realm First Layer.

Her frail body seemed inconsequential in front of Xiao Jie and Xiao Shi.

The stick she waved about in panic appeared rather comical.

With a ’snap’, Xiao Jie effortlessly grabbed the stick.

”Ugly monster, get lost if you know what’s good for you.”

”Damn, a mere lowly maid, always hindering and obstructing, be careful or I’ll beat you up as well.”

Yiyi still held the stick tightly, gritting her teeth, ”Yiyi’s life belongs to Young Master Xiao Yi, I won’t let you hurt the young master.”

”Hmph, courting death.” Xiao Jie snatched the stick and swung it hard toward Yiyi’s arm.

If it hit, Yiyi’s arm could have possibly been broken.

In the past, whenever Xiao Yi was bullied, Yiyi would always stand in front of him like this.

Moreover, her every attempt to block was fruitless, and the result was always the pitiful Xiao Yi having his cultivation resources stolen. Afterward, Xiao Yi would take out his frustration on her, beating her up.

”Yiyi, remember, you’re just a lowly maid, it’s not your place to meddle in this young master’s affairs.”

Xiao Yi would always berate Yiyi in furious indignation.

Yiyi had grown accustomed to it, but never expressed a single word of complaint against Xiao Yi.

This time was no different; facing the stick swinging down, she closed her eyes in fear, not moving an inch.

With a ’snap’.

Yiyi thought the stick had already struck her shoulder, but she was puzzled by the lack of pain.

When she opened her eyes in confusion, her clear eyes widened in shock.

For at this moment, Xiao Yi had, extraordinarily, stood in front of her and caught the stick with his palm.

”Young... Young Master...” Yiyi was incredulous.

The Xiao Yi of the past had been worthless; but the current Xiao Yi was a Xingyi Fist grandmaster from planet Earth and none other than the King of Assassins, who roamed the world unchecked, certainly not someone to let Yiyi get hurt.

Xiao Yi didn’t respond to Yiyi, his gaze fixed coldly on Xiao Jie and Xiao Shi, ”Who gave you the right to strike my maid!”

Xiao Jie and Xiao Shi were stunned, witnessing Xiao Yi resisting them for the first time.

”Wow, the little waste has grown a spine.”

”Why talk nonsense with him, just beat him until he obeys.”

Xiao Jie and Xiao Shi sneered.

”Little waste, it seems you’ve forgotten how the Fire Burning Vine taught you a lesson,” Xiao Jie scoffed.

Suddenly, a red vine, about two meters long and flickering with flames, appeared in Xiao Jie’s hand, crackling energetically.

”Fire Burning Vine, go.”

Xiao Jie swung his arm, and the Fire Burning Vine whipped toward Xiao Yi as if alive.

Xiao Yi was fearless. While his cultivation was only at the Mortal Realm First Layer, and far from matching Xiao Jie’s power, in terms of combat experience, a hundred Xiao Jies couldn’t compare to him.

Xiao Yi took a quick step forward, twisting his body in a strange maneuver to avoid the Fire Burning Vine, then his hands turned to claws, aiming for Xiao Jie’s head.

”He dodged it, how is that possible?” Xiao Jie was shocked.

”Tiger Form,” Xiao Yi said in a cold shout.

As Xiao Jie was about to retract the Fire Burning Vine for defense, he suddenly heard the sound of a tiger’s roar.

’Roar’, Xiao Yi’s hands produced a tiger’s roar, as if the king of beasts was bellowing through the forest.

Xiao Jie shuddered at that instant, feeling as if he were being targeted by a fierce beast, his life hanging by a thread.

The next second, Xiao Yi pounced and overthrew Xiao Jie.

It looked as though Xiao Jie had been overtaken by a Fierce Tiger.

”What’s going on, am I seeing things?” Xiao Shi frowned, confused, ”Xiao Jie is a Mortal Realm Fourth Layer Warrior, how could he be subdued by a little waste.”

Tiger Form, striking with the force and power of a tiger descending a mountain, possessed the most offensive power among the Xingyi Fists.

At this moment, Xiao Yi’s claws were clasping Xiao Jie’s neck, precisely at the throat.

With a mere twitch of his fingers, he could crush Xiao Jie’s neck and take his life.

Let’s not forget, in addition to being a grandmaster of Xingyi Fist, Xiao Yi was also a formidable Assassin, adept at various assassination skills.

”Xiao Shi, what are you waiting for, save me!” Xiao Jie panicked, not pondering why he was no match for Xiao Yi, immediately begging Xiao Shi for help.

”I’m on it,” Xiao Shi responded at once.

”Fire Wolf, appear,” Xiao Shi shouted.

A Fire Wolf Illusion suddenly manifested around him.

The Fire Wolf, an Orange-rank Martial Soul, bestowed the warrior with incredible speed and the destructive power of flame.

”Little waste, go to die.”

Xiao Shi’s actions indicated he was indeed intent on killing Xiao Yi.

Despite being from the same Xiao Family, he was cruel enough to seek Xiao Yi’s life.

”Hmph,” Xiao Yi’s expression turned cold as he released Xiao Jie’s neck.

”Leopard Form,” Xiao Yi moved swiftly, striking like a leopard in search of prey, lightning-fast in seizing the victim with a single move.

”So fast,” Xiao Shi’s eyes widened, barely starting his attack.

Before Xiao Shi could react, Xiao Yi’s claws had already reached his chest, slashing it with a deep, gory gash.

Leopard Form, a sudden assault like a swift and silent leopard, perfectly suited for unleashing explosive speed at close range, was one of the Xingyi Fists known for its velocity.

Xingyi Fist is a martial art that nurtures both the internal and external.

It is divided into the Five Elements and Twelve Forms: Splitting Fist, Drilling Fist, Beng Fist, Cannon Fist, Horizontal Fist, Dragon Form, Tiger Form, Eagle Form, Snake Formation...

The forms can either integrate with or split from one another, crisscrossing in complexity, incredibly intricate, capable of evolving into thousands of combat techniques, truly a vast and profound art.

And Xiao Yi, as a grandmaster of Xingyi Fist, had not only fully comprehended all techniques but had also refined them into five distinct fist forms.

These five styles, derived from the myriad of techniques, were acclaimed by Xiao Yi as the Xingyi Five Extremes.

They are the Tiger Form, Leopard Form, Snake Formation, Crane Form, and the most powerful of all, Rising Dragon.

With these Five Extremes, he was unmatched across the globe, rarely meeting an opponent.

Although possessing only the modest power of the Mortal Realm First Layer, by relying on the Xingyi Five Extremes, he easily defeated Xiao Jie and Xiao Shi.

”Do you want to die?” Xiao Yi tore with both claws, slicing Xiao Shi’s chest wound even wider.

Immediately, blood gushed out from Xiao Shi’s body.

”Ah... Ah...” Xiao Shi cried out in shock, watching the blood continuously flowing from his chest, feeling weak and experiencing a frightening sense of impending death.

”Am I... going to die? Ah... Ah...”

”Shut up, don’t scream like you’re courting spring,” Xiao Yi glared at Xiao Shi.

On the other side, Xiao Jie, watching the miserable Xiao Shi, shivered all over.

In the end, these two were nothing more than flowers grown in a greenhouse, unused to such bloody scenes.

Yiyi, standing nearby, was pale, but her concern was mostly for Xiao Yi.

”Humph.” Xiao Yi withdrew his claws and with a punch, sent Xiao Shi tumbling down next to Xiao Jie on the ground.

”Don’t... don’t kill us.” Xiao Jie was already so frightened his legs had gone weak, lacking even the strength to stand.

”Little... little trash, no, Xiao Yi, we are from the same family,” Xiao Shi pleaded as he covered his wound.

They had clearly seen the rich killing intent in Xiao Yi’s eyes.

At that moment, they felt Xiao Yi in front of them was not like a cripple at all, but rather like an executioner with hands drenched in blood, chilling their hearts.

”Don’t kill you?” Xiao Yi sneered, ”All these years, you’ve stolen my cultivation resources, and now you expect me to spare you?”

”No... it’s not like that,” Xiao Jie trembled as he retorted, ”Xiao Yi, to tell the truth, we are your elder cousins, how could we steal from you? We were just eager to cultivate, we only borrowed some from you.”

”That’s right, borrowed, not stolen,” Xiao Shi quickly added.

”Alright, borrowed,” Xiao Yi nodded, ”So all those things you borrowed over the years, it’s time to give them back, right?”

”We will return them, just spare us,” Xiao Jie and Xiao Shi, as if granted amnesty, immediately said.

”Ten thousand Silver Taels each, pay up now,” Xiao Yi sneered.

”Ten thousand Silver Taels?” Both men’s eyes widened.

”How... how could it be so much?” Xiao Jie exclaimed in shock.

”Right, we only get twenty Silver Taels a month, and the Elixir Elixir is worth around thirty Silver Taels, at most fifty Silver Taels a month including everything.”

”That’s six hundred Silver Taels a year...”

Xiao Yi glared at them fiercely, interrupting, ”Since you were borrowing, don’t you have to pay interest? Never heard of compound interest? You’ve been stealing my things since I was eight years old, for a full eight years now.”

”Merely ten thousand Silver Taels each, I’m letting you off cheap,” Xiao Yi said coldly.

”Uh... but...” Xiao Shi and Xiao Jie muttered curses under their breath, clearly being tricked, yet it felt like they were getting the better end of the deal.

”But we don’t have ten thousand Silver Taels,” Xiao Jie and Xiao Shi thought to themselves wishfully that since they couldn’t produce so much money, Xiao Yi wouldn’t be able to do anything to them.

”If you can’t pay, then go to hell,” Xiao Yi’s palms turned into claws, murderous intent surging as he struck toward their vitals.

”No... don’t...”

Realizing the bloodthirsty look in Xiao Yi’s eyes was no joke, Xiao Jie and Xiao Shi immediately begged for mercy.

”Can we owe it for now?”

”Fine,” Xiao Yi drew back his hands, smiling, ”Yiyi, bring some paper and a pen, we don’t want these two gentlemen to deny their debts.”

”Yes, Young Master Xiao Yi,” Yiyi nodded and quickly prepared the paper and pen.

Xiao Jie and Xiao Shi reluctantly wrote down the IOUs.

Xiao Yi picked up the IOUs, looking as they smeared ink on their fingers, and nodded in satisfaction.

”Leave,” Xiao Yi said, ”I remind you, the IOUs are written, to owe money and repay it is the way of heaven and earth. Even if you go to the Clan Leader, it won’t do any good.”

”Remember well, gather the money quickly. I don’t care if you have to steal or rob, if the money isn’t gathered, prepare for me to take your lives,” Xiao Yi coldly instructed them before letting them leave.

In fact, from the start, Xiao Yi hadn’t planned to kill them; it was merely to ensure they would repay the debt, allowing him to reap better benefits.

From his regained memories, he knew that the cultivation for a martial artist was an extremely resource-intensive affair. The more money one had, the richer the cultivation resources one could acquire, enabling smoother and faster cultivation.

...

After Xiao Jie and Xiao Shi left, they circled around Xiao Yi’s courtyard before finally stopping in front of a young man.

The youth had an attractive appearance, yet his eyes exuded a chill, sinister coldness.

”Ruohan cousin, we have failed. That little cripple somehow became so powerful...”

Xiao Jie and Xiao Shi shared some details but omitted the part about writing the IOUs.

...

Unbeknownst to anyone, Xiao Yi was watching these three from a corner, his gaze cold.

With his ability to hide, unless someone came straight up to him, he would remain undetected.

He had anticipated that Xiao Jie and Xiao Shi’s visit that day was unusual, so he discreetly followed them after they had left.

”Indeed, it’s this bastard making trouble again,” Xiao Yi sneered inwardly.

”It’s better not to provoke me, or else I won’t mind sending you to hell ahead of time,” Xiao Yi murmured to himself, then left the corner.

Throughout, Xiao Ruohan and his company never noticed his presence.