Chapter 51: You’re Much More Handsome Than He Is

“Elder, the road ahead is under construction. Rank One practitioners are forbidden from passing.”

Ji Huo’s figure suddenly appeared, folding fan in hand, and he cupped his hands in greeting.

The newcomer was an elderly man holding a horsetail whisk. He looked at Ji Huo in surprise and asked, “Whose child are you? Your lightness skill is truly impressive.”

Ji Huo grinned, snapped open his fan with a flourish, and replied with confidence, “I am Yu Zhuo, the Folding Fan Gentleman. My esteemed master is General Feilian. I ask that you give my master the courtesy of turning back, sir.”

The old man regarded him quizzically. “You’re Yu Zhuo?”

“As real as it gets,” Ji Huo replied with a smile.

“Nonsense! I met General Feilian just last year, and his disciple is much uglier than you!”

The old man laughed and scolded, “People in the martial world usually recognize each other by their weapons. I don’t know where you picked up that folding fan, but you certainly act the part with confidence! Think this old man’s blind?”

Ji Huo’s mouth dropped open slightly. Damn, he’d run into someone who recognized faces. He could no longer be bothered to maintain his act. He closed the folding fan and said with a laugh, “You have sharp eyes, elder. I knew I couldn’t fool you.”

“Get out of here, you smooth-talking brat!” the old man said, amused, then pointed toward the small town behind Ji Huo. “You truly won’t let me pass?”

“No,” Ji Huo replied with a smile. “I’m handling some private matters.”

The old man grew serious. “The Demon Dragon Spear fragment is a demonic artifact from the Dragon Kingdom. If it enters the martial world, it will surely cause a bloodbath. Clearly, someone is scheming to weaken us. I’ve come to collect the demonic weapon before disaster strikes. Even so, you still refuse to let me through?”

Ji Huo lifted his head slightly. “I won’t let you through.”

“If countless lives are lost in the martial world, how will you answer for it?” the old man pressed.

Ji Huo smiled faintly, his tone calm. “When this matter is concluded, I’ll personally collect the demon weapon. I won’t let it fall into the wrong hands. As for those who come to stop me… The martial world is always awash in blood. One more fool rushing to their death won’t make a difference.”

“Well said!”

The old man narrowed his eyes slightly. “Young, yet highly capable. But you carry too much hostility. Tell me, what family raised a child like you?”

Ji Huo chuckled. “A child of the martial world is raised by the martial world.”

“Well said! Then let this old man test your mettle and see if you truly have the strength to keep the demon weapon out of others’ hands!”

The old man swept his whisk down with a sudden motion. A piercing, explosive sound tore through the air!

The force of the whisk compressed the air, warping it. Everything within thirty feet in front of him fell under his attack; if the whisk landed, everything in its path would be pulverized.

Ji Huo struck out with his right palm, sending a surge of force upwards to meet the descending whisk.

Palm wind and the whisk’s force collided in midair, producing a grating sound like glass being crushed.

“The Monument-Crushing Palm? At its zenith?”

The old man instantly recognized the move. He withdrew his whisk sharply and flicked it against the ground. Countless grains of sand shot toward Ji Huo with a shrill whistling sound.

The sand, infused with inner energy, became as deadly as the finest projectiles thrown by a master—enough to pierce all the way through an ordinary person.

Such was the power of a Rank One master. Their bodies had reached the limits of human potential, and their destructive power far exceeded legends of harming people with a mere leaf.

If Ji Huo hadn’t had the system to enhance his attributes, free from the limitations of the human body, even at Rank One he would have hit his ceiling.

Above Rank One stood the Grandmasters, who achieved unity of man and nature, channeling the power of the world itself. One punch from them, blessed by heaven and earth, could be ten times more powerful than their own strength.

Ji Huo grinned, reached out his right hand, and inner energy transformed into countless slender golden snakes. In an instant, they snatched every grain of sand from the air.

The golden snakes gathered and returned to his palm, leaving him holding a handful of fine sand.

“The Golden Serpent Hand, at perfection…”

The old man’s tone grew grave. At his level, mastering a profound martial art to perfection was not impossible—just time-consuming.

What was truly astonishing was that this youth could catch every grain of sand he’d sent out, one by one, with the Golden Serpent Hand.

That level of perception, control, and reaction… The old man knew he couldn’t do it himself.

What monstrous family did he come from?

Sweat beaded on the old man’s brow. Then, he saw the youth casually toss the sand, crushing it into even finer dust that swept toward him, instantly obscuring his vision.

“Bah!”

Another sweep of the whisk scattered the dust, but the youth had already vanished.

Not good!

The old man spun and swept his whisk behind him, but a sudden punch struck him square in the chest, sending him flying back more than a hundred yards.

What a joke—he’d never fought a Grandmaster before, but against a Rank One, the attributes stacked by the system made such an opponent child’s play.

Ji Huo stepped forward, instantly catching up to the old man, gathering all his strength into a single point, and delivered another powerful punch!

The force compressed the air to its limit, then shot out like a cannonball!

In that instant, the old man felt as if Mount Tai was crashing down on him, a massive boulder smashing straight for his skull!

Cold sweat broke out all over his body. He twisted aside with lightning speed, escaping the area in a flash.

Boom—

The ground caved in, leaving a massive fist imprint three yards wide and three feet deep. Grass, wood, and stone were crushed to fine powder!

“Cough, cough! Enough, enough! I yield!”

The old man stared in shock at the devastation, clutching his chest and coughing, waving the whisk as he surrendered. Then he paused, noticing that the whisk’s shaft had been bent by that punch. Shocked and heartbroken, he stared at the damage.

He had spent ten years crafting this whisk, using only the rarest materials, and owing many favors in the process. Who would have thought that trying to collect a demon weapon would leave it bent?

He couldn’t afford to make another.

People believed Rank One masters were rare and noble, admired by all. That was only because they’d never seen a Rank One master broke and living by their wits.

The expenses were immense, especially for those unwilling to sell themselves.

“Well, elder, what do you think?”

Ji Huo opened his folding fan and fanned himself, looking as unruffled as ever, not even out of breath after the duel.

“Fine, fine, I accept you have the strength to handle this! I won’t muddy the waters any further.”

The old man waved him off, still heartbroken over his whisk, then looked Ji Huo up and down, probing, “Whose child are you, really?”

“I am Yu Zhuo, disciple of Feilian!” Ji Huo replied, full of conviction.

He could see at a glance that the whisk was no ordinary weapon. Anything that could survive his punch was surely priceless.

There was no way he would reveal his true identity now—not to such a cunning old fox. What if the man showed up at his family’s door demanding compensation?

Then again, thinking of his father’s roguish ways, he’d probably beat the old man up and toss him out… but still, it wouldn’t look good if word got around.

“Get lost, you rascal!”

The old man cursed with a laugh, but deep down, he felt a twinge of regret.

He shook his head and turned to leave. After a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and looked back.

“Boy, beware of the demon weapon. Though the Dragon Kingdom is far from Great Zhou, whoever managed to bring a third of the demon weapon safely into the Central Plains without succumbing to its evil aura is a formidable master. I suspect that person is lurking in the shadows, plotting something big.”

Ji Huo cupped his hands in gratitude, his eyes clear and a confident smile on his lips.

“Thank you for the warning, elder. I’m well aware.”