Chapter Sixty: One Must See Oneself Clearly

Blocked it!

The throwing knife was actually blocked!

A throwing knife, propelled at three times the speed of sound and carrying immense force, was stopped by Hei Qin with his forehead!

Ke Bei was stunned, staring blankly at the fragments of the knife shattered by the golden energy that burst from Hei Qin's body. For a moment, he couldn't accept it.

This was a specially crafted throwing knife, far tougher than ordinary refined steel, infused with two-thirds of the internal energy from the Nine Yang Divine Art!

Such a terrifying strike, yet the man in the silver battle suit had blocked it with his monstrous physique and shattered the knife to pieces!

Just how powerful was this man's body? How sharp must that golden energy, as keen as a blade, be?

"Die!"

Hei Qin's chilling voice reached Ke Bei's ears, snapping him back to reality. Only one thought raced through his mind.

Escape!

A frantic escape!

A cold chill swept through Ke Bei's heart. The man in the silver battle suit was far too strong—today he had finally witnessed a truly terrifying being among humanity's Transcendent Realm.

Fight? That was a joke. His strongest attack, a throwing knife infused with two-thirds of the Nine Yang Divine Art, had struck the opponent's head head-on and still couldn't shake him in the slightest. How could he even dream of fighting?

The remaining third of the Nine Yang Divine Art surged to his feet. Ripple Step was instantly pushed to its limit, and Ke Bei's speed abruptly broke the sound barrier, accelerating even faster. After ten steps, he had already reached twice the speed of sound!

Accompanied by deafening sonic booms behind him, Ke Bei's figure blurred into afterimages as he fled at incredible speed.

Watching Ke Bei vanish in the blink of an eye, Hei Qin threw his head back and roared in fury. His speed could approach twice the speed of sound for a brief moment, but only just, and it couldn't be sustained! His normal speed was about one and a half times the speed of sound—faster than Ke Bei before he activated his internal energy, but once Ke Bei tapped into the Nine Yang Divine Art and Ripple Step, his speed soared past twice the sound barrier.

Hei Qin simply couldn't catch up!

"Roar—die, all of you! Die!"

First, he failed to gain approval from the Tower of Heaven. Then, he was mocked by Rui Dongyang. Now he finally encountered Ke Bei, hoping to vent his anger, but instead, his rage only grew more intense!

His strength was clearly far greater than Ke Bei's, yet he couldn't catch him. He could only watch as his own forehead was struck by a knife, and then watch helplessly as his opponent escaped. The frustration and humiliation were beyond words. Hei Qin clutched his burned, curled, yellowed hair, his fury mounting. With a skyward howl, his anger boiling over, he spat a mouthful of blood!

"Run, then! In this lifetime, I, Hei Qin, will kill you!"

Hei Qin stared at the direction Ke Bei had disappeared, licking the blood from his lips, his gaze icy and terrifying.

…

Ke Bei pushed Ripple Step to its limit and fled over three hundred kilometers before slowing down, panting slightly when he realized no one was pursuing him.

"Damn, when luck's bad, even drinking cold water will get you choked!"

"Who did I offend? I was just asking for directions!"

He spat forcefully, shivering at the memory of the shattered knife. "That young man must be a Transcendent Realm powerhouse. Pei Blood Sword can't even compare!"

Ke Bei was deeply moved—the difference in strength among Transcendent Realm elites was staggering. If that cold youth had attacked, Pei Blood Sword wouldn’t have survived even a single move!

In a direct fight, he himself wouldn’t withstand more than a few exchanges.

Ke Bei bit his lip, pondering silently.

"Once I master the third form of my father's blade technique, and combine it with the sharpness of the Sky-Splitting Blade, perhaps I can fight him!"

He clenched his fist.

"And now I have the Vitality Cultivation Technique!"

Thinking of the second layer, which increased his strength by twofold with each day of practice, Ke Bei grinned. The shock of Hei Qin's power, which had shaken his confidence, was gradually replaced by renewed determination.

"So what if you're stronger now? When I complete the second cycle of the Nine Yang Divine Art, will you still be my match?"

"Hmph, even if you keep improving, I have the mysterious system. How could I possibly lose to you?"

A determined light flashed in Ke Bei's eyes. He paused, glanced at the direction he had just fled, smiled, and pressed onward.

The most important thing is self-awareness—not to undervalue oneself, nor to be arrogant.

Ke Bei understood himself well. Right now, he was no match for the grim-faced, silver-clad youth, so he decisively chose to flee. Yet, he had absolute confidence that he would surpass him one day.

With the mysterious, sharp blade, the Vitality Cultivation Technique, his bearded father's blade techniques, and most importantly, the system! If he possessed the internal energy of the first six levels of the Nine Yang Divine Art, a direct fight with Hei Qin might not leave him at a disadvantage.

With the system, Ke Bei could continually take on new tasks, draw martial arts manuals, and grow stronger without limits!

Who else but Ke Bei could claim to have no bottlenecks and keep growing stronger?

……

Two days later, Ke Bei, covered in dust, his tall figure appeared before the Jiujang Base.

"So this is Jiujang Base..."

He gazed from afar at the majestic city ahead, feeling a slight tremor in his heart.

Jiujang Base was immense, far larger than Lingfeng City—at least ten times the area! The city wall, over ten meters tall, was made entirely of metal with a bronze sheen, engraved with pavilions, mountains, and bamboo groves. It appeared both ancient and elegant, yet grand and solemn.

At the gate stood two rows of imposing soldiers, each radiating a powerful aura. All two hundred soldiers were battle-hardened Transcendent Realm warriors!

"Jiujang Base truly puts Lingfeng City to shame. Lingfeng's gate has no guards, while here, the gatekeepers are all Transcendent Realm experts!"

Ke Bei stood before the massive gate—five meters tall, ten meters wide, made of mysterious, pitch-black metal—marveling softly.

"Please show your entry permit."

As Ke Bei lifted his foot to enter Jiujang Base, a soldier at the gate, exuding a fierce presence, politely blocked him.

"Entry permit?"

Ke Bei was taken aback, his brows arching. It seemed no one at Lingfeng City's lord's mansion had given him any such permit.

After a brief silence, Ke Bei slowly reached into his backpack and pulled out the dark-gold badge from the Genius Training Camp.

"Jiujang Token!"

As Ke Bei casually handed the badge to the gate guard, all the soldiers gasped, their faces filled with alarm. Carefully, respectfully, they placed the dark-gold, palm-sized badge back into Ke Bei's hand.