"Shit, this kid awakened!" Seeing the dazzling blue light erupting from Chu Xun's right hand, Qing Yi's face immediately changed. Growing up in Chu City, he knew exactly what the blue light meant—it was the sign of an ability awakening. And once someone awakened their powers, it meant they were no longer useless. With enough power, Chu Xun could kill him without anyone lifting a finger to stop him.
"This won't do, I have to cripple him!" Qing Yi, who had fought his way up from the ranks of countless house servants to become Chu Qing's number one lackey, was no stranger to life and death. Having killed and maimed many of his competitors, he was not only ruthless but decisive. In just a few seconds, he made up his mind, lifting his foot and heading straight for Chu Xun's right hand.
The awakening of abilities was the most crucial moment in the life of an ability user. If the awakening process was interrupted, the person would lose the chance to awaken forever. Qing Yi's plan was to cripple Chu Xun right then and there, turning him back into a useless person. With Chu Qing's backing, no one would bother him for eliminating such a weakling.
However, Qing Yi made a grave miscalculation. Chu Xun was not in the process of awakening his ability, but rather using it!
Smack!
With a dull thud, Qing Yi's foot, aimed at Chu Xun's right hand, was suddenly caught by a small hand shimmering with blue light. The hand appeared delicate and pale, but it contained an incredible amount of strength. Qing Yi felt as if he had stomped on solid iron—he couldn't move forward at all. The sharp pain that followed caused him to scream in agony.
"Let go, let go!" Chu Xun's hand clamped down on his foot like a vice, even piercing through the boot Qing Yi was wearing. The overwhelming force made Qing Yi feel as if his foot bones were about to crack under the pressure, and the excruciating pain made him struggle desperately.
But it was no use. No matter how much he struggled, Chu Xun's delicate, pale hand kept a death grip on his foot, making it impossible to break free.
"Everyone thinks the strength of ants is insignificant, but do you know? The strength of ants is truly terrifying!" Feeling the endless surge of power flowing from within him, Chu Xun's heart surged with indescribable excitement. He took a deep breath and forcefully tossed Qing Yi away.
Boom!
With Chu Xun's terrifying strength, Qing Yi, who was over two meters tall and weighed more than two hundred pounds, was flung through the air like a sandbag. He crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
"You... really awakened?" Qing Yi staggered to his feet, his face filled with fear as he looked at Chu Xun, trembling uncontrollably.
He wanted to run, but the intense pain in his foot made it impossible. And he didn't believe he could escape from someone who had successfully awakened their abilities.
"That's right. What's wrong? Are you regretting it?" Chu Xun sneered coldly, a flash of icy light in his eyes.
If it weren't for his luck, having a few ants nearby to consume earlier, he might have ended up losing to this lackey.
Although Chu Xun had just implanted the ant genes and could only unleash about 5% of their true strength, even so, this amount of power was enough to overpower an ordinary person like Qing Yi.
"Seems like you enjoyed hitting me earlier, didn't you?" Chu Xun stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and walked toward Qing Yi with a cold smile.
This guy had tried to cripple him earlier—now it was time to teach him a lesson!
"No... you can't kill me. I'm a servant of Young Master Chu Qing! If you kill me, Young Master Chu Qing will never let you off!" Qing Yi seemed to misunderstand, thinking Chu Xun was going to kill him, and he immediately started screaming.
In this world, the strong were kings, and the weak were in hell!
Qing Yi had grown up in this brutal city, witnessing countless house servants like him being tortured or killed by the nobles. That's why when he had beaten Chu Xun earlier, he had felt a sense of satisfaction from the revenge. But now, with the tides turned and Chu Xun not only awakened his powers but also had incredible strength, Qing Yi's mind instantly recalled the terrifying scenes he had witnessed in the past, and fear overtook him.
"Is this what they mean by 'the pitiful always have something despicable about them'?" Looking at Qing Yi, trembling and full of fear, Chu Xun's lips curled into a mocking smile, and he continued walking toward him.
"Didn't Chu Qing tell you to 'spar' with me? If I remember correctly, no one can object if the sparring partner is accidentally killed, right?" Perhaps influenced by the memories of this body's previous owner, Chu Xun was filled with hatred for both Qing Yi and Chu Qing. Now, he wanted to teach these bastards a good lesson.
"Please, please don't kill me!" As Chu Xun neared, Qing Yi's fear intensified, and he collapsed to the ground, crying and begging.
However, Chu Xun remained unmoved, continuing to approach.
He wasn't a bad person, but he certainly wasn't a good person either. If he were, he wouldn't have killed someone in anger before. Qing Yi had beaten him and insulted him earlier, and now it was time to settle the score.
Bang!
Reaching Qing Yi, Chu Xun slammed his foot into Qing Yi's chest. With the force of the blow, Qing Yi was sent flying, crashing heavily into the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Please, please don't kill me! I don't want to die!" After spitting out blood, Qing Yi actually started crawling toward Chu Xun, begging for mercy with a pitiful expression.
"Enough, there's no point in arguing with a lackey." If Qing Yi had remained arrogant, Chu Xun would have given him a proper lesson, but seeing him now, crawling on the ground like a dead dog, Chu Xun suddenly lost the interest to argue with him.
"Go to hell!" But just as Chu Xun was about to turn away, Qing Yi suddenly sprang up from the ground, pulling out a gleaming alloy dagger, and lunged toward Chu Xun's chest.
As a scoundrel, Qing Yi would never just wait to die. He preferred to gamble, fighting to the death with Chu Xun rather than be humiliated and killed. After all, even though killing Chu Xun would prevent him from staying in Chu City, he could still venture into the wild. The chances of survival there were slim, but at least there was a glimmer of hope.
Chu Xun had just awakened his powers, and although his strength had greatly increased, he knew he wasn't strong enough yet to be impervious to an alloy dagger. If Qing Yi struck his vital point, he could still die!
"Damn it!" Chu Xun hadn't expected Qing Yi to attack so boldly. His face changed drastically, and he quickly retreated. However, the ant genes had only enhanced his strength, not his speed, so even though he tried to retreat, he didn't avoid Qing Yi's attack. However, thanks to his quick reaction and Qing Yi's injured foot, he managed to dodge the fatal strike.
Thud!
The sharp alloy dagger pierced through Chu Xun's outer clothes, then tore into his abdomen, stabbing deep into his flesh. Bright red blood sprayed out like a fountain, staining Chu Xun's clothes crimson.
"Shit! Get the hell off me!" The intense pain drove Chu Xun into a rage. He shouted furiously and swung his fist with all his might, slamming it into Qing Yi's face.
Fueled by his anger, the power surging within Chu Xun grew exponentially. Even his right fist began to emit a faint blue glow, looking mysterious and powerful.
Boom!
After the dagger stabbed into Chu Xun, Qing Yi tried to use the momentum to slash sideways, intending to gut Chu Xun. But before he could, Chu Xun's punch collided with his face. Instantly, Qing Yi's face was deformed, as if struck by a heavy hammer. His nose caved in deeply, his teeth shattered, and blood sprayed everywhere. Qing Yi flew backward, crashing to the ground.
Qing Yi was sent flying, and the alloy dagger was pulled out of Chu Xun's abdomen. More blood poured out, and the severe pain, combined with the dizziness from blood loss, made Chu Xun shudder, nearly losing his balance.
But the good news was, after taking Chu Xun's full force punch, Qing Yi was lying motionless on the ground not far away. It was unclear whether he was dead or just unconscious.
"Damn it, just like in the movies, being too cocky leads to downfall. I need to remember not to talk too much during battles, or I'll end up just like the movie villains and be overturned." Chu Xun took off his thin outerwear and pressed it against his abdomen, trying to stop the bleeding.
His injuries were severe, and he no longer had the strength to check whether Qing Yi was alive or dead. The ant genes had primarily enhanced his muscle strength, and his body and bones weren't as strong. So, although his punch had sent Qing Yi flying, leaving him in a life-or-death state, it had also injured his own right hand. His fingers and arm ached terribly, as if