Zhang Chulan hurriedly caught Lü Liang as he was thrown at him and turned to Hikaru with a flattering smile.
He understood—if Big Bro showed up, it meant something was about to happen.
Sure enough, Hikaru's next words made Zhang Chulan's heart leap with hope:
"I'll keep quiet about your secret dealings with Quan Xing. I might even go further... and tell you the hidden truth about your grandfather."
But then Hikaru's tone shifted, as he added a condition:
"First, I need you to lend me a hand."
Zhang Chulan's eyes lit up with joy, and he nodded eagerly:
"Say the word, Big Bro! I'd walk through fire and blades if you asked!"
Hikaru's lips curled into an eerie smile.
Something about that smile made Zhang Chulan's heart skip a beat—he sensed something ominous.
"Since you're so enthusiastic," Hikaru said slowly, "help me with a small task."
His tone was light, as if it were something utterly insignificant.
"Do you know what a human swine is? Turn Lü Liang into one. That's your task."
"What?!"
Zhang Chulan's eyes flew open in shock. He almost doubted his own ears.
A human swine—that was a notoriously brutal torture method. He had heard of it, but never imagined it would one day be his responsibility.
Zhang Chulan had spent years concealing his true nature, masking his thoughts and actions so well that he'd grown numb in certain ways.
To him, even the bitterest grudge only warranted death.
But to turn someone into a living mutilated husk? That went far beyond anything he could accept.
Lü Liang, unable to move, could only stare in horror, his eyes filled with dread and despair.
He had no idea when or how he had offended someone like Hikaru. This was their first meeting, wasn't it?
This doesn't make sense. What kind of grudge deserves something this extreme?
Zhang Chulan looked into Lü Liang's frightened eyes and felt a wave of inner conflict.
He clenched his jaw tightly, struggling, until finally he voiced his decision from the heart:
"This is too cruel. I can't do it."
Hikaru chuckled indifferently and asked in a casual tone, "Which faction is Lü Liang from?"
Zhang Chulan flinched, clearly recalling the truth.
Quan Xing. One of the most notorious, blood-soaked organizations in the entire world of gifted individuals.
Sure, there were a few honest members within Quan Xing, but far more of them were murderers, criminals, and deviants.
Being a member of Quan Xing was practically a death sentence. Anyone could execute them without consequences.
Even if the method was cruel—no one would stop you.
In short, Hikaru's suggestion could easily be framed as purging evil.
And Lü Liang clearly realized this too. His horror escalated to a new level.
Justice is great… unless you're the evil being judged.
In Zhang Chulan's mind, two voices began to argue.
An angelic voice urged, "Even if Lü Liang is Quan Xing, we shouldn't stoop to this. We're still human—"
Before it could finish, a demonic voice interrupted, "Screw that! You've swallowed your pride for ten years. Your grandfather was murdered, his grave desecrated. And now you're worried about being cruel?"
Zhang Chulan's inner struggle raged.
He knew Hikaru's request was brutal—but he also remembered a decade of humiliation and the injustice of his grandfather's death.
In the end, he chose to listen to the voice of vengeance.
Having seen the world for what it was—one where the strong preyed on the weak—he accepted that sometimes, cruelty was necessary.
He took a deep breath, dropped the fawning grin from earlier, and met Hikaru's gaze with cold resolve.
"I hope you'll keep your word."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned toward Lü Liang.
Looking at the man's pleading expression, guilt surged in his heart.
In a low voice, Zhang Chulan said:
"I'm sorry. Seems I really am a shameless bastard."
Golden light flickered across his body as he raised his arm, channeling power to slice off Lü Liang's limb.
But just as the strike was about to land—Hikaru intervened.
He caught Zhang Chulan's hand mid-air, blocking the blow.
With a look of appreciation in his eyes, Hikaru said:
"Interesting. You really are something else. Even if you wasted ten years, I believe the future of this world belongs to you."
To Hikaru, Zhang Chulan's cunning, talent, and adaptability were top-tier.
He was like the perfect fusion of Zhang Zhiwei's wisdom and Zhang Huaiyi's resolve.
Perhaps those ten lost years were a blessing in disguise.
Like how Sun Wukong had to be crushed under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years before becoming the Buddha of Battle, Zhang Chulan's dormant decade had tempered him.
His "Great Sage" heart had now evolved into something far stronger.
Zhang Chulan, stopped by Hikaru, quietly let out a breath.
Even though he had made the decision, the burden still weighed on him.
Lü Liang, meanwhile, felt like he'd barely escaped the jaws of hell.
Relief flooded his expression—but it didn't last long.
Agonizing pain suddenly erupted from his shoulder.
His eyes went wide as he saw one of his arms being torn off—blood splattering onto Zhang Chulan's face, making his pupils shrink in shock.
In Zhang Chulan's stunned gaze, Hikaru calmly tore off all four of Lü Liang's limbs.
Then, he released the suppression on his body.
Lü Liang, now able to move again, let out a blood-curdling scream as he rolled on the ground in agony.
As he writhed in pain, he cursed loudly—but all his curses were aimed at Zhang Chulan.
Because he dared not provoke that devil named Hikaru.
After a while, Lü Liang fell silent. His face was a twisted mess of tears, dust, and despair.
He looked utterly broken.
"Lü Liang," Hikaru said calmly, "do you want your limbs back?"
A glimmer of hope lit up in Lü Liang's hollow eyes.
He looked at Hikaru desperately, waiting for an answer.
"Your family's Bright Soul Technique is, in truth, Twin Perfection Hands," Hikaru said lightly. "If you can fully comprehend it, regenerating your limbs will not be difficult."
To Lü Liang, those words were a ray of light in endless darkness.
Given a clear path forward, he immediately entered a state of enlightenment.
Late at night, beneath the cold moonlight.
As time passed, new limbs slowly began to grow from the stumps of Lü Liang's body.
However, his Qi steadily weakened.
It was only natural—even the mighty Twin Perfection Hands, one of the Eight Forbidden Techniques, couldn't violate the fundamental laws of nature.
All power came at a cost.
Before long, Lü Liang's body was fully restored, his limbs regenerated as if he had never been harmed.
Clearly—he had fully awakened one of the Eight Forbidden Techniques:
Twin Perfection Hands.