"You... I recognize you. Your face…. I have seen it before. You are Ken Tenshi."
If he weren't infamous for his talent, Ken would've been proud of being recognized.
Makim Koji clenched his fist and said.
"Ken Tenshi! It's not your real name. Your real surname is Wang, right? Only then can you have the clues to this place."
But then, a small smile appeared on his face as he said.
"Unfortunately, you will not make it out of this place alive."
Ken sneered as he prepared himself.
"You don't scare me, Makim!"
He knew the cultivation of Makim was higher than his.
He had barely finished his Skin Tempering Stage, while Makim had already started his Blood Tempering Stage.
And, he was also forty percent ahead.
Bang!
[Exploding Steps]
Suddenly, the ground underneath Makim's feet shattered into cubes as he blurred from his vision.
Ken wasn't able to see his figure, but his years of experience honed in his previous life activated his instinct.
He felt the punch coming from his right side. The power behind that punch was overwhelming.
If he were attacked, Ken knew he would be seriously injured.
[Snake Steps]
His body fell back. His feet slid on top of the ground as the fist passed just in front of him.
[Roaring Bull Punch]
Bam!
Makim's fist stopped, but when it did, he created a shockwave that collided with the wall and dispersed.
When his fist didn't work, Makim struck out with his elbow.
Ken brought his left palm forward and stopped him on the track, before throwing an angular horizontal punch straight towards the back of his head.
Makim felt strange when his elbow was caught.
He couldn't pull it back. Facing this situation, he stepped back and used his right forearm to block the punch.
Bang!
The collision between a punch and a forearm caused an intense shockwave.
Makim could feel his arm going weak for a moment.
This stunned him as he didn't understand how someone weaker than him could hurt him.
As a cultivator, his strength would increase proportionally to his stage. While they were in the same realm, they were at completely different stages.
If the Skin Tempering Stage cultivator had a slightly better skin and strength of around 2000 kilograms, then the Blood Tempering Stage would gain such strength in each twenty percent tempering.
A Complete Blood Tempering Stage cultivator would be five times stronger than a Complete Skin Tempering Stage cultivator.
Although he hadn't completed this stage, he should still be two times strong as Ken.
"What? Surprised?"
Ken smirked before pulling him with his left hand and striking his stomach with his left knee.
Bang!
Makim found himself flying towards the wall, but before he collided, he used his legs to stabilize himself on the ceiling.
He fell, but with a simple backflip, he landed on his legs. He placed his right hand on his stomach as he said.
"I heard the rumors about the Wang Family's connection to the Dragon Clan. Unfortunately, every generation could only have one child."
"Three hundred years ago, a daughter was born, and from then on, the Wang surname ceased to exist. At least, the Wang surname is related to the Dragon Clan."
"Although that daughter broke the curse by having multiple children, she could no longer use the surname Wang. If I am not wrong, her new name is Shen."
"Tell me, are you related to the Shen Family?"
Hearing that, Ken was surprised. Then, he realized something. He did hear about Dragon Blood Body in the future.
It came from a certain savior, but he didn't think much about that before. Now thinking about it, that person did have the surname Shen.
"What? Are you scared of my background now?"
Ken sneered.
He knew just how important the background was in cultivation. With the right background, a person could literally do anything and get away with it.
In this world, morality had long faded. People would do as they pleased, and the only thing binding them was strength.
If a person with weaker strength did something that conflicted with a stronger person, then it could cause the death of that person and everyone related to him.
In other words, the only thing binding these people was the fear of offending someone stronger than them.
But how could strong people walk around casually?
Unless they were strong grandpas or powerful people searching for students, most strong people wouldn't move around the public.
Even in the sect, if one of them died, there would be a small investigation and nothing more.
But if that person was related to someone important, like the Elder or the Sect Master, the entire sect would be in shambles.
That's why in the early stage of his previous life, he always acted like a coward.
"Afraid? I will only be afraid if you live to tell them."
Makim roared. His Qi flared, sending a shockwave throughout the room. At this moment, he seemed to be using a large amount of Qi.
Bang!
This time, his feet didn't just shatter the ground. It created a hole as he moved. His speed far surpasses even the limits of Ken's instinct.
'I can't dodge this.'
It was a thought that came to his mind when his instinct failed.
'Since I can't dodge it, I will face it.'
Ken took a deep breath, large enough to fill his lungs as he combined it with Qi.
Upon finishing it, he spun his head as he exhaled, and white mist emerged from his mouth, turning into an extra layer around his body.
[Secret Art- Mist of White Turtle]
Suddenly, the Qi solidified the air around him, turning it into a thin layer of defense.
But the moment it was completed, Makim appeared behind him, and his fist was already touching the mist.
[Rock Shattering Fist]
Bang!
The collision between a fist and a mist caused an intense pressure to rise. The pressure was enough to send those broken pieces of debris off the ground.
Crack! Crack! Bang!
Eventually, the fist overwhelmed the defensive power of the mist, but it lost all of its momentum and power.
When it broke the defense, Ken managed to turn around and shield him with his forearms.
Ken was sent flying, though. His body was hurled in mid-air before he stabilized himself and landed on his legs, sliding for a moment.
There wasn't even bruises left on his forearms. Ken was completely fine as he stood straight and spoke.
"Great Accomplishment! That takes months of dedication if you don't have talent or a lack of enlightenment."
"You just lack the toughness of a rock. You will only be strongest if you know your enemy well enough."
"But, most people often ignore the fact that understanding the Earth Element is necessary to practice this Martial Art."
Seeing how easily Ken defended himself against his strongest attack, Makim felt fear for the first time.
Despite the initial fear, he didn't panic. He had something, a trump card that he could use.
Though activating it would take a few moments, he replied.
"Oh yeah? Now, I am one hundred percent sure you are a part of the Shen Family. Only a family like that could possess a Secret Art of that caliber."
"Big families and sects often have a collection of powerful techniques and arts even for lower realm cultivators."
"But I don't understand one thing. If you are from a big family like that, why hide? Why assume the identity of a trash?"
"Is it just for fun? Or, let me guess! You want to establish your own force, but you don't know who to trust."
"So, you chose to be a trash, to see who will remain your allies even in difficult times and who will betray you immediately."
"What's your next plan? Revive the surname Wang?"
When Makim started making assumptions, even Ken was stunned.
'No, brother, I was trash a few days ago. I only got stronger because of cheating. Don't make me sound so cunning!'
Despite what he thought, Ken chuckled and replied differently.
"Who knows? After all, this world is full of talented people who are hard to control."
"Just like you. Makim Koji, no background, average talent, but somehow knows the history of the Wang Clan."
"Something that even the previous members of the Wang Clan might not know. Tell me, Makim, who is behind all this?"
When he asked this question, Makim's heartbeat soared. He tried to act nonchalant, but his expression gave it away.
"What are you talking about? I've got no one behind me. I am not like you, someone with an amazing background."
At this moment, Ken sneered.
"Are you kidding me, Makim? Your Qi is rising, your strength is improving. You seemed to be using a secret art, but you are not."
"You are using someone else's Qi to boost your strength. So, tell me, Makim, who is behind all this?"