The boy stood six feet tall, his skin dark, muscles bulging like small hills—an imposing figure radiating raw strength.
At the sight of him, Gu Xi's brows furrowed tightly, and a clear look of disdain appeared on her delicate face.
This boy was none other than Chen Shan, the eldest son of the Chen family.
The Gu family, a minor clan in Qingshan County, had long sought to ally itself with the powerful Chen family. Without consulting her, Gu Xi's father had arranged her betrothal to Chen Shan.
By name, Gu Xi was Chen Shan's fiancée.
Naturally, Chen Shan saw her walking beside Lin Yi.
Upon seeing his fiancée with another man, his eyes instantly reddened, and a surge of fury rushed to his head.
He strode toward Gu Xi, suppressing his anger with difficulty, his voice deep and commanding:
"Gu Xi, what's going on here?"
"What do you mean, 'what's going on'?" Gu Xi replied coldly.
"Don't play dumb with me!"
Chen Shan's expression darkened instantly, his true ferocity revealed.
"You shameless girl! As my fiancée, how dare you fraternize with another man in public! Have you no shame?"
Gu Xi flushed with anger.
"Chen Shan, watch your mouth!" she snapped."Lin Yi and I just happened to meet at the edge of the forest! There's nothing indecent about it!"
"Do you think I'll believe that?" Chen Shan pointed at Lin Yi, his voice sharp. "Enough talk—come over here!"
Gu Xi hesitated, conflicted. Though betrothed to Chen Shan in name, she despised him deeply. She had been forced into this engagement by her family.
But if she didn't comply, Chen Shan's temper would surely fall on the Gu family, bringing chaos to all of them.
After a brief pause, she bit her lip and reluctantly took a step toward him.
At that moment, a hand suddenly reached out and gently grasped her arm.
"If you don't want to go, just stand by me."
Lin Yi didn't intend to interfere for personal reasons. He simply recognized that Gu Xi had followed him into the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest out of concern for his safety. That alone was worth protecting.
And, of course, more trouble meant more Violent Points.
Gu Xi froze. Lin Yi's gesture was clearly to stand up for her. She felt a surge of gratitude.
But Lin Yi was still relatively weak; if he acted recklessly, he couldn't protect her and might endanger himself.
"Lin Yi, this… has nothing to do with you…"
Lin Yi cut her off:
"I'm only asking—do you want to go over there or not?"
Gu Xi shook her head gently, biting her lip.
"That's enough," Lin Yi interrupted again, his gaze shifting to the furious Chen Shan. His voice was calm but firm: "Gu Xi isn't going over. That's final."
Chen Shan's anger threatened to explode.
He had intended to make Gu Xi approach first, then deal with Lin Yi, the "waste" of the Lin family. He hadn't expected this so-called waste to dare provoke him first.
"Fine! Very well!"
Chen Shan's fury twisted into a bitter grin, his teeth grinding."Lin Yi, you dare defy me? I'll kill you right now! Let's see if your Lin family will really tear themselves apart over a worthless cripple like you!"
Just as he spoke, a low, guttural growl echoed from the dense forest not far behind them.
A shadow, dark blue and black, shot forward like lightning, carrying a sharp, bloody stench.
"A Blue-Eyed Phantom Wolf!"
Gu Xi's face paled as she gasped in shock. She hadn't expected to encounter a first-tier, fully-grown beast right at the forest's edge!
With her cultivation at Body Forging Stage Seven, she stood little chance—even escaping seemed nearly impossible.
Chen Shan's ferocious expression instantly turned to panic.
He was only at Body Forging Stage Eight, and facing a speed- and ferocity-specialized Blue-Eyed Phantom Wolf, he was certain death—there was no way he could escape!
At that moment, a thought crossed his mind, and a sly smirk appeared on his lips.
If he tossed Lin Yi, the "waste," in front of the wolf to distract it, he might be able to slip away.
But before he could act, a shadow flickered like a ghost before him, gripping his wrist tightly.
It was Lin Yi.
Chen Shan's pupils contracted sharply. He hadn't even noticed how Lin Yi had appeared.
He struggled violently, trying to shake Lin Yi's hand off.
But to his shock, the hand gripping his wrist seemed rooted to him, utterly immovable.
In the next instant, Lin Yi's arm surged with power.
Chen Shan's entire body was lifted off the ground with a single swing, hurled straight toward the oncoming Blue-Eyed Phantom Wolf!
Gu Xi was completely dumbfounded.
This… this is insane!
Wasn't Lin Yi supposed to be crippled, his dantian destroyed? How could he be this strong?
Chen Shan's mind went blank. He had planned to toss Lin Yi at the wolf to buy himself a moment—but instead, it was him being thrown.
What was happening? How could this "waste" become so strong?
Regaining some composure, Chen Shan saw the Blue-Eyed Phantom Wolf closing in and screamed in terror, frantically trying to escape.
But how could he outrun a beast famed for its speed?
He barely rolled twice on the ground before the wolf appeared behind him, jaws snapping.
Crack!
A bone-chilling sound of breaking bone rang out.
The wolf shook its massive head violently—and Chen Shan's head was gone, leaving a headless corpse sprawled on the ground.
Blood gushed from the neck.
Gu Xi's face turned pale, her stomach churning; she nearly vomited.
The eldest son of the Chen family… dead just like that?
Before she could fully process the horrific scene, Lin Yi had already vanished from view, moving like an arrow toward the wolf.
He leapt high, his right arm stretched back to its limit.
A deep, explosive boom echoed through the air.
His fist, imbued with tremendous force, slammed down onto the wolf's head.
Boom!
The massive beast was knocked flat, a deep imprint of Lin Yi's fist burned into its skull.
Before the wolf could even howl, Lin Yi's next punch landed.
Crack!
Its head exploded like a watermelon, the body convulsed a few times, and then fell utterly still.
"This…"
Gu Xi stared, stunned.
A fully-grown first-tier beast, comparable to or stronger than a perfected Body Forging practitioner, had been killed in just two blows!
Could Lin Yi really have been crippled before?
Lin Yi shook the blood from his hands and opened the system panel.
[Violence against Chen Shan until death, Violent Points +200][Violence against the beast until death, Violent Points +50]
Brutality from killing beasts was three times less than from attacking humans.
"Seems like human targets are more efficient!"
He spent 150 Violent Points, raising his cultivation to Bone Forging Stage Four.
[Master: Lin Yi][Cultivation: Bone Forging Four (0/300)][Martial Skill: Cloud-Crushing Fist (0/150)][Violent Points: 10]
He then closed the system, returning to Gu Xi's side. Softly, he said:
"Let's go."
Gu Xi stiffly nodded and followed him, exiting the forest.
The previous scene had shaken her to the core. She blushed as she remembered worrying about Lin Yi potentially harming himself, even thinking she needed to "protect" him.
This boy was so strong—he didn't need her protection at all.
She sighed softly.
With Chen Shan dead, if the Chen family found out, the Gu family would be in serious trouble.
Lin Yi noticed her worry and said calmly:
"I killed him. It has nothing to do with you."
"But it's because of me that you did it!"
Gu Xi looked up sharply, anxious. She didn't want Lin Yi to bear this burden alone.
Lin Yi paused, then smiled:
"Don't worry. I'll handle it."
Gu Xi said no more, though a faint worry lingered in her eyes.
After all, it was the eldest son of the Chen family who had died. Such a matter… could Lin Yi really cover it up? At best, they could just hope to keep it hidden for a few days.
…
The sky gradually darkened.
After parting ways with Gu Xi, Lin Yi returned to the Lin family mansion.
As he approached the entrance, a house servant hurried to meet him, evidently having waited some time.
"Young master, you've finally returned!"
The servant bowed respectfully."The master is waiting for you in the main hall. He has something to discuss with you!"