"Wummm…"
Heaven and earth trembled. Silver spear light and a gray finger strike collided—but instead of the expected cataclysmic shockwave, a deep, oppressive hum rippled outward. Watching from afar, Xiao Xun'er's expression shifted. With a flap of her Dou Qi wings, she shot backward, retreating once more as a barrier of Dou Qi condensed before her.
"Boom."
A muffled blast echoed out.
At the point of impact, the air collapsed inward, forming a fist-sized black hole that devoured everything in its path. The gray aura of annihilation wavered chaotically, and the unmoving elder's expression paled. His body was sent hurtling backwards like a broken kite.
"Pffft!"
A mouthful of blood sprayed into the air as the elder suffered a grievous blow. His body crashed violently into the already ruined earth, gouging a deep crater into the cracked ground. Dust billowed, obscuring his condition—alive or dead, none could tell.
"Huff…"
Chen Xiaoming stood in the sky, his towering battle form fading away. The surging Dou Qi within him dissipated as he clasped his hands behind his back, gazing indifferently at the smoke-choked battlefield below.
He knew the old man hadn't died—after all, he had held back.
This kind of fight… damn, it felt good. Honestly, he wouldn't mind if the guy ran back home to get reinforcements. Let him bring someone stronger next time.
"Whoosh!"
A battered figure flew out from the dust—it was the elder from the Gu Clan. He was in sorry shape: his white robes torn and bloodstained, his face ghostly pale, and the hand that had unleashed the Great Annihilation Finger was now dripping with blood.
"Well? Want to keep going?"
Chen Xiaoming asked calmly, wind fluttering his white robes and silver hair. He looked graceful and composed, not at all like someone who had just gone through a brutal clash.
The elder's expression was bitter. Just as he steeled himself to go all out in one last attempt, a silhouette shot in from the distance and landed between them.
"Teacher, please don't kill him."
Xiao Xun'er stood firmly in front of Chen Xiaoming. As a member of the Gu Clan, she couldn't bear to see the elder slain.
"Young Miss, please don't—"
The elder was visibly moved, though he still tried to dissuade her. But before he could finish, Chen Xiaoming casually swatted him aside with one palm.
Already wounded, the elder vomited blood again. He barely managed to steady himself, about to speak once more—but Chen Xiaoming had already taken Xiao Xun'er and flown away.
"Tell Gu Yuan—next time, send someone stronger."
Chen Xiaoming's voice drifted down from the sky. The elder's face turned crimson with fury, and once more, a spray of blood burst from his lips and splashed into the air.
At the same time—
"Thank you, Teacher."
Xiao Xun'er followed beside Chen Xiaoming, her soft voice laced with gratitude. A bright smile lit her face, and her starry eyes sparkled with relief.
Chen Xiaoming had spared her clan's elder, finally putting her worries to rest.
"Why thank me? I never intended to kill him. The old man was interesting—too bad he just wasn't strong enough."
Light flickered in Chen Xiaoming's eyes. He chuckled and gently patted Xiao Xun'er's head, still savoring the thrill of battle. But in the end, he sighed with disappointment.
If only his opponent had been a bit stronger—that would've made it more fun.
Uhh…
Xiao Xun'er glanced at him, a little dazed. Her teacher really was a battle maniac, wasn't he?
But wait, was he seriously saying that guy wasn't strong enough?
That was a Dou Saint! Among the strongest experts on the Dou Qi Continent! And he wasn't strong enough?
Then again, considering Chen Xiaoming was only at the Dou Ancestor level right now… once he broke through to Dou Venerate or Dou Saint, who could even match him?
In that moment, Xiao Xun'er finally understood the "small goals" her teacher had set for himself. With his fighting style, even Dou Gods might struggle against him.
Five days later.
"Whew, finally made it."
A massive, boundless plaza stretched out ahead. Chen Xiaoming emerged from a spatial wormhole and landed lightly on the ground, breathing in the fresh outside air.
Spatial wormholes were a pain. He much preferred tearing through space himself. Unfortunately, he didn't have the Pill Tower's spatial coordinates, so he had no choice but to use the external passage again.
"Teacher, are you alright?"
Xiao Xun'er asked with concern. She didn't understand—how could someone as strong as her teacher be so affected by something as simple as spatial travel?
Behind them, the wormhole rippled, and waves of people spilled out from spatial vessels like dumplings into soup, descending onto the plaza in droves.
Thanks to Xiao Xun'er's presence, Chen Xiaoming could already feel numerous eyes drifting his way.
"Come on, let's get out of here."
With a flicker, Chen Xiaoming took Xiao Xun'er and soared eastward across the plaza.
Flying in midair might cause a stir elsewhere, but here in Holy Pill City, it was nothing special.
The city was divided into the Outer Realm and the Inner Realm. The Pill Tower stood within the Inner Realm.
Chen Xiaoming didn't head there immediately. Instead, he found a quiet place in the Outer Realm to rest for the night. Only the next day did they proceed toward the Inner Realm.
Entry into the Inner Realm—home of the Pill Tower—was typically restricted to high-ranking alchemists or those affiliated with the Tower. But with Chen Xiaoming's strength, the security checkpoint may as well not have existed.
"Teacher… are you really here to exchange alchemy techniques?"
Along the way, Xiao Xun'er couldn't help asking softly. During their journey, she had overheard him mumbling about pill refining insights.
At the time, she thought he was discussing some rare pill formula. But the more she listened, the more confused she became—those were basic materials and first-tier magic cores! What kind of rare pill used that stuff?
Still, being understanding as she was, she acted like she hadn't heard anything.
But now, Chen Xiaoming was saying he came here to spar with the three Pill Tower giants in alchemy?
Cough cough cough—those were legendary alchemy masters! And Chen Xiaoming? He was still tinkering with low-tier pill formulas!
A sparring match? She had a sinking feeling the scene might get… awkward.
Then again, considering her teacher's strength, maybe she should prepare to hold him back if things got out of hand.
What Xiao Xun'er didn't know was that Chen Xiaoming was brimming with confidence. This was it—the perfect chance to show off the alchemy skills every overpowered protagonist needed!
After all, what's a proper cheat-user without alchemy… and a little pay-to-win flair?
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