Jin Yu couldn't stop grinning when he saw that his initial 109 influence Points had risen to 20,509.
The level-up of the Sanctum Sword Technique had drained 5,000 points, drying up his reserves. Now, thanks to his provocation spree, he was overflowing with points again.
But one thing made his smile stiffen.
That crazy woman alone gave me over 15,000 influence Points?!
A cold chill ran down his spine as he checked the continuous notifications.
Ding!
Influence +1,000 (Hatred)
Ding!
Influence +1,000 (Hatred)
Ding!
Influence +1,000 (Hatred)
It wasn't stopping.
Her hatred was like a never-ending storm, as if her anger alone could burn the entire city down.
Jin Yu gulped.
"How can one person hold so much hatred?!"
Then he suddenly realized.
That Luo something must be adding to it too.
Even though that guy was likely boiling with jealousy, his influence Points were insignificant compared to the dy’s.
Jin Yu exhaled slowly, trying to shake off the unease creeping up his spine.
If he wasn’t the young master of Jin, he had no doubt that his corpse would already be rotting ten feet underground.
But there was something else…
Even though the woman’s hatred felt limitless, her influence Points never exceeded 1,000 per notification.
Why?
Jin Yu’s brows furrowed.
Does 1,000 influence Points mean a person has killing intent toward me?
That would expin why her points kept maxing out but never exceeded the threshold.
But what if… someone had already decided to kill me?
Would the system go beyond 1,000?
Or… was there another threshold?
Jin Yu rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I need to test this more."
---------
His eyes scanned the street, searching for his next prey.
When he saw her.
A young woman dressed in expensive robes, her long sleeves embroidered with silver thread that shimmered under the sunlight.
She stood near a shoe stall, arms crossed, her expression full of disdain as she examined the goods before her.
Her arrogant gaze swept over the passing commoners like they were beneath her, unworthy of her attention.
Jin Yu grinned.
"She looks perfect. She must think she's royalty."
But then he hesitated.
His smirk faltered slightly.
A faint unease crawled up his spine.
The st woman he provoked had nearly killed him.
His instincts whispered a warning.
Maybe I should target a man this time.
For a moment, he considered it.
Then, he shook his head.
"Whatever. It’s not like they can eat me, moreover, women has more venom."
His expression changed instantly.
The arrogant smirk vanished, repced by the warmest, most innocent smile.
He stepped forward.
"Hello, Young Lady!"
His voice was so gentle and amiable that the woman blinked in surprise.
Even Haozi, walking a few steps behind, almost tripped.
Young master can smile like that?! I don't believe it! This must be the calm before the storm!
The woman nodded stiffly. "Hello, mister."
Her arrogance remained.
Jin Yu’s smile deepened.
She must think I’m one of her admirers, poor thing.
"You’re not from around here, are you?" Jin Yu asked, his voice light and casual.
The woman barely gnced at him.
"Hmmm." She only hummed in response, as if his question was too insignificant to answer.
Jin Yu pretended to nod thoughtfully.
"I thought as much" he said.
Then, he sighed deeply before continuing, "But now I’m confused."
The woman finally turned to look at him.
"...Confused about what?"
Jin Yu tilted his head slightly.
"I just don’t understand how the City guards allowed an ugly duckling like you to enter."
The shopkeeper froze mid-motion.
Haozi sucked in a sharp breath.
Even the surrounding crowd stiffened.
Jin Yu shook his head, looking at her with genuine confusion.
"Like… are you a failed product or something? How can a being be so hideous?"
The woman froze completely.
It took her a whole five seconds to process Jin Yu's words
Then–
Her fingers, which had been lightly touching a shoe, clenched.
Her knuckles turned white.
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
At first, it was just a small shake
But then the tremor grew stronger.
Her breathing deepened.
Her eyes darkened dangerously.
And then—
Ding!
Influence +1,100 (killing intent)
Ding!
Influence +1,200 (killing intent)
Ding!
Influence +1,300 (killing intent)
Ding!
Influence +1,500 (killing intent)
Jin Yu’s heart skipped a beat.
Oh, fuck. I just stepped on a ndmine.
His instincts screamed.
The woman’s body trembled violently as a deep, suffocating killing intent spread around her.
Her fingers snapped to her waist, and Jin Yu’s eyes widened as he saw what she pulled out.
A bck whip.
Wait, when did she have that?!
Before he could react, she moved.
WHOOSH!
The whip shed out with terrifying speed.
Jin Yu barely dodged, the wind from the strike cutting across his cheek.
BOOM!
The whip struck the ground, splitting the stone pavement beneath him.
Dust exploded into the air, and tiny rocks shot outward like shrapnel.
The crowd cried out in shock.
Jin Yu’s heart pounded violently.
"She wasn’t just trying to hit me she wanted to crush me!"
He stumbled back as another sh came.
WHIP!
It cut through the air, fast enough to leave a faint afterimage.
Too fast!
Jin Yu barely twisted his body in time, the whip slicing through his sleeve.
Cold sweat broke out on his back.
"I need more power!"
Internal Strength: +5
He increased it five times in a row
Ding!
Internal Strength: 5 → 10
His muscles tensed from the strain of dam of energy, so he increased physiques too.
Physique: +10
Physique: 10 → 15
The strain eased and his breathing steadied.
The woman’s eyes narrowed as she noticed the change.
This bastard… he's getting faster!
She shed out again—
WHIP! WHIP! WHIP!
A series of furious strikes went for Jin Yu, each one faster than the st.
Jin Yu’s feet moved instinctively, weaving between the deadly attacks.
The whip whistled past his ears, barely missing him.
The crowd watched in horror.
A single hit could cripple him but instead of fear, Jin Yu grinned.
"I see… So that’s how it is."
The whip’s rhythm was becoming clear to him.
Dodge left. Twist. Step forward. Pivot right.
following the pattern, his movements sharpened, making the woman snarl in frustration.
"Why is he getting faster?!"
She changed her attack.
Her whip curved unpredictably, snapping from different angles.
But Jin Yu saw everything.
To the crowd, he was dodging impossibly fast, but to him, the world had slowed down.
Then, the final strike came.
The whip snapped forward, aimed directly at his throat.
But Jin Yu stood still.
The world blurred as his mind entered an eerie state of crity.
The whip’s trajectory was clear.
It cut through the air unstoppably
Jin Yu raised his right hand slowly and it seemed like the world slowed down around him, but the world didn't, it was perspective that did, everything got slower in his eyes.
He could easily dodge the whip at his current state, but that wasn't his intention, he lowered his hand just as slowly as he raised it and cmped his fingers around the whip.
It was extremely easy for him, but to the outside world, it looked instantaneous as if his hand teleported.
SNAP!
The whip stopped mid-air and Gasps erupted from the crowd.
The woman’s eyes widened in horror.
Then a strange, invisible force traveled through the whip.
Jin Yu could feel a terrifying energy surging within him, but It was neither his strength, nor his cultivation.
It was something deeper.
The power of the Sanctum Sword Technique.
His grip tightened around the whip and the energy raced through it, traveling to the woman’s hand.
She shuddered violently.
But for a moment, nothing happened.
One second…
Two seconds…
Three seconds —PUH!
She spat out a mouthful of blood.
Her face turned ghostly pale, her knees giving out beneath her, then she colpsed, her life and death unknown.
The street fell into dead silence
-------
Uncle Lin, who had been called over by the anxious Haozi, was watching the fight with amusement when he saw how clumsily Jin Yu was dodging the dy's whip.
he was ready to step in if he failed to dodge, after all, the fight was just like two turtles brawling in his eyes, but surprisingly, Jin Yu preserved.
This nephew of mine is not too useless afterall.
he thought
My beating must have worked, I should increase the training next week.
Uncle Lin continued watching, while ignoring the young Haozi that was looking at him with angry eyes, wondering why he wasn't helping Jin Yu .
As the fight dragged on, uncle Lin started getting skeptical.
Was this brat reflexes so good, even his stamina is not bad.
At first, he thought it was just pure luck but then his expression changed.
"This brat is… growing stronger mid-battle?"
Such strength isn't shocking to him, but for a boy that has shown no interest in cultivation whatsoever, it was worth paying attention to .
Just then, Jin Yu raised his hand.
Uncle Lin’s heart skipped a beat.
This...calm and mysterious feeling!
The feeling of unstoppable waves, this is impossible!
He shook his head in disbelief.
Am I mistaken?!
It feels just like his friend, Jin Wei's ultimate technique!
The technique that spread terror to his enemies heart and devastation to their nd.....
The Sanctum Sword Technique!
His entire body froze as a memory surfaced in his mind.
--------
A long time ago…
A battlefield drenched in blood.
Mountains of corpses.
A single man standing alone.
And before him, the shattered army of the alternate world.
A man whose name made entire sects tremble.
A man who had once shaken the four regions of Solenthia.
A man who could break nations with a single bde.
Jin Wei.
Uncle Lin’s breathing grew heavy.
"This… this power…"
Then Jin Yu lowered his hand.
A wave of unstoppable force surged forward.
The air shifted violently, and the woman colpsed on the spot.
Uncle Lin trembled fiercely.
"The Sanctum Sword Technique!." He excimed.
Jin Wei’s legendary technique!.
And now, Jin Yu had used it.
The level of power Jin Yu drew from it was weak, barely enough to injure a trained cultivator.
But Uncle Lin’s heart pounded fiercely as he remembered he and Jin Wei's crazy youth life, their terrorization, their hot bloodedness, wherever they went, they always leave terror in their wake, nobody dared dispute them!
Jin Wei had terrorized entire regions with this technique.
It had been thought to begin and end with only him.
And yet, here it was, cultivated by his son, Jin Yu .
Uncle Lin’s eyes tinged with tears as he reminiscent about the past.
"Brat… you look so damn handsome today!"
But then—
His face changed dramatically.
"Fuck! He’s about to kill her!"
He appeared on the battleground and sent threads of his vitality into the woman’s body before she truly died.
After just ten seconds, color returned to her face, and her breathing stabilized.
Uncle Lin exhaled slowly, wiping the nonexistent sweat from his brow.
This brat… he’s no ordinary fool.