Chapter 55: The Warrior Emerges

"Crack! Crack!"
The collision between two powerful martial artists instantly covered the surrounding walls with cracks.

"Damn!"
The leader's expression changed drastically.
Old Li actually dared to make a move right on their turf?
Moreover, this man had already reached the rank of General, on par with the Guardians.
How could someone like him be a teacher at a school?
For heaven’s sake, the principal and executive vice principal of First High School were probably at this level too.
If he were on the frontline, he would surely be a commander of an ordinary ten-thousand-man legion.
Now, things were about to get out of hand.

What happened next sent chills down his spine.
The old man was actually being suppressed by Old Li.
Old Li's attacks were bold and forceful, every blow brimming with strength, carrying an unstoppable momentum.
At first, the old man could hold his own, but soon he began to retreat.
"You’re old!" Old Li’s voice was cold. "An old fool with one foot in the grave dares to challenge me? Watch as I kill you today."

Boom!
A green force enveloped Old Li’s fist.
The old man's face twisted in terror as he hurriedly dodged.
Old Li’s punch landed on the wall, which finally couldn’t endure anymore. Countless cracks spread, and it looked ready to shatter.

The leader’s expression grew grim.
"Sir, shall we intervene?"
The man beside him said angrily, "He dares cause trouble in the Research Institute. We can’t let him get away with it."
The Research Institute was a place of such status that even Generals couldn’t make trouble here.
If they wished, they could deal with a General at any time.

The leader, after a brief hesitation, turned his gaze to Zhao Junhong.

"Come on!" Zhao Junhong was speechless. "Why are you looking at me? Want to get rid of me? Brother, don’t mess around. You wouldn’t dare. Honestly, I don’t like this aristocratic skin, but here in the Research Institute, it’s very useful."

As a noble, he understood perfectly the relationship between the Noble Council and the Research Institute. Outwardly, they were harmonious; secretly, they fought like cats and dogs.
If a noble, especially one who came here to absorb spiritual energy as a prospective martial artist, were to get hurt in the Research Institute, the Noble Council would be ecstatic.
If they didn’t squeeze a few liters of blood from the Institute afterward, could they still call themselves nobles?

The leader’s expression remained calm. "We have no way out now."
Under his lead, several people charged toward Zhao Junhong.

All this happening outside the Spiritual Pressure Chamber was seen clearly by the director through the surveillance monitors, yet he paid no mind.
His hands, steady as ever, poured tea.
His face was serene, his attention focused on Fang Qingyun.
He was curious; since just now, Fang Qingyun hadn’t moved at all, and moreover...

"Hmm?"
The director uttered a surprised sound, his face showing astonishment. He put down his tea and zoomed in on Fang Qingyun’s camera.
Was it an illusion?
No, it wasn’t!

The director’s eyes narrowed.
From Fang Qingyun’s body, wisps of red smoke began to emerge, and in the blink of an eye, enveloped him completely.

"This... could it be..."
The director was puzzled.
If he remembered correctly, this was the destructive power of the Slaughter Secret.
Did Fang Qingyun opt for the Slaughter Secret?
How could that be?
It was reserved for cannon fodder and death warriors.
Fang Qingyun, a genius with spiritual power exceeding fifty, even if he didn’t possess a high-level technique now, would surely acquire a medium or even top-tier technique in the future. Why would he cultivate a body-damaging Slaughter Secret?
The Slaughter Secret was strong; at thirty cycles, it was equivalent to a top-tier technique, and if pushed further, could shake the heavens and earth.
It was said that once the Slaughter Secret reached fifty cycles, it would surpass top-tier techniques.
But who could achieve that?
Few even reached twenty cycles.
Those geniuses who managed thirty cycles had long since switched to even more powerful techniques.
Why linger on a technique with more drawbacks than benefits?

But how to explain the red smoke?
Suddenly!

The director froze.
On the monitor, Fang Qingyun raised his head and stared directly at him.

"Can he see me?"
The thought flashed through the director’s mind.
He was observing Fang Qingyun through a camera.
Yet Fang Qingyun’s gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, locking onto him.

Then he saw Fang Qingyun speak.

"You bastard, I’ve got my eye on you."
The director understood lip reading, and immediately deciphered Fang Qingyun’s words.
Especially the vicious smile that followed, which made the director frown.
It was a twisted smile, filled with hysteria and madness.
It was extreme.
Even he felt a faint unease rise in his heart.

Whoosh!

Fang Qingyun moved.
He began to move at incredible speed.
The ten-thousand-pound pressure could no longer restrain him.
His palm clenched into a fist, red energy flooding his body.
In that moment, powerful energy whirled around him—cold and blinding.

"Break for me!"

Boom!

With a thunderous roar, Fang Qingyun shattered the Spiritual Pressure Chamber’s door with a single punch.
He paused for a moment, then smiled.

A confident smile.
A rebellious smile.
A wild, unrestrained smile.
His fist was like a spear!

He had grown stronger!

Fang Qingyun turned his head, gazing deeply at the surveillance camera.
There were many cameras in this room, but he knew for certain that this damned man was watching him through this one.

Just wait!

Fang Qingyun curled his lips, turned, and left Chamber Seven, heading toward the final door of the Spiritual Pressure Chamber.

The director’s brow furrowed tightly.
He was the director of the Research Institute, but even he couldn’t cover the sky with one hand.
If Fang Qingyun didn’t leave, they had plenty of excuses—could always claim Fang Qingyun simply didn’t want to go.
But once he stepped out, everything would change.

"You’d best stay. I don’t ask much, just cooperate with a few experiments."
"If my experiments succeed, it would benefit all of humanity."
The director muttered to himself, both sides repeatedly pressing the buttons before them.

Boom!

A massive door slammed down before Fang Qingyun, blocking his way forward.

Fang Qingyun sneered in disdain.

"Roar!"

With an enormous roar, a jet-black lion appeared before Fang Qingyun.

A summoned beast?

The director was stunned.
This young man—he even had one of these?
But with his keen eye, the director quickly recognized it as a basic summoned beast, equivalent to an ordinary martial artist, unable to make much of a stir in the Research Institute.

The next moment, what happened made his jaw drop.

Fang Qingyun casually pointed, and the black lion immediately roared and charged, slamming heavily into one of the chamber doors.
If it couldn’t break the wall, could it not break the door?

Boom!

The door was smashed open.

"Who’s there?"

With a furious roar, a young man stormed out, rage written all over his face.
He immediately saw Fang Qingyun, shouted angrily, and was about to rush him, but then caught sight of the black lion.
He froze in place, his eyes nearly popping out.

Damn it, did I come to the wrong place?
A demon beast?
Outside the Spiritual Pressure Chamber of the Research Institute, there was actually a demon beast?
Was it just the overwhelming pressure making him hallucinate?