Chapter Thirty-One: Like a Different Person

“What… what?”
Qi Ming’s face twisted dramatically, his voice trembling with disbelief.
He had swung his staff with all his strength, enraged, and below the Golden Core realm, no one should have been able to withstand it.
Everyone present was similarly stunned, especially those cultivators who had been struck by Qi Ming’s blow earlier, coughing up blood and gravely wounded. Their hearts were gripped with terror.
When Qi Ming swept his staff, they already knew just how terrifying his strength was.
Watching as he smashed down on Xu Zhe’s head with an even greater force than he’d used on them, they all felt that if they were the target, they would surely die instantly—let alone Xu Zhe.
But now, the situation had exceeded everyone’s imagination.
A dull boom echoed from the ruins.
A blast of air burst out, sweeping away the dust, and Xu Zhe’s figure appeared before them.
He stood there serenely, one hand raised to the sky, holding back the golden giant pillar overhead. The ground beneath his feet was caved in, cracks spidering out all around.
Everyone gaped in astonishment.
Xu Zhe had truly caught that blow, utterly unscathed.
“Impossible! Absolutely impossible…” Qi Ming nearly screamed in madness, unable to accept what he saw.
Boom!
He erupted with even greater force; the pillar’s golden radiance surged, thousands of beams refracting and splitting the air. Suddenly, a thunderous roar exploded overhead, golden light spilling everywhere. Thousands upon thousands of golden pillars formed, filling the sky, blotting out the sun.
The terrifying pressure descended like a mountain from above.
Then, all those golden pillars came crashing down.
“Run, run!”
Cultivators in the city watching from afar were seized with terror, screaming as they scrambled to flee in the opposite direction.
Two disciples from the Dao of Destiny, who had been excitedly recording from a high vantage, now trembled in fear, hurriedly retreating to avoid being caught in the devastation.
“Brother Wu Ma, place a new jade tablet here, set up a shielding formation, then withdraw!” Liu Gaoqing shouted, turning to run.
Chaos erupted once more in the city.
“A bloodline talent art? This might be worth seeing.”
Xu Zhe stood calmly atop the ruins, gazing at the heavens and murmuring softly.
Beneath the overwhelming golden aura, the shield of righteous energy around him, already near breaking, finally shattered.
“Alas, once righteous energy breaks, the madness emerges. Qi Ming, was this truly necessary?”
Xu Zhe bowed his head, sighing gently.
Then he lifted his gaze; his black hair swept in the wind, his expression cold, and lightning arcs of gold and red flickered in his eyes.
Whoosh!
Xu Zhe blurred, becoming a shadow as he shot toward Qi Ming.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosions rang out in the low sky.
Qi Ming barely had time to react; Xu Zhe suddenly appeared before him, close as breath.
Qi Ming’s eyes widened in terror, his mouth opening as if to shout, but a fist met him head-on.
Bang!
His vision went dark, his body thrown backward, his head ringing with dizziness. He vaguely heard another sonic boom in the air.
Xu Zhe seemed almost insubstantial, leaving only a fading shadow behind as he chased Qi Ming before he could hit the ground, punching him again and driving him mercilessly into the earth.
Boom!
A surge of air erupted from the ruins, blasting in all directions.
At the same time, countless golden pillars in the sky suddenly shattered in clusters, collapsing and dispersing.
Within Tianhe City, cultivators who had been fleeing stopped and stared, dumbstruck by the spectacle.

“How… how is this possible?”
“Did the spiritual energy get disrupted, causing the technique to collapse?”
Someone whispered.
Thud!
Another heavy sound echoed from the ruins.
Xu Zhe descended like a streak of light, knee smashing into Qi Ming’s chest. Then, a flurry of fists turned into a blur, raining down furiously on Qi Ming’s head, Xu Zhe seeming to mutter as he struck.
“Why…”
Bang!
“Why must you force me out… force me to unleash my madness? Every time you do, I become more demonic…”
Bang! Bang!
“I help you out of kindness. Not helping is my duty. You fool, do you really think I owe you?”
“And you dare seize innocent civilians for blood sacrifices? Did you never attend nine years of compulsory education? Did your teachers never teach you kindness? Never teach you to cherish life? To respect the elderly and protect the young?”
“And you dare call me a fool? Do you even know what I used to do? With your paltry Zhu Yan bloodline, you dare insult me?”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each muffled blow was interwoven with Xu Zhe’s scolding.
Nearby cultivators, though unable to make out his words, stared in stupefaction.
From the moment Xu Zhe caught Qi Ming’s staff, he had become a madman, using no techniques—only a thorough beating.
Even more terrifying, Qi Ming was utterly powerless to resist; his noble eight-star Zhu Yan bloodline was battered until the techniques he cast broke apart.
“What… what’s going on?”
“Xu Zhe… terrifying. He’s nothing like before.”
“He must have walked the path of the physical body. He hardly uses any techniques, yet he can become a brute, crushing Qi Ming. It’s frightening.”
“But since when has the physical path been so powerful?”
Many began doubting everything they knew.
Their impression of Xu Zhe had always been that of a mortal bloodline, with little future—and they did not look down on him, for he seemed humble, quiet, elegant, cultured.
But now, their eyes were opened anew. Was this savage, pummeling Qi Ming into the earth, truly Xu Zhe, the famed prodigy?
…
Soon, silence returned atop the ruins.
Xu Zhe ceased his attack.
He had no idea how many blows he’d landed, but seeing Qi Ming’s face reduced to a mangled mess, Xu Zhe felt a sense of ease and clarity.
“The Righteous Seal of Demonic Suppression… harder to control than I expected.”
He muttered, bending low.
His spiritual energy was now depleted, his eyes clear once more, his expression calm but tinged with gravity.
Xu Zhe knew well: when righteous energy breaks, madness is unleashed.
Yet so long as his mind was clear and free of stray thoughts, unleashing that madness would not affect his reason; he could remain himself, and his power would soar.
But this time, his mind was unsettled, his thoughts clouded.
In such a state, when the shield broke and madness was released, every negative emotion was magnified, and he nearly lost control.
“Perhaps… I overestimated my ability to control my own heart. I must be more cautious in the future.”
He exhaled slowly, stood up, and looked toward Tianhe City.
A crowd of cultivators had already gathered, their gazes sharp and fixed upon him.
At this moment, all felt only awe and reverence.
Such is the bearing of a prodigy.
One cultivator clasped his hands and bowed to Xu Zhe, expressing gratitude for saving their lives, and for his righteous heart.

One led, and the rest followed, bowing in salute.
Xu Zhe observed quietly, offering no reply.
He had seen such scenes often in the Vast Heaven Domain; this was nothing new.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just then, two figures darted past, heading straight for the city gates.
Xu Zhe narrowed his eyes, calling out, “Friends from the Dao of Destiny, please wait!”
…
Liu Gaoqing and Zhang Wu Ma, fellow disciples, had intended to hurry out and publish their fresh report—the latest prodigy battle—when Xu Zhe’s shout stopped them in their tracks.
“Prodigy Xu, what instructions do you have?” Both forced enthusiastic smiles as they faced him.
“I heard the Soul Suppression Night incident was secretly filmed by your Dao of Destiny, yes?” Xu Zhe smiled and asked.
“Prodigy Xu, that had nothing to do with us. Soul Suppression Night was handled by Senior Brother Lin Xiu. We’re only here to sell the Daily Destiny News.” Liu Gaoqing hurriedly clarified, distancing himself.
“Then what were you two pointing at me just now? Relax, don’t be nervous—I know you were filming me. I’m just curious, what is that device you used?” Xu Zhe asked.
Liu Gaoqing exhaled in relief, then produced a brand new jade tablet, offering it flatteringly:
“You mean this? It’s called the Universal Jade Tablet. Here, it’s only for recording images or leaving written notes.
But in the Four Continents, with the Universal Spirit Web, it can transmit voice regardless of distance, even transmit real-time images—you can see each other live. It connects to spirit web pages, each with different functions…”
Xu Zhe listened, dumbfounded.
He hadn’t expected those old classmates to actually invent a cultivator’s version of a smartphone, uniquely shaped—a thin jade tablet.
“This is rather interesting.”
Xu Zhe smiled softly, feeling amused.
Liu Gaoqing’s eyes sparkled instantly: “Prodigy Xu, this is the latest Universal Jade Tablet, never used. If you like, I’ll give it to you.”
“Hm? That… seems improper.”
Xu Zhe hesitated briefly, then shook his head; he would not accept a gift for nothing.
He sized up Liu Gaoqing, noting his decent aptitude and spiritual roots, with strong human bloodline but a hint of ape demon ancestry.
This reminded Xu Zhe of an ape demon king in the Vast Heaven Domain, who was said to possess both human and ape demon bloodlines. He later joined the Immortal Emperor’s clan and offered up the “Eight-Nine Mysterious Arts,” reputedly easy to learn yet extremely powerful.
Xu Zhe had read it and found it fascinating, though not as potent as the emperor’s techniques, and certainly inferior to the “Righteous Seal of Demonic Suppression.”
“How about this—I’ll trade you an easy-to-learn technique for the jade tablet. What do you say?”
Xu Zhe asked.
Liu Gaoqing was momentarily stunned.
Easy to learn?
How weak must that be? No thanks.
“Prodigy Xu, you’re too kind. Truly, it’s an honor for me to give you a Universal Jade Tablet. No need for a technique. Please, take it. I have urgent business with Brother Zhang, so we’ll be on our way.”
With a warm smile, Liu Gaoqing handed over the jade tablet, then departed with Zhang Wu Ma.
“Not a bad fellow.”
Xu Zhe held the jade tablet, watching their figures recede, his heart warming slightly.
As soon as Liu Gaoqing and Zhang Wu Ma exited Tianhe City, they hurried toward the Prodigy Valley, pulling out their jade tablets and rapidly composing text.
Before long, a sweeping article was written.
Headline—“Shocking! Ruthless prodigy snatches jade tablet—how far is he from bullying men and women?”
…
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