Alchemy Sovereign with Divine Soul

C9 – Meridian Breaking Hand

“Stop right there!”

As soon as Jiaang Lin started to leave, Qiao Mingfan immediately led his men in pursuit, shouting out an icy command.

The Qiao family followers sprang into action, swiftly encircling Jiaang Lin, their expressions cold and menacing.

​”Looking for trouble?”

Jiaang Lin’s lips twitched into a slight smirk as he surveyed the Qiao family attendants, finally locking eyes with Qiao Mingfan and letting out a derisive chuckle.

“That’s right, we’re looking for trouble. What’s it to you? If you’re smart, hand over the ten thousand taels of silver bills you’re carrying, then kneel before me and bark like a dog. Maybe then, I’ll consider sparing you. Otherwise, I’ll make your life a living hell!”

​Qiao Mingfan’s threat was delivered with a chilling sneer.

Previously, Jiaang Lin had publicly mocked him by calling him a dog. If not for the Seventh Protector of the Myriad Medicine Pavilion being present, Qiao Mingfan would have had his men attack Jiaang Lin on the spot.

But now, with the Seventh Protector gone, there was no one to hold Qiao Mingfan back.

So, he had his followers block Jiaang Lin’s path, planning to seize the ten thousand taels of silver bills from him and then thoroughly punish and humiliate him in public.

“You think you can threaten me with your pathetic selves?”

Jiaang Lin laughed, his voice dripping with icy disdain that sent chills down the spine.

At his words, the Qiao family followers’ faces darkened with anger and disdain.

Such insolence from this bad boy, daring to call them trash!

They were all cultivators who had trained for over ten years at the Qiao family’s Martial Club. Though not particularly gifted, they were all at the Peak Stage of Body Refining Level One, capable of taking on several ordinary men single-handedly.

Together, they could easily handle an expert at Body Refining Level Two.

Yet, this young upstart, Jiaang Lin, had the audacity to belittle them.

The Qiao family’s followers were seething with rage, their faces set in grim determination to give Jiaang Lin a severe thrashing.

“You’re insolent! I may not be able to see your face, but from the sound of your voice, you’re definitely younger than me. A mere kid dares to call my men trash? I have no idea where you get your confidence from,” Qiao Mingfan sneered, his face turning a livid shade of gray from anger.

With a wave of his hand, the followers of the Qiao family surged their Genuine Qi, fists clenched, and charged at Jiaang Lin with ferocity.

“Thump! Thump! Thump!”

A succession of dull thuds echoed as the Qiao family’s men, who had been rushing at Jiaang Lin, were suddenly sent flying backward, crashing to the ground with agonizing screams.

​”What the…” Qiao Mingfan gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief.

He had not anticipated that the mysterious youth wearing a black bamboo hat would possess such formidable strength, easily defeating several Body Refining Level One Peak Stage masters.

Now, it dawned on Qiao Mingfan why the young man had so boldly dismissed his followers as nothing but trash. With his overwhelming power, those at the Body Refining Level One Peak Stage were indeed nothing more than trash in his eyes—trash that could be effortlessly disposed of.

​”Well done, young man, you’ve got some skills. It’s no wonder you were bold enough to publicly insult me,” Qiao Mingfan said. “But don’t be too pleased with yourself. Defeating my men might have been easy, but taking me down will be a different story. Now, you’ll witness the true capability of a Peak Stage Cultivator at Body Refining Level Three.”

After a moment, Qiao Mingfan’s gaze settled back on Jiaang Lin, his voice heavy with menace. He channeled his Genuine Qi, and the Battle Soul of the Tiger materialized behind him. A golden glow shrouded his figure, and a powerful, domineering aura instantly filled the air.

“Tiger Roar Fist!”

Qiao Mingfan clenched his right fist tightly and let out a low roar as he executed the Yellow Level martial skill, Tiger Roar Fist. Martial skills are special techniques that can effectively channel the Genuine Qi within a cultivator’s body, significantly enhancing their strength.

On the Divine Martial Continent, martial skills are categorized into offensive, defensive, and movement types. They are ranked across five levels: God Level, Heaven Level, Earth Level, Profound Level, and Yellow Level, each divided into High, Middle, and Low Grades.

​The higher the martial skill’s level, the more potent the burst of power when a cultivator wields it. Conversely, mastering a high-level martial skill is a challenging feat, requiring the cultivator to continually bolster their strength to perfectly master and execute these formidable techniques.

The Tiger Roar Fist, a technique from the Qiao family, may only be a Low-Grade Yellow Level skill, but when combined with Qiao Mingfan’s ferocious tiger Battle Soul, it becomes exceptionally powerful. When unleashed, the strong wind roars like a tiger. With Qiao Mingfan’s Body Refining Level Three Peak Stage prowess, he could easily handle a cultivator at the Body Refining Level Four.

Jiaang Lin stood serenely, his demeanor undisturbed by Qiao Mingfan’s fierce Tiger Roar Fist. Beneath his black bamboo hat, his eyes swiftly shifted to an icy, merciless blood-red hue. Those blood-red pupils radiated a sinister and enigmatic presence that could make anyone’s soul quiver and hairs stand on end, as if staring into them would draw their soul into an abyss of unease.

The Blood Eye Battle Soul was Jiaang Lin’s most formidable asset. With it activated, he could effortlessly anticipate an opponent’s moves. Therefore, even against the swift and powerful Tiger Roar Fist that could impress a Body Refining Level Four cultivator, Jiaang Lin’s Blood Eye Battle Soul ensured he could perceive and counter the attack with ease.

​In Jiaang Lin’s eyes, Qiao Mingfan’s Tiger Roar Fist was painfully slow, riddled with openings. His right hand transformed into a claw, channeling Genuine Qi, and he swiftly executed the Meridian Breaking Hand technique.

The Meridian Breaking Hand wasn’t an intricate martial skill; it was a simple, yet devastating move Jiaang Lin had devised in his past life. When used, it could effortlessly sever an enemy’s meridians, rendering them incapacitated.

“Crack!”

Jiaang Lin, having evaded Qiao Mingfan’s oncoming Tiger Roar Fist with his Blood Eye Battle Soul, reached out and seized Qiao Mingfan’s right arm with the Meridian Breaking Hand. With a firm squeeze, there was a sickening snap as Qiao Mingfan’s right arm broke, and the meridians within were ruthlessly severed by a surge of Genuine Qi.

A scream of agony escaped Qiao Mingfan as his face contorted in pain. Yet before he could react further, Jiaang Lin’s hands danced through the air with the grace of a butterfly, his movements a blur to onlookers.

​He repeatedly struck with the Meridian Breaking Hand, methodically cutting off the meridians throughout Qiao Mingfan’s body. With a final, forceful palm strike to the lower abdomen, Jiaang Lin sent a powerful burst of Genuine Qi crashing into Qiao Mingfan’s dantian qi vortex.

“Boom!”

A dull explosion sounded as the Genuine Qi detonated within the qi vortex, utterly obliterating it. Qiao Mingfan, his meridians severed and qi vortex destroyed, vomited a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward, landing with a heavy thud. His face, unfortunately, met its fate in a pile of foul-smelling dog excrement.

​The surrounding cultivators, drawn by the noise, watched in awe as Jiaang Lin inflicted severe damage on Qiao Mingfan, who had attained the Body Refining Level Three Peak Stage. Qiao Mingfan’s entourage stood in stunned silence, overwhelmed by the sheer power Jiaang Lin had demonstrated.

​”What terrifying power! To be able to inflict such heavy damage on Qiao Mingfan, a cultivator at the Body Refining Level Three Peak Stage, that mysterious young man in the black bamboo hat must be at least at Body Refining Level Four.”

After a long silence, one of the onlookers regained his composure and couldn’t help but let out an astonished exclamation.

Hearing this, the other cultivators nodded in silent agreement, their eyes filled with awe as they gazed at Jiaang Lin, the figure beneath the black bamboo hat.

“So, your talent lies in eating dog feces? Impressive indeed. I must say, I can’t compare to that; my respects to you!”

Jiaang Lin, having just dealt a severe blow to Qiao Mingfan and ruined his cultivation, couldn’t help but let a smirk play across his lips as he watched Qiao Mingfan’s face collide with the foul pile.

At Jiaang Lin’s taunt, Qiao Mingfan’s rage blazed, his eyes brimming with icy murderous intent.

Struggling, he turned to face Jiaang Lin, his once handsome face, now smeared with filth, twisted with malice and resentment.

“You… How dare you sever my meridians, destroy my qi vortex, and ruin my cultivation? And to add insult to injury, you humiliate me publicly?!”

Qiao Mingfan glared at Jiaang Lin with venomous hatred, wishing he could dismember him.

But now, with his cultivation destroyed, how could he possibly contend with Jiaang Lin?

“You were the one who said I’d be better off dead. I’m merely returning the favor.

And by the way, I’ve heard quite a bit about you, Qiao Mingfan, and your penchant for indulging in wine and women, causing trouble throughout Clear Water Town and toying with innocent girls.

So tell me, if I were to cut you down today, wouldn’t that be ridding the people of a menace?”

Jiaang Lin responded coolly.

At those words, Qiao Mingfan’s face paled, his heart seized by boundless terror and dread.

His meridians were severed, his qi vortex destroyed, his cultivation gone—he was already reduced to nothing.

And if Jiaang Lin were to truly end his life, leaving him unable to pursue his vices, wouldn’t he become the lowest of the low? A fate truly worse than death.

“You… How dare you!”

In that moment, Qiao Mingfan glared at Jiaang Lin, his expression fierce but with an undertone of apprehension as he spoke.