Chapter 4: Falling Star Fist

Lucas Casson retreated a few steps, grinning as he sized up Lucian Lawes. "It's just a friendly spar. We stop at the point of contact. Young Master Lucian, no need to worry about losing too badly!" Lucian watched him with cold eyes. Beneath that playful smile, the contempt was plain enough to taste. If not for what had happened yesterday, Lucian's standing in the Yare family would have been so low that even an outsider like Lucas Casson might have ranked above him. But he had changed. His strength had changed. His mind had changed. The moment he finally had the power to fight back, the hunger for a fight burned hot in his chest. "Lucas Casson," Lucian snapped, "I know exactly what kind of face you wear. Drop the fake kindness. If you want to throw hands, then come on. But if I 'accidentally' kill you, don't blame me!" Those were hard words, especially coming from him. Lucas Casson froze for a beat. He was just about to spit something vicious back when Lucian's figure flickered. True Energy surged, and a fist thundered straight at his face! "So you really did step into the Dragon Pulse Realm," Lucas Casson scoffed. "Still, you're nowhere near my level. Fine. Since you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me if I hit a little too hard!" He had been stuck at the Second Level Dragon Pulse Realm for two years, his True Energy deep and steady. Instead of retreating, he lunged forward with a roar and drove his own punch out to meet Lucian head-on. Bang! Fists collided. True Energy burst outward like a shockwave, and both men were forced back. The instant Lucas Casson felt the strength in that punch, his expression cracked. "You little bastard. Hiding it this well? Second Level Dragon Pulse Realm!" Lucian staggered too, his arm buzzing. *His True Energy is about the same as mine, and he's got more experience,* Lucian thought, breath tight in his throat. *If this drags on, I'll lose. This is my first real fight. If I fail here, it'll poison my cultivation from here on out. Even if I die, I can't lose!* His eyes reddened. They darted, searching, until he spotted a fist-sized stone not far away. Lucian forced his gaze away, locking onto Lucas Casson as if nothing had changed. "Not bad. You've got some weight to you. But I'm stronger. Take another punch if you can!" He charged again, throwing a punch. Lucas Casson refused to give ground. He flared all his True Energy and pressed forward like a wave about to crush a boat. Boom! This time, Lucian was sent flying. He slammed into the ground hard, dust bursting up around him. Lucas Casson threw his head back and laughed. "So the old man's trash son really is trash. That pathetic strength, and you still dared to show off in front of me? You deserved that beating!" He was laughing when Lucian sprang back up, eyes bloodshot, rushing straight at him again. What Lucas Casson did not see was Lucian's left hand tucked behind his back. "Still not giving up?" Lucas Casson barked, laughing as he strode in to meet him. Lucian closed the distance like a cornered animal. Lucas Casson drew his fist back, ready to end it in one clean blow. Then Lucian's left hand snapped forward. A black blur screamed toward Lucas Casson's face. "What the hell is that?!" Instinct took over. Lucas Casson threw both arms up to shield his head. The object slammed into his forearms with a sharp jolt. Pain flared, and he realized it was a stone. Lucian had thrown it with everything he had. Lucas Casson blasted it aside with True Energy, his arms stinging but uninjured. It was enough. Lucian was already on him. His leg whipped out and drove into Lucas Casson's lower abdomen. Bang! Lucas Casson shrieked. His body folded, then flew backward, crashing into a willow tree with a heavy thud. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he slid to the ground, limp and ruined, all fight drained from him. He could only stare up at Lucian in raw fear, disbelief written across his face. "Y-you… Lucian Yare, you dare hurt me? My cousin will take your dog life!" Lucian planted his feet and spat at him. "Second Level Dragon Pulse Realm, my ass. In front of my killing move, you still dropped in a blink." Lucian had not been a Martial Artist before, but he had fought plenty. That trick had always been his favorite. In a brawl, you threw something heavy at a man's face. Eyes, ears, nose, mouth, all of it mattered. All of it was fragile. When the other guy did not know what was flying at him, he would block without thinking. The moment his hands came up, the real strike landed clean. Yesterday, this bastard had spat on him. Even after losing, he still dared to threaten him. Lucian stepped in, grabbed Lucas Casson by the collar, and yanked him close. His voice dropped into something colder than the ground beneath them. "You called me a dog. You spat on me. It all came from that mouth of yours. I won't make things complicated. I'm sealing that mouth today." Lucas Casson's eyes went wide, terror spilling into them, almost pleading. He did not even get a word out. Lucian's fist drove straight into his mouth. Teeth scattered. Lucas Casson howled and rolled on the ground, pain twisting him into a mess. Regret flooded him so hard it nearly drowned him. After beating him down, Lucian suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He turned. Zane Yare stood five meters away with his father, Hayden Yare, Lucian's second uncle. They had only been passing by, but they had caught the entire show outside the Martial Arts Scripture Hall. Lucas Casson was Zane's lackey, and Lucian had just broken him. Zane's face was storm-dark as he strode over, fury rolling off him. "Lucian Yare… are you trying to die?" He did not bother with questions. Zane's palm whipped toward Lucian's face. The True Energy in that slap was terrifying. Lucian realized he could not dodge it. If it landed, his teeth would be gone. The sheer force behind it made it obvious how enraged Zane was. Lucian's strength was inferior. He could only stand there and take it. He clenched his jaw until it hurt, rage swelling until it nearly swallowed him whole. He was sick of being treated like dirt. Sick of being treated like a dog. He swore he would pay them back. *Why can he slap me without even asking what happened? If I were stronger than him, would he dare? Even with a good father backing him, would he dare? If I were stronger… I'd be the one slapping him.* That incoming palm was a fuse. It dragged the cruelty in his heart longer and longer, stretching it taut. Slap! But the strike never landed. Zane's arm was caught in midair, the palm hovering a single inch from Lucian's cheek. The gust from it still stung his skin. The one who stopped him was Hayden Yare. Hayden's face was stern. "Zane, did you forget what I taught you? You're brothers under the same roof. How can you raise your hand so casually? When we get back, I'll punish you properly." Then he looked at Lucian. "Oh? You finally reached the Second Level Dragon Pulse Realm. You came for a Battle Technique, didn't you? Go ahead. But my father is in seclusion there. If you disturb him, you will be severely punished." He did not wait for an answer. He simply gripped Zane's arm and walked away. After they had gone a few dozen steps, Zane finally could not hold it in. "Dad, he injured Lucas Casson. Why didn't you let me teach him a lesson? With his pathetic strength, ten thousand of him wouldn't be my match." Hayden replied flatly, "What's the point in bullying a piece of trash? If you have skill, compare yourself to your sister, to Luna, to Warren Yare. And no matter what, he's still your aunt's son. You can't treat him like a servant." Zane's voice turned ugly. "Aunt again. So what if she's Eighth Level Dragon Pulse Realm? Dad, give it time. You'll reach it too." ……………………………… Lucian watched their backs fade and forced his anger down. Still, he carved today's near-slap into his bones, along with every insult and beating from before. *Same as always,* he told himself. *Don't let me catch my chance. If I do, I'll make you wish you were dead.* He had endured for so many years that controlling his emotions had become second nature. He faced the Martial Arts Scripture Hall, shoved the stone door open, and walked inside. As for Lucas Casson, he remained sprawled where he had fallen. Only much later did Hayden Yare send someone to carry him off to recover. Lucian approached the tall iron tower and lifted his gaze, eyes narrowing. *My first Battle Technique is in there.* His attention shifted to a wooden hut nearby. The Yare Family Patriarch, his grandfather, was cultivating inside. Outsiders rarely dared disturb him. With the Patriarch guarding the Martial Arts Scripture Hall, nothing could go wrong. Lucian met the requirements to view Battle Techniques, so he was allowed in. *Old man, acting mysterious,* Lucian grumbled inwardly. *My dad hit Eighth Level Dragon Pulse Realm when he was young. He was only a hair below you. If he hadn't lost the Dragon Jade… you'd be the one looking up at him.* He kept the complaint in his head and continued forward. After passing through a long corridor, he entered the iron tower. Inside, several shelves stood in neat rows. The Yare family's Battle Techniques were arranged with meticulous care. "I'm only at the Second Level Dragon Pulse Realm," Lucian murmured. "Looks like I can only cultivate Yellow Tier Elementary techniques." There were thirty-two Yellow Tier Elementary manuals. Lucian walked to that section and started from the first row, selecting a volume titled Fierce Tiger Fist. In less than fifteen minutes, he set it down. "What's going on? This is… easy." As he read those Secret Manual pages, his mind felt unusually clear. His memory and comprehension were absurdly sharp. Everything in the book clicked the moment his eyes passed over it. If cultivating inside the Martial Arts Scripture Hall had been allowed, he felt like he could have used the technique on the spot. "Am I a martial genius," he muttered, "or is it…" In the past, he had read a few minor Cultivation Method texts and found them obscure and difficult. This was completely different. It had to be the Mysterious Dragon Jade. *The Mysterious Dragon Jade is in my mindscape. It changed my Soul,* he thought. *That's why my mind is pure, why I can read at a glance and understand at once. Even my awareness of my surroundings feels sharper…* "Dad," he whispered, "what exactly is this Mysterious Dragon Jade? It's insane. It not only passed your True Energy to me, it turned me into a martial genius…" He flipped through several more Yellow Tier Elementary manuals and found no challenge at all. Finally, he moved to the Yellow Tier Intermediate section. There were only five Secret Manual volumes there. At a glance, he spotted one titled Falling Star Fist. "…Body like the starry void, fist like a falling star, heavy as Mount Tai, swift as lightning…" "Falling Star Fist is said to be one of the strongest Yellow Tier Intermediate techniques. The Yare Falling Star Fist also has quite a reputation outside the family. But reading this Secret Manual, it still doesn't feel difficult. I've already memorized plenty of Yellow Tier Elementary techniques. This time, I'll copy Falling Star Fist…" The Yare family's Secret Manual volumes could not be taken out of the Martial Arts Scripture Hall. Once you chose one, you had to copy it by hand. Half an hour later, Lucian finished copying. He returned the Secret Manual to its place. "While copying, I understood everything," he murmured. "I'll go back and cultivate. Still, this is a Yellow Tier Intermediate Battle Technique. I don't know if I can truly master it." Yellow Tier techniques were divided into Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced. For the first three levels of the Dragon Pulse Realm, most people cultivated Elementary techniques, and so on. By choosing Falling Star Fist, Lucian was cultivating above his level. "With how strange the Mysterious Dragon Jade is," he said quietly, "it should be possible." Decision made, he left the Martial Arts Scripture Hall. He had just reached the stone door when a hoarse, ancient voice sounded beside his ear. "Yare family Secret Manual. Destroy it the moment you finish cultivating. If it is found to be spread outside, you will be executed on the spot!" Lucian spun around, but no one stood behind him. His scalp tightened. He nodded quickly. "Yes, Grandpa. Lucian Yare takes his leave." He had taken a Yellow Tier Intermediate Battle Technique, which technically broke the rules. Afraid the old man would notice, he left immediately after speaking. Inside the wooden hut, an elderly man opened his eyes and sighed. "I thought the boy might be worth shaping. But he's reaching too high, choosing a Yellow Tier Intermediate Battle Technique… what a waste. Back then, Julian Lawes was someone with a real chance of reaching the Divine Pill Realm…"