Zhou Yang spoke with an overbearing tone, his sharp gaze exuding a strong sense of oppression.
Zheng Xiongfeng, as a third-rank Qi Practitioner, considered himself incredibly powerful and didn't take Zhou Yang seriously at all.
Upon hearing Zhou Yang's words, he sneered disdainfully and said, "Hah, I was wondering who it was. Turns out it's just you, this little trash. You dare talk to me like that? Looking to die?"
Zhou Yang replied coldly, "You're the one looking to die."
In the past, he had indeed been afraid of Zheng Xiongfeng and his gang. Every time he encountered them, he lacked the courage to face them and would hide. But now, as an eighth-rank Qi Practitioner, these people were nothing more than ants in his eyes.
Zheng Xiongfeng grew even angrier upon hearing this. He roared, "If I don't beat you into a cripple today, I'll change my damn surname! Get him!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several burly men immediately charged aggressively toward Zhou Yang.
These men were Zheng Xiongfeng's disciples. With the backing of their third-rank Qi Practitioner master, they were arrogant and had long wanted to teach Zhou Yang a lesson to show off in front of their master.
Seeing them charge, Zhou Yang remained calm and stood still.
At that moment, Zhou Ziqiang hurriedly said to Zheng Xiongfeng, "Zheng Xiongfeng, he's just a kid and doesn't know any better. Don't take it out on him—come at me instead."
As a father, he couldn't bear to see his son get beaten. He was willing to risk his life to protect Zhou Yang.
Zheng Xiongfeng sneered, "Zhou Ziqiang, you failed to raise your son properly, so I'll have to teach this little trash how to behave. Since you want to protect this waste, fine—I'll beat both of you. Teach these two losers a lesson!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his disciples launched a fierce assault on Zhou Ziqiang and Zhou Yang.
To protect his father, Zhou Yang stepped forward, shielding him, and swung his fists at the attackers.
His fists moved like lightning, carrying immense Qi energy. With several loud "bangs," the men screamed in pain as they were sent flying, crashing heavily against the wall before sliding down and collapsing to the floor.
They writhed in agony, feeling as though their bones had been shattered where they were struck.
Terrified, they stared at Zhou Yang in disbelief. None of them had expected this eighteen-year-old to be so powerful, effortlessly incapacitating them before they could even react. They hadn't even seen how he had struck them.
Each of them thought, *This kid is terrifyingly strong.*
Zhou Ziqiang was equally shocked to see his son easily defeat these men. He knew his son well—Zhou Yang had only learned some basic martial arts growing up and was far from capable of defeating Zheng Xiongfeng's disciples. He desperately wanted to know what had happened.
He looked at Zhou Yang seriously and asked, "Son, when did you master the Profound Sky Qi?"
He estimated that Zhou Yang's strength was at least at the second level of Profound Sky Qi—far surpassing his own.
Zhou Yang didn't want to explain, as it was his secret. He simply said, "It's a long story. I'll tell you later. Right now, I need to teach Zheng Xiongfeng a lesson."
Zheng Xiongfeng's face darkened. He had expected his disciples to thrash Zhou Yang, but instead, they had all been sent flying.
Zhou Yang's movements had been so fast that even he, a third-rank Qi Practitioner, had barely seen them. Stunned, he stared at Zhou Yang in disbelief.
He couldn't accept that the "trash" Zhou Yang had suddenly become so strong. Enraged, he snarled, "You little bastard, you've got some skill. Fine—I'll personally teach you how to behave!"
At this point, he had no choice but to step in himself. In his mind, no matter how strong Zhou Yang was, he couldn't possibly defeat a third-rank Qi Practitioner.
Zhou Yang had been waiting for this. He said coldly, "Then come at me."
To him, a third-rank Qi Practitioner was nothing. He could defeat Zheng Xiongfeng without even lifting a finger.
Zheng Xiongfeng spread his fingers like steel claws, his nails glowing with a pale light—an eerie and intimidating sight.
This was his signature move, Eagle Claw Technique. Each finger carried concentrated Qi energy, capable of piercing even stone. If it struck a human body, it could easily tear through flesh.
Furious and humiliated by Zhou Yang's actions, Zheng Xiongfeng was determined to kill him.
Zhou Yang remained motionless, watching him coldly.
Zhou Ziqiang, seeing his son not moving, shouted in panic, "Son, dodge! Zheng Xiongfeng's Eagle Claw Technique is deadly—you can't withstand it!"
Thinking Zhou Yang was frozen in fear, he rushed forward, ready to shield his son with his own body. He would rather die than see his son harmed.
But in the next instant, Zhou Yang moved.
His speed was astonishing—like an arrow released from a bow, he shot forward and collided with Zheng Xiongfeng's hands.
Zhou Ziqiang's face turned ashen with despair. He was certain his son was doomed and desperately tried to reach him.
Zheng Xiongfeng was stunned that Zhou Yang would charge straight into his attack. He thought Zhou Yang had a death wish.
His disciples, watching from the sidelines, also believed Zhou Yang was an idiot for throwing himself at certain death.
But what happened next left everyone in shock.
A series of crisp "cracks" rang out, followed by Zheng Xiongfeng's agonized screams.
He was sent flying four or five meters, landing hard on the ground in a pathetic heap.
After howling in pain, he stared at his ten fingers in horror before looking back at Zhou Yang, his eyes filled with terror—as if he had seen a demon.
He knew his fingers had been completely shattered—beyond recovery. His Eagle Claw Technique was now useless.
This was unacceptable and unimaginable. Clearly, Zhou Yang had a Qi barrier around him, and his hands had been destroyed by it.
But he knew only fifth-rank Qi Practitioners could manifest a Qi barrier. How could an eighteen-year-old like Zhou Yang possibly be a fifth-rank Qi Practitioner? It defied all logic.
He trembled and stammered, "H-how did you form a Qi barrier? Who the hell are you?"
There was no way he could believe that the person before him was Zhou Ziqiang's "useless" son.