2: Chapter 2 Why are you crying over holding hands?

"Hey, hey, hey! Wait a second! Stop, stop, stop!"

Zhao Tianhao's fist was almost at the tip of Jiang Cheng's nose when Jiang Cheng let out a loud howl.

The howl was so loud it cracked, the sound echoing throughout the top floor of the library.

Zhao Tianhao's head buzzed from the noise, and his fist stopped in mid-air.

His knuckles cracked audibly, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.

"What? Have you thought of your last words? If you have, I'll send you on your way!"

Jiang Cheng ignored the threat, exaggeratedly patted his chest, and scanned Zhao Tianhao from head to toe.

"No, buddy, are you in a rush to be reincarnated? I wasn't even finished talking before you pounced."

Jiang Cheng curled his lip, his face full of disdain.

"Do you usually get beaten up when you challenge people to fights? You have no confidence at all, do you? You have to resort to a sneak attack?"

Zhao Tianhao stood frozen on the spot, the corners of his eyes twitching.

He was already a Martial Artist Peak.

Today, he was actually being mocked to his face for having no confidence by a normal college student who didn't even have any True Qi?

"Look at your punching posture."

Jiang Cheng raised his hand and gestured at Zhao Tianhao, his tongue so sharp and fast that he didn't give the other man a chance to interject.

"Your feet are tripping over each other, your shoulders are swaying all over the place, and your power points are all stuck in your wrists. Didn't your old man ever teach you? Fighting requires the Unity of Waist and Horse Stance! What are you doing, breakdancing? If I laid some cardboard on the ground, would you perform a Thomas Flare for me?"

In his mind, the Old Taoist was snacking on melon seeds, spitting out a shell with a lecherous grin.

[Tsk tsk, kid, your stalling trash-talk has truly inherited my legacy. But a friendly tip: you haven't touched the Energy of Taiyin yet. If you keep blathering, this brute is really going to crush you.]

"Shut up! This is called tactics!"

Jiang Cheng cursed inwardly.

Zhao Tianhao was dazed by the mockery.

He even started to doubt himself—could this kid have some method of hiding his strength?

Otherwise, how would he dare?!

Seeing him distracted, Jiang Cheng quickly turned his head toward Su Qingxue.

"See, he's anxious! I hit a nerve, and now he's feeling weak! Quick, give me your hand! Classmate, trust me, I, Jiang Cheng, am famous for being upright. Ten seconds means ten seconds; one second more and you can call me a rogue!"

Su Qingxue leaned against the cold wall, her chest heaving, her teeth leaving a row of marks on her bitten lip.

This guy in flip-flops was talking nonsense.

But as Su Qingxue looked into his eyes, her mind couldn't help but start racing.

"He's clearly an ordinary person without a shred of True Qi. How does he dare to be so arrogant in front of a Martial Artist Peak?"

"Could it be... he's deliberately provoking Zhao Tianhao? He wants to draw all the hatred to himself to create an opportunity for me to escape."

"Yes, that must be it. That ridiculous request to hold hands for ten seconds was just a cynical act he put on to hide his inner panic. He doesn't want me to feel a psychological burden; he's using his own life to buy time for me."

At that thought, Su Qingxue's nose felt tingly and her eyes reddened.

As a Prodigy of the Su Family, she usually held a high status.

Today, in her moment of crisis, she actually had to rely on an ordinary classmate she didn't even know to protect her with his life.

Weighing the options? To hell with weighing the options!

"Don't die..."

Su Qingxue reached out her right hand and grabbed Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng grabbed her back with a firm grip.

Her hand was cold to the touch, her palm sweaty and weak, but the sensation was incredible.

Jiang Cheng had no time to think about anything else.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

"Fuck! Fooling around right in front of me! I'll chop you both up and feed you to the dogs today!"

Seeing their hands clasped together in public, Zhao Tianhao's eyes turned bloodshot.

With a loud roar, every bone in his body emitted a crisp cracking sound as his True Qi leaked out.

Ignoring any Moves or routines, he swung his fist directly at Jiang Cheng's head.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

The fierce wind stung his face. Jiang Cheng gripped Su Qingxue's hand, kicked off the ground, and rolled with her toward the floor on the left.

Boom!

Zhao Tianhao's fist slammed into the wall behind them.

He actually punched a hole in it, sending dust flying everywhere.

Pulled by Jiang Cheng, Su Qingxue's legs went weak, and she lost her balance, falling into his arms.

Her cheek pressed against Jiang Cheng's chest, and a few strands of her hair brushed against his chin.

Through the thin T-shirt, Su Qingxue could feel his heartbeat.

Thump, thump, thump.

The heartbeat was steady, without any hint of panic.

Su Qingxue's own breathing, however, became erratic; her ears turned red, and even her neck began to feel hot.

He... facing a strike from a Martial Artist Peak, his heartbeat didn't even speed up?

Who exactly is he? Has he been hiding his strength all along?

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

[Ding! F-rank mission completed.]

[10 dao merit points have been credited. A pleasure doing business with you, kid. I have high hopes for you~]

A notification sounded in his mind, followed by the Old Taoist's voice.

Jiang Cheng shouted in his Sea of Consciousness.

"System! Less talk! Exchange for the Qingxu Breathing Technique! Now! Immediately! I'm about to die!"

[Exchange successful. 10 dao merit points deducted. Go get 'em! Kick his ass!]

As soon as the words fell, Jiang Cheng felt a surge of heat in his lower abdomen.

This surge of heat was uncontrollable, coursing through his entire body.

An invigoratingly painful sensation spread through him.

A tingling numbness filled the gaps between his bones as his muscles were torn and reconstructed.

Everything around him changed in his perception.

He could even clearly see the trajectories of the dust particles in the air.

Su Qingxue's erratic breathing also became exceptionally clear.

A few steps away, Zhao Tianhao's movements as he turned to pounce again were riddled with openings.

Zhao Tianhao's eyes were bloodshot as his feet shattered the floorboards, his fist coming at them with a whistling wind.

"Die!"

Su Qingxue clutched the fabric of Jiang Cheng's shirt, her eyelashes trembling as she closed her eyes.

They couldn't dodge it. The speed of this punch was too fast; an ordinary person couldn't dodge the enraged strike of a Martial Artist Peak.

He was going to die...

Jiang Cheng remained seated on the ground without changing his posture, even pulling Su Qingxue closer into his embrace, shielding her within his arms.

In his vision, Zhao Tianhao's speed became very slow.

He saw the degree of twist in Zhao Tianhao's ankle as his left foot hit the ground.

He saw the stiffness and sluggishness of the waist muscles as he exerted force, and the large defensive opening under his ribs.

The corners of Jiang Cheng's mouth curled up.

A dimensional reduction strike; the Old Taoist really didn't lie to me.

This cultivation cheat is so damn satisfying to use.