Chapter 5: Thunder in the Park
West Gate Park was a sprawling green space on the edge of the city, usually filled with couples and joggers. But at 11:00 PM, it was deserted, shrouded in a heavy mist rolling off the river.
Under the sickly yellow light of a lone streetlamp, three figures waited.
Butler Liu stood in the center. He was an elderly man in a sharp tuxedo, but his posture was straight as a spear. He was a Body Refining Stage 7 expert—a true veteran who had served the Zhao family for decades.
Flanking him were two Zhao family guards, both Stage 5.
"Butler Liu," one guard checked his watch. "It's been an hour. The kid isn't coming. He probably ran away."
Butler Liu adjusted his white gloves. "He won't run. I mentioned the old woman. People like him... they have foolish attachments to sentiments."
"He's just a courier," the other guard scoffed. "Even if he comes, what can he do? Beg?"
"We break his legs first," Liu said impassively. "Then we take the artifact. Young Master Zhao wants him to suffer."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed from the darkness of the jogging path.
Butler Liu looked up.
A figure emerged from the mist. Ye Feng walked casually, his hands in the pockets of his cheap windbreaker. He looked relaxed, as if he were taking a midnight stroll.
"You came," Butler Liu said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "I expected you to be crying."
"I brought the item," Ye Feng said, stopping ten meters away.
"Good. Hand it over, kneel, and I will make it quick."
Ye Feng tilted his head. "You misunderstood. I brought it... to use it."
Butler Liu narrowed his eyes. "Arrogant brat. Kill him."
He snapped his fingers.
The two Stage 5 guards moved instantly. They were trained killers. They drew combat knives and lunged at Ye Feng from both sides, their speed blurring in the night air.
Ye Feng didn't move. He stood still, watching them close the distance.
10 meters.
5 meters.
2 meters.
The guards sneered. The kid was frozen in fear.
But in Ye Feng's eyes, the world had slowed to a crawl.
[Eye of Truth: Combat Analysis]
[Target Left: Guard A. Attack: Throat slash. Flaw: Overextended stance.]
[Target Right: Guard B. Attack: Kidney stab. Flaw: Momentary hesitation due to wet grass.]
Ye Feng's hand moved.
It was a blur. He didn't draw a weapon. He simply sidestepped to the left, letting Guard A's knife slash empty air by a millimeter.
As Guard A stumbled past, Ye Feng grabbed the back of his head and slammed it down—directly into the rising knee of his own leg.
CRUNCH.
The sound of facial bones shattering was sickeningly loud. Guard A went limp instantly, dropping like a sack of potatoes.
Guard B, seeing his partner demolished in a split second, panicked. He tried to halt his charge, but his momentum carried him forward.
Ye Feng spun, a high kick whipping through the air.
WHACK.
His foot connected with the side of Guard B's neck. The guard was launched sideways, crashing into a park bench with enough force to splinter the wood. He didn't get up.
Two seconds. Two Stage 5 elites defeated.
Ye Feng stood over them, dusting off his pants. He looked at Butler Liu.
"Is that it?"
Butler Liu's calm expression vanished. His eyes were wide with disbelief.
"You... you hid your cultivation!" Liu hissed. "That speed... Stage 6? No... Stage 7?"
"Does it matter?" Ye Feng asked.
"You think defeating two trash guards makes you my match?" Butler Liu ripped off his tuxedo jacket, revealing a vest and wiry, steel-like muscles underneath. "I am Stage 7! I have refined my bones to iron! I have killed more men than you have delivered packages!"
BOOM.
Butler Liu stomped the ground, cracking the pavement. He charged.
His speed was on another level. He was a blur of violence. He didn't use a weapon; his hands were formed into claws—the Eagle Claw Style.
Swish! Swish!
Ye Feng dodged, but barely. A claw swipe tore through his windbreaker, leaving deep scratches on his chest.
"Too slow!" Liu roared, pressing the attack. "Die!"
Ye Feng gritted his teeth. Stage 7 was strong. His Stage 4 body, even with the Perfect Cleansing, was struggling to keep up with the raw power and speed.
But he had the Eye.
[Target: Butler Liu]
[Style: Eagle Claw (Mastery)]
[Secret Weakness (Red): Thirty years ago, he suffered a Qi Deviation during a breakthrough. There is a blockage in his 'Dantian' (energy center). If he exerts more than 80% power for 10 seconds, the blockage will spasm.]
Ye Feng's eyes lit up.
10 seconds.
"You want to see my weapon?" Ye Feng shouted, leaping back.
He reached into his torn jacket.
Zzzzt.
The sound of a thousand birds chirping filled the air.
Ye Feng drew the Astral Thunder Sword. The broken, jagged blue blade hummed with terrifying energy.
"A Spirit Weapon?!" Butler Liu's greed flared. "That belongs to the Zhao family!"
Liu pushed his Qi to the limit. He didn't care about defense anymore. He wanted that sword. He lunged, aiming to rip Ye Feng's throat out.
[Enemy Power Output: 90%... 95%...]
Ye Feng counted down.
3...
2...
1...
As Liu's claw came inches from his face, Ye Feng saw it. A microscopic tremor in Liu's body. The blockage was spasming.
[NOW!]
Ye Feng didn't dodge. He poured 50% of his Qi into the sword.
"Thunder Flash!"
FLASH.
A blinding arc of blue lightning cut through the dark park.
Time resumed.
Butler Liu stood behind Ye Feng, his hand still extended in a claw shape. Ye Feng stood in a low crouch, the Thunder Sword buzzing in his hand.
"You..." Butler Liu choked.
A thin red line appeared on his waist.
"Impossible..."
Butler Liu's upper body slowly slid off his lower body.
Thud.
Blood sprayed onto the wet grass. The veteran Stage 7 fighter was cut in half.
[Ding!]
[Mission Complete: First Blood.]
[Reward: Cultivation Technique - 'Thunder Step' (Agility Art).]
[Bonus Reward for killing a Stage 7 enemy: +1000 System Points.]
Ye Feng stood up, his legs shaking. The attack had drained half his energy. He looked at the corpse. He felt bile rising in his throat—it was his first kill—but he forced it down.
"If I didn't kill you, you would have killed Auntie Wang," Ye Feng whispered. "I have no regrets."
He walked over to Liu's upper body and searched it. He found a wallet with 5,000 credits and a black access card labeled "Zhao Archives".
"Might come in handy."
He then looked at the two unconscious guards. He couldn't leave witnesses.
Ye Feng raised his sword.
But before he could strike, a soft clapping sound came from the shadows of the trees.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Ye Feng spun around, raising his sword. "Who's there?!"
A woman stepped out. She wore a tight black combat suit that hugged her curves, and a silver mask covered the lower half of her face. Her eyes were sharp, intelligent, and dangerous.
"Impressive," she said, her voice husky. "A Stage 4 rookie killing a Stage 7 veteran. And with a broken Divine Artifact no less."
Ye Feng tensed. [Eye of Truth] scanned her.
[Target: Unknown Woman]
[Cultivation: ??? (Too High to Scan)]
[Identity: Commander of the 'Dragon Guard' Special Ops Unit.]
[Secret (Purple): She is looking for recruits who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. She just watched the whole fight and is 'aroused' by your potential.]
Ye Feng swallowed hard. Too high to scan? That meant she was at least Foundation Establishment Realm. A monster.
"Who are you?" Ye Feng asked.
"Call me Commander Lin," she said, stopping a safe distance away. "Don't worry, I'm not with the Zhao family. In fact, I hate them."
She gestured to the corpses.
"You made a mess. The police will be here in five minutes. The Zhao family will hunt you down. You have nowhere to go."
"I'll survive," Ye Feng said stubbornly.
"Maybe," she shrugged. "Or maybe you join me. The Dragon Guard has immunity. If you join, the Zhao family can't touch you openly."
Ye Feng narrowed his eyes. "What's the catch?"
"The catch?" Commander Lin smiled beneath her mask. "The catch is that we hunt monsters. And sometimes... the monsters are human. Like you."
She tossed a metal coin at him. Ye Feng caught it. It had a dragon emblem on it.
"Come to the old Police Station on 4th Street tomorrow at noon. Don't be late."
She turned and vanished into the mist as if she were a ghost.
Ye Feng looked at the coin, then at the carnage around him. Sirens were wailing in the distance.
"Dragon Guard..."
It was the government's secret enforcement agency. Joining them meant danger, but it also meant protection and resources.
"Looks like I just got a job offer."
Ye Feng sheathed his sword, activated his newly learned 'Thunder Step', and disappeared into the night, leaving only a trail of static behind.