Chapter 60: Driven Mad

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Driven Mad

"Sir Fang Can, a crowd of onlookers has already gathered outside the dojo."

"We hope you’ll just stay home and recover today. Please don’t go out."

Several of the dojo masters tried to dissuade him. After all, even an elephant can be killed by enough ants.

Yesterday, it was just a gauntlet against thirty-odd Heart Image Martial Artists, and Fang Can was already pushed to his limit.

Now, Martial Artists from all the surrounding regions were rushing over. There was no shortage of treacherous individuals among them who might band together to ambush him, a significant hidden danger.

"It’s nothing." Fang Can stretched his newly recovered body in the morning sun. "I just got a boost. It’s the perfect time to find someone and test my mettle."

As he spoke, he walked outside under everyone’s worried gazes, threw open the heavy doors, and roared at the clamoring crowd, "I am Fang Can! If you’re not afraid to die, come and face me!"

BOOM!

The instant he roared, five figures who had been lying in wait shot up from the crowd. They leaped forward almost simultaneously, swinging various weapons at Fang Can.

In a flash, the ground exploded under their feet. Flying debris shot through the air, injuring some of the bystanders.

Then, the five experts unleashed their Heart Images simultaneously, bearing down on Fang Can. A single moment of distraction, and he would be hacked to pieces.

But in the next moment, to their utter shock, the Heart Images they had unleashed with all their might crashed as if against solid rock, creating no effect whatsoever.

’How is this possible?’ The Martial Artists, encountering this for the first time, were horrified.

’They had never encountered anything like it since awakening their Heart Images. It was as if this guy didn’t even have a heart.’

This was precisely Fang Can’s greatest gain from the day before: Stillstone Contemplation.

By completely sealing his thoughts and achieving a silence like that of an inanimate object, he entered a "Stillstone State." In this state, the effect of an opponent’s Heart Image on his mind was like waves crashing against a cliff, weakened dozens of times over.

Of course, while in the Stillstone State, Fang Can was also unable to release his own Heart Image.

But for Fang Can, this was already a massive advantage, rendering him invincible in a mental clash.

But then, Fang Can unexpectedly abandoned his defensive stance. He proactively unleashed his own Heart Image, crushing down on the five of them.

’BOOM!’

A silent thunderclap echoed in their minds. In the clash of Heart Images, Fang Can alone withstood the mental assault of all five men.

’How is this possible! Isn’t this guy at the Profound Gate First Layer?’

The incredible thought rose in all five of their minds. That single moment seemed to stretch for a lifetime.

As if sensing their astonishment, Fang Can answered silently in his mind:

’Because in my body... I have two hearts!’

The next instant, a white light flashed from the scabbard on his back. Facing the five-man siege, he didn’t hesitate to draw his sword and counterattack.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!

With a rapid series of clashes, Fang Can’s longsword became an impenetrable blur. Using only his Body Technique and raw skill, he single-handedly deflected the five-man joint attack.

At some point, his eyes had turned crimson as he entered the state of Evil Tiger Devouring Body.

In this powered-up state, having broken through to the Profound Gate Third Layer, his strength—once his weak point—was now enough to give him a clear edge over these Martial Artists.

’How is this possible! How can he be so strong?!’

’I thought he was Profound Gate First Layer! Celestial Secret Tower, when the fuck did you start lying to people?’

Disbelief flooded their minds. They had come looking for an easy kill, but they had bitten off more than they could chew.

Glancing at their aged faces, Fang Can taunted them even as he fought back. "A few old losers, you think reaching the Heart Image realm makes you hot stuff?"

"You have no Secret Techniques, your innate talent is mediocre, and you don’t have any forefathers who walked the Heaven-Ascending Road. You just ground it out in some backwater town for decades to barely even manifest a Heart Image."

"Even if you reached the Profound Gate Seventh or Eighth Layer, you’d still be the weakest of the weak. Hoping to change your fate by hunting geniuses? In your dreams!"

Fang Can’s words made the Martial Artists flush with anger. He had truly struck a nerve.

"Damn you, say that again!"

"Amynos, just die!!!"

"I’ll give my life to kill you today, you bastard!"

As their fighting spirit shattered, their martial skills instantly weakened by twenty percent, though their mouths were still running.

Seizing the opening, Fang Can’s body blurred into an afterimage, his sword weaving swiftly between the five men.

A moment later, Fang Can had severed the tendons in all five of their hands. They fell to the ground screaming, their faces etched with disbelief.

Sheathing his longsword, Fang Can looked back at them. "Go on, get out of here. Your talent is so pathetic, you don’t even have the potential to serve as cultivation fodder for me."

"Impossible! Aren’t you at the Profound Gate First Layer? How could you beat us?" one of the Martial Artists roared defiantly, clutching his mutilated hand.

Fang Can sneered. "It’s been three whole days. If I was still stuck in the same place, what would be the point of having this peerless talent?"

"Is... is this what a genius is?" a Martial Artist despaired, kneeling on the ground. At that moment, his will collapsed, his Martial Dao heart on the verge of shattering.

’Being a genius is just the minimum requirement to even face me,’ Fang Can thought. ’I’m the one with the cheat codes.’

But the next moment, sensing a sharp Sword Qi from behind him, Fang Can’s expression went cold as he swung his sword around to block.

CLANG!

With a sharp clang, Fang Can spun around, struggling to keep his grip on his sword.

’What’s going on?’

Fang Can frowned at the Martial Artist before him—the one whose right hand tendons he had severed. The man was now holding a saber in his left hand, his eyes filled with a thick, irrational killing intent.

’His strength roughly doubled, and his speed increased by twenty percent,’ Fang Can assessed. ’And he made that strike with his non-dominant hand.’

’He’s... he’s gone berserk! The blow was too much for him—his Dao heart shattered and he’s succumbed to his inner demons!’ one of the other Heart Image Martial Artists cried out in his mind.

’Gone berserk?’ Fang Can’s brow furrowed slightly.

He seemed to recall Ye Qingshi mentioning that term when Ye Yonglie had first started worshipping him like a god.

’So in this mind-over-matter world of the Martial Dao, a shattered martial heart leads to going berserk? Sounds like the martial arts version of cyberpsychosis...’

After that snarky internal comment, Fang Can watched the Martial Artist charge, heedless of his own life, and swung his longsword.

With a soft sound, the berserk Martial Artist’s charge came to an abrupt halt. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees, unconscious.

"Did you think I wouldn’t hit you just because you went crazy?"

Fang Can muttered another comment, then turned and walked away, leaving the remaining Heart Image Martial Artists staring in a daze.

The fight had ended so quickly that the onlookers had barely started to flee. Seeing Fang Can approach, they subconsciously parted to make way for him.

"Let’s put up a sign here," Fang Can said, turning to Ye Yonglie.

"Every day, from morning until evening, I welcome challenges from any Heart Image Martial Artist. I’ll accept them all, whether it’s a duel or a group beatdown."

"Oh, right. I’ll take a two-hour break at noon, so let’s just say I’ll be available for sparring eight hours a day," Fang Can added casually.