"What?"
Ye Chen's eyes widened in fury. "Jiang Che, don't push it too far!"
For a martial artist, nothing was more precious than their cultivation technique. It was the foundation of their strength—their very essence.
But Jiang Che remained indifferent.
"If you don't want to, that's fine." He sneered, raising his hand. "But you won't be leaving here today."
With that, he pointed two fingers together like a sword. A sharp burst of true energy condensed between them—
And then he stabbed downward.
"AHHH!"
Xiao Han let out a scream like a dying pig.
His thigh burned with searing pain, his face turning ashen. He nearly fainted on the spot.
What the hell?!
It was Ye Chen who refused—why am I the one getting stabbed?!
Gritting his teeth, he cursed Jiang Che endlessly in his heart.
Jiang Che remained unmoved. "I'll give you three seconds."
"Three…"
"Two…"
As he counted, his fingers crackled with energy, ready to finish them both off.
"I AGREE!" Xiao Han yelled, panicked.
He didn't care about dignity anymore—his thigh still throbbed from the first attack.
He reached into his clothes and threw out a worn book.
"Here! 'Pure Yang Gong'—take it!"
Although he was reluctant, his life was more important than some technique.
Jiang Che caught the book and smirked. But just to be sure, he asked in his mind:
"System, is this technique real?"
A notification chimed:
Ding! Scanning…
Verificationcomplete: 'PureYangGong' is authenticandcanberecycled.
Jiang Che frowned. Recycled?
"What does that mean?"
Thesystemcanrecyclemartialartstechniquesandexchangethemforplotpoints.
Jiang Che's interest piqued. "How many points for this one?"
'PureYangGong' isamid-gradetechnique. Itcanbeexchangedfor5,000plotpoints.
Thesystemcontinued:
●TechniquesreachingInnateRealm = Low-grade (2,000 points)
●TechniquesreachingMasterRealm = Mid-grade (5,000 points)
●TechniquesreachingHeaven-HumanRealm = High-grade (10,000 points)
Jiang Che's eyes gleamed.
"Not bad. And if Xiao Han had a mid-grade technique… Ye Chen should have something even better."
Jiang Che turned to Ye Chen with an expectant smile.
Ye Chen clenched his fists.
His technique wasn't like Xiao Han's, passed down from some old master. He had fought, bled, and nearly died for it.
Could he really hand it over?
Jiang Che's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Still hesitating?" He sighed, growing impatient.
Another pulse of true energy surged from his fingers—this time aimed directly at Ye Chen's arm.
"I'll do it!" Ye Chen blurted out.
Before Jiang Che could strike, he threw a book at him.
"Battle to Heaven Judgment."
A powerful name. A technique Ye Chen had spent years mastering.
Jiang Che caught it, his smirk widening. "That's more like it."
He immediately asked, "System, what rank is this one?"
Ding! Scanning…
Verificationcomplete: 'BattletoHeavenJudgment' isahigh-gradetechnique.
Jiang Che's heart leaped in excitement.
"A high-grade technique! Ye Chen didn't disappoint!"
Ding!
[Host has successfully extorted plot character Ye Chen.]
●Evaluation: SS-rank
●Rewards:
○ [10,000-Year Iceberg Snow Lotus]
○ [3,000 Plot Points]
[Host has successfully extorted plot character Xiao Han.]
●Evaluation: SS-rank
●Rewards:
○ [Sky Poison Classic]
○ [ 3,000 Plot Points]
Jiang Che nearly laughed out loud.
These SS-rank evaluations were amazing!
He didn't know what the hell a 10,000-Year Iceberg Snow Lotus did, but anything that had ten thousand years in its name had to be useful.
And Sky Poison Classic? That sounded like it could be deadly fun.
Across from him, Ye Chen's expression was dark. He thought Jiang Che was just celebrating his victory over their techniques.
Taking a deep breath, he forced his voice to remain calm.
"Alright. You got what you wanted." His eyes were cold. "Can we leave now?"
Jiang Che's smirk vanished.
His voice was light, but the words were sharp as a knife.
"Sorry. No."