"I told youâIâve got you."
With a roar, Zhang Yu dragged Wang Yin off-balance and slammed him hard into the ground, watching with grim satisfaction as shock flooded the other boyâs face.
Wang Yin, busy suppressing the mana within his body, couldnât react. He could only watch, helpless, as Zhang Yu made his move.
Boom!
The ground shook violently. Wang Yinâs body smashed into the earth, forming a massive crater.
Inside the seismic tremors, his brain ricocheted within his skull, a dizzying whirl of impact and confusion.
âŠ
Zhang Yu recalled the teachings of Xinghuo Zhenren.
"That Law Husk skin is impervious to blades and flame. Even if you train for another year, you still might not break through it."
"But combat isn't about brute strength. Itâs about exploiting weakness."
"Donât aim to pierce the skin directly. Instead, bypass itâuse vibration to shake Wang Yinâs brain."
"Then ripple that vibration through his entire body. Break the bond between flesh and skin. Do you understand? That skin is a Law Husk, not real skin."
"Itâs like a plug socketâitâs just connected to the flesh."
"Keep hitting it. Shake it hard enough and itâll start to short."
âŠ
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Wang Yin was like a sledgehammer in Zhang Yuâs hands, slammed into the ground over and over again.
Each violent impact caused the brain, floating in cerebrospinal fluid, to rattle even more violently within Wang Yinâs skull. The shifting pressure inside his cranium surged.
At the same time, the once-tight bond between the Law Husk skin and the flesh beneath began to loosen.
Boom!
Another thunderous impact. Wang Yinâs head slammed into the ground, creating bursts of compressed air. A faint bruise appeared on his forehead.
Zhang Yuâs gaze sharpened. That was the moment he had been waiting for.
He might appear to have the upper hand, but he knew full well his heavily injured body wouldnât last.
Wang Yin, though seemingly battered, had suffered little actual damage. The Spirit Root within him continued healing his injuries, and the wild mana inside was beginning to settle.
If this dragged on, Zhang Yu would lose.
But now, there was a chanceâŠ
"A bruise... It means the bond between skin and flesh is failing. The Law Husk has a flaw there," Zhang Yu thought. "Just like a socket coming loose."
At that moment, the Soul-Crushing Brick placed by Xinghuo Zhenren in his Sea of Consciousness began to tremble faintly.
Wang Yin, meanwhile, felt the world spin. His bones groaned and cracked like collapsing scaffolding. His ears buzzed like a swarm of insects flapping inside his skull.
And thenâeverything stopped. He was lying flat on the ground.
Lifting his head slightly, he saw Zhang Yu raise a glowing golden object over himâthen bring it down toward his forehead.
Boom!
A temple-bell-like crash rang out as the Soul-Crushing Brick smashed into Wang Yinâs brow.
Zhang Yu saw shimmering shadows flash across the brickâs surface, pouring through the weakened gap in the Law Husk and flooding into Wang Yinâs mind.
"Golden City of the Spirit Realm! Deposit 10,000, get 10,000 more! Casino direct line!"
"Super electric entertainmentâhot, spicy, and real!"
"Local gold-tier tutoring! Boost scores by hundreds in a monthâfree banned drugs with signup!"
"Heavenly Court Sunshine Finance! Grassroots investment mutual fund! Letâs all get rich!"
In the blink of an eye, Wang Yinâs mind was inundated with an ocean of spam.
Waves upon waves of scammy ads crashed against his consciousness, leaving him stunned.
Zhang Yuâs heart twitched at the sight of those countless flickering streams flooding Wang Yinâs brain. âWait, are those⊠ads?â
âNoâscam ads?!â
"And they look like theyâre from some Evil God scam playbookâŠ"
He glanced down at the Soul-Crushing Brick and muttered internally, "So itâs not a brickâŠ"
"Itâs a hard drive?"
A thousand thoughts swirled through his headâbut only for an instant.
He raised the Soul-Crushing Brick again for another strike.
But Wang Yin let out a furious roar and lashed out with a punch.
At this range, Zhang Yu had no way to dodge.
And in his state, there was no way he could block it head-on.
"Then Iâll bet everything."
Zhang Yu sacrificed his arm and brought the brick down again.
Boom!
He caught Wang Yinâs full-force punch with his left arm.
Though he tried to absorb the force using his Acupoints, the impact still shattered his bones and tore muscle. Blood sprayed as his arm dropped, useless.
But the Soul-Crushing Brick landed squarely on Wang Yinâs forehead once more.
The boy convulsed violently.
He tried to throw another punchâbut found he couldnât even focus. His brain couldnât form coherent thoughts.
As the brick descended once again, Wang Yin glared up at Zhang Yu and shouted hoarsely, "Zhang Yu!"
"Donât you want money anymore?"
"You forgot the hundreds of millions frozen in your and Bai Zhenzhenâs accounts? And the tens of millions we still owe you?"
"If you just admit fault again, you can go back. Iâll even double theâ"
Zhang Yu cut him off coldly. "That frozen money? It was our rightful payment!"
"You wonât give it? Then Iâll take it myself!"
Boom!
Wang Yin screamed. His brain felt like it would burst from the flood of data.
He howled, "Zhang Yu! Hurt my soul, and Oasis Group, Netherworld University, Netherworld Palaceâtheyâll all come after you!"
Zhang Yu raised the brick once more, towering over Wang Yin.
"You think they ever let me go?"
Boom!
Blood streamed from Wang Yinâs seven orifices. His brain was shutting down.
Wang Yin struggled to speak. "The First Floorâs outcome... was decided by the Immortals⊠Youâre defying the big pictureâŠ"
"The big picture?" Zhang Yu said flatly. "The big picture wants me eaten alive!"
Boom!
"I endureâand still I get eaten!"
Boom!
"If Kunxuâs only choice is to eat or be eaten⊠then Iâll eat you first!"
Boom!
By now, Wang Yinâs skull was visibly deformed. His face a mangled mess of blood and flesh. His limbs twitched faintlyâbut no longer moved or spoke.
In that moment, Xinghuo Zhenren appeared at Zhang Yuâs side.
With a sweeping gesture, he shattered the Nether Blood Shadow Shroud. Countless shadowy figures let out sighs of release before fading into nothing.
He gently caught Zhang Yuâs raised arm. "Thatâs enough, child."
"One more strike, and heâll die..."
"People like him are a dime a dozen. Not worth your life."
"Youâare far more valuable."
Zhang Yuâs breath heaved. Slowly, he calmed.
He looked around and saw the battlefield in chaos. Oasis Group employees trying to rush in to save Wang Yin.
But more people were blocking their path.
The war raged from sky to ground, threatening to turn all of Songyang City into a corporate battleground.
"All those backup fightersâare they outsourced?" Zhang Yu asked.
Looks like Deng Bingding pulled through, got a good crowd here.
Xinghuo Zhenren chuckled. "You could say that. But those peopleâtheyâre also the local nobles of Songyang, employees of other firms⊠even Oasis Group."
Zhang Yu blinked. "Waitâthey were Deng Bingdingâs support? But earlier they wereâ"
"Whoever wins, they support," Xinghuo said coolly.
"Wang Yinâs fall? Everyone sees it as the upper echelonâs will. The result of high-level maneuvering."
"Now the majority of First Floor noblesâespecially those who were suppressedâare rebelling against Oasis Group. Other firms and employees are just fishing in muddy waters."
Zhang Yu gazed at the fierce fights around him. "Wonât the Righteous Gods stop them?"
"Why would they?" Xinghuo said softly. "War drives industry, boosts healthcare, forces insurers to pay out⊠even solves unemployment, weeds out obsolete tech."
"For the Netherworld Palace, First Floorâs issues can be solved by restructuringâby raising cattle."
"But for others, maybe a few wars are enough."
Zhang Yu had no words. He looked at Wang Yinâs body. "And him? What happens next?"
"Not our concern," Xinghuo said, pulling him away. "Someoneâll take him back."
"In nine months, when you enter university, youâll likely cross paths again."
"And next time, there wonât be so many people to help you."
He glanced at Zhang Yu. "You and Bai Zhenzhenâtrain with me for the next nine months."
âŠ
On the streetsâ
Li Xuelian turned to the Xianyun Groupâs city director. "Coming with?"
The director shook her head. "Still under contract. Expires tomorrow. You go ahead."
Li Xuelian smiled faintly. In a silver flash, her form vanished, her long hair sparkling like threads of starlight.
Everywhere she passed, Oasis Group staff dropped silently, unharmed but unconscious.
âŠ
In front of a smartphoneâ
Yu Xinghan stared at the screen, watching Xinghuo Zhenren pull Zhang Yu away.
Only one thought rang in his headâ
Itâs over!
The sky had fallen for Gold Core disciples!
Clutching his chest, he groaned in pain.
"Zhang Yuâs gonna get at least half my cultivation fundingâŠ"
But then he pictured Zhang Yu, bricks in hand, bashing Wang Yin half to death.
"No, heâll probably get more than 80%."
"And Bai Zhenzhen tooâŠ"
"Thatâs it. Iâll be lucky to get 1% of Grandpaâs inheritance."
"Earning pocket money in the future? Might as well try ascension."
Then he had a thought. He quickly picked up his phone and opened Zhang Yuâs crowdfunding loan page.
"Zhang Yu cleaned up big this time. Heâs gonna rake it in."
"But if I just keep lendingâthen no matter how much he earns, I get 1.3x backâŠ"
He tapped in excitedlyâonly to findâŠ
The loan channel was closed.