Chapter 32: The Only One of the Present Age

Chen Xiao stood where he was, his hands clasped behind his back. He was pondering Liu Chang'an's words. Jiangbei? Huaxia? You certainly have a lot of nerve!

"You think I'm exaggerating, don't you?" Liu Chang'an seemed to guess what Chen Xiao was thinking and asked suddenly, "Have you ever heard of the Ancient Martial Arts heritage?"

Chen Xiao frowned slightly but remained silent. Liu Chang'an sighed. "It's impossible for you to have heard of it. What am I thinking..."

Chen Xiao spoke in a clear, resonant voice, "Are you trying to say that the child possesses the Ancient Martial Arts heritage?"

Liu Chang'an nodded. "Yes, there's no harm in telling you. Have you ever wondered why, after millions of years of human existence, the powerful figures of the past could effortlessly move mountains and turn back the seas, while today we have become nothing but weak dregs reliant on tools? Huaxia’s thousands of years of foundations are far from as fragile as you perceive. True ancient martial arts are not some flashy whip-cracking performances, but great divine powers capable of breaking through genetic shackles! The true heirs are not the marketing-driven masters you see, but the orthodox successors hidden from the world. I have been fortunate enough to appear on many television programs, and you all think I have mastered many martial arts. In truth, I only know those bastardized, incoherent styles of later generations. It is truly pathetic. But he is different. He is the orthodox successor of Shaolin! The only one of this generation!"

As the words fell, the pieces finally clicked into place for Chen Xiao. It seemed that the Martial God of Chang'an from his previous life was not Liu Chang'an! It was the little boy! Ancient Martial Arts heritage, the only one of his generation! No wonder, under the detection of "Dragon Breath," Liu Chang'an's energy was only slightly stronger than Jiang Yunhan's. Everything made sense now.

"Enough said. My heart is at ease now. You can die without regrets!"

Liu Chang'an suddenly shuddered and vanished from where he stood! No, it was just that his speed was too fast! He was the strongest opponent Chen Xiao had faced so far.

"Bang!" A massive force struck, hitting the arm Chen Xiao used for defense!

"Bang!" Another wave of force erupted, which Chen Xiao also blocked.

"Your defense is strong, very strong!" Chen Xiao didn't care about Liu Chang'an's praise.

Standing firm again, he scanned his surroundings. "What exactly have you awakened? Both your speed and strength are so intense!"

Liu Chang'an suddenly reappeared, wearing an evil, charming smile. "Bullfrog!"

"Bang—!" As the words landed, a powerful force instantly sent Chen Xiao flying through the air! Amidst the howling wind, he caught the ground with his shoes and stabilized his stance once more.

Chen Xiao laughed. "Interesting." Since his rebirth, he hadn't encountered a quality battle. Up until now, he had basically been in a "One-Punch Man" state. Finally, he had a halfway decent opponent. He turned his body slightly, ready to strike.

At this moment, to Chen Xiao's eyes, the arena appeared empty and silent. But that was not the case; Liu Chang'an was right there! The frequent, light footsteps were like invisible clues, proving he was lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity.

"Dragon Breath!" As he activated his talent, the sounds of the world gradually faded. In Chen Xiao's vision, only a blood-red hue remained. Within that red, a dark shadow flickered, closing in on him! Others might have been caught off guard by this move, but not Chen Xiao! He possessed the sensory talent of a Tyrannosaurus Rex! One must know that the T-Rex was one of the creatures with the most powerful sensory nerves in history! Under the SSS-level talent "Dragon Breath," nothing could hide!

Chen Xiao threw a punch, keeping his power at thirty to fifty percent. He was afraid of accidentally killing Liu Chang'an again. After all, he still had questions to ask him.

"Boom—!" Facing this earth-shattering punch, an instinct honed through countless brushes with death told Liu Chang'an: Do not take it! If you take it, you might die! He rolled and leaped backward like a bullfrog! But at such close range, Chen Xiao was not slow, and "Dragon Breath" locked onto him instantly!

"Boom—!" Liu Chang'an tried again and again to disperse the force, but he was eventually clipped by the edge! He took a heavy hit!

"Cough..." Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Liu Chang'an knelt on the ground. His eyes were no longer cold, nor did they hold any trace of contempt.

"Oh? Your eyes have cleared up quite a bit!" Chen Xiao chuckled and stepped closer.

Liu Chang'an lowered his head, spat out more blood, and asked, "What... what kind of monster are you!"

Chen Xiao's lips curled up. "I ask, you answer."

Liu Chang'an shook his head, saying resentfully, "Are you insulting me?"

Chen Xiao walked up to Liu Chang'an and leaned over him. "Of course not. We could also have a friendly exchange, such as discussing how I should kill that Shaolin successor after you die."

Liu Chang'an was stunned, suddenly grabbing the hem of Chen Xiao's garment. "You cannot kill him."

Chen Xiao replied, "Oh? Just because he's the Shaolin successor, the only one of his generation? I'm not a monk, why should I care if he's the only one or not?"

Liu Chang'an knew these arguments wouldn't convince Chen Xiao. Helplessly, he spoke slowly, "Chen Xiao, you are strong, very strong. I even suspect you've eaten a whale."

Chen Xiao almost laughed out loud upon hearing this, thinking to himself that he would try eating one in his next rebirth.

"Chen Xiao, but you are just one person. At most, you can build a base to protect a small area. But he is different. As long as he is brought back to the capital, the final form of the war machine can be completed!"

Chen Xiao interrupted, "A war machine? You aren't planning to use him for experiments, are you?"

Liu Chang'an smiled bitterly. "What else? Why do you think I went through all the trouble to bring him back from Chang'an Temple? Isn't it for the revival of the human race?"

"Heh, human revival... did Chang'an Temple give you a person so you could do this?" Chen Xiao felt inexplicably irritated. "Enough, stop talking. You can be on your way now. As for your 'only one,' I'll send him over in a bit."

"Chen Xiao! For the sake of the greater good of humanity, how dare you! This is treason against the human race!"

"Get lost, get lost, get lost! Don't you dare label me. My living happily is the greater good of humanity!"

Just then, the unrelenting Liu Chang'an attacked again! Relying on his speed, he attempted a close-range sneak attack! But Chen Xiao was prepared; he turned and delivered a stylish kick, sending him flying seven or eight meters away.

However, the notification for evolution points did not sound. Liu Chang'an was not dead yet. Chen Xiao walked up to him and saw him lying on the ground, gasping for air. He was covered in blood and caked in mud. Chen Xiao placed his foot on his back without applying pressure. He was waiting. Waiting for the horse-faced figure to appear.