Surprise

"Sit, Yang Zhai." Elder Zihao De sat on the floor beside the floor table. 

Yang Zhai nodded and sat on the opposite side.

"Listen, only one month and three weeks remain before the competition starts. For us, winning this competition is very important. The inheritance that we are battling for is expected to be of higher rank. It can help our clan's growth. Tell me, have you had any breakthrough yet?" Elder Zihao De inquired. 

"Not yet, even though I absorbed a lot of spiritual energy from the spirit garden, I could not break through to the next stage, but I feel like I will be able to in one week." Yang Zhai replied. 

"That's good, also, do you remember what I had told you?" 

"About Jun Haru, yes. I will try to kill him in my battle against him." 

*Good, very good. But, without breaking through, and without a defensive treasure, it will be difficult. Here, take this, now that even the Death Warrant is broken, you will be needing this." 

Elder Zihao De handed a defensive treasure to Yang Zhai. This treasure looked like a Golden Ball. 

"Golden Shield?" Yang Zhai asked with a doubt. 

"Hmm, it is. I am impressed that you are aware of this. It is indeed the Golden Shield. When activated, three transparent round shields will appear around your body, around two feet each. These shields will circle around your body and will protect you against external attacks. It's a top-notch treasure in rank 2. When all three shields combine together, they can even match rank 3 treasures." Elder Zihao De looked at the golden ball and explained. 

"Thanks, Elder, I will make sure to use it properly."

"I expect you to do so. I will be going then, make sure that you use the remaining time properly and cultivate."

Elder Zihao De stood up and was speaking when his expression changed. He hurriedly kicked in a certain direction. 

Suddenly, invisible waves were released into the atmosphere. 

Yang Zhai knew what had happened and he jumped backward. However, he felt a chill from behind. 

Not good: Yang Zhai thought and hurriedly moved his right-hand backward without looking back. 

Yang Zhai was sent flying and struck into a wall. The wall broke, and he was thrown out of the house. 

"Yang Zhai!!" Elder Zihao De shouted. He tried to jump out of the house towards Yang Zhai, but was stopped by a woman. 

"Where do you think you are going?!" The woman shouted, and a water ball was shot at Zihao De. 

Zihao De's hand turned into a metallic color. After that, a small wave was released from his hand and struck the water ball, dismissing it. 

"Who are you? How dare you try to kill Yang Zhai in front of me?" Zihao De said, and an invisible sharp wave was released from his hand, flying towards the woman. 

"It doesn't matter who I am, Yang Zhai must die today." The woman did not speak and started attacking Zihao De. 

Outside the house

Yang Zhai's right hand had turned brown and had cracks on it. His hand was also bleeding from the cracks. After a brief moment, the cracks increased and the brown color dispersed into the air like small dots of light. 

Right, when Yang Zhai felt danger, he had moved his hand backward without even thinking, at the same time, he had activated the Wooden Fists Ka to turn his right hand into a wooden one. However, the attack was too strong, and the Wooden Fists Ka died as a result. Yang Zhai had also forced it to stay activated even after it was injured. 

The Wooden Fists Ka was injured right at the moment the attack struck his hand; however, Yang Zhai kept it activated forcefully to endure the remaining power of the attack. 

Yang Zhai stood up from the ground and looked straight. A man jumped out of the house and began to walk toward Yang Zhai. 

"I am impressed, and surprised as well…. Your reaction speed is very fast, even faster than mine. You managed to sense danger and even reacted to it in the best way possible…. Not just that, but only your arm got injured, this is puzzling." The man spoke with pauses. 

Yang Zhai did not speak and got ready. He had not refined the Golden Shield yet, so he also could not activate it.

Yang Zhai tried to move his arm, but noticed that even though he could move his arm, he was feeling a lot of pain, it was as if his nerves were busted and broken.

Yang Zhai had just gotten his balance back when he heard a noise from behind. He dodged to the side without thinking. 

As expected, after dodging, he saw a fire passing him. Or to be more accurate, it was a fist covered in fire, passing him. 

Yang Zhai took a few steps backward before coming to a stop. 

"Who are you?" Yang Zhai asked and thought inwardly: I must stall as much time as possible. 

"Die!!" The first man shouted and attacked Yang Zhai again with a fist. 

Yang Zhai did not dodge and waited. Right when he saw that the fist was about to reach him, he dodged and took many steps to the side. 

Yang Zhai just balanced himself when a fire came flying at him. 

SWOOSH!!!! 

Yang Zhai had just balanced himself and could not dodge, so he moved his left hand behind him and his right arm in front of himself to reduce the damage. 

The fire started to burn his upper clothes and was extending quickly to all of his clothes. 

"Not good." Yang Zhai did not wait and tore off the clothes from his upper body. His body had burn marks on it now. This was the disadvantage of not having a good defense. He was just in a passive situation from the very start. 

Yang Zhai had just done this when the first man came at him again with a sword. However, he fell down, and the sword slashed the empty air. He had used the Dug Worm Ka to make himself fall. 

Yang Zhai was barely managing himself. The ones who attacked him had good coordination, they attacked him from behind and did not let him take a breath after the first attack. He barely balances himself when the next attack arrives at him. 

Yang Zhai used the Dug Worm Ka again and created a small hole in the ground for himself to jump backwards. Yang Zhai had done this while falling on the ground, he had used the Dug Worm Ka while he was still falling. He jumped backward right when he fell to the ground. 

He did not try to balance himself this time, but used the rank 2 Red Poison technique to spread the red poison in his surroundings. 

I need to think of something; otherwise, it will be troublesome for me: Yang Zhai thought and glanced at his surroundings.


!*****!*****!