Chapter 4: The System's Brilliance

With a thunderous bang, the air around them vibrated intensely.

"A Channel Opening Stage One dares to clash head-on with my Stage Six strength? He truly doesn't know the meaning of death!" The chubby boy, Wu Qing, thought smugly, visualizing Chu Xiaotian being blown away by his punch. However, as their fists neared collision, Wu Qing's expression shifted dramatically. He realized Chu Xiaotian's aura was not of Stage One, but of Stage Four!

"He's been hiding his true strength!"

Lv Luo, watching from a distance, shook her head. In this world, power ruled supreme. Though she felt sympathy, there was little she could do.

"Wu Qing, be careful, don't hit him too…" Luo Yong's warning was cut short as he sensed the change in Chu Xiaotian's aura and saw Wu Qing, previously confident, now kneeling on the ground, his right arm dangling uselessly, clearly incapacitated.

"How is this possible? A martial technique?!" Lv Luo stared in disbelief at Chu Xiaotian's clenched fist. She too had sensed his aura shift, but even at Stage Four, he shouldn't have been a match for Stage Six, unless... It had to be a martial technique!

To possess a martial technique at Stage Four was rare, even among the students of the Martial Academy. Had she underestimated him?

"Useless fool, can't even handle a piece of trash!" After his initial surprise, Luo Yong's expression darkened.

"Kid, what does it matter if you know a martial technique? In the face of absolute power, it's all in vain!"

Stomping his foot, Luo Yong launched himself at Chu Xiaotian like an arrow, his fist surrounded by a faint flame.

Low-grade Yellow Class Martial Technique, Fiery Fist!

This technique, acquired by Luo Yong after breaking through to Channel Opening Stage Eight and entering the Martial Technique Hall, had recently enabled him to cripple a Stage Seven practitioner. In his mind, Chu Xiaotian, merely at Stage Four, was no different than a fish on a chopping block.

"Stage Eight plus a martial technique, indeed impressive!" 

As Luo Yong barreled toward him, Chu Xiaotian grinned slyly and crushed a talisman in his hand.

With the Herculean Strength Talisman activated, he was invincible for the next minute.

"Try biting me, and you'll break your teeth!"

As Luo Yong's words fell, Chu Xiaotian met his charge with a swift punch.

Bang!

Their fists collided, and Luo Yong's confident expression instantly turned to one of shock. His punch felt like it had hit solid metal.

"Ah!" A piercing pain shot through Luo Yong's hand. Realizing something was amiss, he turned his head and shouted, "What are you waiting for? This guy's fishy! All of you, get him!"

"Woof woof!"

As Luo Yong called for help, Di Ge leaped to Chu Xiaotian's side, baring his teeth menacingly.

"Di Ge, just enjoy the show!" Chu Xiaotian charged into the fray. Despite Luo Yong and his companions' fierce attacks, they felt like mere tickles to him. Today, he was ready to take on all three at once!

The scene quickly turned into a one-sided brawl, with Chu Xiaotian 'beating up' Luo Yong and his two companions.

Passersby stopped in their tracks, utterly astonished.

In less than a minute, all three were on the ground, wailing in pain. The burly man who had previously been terrified was trembling, swallowing hard as he watched Chu Xiaotian.

Glancing at the burly man, Chu Xiaotian squatted down and patted Luo Yong's face, smiling, "A bunch of foolish kids daring to act tough in front of your brother. The one who can rob me hasn't been born yet!"

Luo Yong, infuriated to the point of spitting blood, couldn't fathom how Chu Xiaotian, merely at Stage Four, could be so formidable.

Dusting off his hands, the coldness on Chu Xiaotian's face faded, replaced by a warm smile. "Now, hand over all the valuable things you have on you."

Lv Luo, the girl in the green dress, watched in disbelief. Was she seeing things? A Stage Four practitioner easily overpowering a Stage Eight, with two Stage Six fighters reduced to mere cannon fodder?

"How could Luo Yong and the others' attacks have no effect on him? Did he practice some special body technique?" Lv Luo's beautiful eyes fixed on Chu Xiaotian, her mind reeling from the explosive display of power from a mere Stage Four cultivator.

While Lv Luo was still processing her astonishment, Chu Xiaotian had already brazenly rummaged through Luo Yong and his companions' pockets, confiscating their money pouches.

"I've hit the jackpot! These guys are loaded. Combined, they must have at least two hundred gold coins." Weighing the three pouches in his hand, Chu Xiaotian's face lit up with avaricious delight.

"Ding! System notification: Congratulations to the host for completing the side quest. You have earned 8 Contribution Points."

"8 Contribution Points, enough for another Herculean Strength Talisman." Chu Xiaotian opened the store, exchanged the points for the talisman, and saw his contribution points drop to three.

"Kid..."

"Uh-huh?" Chu Xiaotian responded, directing a glance at Luo Yong, who immediately recoiled, biting back any harsh words he had intended to say. The other two, similarly intimidated, lost all their earlier bravado.

Seeing them cower like this brought an inner joy to Chu Xiaotian, though he kept a composed expression. But beyond the amusement, his thoughts were turning serious.

With the 'Strongest Face-Slapping System' at his disposal, Chu Xiaotian felt empowered to pursue goals he had never dared to consider before.

Since arriving in the Tianwu Continent, Chu Xiaotian had never met his biological parents. He learned from the elderly man who had raised him that they were beings of the Saint Realm. His mother, Jiang Yunyue, was the daughter of a Celestial Lord from the Upper Realms. She fell in love with a man from the Lower Realms, an act that led to her being disowned. When Celestial enforcers came to apprehend her, a great battle ensued, resulting in his father's disappearance and his mother being taken back to the Upper Realms, never to return.

Now, with the newfound power and resources from the system, Chu Xiaotian felt a burgeoning determination. He could finally start searching for the truth about his parents, a journey that would undoubtedly lead him to incredible adventures and challenges in the vast and mysterious Tianwu Continent.

Chu Xiaotian clenched his teeth in determination. The Upper Realms, once as distant and unreachable as the heavens to him, now seemed within his grasp. With the system providing him the means, he had the potential to touch the skies and grow strong enough to confront the Celestial Lord and bring back his mother.

With a confident smile curling at his lips, Chu Xiaotian packed up his stall and strode towards the Martial Academy. He was ready to register, cultivate, and grow stronger.

Behind him, Luo Yong and his companions picked themselves up off the ground, their eyes filled with a cold, resentful gaze as they watched Chu Xiaotian's departing figure. Their teeth gritted in anger and humiliation.

In a secluded corner, Di Ge barked twice at Chu Xiaotian, signaling the end of the divine pet card's duration. After a brief moment of playful interaction with Di Ge, the divine pet dissolved into specks of starlight and vanished. Saying goodbye to his companion of the day, Chu Xiaotian then hurried towards the academy to participate in the entrance examination.