"Since you insist on playing with fire in front of me, I suppose I have no choice but to broaden your horizons. Do you even know what a true Fireball technique looks like?"
Qin Yanyan looked coldly at the stunned Guman, then raised a single finger. A spark of flame instantly appeared at his fingertip. The light was faint at first, but it rapidly expanded into a raging fireball.
"Go!"
With a flick of his finger, Qin Yanyan launched the fireball at Guman. Mid-flight, the fireball transformed into a soaring dragon of flame, over ten yards long. It roared, claws bared, turning everything in its path into charred debris. Finally, the fire dragon engulfed Guman, who had been attempting to flee.
"Ah!"
With a shrill scream, the Thai sorcerer was incinerated into a pile of charcoal.
The Fireball technique was the first spell Qin Yanyan had mastered after entering the Foundation Establishment Stage, and he had pushed it to the state of perfection. Under his control, the technique could take any form; the fire dragon was merely one option. If he wished, he could transform the fire into a phoenix, a peacock, or anything else. Furthermore, the power of his technique was unparalleled, for this was not ordinary fire, but "True Fire" condensed from his own mana. It could melt refined steel. Guman, while a Master of Sorcery, was still mere flesh and blood; he stood no chance against such heat, and the moment the fireball struck, he was vaporized.
Yet, Guman was a sorcerer. Though his physical body was destroyed, his soul manifested as a streak of black light, trying to escape from the charred remains. Unfortunately, the soul was caught mid-air by Qin Yanyan.
"Trying to escape from my hands, Qin Beixuan? Do you think it would be that easy?"
Qin Yanyan smiled, teasing the black soul in his palm. He squeezed it into a ball, then stretched it out; Guman’s soul felt every bit of the agony, shrieking in terror.
"Damn you! You cannot kill me! I am a member of the Black Witch Cult! If you kill me, the Cult Leader will surely avenge me!"
Guman’s soul roared, struggling to break free from Qin Yanyan’s grip. But it was all in vain—Qin Yanyan was a cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Stage.
"Oh? And what the hell is the Black Witch Cult? They don't mean a damn thing to me."
With a cold laugh, Qin Yanyan tightened his grip and shattered Guman’s soul completely. With that, Guman was truly dead, doomed for eternity.
"Alright, Miss Chen, it’s settled. Pay up."
Having dealt with Guman, Qin Yanyan held out his hand toward the stunned Chen Jiaxin.
"Ah! Is... is it that simple?"
It took a long moment for Chen Jiaxin to snap out of her stupor. She scrambled to her feet, pulled a checkbook and a pen from her pocket, and wrote out a cashier's check for twenty million. She handed it to Qin Yanyan with great reverence.
"This is a twenty-million-dollar cashier's check. Ten million is for the treatment Master Qin provided for my brother earlier today, and the other ten million is for eliminating this evil monk!"
Qin Yanyan nodded, tucked the check into his pocket, and turned to leave. Before departing, he left a parting word.
"I just checked on your grandfather. He is only unconscious and will wake up soon. Also, that bodyguard of yours, Ah Long, is injured but alive, so don't worry. The rivers flow, the mountains stand; Miss Chen, we shall meet again!"
With those words, Qin Yanyan transformed into a streak of light and vanished.
"Master Qin is truly a divine being!"
Watching the spot where Qin Yanyan had disappeared, Chen Jiaxin was overcome with shock, unable to find the words to describe her awe. Qin Yanyan was barely twenty, yet he was not only a miracle doctor but a master of the Dao. If only her Chen Family could bring him into their service.
However, she quickly abandoned the thought. She felt that someone like Qin Yanyan was simply beyond her control. *Forget it, I'll think about it later,* she decided, taking out her phone to call the head of the family.
***
Thailand, Black Witch Cult.
As one of the three great holy sects of Thailand, the Black Witch Cult had a history of over a thousand years. It was currently based in a mountain range within the outskirts of Bangkok, isolated from the world by dense forests and cliffs. The Cult Leader, Basong, was a Grandmaster of Sorcery. He had lived for over a thousand years—a true ancient monster. The sect boasted four great protectors and over three thousand members; in Thailand, it was as infamous as the Yakuza in Japan.
At this moment, in the great hall of the Black Witch Cult, Leader Basong was frowning. A subordinate was kneeling before him, whispering a report.
"Cult Leader, our Master Guman has been killed in Huaxia. The opponent is a young man with the surname Qin."
The subordinate spoke with a look of terror on his face. Every member of the Black Witch Cult possessed a soul tablet kept in the sect's hall; if a member died, their tablet would shatter. Thus, the cult knew of Guman’s demise.
"Oh? He was killed, so what? Why make such a fuss? Guman always loved stirring up trouble; he brought this upon himself," Basong said indifferently.
Guman was merely a low-ranking member, so the Cult Leader hadn't held him in high regard. Besides, since he died in Huaxia, Basong couldn't be bothered to intervene. If he had to handle every problem his underlings encountered, he would be exhausted to death.
"Cult Leader, that young man named Qin not only killed Master Guman but also insulted our Black Witch Cult."
The subordinate continued. It turned out that Guman had used a soul-transmission technique just before his death, recording Qin Yanyan’s appearance and voice to send back to the cult, hoping to goad the leader into revenge.
"Oh? And how did he insult our cult?" Basong opened his eyes.
"He said that our Black Witch Cult doesn't mean a damn thing."
"What is the meaning of 'a damn thing'?"
Basong was a native Thai and had only a rudimentary grasp of the Huaxia language. Many terms were completely foreign to him.
"Cult Leader, it is a vulgar term for male genitalia! That Qin fellow’s mouth is filthy! He spoke most unpleasantly!" one of the members who was fluent in Huaxia explained. As soon as he spoke, the expressions of everyone in the hall changed. As for Basong, his black beard stood on end in fury.
"How dare he! To insult my cult like this... if my cult doesn't mean a 'damn thing,' then as its head, am I to be considered the 'tip' of it?"
The more Basong thought about it, the angrier he grew. He slammed his hand on the table and roared, "The Black Witch Cult cannot be shamed! Bashan, I order you to go to Huaxia immediately, kill this Qin fellow who insulted us, and grind his bones to ash!"
Basong pointed a finger at a tall, dark-complexioned man kneeling below. Bashan, one of the four great protectors, was a Master of Sorcery and ranked in the top five of the sect. Compared to Guman, whom Qin Yanyan had easily dispatched, Bashan’s power was more than ten times greater. Guman had only practiced for thirty years, but Bashan had nearly a century of experience.
"As you command, Leader!"
Bashan bowed, then flicked his wrist. A massive black crow flew into the hall and landed before him. It was his mount, tamed years ago in the Black Crow Mountains. Mounting the bird, Bashan slapped its back, and the crow took flight, vanishing from sight in an instant.
***
Huaxia, Chuzhou.
Qin Yanyan returned home to find his house dark. His parents and sister were already asleep; it was past three in the morning. He walked to an open space in the yard, sat down, and began to meditate. He was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage; in the future, he would reach the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, Deity Transformation, Void Refinement... and perhaps even become a master of Tribulation Transcendence, just like his master, Cang Qing.
Sitting cross-legged, Qin Yanyan closed his eyes. Wisps of white mist were absorbed into his body. His clothes billowed without wind, and his skin began to radiate a golden light, like a Luohan’s golden body.
The "Evergreen Myriad Ages Body" was a legendary immortal physique. Qin Yanyan had already reached the minor completion stage.
*My master once said that at the minor completion stage, this body can block cold weapons and bullets. At great completion, it can withstand artillery and armor-piercing rounds. If perfected, it could even resist a nuclear blast. If I could reach perfection, I would be truly immortal. It is a pity I am only at the minor completion stage; I must work harder,* Qin Yanyan thought.
He absorbed vast amounts of spiritual energy from the air, nourishing his body and increasing his cultivation. The night passed, and as the eastern sky turned light and the rooster crowed, he finally stood up.
"Xiaoyan? Why are you sitting in the yard? I called you last night and you didn't answer. Where did you go?"
The door to the small house opened, and his father, Qin Fang, walked out. Because of their mounting debts, he hadn't slept at all. Seeing his son at five in the morning, he was startled.
"Dad, take this. Use it to pay off the debts."
Qin Yanyan handed the twenty-million-dollar check to his father.
"This... a bank check? My god, twenty million! Son, what is this? Where did you get this money?"
Seeing the check was genuine, Qin Fang’s eyes widened in disbelief. He had never imagined his son could come up with ten million—no, twenty million—overnight.
"I saved a wealthy man from the Jinxiu Group. This money is a gift for saving his life. Dad, take it, pay the debts, and keep the rest for your retirement. Stop doing business. With me here, you’ll never have to worry about a thing! Don't ask about the rest."
Qin Yanyan shoved the check into his father's hand. He knew his father’s indecisive personality made him unfit for business; it was better for him to just live comfortably for the rest of his life.
"Haha, what a son! I knew you must have encountered some extraordinary opportunities during the years you were gone. Fine, I won't ask. I trust you haven't done anything wrong. I'll take it!"
Qin Fang patted his son’s shoulder, feeling the powerful, imposing aura radiating from him. He was certain his son had truly been blessed with a miraculous journey.
Soon, Qin Fei and Liu Lan woke up as well. Upon hearing about the twenty million, the whole family cheered.
"My son, I knew you were extraordinary from the start! You are the pride of our family!" Liu Lan said, hugging her son’s shoulder with pride.
"Brother, you're the best! When I grow up, I’m going to find a boyfriend just like you—handsome and rich!" Qin Fei clung to his arm, cooing. With the family crisis resolved, she could return to her studies without fear.
"Little sister, you'd better give up on that idea, or you’ll never get married," Qin Yanyan said with a smile, playfully tweaking her pigtails.
"What?" Qin Fei froze, then laughed even harder. "Brother, are you shy? You're not the only one of a kind!" She made a face at him, beaming.
"Heh, 'one of a kind' doesn't even begin to describe me," Qin Yanyan laughed.
"You're being even more dramatic now! Come on, hurry up and take me to school, I’m going to be late!" Qin Fei urged, checking her watch.
She was a senior at Chuzhou No. 1 High School, only a fifteen-minute walk away. Qin Yanyan thought for a moment, and since he had nothing else to do, he nodded.