Even though he sat in the far corner of the inn, wrapped in a cloak from head to toe, his tall and broad frame was impossible to conceal.

In just five breaths, he emptied his cup of tea and set down a single silver coin before quietly slipping away, leaving no trace behind.

The little waiter came over to clear the cup, only to freeze when he spotted the coin lying casually beneath it.

"This…" His eyes widened in disbelief, then quickly brightened as he carefully tucked the silver into his pocket.

"Thank you, stranger."

He bowed deeply, a heartfelt smile spreading across his face.

***

The tall figure stepped out of the inn, his pace unhurried as he wandered through the dim streets. Turning into a narrow alley, he was soon swallowed by the shadows.

In an instant, countless hostile gazes emerged from the darkness, brimming with murderous intent.

He halted, his voice calm as he began to count, "One, two, three, four… twenty. So there are twenty of you against just one of me, yet you're still afraid?"

"Hmph! Demon Eryke, you cannot escape! The entire city is sealed. There is nowhere left to run!"

"Is that so?" The figure reached up and slowly drew back his cloak. The golden strands of his hair glimmered faintly even in the dark, his piercing blue pupils like cold fire, Eryke revealed himself.

From the shadows, a sickly green gas began to seep forth, spreading and coiling until it smothered the entire alley.

"This is one of the deadliest poisons in the entire Martial World. Let's see if you can even survive it!" one of them jeered, his voice dripping with malice.

But within the thick haze, Eryke stood unshaken, his expression utterly calm. His figure flickered, then vanished.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared before one of the hidden Martial Artists.

Bang!

The man's head exploded like a ripe watermelon, his body collapsing into a limp heap, twitching once before falling still.

"Hmph." Eryke shook his head in disdain. His form blurred once more, weaving through the poisoned darkness like a phantom.

By the time the echoes of their screams faded, all twenty Martial Artists lay scattered across the ground, lifeless.

Eryke adjusted his cloak with casual ease, then swaggered out of the alley as though nothing had happened.

Outside, hundreds of Martial Artists had already encircled the alley.

"Oh?" Eryke's calm voice cut through the silence as his gaze swept over them. "All of you wish to obstruct me? Even the young master of the Thousand Iron Sect?"

"Hahaha!" A mocking laugh rang out. A thin young man stepped forward, his grey Taoist robes swaying lightly.

He looked no older than his twenties but arrogance radiated from his every movement, his eyes burning with deep-seated hatred.

"To be frank, I couldn't care less about the gold coins," he said, his lips curling into a sneer. "I came here for you."

"For me?" Eryke tilted his head slightly, his golden hair catching the dim light, an unreadable expression in his blue eyes.

"That's right. You're only a few years older than me but your strength surpasses mine, killing the Bow Demon puts you above those so-called geniuses in the legends." He spoke casually, then smiled with a hint of madness. "I'm jealous of you. Why can't I have what you have? If I can't match you, I'll just kill you and become number one again."

"Woah." Eryke gave a slow clap. "You really are something. At least you're an honest psychopath, I'll give you that."

"Come on, prepare for your death. No one's saving you today." The Young Master of the Thousand Iron Sect frowned at Eryke's casual calm in the face of death.

"Haha. Let's see who dies first." Eryke laughed, a touch of madness in his smile and then his form blurred and vanished.

"Attack!" The young master jabbed forward; the Martial Artists surged ahead while he slipped back from the front lines.

"This lot will be perfect for guerrilla warfare," he muttered, his eyes filled with coldness.

But a hairline of unease crawled up his spine. His instincts screamed; his breath came out ragged and shallow as his pupils darted nervously around the alley.

"Thousand Iron Arts: Metal Arms."

He hurriedly raised his hand as his Metal Qi surged into his arms, reinforcing them to a considerable degree, just as Eryke's kick arrived.

However, the Martial Art did little to protect the young master; his hands shattered in the span of a breath, and he was sent hurtling across the battlefield, tumbling along the ground while coughing up more blood.

Eryke didn't give him a chance, quickly following up with another kick aimed at his head.

At the last moment, the young master thrust out his sword, which shattered on impact and transformed into a shield instead.

"Thousand Iron Arts: Iron Shield."

The kick tore through the entire iron shield as if it weren't there, and the young master hastily tilted his head, narrowly avoiding the strike by a hair's breadth. His eyes widened as he stared at Eryke, filled with pure terror.

"What's wrong, scared already?" Eryke mocked, following up with several more kicks, each one barely evaded by the young master.

"Help me!" the young master cried out, his voice laden with despair.

The other Martial Artists quickly caught up, and one of them swung a heavy sword in an attempt to strike Eryke.

Eryke simply punched, casually shattering the giant sword and the attacker's chest along with it.

"Ahhh." With his chest destroyed, the Martial Trainee instantly died, the vitality in his eyes extinguished.

Eryke moved again with deadly precision, evading all the Martial Artists and appearing in front of one, punching with ruthless efficiency and killing anyone in the path of his fists.

Even against a single opponent, the Martial Artist could do nothing as Eryke continued his unrelenting rampage.

"Is he the one you said was insane, with strength comparable to a Transcendent Martial Artist?" At some point in time, a veiled woman appeared atop the tallest building, calmly observing the battle between Eryke and the hundreds of Martial Artists.

"I'm sorry, Master. I may have misjudged him," the disciple carrying her zither hurriedly apologized.

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