Chapter Fourteen: The Cultivator Guo Zijiang (Part Two)

Zhao Qiang was very confident in his blade technique, having countless times swiftly dispatched hordes of zombies with it. This time was no different, except it was a sparring match. Before striking, Zhao Qiang deliberately turned the "Dog Leg" blade in a different direction to avoid slicing Guo Zijiang’s neck with the sharp edge.

Zhao Qiang’s movements were not fast; anyone would have ample time to dodge or react. But Guo Zijiang made no evasive move—he allowed the "Dog Leg" to slash straight at his neck.

“Is that all you’ve got? Feel free to attack. No one on this planet can harm me. Here, I am invincible!” Guo Zijiang said with a faint smile. The "Dog Leg" struck his neck, yet he felt no discomfort at all.

“Cut the crap. I was just testing you, haven’t even gone all out yet,” Zhao Qiang retorted, smirking. Though his strike had been slow, it carried considerable force. Zhao Qiang had always trusted his strength; an attack like that would have knocked down any grown man. Yet Guo Zijiang showed no sign of injury.

“I’m going all out now.” Zhao Qiang stepped back half a pace, performed a flourish with his blade, and tucked away his arrogance. The earlier test made him begin to believe that cultivation might really exist.

Glancing at his watch, Guo Zijiang said casually, “One minute. If you still can’t get me out of this circle by then, you lose.”

“Hey, that’s cheating! You never said there was a time limit!” Zhao Qiang protested.

“Fifty-five seconds,” Guo Zijiang replied coolly.

“Damn it! That’s your own fault!” Zhao Qiang took a giant step forward. This time, he abandoned all fancy blade techniques. The "Dog Leg" sliced through the air at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, accompanied by a sharp whoosh as it aimed for Guo Zijiang’s head. Zhao Qiang put all his strength into the strike; an attack like this would be unstoppable even by a Pulverizer.

Clang! The sound of metal striking metal rang out. The "Dog Leg" flew from Zhao Qiang’s hand, spinning several times before embedding itself into the hard concrete floor.

“That’s more like it,” Guo Zijiang said, still standing there. Only a faint mark appeared on his forehead, as if the back of the blade had lightly pressed against it. Meanwhile, Zhao Qiang clutched his hand, blood streaming down his fingers.

“Your tiger’s mouth is split open; you need to bandage it,” Guo Zijiang said indifferently. “Or I can help you.”

“Is that so?” Zhao Qiang gritted his teeth. Having strong regenerative ability didn’t mean he didn’t feel pain.

“See no evil, hear no evil. Embracing heaven and earth, nurturing all life!” Reciting the incantation, Guo Zijiang pointed at Zhao Qiang’s wound. Instantly, the pain vanished, and the bleeding stopped as if the injury had never existed. If not for the blood still wet on his hand, Zhao Qiang might have thought it was all an illusion.

“How did you do that?” Zhao Qiang stared at Guo Zijiang in disbelief. Everything was beyond his comprehension.

“It’s hard to explain in a short time, but...” Guo Zijiang glanced at his watch again. “You’ve got thirty seconds left. Want to continue?”

“Why not?” Seeing Guo Zijiang’s miraculous ability stirred Zhao Qiang’s competitive spirit. Regardless of whether he was some kind of cultivator, if he didn’t get him out of this circle today, next time if he met someone less friendly, life would be miserable.

“Let’s go again!” A strange smile flickered across Zhao Qiang’s face. Shouting aloud, he planted his feet as pivots, twisted his body right, turning his feet into an exaggerated angle. With a powerful thrust of his right foot against the ground, his right leg swung backward and upward around his hip joint. The leg continued rotating backward and to the right in a whipping motion. The entire sequence—turning, spinning, kicking—flowed seamlessly without the slightest pause.

Guo Zijiang watched the attack with a smile until Zhao Qiang’s whipping kick connected with his left arm. His expression first showed surprise, then immediately twisted into pain. The force sent him flying into the air, slamming heavily against an armored vehicle parked nearby before sliding slowly down.

...

“Are you awake?” When Guo Zijiang opened his eyes, his left hand still throbbed faintly. Zhao Qiang’s slightly chubby, somewhat irritating face appeared before him. “How about it? Convinced now?”

“Ugh...” Guo Zijiang exhaled heavily and struggled to sit up. The surroundings remained largely unchanged, except for a few unfamiliar people standing nearby, watching him with ambiguous smiles. “This can’t be! There’s still time left!” he shouted.

“Nothing is impossible,” said a middle-aged man with graying temples who had approached. Though he looked weak, his voice thundered in Guo Zijiang’s ear.

“Who... who are you?” Guo Zijiang stepped back, trying to put some distance between himself and the man. Since embarking on the path of cultivation, Guo Zijiang had never felt such immense psychological pressure. This seemingly frail middle-aged man unsettled him deeply.

“My name is Zhang Yongming,” the man said calmly, standing beside Guo Zijiang. “By your reckoning, I am also a cultivator.”

What? There were other cultivators? Impossible! Guo Zijiang’s eyes widened in disbelief, unable to utter a word. In truth, Guo Zijiang was just a homebody who had become obsessed with cultivation after devouring countless fantasy novels online. For a long time, he had searched feverishly for cultivation knowledge and even spent a fortune hiring masters to guide him, only to be repeatedly deceived.

After the disaster struck, Guo Zijiang had lived in constant fear. Zombies were everywhere, swarming like a plague. He hid at home like a rat until he ate his last pack of instant noodles. Driven by hunger, he finally summoned the courage to step outside.

Guo Zijiang’s luck was abysmal—or so he thought. No sooner had he descended the stairs than a few nearby zombies detected him. He turned and ran, cursing himself for being a shut-in whose stamina had plummeted to terrifying lows.

Soon, gasping for breath, Guo Zijiang collapsed in the stairwell, unable to move. The zombies showed no sign of fatigue. Desperate, he shut his eyes in pain. Just as the zombies pounced, a sudden spark of inspiration hit him. Clutching at his last hope, he formed hand seals and recited a Taoist incantation he had found online.