Chapter 023: First-Level Curse Art, Waves!

Chen Xiao instinctively stopped in his tracks. He looked around—this was right in the heart of the city. It was already afternoon, and there weren’t many people on the streets. After observing carefully, he found nothing unusual.
“Could it be my imagination?” Chen Xiao wondered, but he didn’t stay long. He quickened his pace toward the bus stop.
“Hey, kid! That’s you—stop!” Suddenly, a slightly raised voice came from behind. Seven or eight street thugs in strange clothes, with colorful hair and numerous earrings, surrounded Chen Xiao in an instant.
“Kid, you seem to like meddling in others’ affairs, don’t you?” The leader, a tall youth wearing sunglasses, with dyed hair and countless earrings, spoke to Chen Xiao with a seemingly friendly smile.
“Are they the ones? No, they can’t pose any threat to me.” Chen Xiao shook his head slightly.
But to these thugs, his behavior clearly seemed like fear.
“Kid, come with us.” Saying this, the leader grabbed Chen Xiao’s shoulder and led him toward a street corner.
Chen Xiao didn’t resist. If he fought them in public, more people would gather to watch.
There were many alleys in Jinghua, and even more dead ends. At the end of a narrow alley that had long been ignored, the leader lit a cigarette and blew a gentle puff toward Chen Xiao’s face.
“20,000 yuan, or one arm—choose yourself.”
“No wonder no one dares to interfere. It seems these guys are the local bosses here.” Chen Xiao sighed bitterly as another dozen thugs approached.
“You give it to me?” Chen Xiao smiled. In his eyes, these thugs were nothing. The only thing that worried him was the inexplicable sense of danger that had arisen earlier.
“You’re seeking death.”
The leader raised his right hand to strike Chen Xiao’s face. But before his hand could touch Chen Xiao’s cheek, Chen Xiao grabbed it firmly.
This youth was far weaker than Lin Tianchi. It took Chen Xiao no effort to deal with him.
“Who’s really seeking death?” Chen Xiao smiled warmly, just like the youth had done when they first met.
The youth’s face showed fear. He felt as if his wrist was being squeezed by pliers, almost losing all sensation. He knew he was in serious trouble now.
“Better release me, or you’ll regret it!” Though terrified, the youth kept shouting.
The thugs who had been watching from afar rushed over immediately.
“Pretty bold.”
Chen Xiao’s expression turned cold. He was extremely annoyed. If these guys hadn’t provoked him, it would have been fine. But since they had, Chen Xiao definitely wouldn’t be gentle.

Lin Tianchi and Murong Zi didn’t seem to end up very well—one became his follower, while the other wet himself in public. Naturally, Chen Xiao wouldn’t show mercy to these scoundrels. A cold expression appeared on Chen Xiao’s face as he flicked his hand, sending the young man in his grasp flying against the wall opposite, where he immediately lost consciousness. “Big brother!” The other scoundrels were shocked. “Attack!” Relying on their numbers, they swarmed toward Chen Xiao. Chen Xiao certainly wouldn’t be polite either. Although he couldn’t openly use his supernatural abilities against these ordinary people, that didn’t matter much. Nourished by the Main God’s power, Chen Xiao’s body had become extremely strong. More importantly, he had practiced martial arts since childhood. Though not a master, he knew at least the basic self-defense techniques. Chen Xiao leaped into the air and, with a series of rapid kicks, sent those dozen scoundrels flying. “Get lost! Stop bothering me!” Chen Xiao landed on the ground and shouted angrily. With just that move, he subdued these scoundrels. It was a move typically only seen in martial arts masters on TV—kicking away a dozen people, even if they were just ordinary folks, was enough to prove Chen Xiao’s strength. Blood flowed from the mouths of those scoundrels. They didn’t dare say anything, not even a harsh word, and fled shamefully, taking their leader, who had been knocked out by Chen Xiao, with them. “Come out,” Chen Xiao said after catching his breath. “Oh? You found me?” After a strange ripple in the air, a man in black, in his thirties, slowly appeared. “A martial warrior, or an ancient martial artist?” the man in black asked, looking at Chen Xiao. Chen Xiao just stared at him without speaking. “Who you are doesn’t matter. Come with me. Our family head wants to meet you,” the man in black said indifferently, showing no respect for Chen Xiao at all. “Your family? Who is it?” Chen Xiao’s wariness surged. There were many powerful families in the world of supernatural abilities, and they were all ones he couldn’t afford to provoke right now. He was alone, and if they came at him with eight supernatural beings, he could only hide in the Main God’s space. “You’ll know once you go,” the man in black said coldly. This guy had mocked the family’s daughter and made her lose face in public. If not for Murong Tianhe wanting to bring him back, the man in black would have killed him on the spot. Chen Xiao’s mind raced, considering countless possibilities. Eventually, he narrowed it down to Murong Zi, who had conflicted with him today. “That woman comes from a supernatural family?” Chen Xiao’s heart skipped a beat, but he quickly dismissed the idea. If she were truly a supernatural being, his petty tricks wouldn’t work at all. But the man in black didn’t give him time to think further. Seeing Chen Xiao standing still, he rushed forward, grabbing at Chen Xiao’s wrist. At the same time, a faint black aura emanated from his body.

“A Martial Warrior!” Chen Xiao immediately identified him. “He’s stronger than Bilin Tianchi. My physical strength isn’t as good as his.”
With his abnormally powerful mental strength, Chen Xiao made an instant judgment. He quickly retreated, and at the same time, the Star and Moon Staff appeared in his hands.
The Star and Moon Staff was swung rapidly in the air, but this time it wasn’t a random swing like before—it followed a specific pattern and trajectory.
A water-based spirit spell!
A first-tier spell: Waves!
Whoosh!
A huge wave formed out of thin air and rushed straight at the man in black.
“A spellcaster?”
The man in black’s pupils contracted, but instead of retreating, he advanced. A black light formed in his hand and was sent straight at Chen Xiao’s wave.
“Just a first-tier spellcaster… What?!” The man in black, who had been feeling proud, suddenly turned pale with shock.
In his eyes, what Chen Xiao had used was merely a first-tier water-based spirit spell. As a second-tier Martial Warrior, breaking through such a first-tier spell should be effortless, right?
But something unexpected happened—the black blade he conjured was instantly shattered by that first-tier spirit spell wave!