Way of the Devil

When the lady appeared, Lu Sheng was at a crucial point of his ranking up and derivations. Suddenly, another surge of power entered his body and attempted to join in the cycle of ranking up.

This power seemed to be of an exchanging nature. As it inserted itself into him, it also attempted to suck away a portion of his Inner Chain Qi in exchange.

There was no way that Lu Sheng would allow such passive exchanges.

Lu Sheng opened his eyes on the spot and immediately grabbed at her. However, he only grabbed air.

“I don’t need impurities.” He looked around him, but did not find anything out of the ordinary. The lady seemed to have vanished into thin air.

“What rubbish! If you come again, I’ll kill you!” he warned in a cold tone.

“Hiss…”

At this moment, the frame regained clarity.

“Mixed Martial Art. 781st limit dan. (Special traits. Instant Destruction Fist. Limit Indestructible Body, level nine. Inner Chain Qi, level 390. Hollow Spirituality. Earth Mother’s Stare.)”

‘The lady just now, her spirit was… immense… but she didn’t seem to have a will of her own. Is this the Earth Mother’s Stare…?’

Lu Sheng had encountered all kinds of supernatural life before. He also encountered beings with Spiritual Power but no will of their own such as the lady. However, this was his first time encountering a being with such an immense and formidable spirit yet without a will of its own.

The lady merely seemed to be acting according to some rules.

It was just like the exchange which took part just now. It was merely an exchange. There was no volitional emotion, thoughts, or intentions.

The instant Lu Sheng’s spirit came into contact with the lady, he felt the countless jumbled up memories inside of her.

The lady’s spirit did not seem to be a singular entity as well. It was more like a collection of minds stacked together to form that large being.

‘Earth Mother’s Stare… Is it something like a blessing of fate?’ Lu Sheng could not understand the difference. Lu Sheng merely felt that this mark seemed to enable him to obtain a constant stream of energy from the earth.

It was as if he would be supported by endless energy as long as his feet were on the ground.

‘I wonder what stage is my strength at now. I think I can try it out with a Gesha.’

More than 100,000 of his Mental Energy units were completely depleted. Lu Sheng could clearly feel that his current state was extremely close to his main body’s rank.

Also, his Mixed Martial Art which he’d derived up until now was fundamentally purer than the Eight-Headed Devil Art.

He did not have any control over Devil Qi, Capacities, or Arts.

The only ability he possessed was his boxing techniques.

This was also the key reason why this body was able to get closer to his main body’s rank. He had only been focusing on a single thing.

With his main body, he was training his body, combat skills, and many other Capacities. These Capacities divided his Mental Energy among them. Hence, his Eight-Headed Devil Art consumed much more Mental Energy than his Mixed Martial Art.

‘I didn’t expect to enjoy this sort of efficiency by focusing on a single thing. Although my own spirit’s tier had a part to play, focusing on this alone has also helped this body to continuously achieve breakthroughs and achieve all this.’

However, the only thing that he was unsure of was how powerful a Gesha was. Also, he did not know how powerful of a might this body could unleash.

Lu Sheng was also clear that just because his rank was almost the same as his main body’s, it did not mean that it would be enough in actual combat.

The most he could say was that his rank was at the peak of harmony with his spirit. If he wanted to progress further, he would have to improve his spirit and body at the same time.

Without his Mental Energy, Lu Sheng had no choice but to rest.

He had a sleepless night. Early next morning, he left the house and headed toward the Thousand Trees Sports Center on the outskirts.

According to the arrangements he’d made over the phone, his current manager had placed all his recent income as bet to invite the most powerful person in the boxing world: the Blazing Shadow Fist Emperor, Andes.

This match would be secretly held in an underground boxing ring near the sports center.

At first, Andes had had no intention of accepting the invitation. He had enough money himself. However, after he learned about the green mark on Lu Sheng’s shoulder, he somehow agreed to it.

However, his condition was that he and Lu Sheng would be fighting one-on-one, and no audience was allowed. He did not even allow video recording.

Lu Sheng agreed despite the strong protests from his manager and the organizing committee. However, with Andes’s great influence, their match was still arranged.

Lu Sheng was looking forward to this match. When he learned that Andes had a mark on his shoulder as well, his urge to test his strength became greater.

If there were no accidents, he could preserve most of his enhanced strength in this world after coming back to Libra City. This was because the two worlds were not too different in nature. In addition to that, Lu Sheng’s path was also the simplest with the highest compatibility.

Hence, he should be able to convert most of it and bring it back to Libra City.

Lu Sheng put on his coat and rode a taxi all the way to the sports center. A dedicated staff member was already waiting for him there.

The staff member led Lu Sheng into an underground car park to the left. They navigated their way through and arrived in a secret tunnel.

After passing through the long underground metallic tunnel, Lu Sheng was quickly brought into a dark hall which resembled a theater.

Of all the seats in the theater, only a big, tall, and strong-looking man sat in the center with a stern expression.

The man was bald and had silver studs on his ears. A ring of green marks circled his neck in a pattern that resembled thorny brambles.

“How should I address you?” The man slowly stood up and directed his gaze toward Lu Sheng, who was entering. “I didn’t expect there to be another fist king capable enough to be a match for me after all these years in the federation.”

“Andes?” Lu Sheng asked.

“It’s me. Can I see your mark?” Andes casually removed his red cloak which covered his body and exposed a green mark identical to Lu Sheng’s on his shoulder.

“Of course.” Lu Sheng removed his clothes as well, revealing his greenish-black mark.

“Well then… Let’s begin.” Andes walked away from his seat. The look he gave Lu Sheng slowly grew fiercer.

…

An hour later, Lu Sheng left the car park in a new set of clothes.

Andes released a statement online, saying that the title of Fist Emperor had been transferred to another person.

A reputable international organization, the First Fist King Alliance, issued a statement: the new Fist Emperor would be called Specter.

A few managers of the First Fist King Alliance hastily followed behind Lu Sheng.

“Shall we arrange a ride back for you?” one of them asked softly.

“There’s no need. Carry on as usual. I don’t need any of you getting involved in my life,” Lu Sheng said calmly.

“But master Andes has instructed—” began one of the troubled managers.

“Do as I say,” Lu Sheng said with finality.

He did not actually fight Andes. However, if they’d truly gone at it, Andes would have lost without even making a move.

There was no doubt that Andes had surpassed the limits of men. However, he was still a far cry compared to Lu Sheng.

“The difference between an elephant and an ant” was not sufficient to describe the gap that existed between them. After recognizing Lu Sheng’s strength, Andes decided to give his title of Fist Emperor away. At the same time, he was willing to become Lu Sheng’s subordinate.

He was not a person who knew nothing about Geshas. On the contrary, it was precisely because he knew something about Geshas and Star Chasers to the point that he could differentiate the nature of their powers that he was willing to become Lu Sheng’s subordinate.

Unlike Geshas, Lu Sheng’s strength was extremely pure. It had absolutely nothing to do with Geshas.

Lu Sheng understood why Andes was willing to submit to him as well.

The name of Fist Emperor was too heavy to shoulder. Even though Andes had surpassed a human being’s limits, in order to defend this title, he used his family’s influence to manage a huge defensive organization.

If he did not do this, any Gesha could ruin him in an instant.

All this time, he had been fretting about dealing with the powerful Geshas. Now that he saw a ray of hope from Lu Sheng, he naturally made the decision.

Lu Sheng was merely pushing the boat along with the current. Then, with a little psychological guidance art, he easily made Andes and the conglomerates he was in charge of into his subordinates. Although it was mainly for appearances, it was enough.

Naturally, he did not make this move because he wanted the money. He had other plans.

After shaking off the managers who followed behind him, Lu Sheng took public transportation back. He sat on his seat, closed his eyes, and rested his mind.

He had seen the so-called strongest man on earth already. What disappointed him was that there was no force powerful enough to become his match aside from the Geshas.

Also, becoming a Gesha depended greatly on one’s birth. One was either born with a Gesha’s power or not. Even their strength was predetermined at birth; there was no room for improvement.

If strength was fixed from the start, it was a system that completely favored natural endowment.

As he sat on the seat, Lu Sheng was feeling slightly helpless.

‘My Mental Energy is completely depleted. The only way forward now is to look for more Mental Energy. Then, I should continue studying this Earth Mother’s Stare. Maybe I’ll find an opportunity to improve further.

‘Objects that contain the most Mental Energy are antiques. Andes’s influence might come in handy for this.’

As he sat in the bus, Lu Sheng kept thinking about his future plans.

At his intended station, he got down from the bus. He would still have to walk a short distance from the platform to his house.

Lu Sheng walked along a street. As he passed by a karaoke sign, he seemed to have sensed something. He turned and looked around.

His surroundings were quiet.

“Klak, klak…”

A fat black rat scurried past the rubbish bin and disappeared into the sewer.

Lu Sheng stopped looking around and picked up his pace again. However, his spirit was already locked on the red-haired girl on the stairs of the karaoke’s second floor.

The girl was releasing an agitated and scorching wave without restraint. It was not actual temperature; it was her spirit, her mind, which gave off that sensation.

It was as if she was a manifestation of flames.

‘Is she a Gesha?’

Lu Sheng licked his lips. He feigned ignorance and continued on his way.

It was his intention to fight against the so-called most powerful strength in this world, the divine power. He wanted to see just how powerful this Gesha Power was.

Perhaps he could even replenish his extremely dry Mental Energy.

…..

Xu Zhenzhen had a lollipop in her mouth as she tugged on her red dress.

She wore a form-fitting knitted red dress, a red hat, black stockings, and red shoes.

With her outfit coupled with her shoulder-length hair, she looked like a warm girl who walked out of a magazine’s cover.

‘He doesn’t have any Gesha Power, and he’s not a Star Chaser. He’s a mere mortal.’ She scrutinized Lu Sheng who was passing by.

Her senses were never wrong. Her target was definitely not a Gesha, nor was he a Star Chaser. ‘But how did Bai Chaoan get himself killed? Where was his body after he was killed?’

She needed answers to these questions.

‘So… I should take one step at a time. I’ll take care of this fellow first and see what reaction Little Bai’s killer will have.’ Xu Zhenzhen shattered her lollipop and threw the plastic handle away. She raised one of her feet and placed it on the window ledge before herself. She did not mind exposing what was under her dress. She wanted to leap off this foothold.

“Little sister, would you like to play a game with me?” Suddenly, a boy’s ridiculing tone came from behind her. “It’s going to be fun…”

Xu Zhenzhen suddenly looked back. She saw a beautiful boy with red hair. He was holding something in his hand as he looked at her with a grin.

When Xu Zhenzhen saw what the boy was holding, her pupils suddenly contracted.

Lu Sheng waited around the corner for a long time. He walked the 10-meter alley three times.

Unfortunately, the aura behind him got agitated for a moment before being extinguished quickly.

It was snuffed out.

He scanned with his spirit and understood what had happened. He had planned to check out a Gesha’s strength, but his assassin had been intercepted. ‘Too bad…’