Ch-29: Breaking Chains of Constraint

Both Bai Chenyu and Mo Xiao exchanged dumbfounded looks. Bai Chenyu, surprised, turned to his master and noticed the same bewildered expression mirrored on his face.

'What on earth was that? How did such a powerful beam shoot out from his finger?" Mo Xiao wondered, never having witnessed such a potent Crystal Finger attack before. On the contrary, Bai Chenyu couldn't hide his excitement.

'Hmm, even my master seems clueless about this power surge. I guess it has something to do with my physique,' Bai Chenyu thought to himself, connecting the dots.

"Master, do you have any idea what just happened?" Bai Chenyu asked with curiosity, snapping Mo Xiao out of his daze.

"Hmm, I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's related to your physique," Mo Xiao responded after pondering for a moment. Bai Chenyu was a bit surprised, realizing he had reached the same conclusion independently.

"Doesn't that mean I can abuse this skill by spamming it to take down monsters?" Bai Chenyu whispered to himself, realizing the potential to effortlessly defeat enemies in the future without draining much spiritual energy. Mo Xiao, overhearing this, couldn't help but have his eyes twitch in response

"Master, maybe I should test it on some stronger beasts?" Bai Chenyu suggested, excitement lighting up his face. Mo Xiao tapped his chin, contemplating the idea. Curious to see if the technique could indeed deal substantial damage to stronger beasts, he was about to agree but smirked as he noticed something happening nearby.

"Chenyu, go over there alone. I've got something to take care of; I'll be right back," Mo Xiao pointed in a specific direction and vanished from his spot, leaving Bai Chenyu alone and perplexed.

"Huh, why did he suddenly leave?" Bai Chenyu muttered as he began walking in the direction Mo Xiao had pointed out to him. After a few minutes, Bai Chenyu effortlessly dispatched a few beasts with his Crystal Finger, taking them down with a single shot.

"Huh, what happened here?" Bai Chenyu paused when he noticed the ground stained with blood and the corpses of beasts scattered around.

"HELP!" suddenly a voice echoed from a distance away.

"Huh, what's going on? Who's shouting for help?" Bai Chenyu's expression changed, and he instantly sprinted towards the source of the sound. Upon arrival, his face soured as he witnessed a male being devoured by a giant wolf. On the other side, three individuals—two males and one female—stood with weapons in hand, covered in blood. It was evident they were exhausted from trying to fend off the beasts.

"Crystal Finger," Bai Chenyu muttered under his breath, taking aim at the monsters' skulls. A thick beam shot out from the tip of his finger. The wolf, sensing danger, instinctively raised its head. Its eyes widened as it felt the imminent threat, attempting to dodge but failing due to the beam's speed.

"W-Who's there?" one of the males among the three cautiously asked, peering in Bai Chenyu's direction.

"Hey, I mean no harm," Bai Chenyu assured, looking at the three cultivators with a non-threatening gesture as he spread his hands.

"Did you guys shout for help? I came to help you," Bai Chenyu explained. Their expressions, initially tense, visibly relaxed upon hearing his words.

"O-Oh, yes, thank you. Because of you, we're safe, or otherwise, that monster would have killed us," said one of the males in the group.

"Sigh, if you could have arrived earlier, our companion would have survived as well," the female of the group expressed sorrow, wearing a sad expression.

"Yes, if it weren't for him sacrificing himself, we would have already died," the other male said, his gaze fixed on the lifeless body of the man the wolf had been devouring.

"Sorry, I wish I had arrived sooner," Bai Chenyu said, attempting to offer comfort.

"Ah, you don't have to be sorry. You already saved him. Thank you. We will take our leave," said the female as they began walking towards their fallen companion. Bai Chenyu sighed and didn't say anything more, turning to walk back the way he came. As soon as he turned his back, the three cultivators' expressions changed. Without hesitation, they raised their hands and launched fireballs towards him.

Bai Chenyu, still with his senses activated, detected the attack and swiftly moved out of the way, narrowly avoiding it.

"Hey, why did you attack me?" Bai Chenyu frowned, observing their expressions darken upon realizing their attack had missed.

"Damn, how did you dodge?" the female exclaimed in annoyance, her previous sadness replaced by frustration.

"I asked you a question; why did you attack me?" Bai Chenyu inquired once again.

"Hmph, you must be new to the outside world, considering you're from a sect. Brat, you're carrying such a precious treasure. You probably don't know the law of the jungle – carrying a treasure makes an innocent man guilty," said the man with a sneer on his face.

"That's not your companion, right?" Bai Chenyu asked as realization struck him.

"Indeed, he was just bait. I used him to lure the wolf so that we could kill it for its core, and now you will die too," said the female confidently. She believed that a young brat like Bai Chenyu wouldn't be able to take them on. However, in the next moment, she heard the words "Crystal Finger," and saw Bai Chenyu's companions beside him lose their heads.

"W-Wait!" the female hastily shouted as Bai Chenyu, with cold eyes, pointed his finger towards her. Before she could say anything more, a beam approached, and she fell lifeless to the ground.

"Huh, I was too naive. I need to be more alert dealing with strangers," Bai Chenyu said to himself, acknowledging the need for increased caution in the Cultivation world. He had to let go of the thoughts from his old world of helping and not killing other humans, a sentiment he discarded at this moment to fully adapt to his new environment.

"Master, are you satisfied?" Bai Chenyu asked as he looked in a certain direction, and Mo Xiao appeared at that place.

"Hahaha, well done, Chenyu! I'm impressed that you could kill without hesitation. When a cultivator kills someone for the first time, they often hesitate, and some even perish due to that hesitation. But not you. I'm very pleased," Mo Xiao commended. He had expected his disciple to struggle with the act of taking another human life, anticipating possible intervention if Bai Chenyu hesitated and faced danger. However, he was surprised and pleased to witness his disciple's ruthlessness.

"Sigh, Master, let's go back to the sect for today," Bai Chenyu sighed, feeling mental exhaustion.

"Hmm, let's go back," Mo Xiao nodded in acknowledgment, having achieved one of his purposes, which was to guide Bai Chenyu through his first experience of taking a human life.