Chapter 51: Breathing Method

Ning Wu stood alone in the dim room, on the verge of madness.

The corpses scattered haphazardly on the floor pierced her heart at every moment; their deaths meant not only the failure of the operation, but also the enormous cost of cleanup she would have to bear.

She could not afford this cost—it would destroy her life.

If she weren’t a Spirit Perception cultivator now, she would have already spat blood and fainted from rage.

Even now, Ning Wu couldn’t understand why her plan, so meticulously crafted, had still failed.

Had she underestimated Li Yi’s strength?

Perhaps that was part of it, but it certainly wasn’t the reason for failure—something must have gone wrong in one of the steps, leading to her total defeat and this dire situation.

Suddenly.

A figure flashed through Ning Wu’s mind.

Kong Sheng?

Yes.

Why had everyone else failed, yet Kong Sheng remained untouched?

Though he was only assigned to surveillance and didn’t participate in this operation, even Wang Kui, hiding in the shadows, had been compromised—there was no reason Kong Sheng could remain completely uninvolved.

Had the operation been leaked?

A suspicion formed in Ning Wu’s mind.

Though it seemed impossible, it was now the only possibility she could conceive.

“Ning Wu, what are you still doing upstairs? Get down quickly—Li Yi has appeared.”

Suddenly, Kong Sheng’s voice rang from outside—he had received Li Yi’s signal and knew Li Yi had successfully eliminated Wang Kui.

The next step was simple.

Kill Ning Wu, and end this once and for all.

“Li Yi has appeared? Good, very good—I’m coming.”

Though Ning Wu sensed something was off about Kong Sheng, she had no time to dwell on it now—only by killing them and seizing the artifact from Li Yi could she still have a chance to turn things around.

Otherwise, her fate would be worse than death.

Instantly.

Ning Wu burst out, unwilling to waste a second on the stairs—she flipped over the balcony railing.

Her agile form leapt through the air and landed firmly on the ground.

Below, Li Yi stood tall and erect on the open ground, drenched in blood, eyes blazing, waiting for Ning Wu’s appearance.

Everything was settled—only she remained.

Moreover, Li Yi’s reason for revealing himself was another: to draw Ning Wu out. His family was still inside; if she noticed his parents in the medical pod, matters would become complicated.

Fortunately, the outcome matched his expectation.

Ning Wu had appeared.

She paid no attention to Li Yi’s unconscious parents, nor did she consider using them as leverage—she was too enraged, consumed only by the desire to kill Li Yi, reclaim her artifact, and then find a way to cover up the incident.

“You dare show your face?” Ning Wu gritted her teeth, glaring fiercely at Li Yi across the distance.

If looks could kill, Li Yi would already be dead.

“Why shouldn’t I show my face? Do you think I have to run away from you like last time in the Ruined District?” Li Yi stared back, seething with murderous intent.

Ning Wu’s face was icy: “How dare you bring up the Ruined District? You took my artifact and refused to return it, forcing me to act.”

“My artifact? You’ve got nerve. Wang Hu, Wei Li, and I risked our lives to retrieve even a fraction of it, hoping to make a profit—yet you waited outside, killing anyone who emerged. You want neither to pay nor to return the artifact, is that it? Liu Yan was the first to come out—you killed her with your gaze. Had I not fled then, I’d be dead in your cruel hands too.”

Li Yi growled low: “Perfect. Let’s settle old scores and new grievances today. Even if you hadn’t come to me, I’d have found you eventually.”

“Good, good, very good. Now that you’ve gained some strength, you’ve forgotten who you are. You’ll regret this decision—how foolish it was. You should have hidden like a rat in a sewer, not stood here openly provoking me.”

Ning Wu’s chest nearly exploded from rage, yet she did not lose her composure—her gaze unconsciously flickered toward the residential building behind Li Yi.

Wang Kui was hidden in that building. Right now, Li Yi was a perfect target—this was the ideal moment to strike.

“Stop looking. Wang Kui is a wanted criminal—I’ve already killed him.” Li Yi caught her subtle movement and exposed her thoughts outright.

Hearing this,

Ning Wu’s suppressed fury erupted: “Kong Sheng—it was you, you treacherous bastard.”

Now she understood everything. She finally knew the true reason for the operation’s failure.

Just as she’d suspected—there was a traitor in the team.

“Ning Wu, don’t say it like that. I’d never hire someone to kill—especially not with a wanted criminal. So I chose to be a good man, to stop your scheme, to be a messenger of justice.” Kong Sheng stepped out from a shadowed corner, keeping his distance, preserving his own safety.

“Justice to your whole family. After I kill Li Yi, I’ll settle accounts with you.” Ning Wu cursed furiously.

“You’ll have to clean up this mess first. But I doubt even you can walk away easily after such a major incident.” Kong Sheng smiled indifferently.

He knew his choice had been right.

With Wang Kui dead, not only had Ning Wu’s operation failed completely, but he could now claim his own payment.

“Li Yi, I’ve done what I promised you. I won’t get involved further—I don’t want to die here at Ning Wu’s hands.” Kong Sheng added, turning to Li Yi.

“You don’t need to get involved. You’re no match for Ning Wu. Go upstairs, clean up Wang Kui’s body, and wait for the Investigation Bureau to arrive for your reward. I’ll stay here and do my best to kill her.” Li Yi spoke with murderous intent, slowly advancing toward Ning Wu.

Killing this woman here would be best.

But he had no absolute certainty.

If Ning Wu chose to flee, Li Yi couldn’t stop her.

Yet Li Yi believed Ning Wu’s desire to kill him was no less than his own—so she would most likely not run.

“Must end this quickly—kill Li Yi and reclaim the artifact before the investigators arrive. Only then can I make up for the losses and contain the fallout.”

Ning Wu forced herself to calm down, suppressing her rage—anger would only cloud her judgment.

Even against Li Yi, she had no absolute confidence of victory.

Though he was only a Spirit Mediator, the traces on the corpses showed Li Yi had gained some extraordinary fortune—he had learned a technique capable of fully unleashing a cultivator’s power.

A fist technique, combined with Kong Sheng’s betrayal and warning, had caused Lao Ya and the others to be wiped out here.

Ning Wu watched Li Yi approach, her face cold, eyes brimming with lethal intent as she stepped forward. As she drew closer, her breathing grew heavier, its rhythm becoming strange—like a predator emitting a dangerous low growl.

Accompanying this growling breath, Ning Wu’s skin gradually flushed red, and a dangerous aura radiated outward.

Hearing this growling breath, Li Yi instantly halted, his expression turning grave.

This breathing was unlike any human’s... was it also a technique?

“Probably not a technique—more likely a method to temporarily enhance physical attributes, not reaching the level of true art.” Li Yi recalled Yang Yi Long’s technique and compared it—Ning Wu’s breathing method was vastly inferior.

Yet he still assumed a fighting stance, utterly fearless.

In his master Zhao Ge’s world, martial artists dared to swing their fists at stronger foes.

Without the spirit and vigor to face an entire nation at close range, what was the point of practicing fists?

If Li Yi’s fists could only strike those weaker than himself, his fists would never improve.

Suddenly.

Ning Wu’s breath reached its peak—her pupils sharply contracted, becoming narrow, vertical slits like those of a predator. Now, she saw Li Yi as her prey, and her body, at this moment of life-or-death combat, underwent another evolution.

Here she comes!

Ning Wu exploded forward, her speed surging—her body stretched into a straight line, instantly closing the distance to Li Yi. Before she even stabilized, she lashed out with a whip-like kick.

“Incredible speed.”

Li Yi was stunned—there was no time to throw a punch; even if he started one, he’d be struck away by her kick before completing it.

He instantly raised his arms to block.

“Crack!”

Their contact lasted only a moment—like a dragonfly skimming water—but a tremendous force erupted between them.

Li Yi felt as if he’d been hit by a small car—his body could not withstand the power, lifting several centimeters off the ground and sliding at least a meter sideways before he finally stabilized.

Intense pain shot through his arm.

His skin split instantly, blood spraying, with fragments of flesh and signs of bone fractures visible.

“So this is what a Spirit Perception cultivator’s evolution looks like...”

Li Yi was stunned—having blocked the blow, he still suffered such injury; Ning Wu’s strength was terrifying.

Fortunately, Ning Wu had not learned a fist technique—if she had, channeling all her force into that kick, she would have shattered his arm and spine—he couldn’t have blocked it at all.

This was the gap in physical cultivation—something not easily bridged.

Yet before Li Yi could recover,

The growling breath echoed again—Ning Wu surged forward like a beast, her vertical pupils locked on Li Yi, murderous intent surging, as she raised her fist and struck with full force.

“Come!” Li Yi roared, voice thunderous.

He stomped the ground, cracking it instantly, and unleashed his fist power—crashing through the air with a sharp crack to meet her blow head-on.