[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult":3,"chapter-don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-23":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Don't Mock the Poor Old Man: Gains a Year of Cultivation Every Day!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2312515,4520,"Chapter 23: Breaking Through to Dark Force!","don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-23",23,"\u003Cp>The night was like a curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the Tingyu Pavilion in the lakeside pavilion, a hunched figure nearly merged with the dim shadows crouched silently beneath the eaves near the waterside pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye’s face had long since returned to its usual aged and vacant expression; the true essence of the Thousand Transformations Monkey had been suppressed, reverting him to the unremarkable gatekeeper’s appearance, save for his eyes, which glowed unnaturally clear in the gloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had waited here for nearly an hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had watched the candlelight inside the room extinguish completely, heard the heart-wrenching sobs gradually soften into stifled sniffles, and finally dissolve into a deathly silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had saved them from falling into Zhang Xu’s clutches, but what followed… had plunged him into an even deeper quagmire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, after that agonizingly long wait, the door creaked open a sliver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two slender figures, supporting each other, crept out with extreme caution, even trembling with the fear of a bird startled by a bowstring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Liu Yiyi and Su Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yiyi’s face remained terrifyingly pale, her eyes swollen and red, but her gaze no longer held its initial shattered emptiness; instead, it now radiated a cold stillness and vigilance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Yan was no better—tear tracks still stained her cheeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once gentle, radiant smile was gone, replaced by a forced composure and profound exhaustion; she clutched Liu Yiyi’s arm tightly, her eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, alert to the slightest movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’ve finally come out…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye exhaled inwardly, his taut, bowstring-like spirit easing slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His greatest fear had been Liu Yiyi’s outwardly cold, inwardly unyielding, fiercely proud nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since childhood, this girl had always been different—her emotions rarely showed, as if nothing could truly shake her frozen heart, and she valued her purity above all else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye truly feared that after such a cataclysm, she might be instantly consumed by despair and make an irreversible, final decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Yan came from a wealthy family with strict upbringing; she naturally placed immense value on reputation and chastity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heart-wrenching sobs from inside the room had proven that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he saw both women’s emotions remained stable, with no signs of suicide, Jiang Ye felt a great weight lift from his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I should return to break through to Dark Force.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye silently pondered, slowly withdrawing his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Liu Yiyi and Su Yan were at their most sensitive, most vulnerable—like frightened fawns; any extra attention or surveillance might be keenly sensed by them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, with Liu Yiyi’s Dark Force cultivation, aside from the Transformation experts, few in Anxi County could threaten them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cast one final, deep look at the two slender, graceful figures, a complex emotion flickering in his aged eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he did not linger; his form melted into the black night, slipping soundlessly from the eave corner, leaping a few times before vanishing far from the lakeside pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sss… I’m going to die… how could it… hurt this much…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Yan’s delicate brows knitted tightly, her teeth biting her lower lip until it nearly bled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every step she took sharpened the searing, unnatural pain, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It even made her legs feel weak and tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stole a glance at Liu Yiyi beside her—though she still held her spine straight and her face icy, her pale lips were clenched just as tightly, each step slow and heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the other’s condition was no better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two walked one behind the other, not holding hands, yet maintaining an unspoken, cautious distance—as if drawing closer would force them to see their own disgrace and degradation reflected in the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After roughly a stick of incense, they finally staggered beyond the lakeside pavilion’s grounds, stepping onto a secluded path linking the Mirror Lake’s shore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yiyi, walking ahead, suddenly halted, her cold eyes narrowing sharply as they locked onto a spot on the distant shore, “Someone’s there… on the bank.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Yan, hearing this, forced herself to focus and followed her gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, on a rocky shoal near the water, a figure lay sprawled motionless, half-submerged in shallow water, swaying gently with the ripples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two exchanged a glance and decided to approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they finally drew near and saw the face of the fallen figure—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their blood seemed to freeze instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, like a dormant volcano erupting, boundless rage and bone-deep hatred surged like lava into their skulls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the figure sprawled on the shore was Zhang Xu!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet his current state bore not a trace of the arrogance and swagger of the Zhang family’s second young master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mouth caked with dark red blood and mud, foam oozed with each faint breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His chest, clothes and the faintly visible metal under-armor, were deeply caved in—his ribs shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face was as pale as gold paper, his breath a thread, the picture of a man on the verge of death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, after being punched into the lake by the white-haired elder, he had survived thanks to his fitted armor and, driven by instinct, had crawled back to shore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good! Good! Good!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yiyi uttered three “goods,” her voice colder than polar winds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furious beyond measure, she laughed—no warmth in that laugh, only overwhelming killing intent and the cruel satisfaction of vengeance, “This beast… still has breath left! Heaven has eyes indeed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a surge of rage, her right hand instantly curled into a fist, poised to smash down hard onto Zhang Xu’s already sunken temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this punch landed, even in full health he would have no chance of survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait, Yiyi! Don’t kill him yet!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the last moment, Su Yan lunged forward and seized Liu Yiyi’s wrist mid-swing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was equally cold, but carried an extra layer of suppressed, almost cruel calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yiyi’s punch halted; she turned her head slightly, her gaze at Su Yan filled not only with blazing fury but also confusion and irritation at being interrupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Killing him outright is too kind!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Yan released her grip, her eyes piercing like ice needles into Zhang Xu’s mangled body, her voice low, clear, and chilling:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For a beast like this, there’s a way to make him suffer more alive than dead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She paused, her eyes gleaming with a complex mix of reason and hatred, then continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And have you considered—if he dies here, mysteriously, in this condition…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Zhang family will surely turn on us, claiming we killed Zhang Xu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, before this beast dies completely, we take him to the Zhang household and demand an explanation!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, we’ll omit many details—focus only on how Zhang Xu plotted to frame us…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Liu Yiyi’s boiling killing intent cooled slightly; she fell silent for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Yan’s logic held weight—Zhang Xu’s status was too special for his death to go unnoticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared at Su Yan and said coldly, “Then tell me—how do we make this beast suffer more alive than dead?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For a beast like this? It’s simple!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Yan’s gaze sharpened abruptly, revealing a ferocity Liu Yiyi had never seen before—almost monstrous in its cruelty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without another word, she stepped forward, raised her right foot, gathered her strength, and stomped down hard between his legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kick was swift and brutal—enough to shatter stone, let alone fragile flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of something breaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Xu was no longer a man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Liu Yiyi, whose killing intent had been boiling, froze for a moment, pupils contracting—as if seeing for the first time the gentle, kind-faced daughter of the Su household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh… huh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The agony was so intense it roused Zhang Xu from unconsciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too weak to even open his eyes, he could only emit a pitiful, instinctive plea:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“P-please… don’t kill me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Martial Academy, gatehouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye had returned quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shed his damp, fishy-smelling outer robe and donned another equally worn but clean set, then sat cross-legged slowly on the hard wooden bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the intense exertion of the night, the blood and Bright Force within him—already brimming and on the verge of overflow—had not weakened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, under some strange external stimulus and his own extreme emotional refinement, they grew denser, purer—like repeatedly forged steel, stripped of its last impurities, radiating a contained, dangerous luster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Breaking through to Dark Force—now is the time!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no lingering thoughts, he murmured silently and assumed the Five Animal Fist stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy within him, boiled to its peak, surged toward the invisible, unyielding barrier in one final, inevitable assault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if a fire dragon circled within him, Jiang Ye’s skin burned terrifyingly hot, his breath rapid, each exhalation steaming like scalding vapor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bright Force emerges outward; Dark Force sinks inward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the process of his force permeating his entire body, sinking into his marrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long passed, he did not know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red heat on Jiang Ye’s skin slowly faded; his breathing grew steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he opened his eyes again, the previous outward radiance was gone—replaced by an inward, profound depth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dark Force—achieved.\u003C\u002Fp>",1515,"2026-06-20T12:57:27.461Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","dcd6d78e6a97f81b53d796346680055fcaae5ab78f3035495b3fc2ba4884cc2d","don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-24","don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-22",268,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdon-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-cover.jpg"]