[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starlight-professional":3,"chapter-starlight-professional-starlight-professional-chapter-41":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starlight Professional",{"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},2308701,4512,"Chapter 41: Martial Art, No Matter How High","starlight-professional-chapter-41",41,"\u003Cp>\"No wonder the Blood Cage Fighting Arena has so much power...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I must seek revenge; these two hundred thousand can buy me detailed intel on my enemy—no saving here! Besides, I might as well take a private lesson...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing closed his eyes and slowly pondered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Money wasn’t an issue—it was only three hundred thousand in total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d previously sold gold on the black market, even drawing Lance’s attention, so he still had this much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why three hundred thousand?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, because he planned to buy only one lesson!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The data on Extreme Emotion Sword is online anyway; besides, I only need to experience its realm once to get started... after that, I can just grind it myself using my attribute panel!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Strictly speaking, it’s free-riding!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Learning another sword art will mainly serve as a disguise... and besides, dual-wielding sword and blade looks damn cool.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wearing a mask, Fang Xing returned to the Blood Cage Fighting Arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since being attacked last time, he’d found the arena’s shuttle bus the safest option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Welcome!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jiarui wore a small suit, a bright red bow pinned at her collar, hands folded gently over her abdomen as she bowed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hello. I’m here to make a transaction...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing spoke in a low voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understood. Please follow me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jiarui led Fang Xing to an office. When opened, the interior was surprisingly spacious, yet contained only a single solitary desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The money has already been transferred to the arena’s account.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing said firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mm. Here’s the intel.\" Zhang Jiarui tapped the air a few times, sending the data directly to Fang Xing’s black market communicator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the top, clearly displayed, was a highly three-dimensional personal image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lance Nott, 37, bio-enhanced from Three Leaf City, graduated from Three Leaf City High, later enlisted, awakened his ability on the battlefield... retired at 34...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Jade Jade Realm martial artist; awakened ability suspected to be 'Communication with Small Animals'—can only control small creatures; even large dogs cannot be subdued... frequent haunts: Three Leaf City Black Market, Blood Dance Bar...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing glanced over it—the intel was extremely detailed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was excellent; knowing these meant knowing a man’s weaknesses!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, he had confidence he could set traps targeting these details and kill Lance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, such an approach carried risk, so Fang Xing would wait until he was fully prepared before acting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sincerely thanked Zhang Jiarui—this level of intel wasn’t something ordinary organizations could obtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After all, you’re my client... so, private coach?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jiarui smiled and asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, I’ll pay for one lesson first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing nodded, watching Zhang Jiarui leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, the office door opened again, and a female martial artist entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was tall and muscular, her skin dark, unremarkable at first glance—but upon closer sensing, an extreme danger lurked beneath, like a female leopard crouched in the grass, ready to pounce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m Ping. Call me Coach Ping... You want to learn 'Extreme Emotion Sword'? How much do you know about this A-rank martial art?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coach Ping asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing described his understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After listening, Coach Ping frowned: \"All public knowledge. I see... you have zero foundation. I recommend ten lessons to solidify basics first, then advanced training—roughly fifty lessons total to reach entry level...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing’s face darkened instantly: \"Uh... I haven’t decided to train in 'Extreme Emotion Sword' yet. I just want to buy one experimental lesson—could you briefly explain the entry essentials and demonstrate the sword’s realm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One lesson cost one hundred thousand; fifty lessons meant five million!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was insane if he spent that much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buying one lesson this time was to grasp the essentials, then break through the barriers himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most crucially, he needed to experience the realm of 'Extreme Emotion Sword' once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine... the essence of 'Extreme Emotion Sword' lies in extreme emotion, sincere intent, heart and intent as one, emotion and body as one... given your condition...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coach Ping looked at Fang Xing, a faint sneer flickering in her mind, then began speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This A-rank martial art was vast and profound; without a master’s guidance, Fang Xing felt he wouldn’t even understand it properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, after the private lesson, he felt a sudden clarity—he couldn’t help but marvel at the value of every coin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, finally, I’ll demonstrate the realm of 'Extreme Emotion Sword'...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Training in 'Extreme Emotion Sword' requires you to unearth your deepest, most enduring emotion... the stronger the emotion, the stronger the simulated realm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coach Ping swept her hand across her waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roar!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a flash of white light, a sword cry echoed like a dragon’s roar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coiled around her waist was a flexible sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade’s light shimmered, radiating intense emotional resonance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing grew dazed; unconsciously, a tear glistened at the corner of his eye: \"The word 'emotion'... truly hard to fathom...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coach Ping had already sheathed her sword: \"Lesson over. Next time, pay the full tuition upfront.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was short on money, otherwise she wouldn’t have accepted this private request.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Revealing even a sliver of the realm was bait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her view, how could one experimental lesson possibly master an A-rank martial art?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, he’d still have to start from scratch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you, Coach!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing firmly memorized the feeling he’d just experienced—at least now he had direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for buying dozens of lessons?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was impossible. Not in this lifetime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though this wasn’t entirely free-riding, now that he had direction, with some cultivation-world tricks and his attribute panel, he might still break through!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Future lessons? No need to spend money on them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving the office, Fang Xing checked the time and headed straight for a fence shop and a weapons store.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rare chance to come here—sell the gold quickly, buy the 'Swift Dragon-class Laser Rifle,' then take the arena shuttle home—two birds with one stone!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gold was plentiful in Qinglin Market; Fang Xing had brought another batch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combined with his remaining stash, he could barely scrape together two million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, no money laundering needed—he could buy the weapon directly and take it home, saving a fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course, the black market doesn’t want me taking a single coin home... but without laundering, spending feels amazing... oddly, like I’ve made a profit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Happiness Home Community.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Laser rifle...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his room, Fang Xing toyed with the weapon in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This 'Swift Dragon-class Laser Rifle' came from the black market; its body gleamed with a silvery metallic sheen, heavy and solid in his grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly... it could kill people!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The laser’s speed approaches light-speed; its destructive power can pierce nano-armor...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing practiced several standard aiming stances: \"Perfect for revenge—Lance definitely can’t block it...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve got nothing urgent over there—keep the rifle here for now; take it over after revenge...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the weapons shop owner swore the gun had no hidden backdoors, Fang Xing didn’t believe him for a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No manufacturer’s backdoor? There might still be a black market one!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So if he took this weapon to the other world, he’d never bring it back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing planned to let it serve its purpose first—then dump it in the other world after revenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, even if he wasn’t completely safe in Qinglin Market, he wouldn’t be overly fearful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least, he could ambush and kill any Qi Condensation peak cultivator—except Foundation Establishment cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could a Foundation Establishment cultivator withstand it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing didn’t know, and didn’t want to test it—by that level, his situation would be perilous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several days later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black Market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood Dance Bar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The 'Scavenger' Lance staggered out drunk, clutching a bottle of alcohol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since retiring from the interstellar battlefield, he needed strong liquor—or even psychoactive drugs—to soothe his soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even those memories had become forbidden—he forced himself to forget, refused to remember.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned into an abandoned alley and, with effortless familiarity, pried open a sewer manhole cover and slipped inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sewer was narrow, suffocating, dark… and reeked of filth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, Lans felt deeply at ease in this environment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Squeak! Squeak!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, two rats suddenly scurried over, emitting squeaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gurgle… gurgle…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans lifted the bottle and took another deep swig, his steps unsteady, the gait of a man utterly drunk and addled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Puke…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, he clapped a hand over his mouth as if about to vomit, gripping the wall beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans exploded forward with both legs, his body launching like a cheetah toward a spot in the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hands curled into claws, tearing through the wind with terrifying killing intent—the “Crazy Eagle Form,” from the A-rank martial art, Crazy Eighteen Strikes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph… if I were just a drunkard, I’d have been killed long ago in the black market!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flicker of triumph passed through Lans’s eyes; since the two rats had alerted him to a hidden assailant, he had deliberately feigned drunken vomiting to lower the attacker’s guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now was the moment for a sudden strike!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as he leapt, his entire body was already sheathed in nanite armor, impenetrable and seamless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, he saw the attacker hiding in the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the man wore a mask, his build and eyes stirred a sense of familiarity in Lans—he immediately locked onto the target: “That fat sheep who escaped that day dares come to assassinate me? Today, I’ll show you what a battle-hardened veteran who survived the battlefield truly is!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attacker was merely at the Muscle-Bone Realm—how could he possibly stand against Lans, who was at the Jade Essence Realm and wielding an A-rank martial art?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lans could already picture the man’s corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But mid-leap, he suddenly noticed the attacker’s right hand tucked inside his coat, concealing something, his eyes brimming with mockery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, the battle-scarred Lans remembered something—his face twisted with shock: “You… don’t play by the rules…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Goodbye!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing pulled the trigger; a white laser streaked through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The laser struck Lans instantly, melting through the nanite armor and reducing his head to nothingness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The headless corpse collapsed to the ground, sending nearby rats screeching and fleeing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No matter how skilled the martial artist, one shot brings him down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing blew across the laser rifle’s muzzle, sighing with quiet satisfaction: “Revenge is served. Time to go…”\u003C\u002Fp>",1708,"2026-06-20T11:03:20.053Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","64cf9908541428c1308db24936fccf83e79d4b946d9eaf255a11bf0c5b979306","starlight-professional-chapter-42","starlight-professional-chapter-40",726,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarlight-professional-cover.jpg"]