A horrified silence fell over the Dueling Hall. Nobody knew what to say or do, opting instead to stare at the broken and bloodied body of Maynard on the floor. His form, once so mighty and strong, now resembled more like a dying dog.

There wasn't a single intact bone in his body, nor a single tooth left in his mouth. There wasn't a single inch of his body not covered in bruises. Blood was everywhere. And of course, he had no tongue. In the future, he wouldn't be able to talk, and would have to eat through a straw.

Worse of all… through his stomach was a large hole, inflicted by an Elder from his own clan. A huge pool of blood was forming around his body. That Elder was at the peak of the Qi Absorption Realm, and the damage he did was massive. All these injuries were so severe that they were unrecoverable. Maynard would be crippled for the rest of his life.

And as for that Elder, he just stood in a daze, staring at his own hands. He actually pierced the Young Master of his own clan through, like a skewer! He already knew he was a dead man. When he returned to his clan, the Patriarch would kill him without a second thought – if the Swan Sea Sect didn't whip him to death first.

Not long after, the Elders of the Law Enforcement Hall arrived. All they heard was that an urgent situation occurred in the Dueling Hall, and were sent in to handle it. As it turned out, it was the worst possible situation.

They found the Young Master of the Ivory Fist Clan crippled, drowning in a puddle of his own blood, life and death unknown. If it was any other disciple, the situation might still be recoverable. But this was the Young Master of the Ivory Fist Clan, the son of the Patriarch! That man was powerful enough that the Swan Sea Sect couldn't just dismiss him. Their clan absolutely would not take this lying down.

Maynard was rushed to the Infirmary Hall, and after understanding the situation, the Elders passed their judgement.

For the disciples who rushed onto the stage, although they attempted to interfere with the duel, only one of them actually attacked, and it was only because James threw Maynard into the attack. Their actions didn't actually change anything. The Elders let them off with a light punishment of 20 lashes.

For an Elder interfering in a duel between disciples, the punishment was 100 lashes. For attacking an Outer Disciple, the punishment was 10 lashes. And for attempting to murder an Outer Disciple, Elder Miles was sentenced to another 100 lashes. 210 lashes… when he added that up, Elder Miles directly fainted.

As for James, his only crime was using another disciple as a shield. But given the circumstances, it could be considered a twisted sort of self-defense, as if he didn't use Maynard, Elder Miles would definitely have killed him. Because Maynard and James agreed to fight with no limits besides death, James couldn't be punished for being too brutal in the fight. Everybody could testify it was Maynard who issued the challenge, and also requested to fight with no limits besides death.

After a discussion, the Law Enforcement Elders finally decided James would not be punished at all. Even if James were to be punished, he would be punished by Maynard – who was in no condition to even hold a whip, much less swing it. Therefore, any sort of punishment would be pointless.

Elder Miles was forcefully dragged to the whipping post for his punishment. The spectators hurriedly dispersed, and descriptions of the battle spread like wildfire across the Swan Sea.

But as they spread, the rumors became increasingly exaggerated. What started as an evenly matched fight was embellished into a one-sided smackdown, where James suppressed Maynard from the very beginning, to the point where he couldn't fight back at all. Some disciples swore they saw James ripping Maynard's armor apart like paper, while others claimed James headbutted Maynard's Magic Spirit into submission. All kinds of rumors and gossip flew around, until those who didn't watch the battle found it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.

There were only two things that everyone could agree on – James won the battle, and in a fit of rage, tore out Maynard's tongue.

For the first 18 years of his life, Maynard terrified all the juniors in the Swan Sea area. Besides the Young Master of the Hopkins Clan, there was no one who could stand up to him. When Maynard attacked someone, that someone never dared to attack back. If they did, the Ivory Fist Clan would extinguish that person's family. Everyone believed Maynard would join the Swan Sea Sect and continue his path of dominance.

But out of all the people Maynard could have offended, he chose to offend James, the monster only at the 8th level of the Body Tempering Realm, but could defeat even cultivators at the 3rd level of the Qi Absorption Realm!

Being able to fight a level above at the Body Tempering Realm was a sure sign of strength, but it wasn't terribly rare. Just in the Swan Sea Sect, there were plenty of cultivators who could do the same. In contrast, fighting a level above at the Qi Absorption Realm was much more difficult. Nonetheless, Maynard could do it.

As for a Body Tempering Realm cultivator defeating a Qi Absorption Realm cultivator, that was the kind of impossible story told in legends and myths. James' strength had never been seen before.

James was such a strong cultivator, but –

"This time, James' life is over," people could be heard whispering behind closed doors. Everyone agreed that James had gone too far.

The Ivory Fist Clan was going to be out for blood, even if it meant offending the Swan Sea Sect. If they failed to get revenge on Harry, their prestige would be harmed even further. The Ivory Fist Clan wasn't known to be a forgiving clan – if anything, they were the exact opposite. The number of smaller clans that the Ivory Fist Clan had destroyed in the past numbered well over 20, and they were for reasons that paled in comparison to crippling the son of their Patriarch.

Unless James cooped himself up in the Swan Sea Sect for the rest of his life, he would never have peace again. Actually, even if he were in the Swan Sea Sect, he may never find peace. After all, the very Elders would be out for revenge.

On a cliff overlooking the Swan Sea, and next to a tiny cottage, a man tranquilly stood facing the water. He paid no attention to the sect behind him, and instead swept his vision across the sea.

Hours dragged by, but the Swan Sea was as calm as ever. The clouds floated across the sky, the birds flew over the horizon, and the waves lapped against the shore. The cycle of the ocean repeated endlessly, and the man finally sighed and shook his head. Then he turned around.

"Young girl, how long are you planning to wait here?"

A few meters behind the cottage, a woman was standing respectfully, and waiting for the man to address her. She immediately bowed.

"Senior, this junior is here to ask for instruction, regarding James."

"What do you need my instruction for? I'm just a retired man, wasting my last few years and enjoying the sea breeze. How you manage your disciples is no concern of mine."

"Please, Senior must be joking," the woman forced herself to smile. "I now know why you arranged for those Qi Gathering Pills, along with those Purple Qi Fruits and Beast Flames. I know James has some special relationship to you."

The man just shrugged, and didn't bother to conceal the truth.

"Since you guessed it, fine, fine. He indeed does have a relationship to me, though he doesn't know about it. He was under the care of two of my friends. One of them, well, you knew him very well."

The woman stiffened, unable to contain her shock.

Others may not know who this man was, but she knew very clearly. Anyone who could be considered one of his friends was a legendary existence in the entire empire. And as for the man she knew very well, that could only refer to a single person.

Then James, he was actually –

"You are not to speak of this to anybody."

"I will not say a thing," the woman hastily vowed. "It's just, the Ivory Fist Clan is demanding we hand James over. Of course, I will do no such thing. But since this involved James, I thought I would confer with you first."

"Continue telling people you are in cultivation seclusion, and that you can't be bothered. Tell the Elders to treat James as an ordinary Outer Disciple. There is no need to give him any special treatment."

"I understand."

"And as for the Ivory Fist Clan, just let this old man take care of things."

A few days later, three pieces of news made their way out of the Ivory Fist Clan.

The first was related to Elder Miles. As a result of all the lashes, he was crippled and expelled from the sect. His companions were waiting, and immediately dragged him back to the Ivory Fist Clan. The Patriarch of the clan killed him in a brutal manner, then hung his corpse outside the Ivory Fist Clan.

The second was that Maynard had withdrawn from the Swan Sea Sect. Everyone knew he too was crippled, and would never cultivate again. Besides, Maynard had lost all face for the Ivory Fist Clan. Members of the clan could hardly be seen now, too embarrassed to show themselves.

As a result, everyone moved up a spot in the Outer Ranking. But the man formerly in third place was also from the Ivory Fist Clan, and too terrified to claim his spot in Harry's dorm. He vehemently refused to move into the first dorm, and everybody stayed put. Harry continued enjoying the luxury of living alone.

The last and most surprising item was an announcement. The Ivory Fist Clan hung up a portrait of James outside their clan entrance, and underneath it, issued a bounty.

James Evans

Dead or Alive

Reward: 50,000 Qi Crystals, position of Honorary Elder

That piece of news was explosive, and rippled across the city in a flash. People who saw it were scared stiff – did the Ivory Fist Clan want to go to war with the Swan Sea Sect? Openly issuing a bounty on a disciple was no different than challenging their authority.

Even though James was just an Outer Disciple, one of many hundreds, he was still a member of the Swan Sea Sect! This sort of declaration was a clear provocation, as if the Ivory Fist Clan wasn't putting the Swan Sea Sect in their eyes.

All sorts of people were tempted by the bounty. For capturing a mere 8th level Body Tempering Realm cultivator, one would gain a staggering amount of wealth, not to mention the Honorary Elder position. That was enough to allow someone to live the rest of their life in comfort. Some people even loitered outside the Swan Sea Sect's entrances, hoping to spot James, grab him, and make a dash for it.

Of course, nobody was stupid enough to charge into the Swan Sea Sect and drag James out. And at the same time, people realized James wasn't stupid enough to leave the sect either. Interest in the bounty gradually died down over the following days, but there were always the few hopefuls who stuck around the sect.

Strangest of all, the Swan Sea Sect acted like they hadn't heard of the bounty at all. Everyone was expecting the Sect Master and Elders to storm the Ivory Fist Clan, and retaliate in some manner. But the puzzling thing was the lack of any response from the Swan Sea Sect.

After using one of his remaining healing pills, Harry spent the next few days locked up in his room. He wasn't gloating over his win, nor was he flaunting his strength. He just sat on his bed, staring at his own hands. It was as if he couldn't recognize his own palms and fingers.

His actions at the end of the fight shook him to the very core. Scenes of him beating Maynard replayed themselves over and over in his mind. He could still feel his fists landing on Maynard's flesh, the breaking of his bones, the slimy texture of his tongue. It was all engraved in his memories, and left him nauseated.

He wasn't even able to sleep. Part of it was because he thought an Elder or Inner Disciple from the Ivory Fist Clan would sneak into his room at night and murder him. But the other part was because he literally couldn't. When he closed his eyes, Maynard's begging face and bloody body were all he could see.

He couldn't understand why he attacked Maynard so savagely.

Before the fight started, he was planning on beating Maynard, but not that badly. Just give him the same injuries, and make Maynard realize he was still too weak. He definitely wasn't planning on crippling Maynard, much less rip out his tongue.

He could distinctly remember his emotions during the fight. He was calm during the entire battle, then after he activated Burning Blood, a second personality, outrageously violent, appeared and took control. It was like a monster locked in his body, and when it was freed, all it wanted was to fight, fight, and fight some more. It was only satisfied when the enemy was beaten, broken, and trampled underfoot. And then when the damage was done, it disappeared and left him with the mess.

He'd noticed himself getting more violent recently, and his temper getting worse. How could he not?

Back in Crystal Mine City, he could endure all of Dudley's insults and beatings without feeling anger. He even remembered that when Dudley beat him, he just felt unlucky that Dudley chose to target him. Though he fantasized about attacking Dudley back, he would never have done that.

Now, any provocation could set him off, and he felt the need to resolve everything with violence. From the Ox Ford Clan to the Swan Sea Sect, he left a trail of blood wherever he went.

But even so, that fight against Maynard was different. It was on a whole other level of ferocity.

"What's happening to me?" he asked no one in particular.

Could it be that he was turning into a fighting maniac? Did he enjoy hurting others? But no, he didn't believe so. As long as nobody provoked him, he was perfectly calm.

He wracked his brain for an answer, but just couldn't find one. He had no explanation for his behavior.

Perhaps, was it the Nameless Technique? During that fight, it was his first time activating Burning Blood at completion, and the violence only came afterwards.

'That's ridiculous,' he scoffed. The Nameless Technique only changed his body physically. It couldn't have changed his mentality.

Could it?

'Well, it's easy to test that theory,' he supposed, and got off his bed.

Burning Blood!

The seed burned and his blood burned… and in his mind, anger burned.

Anger at Maynard and his Elders. At Nelson and Noah. At those Ox Ford Sect disciples. At the Dursleys. At the poison in his body. He was angry, raging, he wanted to rush to the Ivory Fist Clan and unleash –

He abruptly turned off Burning Blood, and his anger immediately simmered down.

He collapsed onto his bed in fright.

Burning Blood… it was Burning Blood! It was the Nameless Technique!

'No wonder, no wonder!' he exclaimed. Whether it was his fight against the Ox Ford Sect disciples, or all his incidents in the Swan Sea Sect, he knew that something about his personality had changed. Before, he thought it was the Exalted Cat's influence, or perhaps just him acclimatizing to the brutality of the cultivation world.

But now that he thought about, all these incidents occurred after he started cultivating Burning Blood!

'It must be the passive effect of Burning Blood!' Harry came to a sudden realization.

Strengthening Flesh and Rebirthing Muscle both had passive effects, which was to make his body naturally tougher and stronger. Then he could activate both techniques to get a further boost in power.

Burning Blood seemed to be different. He could activate it for an overwhelming burst of strength, but he never discovered its passive effect. Harry assumed that Burning Blood didn't have one.

But now he realized he was wrong, very wrong. Burning Blood's passive effect was to make him angrier and violent. After all, anger was also a source of strength. When people were angry, they fought with more power and determination. And when Harry was angry, he could literally feel his blood rising, trembling in his veins and begging to be activated.

'All my rash actions in the sect were caused by this! In the past, before I completed Burning Blood, I knew my temper was getting worse. My fight against Maynard was the first time I activated Burning Blood after completing it, so of course the effects were more noticeable!'

All of a sudden, so many questions he had made perfect sense.

'It's even hinted at in this Nameless Technique,' he groaned. In the section explaining the theory behind the Five Elements, the technique wrote about the affinities of each element, and how fire was associated with passion and anger. But that was just a stray comment, hidden in the midst of a hundred others. The technique never said that cultivating Burning Blood would actually make him angry.

'What the hell is the Nameless Technique?' he thought in fright. Even after all this time, he still didn't know much about either it or the rock. He didn't even know the technique's name.

He thought the technique only modified his physical body, but it obviously came with other, unknown side-effects. He recalled the contents of his technique, which were branded into his mind. Even now, he could recall the technique as clearly as if he were reading it off a book in front of him.

Cultivate the strength to stand at the peak of Creation. One palm to flatten a mountain, one strike to carve a river. One finger to extinguish the stars, one thought to destroy the Heavens. One will to overturn…

He didn't know what word came next, but for the first time, he wondered if all along, he had still been underestimating the Nameless Technique. When he first heard those words, he scoffed and dismissed them. Even the Exalted Cat scoffed and dismissed them. That level of power was obviously impossible. But now he was forced to reconsider.

When first studying the Nameless Technique, he got the impression it was wrapped in a dense layer of fog, unfathomable and inscrutable. But as he cultivated, he gradually understood more, and familiarized himself with the technique. He felt like it was emerging from the fog, and he was getting a good look at its true form. But now, upon these recent discoveries, whatever was about to surface from the haze slipped right back into its depths.

Clearly, he had yet to even begin scratching the surface of its mysteries.

He read through the entire technique again, from beginning to end. He reread the section on the Five Minor Accomplishments, he reread the section explaining the theory behind the five elements, he even reread all the loose notes that were scattered all around the technique, but not a single one held the answers to his question.

There was only one sentence that eluded him this whole time –

Condense the Ring of Elements, refine twice as fast with half the effort, revolve the Ring of Elements, gather the strength of Creation.'

He still didn't know what that phrase meant, but guessed he'd figure it out after completing the Five Minor Accomplishments. And nothing in that sentence was about mental changes, so it wasn't what he was looking for.

'It's just too strange,' he finally gave up. Ordinary Grade techniques complemented the Body Tempering Realm, and were designed to strengthen the physical body. By definition, there was no Ordinary Grade technique that could affect the mind.

'Should I keep cultivating the Nameless Technique?' he wondered. But immediately after, he answered himself.

'Of course. Without the Nameless Technique, I'd be nothing. I owe all my strength and accomplishments to it. But…'

He just didn't like the feeling of not being in control of his own body. Perhaps Strengthening Flesh and Rebirthing Muscle were also affecting him in subtle, unknown ways.

'…for now, I won't use Burning Blood unless I absolutely need to,' Harry decided.

It wasn't a satisfactory solution for him, but he didn't know what else he was supposed to do. With the threat of the Ivory Fist Clan looming outside, Harry absolutely had to reach the Qi Absorption Realm soon. If he failed to become an Inner Disciple, he'd be expelled and thrown out. And the day that happened would also be the day of his death.

'Well, it's been a couple days since the fight with Maynard. It's time to go back to the Alchemy Garden.'