Ling Xiao noticed Ling Fei’s expression and shook his head.
These clan disciples were all arrogant and narrow-minded. They’d casually step on your shoulders, but if you helped them with your foot, they’d still get mad.
He couldn’t be bothered with Ling Fei—he was in a hurry to get the doctor to his grandfather. But just as he took a step, a white blur flashed by, and the doctor’s medicine chest vanished.
It was now hanging on a tree branch over ten meters up, snatched by Ling Fei.
“What are you doing?” Ling Xiao frowned.
“Nothing much, just testing your light-body skill,” Ling Fei said calmly, as if it were a trivial matter.
“Who’s that guy?” some disciples asked, puzzled.
A few recognized Ling Xiao.
“Him? He used to be a beggar. A year ago, he passed the clan exam to join us. In that year, his strength stayed at the first Martial Vein level. He offended Ling Chong and Ling Feng from the Elite Hall, and even Ling Yu, who was once kind to him, is now Ling Feng’s woman…”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of him. Ling Chong let him off easy, but he shamelessly ambushed him with dirty tricks!”
“Still, he’s apparently hit the second Martial Vein level. A few days ago, he went to the library pavilion and got punished for trying to steal books.”
“Trash like him doesn’t deserve to be a Ling Clan member. No wonder Senior Brother Ling Fei’s messing with him.”
“I bet he can’t get that chest down—he probably doesn’t even know light-body skills.”
The lackeys who’d been fawning over Ling Fei now mocked Ling Xiao with disdain, acting superior.
“I’m just playing with him. You saw it—he tried to attack me!” Ling Fei shamelessly twisted the truth, justifying his actions.
Ling Xiao’s brows furrowed.
As expected, without strength, you’d be bullied endlessly.
Ling Chong, Ling Feng, Ling Fei, Ling Yu—if he stayed a first-level Martial Vein weakling, more would come to trample him.
Fine then. He’d been meaning to test the Tiger Descending the Mountain Steps anyway.
Ignoring Ling Fei and the others, he eyed the medicine chest ten meters up. With a surge of true qi, he unleashed the Tiger Descending the Mountain Steps…
Bang—
“Ow, damn it!”
Ling Xiao hadn’t expected to overshoot, slamming headfirst into the tree.
First time using such a forceful technique—he’d overdone it. Next time, he’d dial it back.
“Hahaha… what a moron!”
Ling Fei and the others burst into laughter, some squatting on the ground, tears streaming from their mirth.
Ling Xiao didn’t care.
Everything had a first try. He’d been too eager; this time, he’d adjust.
Activating the Mountain and River Martial Soul, he channeled a precise amount of true qi into his legs and launched the Tiger Descending the Mountain Steps again.
Like a tiger charging down a mountain, he roared toward the trunk.
This time, he leapt onto the tree successfully, though he fell just short of the chest.
The laughter froze, replaced by stunned silence.
Ling Fei’s jaw dropped.
He could tell—Ling Xiao’s technique wasn’t half-bad.
Such light-body skill rivaled some Elite Hall disciples.
“No worries, Senior Brother Ling Fei, this kid doesn’t even know what he’s doing!”
“Yeah, look at his clueless face—pure luck, like a blind cat hitting a dead mouse!”
“Exactly! Even if he got a light-body skill from the library, it’s only been a few days—how could he master it?”
“He just jumped high with true qi, that’s all.”
Their faces soured, but they clung to excuses to comfort themselves.
Then, they ran out of excuses.
With a low shout, Ling Xiao moved like a nimble tiger or a sly mountain cat. He tapped the trunk, soared lightly, grabbed the chest, and floated back down.
He landed steadily.
Now, they had no words left.
This light-body skill might even surpass Ling Fei’s.
“A mid-tier technique is something else. I wonder how Soaring Cloud Steps compares to Tiger Descending the Mountain Steps. I’ll try cultivating it when I get back,” Ling Xiao thought, exhilarated.
It wasn’t just about shutting down his detractors—he was growing more confident about his future.
“Is this guy some genius?”
“Yeah, going from zero to that level in days? That’s insane!”
The crowd snapped out of it, begrudgingly impressed. Some had trained light-body skills for a year or two and still couldn’t match Ling Xiao’s display.
Naturally, they felt sour.
“Let’s go, doctor. My grandfather’s waiting,” Ling Xiao said.
The doctor, dazed by the spectacle, blinked back to reality at Ling Xiao’s nudge.
“Young master, your light-body skill is truly eye-opening,” he said, assuming Ling Xiao was some Ling Clan noble—how else could he have such prowess?
“Young master? You fool, he’s just a little beggar. That was dumb luck—do it again if you dare!” a disciple shouted.
“Yeah, one more time, and he’ll flop!”
They clamored, unwilling to let a beggar outshine them.
Ling Xiao wanted to leave, but they blocked his path.
Truth be told, facing so many alone, he wasn’t sure he could win.
With Ling Fei among them, there were several third-level Martial Vein martial artists.
Since they wanted more humiliation, he’d show them again.
His real goal was Soaring Cloud Steps anyway—exposing Tiger Descending the Mountain Steps didn’t matter.
“If you want to see, I’ll give you another look,” he said, pointing to a fruit on the tree. “That fruit, twenty meters up. If I grab it, you stop hassling me.”
“Big talk! Even Senior Brother Ling Fei might not pull that off!”
“Yeah, if you get it, I’ll crawl around the tree twice and bark like a dog!”
Ling Fei added coolly, “For a third-level Martial Vein martial artist, the light-body limit’s about fifteen meters. Ling Xiao’s blowing hot air.”
He spoke common sense, and the others nodded, ready to watch Ling Xiao crash.
“Is that so?”
Ling Xiao smirked inwardly. Ling Fei had repaid kindness with spite, and now someone wanted to bark like a dog—perfect chance to knock them down a peg.
No more casual bullying after this.
He gathered his qi, letting it condense in his veins and flow to his legs.
“Explosive Qi Technique!”
“Tiger Descending the Mountain Steps!”
Ling Xiao knew Ling Fei was right about the limit, but with the Explosive Qi Technique, his Tiger Descending the Mountain Steps could exceed twenty meters.
Whoosh—!
A gust whipped up as he launched skyward, soaring nearly twenty meters in a flash.
Just as he reached for the fruit, a pebble shot from the side.
