C23 A Crazy Counterattack!

"Kid, you're done for!"

Wang Yi's sinister laughter echoed as he watched Xiao Ling encircled by a sea of prisoners, seemingly moments away from a brutal ordeal.

"The food's actually pretty good."

Contrary to everyone's astonishment, Xiao Ling casually took a seat at the dining table, seized an enormous leg of meat, and began devouring it hungrily.

His appetite had become incredibly voracious after training in the Eight-sect Escaping Armor technique. With swift efficiency, he cleared the table of its exotic delicacies, fully digesting the feast and converting it into raw power.

"Is this guy a reincarnated glutton or what? How can he eat that much?"

The prisoners gaped in disbelief as Xiao Ling savored his meal, unfazed by their menacing presence.

From his vantage point, Wang Yi was initially taken aback by the scene before barking out an order, "What are you waiting for? Attack him now!"

Snapping out of their stupor, the prisoners unleashed their formidable auras and charged at Xiao Ling.

These were no ordinary convicts; most were at the Nine-star Martial Master's pinnacle, with others at various levels of the Martial Master Stage, including Two-star and Three-star Martial Masters.

Such prowess was not to be taken lightly, even outside these walls.

"Boy, we're going to take good care of you!"

An imposing brute sneered as he lumbered toward Xiao Ling, his massive hand poised to seize him.

Boom!

In that instant, Xiao Ling's lips twisted into a chilling smile as he activated his Blood Flame Martial Soul.

The wild Blood Flame surged around him, incinerating the iron chains binding him. He launched a ferocious punch at the approaching giant.

"Fierce Flame Fist!"

His arm, like a fiery dragon, slammed into the stunned man with crushing force.

Bang!

A harrowing scream pierced the air as the man was hurled backward, crashing to the ground like a kite severed from its string.

The relentless Blood Flame clung to the man like a Bone Attaching Maggot, consuming him until he was nothing but charred remains. His life force flowed towards Xiao Ling, who absorbed it entirely, transforming it into a surge of potent Origin Energy.

"Nine-Star Peak Warrior!"

The formidable man was at the Martial Master Stage, but caught off guard, he was swiftly slain by Xiao Ling.

Having absorbed the man's vital essence, Xiao Ling's cultivation soared, reaching the pinnacle of a Nine-Star Martial Warrior, mere inches from ascending to the Martial Master Stage.

With a swish, the Edgeless Sword materialized in Xiao Ling's grasp. He surged forward, a tiger among sheep, charging into the throng of prisoners.

"Behold my Heavy Strike Sword Art! The Gravity Sword Intent!"

His swift strike left many prisoners unable to react, their blood spraying wildly as the Edgeless Sword cut through them, a macabre rain of blood descending slowly.

The Gravity Sword Intent erupted, a crushing force like a massive mountain rolling outwards.

The prisoners, sluggish and terrified, met their end under the sweeping Edgeless Sword, cleaved at the waist.

"Strike now! Take down this kid!"

With some prisoners fallen, the rest fixed their intense gaze on Xiao Ling, unleashing a formidable aura and bombarding him with various Martial Skills in a fierce onslaught.

Xiao Ling retreated rapidly, positioning the Edgeless Sword as his shield.

In a fleeting moment of focus, he connected with the sword soul, conjuring a red barrier around the Edgeless Sword for protection.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The prisoners' blows thundered against Xiao Ling's shield, the dining hall shaking with the roar, as wild surges of elemental energy lashed out, stirring up clouds of dust.

"This kid must be finished."

Wang Yi's eyes darted uncertainly as he peered through the settling dust.

Xiao Ling's explosive counter was like a lion unshackling its chains, baring its ferocious fangs, sending a chill through Wang Yi's spine.

"He's still alive!"

A solemn look crossed Huang Ba's face as he slowly declared, "More than that, his presence has grown stronger... He... has broken through to the Martial Master Stage!"

As the clamor subsided, Xiao Ling's slender frame was finally laid bare before the onlookers.

"He's ascended to the Martial Master Stage."

With an icy expression, Xiao Ling harnessed the Blood Flame in a flash, converting the deceased prisoners' essence into blood and Qi for his own gain. His level surged, catapulting him into the Martial Master Stage.

Upon entering the Martial Master Stage, the Origin Qi within him surged, now a hundredfold stronger.

Furthermore, with this advancement, an Origin Pill materialized in his dantian, marked with a single line signifying his new status as a One-star Martial Master.

The Blood Flame Martial Soul's true horror lies in its ability to endlessly consume flesh and blood, assimilating it into one's own power.

Despite ingesting such volatile blood Qi, fraught with wild intent and posing a potential threat, Xiao Ling remained unshaken. A man of transmigration, bolstered by dual souls and indomitable will, he effortlessly subdued the savage impulses that sought to unsettle his spirit.

"This kid's got some dark tricks up his sleeve!"

Astonishment flickered in Huang Ba's eyes. Xiao Ling's rapid rise to the Martial Master Stage had jolted him profoundly.

It had taken Huang Ba nearly a year to make the leap from a Nine-star martial practitioner to the Martial Master Stage.

Yet there stood Xiao Ling, who had soared from Nine-star to the pinnacle of Nine-star, and then, in a breathtaking climb, reached the Martial Master Stage.

Such a rate of progression seemed like the stuff of fairy tales.

But it was unfolding right before him.

He had to concede, Xiao Ling was formidably strong, his talent extraordinary, far outstripping their own.

"Even with your exceptional talent, you're doomed under the prison's heavy guard!"

Huang Ba, arms folded, now harbored a flicker of interest in Xiao Ling. After all, with Two-star and Three-star Martial Masters waiting below, Xiao Ling had a formidable challenge ahead.

"Arm the prisoners," commanded Huang Ba with an air of detachment.

At his word, the subordinate nodded and tossed down his arsenal of weapons.

Witnessing the turn of events, Wang Yi couldn't help but bellow, "Take down this upstart, and I assure you a safe departure from the prison!"

Once the other prisoners got their hands on weapons, their morale surged with a newfound readiness for battle. For those accustomed to wielding swords and sabers, using their bare hands was no match for the power they could unleash with arms in hand.

"Kid, had your fill of killing, huh?" A Two-star Martial Master glared at Xiao Ling with a menacing tone. "Now, it's my turn to show you just how formidable my swordsmanship is!"

With a flourish of his blade, he unleashed a frigid sword qi that tore through the air, leaving the ground riddled with deep fissures.

"Bring it on," Xiao Ling challenged, gripping his Edgeless Sword as he eyed the Two-star Martial Master. He wondered to himself, if he were to slay this man and absorb his blood qi, could he achieve another breakthrough?

If the man knew Xiao Ling's thoughts, he'd be petrified. After all, a martial soul capable of converting another's flesh and blood into blood qi was exceedingly rare, a phenomenon some would never witness in their lifetime.

"Ice Chilling Sword Qi!"

The Two-star Martial Master leaped into the air, channeling his Essence Qi into his long sword, which now radiated a bone-chilling cold, crystallizing ice around him.

"Perish!"

With a swift motion, he brought his sword down on Xiao Ling, sending a blast of ice crystal sword qi hurtling towards him.

"Leng Wei's Ice Chilling Sword Qi is among the best of us. With this strike, the kid's as good as dead," the onlookers murmured in agreement, watching Leng Wei's formidable attack.

They remembered Leng Wei as a notorious bandit famed for his swordplay, now fallen from grace and confined within the walls of True Martial City's prison.

"Shatter!"

Xiao Ling faced the onslaught of icy sword qi, bellowing as he infused his Blood Flame Martial Soul into the Edgeless Sword and countered with a mighty blow.

Boom!

The Edgeless Sword met the cold sword qi head-on, and the resulting explosion of energy sent shockwaves through the ground, spiderwebbing it with cracks.

Rumble!

Yet, to the astonishment of all who watched, Xiao Ling's Edgeless Sword remained unstoppable, shattering the cold sword qi with overwhelming force.

The spectacle left Leng Wei's gaze frozen in disbelief, unable to fathom how his prized Martial Skill had crumbled so effortlessly!

Xiao Ling, seizing the moment of Leng Wei's shock, closed in. Unleashing the Gravity Sword Intent, he overwhelmed Leng Wei with its force.

"Heavy Strike Sword Technique!"

Leng Wei's eyes widened in terror as the Edgeless Sword appeared before him in an instant. The sword's force, solid and immovable as a mountain, roared through his body, reducing him to a mere smear of blood.

"What!? Leng Wei is dead?"

The sight of the bloodied remains sent a collective shudder through the onlookers, who stepped back, their eyes fixed on Xiao Ling, the victor, with a mix of fear and awe.

In that moment, not a single hardened convict doubted Xiao Ling's resilience. Before their eyes, he had transformed from a mere lamb into a devouring demon.

"His attacks flow like water, dispatching his foe in a heartbeat. Can he truly be only fifteen?"

The scene sent a chill through Huang Ba and the enforcement team, their expressions turning grave.

Wang Yi, the playboy, had already retreated behind Huang Ba, Xiao Ling's icy stare sending shivers down his spine, freezing his blood, and shaking him to the core.

"Brother Huang, this kid is unnaturally powerful! Why not take him down yourself?" Wang Yi urged, clutching at Huang Ba's sleeve, haunted by the thought of becoming another bloodied stain should he encounter Xiao Ling alone.

"Don't worry, the kid won't escape his fate," Huang Ba reassured him, his eyes glinting with intrigue. "But now is not the time to strike. I'm curious to see what's driving this kid's rapid ascension to the Martial Master Stage..."

To him, the prisoners' lives were but chaff in the wind, unworthy of even the slightest compassion.

However, if the lives of these prisoners could be leveraged to observe Xiao Ling's breakthrough methods, it would be incredibly worthwhile.

Should Xiao Ling possess a secret technique for advancing through the ranks, he could be eliminated, and his technique appropriated. With it, one could achieve successive breakthroughs and rise to prominence as a formidable force within True Martial City.