Chapter 59: Advancing to Grandmaster

Ever since he had previously boosted his combat power to 100, the system had prompted him to learn inner strength.

Yu Shishi cried out anxiously, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and throw it over!"

Having no other choice, Jiang Jin could only toss his wallet toward the masked man.

The masked man sheathed his katana, caught the wallet, slipped it casually into his breast pocket, and said coldly, "And the rest?"

"Let's take it one thing at a time."

Jiang Jin sighed and pulled out his smartphone.

At the same time, he bought 900 combat power pills in one go and clicked to use them all!

[Ding! Detected that the host's combat power has exceeded 10,000. Would you like to immediately spend 100,000 system points to learn True Essence Art?]

Jiang Jin's expression lit up with joy, and without a moment's hesitation, he selected yes.

The next instant, a torrent of information flooded into his mind!

[True Essence Art: After learning this skill, inner strength can be converted into true qi.]

[Note: True Essence Art costs 100,000 system points and automatically grants an additional 1,000 combat power upon learning.]

Immediately following, true qi began to generate within Jiang Jin's body, coursing through his limbs and rapidly filling his extraordinary meridians!

Not only that, but with a mere thought from Jiang Jin, a layer of true qi emanated outward, forming a protective barrier of true qi across the surface of his body.

According to Wu Qingya's explanation, this true qi defense could withstand bullets fired from ordinary firearms!

What surprised him even more was that he could manipulate the true qi as easily as moving his own fingers, projecting it outward to kill from a distance!

Just like the Six Meridians Divine Sword!

In an instant, Jiang Jin's mind was completely at ease!

The masked man urged impatiently, "What are you dawdling for? Why aren't you throwing the things over yet?"

Jiang Jin bought time by delaying, "Throwing it right now, throwing it right now. But before I toss my phone, can you answer me a question first?"

A trace of annoyance flashed across the masked man's eyes, his voice as cold and hard as iron: "You have no right to question me! Throw it!"

As he spoke, his left hand tightened its grip fiercely around Yu Shishi's neck.

Cut off from air, Yu Shishi grew so desperate that she began slapping the car seat with her hands.

"Stop, stop, I'm throwing it right now. Catch it."

Jiang Jin sighed, raised his hand, and flung the phone toward the masked man.

The very moment the masked man reached out to catch the phone, Jiang Jin brought his right hand together like a knife and thrust it forward!

"Whoosh!" A streak of white true qi shot forth, piercing clean through the masked man's left shoulder in the blink of an eye!

The masked man let out a miserable scream and was sent hurtling backward by a full five or six meters! Only then did a burst of blood spurt from his left shoulder, and his left arm hung limply down!

Inside the car, Yu Shishi was completely dumbfounded.

What was that white light just now, and why could Jiang Jin project such a thing?

Jiang Jin himself had not expected this attack to be so devastatingly powerful.

From several meters away, a flick of his hand had crippled the masked man's arm. The might of a grandmaster-level powerhouse was truly terrifying!

For a moment, the atmosphere in the area froze into near-solid stillness!

"Damn you, how could you possibly be a grandmaster-level powerhouse?"

Clutching his left shoulder, the masked man's voice trembled!

Jiang Jin smiled mockingly and rushed forward to stand right in front of the masked man in a single bound.

The masked man's body shook, and he prepared to blast backward instantly!

Fast as his reaction was, Jiang Jin's movements were even faster. Almost the exact moment he started to retreat, Jiang Jin's right hand clamped around his neck!

"Clang!" The instant Jiang Jin grabbed his neck, the katana was unholstered!

"Swish!" A cold flash cut through the air! The long blade slashed toward Jiang Jin's lower abdomen!

From drawing the blade to executing the slash, the entire process took less than 0.1 seconds—it was fast to the absolute extreme!

This was the masked man's desperate, fatal strike delivered from the jaws of death!

This blow condensed all of his reluctance, fear, anger, and the entirety of his strength!

This strike carried the formidable conviction: "Even if you are a grandmaster-level powerhouse, I will still carve a chunk of flesh from you!"

The timing caught him off guard, the angle was peerlessly ingenious, and the execution was swift as lightning!

Time seemed to freeze at that moment!

With a crisp "clink," the masked man felt a massive force transmit backward from the blade, sending a numb tingling sensation all the way to the webbing of his thumb!

And the hand swinging the blade could no longer push forward by even a single millimeter!

Filled with doubt, the masked man looked down, only to see the katana firmly pinched between two fingers!

*(He stopped my fatal strike using only two fingers?!)*

"Is that it? Not impressive enough!"

The corners of Jiang Jin's mouth curled into a mocking smile as he twisted his two fingers with force!

"Crack!" The samurai sword, forged of fine steel, snapped right in two. The front half of the blade dropped to the ground with a sharp, echoing clatter!

Following that, Jiang Jin hoisted the masked man high into the air, holding him as effortlessly as if he were a little chick.

The masked man shuddered as despair washed over him like a tidal wave!

Inside the vehicle, Yu Shishi parted her lips slightly as she witnessed the scene.

"So cool!"

A moment ago, she had only seen a blur before her eyes, and Jiang Jin had vanished from where he stood.

When she turned her head to look, she discovered that Jiang Jin had hoisted the masked man up into mid-air.

Ultimate speed, ultimate power, and ultimate visual impact!

Wait, if you took out the word "visual," did some strange connotation just arise out of nowhere?
Oh my goodness, you are still an innocent maiden, how could you have such thoughts!

Putting that aside, what was going on with that broken half of the blade?

"Weren't you going to chop me into eight pieces in one second? How about I give you another chance, care to try slashing again?"

Jiang Jin said with a mocking tone.

The masked man trembled, his hand tightening around the hilt.

Yet, very quickly, he let out a bitter, desolate laugh and said, "A grandmaster-level powerhouse of the Dragon Kingdom truly lives up to the evaluation of being the strongest Grade A in the world. I am thoroughly defeated and submit to this loss."

As his words fell, he released his grip on the hilt, and the remaining half of the katana clattered to the ground.

Jiang Jin narrowed his eyes slightly and asked thoughtfully, "Judging by what you just said, are there other types of powerhouses in this world?"

Hearing this, the masked man was stunned at first. Then, as if he had heard something utterly absurd, a look of profound astonishment crossed his face as he retorted, "You didn't know?"

*(You're a damned grandmaster-level powerhouse, yet you don't even know that other types of powerhouses exist in this world?)*

Jiang Jin, however, nodded with complete candor and explained, "I am entirely self-taught, so nobody taught me much of this lore."

The masked man couldn't help but curse inwardly: *(Self-taught my foot! You're a martial artist of the Dragon Kingdom, not a naturally awakened esper from a Western country!)*

*(Besides, looking at Jiang Jin, he's barely in his early twenties. Even with guidance from a master, this level of martial talent is terrifyingly monstrous!)*

"Well, it doesn't matter. If you won't talk, someone else naturally will."

"Now let's talk business. Are you here for the pills inside this porcelain bottle?"

Jiang Jin retrieved the porcelain bottle from his jacket pocket and asked.

The masked man sneered coldly and kept his mouth shut.

"Playing hard to get and refusing to talk?"

Jiang Jin gave a cold chuckle, preparing to pull out some heavier methods.

Who would have thought that a trickle of blood would suddenly flow from the corner of the masked man's mouth, seeping straight through his mask!

Jiang Jin's expression shifted drastically; he hurriedly pulled back the mask to reveal Kato's elderly face.

"It really is him!"

Jiang Jin had already suspected as much, so he wasn't particularly surprised. Then, testing Kato's breathing, his expression shifted slightly.

At that moment, Yu Shishi stepped out of the car and ran over.

Seeing that it was Kato, she let out an immediate gasp of shock.

"What the heck, it's actually you? Speak, did Jianji Asō send you?"

Kato's eyes bulged wide, remaining completely silent.

"Seriously, not talking? Playing tough, are you? Then don't blame this young lady for being unpolite!"

As she spoke, Yu Shishi made a move to pick up the broken blade lying on the ground.

Jiang Jin spoke up, "He's already dead."

Hearing this, Yu Shishi froze. "Huh? De... dead? Did you kill him?"

Jiang Jin gently shook his head. "No, he must have committed suicide by poison."

Yu Shishi asked, "Suicide by poison? Why didn't you stop him?"

Jiang Jin spread his hands. "I don't have any experience with this."

Kato must have had a toxic capsule hidden in his mouth. This method of suicide was far too covert and far too unpredictable.

Had a professional like Wu Qingya been present, she might have used something to block Kato's mouth at the very first moment.

However, Jiang Jin was no professional. Even if he had seen similar tropes in movies and television shows, his vigilance simply wasn't that high.

Still, Jiang Jin had one excellent habit: he learned lessons promptly and adapted accordingly.

Just like how he initially underestimated Kato's strength, only to immediately spam combat power pills and elevate his realm to the grandmaster level.

Having experienced Kato committing suicide by poison, he would certainly know how to handle such a situation the next time it arose.