Luo Ji remembered a past deed. It was winter, and the Purple Moon Sect was covered in thick snow. Luo Ji and his two lackeys had just come from the Dining Hall, bellies full and bodies warm. One of his lackeys—the one who had held the same Wolf position as him and was now dead—joked that they needed to exercise to avoid getting fat. Luo Ji laughed at the joke. Exercise was indeed a good idea, especially since he needed ten more spirit stones to afford a Heaven Breathing pill.

As they walked out of the Dining Hall, the lesser disciples scattered around him like cockroaches fleeing a lion. This made Luo Ji smile ferociously. While he had some rivalries with other disciples, he was considered strong among the outer disciples. No one dared to offend him; even his rivals thought twice before retaliating. That was how strong Luo Ji was.

Licking his lips as he searched for a target for "exercise," a disciple caught his eye. The guy had short black hair, a rumpled robe—as if he didn't know how to wear a simple robe—and a meek expression. He scurried from the Dining Hall like a cockroach. Initially, Luo Ji considered dismissing him, but when the disciple glanced back, their eyes met, and he flinched, Luo Ji smiled.

"I found our exercise," Luo Ji said to his lackeys, pointing at the disciple. When his prey saw Luo Ji pointing at him, his eyes widened. He no doubt realized he was now the target, to which Luo Ji responded with a ferocious smile. "Hey, you, wait for me!"

The guy flinched, and instead of stopping like an obedient rabbit, he dared to bolt. Luo Ji frowned. He understood why the coward bolted. He was indeed strong and ferocious; it was normal for people to flee from him. But Luo Ji had clearly commanded him to wait, and instead of obeying, the guy bolted. Luo Ji growled, "Catch him!"

Thus, he and his lackeys hunted the cowardly disciple. The guy was quite fast. Snow parted from him as if he were a running wild boar. Yet, Luo Ji and his lackeys, using a simple movement technique, soon caught up to him. One of his lackeys activated a technique and extended his hand, shooting a chain that whistled through the air. The coward looked behind and tried to dodge, but he was too slow, and the chain easily caught him.

"Haha, did you think you could run?" his lackey said.

Luo Ji accelerated faster. His smile was ferocious, and upon seeing him speed up, his prey's eyes widened with a panicked expression, his body wriggling like a worm. How pathetic.

"How dare you run from me?" Luo Ji arrived and swung his foot. His kick connected with the disciple's side, and the coward was sent sprawling in the snow. He screamed, a pitiful sound that was like music to Luo Ji's ears, and his prey rolled in the snow before finally stopping.

"P-please, spare me. I-I'm sorry. I didn't see you," the prey begged.

Luo Ji and his snickering lackeys moved toward him. "What's your name?"

"My name is Liu Xing," the prey answered.

"Alright, Liu Xing," he spat. "Have we met?"

"Y-yes," Liu Xing nodded slowly. "T-there was one time when you said that you needed spirit stones, so I gave you three."

"Is that so?" Truth be told, Luo Ji liked to vary his words when he tried to rob people. And he felt like he had used that scenario before. Of course, both parties understood that "borrow" meant give him the spirit stones or receive a beating, but that wasn't too important.

"W-what do you want?" Liu Xing asked. "A-are you going to borrow spirit stones again? I'm sorry, but currently I'm penniless."

"Do you think we're so poor that we need to borrow your money?" Luo Ji smiled. "No, actually, my friend here said that we need to exercise more so we wouldn't get fat. And so, I intend to invite you to become my sparring partner."

Upon hearing what he said, Liu Xing's eyes widened, and his body trembled like a little rat drenched in water. This reaction made Luo Ji's smile widen. Ah, this was it. This was the feeling he always relished. The feeling of having other people fear him, beg him, and the power to do anything he wanted!

"But, you dared to run from me, even after I told you to wait, so you need to be punished a little."

His lackeys snickered as if they were anticipating the funniest joke in the world. One of them, the one Luo Ji called Beard, since he tried to grow one but never had any luck, hauled Liu Xing onto his shoulder like a damsel in distress. Their current location was near the training ground, and even though he knew people who saw them would ignore them, it would be better to have some privacy.

The walk took several minutes. Along the way, Liu Xing cried and begged with a pathetic expression. At first, Luo Ji laughed at him. How could this guy become a disciple of one of the great sects? But then, he remembered that this pitiful thing was not actually that weak; Luo Ji was just the stronger one. Still, after Liu Xing pleaded and pleaded and pleaded, his voice trembling, eyes glistening, it became annoying, so Luo Ji struck the little coward across the face. A sharp sound echoed, and Liu Xing recoiled, blood appearing at the corner of his mouth.

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They finally arrived at a suitable place. It was a clearing quite far from the training ground, but there was a giant pole in the center of it. It was made from a brown log, with snow piling on top.

"Undress him and chain him to the pole," Luo Ji said to his lackey, the one he appropriately called Chain.

"Alright, boss."

"Please, please let me go. I did nothing wrong!" Liu Xing pleaded pitifully, which made Chain and Beard roughly handle him, and made Luo Ji's grin widen further.

Chain released his chain, and Liu Xing, that pathetic coward, actually tried to run away. But Beard, though not the brightest, was strong, and so he pinned him to the ground while Chain began to remove Liu Xing's robe. Once, when Luo Ji cornered a girl and learned that these robes were more durable than they looked, he realized that stripping a victim was simply more efficient than tearing them to pieces.

Soon, Liu Xing was tied to the log, naked. Beard and Chain laughed at Liu Xing, and the pathetic disciple bowed his head, attempting to shield himself from their gaze.

"Why?" his prey pleaded, head still bowed. "Why are you doing this? Surely, there's nothing you gain from it. If you want spirit stones, as I said before, I'm penniless, I have nothing, nothing!" he cried out in despair.

Luo Ji took several steps closer. He yanked Liu Xing's hair, forcing his head up. "Why? Actually, there's a profound reason why you are naked and tied to a log." Snow began to fall from the sky. "The reason is because I enjoy it."

Luo Ji raised his fist and struck Liu Xing in the face. The blow echoed. Luo Ji hit him again and again, a rhythmic thud in the snowy clearing. Blood trickled from Liu Xing's nose, and his eyes began to swell. Still, Luo Ji continued, punch after punch. Liu Xing whimpered with each blow, begging him to stop, uttering pathetic words. He struggled against the chain, but the chain's handiwork was reliable.

"Come on, don't be so pathetic," Luo Ji sneered, striking Liu Xing in the gut, making him cough. "You're a disciple of the Purple Moon Sect. One of the five great sects! You were a genius in your hometown, weren't you? So why are you whimpering like a child?"

He struck him again, then varied his assault, kicking Liu Xing's side. Beard added a crude to his manhood, and Liu Xing gasped a choked sound of pain.

As he continued his attack, Luo Ji felt a wave of exhilaration. Each blow seemed to invigorate him. He enjoyed inflicting pain, but there was also a practical benefit to this beating that he kept to himself. Cultivation requires concentration, a calm mind, and a contented heart. Every time he hit a person, he would get that calm and contented heart, which would speed up his cultivation.

As Liu Xing whimpered and Luo Ji began to laugh, his strikes grew stronger. Then, something irritating happened. His prey seemed to collapse inward, curling into himself, his eyes losing focus, his cries fading.

Luo Ji snarled. "What's the matter? Are you a masochist? You like this, huh?"

This sometimes happens. Some weaklings, when they realized their helplessness, simply gave up and became passive as if waiting for a storm to pass. Luo Ji despised it. Hitting someone who didn't resist was like hitting a sack of flour. There was no satisfaction in it. Luckily, he usually found ways to provoke a reaction.

"Untie him, I think I've had enough exercise," he said.

Beard and Chain followed his order, and Liu Xing slumped to the snow like a discarded puppet. Luo Ji waited a moment. Disciples of the Purple Moon Sect, even the weaker ones, were usually individuals of some pride. Even if Liu Xing's pride was battered, it wouldn't be completely extinguished. Luo Ji had enough experience to know a flicker of defiance was likely.

When Liu Xing's foot twitched, Luo Ji's grin widened. "Let's go, guys."

He turned, feigning departure, and as expected, Liu Xing scrambled to his feet and bolted, desperation lending him speed. Luo Ji laughed, turned back, channeled his qi, and leaped after Liu Xing. Predictable. Give them a sliver of hope, and they always run.

He soared through the air, fist clenched, a manic grin on his face. Truthfully, when his victims became unresponsive, the fun was over. If Liu Xing had stayed down, Luo Ji would have been left unsatisfied. But this desperate flight offered a chance for a more satisfying conclusion.

"Where do you think you can escape?"

Liu Xing was fast, but not fast enough. Luo Ji closed the distance in an instant, appearing directly above his prey. Liu Xing looked up, his face pale, eyes wide with terror, as if he'd seen a ghost. Luo Ji twisted in the air, bringing his fist down on Liu Xing's cheek. A sickening thud, a choked scream, and a spray of blood marked the snow as Liu Xing crumpled to the ground, leaving a red trail in the white.

"Ah, that felt good," Luo Ji sighed contentedly.

Now, with this feeling of satisfaction, he could cultivate with greater focus than his usual. He started to turn away, his amusement with Liu Xing waning, when he heard a soft whimper and a child-like cry.

He glanced back at Liu Xing and saw him curled in on himself, a faint trembling shaking his frame. The whimpers grew into choked sobs and his body convulsing. Seeing this, Luo Ji's grin stretched wider. Excellent, just excellent! The utter despair radiating from the other disciple was almost intoxicating. He could wring one last bit of satisfaction from this session.

"Guys, look," he said to Beard and Chain. "He's shivering. I think he's cold. We need to warm him up!"

Luo Ji approached Liu Xing, who was weeping quietly. "Let me help you get warm."

Luo Ji unbuckled his pants and a stream of urine arced through the cold air, landing on Liu Xing. Chain and Beard followed suit, their laughter echoing in the clearing. This was truly great.

When they were finished, Luo Ji and his lackeys walked away. After walking a distance, Luo Ji turned around to take one last look at Liu Xing, and their eyes met. Luo Ji's smile widened. Liu Xing was soaked in urine, his face bruised and swollen, covered in blood and snot. However, there was a raw, undiluted hatred in Liu Xing's gaze. It was so intense that it was almost physical. But beneath the hatred, Luo Ji could still detect a flicker of fear, and that was what truly satisfied him.

He remembered that after that day, he targeted Liu Xing more often. He manipulated some people to give him a dangerous mission and watched the hatred and despair grow in Liu Xing's eyes. Sometimes he beat him again, sometimes he simply tormented him with the threat of violence. But in the blur of his many victims, Liu Xing, despite his unforgettable face, eventually faded into the background.

Until now.

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