Chapter 11: The Boss Takes Action

"Boss, there's no need for you to intervene. I can handle this brat and turn him into pulp!" Pan Hu hurriedly said, feeling humiliated for not being able to land a single punch on a kid.

The boss jumped down from the rock. He was a burly man in his early thirties, towering over others, his entire body covered in muscles that seemed to brim with immense power, enough to intimidate anyone just by looking at him.

"So tall and big!" Xiao Chen was also stunned by the boss's stature, seeing someone so large and muscular for the first time, many times bigger than himself!

The boss's name was Zhang Zhen, a bandit leader from the Qingshui River area who specialized in robbing cultivators passing through this forest. With his cultivation at the Early Heart Movement Stage, few dared to provoke them.

Zhang Zhen looked at the small boy in front of him and asked angrily, "Kid, what's your name? Your cultivation doesn't seem weak."

"My name is Xiao Chen!" Xiao Chen replied calmly after regaining his composure, his dark eyes assessing the burly Zhang Zhen.

"Boss, there's really no need for you to step in. I can handle him alone!" Pan Hu insisted, unwilling to accept that he couldn't defeat a kid.

"You're no match for him!" Zhang Zhen said directly, then turned his gaze to Xiao Chen and sneered, "Kid, let me play with you."

"Bang!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Zhen's powerful fist shot out quickly, its speed and strength far surpassing Pan Hu's. With a dull thud, Xiao Chen was sent flying over ten meters away. Although Xiao Chen had reacted, Zhang Zhen's speed and power were too overwhelming for him to dodge successfully.

As he flew through the air, Xiao Chen thought to himself, "This guy is even stronger than that uncle earlier. My forehead hurts so much!"

"The boss is the boss, knocking down this brat with just one punch! Awesome! Really awesome!" A lackey immediately flattered, smiling.

"Hmph! Just a brat, how strong could he be?" Zhang Zhen snorted with some pride, but his smile quickly froze in place.

Xiao Chen slowly got up, aside from some swelling on his forehead, he was otherwise unharmed, rubbing his forehead with a pained expression.

"B-Boss, that kid is standing up again!" Pan Hu said in shock, unable to believe that a boy of about ten years old could withstand Zhang Zhen's terrifying punch. After all, Zhang Zhen was at the Heart Movement Stage!

Xiao Chen spat on the ground, patted the dust off his clothes, and looked at Zhang Zhen with a smile, "Come on, this time I will definitely dodge your attack."

"Is this kid even human?" Zhang Zhen was stunned. His punch could easily kill several cows, yet hitting a boy in the forehead only caused swelling.

"That punch hurt a lot. This time I won't let you hit me again! Come on." Xiao Chen adopted a stance from the Immortal Dao Sect's martial arts, beckoning Zhang Zhen.

Seeing Xiao Chen's arrogant demeanor, Zhang Zhen was furious. He activated his true essence, causing the leaves on the ground to be blown away as if a strong wind had passed through the forest.

"Brat, you're quite full of yourself!" Zhang Zhen roared, his tiger-like eyes almost spewing fire.

"Bang!"

Zhang Zhen stomped on the ground, his burly body charging towards Xiao Chen at incredible speed, even faster now due to the activation of his true essence.

Xiao Chen's expression turned serious. Zhang Zhen's sudden burst of speed shocked him, forcing him to react quickly, narrowly dodging to the side.

"Bang!"

Zhang Zhen's powerful punch struck a large tree, and with a dull thud, his immense strength felled the tree, demonstrating the terrifying power of his punch.

Although Xiao Chen had dodged, his face still stung from the force of Zhang Zhen's punch grazing it.

"I can dodge!" Xiao Chen thought to himself, ignoring the pain on his face, and watched Zhang Zhen with a serious expression.

"Let's see how long you can keep dodging!" Zhang Zhen shouted, attacking Xiao Chen again with a flurry of punches.

Xiao Chen hurriedly dodged, as Zhang Zhen's furious attacks unleashed his full strength. At first, Xiao Chen struggled to cope, but as Zhang Zhen continued attacking, Xiao Chen quickly improved, eventually keeping up with Zhang Zhen's speed.

"How is this possible? All my attacks are being dodged by this brat! And he hasn't even tried to attack me! What is he doing?" Zhang Zhen grew more and more shocked as he fought. Initially, he had the upper hand, making Xiao Chen flustered, but as the fight went on, Xiao Chen was able to easily dodge his attacks.

"No way! Even the boss's attacks are useless now? Is this brat really human?" Pan Hu was dumbfounded, having felt proud before, but now he was worried for Zhang Zhen.

"This is insane! The boss is using his true essence and full strength, yet he can't land a single punch on this brat! And the kid seems to be getting stronger. What's going on?" Another lackey was equally shocked.

Yet another lackey exclaimed, "This kid seems to be learning as he fights. At first, he wasn't this skilled, but now, in such a short time, it's like he's a different person!"

They had no idea that Xiao Chen had no combat experience at all. Initially, he learned from Pan Hu, gradually adapting, and now with Zhang Zhen fighting him, Xiao Chen could effortlessly dodge his attacks, rapidly growing stronger.

"Great, I can now dodge full-force attacks from someone at the Heart Movement Stage. My reaction and agility are constantly improving. The ancient divine blood is incredible, making my physique so strong," Xiao Chen thought happily.

"Ah! I refuse to believe I can't hit you!" Zhang Zhen's anger reached a peak. Unable to land a punch, anyone would be frustrated.

"Bang!"

This time, Xiao Chen didn't dodge. Instead, he met Zhang Zhen's punch head-on with his own. With a dull thud, his small fist clashed with Zhang Zhen's large one, blocking it completely!

"What?" Zhang Zhen was utterly shocked. He had hit the boy, but his strength was completely blocked by a boy of ten years old! And Xiao Chen's small body didn't even take a step back!

"Ah!" Not far away, Pan Hu and the other lackeys were also shocked, their jaws almost dropping. They looked at Xiao Chen as if he were a monster.