Kade sighed internally. Aaron was a stereotypical bully. He was moderately talented when it came to cultivation, having achieved the third stage of martial refinement just a year after joining Mystic Solar Valley and threw his weight around often.

 

In the past he’d often found himself the target of said abuse, mainly due to his lacking talent placing him among the weakest of the outer sect, making Kade an easy target. 

 

This was his moment to pay these egotistical assholes for their ‘brotherly’ treatment all this time. With his cultivation that now exceeded theirs, this was a wonderful chance to test his new staff.

 

“Say, Aaron. Are you just picking on me because you’re mad about getting rejected by Senior Sister Snowlily?” Kade jeered.

 

His taunt worked exactly as intended, the irascible youth’s face instantly contorting in rage and Kade could almost physically feel the anger radiating from him. If this had been the Kade of last week perhaps he would’ve been scared, but he had an overwhelming advantage now.

 

Like the cliche he was, Aaron sent both of his followers forward to attack Kade first, not wanting to get his own hands dirty when someone else was willing to do the job for him.

 

While in the martial refinement realm, practitioners did not release an aura since all of the power gained through cultivation was locked in the physical body, as such it was difficult to precisely tell the strength of an opponent.

 

However, Kade knew that neither of the youths approaching him with gleeful leers plastered on their faces would have a cultivation greater than the third stage of martial refinement, far from enough to take him on even though he had yet to stabilise his fourth stage cultivation.

 

Not even taking his new staff from his back, wanting to try out his newfound personal strength first, Kade taunted the bullies further, putting up a hand and waving them forward.

 

The taller one with buck teeth and an awkward gait, his name eluding Kade, rushed forwards with a hand raised ready to strike. It was a clumsy use of force, the trajectory of the punch easily read by Kade.

 

If there was one thing Kade felt he had a talent for, it was his innate fighting sense. It had made him stand out from his less experienced peers when entering the sect, but as his cultivation stagnated it only served to frustrate him during sparring and when picked on by thugs like Aaron.

 

It served him well once more as he deftly dodged to the side of the punch, before planting one of his own squarely in the boy’s face. 

 

It had a lot more power than any of them expected, especially Kade who was used to his attacks often falling flat in the face of stronger opponents.

 

His knuckles made a disturbing crunch as they broke his opponent’s nose and knocked loose a few teeth before sending the lanky lad flying into a nearby tree, where his momentum was rudely arrested with another crack that didn’t sound very healthy for his spine.

 

He couldn’t have been more than a second stage martial refinement practitioner given how pathetic his defence was. Kade hadn’t intended to cause so much damage, but he didn’t feel bad. 

 

They had set out to hurt him and had already caused plenty of trauma in the past, it was simply karma at work. 

 

Kade caught a flash of movement from the corner of his eye and shifted to avoid an incoming kick from the second of Aaron’s goons, a boy similarly chubby to the meathead he followed but with long black hair tied into a decorative bun. 

 

Thanks to his quick reaction, Kade avoided taking a blow directly to his liver but still suffered a little from the powerful strike, a purple welt already forming around the impact.

 

Not wanting to let the opponent take the initiative, Kade rushed towards the other boy and prepared another powerful punch. 

 

The large fellow raised his arms to guard his face, not wanting to experience a broken nose like his unfortunate comrade. The punch however, was just a feint - Kade’s true goal was to wind his enemy.

 

Using the momentum from putting his weight into the punch, Kade pivoted on one foot and transferred all the power into a heavy roundhouse kick that buried itself deep in the layers of fat surrounding the boy’s stomach.

 

He doubled over while gasping for breath and Kade then finished him off with a heavy slap to the face. Not the most efficient strike, but definitely a satisfying one.

 

With both of his cronies defeated, Aaron stood there dumbfounded. “Were you hiding your true cultivation all this time, you insect? I’ll batter you!” He roared.

 

“If I was this strong the entire time why would I let myself be pushed around by self important thugs like you? Is that big head of yours just for show?” Kade quipped.

 

Unlike his followers, Aaron had a little more control over his emotions. His frustrated scowl was evidence that the insults were getting to him however. 

 

Rather than wait for the burly youth to attack him, Kade decided to claim the initiative and charged at the cruel bully who’d been his main tormentor for the best part of a year.

 

Not expecting the headlong rush from the boy he viewed as a weakling, Aaron was caught completely off guard and Kade’s charge picked him off the ground, driving him into a nearby tree and winding him.

 

However, he wasn’t nearly as weak as his two goons, having been at the third stage of martial refinement for a while Aaron was close to breaking through and possessed similar strength to Kade. 

 

He recovered quickly and unleashed a flurry of blows aimed at Kade’s head and chest which forced him to retreat and give up momentum.

 

They continued in that manner for a few minutes, exchanging glancing blows and causing minor injuries to each other. Kade had the upper hand due to his cultivation being one stage higher, but his lack of familiarity with his newfound strength meant that Aaron was able to match his pace.

 

Kade rocked Aaron’s jaw with a swift jab that the larger youth hadn’t seen coming, but he held his ground and countered with a heavy blow to Kade’s gut that sent him reeling, doubled over and gasping for breath. 

 

“Hmph. It seems this is your true strength. I don’t know why you hid it all this time but for daring to pull the wool over my eyes there is only one fate that awaits you,” Aaron declared, unsheathing a sword from his waist.

 

This was the moment Kade had been anticipating the entire fight. He knew there was no way the cowardly boy who spent his time bullying his sect mates rather than focusing on cultivation wouldn’t give up without victory, even if using a real sword in a ‘friendly’ duel was underhanded.

 

Aaron rushed at him, the sharp point of the sword held towards Kade as a deterrent and threat. The gap closed and he raised the sword high above his head to strike, leaving himself wide open.

 

In a single fluid movement that might make an observer think Kade was a well practised staff user, he whipped the Resonant Echo Staff from the straps on his back and swung it in a narrow arc.

 

THWACK.

 

The metal tip of the staff smacked into Aaron’s manly parts with a satisfying noise and his charge was halted with prejudice. He barely held on to the sword in his hand and retreated, his free hand clutching his injured pride.

 

His face was contorted in a mix of pain and rage and it seemed he might throw up at any moment. Kade knew the pain well. It was a favourite tactic of Aaron and his cronies to target the soft spots of their victims.

 

“BASTARD! How dare you!” Despite his cruel and twisted personality, Aaron was still a somewhat talented cultivator and one blow wasn’t enough to take him out. He got back to his feet and recovered his footing, just a little shaken.

 

Kade couldn’t help but grin. It was incredibly satisfying seeing the disciple who’d made his life hell suffer in the same manner he had. Truly poetic justice.

 

In the first place, it wasn’t like he’d done anything to offend them. In fact, Kade prided himself on being a kind and friendly individual, often going out of his way to assist others with minor tasks where possible.

 

They simply saw that he wasn’t as strong as them and decided that was enough to make his life a living hell. Near daily beatings, taunts and embarrassment became the norm and he had accepted that. When did he decide to throw away his pride?

 

It ended today, the first of his tormentors now at his mercy. Not giving Aaron the chance to seize the initiative, Kade twirled his staff and darted at his opponent, zigzagging to throw off his trajectory.

 

Aaron raised his sword to block an incoming strike, holding it around chest height to guard his vital areas. Unfortunately for his poor manhood, Kade had other plans.

 

The tip of the staff flashed in the sunlight as it whizzed through the air towards Aaron’s head and he raised his sword to defend himself, once again displaying a complete lack of battle awareness and leaving himself wide open. 

 

How had he allowed such a clumsy fool to lord over him all this time? Kade twirled the staff, avoiding the edge of the sword and using the momentum to pivot round and strike his opponent’s crown jewels for the second time.

 

Aaron’s entire body convulsed with the impact, his fat rippling to absorb the shock waves as he collapsed in agony, the sword clattering to the ground beside him.

 

It might’ve just been his imagination but it seemed like the second strike had a lot more force behind it, despite him not using more strength.

 

“Maybe try to be less of an asshole from now on, Aaron. There’s an entire lifetime for you to be a moron, so perhaps use your brain today and do the smart thing. Apologise to me,” said Kade.

 

Aaron was still clutching his precious manhood while curled up on the floor, but he spat out through gritted teeth, “Screw you.”

 

Kade sighed. It wasn’t like he’d actually expected an apology but he thought he’d give it a go anyway. He wasn’t so petty as to keep beating on the pathetic boy now that the difference in their strength was clear. 

 

He examined the plain staff in his hands, running a finger down the sturdy body. Was it simply King grade due to the quality of the materials, or was it hiding a secret?

 

Returning it to the straps on his back, he left his quivering fellow disciple on the side of the road and continued his journey to the library.

 

Just a moment later he heard a scuffle behind him and spun round to see Aaron charging at him, sword held in both hands and moments from piercing his stomach.

 

He wasn’t petty, but some people were simply asking for it. Kade whipped the staff out once more and swung with all his might.

 

DINGGGG.

 

A sound like a bell rang out as the tip of the staff made contact. There was a pop as Aaron’s delicates literally exploded, causing a bloody mess in his pants.

 

The boy went flying nearly ten metres into a nearby rock, the impact cracking the sturdy stone and knocking him out cold.

 

Whoops. Just the extra bit of force Kade applied shouldn’t have been enough to cause that. Suddenly the staff’s name made complete sense. 

 

It seemed that repeated strikes to the same area would build up and cause more damage with each successive blow. 

 

At the very least, the world would be saved from any more idiots bearing that unfortunate bloodline. Hopefully he wouldn’t get in too much trouble from the elders.