Despite Ryan Cooper's extraordinary talent, he had only been practicing martial arts for a short time and could barely be considered a second-rate expert, suffering the most injuries. Although Samuel Carter was stronger than Ryan Cooper, his inherently kind nature made him too soft-hearted against enemies, so he too was badly wounded. Henry Carter and Andrew Carter hurried to protect the two on either side, but before long, both were drenched in blood and collapsed to the ground.

Grace Thompson quickly rushed over, shielding the two and dragging them out of the battlefield, discovering that they had only fainted. She hurried to apply medicine and stop their bleeding.

Ryan Cooper was struck by several blades, and in the end, someone kicked him to the ground. Several blades slashed down at him simultaneously.

In that instant, Ryan Cooper was filled with despair—hate, such hatred. Why? Were his brothers to die in vain like this? Why did the ugly faces of the villains still sneer there? Why wasn't it them who died? Though his brothers fought, gambled, and visited brothels, and in the eyes of those stubborn and upright old scholars were far from good people, they were by no means bad. Their fights were just for fun among themselves, and even when fighting outsiders, it was always against real thugs and bullies, never the weak. Gambling, they wagered their own money, never stealing or robbing, and often gave alms to the homeless and destitute. As for visiting brothels, as his brothers themselves said, it was a normal physical need—far better than those sanctimonious hypocrites who acted like gentlemen on the surface but were thieves and adulterers behind the scenes. Why did his genuine, true-hearted brothers have to die so miserably, while the real villains still roamed free in the world? Why? Why? Damn you, heavens, you bastard!

Just as the blades were about to strike, another person appeared over Ryan Smith.

“No—” Ryan Cooper cried out in despair. Blood splattered—a young life, a lively and adorable youth, a boy who had called him brother-in-law since childhood, was about to vanish forever in order to save him.

Everyone present was stunned, all attacks ceased. What kind of friendship, what kind of kinship was this? Four people, knowing they would die, still sought to avenge their brother. As one was about to die, another used his own body to take all the blades, using his own flesh to prolong his brother’s life.

Grace Thompson couldn’t help but burst into tears, rushing over to stop Samuel Carter's bleeding and apply medicine, desperately trying to hold on to his rapidly fading life. The sight was shocking—his back was crisscrossed with more than a dozen wounds, a bloody, mangled mess.

Ryan Cooper struggled to his feet, his heart filled with utter despair. Staring at that pale face in the pool of blood, his vision blurred. This person was not only the adorable youth who called him brother-in-law every day, but also the younger brother of the one he both loved and hated, their faces so alike that, in the end, they overlapped in his mind. No one noticed that the black jade suddenly glowed brightly, then gradually dimmed again, as if nothing had happened.

“Ah…” Ryan Cooper gripped his blade in his right hand and the black jade in his left, raising his head to the sky and letting out a long, anguished howl, venting his boundless resentment and searing hatred. At that moment, an overwhelming fighting spirit surged from the black jade in his left hand—yes, it was no illusion, but a true consciousness: an indomitable will to battle. In the next instant, Ryan Cooper understood—this was the secret of the black jade. The fighting spirit of the ancestor Zhan Tian, passed down for a thousand years without fading! What strength, what persistence! How could a descendant of the Dugu clan be bullied at will? If a piece of jade that had passed through the ancestor’s hands could be so roused by killing intent, how much more so a living, hot-blooded man!

A surge of power poured forth from the depths of the jade, seemingly endless, like a dragon returning to the sea, coursing through his body. The weak internal energy within him began to circulate through his meridians, gradually growing stronger. It traveled through the extraordinary channels, entered the eight vessels, moved into the twelve main meridians, flooded the Ren and Du bridges of heaven and earth… Like all rivers flowing into the sea, it all gathered in his dantian. Then, starting from the dantian, it cycled again and again.

Little Ryan Cooper's body crackled and popped continuously, as unknown meridians within him were forced open one after another, bringing immense pain—his whole body drenched in sweat. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, all his meridians were cleared, and his wounds healed on their own. The power transferred from a small piece of jade in an instant created a martial arts master. How formidable must its owner have been a thousand years ago? This was a legacy spanning a millennium! A thousand years ago, he stood above all others; a thousand years later, his fighting spirit still soared to the heavens! Thus began the legend of a martial arts myth!

Chapter Eleven: Sacrificing Oneself to Become a Demon

The people nearby first heard the crackling sounds coming from within Ryan Cooper, then saw his wounds healing on their own, miraculously closing without treatment, leaving them utterly dumbfounded. What on earth had happened? Everyone was baffled.

At this moment, Ryan Cooper felt an unbearable discomfort in both body and mind. The physical pain was tolerable, but suddenly, the jade transmitted a torrent of information to his brain, a chaotic flood that nearly drove him mad.

The information within the jade could be said to have brought a turning point to Ryan Cooper's life.

Ryan Cooper's eyes, which had been closed in pain, slowly opened. The crowd was once again shocked—what kind of eyes were these? Two blood-red points of light. Both the pupils and the whites of his eyes had turned red, two terrifying, glowing crimson dots.

Suddenly, a world-destroying aura erupted from Ryan Cooper. His tall, imposing figure stood like a mountain, exuding overwhelming dominance. His long hair fluttered in the wind, his handsome, resolute face wore a faint, cold smile, as if an ancient demon god had descended to look down upon all beings. The broken branches and withered leaves around him swirled into the air, and before they could reach within a man’s height, they exploded into dust, scattering with the wind.