The downpour was relentless. Sheets of rain hammered against the earth, turning the forest floor into a mire of mud and slick leaves. Koel scowled as the water dripped from his soaked clothes and plastered his dark hair to his forehead.
"Damned weather," he cursed under his breath, his patience thinning.
Tonight was supposed to be a simple job—an effortless hunt. Their target was nothing more than a brat at the seventh level of Body Refinement. They had even set up a trap, using Lennox as bait. Yet, somehow, their prey had slipped through their fingers.
Koel's lips curled in disdain. "Lennox was just an eighth-level Body Refinement weakling. He was trash, to begin with. Was someone like him even qualified to be on my team?"
His voice carried no sorrow, only cold indifference. Lennox had been disposable from the start. Whether as bait or cannon fodder in future hunts, his fate was always meant to be the same. It was just a matter of when.
Twang!
The crisp sound of a bowstring tightening cut through the drumming rain. Though nearly imperceptible beneath the storm's fury, Koel's heightened senses, honed by his Energy Gathering cultivation, reacted instinctively. He shifted half a step to the side.
Thud!
A silver-white arrow struck the ground beside him, its tail feathers trembling from the impact.
Koel's eyes darkened. A silver-iron arrow?
His gaze snapped toward the origin of the shot. A shadowy figure perched atop the thick branch of a towering tree, a longbow in his hands. Raindrops slid off his wide-brimmed hat, obscuring his face.
"You..." Koel's voice was laced with killing intent. "You're the one who killed Chena, aren't you?"
Dustin leaped down from the tree, landing in the mud with a soft splash. He smirked. "Not just Chena. I killed the rest of your men, too. You're the last one left."
A flicker of shock passed through Koel's cold eyes. His subordinates had all been ninth-level Body Refinement martial artists. How had a mere seventh-level brat managed to eliminate them without raising an alarm?
But the moment of disbelief passed. His expression turned icy. "You're bold, I'll give you that. But do you think that just because you dealt with them, you can take on me?"
Dustin stepped forward. Rain drummed against his hat, cascading down his shoulders as his lips curled into a slight grin. "I've been wanting to see how powerful an Energy Gathering martial artist is. Try not to disappoint me."
Koel barked out a laugh, his voice laced with mockery. "A mere Body Refinement rat challenging an Energy Gathering master? You must have a death wish!"
Though he felt no real grief over his fallen subordinates, he was already considering how easily he could form another team. With his strength, replacing them was a trivial matter.
With a flick of his wrist, Koel brandished his Flynn Spear, its iron tip glinting under the dim moonlight. A surge of oppressive energy radiated from him, making the air around him seem heavier.
Dustin remained unfazed, his Sharp Sword already unsheathed. He knew that Energy Gathering was an entirely different realm from Body Refinement.
Where Body Refinement martial artists integrated their inner energy into their bodies, an Energy Gathering warrior stored and condensed their energy within their dantian, forming true qi—a power far superior to mere inner energy.
Koel sneered. "Let's see how long you last."
With a sudden burst of speed, he lunged. His spear whistled through the air, cutting through the rain with lethal precision. Infused with true qi, the weapon radiated a faint glow, its force so great that raindrops sizzled away upon contact.
Clang!
Dustin's sword clashed against the spear. A massive force surged through his arm, making his grip tremble. His tiger's mouth throbbed in pain as the impact forced him backward, his feet skidding through the mud.
Five meters... Six meters...
Only after a few steps did he manage to stabilize himself, his muscles aching from the sheer force of Koel's attack.
"As expected," Dustin muttered, shaking his numb arm. "An energy-gathering martial artist completely overpowers me in raw strength."
Koel smirked. "Not bad footwork. But against my cultivation, that won't save you."
The spear in his hands trembled before launching forward again, striking like a viper. A rain of spear shadows filled the space between them, each one glinting with the deadly light of true qi.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Dustin barely kept up, his sword deflecting each strike at the last possible moment. He was forced to retreat under the onslaught, his movements a blur. If not for his High-Level Mastery movement technique, he would have already been skewered.
Crack!
A final clash sent a violent shudder through his sword—until the blade snapped in two.
Koel let out a victorious laugh. "My Flynn Spear is a low-grade magic weapon. Your broken sword is useless now. Time to die!"
The spear swept forward like a hurricane. Dustin's expression remained calm. As the deadly point neared, he shifted his stance—just enough for it to graze past his chest.
Slice!
Blood splattered as a thin wound opened on his torso, but he ignored the pain. Instead, he countered.
Tiger Style!
His fist shot forward, aiming directly at Koel's chest.
Koel scoffed. "You think a mere Body Refinement punch can hurt me?"
His true qi shielded his body. Coupled with the low-grade light armor he wore, Dustin's attack should have been meaningless.
Boom!
The moment Dustin's fist connected, Koel's expression twisted in shock.
Crack! Crack!
A sickening crunch echoed as his chest caved in, his bones shattering like brittle wood. A guttural scream tore from his throat as his true qi barrier failed.
Before he could react, Dustin stepped in closer.
Soaring Dragon Style!
His fists blurred, hammering Koel's chest over a dozen times. Each strike carried a flickering black and white energy—the manifestation of life and death essence.
Thump!
Koel collapsed onto his back, blood gushing from his mouth. His wide, unblinking eyes stared at the stormy sky, disbelief frozen on his face.
"I... I'm an Energy Gathering martial artist..." he choked out, his body twitching in the mud. "How... could I lose to a mere... Body Refinement kid...?"
His last breath left him.
Dustin exhaled sharply, swaying slightly as the aftershock of true qi damage spread through his meridians. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, but as the Life and Death Essence circulated within him, his wounds began to mend at a visible rate.
He had won.
Dustin looted Koel's corpse, obtaining the Flynn Spear, low-rank light armor, and a storage-type artifact—a bronze wrist guard capable of holding items within a separate space.
After selling the looted weapons in a nearby stronghold, he accumulated over 1,300 low-grade vitality stones.
With newfound wealth, he resumed his training within the Eight Wonders Mountains.
Days passed.
Sitting cross-legged within a secluded grove, Dustin activated his Spirit Gathering Array. Vitality surged into him. Coupled with medicinal pills and the essence of the surrounding flora, his cultivation skyrocketed.
Boom!
A surge of black and white light erupted around him. Dustin's aura condensed, becoming sharper, and stronger. When he opened his eyes, they gleamed with renewed power.
Eighth Level of Body Refinement—achieved!
A small smile played on his lips.
"Now... even against the elites of the Martial Hall, I won't be easily outmatched."