"Not dangerous, not dangerous!"
"I can still run!"
Yan Chuang clung to the cliff, unleashing the second level of "Divine Movement Hundred Variations"—"Gecko Climbing the Wall"—to its limit. With strength infused into his limbs, he stuck to the cliff face like a gecko, slithering agilely like a snake.
At the same time, he kept one eye trained above the cliff. The moment someone leaned out, halfway down in pursuit—
Whoosh!
A sharp, chilling whistle split the air.
A throwing knife!
Another one!
This wasn't a casual toss—this throw came with full-body force: muscle-driven, waist-driven, enhanced with inner strength surging from his meridians.
This throwing knife was fast! And fierce!
But—
Clang!
The man above reacted swiftly, blocking it easily with an iron bow.
The knife veered off course!
A failed strike!
Yet that man barely paused—he stepped on the cliff and fired an arrow mid-air—
Thwack!
The arrow flew straight at Yan Chuang.
The heart!
Again, the heart!
Yan Chuang's heart clenched. He was nimble even on the cliffside, but not nearly as agile as on level ground. Dodging in time was out of the question.
There was only one option—
Boom!
Thousand-Pound Drop!
Yan Chuang dropped like a stone, channeling all his energy to plunge downward with the weight of a thousand pounds, barely dodging the arrow.
Thud~
The arrow embedded itself easily into the cliffside rock.
"Featherless arrows!"
"This man must be a tenth-level master, probably sees me as an equal threat like Wu Qi—worried that I've completed body-tempering training. That's why every shot aims straight at my chest—at my heart!"
This wasn't caution—
It was arrogance!
If he were truly cautious, he wouldn't aim every shot at the heart. He'd attack the spots that were hard to dodge or force a reaction.
After all—
Just one hit—anywhere—and Yan Chuang's escape abilities would be crippled. He might even fall off the cliff and die from the impact.
But this guy kept aiming for the heart!
He was deliberately increasing the difficulty!
If not confidence, if not arrogance—then what?
"Confidence is great!"
"Arrogance is even better!"
Yan Chuang hoped all his enemies were this kind of person.
But to deal with someone like this, he'd need to be clever.
"Run first!"
Yan Chuang didn't linger. He descended rapidly in stages, dozens of meters at a time, and the moment his feet hit the ground, he bolted into the forest. Not toward Baiyan Tribe—but back, toward Wushan Tribe, toward the Guangling Academy's territory.
He knew this path well!
That made it the safest.
And if more than one person was chasing him—or if he couldn't defeat them—then maybe the academy's influence could deter them.
"Run!"
Yan Chuang flitted through the forest like smoke, dodging trees and vines with lightning-fast speed.
No sounds from behind.
But as he looked up, he saw—far above—the silhouette of a middle-aged man soaring like an eagle, sharp-eyed, staring through the gaps in the canopy, locking eyes with Yan Chuang—and then, bow drawn—
Whoosh!
An arrow flew!
No—
Not just one!
Swish, swish, swish!
Three arrows launched in a triangle pattern, sealing all possible escape routes.
"Triple shot!"
Yan Chuang's scalp tingled. A chill shot through him. Even "Divine Movement Hundred Variations" couldn't fully evade this. He shifted slightly—
Thud!
He dodged two—but not the third. It struck his back and knocked him flying several meters, face-down and motionless.
"Trying to flee from my arrows?"
The man descended from the sky, parting the leaves. He held a bow, quiver on his back, rugged face wearing a confident smile—until, in the blink of an eye—
Boom!
Yan Chuang sprang to life, both hands throwing knives in perfect synchrony.
"Hmm?"
"Still alive?"
Tu Lie frowned. He spun the iron bow in his hands—
Clang! Clang!
The bow twisted, creating a magnetic field.
Both knives were instantly deflected—twisted off course.
He grabbed another arrow to finish Yan Chuang—
"Ha!"
"Another throwing knife for you!"
Yan Chuang jumped up with a kip-up, pulled two more knives from his waist, and flung them like lightning.
Boom!
Tu Lie remained composed. He stomped the ground, shifting his body half a step with sheer strength, bow ready again to shoot.
But—
Shhhk!
A stabbing pain in his chest.
He looked down—
A bloody hole had appeared.
His "Eagle Blood" tempered skin and muscles—resistant even to arrows—had been pierced by a flying knife.
"You—!"
Tu Lie's eyes widened. Blood gushed from his mouth.
His strength drained.
The bow fell from his hands—
Thud!
Weak and lifeless, he dropped to his knees.
No breath.
No life.
Slap! Slap!
Two more throwing knives whizzed in, exploding his head into pulp.
A hit to the heart might not be fatal—
But a shattered skull leaves no hope of survival!
"No matter how strong your martial arts, you're still afraid of a flying knife!"
Yan Chuang grunted, channeling his inner strength—Primordial Unity Qi—to purge the energy from the arrow strike and restore his blood flow.
That arrow—
Devastating!
Even with the protection of a Level 10 Golden Silkworm Armor, it nearly knocked him out.
Fortunately—
It held!
And with a Level 10 Flying Knife—
Accurate!
Accelerated!
Razor-sharp!
Wind-breaking!
Surprise attack—instant kill!
That was the second tenth-level opponent to fall under his throwing knife.
The first was Yuan Shicai.
Now—this foreign bowman.
Yan Chuang stepped forward, poked the man's body to confirm he was dead, retrieved his throwing knife from the body, and hid it away. Then he picked up the iron bow.
"This bow..."
It was heavy. Yan Chuang tried to draw it using full strength and inner force—but only managed 60% draw. He couldn't make a full arc!
"What a bow!"
He was impressed. Then he recalled how that man had used the bow to block his knives. Curious, Yan Chuang rotated the bow—
Click, click—
The four throwing knives scattered on the ground snapped up to the bow, magnetically attracted.
Turns out, both ends of the bow generated a magnetic field when rotated, pulling in any metal weapons nearby.
A rare treasure!
But it met Yan Chuang's freakishly fast throwing knives—slicing through the air soundlessly—leading to its owner's death.
"Ah, flying knife!"
"You're so much better than the red-tasseled spear!"
Yan Chuang lovingly caressed the throwing knife, clearly favoring his new toy. The old red-tasseled spear? Not missed at all.
If he'd faced Yuan Shicai or this foreign master with that spear, even if it were level 10, he might not have survived—let alone won.
But the throwing knife?
Unpredictable! Deadly!
"Flying knife—for now, you're my favorite!"
Yan Chuang didn't plan on switching weapons soon.
He slung the quiver on his back, packed the arrows, carried the bow on his shoulder, and held the spear in hand—now visibly armed to the teeth.
"What a mishmash I've become."
He chuckled.
But abandoning the spear? Impossible. It embodied his martial path. He could stop using it—but not give it up.
Drop the bow?
An even bigger joke!
This bow was definitely a rare artifact—probably high-grade. Whether used or traded, it was far too valuable to lose.
"I'll just carry everything."
"I don't mind the weight."
He grinned.
The bow alone made the fight worthwhile.
Of course, he was happy.
But as the saying goes: joy invites tragedy.
Just as Yan Chuang was celebrating with his new bow—
Boom boom boom!
Another figure appeared in the distance—also drawing a bow—and fired an arrow that pierced through ten ancient trees—
Thud thud thud!
Straight at Yan Chuang!
Danger!
Again!
Boom!
Yan Chuang twisted, dodging left and right, but the arrows ignored the trees, each one aimed at his vital points.
And—
They were forming a strategy!
Just five or six arrows forced Yan Chuang into a corner.
This new archer? Far deadlier than the last!
"This is insane!"
Yan Chuang had no choice—dodging for dear life.
He couldn't even see the enemy's face, only pinpointed their location from sound, and—
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Three throwing knives flew out.
But they couldn't pass through the trees. They could only find gaps—less effective.
Still—it bought him a moment.
He glanced back—finally saw the enemy.
And when he did—
"What the—!"
"That's the same guy!"
Hair, face, beard—even the bow and quiver!
An exact replica!
But Yan Chuang was sure—he had killed that guy!
He looked—
The corpse was still there, not far away, soaked in blood—definitely dead!
"The body's still there!"
Yan Chuang checked again—no mistake.
The new enemy saw it too—and instantly went berserk:
"Aaaaahhhh!"
No words—just a furious roar, face flushing red, bow drawn—
Thwack thwack thwack thwack thwack!
Five arrows! Five stars aligned!
They came!
Yan Chuang was in danger!
"Twins!"
That was the only thought he had before the five arrows arrived—aimed not to kill, but to cripple his limbs, pin him down, leave him alive—for torture.
"Go!"
In that moment, Yan Chuang repeated his trick—three knives flew: two visible, one hidden (the artifact).
He didn't watch.
He twisted, dodging the arrows, offering his belly to take the least-lethal hit—
Boom!
One arrow hit—more powerful than the last.
But—
Golden Silkworm Armor outside.
Primordial Qi inside.
Double protection.
"Hiss—!"
Still, his belly burned. His intestines ached. His inner energy shattered.
Too strong!
This guy's too strong!
Luckily—the armor held.
Yan Chuang survived.
He turned—checked his knives.
Two normal ones were caught by the magnetic bow—expected.
But the artifact?
Caught!
The man grabbed it barehanded, eagle claws dripping blood—but no broken bones, no torn tendons—
Caught a flying artifact knife—barehanded!
Eagle Claw beats the artifact?!
"What kind of monster is this?!"
Yan Chuang was stunned—
As the man flipped the artifact in his hand—
Whoosh!
A rare weapon against a rare weapon—
Throwing knife versus throwing knife—
And this time—