His duty remained to provide backup for the hidden sentries. He was told that his position would be adjusted based on his strength after the martial arts examination concluded. Chen Yuan had no objections to this. He didn’t want to be constantly transferred around, either; his survivalist mentality naturally despised unnecessary trouble.
Late that night, Midnight had already passed.
After finishing the handover with the hidden sentry who came to relieve him, Chen Yuan walked along the mountain path toward his home. The darkness of the night was thick and impenetrable. The flickering lamp at the entrance of the alley had long since gone out. Only a sliver of moonlight leaked through the gaps in the clouds, paving a thin layer of silver frost over the bluestone path.
Chen Yuan trod down this alley he had walked countless times. His footsteps were light and steady, no different from any ordinary person returning home. But as he reached the middle of the alley, his footsteps suddenly paused for half a beat. Then, he heard the sound of the wind. It wasn’t the night breeze blowing through the alley, but three sharp, abrupt whistling sounds cutting through the air.
Hidden darts.
Three hidden darts shot out from the shadows on the right-side roof in a triangular formation. Their tips gleamed with a cold, faint blue light under the moon. One aimed straight for his throat, while the other two sealed off his avenues of retreat to the left and right. The attacker had perfectly calculated his pace, his escape routes, and even his reaction time after hearing the wind.
Chen Yuan’s body reacted faster than his brain. The tip of his right foot pushed hard against the ground. Power surged from his ankle as his knees bent slightly. Instead of retreating or dodging to the side, he skimmed diagonally forward, staying incredibly close to the ground.
Swallow Skimming the Water. With his Shallow Treading Ripples technique nearly half-mastered, his speed was pushed to its absolute limit.
The hidden darts brushed past his ear and the fabric at his waist. The closest one was barely half an inch from the skin of his neck, the wind of its passing making his hairs stand on end. THUNK THUNK THUNK. The three darts embedded themselves into the brick wall half a foot behind him, their tails still quivering.
The moment he landed, his hand reached for his waist. It was a movement he had rehearsed countless times in his mind. Ever since he ambushed and killed Yu Yan, he had constantly wondered how he would break out of the situation if it were ever his turn to be ambushed. The answer was exactly the same as the choice he had made when killing Yu Yan: quicklime.
Just as his fingertips touched the tied opening of the cloth pouch, the dark figure on the roof swooped down like a Night Owl. He didn’t attack from the front, but from the rear flank. The timing chosen by this person was extremely ruthless. After dodging the hidden darts, Chen Yuan’s center of gravity was still unsteady, and his hand was at his waist. It was the exact moment his defense was at its weakest.
In midair, the man in black delivered a Slicing Palm toward the back of Chen Yuan’s neck. The palm wind was fierce, carrying a heavy and powerful momentum. If the strike landed solidly, his neck bone would snap.
Chen Yuan did not turn his head. His hand pulled out of the cloth pouch, tossing a handful of quicklime backward in a sudden backhanded motion.
A white mist exploded under the moonlight. The man in black clearly hadn’t anticipated this trick. He forcibly retracted his Slicing Palm mid-strike, crossed his arms over his face, and rapidly retreated. The quicklime powder rustled as it fell onto his robes, scattering into a cloud of white smoke in the night wind.
Taking advantage of this momentary breather, Chen Yuan took three quick steps back until his back hit a brick wall. He firmly assumed the Santishi stance.
The man in black waved his sleeve to disperse the quicklime powder, revealing a pair of gloomy eyes above his face mask. He didn’t speak, nor did he give Chen Yuan any time to catch his breath. Pushing off the ground forcefully, he closed the distance once again like an arrow loosed from a bowstring. He used no flashy techniques; he simply threw a straight punch aimed squarely at Chen Yuan’s heart. It was a straight punch so ordinary it bordered on crude.
But Chen Yuan only truly gauged the power behind this punch after he blocked it. He swept his left arm horizontally, using the wrapping force of the Body-Wrapping Cross Fist to Unload the impact.
The moment the fist collided with his arm, Chen Yuan felt an extremely heavy and dominant force pierce through his forearm and shoot straight into his chest cavity. CRACK. Fine web-like fissures spread across the bluestone bricks beneath his feet.
Great Success in Muscle Forging.
His heart violently lurched. This man’s muscle strength was an entire tier higher than Liu Man’s. Every punch felt like it was wrapped in a layer of iron armor, jarring Chen Yuan so hard that the marrow in his arm bones faintly tingled with numbness. Had he not formed the Iron Elephant Bone—making his skeletal strength far exceed that of others at the same stage—this single punch would have been enough to shatter his arm bone.
As the Hidden Force penetrated, his fascia Unloaded thirty percent of it, and his iron-like bones withstood another forty percent. However, the residual force still provoked a bout of dull numbness deep within his muscles.
With his first punch blocked, the man in black didn’t retract his right fist; his left fist had already shot out from under his ribs. It was another plain and unadorned straight punch, aiming for Chen Yuan’s flank.
Chen Yuan sank his elbow to block. THUD. A muffled impact sounded, and the sheer force knocked him half a step sideways. His back slammed into the brick wall, causing broken brick debris to shower down.
Then came another seven or eight punches.
The man’s boxing style was incredibly simple. Straight punches, uppercuts, hook punches, and Slicing Palms. They were all fundamental martial arts techniques—things an ordinary disciple could perform decently after half a year of practice. Yet, when executed by him, every single strike felt as heavy as iron.
What made Chen Yuan even more wary was the utter lack of flourishing movements. Every stance and strike went straight for the vitals. His boxing frame was exceptionally stable, and his rhythm in advancing and retreating was distinct and calculated. This was clearly an experienced martial artist, yet he deliberately restricted himself to only the most basic moves. He didn’t want to expose his identity.
With his back pressed against the wall, Chen Yuan’s gaze grew increasingly dark. He was defending, but he was also observing.
His opponent’s strength was indeed above his own. The muscle power of someone who had achieved Great Success in Muscle Forging was not something he, who was only at the initial stage of the muscle gate, could meet head-on. But with the Iron Elephant Bone supporting him, he wouldn’t be crushed by a single punch. And with his Dragon Tendon Unloading the force, he wouldn’t suffer internal organ damage from the Hidden Forces penetrating his body.
More importantly, while this person executed the basic boxing techniques with seasoned expertise, it ultimately wasn’t his most proficient martial art. The punches were heavy, but they lacked variation. This meant Chen Yuan had a fighting chance.
Chen Yuan stopped sticking to the wall and taking hits passively. He pushed off the ground with his left foot, his body coiling and rising like a swimming dragon. He thrust out his right arm, his five fingers loosely cupped.
Dragon Form: Dragon’s Claw.
As the man in black raised his arm to block, Chen Yuan’s left fist exploded from his waist. The fist traveled along the center line, a Hidden Force contained within but not yet released.
The man in black sank his elbow to smash down on the attack. Borrowing the counter-shock, Chen Yuan spun his body and changed his move. Sparrowhawk Form: Sparrowhawk’s Flip. His right leg whipped toward the side of the man’s neck.