Danwu Refining Spirit

Chapter Forty-Four: The First Showdown

"Cuck!"

An owl took flight from the treetop behind it, heading straight towards the blood moon.

The fluttering wings created a gentle breeze, startling a few leaves that silently drifted to the top of Xiao Chong's head.

There is murderous intent!

Xiao Chong felt a sudden sense of unease, his whole body tensed, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

He tucked his legs, bent his back, and curled up in one fluid motion, propelling himself several meters away like a high-speed cannonball leaving the barrel.

After landing, he rolled into a low thicket of trees. In the midst of his busy work, he glanced back and was immediately terrified.

Behind the old tree he had just been leaning against, a dark iron spear emerged from the tree, its powerful force blasting a bowl-sized black hole into the trunk.

Everything happened so suddenly! If Xiao Chong hadn't reacted quickly enough, the iron spear would have pierced his waist and turned him into a pile of minced meat.

At this moment, Xiao Chong was extremely grateful to the devilish supervisor Xiao Fangzheng.

Tracking, infiltration, assassination, and adaptability—these were all things Xiao Fang had crammed into him like a duck being forced to eat in just three months. He hadn't taught him any martial arts techniques, but this training had pulled him back from the brink of death at crucial moments.

What a responsible gentleman! You may torment me a thousand times, but I will still treat you like my first love.

Okay, the term "first love" sounds a bit sinister, let's use something else. Filled with deep gratitude, Xiao Chong turned and fled.

That spear thrust must have been from Tie Changqing. He was the only one in the hunting competition to use an iron spear, and only someone at the peak of the Martial Apprentice realm could unleash such power.

As he fled, Xiao Chong quickly made a decision in his mind.

A direct confrontation would surely result in being blasted into mincemeat by Tie Changqing. The only way to succeed is to temporarily avoid his strength and seek opportunities in motion.

This was the established strategy, without a doubt. Relying on his observation of the surrounding terrain during the day, Xiao Chong continued to move through the forest.

The fog in the forest was thicker, and the blood moon was hidden in the fog, only a very faint red halo could be seen, like a demon's one eye about to close.

But this did not frighten Tie Changqing.

"We absolutely cannot let you get away! If we catch you, we'll torture you to death, bullet by bullet!"

The missed shot ignited an uncontrollable rage in Tie Changqing's heart.

Using the faint moonlight, Tie Changqing began his pursuit, like a cheetah that had caught the scent of blood.

Compared to Tie Changqing's elegant figure, Xiao Chong's escape was rather disheveled. Facing a powerful opponent, he dared not stop for a moment.

His trousers were torn to shreds by the thorns in the forest, leaving only tattered strips hanging from his ankles. His body was covered in burr thorns, making him look like a panicked rabbit.

The most painful part was my cheeks, because several times I didn't have time to dodge and could only watch helplessly as the branches lashed across my face, leaving burning marks.

Fortunately, the beast core he ate in the evening was still taking effect, and his body still had enough qi and blood, which provided him with strong power.

These beast cores have another benefit: they can stimulate the flow of qi and blood, allowing the user to emit an aura similar to that of a ferocious beast, making ordinary beasts afraid to approach.

Otherwise, if he were to be entangled by a ferocious beast, he would surely meet a gruesome end.

During his escape, Xiao Chong suddenly heard a series of faint but rapid footsteps, which were getting closer and closer to him amidst the rustling of leaves in the wind.

The footsteps were extremely light, almost imperceptible, and most people wouldn't have been able to hear them. However, Xiao Chong, having cultivated the Forging God Scripture and the Way of the Mind Master, was extremely sensitive to his surroundings, and his mind was exceptionally stable.

"We've been caught up after all." Hearing a gust of wind behind him, Xiao Chong paused and moved to the side, his cleaver meeting the attack with all his might.

"when!"

The machete dodged the spearhead and struck the dark, gleaming shaft of the spear that was thrusting straight at them.

A powerful force came from the blade, causing Xiao Chong's arm to go numb and the cleaver to almost slip from his hand.

"That was close!" Xiao Chong thought to himself, feeling fortunate for the first thing he did upon entering Broken Soul Ridge.

If I hadn't successfully opened three acupoints, especially the two on my hands, and my body hadn't received the refinement of the primordial energy of heaven and earth, I would have been broken and dismembered, becoming nothing more than fish on a chopping block.

Now, although the gap is still huge, at least we can now withstand one of their shots.

As long as it's not a one-sided death, there's still a chance to kill the other party. The question is whether you can find a suitable opportunity, and of course, a bit of luck is also needed.

In the sparks from the clash of swords and spears, Xiao Chong saw a hideous, distorted face in the faint red moonlight.

It is indeed evergreen!

Tie Changqing, who had made a life-or-death decision with himself!

Enemies are extremely jealous when they meet!

Although Tie Changqing's eyes turned as red as a vampire's under the blood moon, Xiao Chong still recognized him immediately.

"Xiao Chong, prepare to die!"

With his first shot failing, Tie Changqing's anger intensified. He roared and swung his iron spear down at Xiao Chong's head once more.

This shot changed from a thrust to a smash, with even greater force than the previous one. The sound of the wind generated by the gun made my ears ring, and the airflow stirred up the thick fog in front of me, creating a vacuum-like area.

Invincible!

Xiao Chong felt a chill run down his spine. He slid swiftly to the side of the spear, while simultaneously brandishing his cleaver.

The blade flashed as fast as lightning, disappearing in an instant. After the flash, a series of rapid, heavy slashing sounds rang out from the gun.

With that sound, a long line of sparks snaked down from the tip of the gun, disappearing abruptly halfway down the shaft.

"I dodged another bullet! But it cost me nearly half of my energy."

Xiao Chong was drenched in sweat, and he gained a new understanding of the gap between the two sides.

When Tie Changqing swung his iron spear, Xiao Chong had a hard time catching it.

He unleashed dozens of consecutive strikes in an instant, each one hitting a different part of the iron spear, yet he connected the dozens of strikes into a single, continuous motion, thus dissipating the force from the spear.

If it weren't for Xiao Fangzheng, the criminal law supervisor at the Zongxue Academy, demanding that he wield swords and fists tens of thousands of times every day for the past three months, even if he came up with this solution, he wouldn't have been able to implement it so quickly.

After thanking Xiao Fangzheng in his heart once again, Xiao Chong was ready to flee at any moment.

Based on the current situation, I can only withstand a maximum of four more shots from Tie Changqing. After that, let alone retaliating, I'll be lucky to survive.

But I won't lose face even if I lose the game; just taking the beating without fighting back is definitely not my style!

My motto is: even if I can't draw blood from you, I'll still make you snotty; otherwise, I won't be able to swallow this insult.

Xiao Chong decided to give Tie Changqing a good beating for his arrogance.

"Use this magic weapon!"

While Tie Changqing was putting away his gun, Xiao Chong reached into his backpack, pulled out a black ball the size of an egg, and threw it forcefully at the opponent's face.

"A mere trick!" Staring at the sphere, Tie Changqing neither dodged nor evaded, and threw a punch.

He was absolutely confident that, with Xiao Chong's skill level, no matter what kind of hidden weapon Xiao Chong used, it wouldn't be able to harm him.