Intermediate Talent

Chen Feng's face was ice-cold, killing intent blazing in his eyes.

He had only been here for a few days, yet he had already suffered several assassination attempts sent by Huang Laosi.

He knew he was no match for the Huang Family now, but he couldn't swallow this anger either.

That was why he had come outside the Huang estate, to see if he could vent some of his rage.

Yet he never expected to witness such a scene directly.

Huang Lao Si had brought so many people—this looked like a retreat.

Surprise flickered in Chen Feng's eyes. "What's going on?"

"Could this be related to what Liu Yuan said about the recent situation in Black Stone City?"

Chen Feng pondered. According to Liu Yuan, many unfamiliar martial artists had recently arrived in Black Stone City.

They were searching for something in the Black Mountain.

Was Steward Huang worried that more martial artists would come and discover something?

This strange behavior of the Huang Family involuntarily made Chen Feng think of the demon eating people that the original owner had witnessed.

The one he had been forced into by Wang Hu and the others.

Chen Feng hadn't thought much of it before, but now a thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

"Demon!"

"Wang Hu and the others must have known back then that going further toward Green Wolf Valley would be dangerous."

"Could it be that the Huang Family is connected to demons?"

As these thoughts crossed Chen Feng's mind, his expression turned even grimmer.

And what about what he had just heard—was the "Yin Shengzi" Huang Lao Si mentioned referring to Xue'er?

Had the Huang Family been targeting him all along because of Xue'er?

Various ideas raced through Chen Feng's mind.

He wanted to figure out what was really going on, but the information he had was too scarce.

Moreover, now that he had shot and killed the martial artist who was going to his house to capture Lin Xue, the Huang Family courtyard instantly erupted into uproar.

A large number of martial artists quickly gathered together.

Someone exclaimed, "Divine Archer!"

In the dead of night, killing a Ranked Martial Artist with a single arrow—especially when they saw the arrow firmly piercing through the throat—sent chills down their spines.

Many faces were filled with shock.

And Chen Feng, hiding in the tree, felt his heart skip a beat after speculating that the Huang Family might be colluding with demons.

No wonder the Huang Family had gathered so many martial artists, far more than the three or five First-grade Martial Artists the outside world knew about.

"There might even be Second-grade or even Third-grade martial artists among them. I have to be careful," Chen Feng thought to himself.

With this in mind, he quietly tried to conceal himself even better.

The Huang Family wanted to take his Xue'er away, so he couldn't retreat easily now.

He glanced at the sky—there wasn't much time until dawn.

He wondered if he could hold out until daybreak.

And just then, as Chen Feng was thinking these things, a new message refreshed on his panel.

[You successfully concealed yourself in the darkness, fooling dozens of enemies. You have awakened a new skill: Stealth!]

[You have remained hidden for ten minutes. Stealth skill proficiency +1.]

[You successfully fooled the enemy by hiding. Stealth skill proficiency +1.]

Seeing the panel update, surprise lit up Chen Feng's eyes.

He could awaken skills passively like this?

And after awakening the new Stealth skill, some vague techniques on how to hide his form surfaced in his mind.

These allowed him to conceal himself even better among the tree branches.

Meanwhile, in the Huang Family courtyard, Huang Lao Si, protected by the crowd, wore an ugly expression. Scanning the surroundings, he called out, "Which friend might be passing by?"

"If you're in trouble, Huang is willing to offer five hundred taels of silver and make a friend. What do you say?"

Chen Feng cursed inwardly upon hearing this: "Five hundred taels? This Huang Lao Si is way too wealthy—all of it squeezed from the people's blood and sweat!"

"Huang Lao Si is treacherous and ruthless. I absolutely cannot let him know I'm just a newly-initiated martial artist, nor can I let him discover my true identity, or I'll be in trouble."

Chen Feng's face turned grim as he spoke.

And then, in that instant, his expression shifted slightly.

A cold sneer flickered in his eyes.

It turned out that while Huang Lao Si was shouting, at the other corner of the courtyard, a figure was quietly slipping away.

Already outside the courtyard walls.

Dressed entirely in black clothes.

Wearing a black mask.

If not for the fact that Chen Feng's eyesight had sharpened after awakening the Hundred-Step Piercing Willow talent, he might have let this martial artist escape.

Once that happened, if he made a move, he would be discovered.

Under the siege of dozens of martial artists, he had no hope of fleeing.

Chen Feng suppressed his thoughts.

"Hundred-Step Piercing Willow!"

He snorted coldly in his mind.

Then, in the next instant, he drew his bow and loosed an arrow.

Shiiing!

A sharp sound rang out.

The martial artist's expression changed, and just as he heard the noise in the darkness, he shouted, "Over there!"

Pointing in the general direction of Chen Feng.

Then he tried to dodge Chen Feng's arrow.

But in the next moment, he only felt a sharp pain.

The arrow pierced straight through his heart.

He barely managed a scream before crashing to the ground.

This scene made the people in the courtyard turn even paler.

"It's Brother Niu!"

"Brother Niu is dead?"

"The Divine Archer, it must be the Divine Archer."

Chen Feng didn't initially understand why the people in the courtyard were in an uproar.

But the next moment, the information refreshing on the panel finally made it clear to him.

[You killed a Second-grade Martial Artist with Basic Archery. Your Basic Archery proficiency +20.]

[You killed a Second-grade Martial Artist. Your Kill Intent proficiency +10.]

[You successfully concealed your position with Stealth. Your Stealth Skill proficiency +5.]

...

As the information refreshed one by one, surprise flickered in Chen Feng's eyes.

"A Second-grade Martial Artist?"

"In our remote mountain village, one of Huang Lao Si's underlings is actually a Second-grade Martial Artist?"

At this moment, Chen Feng's eyes were full of shock.

His suspicion that Huang Lao Si was colluding with Demons and had another identity grew even stronger.

Moreover, looking at the Basic Archery proficiency, which had now reached 80% progress, he felt a hint of anticipation: "It seems very likely that Basic Archery will soon advance to a higher level!"

"If that happens, I wonder what the Hundred-Step Piercing Willow talent will evolve into?"

He held this expectation in his heart.

And having successfully shot down even a Second-grade Martial Artist, Chen Feng gained confidence.

Watching the chaos in the courtyard now, he sneered coldly.

Thwip! Thwip!

In the midst of the turmoil, he fired two more arrows in quick succession.

In the darkness, a sound rang out.

"Ahh!"

Two screams followed.

It was the sound of arrows piercing the throats of two more black-clad martial artists.

[You have slain a First-grade Martial Artist. Your Basic Archery proficiency +10.]

[Your Kill Intent Proficiency has increased.]

[Your Stealth Skill proficiency has increased.]

[Your Basic Archery Mastery Progress has reached 100%.]

Then, with a flicker, the information refreshed instantly.

[Your Basic Archery has reached Mastery Progress 1%.]

[Your Beginner Talent, Hundred-Step Piercing Willow, has been upgraded to Intermediate Talent...]