For the next two days, the atmosphere in the camp was drawn taut like a fully stretched bow.
The scouts' comings and goings noticeably increased, and each report they brought back was worse than the last. Northern Barbarian main forces seemed to be shifting constantly. At night, war drums like muffled thunder could be heard in the distance, stirring panic in everyone's hearts. Strict orders came down from above: reinforce the defenses, inventory the weapons, and even assign the Supply Camp more night-watch duties.
The air was thick with the suffocating oppression of a great battle about to descend.
Chen Qing used this brief calm to improve himself like a madman.
He did not hesitate to have the system comprehend the incomplete Iron Body Skill manual Squad Leader Zhang had given him.
[Consumed 100 proficiency points. Comprehended the incomplete Iron Body Skill manual (Initial Glimpse: 0/300)]
A stream of knowledge poured into his mind, teaching him how to mobilize his qi and blood to temper his skin and flesh, making them tough as iron. This cultivation method was indeed crude, mainly a technique for taking hits, but for Chen Qing, who lacked defensive means, it was like coal delivered in snow.
He tried circulating the Iron Body Skill. His qi and blood surged along specific routes, washing over his skin and bringing waves of faint stinging pain and tightness. At the same time, he discovered that when he cultivated the Iron Body Skill, the qi and blood circulation routes of the Black Tiger Fist and Black Tiger Saber Technique produced a faint resonance with it, as though the three shared some common underlying logic.
[Cultivating Iron Body Skill. Proficiency +2] [Qi and blood circulation stirred the Black Tiger Fist intent. Black Tiger Fist proficiency +1]
Sure enough! The path of learning broadly from others and fusing it all together was the right one!
He no longer confined himself to cultivating a single technique. Instead, he continuously broke down, combined, and verified the defensive body-tempering intent of the Iron Body Skill, the fierce pouncing form of the Black Tiger Fist, the treacherous and brutal momentum of the Black Tiger Saber Technique, and even the ruthless, piercing intent behind Zhao Tie's military spear techniques from his memories.
Inside the tent, his figure was sometimes steady as a boulder, qi and blood drawn inward while his skin faintly gleamed with an inconspicuous dark luster (Iron Body Skill); sometimes he moved like thunder, his fist winds howling with the force of a tiger descending the mountain (Black Tiger Fist); and sometimes his saber light turned strange and secretive, like a venomous snake choosing its prey in the dead of night (Black Tiger Saber Technique).
Several different artistic conceptions alternated over his body. Though they were still far from merging into a seamless whole, they gave him a deeper understanding of how to use "strength." On the system screen, the proficiency of all three martial arts grew at a considerable pace.
[Black Tiger Fist proficiency +3] [Black Tiger Saber Technique proficiency +3] [Iron Body Skill proficiency +2]
He carefully put away those three Blood Qi Pills. They were his trump cards for preserving his life, and he would never use them unless forced into a desperate corner.
Chen Qing did not completely neglect Shi Tou and the other three under him either. Whenever he found time, he taught them several of the crudest postures from the Iron Body Skill for taking blows and redirecting force. He did not expect them to make much of it; he only hoped they would have one more chance of surviving amid a chaotic army. At the same time, he pushed them even more harshly to practice the simplest chops and blocks.
Though Shi Tou and the others groaned bitterly under the training, they could feel their own tiny, insignificant progress, as well as their deepening awe for Chen Qing, and they gritted their teeth and persevered. They vaguely felt that by following this young Squad Leader, they might truly carve out a sliver of life on this meat-grinder battlefield.
On the third day, at the darkest hour before dawn.
Woooo—!!!
An incomparably shrill horn blast, utterly unlike those before it, suddenly tore through the silence like the wail of a dying beast and spread across the entire camp!
It was not a single call, but horns sounding at once from all directions!
Immediately afterward came earthshaking hoofbeats and battle cries, surging in like a tsunami from the east, north, and west of the camp! Torchlight instantly joined into a sea, staining half the sky blood-red!
"Enemy attack—!! All troops, engage the enemy!!!"
An officer's hoarse roar exploded through the darkness, carrying panic he could not conceal.
It was over! They had been surrounded!
The thought drenched the heart of every person in the camp like icy water.
The Supply Camp instantly erupted into chaos, panic spreading like a plague. Some snatched up weapons at random, some ran about like headless flies, and some simply collapsed to the ground, piss and shit streaming out together.
"Form up! If you don't want to die, stay close to me!"
Chen Qing's furious roar was like a tiger's bellow, instantly drowning out the chaos around him. He was already fully equipped, his curved saber in hand, cold flames burning in his eyes through the darkness. The Slight Accomplishment Black Tiger Fist intent mixed with the newly formed qi and blood of the Iron Body Skill, causing a heart-chilling Killing Intent to radiate from his body.
Shi Tou, Hei Wa, and the other two were jolted awake by that shout. They scrambled up, seized their weapons, and instinctively crowded tightly behind Chen Qing, as if he were the only beacon in the darkness.
Boom!
The camp's wooden palisade shattered into pieces beneath a tremendous impact! A tide of Northern Barbarian cavalry and infantry poured into the camp with roaring cries like floodwaters after a broken dam!
The slaughter began in an instant!
Firelight, blood, clashing weapons, dying shrieks, warhorses neighing... all the sounds mingled together into a symphony of hell.
The area where Chen Qing stood was almost instantly overrun. Several Northern Barbarian cavalrymen brandished curved sabers, massacring the panicked Auxiliary Soldiers as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.
"Form a circle! Back to back!"
Chen Qing gave the order sharply, his body shooting out like a cannonball as he charged directly at an incoming Northern Barbarian cavalryman!
When the cavalryman saw an Auxiliary Soldier actually dare to charge him, a cruel smile appeared on his face. Borrowing the force of his horse, he swung his curved saber at Chen Qing's head with a shrieking gust of wind!
Just as the blade was about to strike him, Chen Qing's footwork abruptly changed. His body twisted at an unbelievable angle, narrowly evading the edge of the saber. At the same time, the fingers of his left hand hooked like claws and fiercely grabbed the edge of the saddle!
Black Tiger Fist—Crossing Mountains and Ridges!
An astonishing force erupted from his arm. Borrowing that force, his entire body vaulted into the air, and like a nimble ape, he flipped onto the horse's back and wedged himself behind the rider!
The Northern Barbarian cavalryman's face changed drastically. Before he could react, an icy palm had already pressed against the crown of his head!
Crack!
The sound of bones splitting made teeth ache.
Chen Qing viciously twisted his wrist, instantly killing the rider. He then kicked the corpse off the horse and seized the reins for himself!
[Killed Northern Barbarian cavalryman. Gained qi and blood. Black Tiger Fist proficiency +25!]
He brought the startled warhorse under control, shifted the ring-handled saber to his right hand, and swept his lightning-sharp gaze across the chaotic battlefield.
"Mount up!" he roared at Shi Tou and the others, who were still struggling to hold their formation.
Shi Tou and the others were startled and delighted. They desperately hacked down two approaching Northern Barbarian infantrymen, then scrambled toward Chen Qing. Chen Qing swung his curved saber, chopping aside the scattered arrows flying at them and covering their advance.
Just then, an incomparably fierce aura locked onto him!
A Northern Barbarian Centurion, especially huge in stature, clad in iron-plated leather armor and wielding a heavy spiked mace, had noticed this young Auxiliary Soldier who had seized a horse in an instant and fought with extraordinary savagery.
"Kill!"
The centurion roared and charged forward like a savage bear. His heavy spiked mace swept over with the momentum to destroy everything! The wind shrieked, and its power far surpassed that of the centurion Chen Qing had killed earlier!
Peak Skin Refining Realm! He might even have one foot in the Bone Forging Realm!
Chen Qing's pupils contracted sharply. He could not take this blow head-on!
He fiercely clamped his legs around the horse's belly. The horse, stung by pain, lunged forward and barely escaped the spiked mace's sweep. Yet the wind from the weapon still made his cheek sting.
"Get off that horse and die!" the centurion roared, raising his spiked mace again and smashing it down like a mountain!
A ruthless glint flashed through Chen Qing's eyes. Not only did he not dismount, he sharply yanked the reins. The warhorse reared up, its two forehooves stomping viciously toward the centurion!
At the same time, Chen Qing leaned out from the saddle, his curved saber darting forth like a venomous snake leaving its hole, stabbing straight at the exposed armpit of his opponent, who had raised his spiked mace high!
Attack where he had no choice but to defend!
The centurion had not expected Chen Qing to be so fierce. In his haste, he could only draw back the spiked mace to block the horse's hooves.
Bang! Squelch!
The warhorse's forelegs were smashed bone-deep by the spiked mace, and it collapsed with a miserable scream. Meanwhile, Chen Qing's curved saber took the chance to slice open a bloody wound beneath the centurion's ribs, deep enough to reveal bone!
"Aah!" The centurion was wracked by agony, his savagery exploding. Ignoring his injury, he swept the spiked mace again!
Chen Qing had just landed and had no time to dodge. He could only hold his curved saber horizontally before him while circulating the Iron Body Skill with all his strength!
Clang!!!
A thunderous boom like a great bell being struck!
The curved saber was smashed into a terrifying arc by the spiked mace and flew from his hand! Chen Qing was struck hard and sent flying backward, crashing through a burning tent before finally stopping.
A sweetness rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. Piercing pain shot through his left arm; the bone was probably cracked.
[Received a heavy blow. Iron Body Skill proficiency +15!] [Qi and blood shaken. Black Tiger Fist intent stimulated. Proficiency +10!]
The system notifications were cold and timely.
"Squad Leader!" Shi Tou and the others cried out, trying to rush over.
"Don't come over!" Chen Qing stopped them sharply. Struggling to his feet, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He stared fixedly at the Northern Barbarian Centurion, who clutched the wound beneath his ribs and advanced toward him step by step.
The gap in their realms was still too great. If not for the Iron Body Skill's initial success, that last blow would have taken his life.
The centurion's eyes were cruel, as though he were looking at a lamb awaiting slaughter.
Chen Qing took a deep breath, suppressing his roiling qi and blood as well as the agonizing pain in his arm. There was no fear in his eyes. Instead, a madness born of being driven into a dead end burned within them.
He gave up on retrieving his weapon. Lowering his body slightly, he formed both hands into claws and held them just above the ground. The qi and blood throughout his body began circulating wildly at an unprecedented speed. The artistic conception of the Black Tiger Fist was forced to its limit, and a brutal, savage aura that wished to tear everything apart spread from him.
Vaguely, it seemed as though the phantom silhouette of a black evil tiger condensed behind him. It faced the advancing centurion and let out a soundless roar.
The centurion's steps paused, and an inexplicable chill rose in his heart.
A low, inhuman hiss emerged from Chen Qing's throat. The ground beneath his feet exploded into a shallow pit, and his entire body became a bolt of black lightning as he pounced forth!
There was no technique, only the most primitive and savage pounce! He concentrated all his strength, will, and Killing Intent into that single attack!
Black Tiger Fist—True Intent! Evil Tiger Devours the Heart!
The centurion roared as he swung his spiked mace, yet he felt as though he had struck a true prehistoric beast!
Chen Qing neither dodged nor evaded. He allowed the edge of the spiked mace to graze his shoulder blade, tearing up a streak of blood and splintered bone. His two claws had already become like true tiger claws, viciously plunging into the wound beneath the centurion's ribs before—
He tore outward with all his might!
Splat—!
Blood and organs sprayed wildly into the air!
The Northern Barbarian Centurion's eyes bulged round as he stared in disbelief at his body, which had nearly been torn in half, before he crashed to the ground.
[Killed Northern Barbarian Centurion (Elite). Gained a large amount of qi and blood. Black Tiger Fist proficiency +80! Iron Body Skill proficiency +30!] [Black Tiger Fist proficiency has reached 2000/2000. Realm increased: Mastery (0/5000)!] [Iron Body Skill proficiency has reached 300/300. Realm increased: Slight Accomplishment (0/1000)!]
Vast qi and blood surged into his body like a river bursting through its banks. His injuries began healing at a visible rate, and a numb, itching sensation spread through the cracked bones of his left arm. His understanding of the Black Tiger Fist instantly rose to an entirely new level. He had fully grasped the fist technique's true intent; every lift of a hand and step of a foot could become a fist! The Iron Body Skill also advanced further, greatly increasing the toughness of his skin and flesh!
Chen Qing stood amid blood and firelight, drenched from head to toe in blood. White bone was faintly visible at his shoulder blade, yet he stood straight and tall, Killing Intent swirling around him like a fiendish god returned from hell.
He slowly raised his intact right hand, picked up the bloodstained, bent Northern Barbarian standard curved saber from the ground, and swept his cold gaze over the Northern Barbarian soldiers around him, who had been so terrified by the sight that none dared step forward.
"Who else?"
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