Reclaiming a Fighting Technique

Chapter 5, Sections 5-6: Reclaiming a Fighting Technique

In an instant, the intense stench of death rushed at them!

Zhen Jin's expression turned grave as iron.

He quickly recalled that Zi Di had personally mentioned Fire Poison Bees during the day!

That dire wolf Zhen Jin had indirectly dealt with had once thrown a hive into the camp, triggering a battle between the Fire Poison Bee swarm and the full search-and-rescue team. Though the swarm had ultimately been driven back, four rescuers had been stung and fallen unconscious. Even when Zi Di did everything she could, she had been unable to save them. They had all died that same night.

Judging by their life aura, most Fire Poison Bees were ordinary insects, with only a small portion being Bronze-level magical beasts. But there were simply too many of them, and they carried fire poison.

Fire poison could kill!

"My lord, hurry and leave. I have potions that can neutralize the poison!" Zi Di urged him again.

Looking at the young woman standing in front of him, warmth and gratitude welled up in Zhen Jin's heart.

When Zi Di had faced the pursuit of the Blue-haired Dire Wolf, she had never abandoned him. She had stayed by unconscious Zhen Jin's side without leaving him. Now, she was even willing to remain behind to buy him a chance to escape.

Whether Zi Di was lying, or truly had such a potion but it was too scarce to use on those earlier rescuers—

Zhen Jin had no reason to convince himself to flee alone while leaving a frail, helpless young woman here to shield him from disaster.

"You go! I'll deal with these Fire Poison Bees."

Zhen Jin strode forward, stepping in front of Zi Di. Then he quickly bent down and pulled a thick piece of wood from the campfire.

Its tip was burning, making it a natural torch.

Zhen Jin intended to wield the torch and fend off the oncoming Fire Poison Bee swarm.

But when Zi Di saw what he was doing, she hurriedly cried out, "You can't use fire!"

"Sir Zhen Jin, these Fire Poison Bees aren't afraid of fire at all. In fact, our campfire is what attracted them!"

Zi Di's words stunned Zhen Jin.

Zhen Jin trusted Zi Di. With a flick of his arm, he hurled the torch high into the distance.

The torch landed to the southeast, roughly fifty or sixty paces away, and did not go out immediately.

The Fire Poison Bee swarm stirred, and soon a small group broke off and rushed toward the torch.

There were around a dozen Fire Poison Bees in that small group. Like moths rushing into a flame, they threw themselves into the fire without hesitation.

Before Zhen Jin's astonished eyes, the flame at the torch's tip rapidly weakened. After a few breaths, it was barely alive, then vanished completely.

The Fire Poison Bees that had plunged into the fire flew back into the air, wobbling as though they had just eaten a lavish feast and filled their bellies.

"What kind of bees eat fire?!"

Zhen Jin had no time to think, because the Fire Poison Bees that had flown toward the torch were only a tiny fraction.

The main swarm had already closed in on the boy and girl.

Gritting his teeth, Zhen Jin could only seize Zi Di and retreat rapidly.

"We can't escape! Sir Zhen Jin, one of us has to lure them away." Zi Di's face was filled with despair.

She spoke hurriedly. "These Fire Poison Bees hunt all living creatures hotter than themselves. The higher their body temperature, the more they become targets."

"We encountered a swarm of Fire Poison Bees before. That Blue-haired Dire Wolf had deliberately carried over a piece of hive to draw them in and have them hunt us."

"To fend off the Fire Poison Bees, we lost four Guards and had nearly ten injured before we managed to deal with them."

"I never thought there would be Fire Poison Bees here too!"

"My lord, hurry and leave. As long as I draw them away now, I can buy you time!"

As she spoke, Zi Di raised her arm, trying to break free of Zhen Jin's hand.

But Zhen Jin held her firmly. His strength was so great that she could not break free.

The two kept retreating, moving away from the campfire as the Fire Poison Bee swarm pursued relentlessly.

Buzz buzz buzz!

A large portion of the Fire Poison Bee swarm suddenly split off and rushed toward the blazing campfire.

But a small portion still approached the boy and girl with deadly intent.

Zhen Jin and Zi Di had no choice but to retreat to the edge of the campfire's light.

Before them lay a pitch-black nighttime forest.

Zhen Jin suddenly stopped.

They could not run any farther!

The forest was far more terrifying at night than during the day. Many ferocious predators would emerge one after another. Human vision, meanwhile, was severely restricted in such an environment.

If Zhen Jin and Zi Di rashly charged into the forest under such circumstances, they would be courting death.

Compared to that, fighting the menacing Fire Poison Bee swarm still offered a sliver of hope.

Zhen Jin cultivated Battle Qi and was a Temple Knight. He very likely possessed the physical qualities of a Silver-level lifeform. Fire poison was extremely dangerous to ordinary Guards, but it was another matter entirely for a Silver-level lifeform.

Though the situation was extremely dire, Zhen Jin never lost his composure. He remained rational and clear-headed.

"Don't panic. We still have a chance!" he shouted, abruptly turning to face the swarm.

At the same time, he yanked Zi Di behind him.

Clang!

With a clear ring, Zhen Jin drew his sword from its sheath.

Most of the Fire Poison Bees had been drawn to the campfire. Only several dozen now faced Zhen Jin.

The firelight was rapidly fading, but they could still see.

The Fire Poison Bees were already right before them!

Zhen Jin took a deep breath, stepped forward, and swung his one-handed sword, tracing streaks of cold light.

Many Fire Poison Bees were struck by the blade. Some were cut in two, some fell to the ground and flapped helplessly, while others were knocked away only to wobble back into the air.

Having a weapon greatly increased Zhen Jin's offensive power!

Whenever Zhen Jin's sword struck a Fire Poison Bee, it felt as if he were slashing at a fist-sized piece of metal.

The Fire Poison Bees' outer shells were extremely tough. Very few were cut apart outright.

Zhen Jin's heart sank. The Fire Poison Bees were far more difficult to deal with than he had expected.

Disturbed by Zhen Jin, this small group of Fire Poison Bees scattered with a buzz, then shot down again from both sides and above.

Zhen Jin was alone with one sword and did not even have a shield. It was difficult for him to defend against the encirclement of so many Fire Poison Bees.

In truth, even a shield would have been hard-pressed to withstand such an attack. Full-body armor was the proper defense against it.

Zhen Jin swung his Sharp Sword with all his strength, struggling to fend them off and teetering on the brink. The one thing that reassured him was that the Fire Poison Bees were almost entirely focused on him and had not yet attacked the girl behind him.

Suddenly, Zhen Jin felt a numbness at his waist, followed by searing pain.

"My lord!"

To Zi Di's cry, Zhen Jin reached his free left hand to his waist and pulled out a Fire Poison Bee that was twitching wildly.

The Fire Poison Bee was as large as a fist. It was extremely tough in his grasp and weighed about as much as an egg. Zhen Jin instinctively exerted all his strength, trying to crush it, but failed.

However, the moment he pulled off the Fire Poison Bee, its stinger remained deeply embedded in his waist. Once separated from its stinger, the Fire Poison Bee in Zhen Jin's hand soon stopped moving and became a corpse.

Zhen Jin casually tossed it away, ignored the pain, and continued fighting.

Chainmail was made of iron wire linked into a mesh, giving it strong resistance against axes and blades. But against stinger attacks, while it offered some protection, the effect was negligible.

Using his Arm Guard as a shield, Zhen Jin managed to cover his face and block many of the Fire Poison Bees' charges.

As time passed, Zhen Jin was hit again and again. Many Fire Poison Bees stung him in succession.

"Am I going to die here?" The crisis was so severe that Zhen Jin's heart sank to the bottom.

"Battle Qi, I need Battle Qi!" the boy cried inwardly.

If he could project his Battle Qi outward, he could protect himself. Silver Battle Qi would form a dense protective layer over his body, enough to block these venomous bees' stingers.

It was the best defense against stingers, far more reliable than Chainmail.

But Zhen Jin had forgotten how to activate Silver Battle Qi.

Something was wrong with his memories. They were severely incomplete, leaving him unable to mobilize it on his own!

"Silver Battle Qi! Damn it, come out!!" In the face of danger, the boy nearly roared aloud.

The campfire had weakened by more than half, yet it could not conceal the savage expression on the boy's face.

At this moment of life and death, an entirely new memory suddenly surfaced in Zhen Jin's mind!

An autumn evening.

Zhen Jin stood in a study.

The study was dim. A small window had been carved into one stone wall, and it was the only source of light.

The reddish-brown desk was made from high-quality wood. A pen stand rested upon it, holding three snow-white quill pens. Beside it sat an ink bottle.

Three oil paintings hung on the study walls. One depicted golden farmland, one showed a deep-blue castle in a forest, and the other portrayed a lake and a half-naked noblewoman.

Another wall stood bare, with only hooks and no paintings.

"Zhen Jin, my son, don't lower your head." A somewhat hoarse voice sounded.

Zhen Jin slowly raised his head.

He saw a middle-aged man sitting behind the desk. The man was thin and pale, with two straight, slender mustaches. His brows were slightly furrowed, giving him an austere air.

Zhen Jin then discovered that "he" shifted his gaze, seemingly afraid to meet the middle-aged man's eyes. He looked instead at the only window.

Outside, the horizon was covered in sunset clouds, brilliant and colorful.

"Why? Half a month has passed, my son, yet you have made no progress in the Aura Concealment Technique. You remain at the same level as before." The middle-aged man's voice continued.

Zhen Jin involuntarily shifted his gaze, staring at the lower half of the desk before him, seemingly too afraid to meet the middle-aged man's eyes.

The middle-aged man understood at once. "I know how you feel. You have never been interested in the Qi-Concealing Technique. You think our family's fighting techniques are weak, don't you?"

"You think the bloodline of our Hundred Needles Family cannot grant you exceptional endurance, strength, or speed, and that we are now merely low-ranking nobles of the Empire, don't you?"

Zhen Jin remained silent.

The middle-aged noble let out a deep sigh, rose to his feet, walked around the desk, and came to Zhen Jin's side. "Come. Walk with me."

The two left the study, passed through dark corridors and along mottled stone walls, then arrived at a garden within the castle.

The light of the setting sun spilled across the garden.

The garden had clearly been neglected for a long time, filled with decay and desolation.

The only thing that drew the eye was a large tree in the very center of the garden.

Its branches were leafless and twisted toward the sky. Some of its roots were exposed above the dry ground, withered and tangled. Yet its trunk was covered in "leaves" like those of a plane tree.

A breeze blew, and the "leaves" clinging to the trunk stirred with it, rustling softly and seeming full of vitality.

Zhen Jin's father, the middle-aged noble, led Zhen Jin beneath the tree.

"Watch closely!"

The middle-aged man gave a low shout, and a surge of Golden Battle Qi suddenly erupted from his body.

Golden Battle Qi was far more vast and surging than Silver Battle Qi. Iron-level Battle Qi could not compare at all. The Golden Battle Qi burst forth, stirring up a fierce gust of wind.

The young Zhen Jin was forced back a step by the wind, and his eyes narrowed involuntarily.

Under the powerful gust, the plane-tree leaves clinging to the trunk were startled into flight, fluttering away in a rush and instantly revealing their true forms—they were a huge swarm of Tree Wing Butterflies.

"Fighting Technique—Hundred Needles Wind!"

The middle-aged man suddenly drew his sword.

His sword was not an edged slashing weapon, but a long, slender Thrusting Sword.

The Thrusting Sword struck again and again in the middle-aged man's hand. Its speed was so fast that it formed a blur of sword shadows. Especially at the tip, Battle Qi enveloped it, sending golden sparks scattering in dazzling brilliance!

The Tree Wing Butterflies were swept up by the gusts and struck by the golden sparks, falling to the ground one after another.

After several breaths, the ground was covered in a layer of "plane-tree leaves." Of the hundreds and thousands of Tree Wing Butterflies, not one had escaped!

"Amazing... so amazing!"

Zhen Jin spoke, dumbstruck. Looking closely, he discovered in horror that every Tree Wing Butterfly's head had been pierced through.

The middle-aged nobleman's swordsmanship was actually precise to such an extent!

"Cough, cough, cough." The middle-aged man sheathed his sword and began coughing repeatedly, his face turning even paler.

"Do you still think our Hundred Needles Family is weak?"

Zhen Jin shook his head vigorously.

"Every noble family has its own foundation. What's more, our Hundred Needles Family was once a great noble house of the south! Hundred Needles Wind is our family's signature fighting technique and one of our foundations. Yet few outsiders know this secret."

"Running a family requires strategy. Sometimes, we must be high-profile, baring our fangs and claws like a ferocious beast. But at other times, we must keep a low profile and lie dormant. Just as now, the Hundred Needles Family needs to show weakness and diminish our presence."

After a pause, the middle-aged noble continued, "Do you know what the foundation of Hundred Needles Wind is?"

Without waiting for Zhen Jin to answer, the middle-aged noble immediately said, "It is the Qi-Concealing Technique."

"Ah?" Zhen Jin was surprised.

"Only by enduring and accumulating strength can one unleash an astonishing burst. The Qi-Concealing Technique allows us to hide our aura, making it difficult for outsiders to notice or allowing them to underestimate our Battle Qi cultivation. At the same time, the Qi-Concealing Technique also accumulates power. Only after cultivating this fighting technique to an advanced level can one learn fighting techniques such as Hundred Needles Wind. It can be said that the Qi-Concealing Technique is the cornerstone of our family's fighting techniques. Zhen Jin, you are the heir of the Hundred Needles Family. You must practice it diligently."

"I understand. I will work hard, Father!" Zhen Jin's eyes shone as he answered, greatly invigorated.

The memory in his mind vanished in a flash. Almost instantly, Zhen Jin returned to reality.

He stared at the Fire Poison Bee swarm before him, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

Fighting Technique—Hundred Needles Wind!

This time, it was an entirely different sword technique.

All his previous chopping, slashing, sweeping, and striking movements vanished. Only one remained—thrusting.

Thrusting without pause!

Sss sss sss sss...

The Sharp Sword's tip pierced through the air, like countless arrows shooting forth, then struck the Fire Poison Bees in the air with incomparable precision.

Zhen Jin used an extraordinarily unique technique of force. The sword tip formed a hazy afterimage in the air, like a faint curtain of light!

"What is this?!" Zi Di lifted her head, her face filled with shock and delight.

Zhen Jin's counterattack made her see hope.

"As expected of my lord!" Zi Di blurted out, cheering him on.

One Fire Poison Bee after another fell to the ground. The Hundred Needles Wind Fighting Technique was remarkably effective against these venomous bees.

"My lord..." Thoroughly protected by him, Zi Di looked at Zhen Jin's back. The weakening campfire was reflected in her eyes, flickering with bright light.