A towering figure like a giant came crashing down from the sky, blasting forward and flattening the top of a sand dune!
Sand surged in all directions like waves!
Yet under such a powerful attack, a nimble figure easily avoided the explosive core and darted away, riding the flow of sand like a surfer until he reached a distant spot.
The attack had been simple and direct, yet its force was astonishingly powerful. In terms of destructive power alone, it even surpassed the Professional Technique Aitiya had used earlier!
Although the nimble figure had avoided the core, most of his clothes had still been torn apart, leaving him looking utterly disheveled. Beneath the shredded fabric, streaks of blood could be seen across his sturdy body.
After flipping through the air and spinning sideways, the dodging figure landed again and retreated dozens of steps to dissipate the force.
It was none other than Ye Man, who looked harmless to both man and beast but was actually deep and calculating!
And at the center of the explosion, collapsed on the ground, was Luo Luoji!
Although Luo Luoji looked dispirited, his body had become bizarrely swollen. His already hulking frame, over two meters tall, now appeared to be close to three meters, while several cracks had split open across his muscles from within.
His beard and hair had turned blood-red and stood stiffly on end. His eyes were filled with blood vessels. He seemed to struggle to get back up, but after trying several times, he would only rise halfway before falling again.
Clearly, this terrifying attack had been his doing!
With the strength of a One-Star Professional Rank Expert, he had unleashed destructive power surpassing even a Three-Star or Four-Star Professional!
"Oh, my, how dangerous. If I'd been even a little slower, you really would have dragged me down with you. Is this truly your first time burning your core? Oh, listen to me—how could I say something so childish?"
Ye Man stuck out his tongue and licked the blood at the corner of his mouth. Wearing his uniquely harmless expression, he looked at Luo Luoji in the sand pit and spoke as though he were filled with emotion.
Although Luo Luoji clearly looked as if he could collapse at any moment, Ye Man still showed no intention of stepping forward to finish him off.
He patted the sand off his body, causing even a few strips of ragged cloth to fall away. Then the expression on Ye Man's face returned to calm as he said,
"Your choice was quite correct. As a Guardian who isn't good at speed, lacks explosive power, and hasn't condensed a core in his Endurance Inner Mansion, even if you burned your core, the only way you could possibly injure me was by concentrating all your strength into the burst speed of a single attack. And you did manage it."
After enduring the continual verbal attacks, Luo Luoji's breathing in the sand pit grew weak. Sensing the state of his body, he remained outwardly disguised, but inwardly he could only feel helplessness and bitter amusement.
An opponent like this truly inspired despair, leaving him not the slightest opportunity. Still, those two fellows should have escaped by now, right? Sigh, he couldn't escape anyway, so at least this wasn't a loss...
On the other side, having completely confirmed Luo Luoji's condition, a trace of genuine delight finally appeared at the corner of Ye Man's mouth. His arrangements and control throughout the journey had reached an acceptable level. Now, it was time to send this annoying and troublesome fellow on his way.
Then Ye Man took a longbow from his Spatial Bag. As a Warrior, archery certainly wasn't his specialty, but to make up for their lack of ranged attacks, most Warriors practiced the basics of shooting. The original owner of Xuan Ye's body, for instance, also knew basic archery, which could prove irreplaceable during certain special circumstances.
Like now!
To prevent the big fellow from retaining even a little strength after burning his core, or from possessing some special magical item, Ye Man's actions completely eliminated every possible danger and contingency. He left his opponent not the slightest opportunity!
Plant his feet, draw the bowstring fully, aim...
Hmm?
Killing intent!
Sensing a trace of murderous intent appear from the side, Ye Man turned around without hesitation and lashed out with his bow. When the bow was halfway through its arc, a sharp arrow accompanied by a piercing whistle slammed into it!
The Ironwood Bow Body, comparable to refined steel, was pierced straight through. The arrowhead stopped less than two centimeters from the tip of his nose!
Almost at the same moment that he blocked the shot, another silent arrow passed straight by him and sank into the sand!
Ignoring the palm that gripped the arrow and stopped it at last, blood dripping from it, Ye Man glanced at the arrow hole in the sand beside him. His expression grew extremely solemn.
If a certain fellow's lethal arrow used to hunt wolves hadn't left such a deep impression on him, he would have instinctively dodged instead of taking the minor injury to block it. Given his movements and the direction of his joints just then, the arrow that had struck the ground would have appeared on his body without the slightest doubt—more precisely, in his head!
Heh, what an unforgettable technique...
Ye Man narrowed his eyes as he stared at the figure standing with a bow on the distant sand dune, his silhouette outlined by the night wind. The shock in his heart even surpassed what he had felt when he first suffered that fierce attack!
The person was exactly as he had expected, yet the result was completely beyond his expectations! At such a distance, judging by the power of that first strike, even if he had hurriedly blocked it head-on, piercing the Ironwood Bow Body in his hand and injuring him was unquestionably an attack at Professional Rank level!
And it certainly wasn't an ordinary casual attack from a Professional Rank Expert. Even a Professional Rank Expert would have to charge up to accomplish this two-shot combination!
He had been an Eighth Grade Knight Attendant while fleeing, yet after turning around and coming back, he had become a Professional Rank Expert? Was this some kind of joke?
Indeed, in theory, after reaching the Sixth Grade Knight Attendant level, one had a chance to step directly into the Professional Rank through a class advancement ritual. However, when even a Ninth Grade Knight Attendant at the peak couldn't guarantee success in a class advancement, the odds for anyone below the Ninth Grade were truly pitiful!
Moreover!
To ensure that his plan wouldn't suffer any unexpected complications, Ye Man had pretended to be insane and foolish along the way. He had even deliberately revealed Dean's identity as an apprentice potion-maker to observe everyone's reactions. Those people absolutely should not have had any Baptismal Potions on them!
"Magic Core..."
It sounded almost like he was talking to himself. This was the first time Ye Man had truly lost his composure, revealing his genuine expression completely free of that deceptive smile!
On the other side, Xuan Ye had just failed in his chained surprise attack. As he briefly relaxed his shoulders, the solemnity in his heart was no less than Ye Man's.
That was right!
He was no longer the Eighth Grade Knight Attendant who had been regarded as an ant. He had ascended to heaven in one step, successfully condensing a Professional Core in his 'Perception' Inner Palace, becoming a Professional Rank Expert!
The Database's powerful analytical and fine-tuning abilities had allowed him to use the power of the Magic Core to the utmost!
Although there had been an element of trickery, and his realm was still unstable, leaving him no time to consolidate it before striking forcefully, a Professional Rank Expert was still a Professional Rank Expert!
The might of these two attacks had far exceeded his previous desperate, life-risking wolf-hunting shot!
They had truly become capable of threatening a Professional Rank Expert head-on!
The arrow piercing through the Ironwood Bow Body was the best proof!
He had gone to such lengths, endured so much suffering, and nearly lost his life in this hurried class advancement precisely so he could sneak in a vicious blow. Yet the opponent had actually "dodged" it!
Even though it had only been a normal analysis of the data, he had secretly watched the man for quite some time. Everything that needed to be in place was in place. According to his predictive calculations, the best way for the opponent to deal with the first surprise arrow was indeed to dodge—and the opponent had been capable of dodging!
But this idiot had completely refused to follow the script, choosing to forcibly block his attack even at the cost of injury! And judging from his expression, he clearly hadn't noticed his second arrow!
Was Temo really an idiot after all? Damn it! Was he a masochist?
Although he cursed inwardly, Xuan Ye also felt a chill in his heart. Could this have been his subconscious reaction after seeing Xuan Ye kill the Azure Wolf that one time?
They said Saint Seiya would never lose to the same move twice, but this fellow had only seen it once! Xuan Ye had never even shot at him before! Could he be even more ridiculously tough than Saint Seiya?
Before you continue