Su Haoran's heart surged with lofty ambition, but he also knew that now was not the time to bask in triumph.
He gathered his thoughts and forcibly suppressed the exhilaration brought by his Perfection-level movement technique. With a flicker of his body, he silently returned to his own woodshed.
After meditating through the night, he continued his duty at the Scripture Repository the next day.
The days seemed to return to their previous state of undisturbed calm, like an ancient well without a ripple.
During the day, Su Haoran stood guard outside the pavilion like a stone statue. At night, he devoted every ounce of his energy to cultivation in his little courtyard.
The Soaring Dragon Startling Swan Art had already reached Perfection, so he shifted his focus back to the Iron Cloth Shirt and Arhat Fist.
The Iron Cloth Shirt in particular had reached 45% Major Accomplishment. The next bottleneck was drawing ever closer.
He could feel a tough, hornlike layer slowly forming beneath his skin. Under the nourishment of the Meditation Scripture, the density of his muscles and bones was also increasing by minute amounts every day.
The sensation of clearly feeling himself grow stronger day after day intoxicated him beyond measure.
The night was black as ink, with the moon hidden and the stars sparse.
In the open space before the Scripture Repository, Su Haoran stood with his eyes closed, as steady as an abyss and towering as a mountain. With every breath, the Qi and Blood throughout his body churned, while a faint bronze sheen surfaced over his skin.
He was silently circulating the Iron Cloth Shirt's mantra through an internal breathing method. At the same time, he devoted a sliver of his mind to maintaining the lucid emptiness of the Meditation Scripture, bringing his awareness of the surroundings to an unprecedented level of sharpness.
Just then!
"Whoosh—!"
A shrill sound of something slicing through the air suddenly came from overhead without warning!
Su Haoran abruptly looked up, his pupils contracting.
A pitch-black figure, ghostlike in appearance, was climbing down from the roof of the nine-story Scripture Repository tower like a gecko, using both hands and feet to descend at high speed!
That person moved with extreme swiftness. Each time he borrowed force from the flying eaves and ornate brackets, he did so without the slightest sound. Had Su Haoran not kept his mind lucid and possessed extraordinary senses, he would have found it nearly impossible to detect him!
Someone was breaking into the Scripture Repository at night! And infiltrating from the tower roof!
Su Haoran's heart shook violently. Just as he was about to raise the alarm, a thunderous roar exploded from deep within the Scripture Repository!
"Thief, don't run!!"
The roar was like a great bell and a grand chime, containing a strange power that shook the mind. It was like an invisible sledgehammer crashing savagely against one's soul!
The Lion's Roar Skill!
The black-clad man who had been descending rapidly suddenly stiffened, as though the explosive shout had sent his Qi and Blood into turmoil, slowing him at once.
Ahead of the black-clad man, a Martial Monk at the Skin-Tempering realm who was standing watch alongside Su Haoran happened to block his escape route.
Seeing this, the Skin-Tempering Martial Monk also bellowed, sank into a horse stance, twisted his waist, and threw a punch!
Yet the black-clad man did not even look at him. He merely extended a palm lightly and gently pressed it against the Martial Monk's fist!
Pfft—
This collision, devoid of even the slightest trace of fireworks, nevertheless seemed to send a tremendous force surging from the black-clad man's hand. The Martial Monk looked as though he had been struck by a savage bull, his face instantly turning pale!
His horse stance could no longer hold steady.
Thud, thud, thud—
He staggered back three steps in succession, blood spilling from his mouth. He had clearly suffered no minor injury!
Meanwhile, the black-clad man appeared completely unscathed. Without pausing in the slightest, he sprang into the air like a great crane, borrowing force as he drifted away!
"Is Prajna Temple made up of nothing but this sort of trash? Little brat, train for a few more years before coming back!"
Laughter rang from the black-clad man's mouth. He clearly intended to use this chance to establish his prestige, not mentioning in the least how he had been chased into fleeing in disarray.
His tone brimmed with disdain!
The older monk who had used the Lion's Roar Skill earlier was obviously infuriated. He took a deep breath, his face flushing red as he forced himself to use the Lion's Roar Skill again!
Roar—
A long howl resounded. The treetops and leaves throughout the ancient temple rustled and trembled, and even the mountain rocks seemed to quiver.
The black-clad man clearly had not expected this move. Yet his movement technique was evidently exquisite. After only a slight pause, he quickly widened the distance from the elder who used the Lion's Roar Skill and charged toward Su Haoran!
In his eyes, Su Haoran was clearly no different from the Martial Monk he had just sent flying with one palm!
Now!
Seeing the man's figure about to arrive, Su Haoran had no time to think. He stamped down, instantly activating the Perfection-level movement technique of the Soaring Dragon Startling Swan Art!
His body transformed into a faint wisp of green smoke, skimming along the ground as he shot toward where the black-clad man was about to land.
The black-clad man was clearly startled as well. He seemed not to have expected anyone to be able to keep up with his speed at such a moment.
Through the black cloth covering his face, he glanced sidelong at Su Haoran and saw the ordinary Martial Monk robes he wore. A thick contempt immediately appeared in his eyes.
"Hmph, has Prajna Temple run out of people? You're sending little brats like this to their deaths?"
His voice was hoarse and low, full of mockery, as he sent out another palm strike!
"Iron Cloth Shirt! Arhat Fist!"
Knowing that the black-clad man was clearly a highly accomplished expert, Su Haoran's expression grew solemn in the face of that seemingly light palm. He activated the Iron Cloth Shirt with all his strength.
Then he threw a punch!
Under the moonlight, the fist shone faintly bronze, as though forged from gold and iron. Carrying the force of a thousand jun, it howled forth!
Boom!
Fist and palm collided with an earthshaking crash. The ground around them seemed unable to withstand the pressure, as dust and waves of air blasted in every direction!
The black-clad man felt a tremendous force surge through his palm, like a prehistoric beast crushing down with all its savage strength, forcibly slamming him into a staggering retreat!
His disdainful laughter stopped abruptly. In the only pair of eyes exposed above his black mask, an indescribable shock appeared!
"This is... Major Accomplishment? No! A Perfection-level body-tempering Kung Fu!"
The black-clad man's palm trembled slightly. It felt as though he had not just exchanged a blow with a person, but collided head-on with a mountain!
He hurriedly tried to pull away and retreat, but Su Haoran gave him no chance to react. His right fist had spent its force, and his left fist followed immediately. A fierce wind struck the black-clad man's face, as though it would smash every bone in his body to pieces!
In the face of mortal danger, the black-clad man's hairs stood on end. In his panic, he flicked his left wrist, and a black gleam shot out from his sleeve!
Whoosh!
The piercing sound of air being torn apart stabbed at the eardrums. The arrow was impossibly fast, and beneath the dim moonlight, a spot of dark blue light flashed across its tip!
The temple elders and eminent monks nearby all shrank their pupils and cried out in unison, "Not good!"
"It's a Sleeve Dart coated in deadly poison! Dodge it!"
Su Haoran's scalp went numb, and a fatal sense of danger instantly engulfed his entire body!
He could feel that the force contained in this arrow was far beyond that of any ordinary bow or crossbow!
Dodge?
Too late!
The arrow was too fast. He had struck first, and the distance between them was too close!
In that instant, the Meditation Scripture circulated at high speed. Countless thoughts flashed through Su Haoran's mind, yet his heart remained lucid as he considered every means at his disposal. In the end, he decided to circulate the Iron Cloth Shirt with all his strength!
But against this vicious arrowhead that pierced through a point to break a surface, possessing such terrifying penetrative power... could he stop it?
There was no time to hesitate!
"Stop it for me!!!"
Su Haoran roared furiously and, instead of retreating, advanced!
He abruptly raised his left arm before him. The Qi and Blood within his body rushed madly into the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones of that arm at an unprecedented speed!
The Iron Cloth Shirt activated at full power!
Buzz!
The skin over his entire left arm instantly tightened to the limit, turning the bronze color of metal scorched by blazing fire. His muscles bulged, veins coiled like dragons, and the arm seemed to become a section of indestructible ironwood!
Clang!!!
A crisp, piercing ring like metal striking metal exploded through the silent night sky!
The poisoned Sleeve Dart slammed viciously into Su Haoran's forearm!
A vast force crashed along his arm!
Su Haoran felt as though his arm had been struck hard by a massive siege hammer. Carried by the terrifying impact, he slid backward uncontrollably for several steps, carving two deep furrows into the bluestone slabs beneath his feet!
Thud!
Yet that blue-glinting Sleeve Dart was stopped by his bronze skin, unable to advance another inch!
Before the incredulous gazes of the many elders, a surge of joy at surviving disaster rose within Su Haoran's heart!
At the same time, borrowing the force of his retreat, his right hand shot out like lightning. In the instant the black-clad man froze in disbelief, he grabbed for the back of the man's head!
Rip—!
The black-clad man reacted swiftly, violently ducking his head and narrowly evading the fatal grab.
But Su Haoran's five fingers still tore away a corner of the black cloth covering his head like iron pincers!
A small piece of black cloth, along with a lock of long, bright-red hair that appeared exceptionally eerie beneath the moonlight... was clutched tightly in Su Haoran's hand!
"You!"
The black-clad man let out a low cry of fury and shock. As he looked at Su Haoran, not a shred of his previous contempt remained. In its place was an incredulous anger!
He had clearly never expected that a young Martial Monk who seemed fresh out of the gate would not only possess absurdly fast movement, but also have body-tempering Kung Fu capable of withstanding his armor-piercing Sleeve Dart coated in his unique deadly poison!
Since when had Prajna Temple produced such a monster?!
He no longer dared to continue the fight for even a moment. Nor did he care to reclaim that lock of hair. He turned and fled desperately toward the surrounding wall without a sound!
When experts crossed hands, victory and defeat were decided in the blink of an eye.
After that brief delay, the black-clad man had already leapt onto the tall wall like a civet cat. With a few flickers, he vanished completely into the deep night.
At the same time, a wary voice drifted through the night sky. "You snot-nosed brat, I can come and go from this Prajna Temple whenever I please!"
"Don't sleep too soundly. The next time I see you, I will surely kill you!"
Before you continue