Surrounded by stars! Black Wind Village fears Li Xian? Hunting a white deer, an unparalleled arrow!

When Li Xian returned to the village, many villagers were gathered at the entrance, led by the village chief to welcome him back.

This was because Li Xian was a Martial Artist, a powerful one at that.

Li Xian returned to Shuanglin Village riding a white horse from the county town. His majestic presence captivated many villagers, making it hard for them to look away.

"Is that Grandma Li's grandson, Li Xian? He's so young, not even eighteen, is he?"

"Don't let Li Xian's age fool you. It's said he's been a Martial Artist for a long time and is very powerful. He's even made a name for himself in the county town."

"The county town? You mean Anyuan County Town, dozens of miles outside Qingshan Town? I heard there are many Martial Artists there, as well as sects and clans. For Li Xian to make a name for himself there is truly remarkable. Grandma Li is blessed."

"Of course. Do you know about Zhang Tieshan's daughter, Zhang Qian? Everyone's been saying that the people from Black Wind Stockade had their eyes on Zhang Qian and intended to abduct her. But didn't they hear the news of Li Xian returning to the village? They say they were so scared they didn't dare to come."

"Really? Then Li Xian is too formidable! Even the ferocious Black Wind Stockade is afraid of him! Li Xian is truly the only Martial Artist to emerge from our Shuanglin Village!"

At that moment, at the head of Shuanglin Village, a tall, handsome man with an extraordinary aura, dressed in a white martial robe, dismounted from his white horse. A powerful aura flowed around him. Seeing the villagers who had come to greet him, he smiled and responded politely.

This was Li Xian, Grandma Li's grandson.

He had just turned eighteen, but his cultivation had already reached the peak of the Body Tempering Realm. His internal energy flowed, his blood and qi were vigorous, and he was already paving the way to break through to the Meridian Opening Realm.

"As expected of Martial Artist Li Xian! His presence alone makes even an old Hunter like me tremble!"

"Indeed. Martial Artists are beings of high status. Among so many surrounding villages, it's rare to have one, and only Shuanglin Village has produced one."

"Li Xian, I even went hunting in the mountains with him back then. I never expected him to become an unreachable Martial Artist now. It's truly sigh-inducing!"

As Li Xian entered the village, the villagers on both sides of the road couldn't help but discuss amongst themselves. Especially the older Hunters, seeing Li Xian now, felt a tremor in their hearts. That was the aura of a Martial Artist.

Some of the younger people had complex expressions. They had gone hunting in the mountains with Li Xian before, but now Li Xian had become a Martial Artist. The vast difference in their circumstances made them feel dazed.

Among the crowd was Zhang Tieshan's family. Zhang Tieshan, smoking his pipe, looked at Li Xian, who was slightly younger than Su Mo, and couldn't help but sigh. A Martial Artist, capable of killing a wild beast with a single punch.

Zhang Hai's eyes were filled with fervent admiration and longing. How wonderful it would be if he could become a Martial Artist. Then no one would dare to bully his sister, his father wouldn't have to work so hard hunting in the mountains, his mother could hold her head high in the village, and most importantly, they wouldn't have to fear the Black Wind Stockade.

Zhang Qian stared at the much-talked-about Li Xian in the center of the village road, her beautiful eyes filled with a strange emotion. Her desire to marry a Martial Artist grew stronger. Only by marrying a powerful Martial Artist could she have a sense of security. The recent encounter with the Black Wind Stockade had pushed Zhang Qian's need for security to its absolute peak.

Her mother, Liu Guihua, also sighed, feeling that heaven had eyes. She believed that if Li Xian hadn't suddenly returned to the village, the people from the Black Wind Stockade would have surely come down the mountain to forcibly take her Qian'er.

Clearly, Zhang Tieshan's family, like the other villagers, attributed the Black Wind Stockade's failure to descend the mountain to Li Xian's return.

They, too, believed that the Black Wind Stockade feared Li Xian.

In the middle of the street, Li Xian was the center of attention. The white horse he rode was handed over to the village chief, who was honored by this. Village Chief Yang Baishu introduced the changes in the village to Li Xian.

Of course, compared to when Li Xian left the village a few years ago, there hadn't been much change. The only change, perhaps, was that life had become even harder.

"Village Chief, has the Black Wind Stockade been the same all these years?"

Li Xian scanned the simple villagers of Shuanglin Village, as if recalling something, and slowly asked.

"Yes, they have!" Village Chief Yang Baishu replied, leading the white horse. The Black Wind Stockade had always oppressed and persecuted them, but who dared to resist?

"Black Wind Stockade?"

Li Xian's eyes flickered. He hadn't returned to the village this time to show off. After becoming a Martial Artist, his perspective had changed. His primary reason for returning was to visit his grandmother. After following his uncle to Anyuan County Town, he had been cultivating in a sect and hadn't returned to the village for a long time.

Secondly, with his cultivation now accomplished, he wanted to ensure peace for the villagers. That meant going up the mountain to eliminate the Black Wind Stockade, which had been a scourge to the surrounding villages for years.

Yes, he wanted to raze the Black Wind Stockade and bring well-being to the villagers, freeing them from the oppression of the Black Wind Stockade.

Before going to Anyuan County Town, Li Xian and Grandma Li depended on each other. Like many villagers, they had to rely on hunting for a living and had suffered much persecution from the Black Wind Stockade. Now that he had returned after his training, it was only natural for him to eliminate this menace and bring peace to Shuanglin Village and the surrounding villages.

This was a silent decision Li Xian had made when he left the village years ago.

After three years of martial arts training, he returned to his village, still the same passionate youth with his original intentions unchanged.

"Li Xian is still the same as he was back then! Judging by his cultivation, he's likely reached the late or even peak Body Tempering Realm. The advantage of starting cultivation early is indeed too great."

Su Mo stood among the crowd and immediately spotted Li Xian. The passionate aura emanating from Li Xian was still recognizable to Su Mo after three years. When they used to hunt together, Li Xian had said that one day he would eliminate the Black Wind Stockade.

But looking at him now, Li Xian's return to the village was likely not just to visit Grandma Li.

Moreover, Li Xian's cultivation aura far surpassed that of the Black Wind Stockade's black-clothed man Su Mo had killed earlier. That man was in the middle Body Tempering Realm, nowhere near Li Xian's imposing presence.

However, Li Xian still didn't give Su Mo the same impression as Shi Mingdong, whom he had encountered in the mountains.

Su Mo then blended into the crowd, carrying his Beast Hide Great Bow, with his ancestral Hunting Knife and quiver at his waist, and went into the mountains to hunt. Although he had broken through to the early Body Tempering Realm, he lacked Body Tempering cultivation techniques. Furthermore, he had started cultivating at an age over eighteen, and his roots had solidified. Even with his terrifyingly exceptional comprehension and talent, his cultivation progress was very slow.

All he could do was wake up early every day to practice striking the wooden stakes in the courtyard and punching and striking the stone locks, frantically tempering and honing his body, and then go hunting in the mountains.

By relying on the Wild Boar Meat and Green Wolf King Meat he had eaten during this period, as well as his physical training, Su Mo felt he was close to the peak of the early Body Tempering Realm.

He had started cultivating too late, and his roots had solidified, so his cultivation speed lagged far behind ordinary Martial Artists.

Within Qingliang Mountain.

Heavy snow swirled, and the cold wind howled like a mad dragon. Snowflakes fluttered, covering the mountain in a vast expanse of white.

Su Mo walked within Qingliang Mountain. During his recent trips into the mountains, due to the animals hibernating, if he didn't manage to hunt anything, he would go to Green Wolf Ridge and casually kill a Green Wolf to take back.

However, this time, Su Mo's luck was a bit good.

Before he even reached Green Wolf Ridge, he encountered a Plum Deer in a dense forest. This type of Plum Deer was the same kind of meat that Zhang Qian had sent over. Su Mo was very familiar with it.

This Plum Deer, however, was enormous, weighing easily over 300 jin. Its body was covered in patterns resembling plum blossoms, which is how it got its name. Plum Deer are unlike ordinary animals. Though they are herbivores, they possess strength comparable to Beasts, or even Fierce Beasts. Their hooves, in particular, are powerful enough to kill a person with a single kick.

The moment Su Mo spotted the Plum Deer, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow. The bowstring twanged with a dull thud as a birch arrow shot out, aimed at the Plum Deer in the dense forest.

This Plum Deer was extremely alert and perceptive. As soon as Su Mo appeared, it tried to flee. But how could it escape the birch arrow he loosed? With a thwip, the birch arrow pierced straight through the Plum Deer's massive body. The sheer, ferocious power made the Plum Deer stagger, and it was sent flying to the ground, kicking up a flurry of snow.

The power of this arrow was terrifying!