Archer

You began cultivating the Array Breaker Art. Each day, accumulating inner force, circulating it through the heavenly cycle, and opening up your meridians had become part of your routine.

After a year of secluded cultivation, your accumulated inner force reached a bottleneck. You needed to construct a broader cycle of circulation. Building upon the meridians you had opened before, you began to explore and experiment further.

Two years flashed by. Your inner force continued to grow denser, while the expansion of your meridians advanced by inches each day.

Yet the meridians throughout the body ran like the River Map and Luo Script, while the body's acupoints were as dense as stars. You gradually found it difficult and obscure, but you did not lose heart. You firmly believed that though the road was blocked and long, if one kept walking, one would arrive.

Your secluded cultivation ended.

Shen Yi crouched amid the crown of an ancient tree, returning to his senses from cultivation.

Just moments ago.

Facing the Pacification Office's relentless pursuit, Shen Yi had circulated the Array Breaker Art with all his strength and fled beyond the arrows' range.

Then he had hurried onward for nearly half an hour in one breath before finding a towering ancient tree to leap into and rest.

On the one hand, Shen Yi wanted to pour the two years of secluded cultivation time he had just obtained into his internal arts, further strengthening his foundation.

At the same time, he restored his inner force.

On the other hand, after consecutive high-intensity battles, both his mind and physical strength had been depleted. He needed a brief rest and to replenish his food and water.

Now that his secluded cultivation had ended, Shen Yi immediately felt that his depleted inner force had been restored, and it was even more solid than before.

However, his Array Breaker Art still hovered at the level of having entered the hall. He had merely taken another step toward the great mastery realm.

He was not discouraged.

The road of martial arts stretched endlessly onward, and every threshold of cultivation barred countless martial artists from entering.

Shen Yi's aptitude for martial arts was not particularly outstanding.

Moreover, he had begun cultivating internal arts at a relatively advanced age. His meridians had already taken shape, so the effects of secluded cultivation in internal arts could only be called mediocre at best, far inferior to his progress in blade techniques.

If not for the system, he would have been destined merely to brush past this world in haste, then perish together with Niu Ben.

But Shen Yi, as he was now, had gradually become more and more interested in the scenery along the path of martial arts.

His blade technique had already reached perfection, while internal arts formed the foundation. Fists and kicks were useless for the time being, so cultivating internal arts was the best choice.

Shen Yi planned to spend time piling up his internal arts cultivation first.

Only once he could advance no further would he seek the next path.

Based on the feedback from his secluded cultivation, Shen Yi guessed that if the Fragmentary Array Breaker Art could reach the great mastery realm—

His cultivation would likely break through to the Second-Class Realm.

Just as he was thinking, Shen Yi's stomach suddenly rumbled. After the earlier intense fighting, hunger had come all the more easily.

Shen Yi took out the two steamed buns he had picked up earlier from his robes.

He wolfed them down in two or three bites. The solid fullness that quickly filled his stomach brought a warmth to Shen Yi.

He leaped down from the tree.

His throat was a little dry. He needed to find water to quench his thirst.

Shen Yi looked up at the sky.

The sun was setting in the west.

The lingering glow of the sinking sun dyed the evening clouds at the horizon red, and he raced toward the setting sun.

Shen Yi had once deliberately taken note of the distribution of mountain ranges around the prefectural city.

The mountain range where he currently stood was called Mount Luo Xia. To the west, flowing water gathered into a brook that wound down from the mountain.

He hurried along in the direction of the setting sun.

Before long.

He heard the babbling of running water.

Shen Yi slowed his pace.

He lowered himself and slipped into waist-high shrubs, slowly drawing closer.

Only after observing that the surroundings were quiet and without anything unusual—

Did he continue forward.

Upon reaching the creek, Shen Yi lowered his body and scooped up a palmful of water, about to pour it into his throat.

Suddenly, a fierce gust came rushing at him.

Shen Yi's ears twitched. He sensed the anomaly a step ahead and immediately lunged forward, plunging into the creek.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three sharp arrows struck the spot where Shen Yi had just been standing with a bang, their shafts still trembling.

Before Shen Yi could look toward the enemy.

Two figures sprang from behind the trees. Blade light flashed as they struck toward the vital points on Shen Yi's back.

Splash!

Shen Yi did not turn around. Instead, he gathered his power in his ears, distinguished their positions by sound, then drew his blade in the water and swept it around his head before carrying it behind his back.

Clang!

Two gleaming long blades collided abruptly with the saber!

Shen Yi unleashed the Array Breaker inner force.

The heavy blade force sent the two Black Guards staggering backward again and again.

"This internal art is fucking Entry Realm?!"

"Which idiot gave us that intel?"

A rough complaint came from behind Shen Yi.

Judging by their voices, they were not the same group he had encountered earlier.

These men had likely been lying in ambush beside the creek all along, waiting for Shen Yi to come for water in his thirst so they could catch a turtle in a jar.

Shen Yi lifted his eyes, and more arrows came flying from ahead.

He saw it: atop a large tree on the southern bank stood a Black Guard drawing his bow. He was an expert archer!

Shen Yi's figure flashed swiftly.

The two Black Guards behind him closed in again.

While keeping watch on the archer's position, Shen Yi slashed swiftly with the long blade in his hand to meet them.

Metal crashed against metal, blade edges colliding.

A string of clear clanging rang out.

Shen Yi knew the archer was waiting for an opening. He found it amusing. After several encounters with the Pacification Office—

Everyone had been scheming against others.

Everyone had been using others to create opportunities for themselves.

Even the two Black Guards exchanging blows with Shen Yi were holding back against each other, both calculating how to make the other bear Shen Yi's force while they themselves landed the winning strike.

Such opponents were riddled with openings!

Shen Yi retreated three quick steps.

His blade slashed down at an angle, then instantly swept upward on the diagonal. Under the surging inner force, countless droplets of water shot skyward.

They transformed into countless fierce hidden weapons, shrouding the two Black Guards pursuing close behind. The two recoiled in horror, retreating rapidly and swinging their blades to block.

In an instant, streaks of wounds appeared across their bodies.

They looked like blade wounds.

Shen Yi stepped forward, making as if to pursue. The two Black Guards shouted in terror, "Stop him, loose the arrows!"

On both sides of the creek bank.

Countless arrows shot fiercely from the mountain forest.

Whoosh!

The hidden Black Guard archer immediately drew and released his bow as well. Three arrows flew in a triangular formation, so fast that they even tore out sharp whistles.

Had Shen Yi truly lunged forward, unable to change direction in midair, he would surely have been shot full of holes.

Yet Shen Yi had merely feinted.

Not only did he not pursue the two Black Guards, he instead wheeled around and charged toward the archer hidden in the tree.

The Array Breaker Art gathered at the tips of his feet.

The creek exploded with a bang. Shen Yi shot toward the tree crown like a flying stone.

The Black Guard archer had not expected Shen Yi to take such a perilous, unconventional path. He immediately panicked, leaping backward while drawing an arrow and raising his bow.

Shen Yi instantly drew the short blade from his waist.

Gathering force in his hand, he flung it at the archer.

Whoosh!

Splash!

Two brief, urgent cries sounded.

An arrow and a short blade collided abruptly with a short bang.

The blade instantly split the arrow in two.

Its remaining force undiminished, it shot fiercely toward the archer.

Bang!

The Black Guard swung his bow and smashed the short blade away.

When he looked up.

Shen Yi had already landed diagonally upon the trunk. He bent his legs and kicked fiercely, his figure turning into an afterimage as he drew his blade.

The snowy blade light condensed into a single line, surging forth in a mighty sweep. Before the Black Guard could recover from his shock, it had already passed by his side.

Blood sprayed from his chest.

Like a shower of blood, it scattered over the blades of grass.

Killed a Third-Rate martial artist. Obtained secluded cultivation time: two years and four months.

Shen Yi did not dare relax.

A rain of arrows was already coming again from the distance, scattered and irregular. Clearly, the Pacification Office had lost its composure and was firing wildly.

Shen Yi flashed repeatedly, swinging his blade to knock aside the arrows that came near him.

Just as he was about to disengage and leave.

"Shen Yi!"

An angry shout came from afar. Immediately after, a figure charged over with the force of a galloping horse, carrying the thunderous momentum of ten thousand bolts.

Cui Kui held a broad blade!

He came charging in on horseback!