"Is this..."
Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He swiftly pinched a specially made iron pellet between his fingers, ready to flick it out at any moment.
But after recognizing the face of the hand's owner, he quietly put the pellet away.
Though the man was covered in blood from head to toe, Lu Yuan could still make out that he was likely Zhou Wu, the Second Master of the Zhou Family, who had been held captive at Black Cloud Stronghold for three days.
From his face alone, Zhou Wu bore a seven- or eight-tenths resemblance to Zhou Wen, though he looked a little more rugged.
"Second Master Zhou, I'm here to save you. Please come with me at once!"
After slicing through Zhou Wu's wrist and ankle chains, Lu Yuan spoke directly.
Judging by the wounds all over Zhou Wu, he had likely endured a great deal of torture over the past three days.
And breaking out of this underground prison must have come at a considerable cost.
"Very well. Sorry for the trouble!"
Zhou Wu nodded, his voice somewhat hoarse.
Lu Yuan didn't waste another moment. He hoisted Zhou Wu onto his back and hurried toward the exit.
He had killed many bandits along the way and had just defeated Liu Chao, the Third Chieftain of Black Cloud Stronghold, despite the difference in realms. But plenty of bandits could still be left, and another Transformation Realm chieftain might even show up.
Besides, Master Huang and Cao Yang were still facing the more powerful First and Second Chieftains. He had to get Zhou Wu out as soon as possible.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh..."
Sure enough, Lu Yuan hadn't gone far before a band of dozens of bandits appeared from who knew where. Every one of them had a bow drawn, and they unleashed a furious volley in his direction.
Without the slightest hesitation, he pushed Gale Steps to its limit once more.
Carrying someone slowed him considerably, but he was still fast enough to dodge the arrows.
Before long, Lu Yuan reached the others with Zhou Wu on his back.
Huang Hui and Cao Yang were still locked in fierce combat with Zuo Kui and Situ Ming.
Huang Hui was nearly evenly matched with Zuo Kui. Since neither had truly begun fighting for their life, both still seemed to have plenty in reserve.
Cao Yang, who had only recently broken through to the Transformation Realm, could still barely hold his own against Situ Ming, but he was already in grave danger.
Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others had meanwhile huddled into a circle, struggling to fend off more than twenty bandit leaders, all of them in the Hidden Energy Realm.
It was clear that they had all sustained injuries of varying severity.
Like Lu Yuan, they had initially tried to find Zhou Wu as quickly as possible.
With their cultivation, ordinary bandits were no match for them. But before they had gone far, they ran into bandit leaders in the Hidden Energy Realm and had no choice but to fall back.
"Master Huang, I've rescued Second Master Zhou!"
Lu Yuan called out to Huang Hui without hesitation.
"What... You got him out?"
Huang Hui froze for a moment, then hurriedly turned toward Lu Yuan.
He recognized at once that the man on Lu Yuan's back was none other than Zhou Wu, the Second Master of the Zhou Family.
"He stole my thunder?"
Cao Yang's already pale face turned even whiter.
"How is this possible? Could the third brother have been slacking off? How did some young punk manage to rescue him?"
Zuo Kui and Situ Ming looked equally incredulous.
"Disaster... The Third Chieftain is dead!"
Just then, a man came running over in a panic, his face full of sorrow.
In his hands, he carried Liu Chao's head, still encased in its iron helmet.
His eyes and mouth were a bloody mess, red and white, with shards of iron embedded all over. It was a gruesome sight.
"Who... Who killed my third brother?!"
Zuo Kui sent Huang Hui reeling with a fierce slash, then rushed over to the man, roaring with bloodshot eyes.
"Big brother, no matter what, we have to avenge our third brother!"
Situ Ming rushed over as well, his face filled with a chilling murderous intent.
"It was him... It was him!"
The man pointed at Lu Yuan, his eyes full of terror.
He had been hiding in a corner and had watched with his own eyes as the terrifying young man cut off the Third Chieftain's head with a single slash.
"What... Lu Yuan killed the Third Chieftain of Black Cloud Stronghold?"
At that moment, Huang Hui and Cao Yang, along with Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others, all stared at Lu Yuan in disbelief. It felt like a dream.
Lu Yuan was only in the Hidden Energy Realm. How could he have killed a Transformation Realm chieftain?
"You die today!"
When Zuo Kui and Situ Ming came to their senses, they lunged at Lu Yuan without a moment's hesitation.
"Boom! Boom!"
They were fast, but not as fast as the two iron pellets Lu Yuan flicked at them.
Their Tiger-Head Blade and twin hammers blocked the pellets, but when the pellets burst, a spray of red and white powder still left them covered in grime and utterly disheveled.
For a moment, they couldn't even think of attacking Lu Yuan again. They had to retreat in a hurry, lest anyone seize the chance to ambush them.
"Move!"
Lu Yuan had no time to explain. He continued racing forward with Gale Steps, Zhou Wu on his back, and headed straight out of the stronghold.
Huang Hui and Cao Yang didn't hesitate either. They led Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others in pursuit.
Several of the Black Cloud Stronghold leaders surrounding them fell in an instant, and the rest no longer dared to stand in their way.
"Lu Yuan, did you really kill the Third Chieftain of Black Cloud Stronghold?"
"Lu Yuan, have you already reached the Transformation Realm?"
Back at Guangchun Hall, everyone gathered around Lu Yuan, brimming with curiosity.
They all wanted to know how he had managed it.
Defeating a Transformation Realm expert while only in the Hidden Energy Realm was unheard of.
"I just got lucky and made use of an external aid."
Lu Yuan smiled and said no more.
Truth be told, there was nothing wrong with calling it luck.
If he had run into someone other than Liu Chao, the Third Chieftain—if he had faced Situ Ming, the Second Chieftain, or even Zuo Kui, the First Chieftain—then even with his specially made iron pellets, he might not have achieved such a good result.
At best, he could have relied on Gale Steps, perfected to the fullest, to make a clean getaway.
"Your hidden weapon is indeed powerful, but your methods are a little dishonorable. Besides, a martial artist's own cultivation is what truly matters."
Cao Yang spoke up, his face still somewhat grim.
"Mm, you're right."
Lu Yuan wasn't angry. He nodded at Cao Yang with a smile.
He knew that even Flick Finger Technique combined with specially made iron pellets might be effective against someone in the Transformation Realm, but against a true martial artist who had reached the ranks, it would probably be of little use.
That was why he intended to use the Century-Old Blood Ginseng to make a full push for the ranks.
He also needed to perfect Blazing Sun Sword Technique as soon as possible and try to condense Sword Qi before the Martial Examination.
Cao Yang snorted and said nothing more.
"Lu Yuan, I knew I was right about you. I never imagined that, in barely more than ten days since the Zhou Family began supporting you, you would not only have reached the Hidden Energy Realm but also gained the formidable strength to kill someone in the Transformation Realm. To thank you for rescuing my second brother, please accept these five hundred taels and this Century-Old Blood Ginseng!"
Zhou Wen walked over with a smile.
"Then I'll accept them with gratitude!"
Lu Yuan didn't stand on ceremony. He took the five-hundred-tael banknote and the sandalwood box containing the Century-Old Blood Ginseng.
With another five hundred taels in hand, he had a better chance of winning the special cultivation manual at the Black Market Auction.
And this Century-Old Blood Ginseng was a treasure that could not be found by seeking it out. As long as he could find an even better internal cultivation method, he would have a great chance of successfully reaching the ranks before the Martial Examination.
Zhou Wen offered Lu Yuan a few more words of encouragement, then hurried away.
Lu Yuan turned and prepared to head home.
"Lu Yuan!"
But before Lu Yuan could leave Guangchun Hall, Cao Yang came over to find him.
"What is it?"
Lu Yuan turned to look at Cao Yang.
Before you continue