Homecoming, In Hand

"This is..."

Lu Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly. He had already pinched a specially crafted iron pellet between his fingers, ready to flick it out at a moment's notice.

However, upon clearly seeing the face of the blood-stained man, he silently tucked the iron pellet away.

Although the man was covered in blood and grime from head to toe, Lu Yuan could still vaguely discern that this was Zhou Wu, the second master of the Zhou Family, who had been abducted to Black Cloud Stronghold three days ago.

Judging solely by his features, Zhou Wu bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to Zhou Wen, though he appeared slightly more rugged.

"Second Master Zhou, I am here to rescue you. Please, follow me and leave at once!"

After Lu Yuan slashed through the chains on Zhou Wu's wrists and ankles with his blade, he spoke directly.

Judging by the injuries on Zhou Wu's body, he had likely endured significant torture over the past three days.

Moreover, to have fought his way out of this dark dungeon must have come at a heavy price.

"Good, I am in your debt!"

Zhou Wu nodded, his voice raspy.

Without further ado, Lu Yuan ignored everything else, hoisted Zhou Wu onto his back, and dashed toward the exit.

Although he had cut down many bandits along the way and had just slain Liu Chao, the Third Master of Black Cloud Stronghold, there were undoubtedly many bandits remaining, and there was even a chance that a Fourth Master at the Hua Jin realm might appear.

Furthermore, Master Huang and Cao Yang were still facing the much stronger First and Second Masters ahead; he had to get Zhou Wu out as quickly as possible.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh..."

Sure enough, before Lu Yuan had gone far, a squad of dozens of bandits emerged from nowhere, drawing their bows and unleashing a frantic volley of arrows at him.

Without a moment's hesitation, he pushed his Gale Steps to the absolute limit.

Though carrying a person slowed him down considerably, it was still enough to evade the incoming arrows.

Before long, Lu Yuan arrived at the front with Zhou Wu on his back.

At this moment, Huang Hui and Cao Yang were still locked in a fierce battle with Zuo Kui and Situ Ming.

Huang Hui's strength was on par with Zuo Kui's, and since neither was truly fighting a life-or-death struggle, both appeared to have plenty of energy to spare.

However, Cao Yang, who had only recently broken through to the Hua Jin realm, was barely holding his own against Situ Ming and was already in constant peril.

As for Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others, they had huddled into a circle, struggling to fend off more than twenty bandit leaders who were also at the An Jin realm.

One could see that they all bore varying degrees of injury.

Like Lu Yuan, they had initially wanted to find the location where Zhou Wu was being held as quickly as possible.

While their cultivation levels were enough to handle ordinary bandits, they had encountered these An Jin bandit leaders before they could get far, forcing them to retreat.

"Master Huang, I have rescued Second Master Zhou!"

Lu Yuan did not hesitate and shouted directly to Huang Hui.

"What... you rescued him?"

Huang Hui was slightly stunned at the news and quickly turned his head to look at Lu Yuan.

He could naturally recognize at a glance that the person on Lu Yuan's back was indeed Second Master Zhou Wu.

Has the credit been snatched by him?

Cao Yang's already pale complexion turned even whiter.

"How is this possible? Is the Third Master useless? How could he let a mere boy rescue the prisoner?"

Zuo Kui and Situ Ming were both filled with disbelief.

"It's bad... the Third Master is dead!"

Just then, a man ran over in a panic, his face full of grief.

In his hands, he held the head of Liu Chao, still encased in its iron helmet.

It was easy to see that the eye and mouth areas were filled with gore, and shards of iron were embedded deep within, a truly gruesome sight.

"Who... who killed the Third Master!"

Zuo Kui violently forced Huang Hui back with a slash of his blade, then rushed to the man, roaring with eyes wide enough to split.

"Big Brother, no matter what, we must avenge the Third Master!"

Situ Ming also charged over, his face filled with cold, murderous intent.

"It was him... it was him!"

The man pointed a trembling finger at Lu Yuan, his eyes filled with terror.

He had been hiding in the corner and had witnessed with his own eyes the Third Master's head being severed by this terrifying youth's blade.

What... Lu Yuan killed the Third Master of Black Cloud Stronghold?

At this moment, Huang Hui, Cao Yang, Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others all looked at Lu Yuan with expressions of utter disbelief, feeling as if they were in a dream.

Lu Yuan was only at the An Jin realm; how could he possibly kill a Hua Jin Third Master?

"Today, you will die!"

Zuo Kui and Situ Ming, having snapped back to their senses, lunged toward Lu Yuan without the slightest hesitation.

"Boom! Boom!"

Though their speed was swift, it was still no match for the two iron pellets Lu Yuan shot out with his Flick Finger Technique.

Although their Tiger-Head Blade and twin hammers managed to block the pellets, the massive clouds of red and white powder that erupted upon impact left them covered in grime and looking utterly disheveled.

For a moment, they could not spare the effort to attack Lu Yuan, and were even forced to retreat rapidly to avoid being ambushed by others.

"Go, quickly!"

Lu Yuan had no time for further explanation; he continued to tread with his Gale Steps, carrying Zhou Wu on his back as he charged straight out of the stronghold.

"Everyone, get down the mountain at once!"

Huang Hui and Cao Yang no longer hesitated either, leading Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others as they rushed out in his wake.

The Black Cloud Stronghold leaders who had surrounded them, having suffered several casualties in an instant, no longer dared to block their path.

"Lu Yuan, did you really kill the Third Master of Black Cloud Stronghold?"

"Lu Yuan, have you already reached the Transformation Realm?"

Upon returning to Guangchun Hall, everyone crowded around Lu Yuan, filled with curiosity.

They were all desperate to know exactly how Lu Yuan had managed such a feat.

To slay a master of the Transformation Realm while only possessing the cultivation of the Hidden Energy Realm was simply unheard of.

"It was merely the use of external objects; it was just luck!"

Lu Yuan simply smiled and replied.

In truth, it was not wrong to call it luck.

Had he encountered not the Third Master Liu Chao, but the Second Master Situ Ming or even the First Master Zuo Kui, he feared that even with his specially crafted iron pellets, he might not have achieved such an effective result.

At most, he could have relied on his perfected Gale Steps to ensure his own safe retreat.

"Your hidden weapon is indeed formidable, though the methods are somewhat underhanded. Furthermore, for a martial artist, one's own cultivation and strength are the foundation."

At this moment, Cao Yang, whose expression remained somewhat unpleasant, suddenly spoke up.

"Mm, you are right!"

Lu Yuan did not take offense; he nodded toward Cao Yang and smiled.

He naturally understood that while the Flick Finger Technique combined with his special iron pellets might have some effect against the Transformation Realm, it would likely hold little significance when facing a true Ranked martial artist.

Therefore, he would next use that Century-Old Blood Ginseng to charge toward the Ranked realm with all his might.

Not only that, but he also needed to cultivate the Blazing Sun Sword Technique to perfection as soon as possible, striving to condense his Sword Qi before the martial examinations.

Cao Yang let out a cold snort and said nothing more.

"Lu Yuan, I truly did not misjudge you. To think that in just over ten days since receiving funding from my Zhou Family, you have not only entered the Hidden Energy Realm but also possess the formidable strength to kill a Transformation Realm master. To thank you for rescuing my second brother, please accept this reward of five hundred taels and the Century-Old Blood Ginseng!"

At this moment, Zhou Wen walked over with a smile on his face.

"Then I shall accept your kindness without false modesty!"

Lu Yuan did not stand on ceremony; he reached out and took the five-hundred-tael silver note and the sandalwood box containing the Century-Old Blood Ginseng.

With an extra five hundred taels now in his possession, his chances of securing that special cultivation manual at the Black Market Auction had increased significantly.

And this Century-Old Blood Ginseng was a rare medicinal treasure; as long as he could find a better internal cultivation method, he would have a great hope of successfully entering the Ranked realm before the martial examinations.

After Zhou Wen offered a few more words of encouragement to Lu Yuan, he hurried away.

Lu Yuan also turned around, preparing to leave and head home.

"Lu Yuan!"

But before Lu Yuan could even walk out of Guangchun Hall, Cao Yang sought him out.

"What is it?"

Lu Yuan turned to look at Cao Yang.