Inner Strength Mid-stage

The moment the sun rose, the war drums of the Di People began to thunder.

There was no respite, no intermission, and not even a moment given for the defenders to collect their dead.

The second day of the siege had begun.

Li Jinshui stood upon the city wall, watching the Di soldiers surge forward like a tidal wave, his grip tightening around his blade.

Though a night had passed and his wounds still throbbed, the Evergreen Art circulated slowly within him, a warm, gentle current washing over his internal organs, sinews, bones, and flesh time and time again.

His wounds were healing several times faster than usual; the deep, bone-exposed gash on his left rib had already begun to scab over.

This was the power of the Evergreen Art.

Not only was its internal energy profound and inexhaustible, but it could also nourish the body and accelerate recovery.

Li Jinshui took a deep breath and summoned his panel:

[Points: 376]

It was enough.

The rain of arrows arrived first.

This time, Li Jinshui did not raise his shield.

He simply stood there, watching the sky-filling volley descend.

"Squad Leader!" a new recruit cried out in alarm from beside him.

Li Jinshui did not move.

The arrows struck his body with a cacophony of clangs—and then all bounced off, clattering to the ground.

Rock Body.

A faint, stone-blue hue shimmered across his skin; the arrows struck it without leaving even a white mark.

Li Jinshui glanced down, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

Attacks from the Body Forging realm were now ineffective against him.

"Kill!!!"

The Di soldiers swarmed onto the city wall.

The first to charge up was at the ninth level of Body Forging, his curved blade hacking down toward Li Jinshui's head.

Li Jinshui did not dodge or parry, taking the blow head-on.

"Clang!"

The blade bit into his shoulder, leaving only a shallow white scratch.

The Di soldier's eyes widened in disbelief.

In that split second of hesitation, Li Jinshui's blade was already upon him.

White Tiger Blade Technique: Tiger Pounce!

With a single downward slash, the Di soldier was cleaved in two from shoulder to hip!

[Killed Northern Di Squad Leader (Body Forging Level 9), Points +9]

The second, the third, the fourth...

Li Jinshui stood on that section of the wall like an indefatigable machine, not retreating a single step.

Rock Body allowed him to ignore any attack from the Body Forging realm; blades left only white marks, and arrows simply bounced off. Whenever a Di soldier from the Inner Strength Realm charged up, he was able to maneuver around them using the White Tiger Blade Technique and Inch Step.

More importantly, the Evergreen Art provided him with a constant stream of internal energy.

Others grew exhausted after half an hour of fighting, but he was still killing after an hour. While others were drained after an hour, he remained full of vigor even after two.

The more he killed, the faster the Evergreen Art circulated; the faster it circulated, the faster he recovered.

A perpetual motion machine.

This was a true perpetual motion machine.

[+1]

[+1]

[+9, Killed Northern Di Squad Leader]

[+2...]

The points jumped frantically.

Li Jinshui added points as he fought.

First, he upgraded Marching Step.

Although he didn't need it right now, it would surely come in handy later.

[Consumed 50 points, Marching Step reached Entry level]

[Marching Step: Uninitiated → Initiated (0/40)]

A surge of heat flooded his legs, accompanied by a strange, new sensation. This was a footwork technique for long-distance raids, allowing one to travel a hundred miles a day without feeling fatigue.

Next, the Rock Body.

On the battlefield, the most important thing was staying alive.

[Consumed 100 points, Rock Body proficiency +100]

[Rock Body: Initiated (0/150) → Minor Achievement (0/200)]

Boom—

The heavy, surging energy within his body suddenly became more solid, flowing through his veins like liquid lead and mercury.

The slate-blue hue on his skin deepened, faintly shimmering with a metallic luster.

Minor Achievement.

Now, let alone those in the Body Forging Realm, he could withstand a few full-force strikes even from someone at the early stage of the Inner Strength Realm.

Li Jinshui gripped his blade tightly and continued the slaughter.

[+1]

[+1]

[+3...]

By noon, the Di People finally retreated for a wave.

Li Jinshui leaned on his blade, gasping for air.

It wasn't exhaustion; it was excitement.

He glanced at his panel:

[Points: 412]

Four hundred more points.

At this rate of killing, it wouldn't be long before he could push his Rock Body to Great Achievement, his Evergreen Art to Minor Achievement, and his White Tiger Blade Technique, Iron Thread Fist, and Inch Step all to Minor or even Great Achievement.

By then—

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard a thunderous roar.

"BOOM—!!!"

The entire city wall trembled.

Li Jinshui whipped his head around to see smoke and dust billowing three hundred paces to the west.

A battering ram.

The Di People had used a battering ram to breach that section of the wall.

"The wall is broken!!!"

Someone screamed, their voice filled with terror.

Li Jinshui's pupils contracted sharply.

Amidst the smoke and dust, the Di soldiers surged into the gap like a tidal wave. The defenders fought to the death, but the gap widened, and more Di soldiers poured in.

That section of the wall had fallen.

"Li Jinshui!"

Zhou Kui's voice came from afar, hoarse beyond recognition: "Take your men and plug the gap!"

Li Jinshui did not hesitate.

"Squad Jia, follow me!"

He charged out, pushing his Tiger Walk to the limit, moving as fast as a gust of wind.

When he reached the vicinity of the gap, he witnessed a scene from hell—

The breach in the wall was about three zhang wide, with rubble scattered everywhere. At least a hundred Di soldiers had already surged in, locked in a bloody melee with the defenders. More Di soldiers were pouring through the gap, an endless stream.

At the forefront was a Di centurion, at the middle stage of the Inner Strength Realm, whose giant axe had already cut down seven or eight Zhou Army soldiers.

Li Jinshui did not stop.

He charged straight at the centurion.

White Tiger Blade Technique: Tiger Roar!

He slashed down, the blade energy manifesting as the sound of a tiger's roar, shaking the very soul!

The centurion was startled and raised his axe to parry.

CLANG!

Sparks flew in all directions; the centurion retreated one step, and Li Jinshui retreated one step as well.

Evenly matched?

No.

Li Jinshui's lips curled upward.

He had only used seventy percent of his strength just now.

Again!

White Tiger Blade Technique: Tiger Pounce!

Another strike, fiercer than the last!

The centurion retreated another step.

White Tiger Blade Technique: Tiger Sweep!

With the third horizontal strike, the centurion could no longer hold him off; his abdomen was slashed open, and his intestines spilled out.

"You—"

He widened his eyes, unable to believe it.

Li Jinshui did not give him the chance to speak.

Inch Step!

With one stride, he was already standing before him.

Iron Thread Fist!

He smashed a fist into the man's chest!

"Crack!"

The sound of shattering sternum was clearly audible; the centurion spat out blood and collapsed with a thunderous thud.

[Killed Northern Di centurion (Inner Strength Realm, mid-stage), points +20]

The surrounding Di soldiers were stunned.

Li Jinshui was not.

He turned and lunged toward the Di soldiers.

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

He did not know how long he had been killing, but he finally drove the Di soldiers back from the breach.

Yet, new Di soldiers surged forward once more.

Li Jinshui stood in the center of the breach, drenched in blood, like a god of slaughter.

Behind him, more and more Zhou Army soldiers arrived to provide support.

Before him, the Di soldiers continued their frantic assault.

"Hold the line!" Zhou Kui's voice came from behind. "Reinforcements are arriving soon!"

Li Jinshui did not speak; he simply continued to swing his blade.

One strike, one life.

Two strikes, a pair.

The White Tiger Blade Technique became increasingly proficient and ferocious in his hands.

Inch Step allowed him to maneuver within a hair's breadth, dodging one lethal attack after another.

Iron Thread Fist allowed him to secure a one-hit kill in close-quarters combat.

Rock Body allowed him to withstand attacks from those in the Inner Strength Realm.

Evergreen Art ensured he would never run out of stamina.

He was a killing machine that never stopped.

He fought from noon until dusk, and from dusk until nightfall.

The breach remained, but the Di soldiers never managed to break through.

After night fell, the Di soldiers finally retreated.

Li Jinshui leaned on his blade, standing in the center of the breach, gasping for air.

He was covered in blood—his own and his enemies'—to the point where he could no longer tell them apart.

He had sustained a dozen new wounds, the deepest being a slash from his left shoulder to his right waist; had it not been for his minor success in Rock Body, that strike would have cleaved him in two.

Yet he stood, standing perfectly straight.

Zhou Kui walked over, looked at him, and remained silent for a long time.

Then he said, "The breach was held. Was this your doing?"

Li Jinshui nodded.

Zhou Kui looked at him, his eyes as complex as a tangled mess of hemp.

"How many did you kill?"

Li Jinshui thought for a moment, then shook his head.

He couldn't count them anymore.

Zhou Kui did not ask again.

He simply patted Li Jinshui on the shoulder, then turned and walked away.

Li Jinshui stood by the breach, watching the Di camp in the night.

In the distance, the firelight was still flickering.

Tomorrow, they would come again.

The day after, they would come as well.

Until the city fell, or they retreated.

He pulled up his panel:

[Name: Li Jinshui]

[Realm: Inner Strength Realm (Mid-stage)]

[Arts: Evergreen Art (Minor Achievement 12/500), Rock Body (Minor Achievement 0/200), White Tiger Blade Technique (Entry 45/80), Iron Thread Fist (Entry 38/60), Inch Step (Entry 29/50), Marching Step (Entry 0/40), Iron Shirt (Consummation), Wolf Killing Seven Forms (Consummation), Tiger Walk (Consummation)]

[Points: 428]

Just now, in order to maintain his strength, he had spent a large number of points to upgrade the Evergreen Art.

He was now in the mid-stage of the Inner Strength Realm!

The night wind blew past, carrying a heavy scent of blood.

Li Jinshui took a deep breath and turned to walk back into the city.

Behind him, the breach remained.

But he knew, this was only the beginning.

The true, brutal battle was still to come.