On the third day, before dawn had fully broken, the Di People's war drums thundered across the land.
Li Jinshui stood atop the city wall, watching the mass of Di soldiers surging toward them in the distance. His pupils tightened slightly.
Something was different.
Today's formation was nothing like the past two days.
The Di soldiers in the front ranks no longer charged in a disorderly mob. They formed neat squares. Behind them stood more than a dozen Siege Towers, each taller than the city wall. Farther back, ranks of cavalry stretched as far as the eye could see, their battle banners blotting out the sky.
At least fifty thousand men.
"This is..." A new recruit beside him trembled. "This is the final assault..."
Li Jinshui said nothing. He only tightened his grip on his saber.
He glanced at the panel:
He had enough points now.
The Di Army began to advance.
Five thousand paces, three thousand paces, one thousand paces—
"Loose!!!"
Arrows poured down from the city wall, but the Di Army's shield formation was airtight. Arrows thudded against the shields, clanging in a steady din.
The Siege Towers drew closer and closer.
"BOOM—!!!"
The first Siege Tower slammed against the city wall, and its gate opened. Di soldiers poured out.
Li Jinshui charged forward, cutting down the first, the second, the third—
But this time, there were too many Di soldiers.
Enemies surrounded him from every direction. They couldn't be killed. There was no end to them.
As he fought, a thunderous roar suddenly rang out:
"Zhao Zheng!!!"
A figure shot skyward from the Di Army's ranks, stepping through the air as he lunged straight for the city wall!
Pulse-Opening Realm!
Another one!
A second figure immediately sprang from the formation, also stepping through the air as he followed close behind!
Two Pulse-Opening Realm experts!
Li Jinshui's pupils contracted sharply.
Just then, another figure rushed out from the city, clad in a dark robe, his aura as imposing as a mountain—
Governor Zhao Zheng!
He shot into the air and slashed at the two Pulse-Opening Realm experts!
"CLANG—!!!"
The three collided in midair, and a violent shock wave swept outward. The people on the city wall could barely keep their footing!
Zhao Zheng fought two against one without giving an inch.
But the two men had clearly come prepared. They fought as they retreated, luring Zhao Zheng northward.
"Governor!" someone cried.
Li Jinshui watched the three figures fight their way farther and farther off. A sudden, ominous premonition rose in his heart.
Something was wrong.
Why were they trying to lure the Governor away?
Just then, three figures shot into the sky in the distance to the north!
Pulse-Opening Realm!
Three more Pulse-Opening Realm experts!
They closed in on Zhao Zheng from three directions, sealing off every escape route!
"Despicable!!!"
Zhao Zheng's furious, bitter roar carried across several miles.
Five Pulse-Opening Realm experts!
To kill him, the Di People had sent out five Pulse-Opening Realm experts!
Li Jinshui's heart sank to the bottom.
The Governor was finished.
North-Rejecting City was finished.
Just then—
A streak of white light shot in from the southern horizon!
Fast!
So fast that the naked eye could barely follow it!
In the blink of an eye, the white light reached the battlefield and stopped in midair.
It was a middle-aged man in his early forties, with a handsome face and a moon-white robe. He stood with his hands behind his back.
He wasn't standing on anything.
He simply stood in midair, suspended there.
His robe snapped in the wind, and a faint glow surrounded him. It was protective true qi, condensed and undispersed, enveloping his body.
Origin-Opening Realm!
A true Origin-Opening Realm expert!
Everyone on the battlefield stopped what they were doing and looked up at the figure.
It was a pressure that came from the instinct to survive.
Like a rabbit seeing a tiger, like a flock of sheep seeing a lion.
He hadn't even made a move. Just standing there was enough to snuff out any thought of resistance.
The middle-aged man looked down at the battlefield, his gaze settling on the five Di People's Pulse-Opening Realm experts surrounding Zhao Zheng.
His expression was calm, as if he were looking at five ants.
Then he raised a hand.
He didn't draw his saber.
He clearly wore one at his waist, but he didn't draw it.
He simply joined his fingers like a blade and flicked them casually.
Just like that.
A streak of white light shot from his fingertips!
It moved too fast to see. There was only a soft "pfft"—
A gaping hole burst open in the chest of one of the Di People's Pulse-Opening Realm experts!
The man stared down at the bloody hole in his chest. Blood welled up in his mouth, disbelief filling his eyes. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but all that came out was a wet rattle. Then he fell from the sky.
One slash.
No, one finger.
One finger had killed a Pulse-Opening Realm expert.
Dead silence fell over the battlefield.
The four remaining Di People's Pulse-Opening Realm experts went deathly pale and turned to flee!
The middle-aged man flicked his hand again.
A second streak of white light!
One of the slower Di People's Pulse-Opening Realm experts had his right arm severed at the shoulder. He let out a scream and fell from the sky, his fate unknown.
The other three ran for their lives without looking back, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
The middle-aged man didn't pursue them.
He stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the tens of thousands of Di soldiers.
Then he spoke. His voice wasn't loud, yet everyone heard him clearly, as if he were whispering right beside their ears:
"Begone."
One word.
Tens of thousands of Di soldiers retreated like a receding tide.
Li Jinshui stood atop the city wall, frozen as if struck by lightning.
Origin-Opening Realm.
So this was the Origin-Opening Realm.
He had seen the Inner Strength Realm and the Pulse-Opening Realm. He'd thought those were the limits of a powerful warrior.
Now he knew he'd been wrong.
Before an Origin-Opening Realm expert, a Pulse-Opening Realm expert was an ant.
With one flick of his finger, he'd killed one man, wounded another, and driven off three.
He hadn't even drawn his saber.
Li Jinshui's hands trembled slightly.
It wasn't fear. It was excitement.
So there were realms like this in the world.
So a person could become this powerful.
He wanted to grow stronger.
He wanted to become even stronger.
Strong enough to stand in midair one day, flick a finger, and scatter an entire army.
The middle-aged man withdrew his gaze and glanced at Zhao Zheng, who had landed on the city wall, covered in blood. He gave a slight nod.
"Zhao Zheng, you've worked hard."
Zhao Zheng dropped to one knee and cupped his fist in salute. "Greetings, Seventh Prince!"
The Seventh Prince?
Li Jinshui froze.
Someone from the royal family.
That royal expert who'd come from the Capital City.
The Seventh Prince descended onto the city wall. He looked at Zhao Zheng, then at the battered wall, and finally swept his gaze over the soldiers who were covered in blood but still standing.
His eyes paused on Li Jinshui for a moment.
Li Jinshui felt that gaze and stiffened.
It was calm, yet it seemed to see through every thought in his mind.
But the gaze moved on after only a moment.
"Well defended," the Seventh Prince said. "The Capital City's army will arrive in two days. I'll stay here until then."
He paused and looked toward the distant direction where the Di People were retreating. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"I'd like to see if the Di People dare come back."
Li Jinshui stood where he was, his heart pounding.
Not because he was afraid. It was because of that glance just now.
There had been scrutiny in it, and appraisal, and perhaps even a touch of—
Approval?
He didn't know.
He only knew that from this moment on, his goal had changed.
The Inner Strength Realm wasn't enough.
The Pulse-Opening Realm wasn't enough either.
He wanted the Origin-Opening Realm.
He wanted to stand at that height.
In the distance, the Di People's banners still fluttered, but not one of them dared take another step forward.
North-Rejecting City had held.
But Li Jinshui knew this was only the beginning.
The true path to becoming a powerful warrior had only just begun.
Before you continue