Shield

Red light ignited across Lu Bai's body as he activated the first stage of the Blood Burning Technique.

Guided by his mental senses, he jerked his body to the side, an arrow thudding into the spot where he had stood a moment before.

At the same time, the iron-skinned Bandit Leader let out a roar and charged toward Lu Bai, seizing the chance to launch a fierce assault while Lu Bai was off-balance.

Yet, at that very moment, Lu Bai noticed a bullet lodged in the wooden pillar beside him.

Within seven paces, a gun is fast; within seven paces, a gun is both accurate and fast.

Dodging gunfire, especially from professional marksmen, was no easy feat.

However, the power of this weapon was far less than he had imagined.

In movies and games, the lethality of firearms was almost always exaggerated.

In reality, even a small handgun would completely incapacitate you if you were hit.

A hit to the torso meant certain death, and even a hit to the limbs would likely shatter bone, the sheer agony dismantling any ability to fight back.

Basically, once you were hit, you were finished.

The trope of characters taking multiple bullets and continuing to fight for hundreds of rounds simply did not exist in reality.

Yet, looking at the bullet stuck in the wooden pillar, it was hard to believe this was a firearm.

Some of the hidden weapons thrown by experts in the Martial Forest were far more lethal than this.

It seems that is indeed the case; there are certain restrictions within this dimension. Lu Bai realized.

Otherwise, given the twisted development of modern black-tech weaponry, anyone carrying a few high-end modern weapons could sweep through the entire Martial Forest.

Either Tianwu Company restricted such weapons to prevent damage to this module-producing 'factory,' or modern weapons simply weren't as effective in this dimension as one might think.

Or perhaps, it was a combination of both.

While the power of the firearms was greatly diminished, they could still cause massive carnage if used in sufficient numbers.

Therefore, there must be various limitations in place to keep the Martial Forest Dimension somewhat 'authentic.'

These thoughts flashed through his mind, and Lu Bai refocused his attention on the charging Bandit Leader.

The man was also a Traveler, perhaps even his senior.

The Bandit Leader threw a punch, the force of it whistling through the air.

Lu Bai blocked it with his hand, feeling as if he had been struck by a heavy steel pipe.

One of the developmental paths of the Martial Path—Hard Body Training!

Internal energy was focused on tempering one's own flesh and blood, or forming a special protective layer on or within the body.

This branch of the Martial Path was known as Hard Body Training.

Martial internal energy was the foundation, from which various paths could branch out.

This was why, even when entering various dimensions and gaining all sorts of extraordinary powers, the Martial Path still held its ground.

The Bandit Leader's body was like a block of iron; he didn't dodge or weave in the face of Lu Bai's attacks. Instead, ordinary strikes against him only caused a recoil that made Lu Bai's own hands ache.

However, the man defended himself carefully whenever Lu Bai targeted his vital points.

He was indeed strong, but that was all. His body was slightly stiff, and his movements lacked flexibility.

In terms of pure combat ability, he was no match for Lu Bai.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been kicked in the crotch by Lu Bai during their first encounter, and if not for the accident of being sucked into the Dimension Gate, he would have been finished off by Lu Bai right then and there.

It was clear that although this man had gained some extraordinary power through modules and was Lu Bai's senior, he hadn't progressed very far.

"You're an Awakened, aren't you!" Lu Bai retreated two steps to create distance, shaking his hand as he took the opportunity to fish for information. "Because Death Compensation can be converted into Special Extraction Points."

"If I'm not mistaken, only we Awakened can use this compensation." Otherwise, given how precious Special Extraction Points were, the people who came to snatch the Death Compensation back then wouldn't have been so few in number.

"So what if I am? You're going to die here today!" the Bandit Leader roared.

There were many Awakened, but the timing of their awakening varied based on their actual circumstances.

Of course, not everyone possessed Lu Bai's level of combat prowess; they might have just been ordinary people before.

This explained why the combat ability of the Bandit Leader before him was so poor.

Accompanied by the sound of gunfire, the Bandit Leader charged at Lu Bai once more, only to be met with another handful of lime powder.

Those who practiced Hard Body Training relied on their physical prowess; unlike other martial artists, they couldn't use internal energy to forcefully disrupt the outside world, leaving them with no choice but to close their eyes when faced with such dispersive, powdery substances.

I've been waiting for you! The Bandit Leader's heart stirred. He closed his eyes and activated his skill bar.

"Sound-based Positioning!" He hadn't been idle since his accidental entry into the Martial Forest Dimension.

Familiar with the ways of the dimension and driven by a desire for revenge against Lu Bai, he had specifically constructed this skill set to counter him.

Passing through the cloud of lime powder with his eyes shut, the Bandit Leader could hear Lu Bai's position clearly, even distinguishing the movement of his limbs.

He caught the wooden spike Lu Bai had aimed at his eyes, but at that exact moment, a thunderous roar erupted in his ear.

A sharp pain in his ear brought a familiar sense of dread rushing back.

Lu Bai watched his opponent burst through the lime powder, eyes shut yet still able to catch the incoming strike, and knew something was amiss.

With only so many sensory organs to target, Lu Bai immediately devised a plan, letting out a thunderous roar that shattered the man's rhythm.

This was the gap in combat intuition.

The opponent's Hard Body Training was formidable, but it still possessed weak points; the seven orifices, the groin, and the armpits were all potential vulnerabilities.

Thus, Lu Bai opted for his familiar Dragon-Roaming Groin Kick.

However, the feedback he received this time was solid, accompanied by a metallic clang that sounded like a hammer striking an anvil.

"Thanks to you, that weak point is gone!" The Bandit Leader clamped his legs together, trapping Lu Bai's leg, and then reached out with hands like iron to seize him.

Lu Bai's physical state was far from ideal; after his duel with Lin Haixian and the activation of Volcano Mode, using the Blood Burning Technique now left his entire body wracked with pain.

He struggled, but could not break free.

Yet, Lu Bai felt no panic at this moment.

Because his 'helper' had arrived!

An arrow whistled through the air, piercing the Bandit Leader's body and coming to a halt right in front of Lu Bai.

Those previous shots had allowed Lu Bai to pinpoint the archer's location.

Throughout the ensuing fight, he had carefully adjusted his position relative to the Bandit Leader.

"You thought you had me locked down, but in reality, I had you locked down—using you as the perfect human shield!"

Lu Bai smiled, and to the Bandit Leader, that smile was the most terrifying thing of all.

"Perhaps I chose the wrong target from the very beginning."

Lifeform, Momentum Cultivation, Object Perception, Strange Art, Hard Body Training, and the Martial Path—the five major directions of development.