A Burst of Strength in Battle

Inside a ruined house at Thousand-Zhang Temple, several rebel conspirators disguised as monks sat gathered together.

A fat monk looked frantic. "Big Brother, what do we do? The place is surrounded by government troops!"

"What are you panicking for? I have a way to get you out."

The man called Big Brother was sallow and emaciated, with lecherous evil in his eyes. Even dressed in monk's robes, he had none of a renunciant's bearing.

The fat monk tightly gripped his hand. "Really?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

The man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. His withered finger pointed at the prayer mat beneath him. "There's a secret passage I dug beforehand underneath. You leave through here. I'll hold off the government troops."

The fat monk hurriedly lifted the prayer mat. Sure enough, there was an opening beneath it.

Overjoyed, he said, "Wonderful, Big Brother! I'll definitely bring people back to save you all!"

Bang!

A thick wooden club smashed viciously into his head. His round skull burst apart at once, and his corpse crashed heavily to the floor.

Outside the temple, the moment Song Jie gave the order, the government troops immediately launched their charge.

"Charge!"

The rebels guarding the temple gate had originally been displaced refugees. Each was sallow and skinny, clad in ragged clothes, carrying rusted, mismatched weapons, and none had ever received even the slightest formal training.

When they saw the government troops surging toward them like a tidal wave, they were scared out of their wits, threw down their weapons, and fled in every direction.

The instant the two sides met, the battle became completely one-sided. The government troops pressed forward step by step, turning it into a one-sided crushing.

That already rotten, broken temple gate was struck by a massive log hoisted by several soldiers working together.

With a boom, it was forcibly blasted away. Wood chips flew everywhere as it slammed into the ground and kicked up a cloud of dust.

Just then, a figure suddenly charged wildly out from within the gate!

A rebel wielding a rust-covered broadsword charged forward with bloodshot eyes, looking like a madman. Disregarding his own life entirely, he roared and hacked savagely at the front rank of government troops.

Caught off guard, the troops froze for an instant. Two men in the front line failed to dodge in time and were cut down on the spot.

But veterans were veterans. The sudden change lasted only a moment before they came to their senses, quickly drew back, raised their blades, formed up, steadied their footing, and met the enemy with their swords raised.

However, most of the soldiers present were merely ordinary troops, while this rebel had already entered the Second Transformation of the Body Tempering Realm—his body was powerful, his strength boundless, and even light injuries healed quickly.

Under his frenzied lunges and slashes, more than a dozen government troops were beaten back step by step, their formation on the verge of collapse.

Seeing this, Han Jia suddenly drew in a breath and charged forward. His footsteps made the ground tremble faintly as he poured all his strength into his shoulders and back. Like a wild bull on a rampage, he slammed viciously into the rebel's chest.

Bang—!

A muffled crash rang out.

The rebel only felt a heavy blow in his chest, as though a speeding carriage had struck him head-on. His entire body flew into the air, blood spraying from his mouth as he was hurled straight backward.

Before he could land and struggle up, the surrounding veterans swarmed him. Blades and spears came down together, killing him on the spot.

Seeing this, the remaining rebels lost all will to fight and scattered outward in flight.

The veterans did not pursue, because Li Yi and the others had already lain in ambush around the perimeter.

Beneath a thick ancient tree, Li Yi stood firm, his feet spread apart in a stable stance.

His left hand held the bow while his right drew the string. Both arms tensed as he pulled the longbow into a full moon. The taut bowstring quivered without end, and the cold, gleaming arrowhead was fixed upon the fleeing rebels ahead.

With a sharp whoosh, the arrow left the string and tore through the sky.

A hundred paces away, the fleeing rebel did not even have time to react before the arrow pierced straight through his body.

His body stiffened abruptly before he fell heavily to the ground, dead on the spot.

Wu Chuansheng's gaze was still fixed on the fallen enemy, and he had yet to recover when the second arrow had already ripped through the air.

Another soft sound rang out, and the second rebel fell in response, never moving again.

Within just a few breaths, several fleeing men were struck by arrows and killed in succession.

The scattered rebels completely lost their heads. Invisible killing intent lay in all directions, while cold arrows from the shadows were like soul-reaping reapers, impossible to evade.

Terrified out of their wits, they abandoned all thoughts of fleeing. Rather than wait for death while running, they might as well turn back and fight. Perhaps they could still struggle out a sliver of life.

All the veterans in the field stopped moving and stared blankly at the figure beneath the tree, each of them dumbfounded.

They had never imagined that their unit concealed such a master of extraordinary Archery.

Wu Chuansheng was even more shaken. Before this, he had only thought Li Yi knew a little Archery. Only now, after witnessing such skill with his own eyes, did he realize that Li Yi had long since entered the hall.

On a cold-weapons battlefield, a top-tier master archer possessed no less deterrent power than an ace sniper on a modern battlefield.

Once such a man locked onto a target, the opponent was trapped in a dead end. Escaping would be harder than climbing to heaven.

Wu Chuansheng could not help asking, "Li Yi, is this really your first time on a battlefield?"

The youth grinned. "Yes, Squad Leader."

"Good lad, I've picked up a treasure! You were born for the battlefield."

Wu Chuansheng laughed as he patted his shoulder. "When we get back, I'm definitely going to show off to those guys!"

At such a young age, he already possessed outstanding Archery, and his temperament was so steady as well. Such talent was truly rare.

As long as someone like him did not die halfway, he would surely become someone great in the future.

Li Yi merely smiled at Wu Chuansheng's praise. After shooting those rebels just now, the experience for his [Archery] had surged by a huge amount. It was far better than practicing on targets alone.

With the assistance of the archers, not a single rebel trying to flee could get away.

Before they even ran beyond the temple grounds, they had already fallen and failed to rise again.

Inside the temple, however, unlike the smooth battle outside, the fighting had reached a fierce deadlock.

The false monk leader did not flee. After taking a book from his robes and handing it to a trusted subordinate, he charged into the battle.

The instant he joined the fight, the situation inside the temple reversed. Ordinary veterans could not even withstand a single punch from him.

"Form up!"

A veteran shouted.

The other government troops hurriedly gathered and formed ranks upon hearing him.

It took quite some time before the formation was barely assembled.

They could be said to have withstood the leader's pressure, and both sides fell into a stalemate.

Outside the temple, Li Yi saw Han Jia and the others rush inside, yet there was no news for a long while. He could not help frowning.

Song Jie, standing nearby, merely watched coldly, showing no intention of helping at all.

He had clearly truly treated this operation as a baptism for the newcomers.

He did not care in the slightest whether the newcomers lived or died.

Han Jia counted as a friend, and after tasting the benefits, Li Yi also wished to hunt more enemies to improve his archery.

After realizing that this world was far from simple, he had only one goal in his heart—become stronger!

Thus, Li Yi said to Wu Chuansheng, "Squad Leader, I want to go in and check on the situation."

Since Song Jie had previously ordered them to adapt to circumstances as needed, Wu Chuansheng did not hesitate much before agreeing. "Proceed carefully. I'll cover you from here."

Li Yi nodded and headed toward the temple gate.

Everyone around the perimeter had already been hunted down, so no one came to stop Li Yi.

He reached the gate with ease.

Li Yi drew his bowstring and carefully slipped into the temple.

Inside, the rebels had been almost entirely killed or wounded, with only a few barely clinging to life.

Only that leader remained, fighting more than a dozen government troops by himself. His strength was immense, and every strike could take a life.

The dead veterans on the ground either had shattered shoulder bones or exploded skulls. Their deaths were miserable beyond compare.

Han Jia was among those besieging him as well.

Unfortunately, though Han Jia had inborn divine strength, he could not bring it into play against a true expert.

Li Yi was startled. How could the rebels possess such an expert?

Something was not right about this.

But now was not the time to think about that. If they failed to kill all these rebels here, then even if they survived the leader by luck, Song Jie would not spare them after they returned.

With that thought, Li Yi immediately aimed at one of the rebels and fired an arrow.

He planned to kill the small fry first, then deal with the big one.

After killing several people earlier, Li Yi's Archery skill had risen considerably. Though it had not leveled up yet, his efficiency had improved greatly.

Moreover, the arrows this time had been supplied by the army, so he did not need to worry about wasting them.

He drew and fired again and again. Every arrow he released brought down a man.

Before long, the only one still standing was the rebel leader.

When the rebel leader saw his subordinates being killed, he flew into a rage.

He seized a government soldier and forcibly tore him in half.

Scarlet blood drenched his entire body.

Seeing this, Li Yi immediately nocked an arrow and aimed at him.

Yet he did not fire for a long time.

The battlefield was too chaotic. If he fired carelessly, he could easily injure his own men.

Only when he found an opening did he aim at the rebel leader and immediately release the bowstring.

Whoosh—!

The arrow tore through the air, its tip ripping open the wind with a sharp, ear-piercing shriek as it flew straight for the false monk leader's heart.

Though the monk was deeply embroiled in battle, his senses were extremely sharp.

Before the arrow arrived, a warning rose in his heart. His body twisted sharply to the side, barely avoiding the vital point.

The arrow grazed his left arm, cutting only a shallow bloody wound without even reaching deep into the flesh.

The monk slowly turned his head. His murky, vicious eyes locked tightly onto Li Yi in the distance, and a cruel sneer curled across his lips. His voice was hoarse as a broken gong. "Interesting... I never thought that before dying, I'd run into a master archer like you. If I can drag you down with me, then it'll have been worth it!"

Before his words had even faded, he suddenly threw back his head and roared, "Using qi as the guide, Asura Transformation!"

His thunderous shout echoed through the ruined temple. Eerie black qi instantly gushed from every pore in his body, winding around him like black mist wrapping a corpse.

The last trace of color swiftly drained from his already withered, yellowed face, leaving it gray and stiff. A hint of blood-red rolled into his eyes, and in an instant, he changed from a vicious bandit into a ferocious corpse that seemed to have crawled back from hell.

Roar—!

The monk threw back his head and roared. His aura surged explosively, and like a tiger descending the mountain, he charged forward with brute force.

The government troops' formation, which had barely managed to trap him moments ago, collapsed with a crash before that violent power, as fragile as paper pasted over a frame.

The soldiers cried out as they were sent flying and knocked down. Blades, spears, and clubs struck wildly against his body, yet they only produced crisp clangs like metal striking stone.

When blade edges hit his flesh, it was as though they had chopped into thick raw iron. Tiny sparks scattered, and not even a white mark remained.

"Impudent!"

Han Jia roared. His eyes widened as he gripped his saber with both hands and leaped into the air, bringing all his strength down in a savage slash at the monk's head, intending to cleave him in two.

Yet the monk did not even raise an eyelid. Expressionless, he simply lifted his right hand and received the blade with his bare palm.

Clang—!

A deafening explosion rang out.

Han Jia's saber, swung down with all his strength, snapped beneath the monk's palm. The blade twisted and shattered.

The tremendous recoil surged wildly up the hilt. Han Jia's tiger's mouth burst open at once, blood spraying out. His entire arm went violently numb, agonizing pain piercing his heart, and he staggered back several steps before barely steadying himself.

Li Yi was greatly shocked. He had not expected this man, at death's door, to use some unknown method to forcibly raise his realm.

But such a method likely could not last long.

As long as they could hold him back, he would naturally reveal an opening.

Li Yi held his breath, focused his mind, and drew his bow once more.

This time, he held nothing back, pouring all his focus between the bow and string.

In that instant, everything around him seemed to fall silent. The wind, the sounds of battle, and the screams were all shut out.

Only that berserk figure remained in his eyes. His mind, bow, and arrow became one as he entered a strange state of empty clarity and utter concentration.

Whoosh...

The arrow suddenly left the string, faster and fiercer than any he had fired before. Like a life-stealing cold gleam, it tore through the air and flew straight at the rebel leader.

The leader was killing to his heart's content and assumed it was merely another ordinary arrow. He paid it no heed at all.

Yet the instant the arrow neared him, he abruptly realized that its force and speed were far beyond the previous arrows. Alarm bells rang in his heart. He tried to dodge, but it was already too late.

Pfft!

The arrowhead buried itself fiercely in his chest, sinking in halfway.

The leader grunted, his expression unchanged, and reached out to brutally yank the arrow free.

Black blood sprayed from the wound, but his body was powerful. Even this arrow had failed to strike a vital point.

Seeing this, Li Yi knew that since his strike had failed, he could not linger in battle. He immediately pushed off the ground and retreated at high speed, swiftly widening the distance between himself and the crazed leader.

The wounded leader was now completely enraged. His ferocity erupted, and his eyes were blood-red.

Like a mad tiger, he rampaged forward. Soldiers blocking his path were casually blasted away, utterly unable to withstand even one blow.

The remaining government troops were terrified. They only dared to surround him from a distance with raised spears, making a show of restraining him. Not a single man dared confront him head-on again.

Within moments, the leader swept aside every obstacle before him. He suddenly raised his head and fixed his gaze on Li Yi. Stomping heavily against the ground, he soared into the air like a savage bird of prey pouncing on food, carrying towering malice as he lunged straight at Li Yi!

When Li Yi saw him charging over, his face turned pale.

He fired several arrows in succession while opening his skill panel.

[Archery (Proficient): 462/500]

[Effect: Draw the Three-Stone Horn Bow; arrows carry Armor-Piercing Force!]

Though killing enemies just now had earned him considerable experience, he had still not reached the requirement to level up.

The false monk was already revealing a sinister grin, lifting his hand to crush Li Yi's skull.

At that critical moment, the false monk's limbs were suddenly restrained.

He could no longer move forward.

"Little Yi, run! You're no match for him!"

Covered in blood, Han Jia used the last shred of his strength to cling desperately to the false monk's waist and abdomen like a tiger pouncing on prey. The veins in his arms bulged as he squeezed with such force that they creaked.

That life-risking embrace forcibly locked down the false monk's attack, winning Li Yi a sliver of life.

The false monk was thoroughly enraged. Black qi surged across his body as he suddenly lowered his waist and turned, grabbed Han Jia's shoulder with his backhand, and threw him over his shoulder.

Like a tattered sack, Han Jia smashed heavily into the ground. He did not even groan before passing out on the spot.

It was in that fleeting instant!

Li Yi's gaze sharpened as he locked onto the fake monk.

He neither dodged nor retreated. With his left hand, he snatched up two arrows and nocked them on the bowstring at once. The blood and qi throughout his body surged wildly as he roared, pouring all his strength and cultivation into both arms!

Bang—

A deafening blast tore through the battlefield!

Li Yi's tiger's mouth split open at once, blood spraying through his fingers. The black bow clenched in his hand let out an overburdened, creaking wail, its body nearly snapping apart.

By then, the fake monk had already broken through the blockade and was less than ten paces from Li Yi!

A stench of blood-laden wind struck his face, killing intent tightening around his throat.

Just as the fake monk raised his foot to pounce again, Li Yi suddenly released his five fingers!

The two arrows flew from the string at the same time!

Wrapped in incomparably terrifying force, the arrows ripped through the air with piercing explosions, like two rays of death hurtling straight at the vicious man.

The fake monk's reaction was already as fast as it could be, but Li Yi's arrows were faster!

At such close range, there was nowhere to evade!

Pfft—pfft—

Two dull, bone-piercing sounds rang out one after another.

One arrow viciously nailed itself into the fake monk's neck, burying itself all the way to the fletching.

The other smashed through his heart like bamboo through rotten wood, piercing out through his back in a spray of black blood.

The fake monk stared blankly at Li Yi, his face full of disbelief.

He could not understand it. He had already used a secret technique, so how had Li Yi still broken through his defenses?

All the strength drained from the fake monk's body in an instant, and he could no longer summon even a trace of qi.

His withered hand pointed at Li Yi, veins bulging. Three breaths later, he crashed to the ground, dying with his eyes still open.

Li Yi kicked the corpse on the ground. It did not move. The man was thoroughly dead.

Li Yi then checked his skill panel.

[Archery (Proficient): 60/800]

[Effect: Draw the Four-Stone Horn Bow, fire three arrows in rapid succession]

Killing this rebel leader had actually granted him so much experience. Li Yi had not expected that.

But when he looked at his split tiger's mouth and broken black bow, he could not help but give a bitter smile.

His skill level had risen, but his weapon was ruined, and he had even suffered a minor injury.

Since things had come to this, he could only hope Song Jie's reward was generous enough. Otherwise, he would be taking a huge loss.

Looking at Han Jia lying on the ground, Li Yi shook his head. If Han Jia had not helped him just now, he would probably have been finished.

He owed him a massive debt of gratitude. He could only repay it slowly in the future.

After walking over and hoisting Han Jia onto his shoulder, Li Yi followed the others out.

The battle had lasted only an hour, yet the casualties were severe.

Thirteen men from the assault team had died, along with seven infantrymen. In total, they had wiped out twenty-eight rebels.

Most of those who died had been newcomers.

They had not died because they were too weak, but because they lacked experience and did not know how to cooperate.

Some had also died at the fake monk's hands.

Li Yi felt not the slightest ripple in his heart at such a sight.

Once on the battlefield, everyone could only leave their fate to Heaven.

He was already quietly calculating exactly how many people he had killed.

Earlier, he had killed five small fry.

After entering the temple, he had killed another two.

Adding one leader on top of that, the reward silver should not be meager.

Before Li Yi could think further, the signal to assemble rang out. He hurried over to rejoin the group.

Once the troops had assembled, a personal guard reported the situation to Song Jie.

"This operation eliminated twenty enemies. We lost twenty men. In addition, a secret passage was discovered in the rear courtyard. It leads to the foot of the mountain a hundred zhang away. Bandits may have escaped through it, and men have already been sent in pursuit."

After hearing the report, Song Jie nodded expressionlessly.

After sweeping his gaze over everyone present, his eyes settled on Li Yi. "Your aim is good. And I saw that you put something on your arrows?"

Li Yi bent at the waist and cupped his hands. "My lord has keen eyes."

His arrows had indeed been coated with aconitine. Once it drew blood, it would seep into the body. Only that leader's flesh was so tough that he could act as though nothing had happened even after being struck.

Had it been anyone else, they would have died within three breaths.

Song Jie's gaze toward Li Yi gained a trace of appreciation. "Not bad. You rendered great merit in this operation. You will be rewarded twenty taels of silver."

Li Yi pondered briefly, then gave Song Jie a deep bow. "My lord, I can forgo the reward. I only ask that you do everything in your power to treat Han Jia."

Song Jie was startled. He had not expected Li Yi to make such a request.

People who valued loyalty and righteousness, yet also had ability, were welcome wherever they went.

He nodded slightly. "I grant your request, but the reward silver will still be issued as usual. You earned the foremost merit in this operation and deserve to be rewarded."

Seeing such a good deal, Li Yi no longer declined.

He was desperately short on money. His bow was gone, and he still had to spend money to learn a breathing method. Everywhere he looked, money was needed.

Twenty taels of silver would probably only pass through his hands.

Afterward, Song Jie ordered the troops to sound the gong and withdraw to camp.

By the time they returned, it was nearly evening.

But Song Jie did not dismiss everyone. Instead, he distributed the silver on the spot.

With so many people dead, everyone naturally harbored some resentment.

Yet once they received the silver, that resentment immediately vanished without a trace.

Just as Song Jie was about to announce dismissal, Cao Li arrived in a fury and sternly berated Song Jie. "Song Jie, you have some nerve! You actually dared disobey military orders!"

Song Jie sneered. "Military orders? Before departing, the Left General clearly instructed us to prioritize exterminating the rebels. You gave an order without cause telling me to withdraw. What exactly are your intentions?"

Cao Li retorted sharply, "Civilians often pass through that place. If the people of Great Chen were harmed, could you bear the consequences?"

Song Jie said mockingly, "Whether you wanted to protect civilians or had some other purpose, you know best yourself."

The two argued without yielding, and no one dared step forward to mediate.

After quarreling for a long while, they finally agreed to report the matter truthfully once the Left General returned.

They would let him make the decision.

Song Jie snorted coldly at Cao Li, then turned and returned to his tent.

Cao Li swept his gaze over the soldiers who had yet to disperse. Forcing out a stiff smile, he said, "You all did well. Quite a lot of you actually made it back.

"But on the battlefield, courage alone is useless.

"If you want to survive, come find me and learn something real!"

With that, he left as well.

But the camp erupted into commotion.

After being tempered by life and death, everyone knew Cao Li was speaking the truth.

Especially after witnessing the rebel leader's terrifying strength. If they encountered someone like that again, unless they had a peerless archer like Li Yi supporting them, they could only fill the gap with their lives.

Wu Chuansheng quietly tugged at Li Yi's sleeve and said in a low voice, "Old Cao is actually quite principled. As long as you pay, he really will teach you something. If you want to become stronger, you should give it some serious thought."