System Announcement

"Ding..."

With the clang of metal, at the critical moment, Jian Shang felt it was not worth dying together with the barbarian rider. He lifted his spear, knocked aside the spiked club, and forced the rider back, but the impact left the web between his thumb and forefinger numb and aching.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

After knocking away the spiked club, Jian Shang raised his spear overhead with both hands and moved them in unison. A circular curtain of spear shadows appeared, its outer rim glittering with chilling sharpness, forcing the curved-saber barbarian rider to temporarily withdraw.

"Ha!"

The spiked-club barbarian rider closed in again, ignoring the sharp spear curtain as his spiked club came crashing down with the force of splitting mountains.

The two riders seemed to share perfect tacit understanding. As the spiked-club barbarian rider attacked, the curved-saber barbarian rider pressed close again, holding his crescent saber level, waiting for Jian Shang to block the spiked club before cutting him down with a single stroke.

There was no time to drag this out!

Jian Shang glanced from the corner of his eye. The barbarian riders originally approaching from the left, right, and rear were now clearly visible, just over a hundred meters away, with fourteen or fifteen men on each side.

If the barbarian riders from all three directions caught up and surrounded them, they would be in danger!

With that thought, Jian Shang hardened his heart. He flicked his spear and struck the spiked club again, knocking it aside.

Sure enough, the spear curtain vanished, and the curved-saber barbarian rider immediately slashed at Jian Shang's back...

Yet Jian Shang ignored the curved-saber barbarian rider completely. As he knocked aside the spiked club, his spear swept out, its cold gleam slicing across the spiked-club barbarian rider's throat...

"Watch out!"

Several shocked and furious shouts rang out. They came from Jiang Yao and the others, who had just killed four barbarian riders.

Unfortunately, the whip was long but could not reach far. Though they saw everything clearly, neither the distance nor the time allowed them to save him.

"Pfft..."

"Pfft..."

Two muffled sounds rang out in quick succession!

Bright red blood stained the black curtain of night. It was the blood spraying from the spiked-club barbarian rider's throat...

The curved saber struck Jian Shang squarely across the back, yet it was as though it had hit tough leather. Other than cutting through his clothing, it drew no blood.

The curved-saber barbarian rider froze...

"Pfft..."

The spear flashed back like lightning. Before the curved-saber barbarian rider could react, it savagely plunged into his chest and pierced straight through.

"Hm?"

The barbarian rider leader's face showed astonishment. He had not expected the battle to end so quickly, much less expected Jian Shang to be so valiant. His left and right guards had killed quite a few experts from the Central Plains!

"Die!"

The barbarian rider leader could not believe it, but Jian Shang gave him no time to react. His warhorse charged forward, and with a furious roar, his spear tore through the black curtain like lightning, stabbing straight at the leader's face.

"Ding..."

The barbarian rider leader reacted with astonishing speed. He flicked up the Bronze Saber in his hand, striking after yet arriving first as it slashed lightning-fast against the spearhead and knocked the spear aside.

The impact numbed Jian Shang's palm, leaving it faintly aching. One could well imagine the barbarian rider leader's tremendous strength.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

"Stab, stab, stab..."

After just one exchange, Jian Shang guessed that the barbarian rider leader's martial strength was no weaker than his own, while his battle experience was far beyond anything Jian Shang could match. He immediately gripped the spear in both hands and swung with all his might.

Amid sharp whistling through the air, Jian Shang did not linger in battle. Relying on the speed of his strikes and the advantage of his long spear, he launched one thrust after another, suppressing the barbarian rider leader like a torrential storm and giving him no chance to react.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

What alarmed Jian Shang was that amid the unceasing crisp clatter of metal, the barbarian rider leader blocked every single strike without missing one. Even his warhorse did not move at all, standing like a reef against the crashing waves.

"You go first! Do not get entangled in battle!"

As he fought with all his strength, Jian Shang glanced aside and saw that Jiang Yao and the others had reached a point several meters behind him. Yet the thirty or forty barbarian riders sweeping toward them like a howling gale were also less than a hundred meters away. He immediately shouted.

Now Gao Hong and Jiang Qing were no longer riding with others, but each rode a horse alone. With nine people and nine horses surrounding the barbarian rider leader, killing him would naturally be no problem and would not take much time. But for galloping warhorses, sixty or seventy meters was merely the span of a moment.

"Go!"

Seeing Jian Shang suppressing the barbarian rider leader with a frenzied assault, then seeing the barbarian riders surging toward them, Jiang Yao's expression hardened. He gave Jian Shang a deep look and shouted.

"Clop, clop, clop..."

Iron hooves flew as eight riders swept past Jian Shang and the barbarian rider leader, howling by their sides.

"Little Yang!"

As they passed each other, Sun Ji suddenly gave a soft cry and threw the curved saber in his hand at the barbarian rider leader like a hidden weapon.

"Whoosh, whoosh..."

Compared to Sun Ji's wild throw, Yang Ning reacted far more swiftly and with much greater coordination. He spread both hands, the Crescent-Moon Sabers appearing in them, then flung them out together...

The sound of tearing air howled as the two Crescent-Moon Sabers spun violently like flying darts, slashing at the barbarian rider leader from both left and right. They arrived almost simultaneously, yet seemed impossible to predict.

"Ding!"

"Ding..."

"Pfft..."

The barbarian rider leader casually knocked away Sun Ji's saber with a backhanded strike, but Yang Ning's twin sabers were not so easy to deal with. He slashed one of them away, yet misjudged the force behind the flying saber and had no time to block the other.

Blood splattered as the other flying saber viciously cut into the barbarian rider leader's waist, making him grunt as his movements slowed.

"Clack, clack..."

"Pfft..."

Jian Shang naturally would not let such a perfect opportunity pass. Gripping his spear with both hands, he thrust with all his might, his speed and strength reaching the absolute peak he could attain.

A piercing metallic screech that made one's skin crawl rang out, and sparks burst forth.

At the critical moment, the wounded barbarian rider leader still managed to draw his saber to block. Yet he still misjudged the spear's power, or perhaps lacked the strength to follow through, allowing the Pear Blossom Wrought-Iron Spear to scrape along the curved saber and savagely pierce into his abdomen, passing straight through his body.

"Ding! Congratulations to player Jian Shang for killing a Northern Di squad leader who invaded the Divine Land. You have obtained one Northern Di Curved Saber, one Northern Di Horsemanship, and one point of martial strength. You have additionally been awarded ten merit points and ten prestige points!"

At the same time, the system's loud and pleasant notification sounded in Jian Shang's mind, filling him with delight.

"Ding! Congratulations to player Jian Shang for being the first player to independently kill a barbarian chieftain invading the Divine Land. Possessing both wisdom and courage, keen judgment and foresight, understanding warfare and acting well, rendering merit to the state, you are specially awarded the Human Grade Red special troop type Black Wolf Cavalry, possessing the traits of Northern Di Barbarian Cavalry. All four major attributes increase by ten points each, with one hundred merit points and one hundred prestige points. May you continue your efforts and create further brilliance!"

Before Jian Shang's joy could fade, an even greater surprise followed. He was so delighted that he stood somewhat stunned, finding it hard to believe. This was the first time he had heard of a special troop type, and the first time he had learned that the system would actually make evaluations and descriptions. Such a long list of praise—was he really that good?

Jian Shang instantly realized:

Could it be that the system automatically counts the aid of natives as the player's achievement? Whether it is accomplishments, rewards, actions, and so on, as long as no player helped, it all counts toward one player?!

"Ding! Congratulations to player Jian Shang for being the first player to independently kill a barbarian chieftain invading the Divine Land and ten barbarians. Possessing both wisdom and courage, keen judgment and foresight, understanding warfare and acting well, rendering merit to the state, you are specially awarded the Human Grade Red special troop type Black Wolf Cavalry, possessing the traits of Northern Di Barbarian Cavalry. All four major attributes increase by ten points each, with one hundred merit points and one hundred prestige points. May all players continue their efforts and create further brilliance!"

"Ding! Congratulations to player Jian Shang for being the first player to independently kill a barbarian chieftain invading the Divine Land and ten barbarians. Possessing both wisdom and courage, keen judgment and foresight, understanding warfare and acting well, rendering merit to the state, you are specially awarded the Human Grade Red special troop type Black Wolf Cavalry, possessing the traits of Northern Di Barbarian Cavalry. All four major attributes increase by ten points each, with one hundred merit points and one hundred prestige points. May all players continue their efforts and create further brilliance!"

"Ding! Congratulations to player Jian Shang for being the first player to independently kill a barbarian chieftain invading the Divine Land and ten barbarians. Possessing both wisdom and courage, keen judgment and foresight, understanding warfare and acting well, rendering merit to the state, you are specially awarded the Human Grade Red special troop type Black Wolf Cavalry, possessing the traits of Northern Di Barbarian Cavalry. All four major attributes increase by ten points each, with one hundred merit points and one hundred prestige points. May all players continue their efforts and create further brilliance!"

Just as Jian Shang considered the possibility of players leading natives, three more system notifications sounded in succession, leaving him utterly bewildered. The content was identical?

No, there were a few extra words: "and ten barbarians" and "all players."

Could this be...

A system announcement?!

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From now on, there will be no fewer than three updates daily. I humbly beg for bookmarks, recommendations, clicks, and every kind of support!!!!