Carbon-Based Lifeform

"What the hell is that?"

Liu Chengcai stared in shock at Lin Hao, who charged toward him like a runaway horse.

That was his Two-Picul Strong Bow!

And he had fired from ambush!

When an ordinary arrow left the string, the force applied to its tail made the shaft bend and wobble throughout its flight. That elastic deformation not only affected its aerodynamics, but also absorbed a considerable amount of energy.

A Hidden Force Martial Master, however, could use hidden force to eliminate that energy loss, converting most of the bow's two-picul draw strength into the arrow's kinetic energy.

Even an ordinary Wrought-Iron Longsword would shatter trying to block such a powerful arrow. In Liu Chengcai's eyes, he was the King of Hell calling the roll-whoever he named died!

Even he would face considerable danger if someone ambushed him with an arrow like that!

Lin Hao's sudden emergence had already shocked Liu Chengcai. He had sensed what might be a martial art at Great Achievement; anyone who could casually send a man flying with a staff either possessed innate superhuman strength or had already attained hidden force.

But to think his ambush had actually been blocked...

"What is that staff made of?"

Watching Lin Hao charge toward him with his eyes fixed on him, Liu Chengcai did not understand why, but a trace of gravity entered his expression.

Without the slightest hesitation, he fired three arrows in rapid succession.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Long Staff knocked aside the arrows streaking through the air one after another, taking the final arrow directly against its shaft!

Fragments from the shattered arrow showered Lin Hao, slashing his clothes to ribbons, while an arrowhead bounced off his shoulder.

Twenty or thirty meters would take only two or three seconds to cross. If Liu Chengcai drew again and missed, he would only expose an opening.

After those three rapid shots, Liu Chengcai tossed the bow aside and drew the Ghost-Head Saber from his back.

"Die!"

He stepped forward to add momentum to his attack. With Lin Hao charging toward him, their relative speed suddenly soared.

Liu Chengcai delivered a firm, steady slash with his Ghost-Head Saber, aiming for the Long Staff in Lin Hao's hands.

He did not even seek to injure his opponent with this first strike. He wanted to sever his weapon!

The Long Staff had plenty of reach and was light and nimble enough. Combined with a Great Achievement technique, its striking range was exceptional, but its material was its greatest weakness!

"Even if it's ironwood, this strike will cut it in two!"

Lin Hao remained exceptionally calm in the face of the attack. He recalled the time his Senior Sister had struck him. Hidden force penetrated his body, and Weapon Enchantment could not completely block it; he had to be ready. However...

But...

"You might not be able to take my attack either!"

Instead of sweeping his staff toward Liu Chengcai, Lin Hao abruptly turned it and pulled his hands back into a thrusting motion!

The Crouching Tiger Staff and Crouching Tiger Spear shared much in common, but the spear clearly employed more thrusts!

With this much force behind it, the presence or absence of a spearhead made no difference!

"Hmph!"

Liu Chengcai adjusted his blade slightly. Not daring to let Lin Hao's thrust slip through his guard, he brought his saber down vertically against the Long Staff, seemingly intent on splitting it straight down the middle!

Yet after that lightning-fast adjustment and collision, the tremendous force transmitted through the staff's tip made Liu Chengcai's expression change drastically.

"Why is it so heavy?!"

Even his hidden force could not fully dissipate the impact against the web of his hand. The skin split, spraying blood.

Liu Chengcai channeled the force from his arm to his shoulder, along his spine to his waist, then down through both legs into the deck!

Crack!

The planks forming the deck behind Liu Chengcai suddenly buckled and shattered, sending splinters flying!

He staggered backward with heavy steps, each footfall leaving an imprint in the deck as though he might stomp straight through it. His arms felt numb, and his entire body ached.

Although hidden force was extremely effective at dissipating force, it was nowhere near as natural as transforming force. The bodily tissues through which that immense force had passed suffered damage.

Seeing his opponent withstand his charged thrust, Lin Hao inwardly sighed as well. At the same time, a strange, insidious force traveled down the Long Staff. Already prepared for it, he began loosening his grip slightly.

The entire Long Staff slid swiftly through his palms, turning the end he had originally held into its striking tip.

His Great Achievement Staff Technique control, coupled with his arms' powerful enchanted defense, allowed Lin Hao to recover before Liu Chengcai. He reversed his grip, and the Long Staff, most of which now extended behind him, traced a semicircle through the air. Another [Tiger Descends the Mountain] came crashing down toward Liu Chengcai!

Its shriek through the air seemed to distort the air itself.

Having only just recovered, Liu Chengcai felt that distorted air looked a little like his great-grandmother's face.

Dissipating the force had cost him the best chance to dodge. With his extensive experience, Liu Chengcai knew that even the best possible outcome of trying to evade now would leave him with broken legs. He could only helplessly raise his saber to meet the blow.

What material is that?! What strength?! That didn't seem to be hidden force just now!

Liu Chengcai roared inwardly. That previous strike seemed to have been pure, ferocious strength-an indescribably overwhelming force. If this strike was the same, what was he supposed to do?!

He had exerted too much strength against the last blow, leaving himself unable to adjust. With his muscles and bones aching, dissipating the force again might be more than he could bear!

Now he only hoped a horizontal slash could cut off a section of the Long Staff.

If a vertical cut won't work, surely a horizontal one will!

But when staff and saber collided with a dull metallic clang, and he felt that familiar tremendous force bearing down on him again, Liu Chengcai knew he was in trouble.

"Oh, no..."

Crack!

The deck beneath his feet had already been damaged when he dissipated the first strike. This blow shattered it completely, driving Liu Chengcai straight down into the hold!

Rolls of cloth filled the wooden racks inside the hold. Liu Chengcai smashed through them as he fell, sending torn fabric and splinters fluttering through the air.

Liu Chengcai landed heavily on the bottom of the boat with a dull thud, unable to stop himself from coughing up a mouthful of clotted blood.

Meanwhile, Lin Hao was still dissipating his opponent's hidden force.

Luckily, my arms have the weapon enchantment's protection too, and the Infantry Armor greatly improves my ability to absorb impacts. Otherwise, this hidden force would be really hard to take.

Feeling the numbness in his palms, Lin Hao dared not give his opponent time to adjust or recover. He thrust his staff straight down through the hole in the deck.

From Liu Chengcai's perspective, it seemed to stab down at him from the sky. He could only roll clumsily aside, crashing through another rack of cloth.

"Were you the one who killed the Beggar Gang's men?!"

Liu Chengcai recalled what had happened to the Beggar Gang and what Helmsman Yin had said.

"Hmph."

Lin Hao said nothing. Once he landed, he simply attacked relentlessly.

Inside the hold, swinging and sweeping the staff was severely restricted, but thrusting was

unaffected.

With his Crouching Tiger Spear at Great Achievement, Lin Hao thrust the tip of his staff so swiftly it almost left afterimages.

Yet although Lin Hao's spear technique was sufficiently advanced, and the enchantment imposed no weight penalty, his speed and agility remained genuine weaknesses. There was a qualitative gap between his physical capabilities and Liu Chengcai's.

Liu Chengcai no longer dared clash directly with the tip of Lin Hao's staff. He only ventured to deflect it slightly at the edges with his saber. Relying on his excellent reflexes and speed, he always managed to twist away from Lin Hao's thrusts in one way or another.

Innate superhuman strength? Exceptional comprehension? But his speed is a little lacking...

Liu Chengcai had already identified Lin Hao's characteristics. Suddenly, he roared and used his saber as a feint, placing it in front of the spear tip. Just as they collided, however, he released his grip and let the saber fly away!

After twisting aside from one of Lin Hao's thrusts, he advanced instead of retreating, closing in on Lin Hao head-on.

This left Lin Hao feeling somewhat helpless. There was nothing wrong with his technical responses, but his opponent's stats were simply too high. Technique could only do so much.

Tempering the body with hidden force really is much more efficient...

Left with no choice, Lin Hao abandoned his staff. He raised his left arm into a loose guard and thrust forward with two fingers of his right hand pressed together, treating his arm like a spear.

"Looks like your fist techniques aren't much!"

Seeing Lin Hao use his arm as a spear, Liu Chengcai could not help flashing a savage grin. Finally!

If his opponent had not been taller than him, with longer arms, he could have immediately tried using his superior speed and agility to strike first despite moving second!

But precisely because of that difference in reach, he still had to wait a little longer.

"My body has been forged through endless tempering with hidden force! What do you have that can compare?!"

Having seen through Lin Hao's weakness, Liu Chengcai extended a palm toward his fingers. The broader surface would let him catch those fingers no matter how his opponent changed his attack!

His other hand was already poised to knock aside Lin Hao's left-arm guard and strike his chest...

Squelch!

Lin Hao's fingers punched straight through the fleshy palm, spraying blood!

Good thing he's still a carbon-based lifeform...

The excruciating pain and impact instantly disrupted Liu Chengcai's movements. Seizing that opening, Lin Hao used his left hand to batter Liu Chengcai's other hand aside with tremendous force, lifting one leg off the ground for the first time in their exchange.

The Twelve Routes Springing Leg, combined with his Ironhead Boots and superior reach, struck Liu Chengcai squarely in his vital spot.

Smack!

...A flying kick to crack his eggs.