Clearing the Battlefield

"Ptoo!"

Lin Hao spat out a mouthful of blood-streaked saliva. A faint metallic taste lingered in his mouth and nose.

He had only clashed with Liu Chengcai a few times, but the man's hidden force had still put him through the wringer, especially those last two blows. Even with Weapon Enchantment protecting his arms and the Infantry Armor cushioning his body,

those layered defenses had not stopped Lin Hao from feeling as though his whole body was falling apart. His internal organs had been rattled.

He lifted his Long Staff and struck the man's chest, then landed another blow on the pierced palm, pounding it into a bloody mess beyond recognition.

"Hidden force experts are tough to deal with. If he hadn't traded staff blows with me at the start and had instead used his superior physical attributes to force his way into close range, things really could've gotten troublesome..."

Lin Hao looked at the crack-riddled, ruined Long Staff and inwardly shuddered. It meant his opponent's force had penetrated the enchantment's defenses and damaged the staff!

Fortunately, even in this condition, his enchantment could still reinforce the Long Staff and keep it from falling apart.

"He felt even stronger than Senior Sister. Both are glass cannons, but he knew nothing about me and made one mistake after another by relying on experience. I seized those openings. One mistake means death!"

Lin Hao briefly reviewed the fight. There were things he could have done better, but overall, he had put all his advantages to use. He had handled it fairly well.

Looking at the man's eyes, still wide with disbelief in death and nearly bulging from their sockets, Lin Hao pulled off his hood.

"It's him?!"

Lin Hao's heart jolted. Incense Master Liu of the Grain Transport Gang?!

Was the Grain Transport Gang involved in this?!

Lin Hao remembered this fellow with the mole at the corner of his mouth quite clearly. After all, he had caught the tea his master had thrown, proving that his hidden force cultivation was far from weak.

And the Grain Transport Gang was a true behemoth. Even its presence at Dam Market was only a branch!

To some extent, the Grain Transport Gang could even be considered a labor agency for the Grain Transport Governor's Office, giving it a quasi-official status!

That was why the Grain Transport Gang was somewhat less rapacious than other gangs. Its overall reputation was hardly good, but compared with its peers, it was a completely different story.

For a moment, Lin Hao went numb. Then he silently slipped the hood back over Incense Master Liu's head and struck his face again with the staff, caving in his cheek and leaving a bloody mess.

Didn't see him. Don't recognize him. Know nothing.

Hearing the fighting still raging outside, Lin Hao took a moment to recover. His body still ached, but at least his bones and tendons were intact.

He then opened another weapon Replacement Slot, stuffed Liu Chengcai's Ghost-Head Saber into it, and leaped up. Grabbing the edge of the hole in the deck above with one hand, he vaulted through.

[Water-Cutting Saber · Ghost-Head Saber (blue)-(green) (damaged)]

[Value: 1,270 wish power]

[Weight: 7 kg]

[Additional attribute: Sharpness (blue)-(green)]

[Additional attribute: Armor-Piercing (blue)-(green)]

[Additional bonus attribute: Water-Cutting Saber training bonus (blue)-(green)]

[Additional skill: Water-Cutting Saber · Mastery-Proficiency]

[A heavy saber forged from superior steel. Shattering weapons and breaking bones is child's play. Countless restless souls have fallen beneath its blade.]

"Four blue attributes once it's repaired? Not bad. I'll take it back, fix it up, and try a new training method."

Lin Hao had already experienced the benefits of applying what he knew to other disciplines. With a foundation established, learning other techniques was no longer a matter of starting from scratch, and his proficiency rose quite quickly.

At least until [Mastery], his progress was substantial. Many training methods and moves overlapped, complementing one another.

Broad learning was a good thing in this world's martial traditions. It did not mean dabbling in everything and mastering nothing, but rather drawing connections and using one's strengths to make up for weaknesses...

Although Lin Hao had already dealt with many River Pirates on the deck, their morale had surged after Liu Chengcai drew his bow and lured him away.

Fortunately, Lin Hao's earlier attack had robbed the River Pirates of their overwhelming advantage, allowing those aboard the ship to stubbornly hold on.

"Hahaha! I didn't expect an expert to turn up among you, but now that the Water Master has taken action himself, you're all dead!"

The River-Turning Flood Dragon, who was keeping Captain Qin pinned down, swung his large saber with ferocious speed. Every blow carried tremendous weight.

The River-Turning Flood Dragon stood over two meters tall. Not only had he long since reached bright force great achievement, but he also possessed immense strength!

His physical gifts were simply too exceptional. His bones and sinews were so powerful that it was difficult to unify them, making hidden force hard to attain and leaving him stuck at bright force great achievement.

Even now, in terms of physique alone, he surpassed ordinary fighters whose bodies had been tempered with hidden force!

That put Captain Qin under enormous pressure. Had Lin Hao not dealt with so many River Pirates, allowing the guards to lend an occasional hand, he would probably have been cut down already.

But as the number of guards around him dwindled, the pressure soared, filling Captain Qin with bitterness.

A savior had finally appeared, giving him hope that they could turn the tide, only for another unexpected development to arise.

The sound of those powerful arrows earlier had also weighed heavily on the experienced Captain Qin. He knew a formidable enemy had arrived.

"I wonder..."

Before they could think any further, a Long Staff descended from above.

Lin Hao vaulted up from the cabin below as well, catching their strongest fighter, the River-Turning Flood Dragon, off guard and striking him.

With a crack of breaking bones and a scream, the notorious River Pirate leader, a man with both body-hardening skills and immense strength, toppled straight to the deck.

"Junior Brother Lin!"

Elsewhere, Qian Tao, who had once again been caught in a bitter fight, lit up with joy, his morale soaring.

The River Pirates' morale, by contrast, collapsed.

"Where's the Water Master?"

"Why is he the one coming back?!"

"How is that possible?!"

Some quick-witted River Pirates were already moving toward the gunwale before plunging into the water.

"Trying to run?"

There were plenty of River Pirates, and none of them were weak. Stopping every last one on this vast river was unrealistic, but Lin Hao had kept his eyes on the two most valuable ones.

The River-Turning Flood Dragon was already down. That left the One-Eyed Eagle, who was fighting Yang Xing.

Lin Hao did not know either man and had never even seen their wanted posters, but once Captain Qin called out their bandit aliases, there was no mistaking them.

Staff in hand, he immediately charged toward the One-Eyed Eagle, who was already thinking of retreating.

Yang Xing had been caught off guard and injured by a kick at the start, but with his entry-level hidden force cultivation, he was now holding his own and even gradually turning the

tide, gaining the upper hand!

The One-Eyed Eagle, however, was growing increasingly frantic.

"Where did this damned bastard come from?! What happened to the Water Master?!"

Seeing Lin Hao knock down another two companions with one staff blow and start approaching him, he was shaken to the core. Even the force behind his attacks weakened.

"You dare get distracted while fighting me?"

Yang Xing roared, his saber flashing wildly.

"Fuck you!"

A vicious gleam flashed in the One-Eyed Eagle's remaining eye. Willing to take a saber strike, he kicked Yang Xing once again.

"Pfft!"

Yang Xing had not expected him to take the blow head-on. Though he severed the One-Eyed Eagle's entire weapon-bearing forearm, the kick sent him staggering back, coughing blood.

The One-Eyed Eagle ignored everything else, clutched his severed arm, and rushed straight for the gunwale. But just as he was about to leap overboard, a Long Staff thrust up between his legs and entered his field of vision.

At the sight of its angle and timing, the One-Eyed Eagle, who had been on the verge of escaping with his life, felt his vision darken.

I'm done for...

Whoosh!

The Long Staff swung upward, forcibly flipping the One-Eyed Eagle back onto the deck even though he was already a foot clear of the ship. He fell clutching his crotch, his eye rolling back.

"Fishing you out of the water would've taken some effort."

Lin Hao swept the One-Eyed Eagle into the middle of the deck with his Long Staff, then charged at the other River Pirates. Whoever tried to flee, he killed.

Though three or four slipped through and successfully jumped into the water, Lin Hao's superb Staff Technique kept most of them on the deck.

Lying on the ground and coughing blood, Yang Xing felt as though two of his ribs had broken and his internal organs had been rattled. Watching Lin Hao slaughter enemies all around him, his eyes glazed over.

...This...

"Perhaps only an outstanding man like him deserves Senior Sister Zhao..."

For a moment, Yang Xing felt a measure of acceptance. Then, as the tension holding him together eased, his vision went black and he passed out...