Chapter 15

With Zhang Hun, the archer, in front and Wang Yun eyeing him greedily from behind, the two presented a pincer attack, aiming to make Luo Xiu unable to handle both fronts.

Apart from the team leader, Yuan Dashan, who was at the eighth level of Body Tempering, Wang Yun and Zhang Hun were only at the seventh level of Body Tempering.

Having long roamed the deep mountains and vast marshes, battling beasts and demonic beasts, Wang Yun was no fool. He was well aware that this black-clothed youth, who could kill an Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon, must have extraordinary means.

However, humans were different from demonic beasts. Humans lacked the naturally tough fur of demonic beasts, making them easier to kill. This was why Wang Yun and Zhang Hun dared to ambush him.

"Robbery? Hahaha..." Luo Xiu suddenly laughed.

"Boy, what are you laughing at? Just leave your bag and sword, and I promise not to make things difficult for you," Wang Yun said coldly.

Although he said this, Wang Yun never intended to let the other party go. A youth who could kill an Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon at the sixth level of Body Tempering must have an extraordinary background. If he couldn't kill him, he might lose his place in Qingyun City.

Therefore, he and Zhang Hun had already agreed that, regardless of whether the black-clothed youth was willing to hand over his belongings, they must kill him at all costs.

"Do you think scum like you, who forgets kindness, deserves my things?" Luo Xiu said with disdain.

"You ungrateful thing, if you're looking for death, then don't blame us!" Wang Yun laughed in anger, and with a clang, his sharp sword was drawn. He moved swiftly, the sword carrying a cold light as it lunged at Luo Xiu.

At the same time, the archer Zhang Hun immediately took action, firing arrows one after another.

"Phantom Sword!"

Wang Yun's sword left a series of afterimages, clearly a third-grade sword technique.

Third-grade martial arts, apart from internal cultivation techniques which were extremely expensive, could still be bought in Qingyun City. For martial artists, martial arts were incredibly important, so every hunter would try their best to purchase high-grade martial arts to enhance their strength.

Therefore, third-grade martial arts were quite common among hunters.

Wang Yun's sword aimed at Luo Xiu's shoulder, and he was very confident in this strike. Although his cultivation was not as high as the team leader Yuan Dashan, he had already reached the minor accomplishment stage of the Phantom Sword!

Luo Xiu had not cultivated third-grade martial arts, but after improving and enhancing second-grade martial arts, they surpassed ordinary third-grade martial arts.

With the major accomplishment stage of the Inch Step technique, the black arrows flying from a distance all missed, not even touching a corner of his clothes.

Then, his figure flickered, and he instantly appeared in front of Wang Yun.

"Such incredible speed! How can a sixth-level Body Tempering martial artist be so fast?" Wang Yun was shocked, his Phantom Sword missing completely, not even touching Luo Xiu.

"Trouble!"

He quickly retracted his move, his sword trembling, leaving a series of afterimages as he slashed at Luo Xiu again.

"This time, I'll see how you dodge!" At this close distance, Wang Yun was certain the black-clothed youth could not avoid this strike.

"Fierce Tiger Stance!"

Luo Xiu suddenly moved, his aura changing instantly, as if transforming into a fierce tiger, a violent aura surging out.

"Bang!"

Before Wang Yun's sword could land on Luo Xiu, a powerful force suddenly spread through his body.

"Spit!"

Wang Yun was sent flying backward, his chest in excruciating pain, his bones shattered!

How is this possible?

Did he kill the Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon with this move?

The Fierce Tiger Stance is clearly a move from the Dragon Tiger Fist. When did it become so powerful?

Wang Yun spat out a mouthful of blood, his body slamming into a large tree. He could not imagine how a sixth-level Body Tempering person could display such power with a second-grade martial art, the Dragon Tiger Fist.

Suddenly, he thought of a possibility, "His movement technique and fist technique, could they have reached the major accomplishment stage?"

However, just as this thought crossed his mind, he saw a fist rapidly enlarging in his vision, getting closer and closer.

"No!..."

Wang Yun was filled with regret, regretting why he didn't listen to the leader's advice and insisted on ambushing this black-clothed youth.

He let out a roar, not wanting to die like this.

But the next moment, a punch hit his forehead, the fierce and tyrannical force shattering his skull, blood gushing from his seven orifices, and he died on the spot!

Luo Xiu's figure did not pause. After killing Wang Yun, he immediately dodged, two arrows thudding into the ground where he had just stood.

Zhang Hun's archery skills were indeed good, but against the major accomplishment stage of the Inch Step technique, they were useless, unable to harm Luo Xiu at all.

"Wang Yun is dead!"

Seeing his companion killed by Luo Xiu, Zhang Hun's pupils constricted. In the instant after his two arrows missed, he made a quick decision, put away his bow, and turned to run.

"His movement technique is too terrifying. My archery is useless. If he gets close, I'm dead for sure!" Zhang Hun knew that even with his assistance, Wang Yun was killed, and the other party's strength far exceeded his imagination.

Luo Xiu did not immediately chase after Zhang Hun. At that moment, he felt his heart beating faster than ever before.

"I killed someone?" Looking at Wang Yun, who was bleeding from the seven orifices, with a grim and unyielding expression, Luo Xiu felt his entire body trembling.

This trembling was not out of fear or cowardice, but a natural surge of excitement from killing a person for the first time.

Killing wild beasts and demonic beasts did not evoke this feeling; only the first time killing a person did. Even the most sinister and ruthless person would feel this way the first time they killed.

Luo Xiu took deep breaths, trying to calm the intense excitement in his heart.

He remembered that in the Martial Hall, the teacher once said that from the moment one chose to become a martial artist, the fate of killing and being killed had already begun.

"Why do we have to kill people?" a young student once asked.

"Because if you don't kill others, other martial artists might kill you. It could be because you have good weapons, elixirs, or array devices, or simply because other martial artists don't like you!"

"Human hearts are unpredictable. Only great strength is eternal. If you are strong enough, others will not dare to provoke you, let alone kill you."

The teacher's words that day had planted a seed in the hearts of every Martial Hall student.

After a moment, Luo Xiu finally calmed the excitement in his heart. When he looked at the dead Wang Yun again, although he still felt some discomfort, he could stabilize his mind.

"In the Martial Hall, I had no strength, so I was often bullied by the noble disciples, especially when I was beaten unconscious by Zhang Hao!"

"Now that I have the capital to be strong, I will not allow anyone to bully me or my family!"

Reaching out to pick up Wang Yun's sword, Luo Xiu's eyes flashed with a cold light. Using the perception of the Life and Death Pearl, he sensed that the archer Zhang Hun's life force was already far away.

"The hunt begins..." A dangerous smile appeared on Luo Xiu's lips. In his bones, there was a kind of madness that could not be described in words.

With a leap, he quickly jumped from tree to tree, chasing after Zhang Hun. With his major accomplishment stage movement technique, his speed was much faster than Zhang Hun's, and the distance between them was constantly closing.

Since joining the hunting team, Zhang Hun had roamed the Shuiwu Mountains for more than half a year. He moved through the thorny bushes, trying to hide his tracks as much as possible.

He looked back, seeing nothing but empty space, and let out a long sigh of relief, though he was still somewhat uneasy.

"Too terrifying..." He could not imagine how a youth of only fourteen or fifteen could be so powerful, killing Wang Yun in a single encounter, and his once-prided archery skills failing to even touch a corner of the other's clothes.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!..."

The sound of footsteps on the tree branches grew closer. Zhang Hun, hiding in the bushes, suddenly tensed up.

"Has he caught up?" Zhang Hun focused his gaze, locking onto a black-clothed figure.

Zhang Hun suddenly became nervous, gripping his bow tightly with his left hand. "How did he know I was running this way?"

During his escape, he had changed direction multiple times to prevent being tracked, but the other party still caught up, making him even more anxious.

Within Luo Xiu's perception range, although Zhang Hun thought he was well hidden, it was like covering one's ears while stealing a bell to Luo Xiu.

As the distance between them closed, a fierce light appeared in Zhang Hun's eyes. "Perhaps he just happened to come this way. I'm hidden here, and he can't possibly see me."

Thinking this, he took out an arrow coated with a deadly poison, drew his bow to a full moon, and quietly channeled his internal energy.

"Snap!"

The bowstring suddenly vibrated, and the arrow shot out like a black light, whistling through the air.

However, Zhang Hun did not know that Luo Xiu was already prepared. His feet lightly stepped on the tree branches, his figure moving sideways, and the arrow grazed his clothes, embedding itself in the tree trunk with a thud.

"Dodged... dodged!?" Zhang Hun was shocked.

Then, the sound of a sword being drawn rang out, and a cold light flashed in his vision.

Landing, Luo Xiu looked at Zhang Hun, who lay in a pool of blood, his face filled with regret and his eyes wide open. Killing again still made him feel some trembling, but it was much better than the first time.

It was already late, and Luo Xiu practiced in the Shuiwu Mountains all night, absorbing the life essence of the grass and trees, steadily improving his cultivation and refining his internal organs.

The next morning, he returned to Qingyun City, his two bags full and heavy.

In the city, there were shops that specialized in purchasing various materials. Luo Xiu found one and planned to sell the materials he had collected. The various wild beast materials, plus the Iron-Tailed Tiger Demon, sold for more than 30,000 taels of silver!

With money in hand, Luo Xiu's first consideration was naturally how to improve his strength. Once his cultivation reached the seventh level of Body Tempering, his strength would greatly increase, allowing him to hunt demonic beasts and earn more money.