Chapter 46: Broken Blade! Shattered Sword! Cracked Armor!
When out in the world, it's best not to reveal your bloodline connections casually—doing so might attract the attention of compassionate, merciful figures like Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin had one major flaw: he was kind. He couldn't bear the sight of sorrow or partings. Whenever he saw it, he felt compelled to offer help within his abilities.
"I thought there'd be more of you. So it's just this little group?"
Jiang Lin glanced at his chipped Flame Sword, then stood and looked toward Yan Hu and the remaining four Dou Shi.
Throughout the entire chase from the mountain, he had fought almost entirely with physical strength, conserving his Dou Qi—which remained ample.
The four Dou Shi scowled at his words. They looked at their own weapons—battered, notched blades—and then at the deep gashes crisscrossing Jiang Lin's black armor. Shock filled their hearts.
They had been chasing and attacking him for half an hour straight. Yet Jiang Lin, with near-inhuman stamina, had withstood their onslaught and cut down every enemy below Dou Shi level. Without Dou Qi-shielded battle gear, those lesser foes had crumbled instantly under the Flame Sword—dead or crippled on contact. Meanwhile, their own attacks against Jiang Lin did little more than spark off his armor and leave shallow scrapes.
Any other ordinary Dou Shi would've been covered in deadly wounds by now.
And their opponent? Just a plain old two-star Dou Zhe.
BOOM!
Yan Hu—using his Dou Qi Armor—struck out barehanded with a phantom punch. Jiang Lin blocked with his sword, the force flinging him backward. Activating the speed boost in his boots, he darted toward the blazing forest in retreat.
"You coward! Stand still!!"
The black-robed Dou Shi were stunned, then furious. They chased after what looked like a severely injured Jiang Lin. Yan Hu followed too, though speed was not his strength.
The others caught up to Jiang Lin again. Amid flashing blades and strikes, Jiang Lin ignited a magic core and instantly killed one of them—then ran again, only to be caught up with once more.
BOOM!
Surrounded, Jiang Lin unleashed a triple whirlwind slash, destroying three enemy weapons. On the final leap, the last magic core in the Flame Sword exploded. Gritting his teeth against the strain, Jiang Lin used the blast to launch a brutal strike, sending three Dou Shi flying, bones broken. They landed far away, eyes filled with terror—not daring to advance again.
Just as Jiang Lin caught his breath, his senses screamed. He rolled to the ground, using his battered Flame Sword as a shield.
SWISH SWISH SWISH!
Three Dou Qi arrows shot out from the darkness!
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
Jiang Lin dodged mid-roll and glanced at his weapon. His eyes twitched—a pale golden arrow had pierced through his sword, embedding in the hilt. One more like that, and even his armor would be breached!
He had arrived.
The hidden blacksmith—Peso!
At that moment, Yan Hu—who had been lagging behind—finally caught up, blocking Jiang Lin's path forward.
"Hmm?"
A voice rang out from behind. From the shadows, a black-robed man with an exaggerated bow stepped forward.
"You continue to surprise me, Jiang Lin."
The speaker was a three-star Dou Shi, mid-tier Yellow-Rank blacksmith—Peso. He held the golden-feather bow in one hand and looked at Jiang Lin with eyes full of admiration.
"Cough… I don't even know you!"
Jiang Lin backed away until the three men formed a triangle around him. He then pulled a red crystal from his chest pocket and gripped it tightly.
"Of course not. I just happened to be passing through Wutan City on my way to the imperial capital of Jia Ma… then I heard about you, and you piqued my interest." Peso said coldly.
"A Dou Zhe under two years of cultivation, forging mysterious weapons... It's obvious—you've inherited at least a low Xuan-Rank blacksmith's legacy."
"…"
Jiang Lin didn't know what to say. He simply shoved the red crystal into the hollow hilt of his pierced Flame Sword with a metallic clack.
"So you're just going to take what you want without asking?"
He couldn't understand why this idiot Peso never tried to reason, just chose violence from the start.
If he had simply revealed himself as a blacksmith, Jiang Lin—a self-taught peasant—might've offered himself up eagerly!
"Hmph! The weak have no place in the world of the strong!" Peso sneered.
"…"
Jiang Lin understood. He was just unlucky—ran into a certified moron. A guy who turned a simple matter into a life-or-death ordeal, who wouldn't listen even when you tried to talk sense.
"Hmph! The strong… or the self-proclaimed strong."
Jiang Lin snorted coldly. If this was how Peso wanted to play it, then fine.
"So I'm waiting for my cooldown… what are you waiting for?!"
Dou Qi surged through Jiang Lin's body, concentrating in his legs—Explosive Step!
With a crackling boom, he became a black streak racing toward Peso, dragging his greatsword with him.
CLINK!
Jiang Lin tilted his head slightly—an arrow grazed his helmet, sending off sparks. His upward slash knocked Peso's bow aside.
Time seemed to slow between them. Peso released the bow and reached for the sword at his waist—Jiang Lin was just too damn fast. Peso had known after his sneak attack failed that if he didn't show himself, his prey would flee.
And who said archers can't fight up close? Peso's bow-and-blade style had cut down many before.
But as he reached for his hilt, he realized—
Jiang Lin had also let go of his sword… and was reaching for his own waist.
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!
In a heartbeat, the two began trading blows with freshly drawn blades. The clanging of metal echoed like a rainstorm—steel against steel, sparks flying!
"RAAHH!!"
Peso roared, launching a full assault—no defense, only attack!
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!
Dozens of blows in seconds. Sparks burst from Jiang Lin's armor. Peso's robes were torn and scorched. Their weapons—both mid-tier Yellow-Rank—now looked like jagged saws, edges chipped beyond use.
By the time Yan Hu rushed over, he saw both blades shatter mid-swing, fragments scattering in the firelight like diamonds.
At that instant, bleeding and battered, Jiang Lin grabbed the Flame Sword positioned beside him—strategically placed during the fight. Peso summoned a shield just in time.
BOOM!
The sword ignited with brilliant fire as it struck the shield.
RAAHH!!
BANG!
The tier-2 fire magic core inside exploded!
The damaged sword's rune flared for a moment, then—BOOM!
The blade shattered upon contact with the shield, the blast slicing open Peso's shoulder through his inner armor.
Before he could react, his arms went numb. The shield shielded his face as he flinched back from the blast—but through the fire—
Two arms wrapped around him—
A broken blade shlk! drove into his neck!
"What the hell are you screaming about?!"
Jiang Lin, battered and armor broken, roared into Peso's ear.
(END CHAPTER)
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