Nih and Moko knew that once Grif was dead, this cold-faced Red T3 would not spare the two of them. Better to strike first than to wait to be killed! Even if this youth was formidable, after battling a First Rank Battle Master, he would surely be at the end of his tether.

Now was the optimal moment to strike! Dany raised his magic staff high, chanting incantations. Magical elements gathered in the air, instantly coalescing into the shape of a massive saber that cleaved downward.

No wonder Dany claimed that joining forces with Moko would make even Grif retreat in fear; it turned out he was an exceedingly rare Gold Elementalist! Gold Elementalists could control the free-roaming gold elements in the world, condensing them into incredibly potent metallic weapons. These weapons differed distinctly from the Earth Elementalist's Earth Spear Technique or the Water Elementalist's Water Spear Technique.

Weapons formed by gold elements possessed a more concentrated power; striking a person with them was akin to being hit by a genuine weapon. At that very moment, Moko’s short sword lunged forward. This short sword was not a magical weapon, but a Battle Aura weapon.

Battle Aura weapons had effects similar to magical artifacts; a high-quality one could inscribe a complete Battle Skill within it, fueled by the Battle Core. This particular weapon was clearly not that powerful—it merely served to amplify the Battle Aura! This meant that exerting seven parts of one's strength, when amplified by this short sword, could unleash the power of ten parts.

Moko, being a Seventh Rank Fighter, wielding such a short sword, could match the offensive power of a Ninth Rank Fighter! Battle Aura manifested as a brilliant gleam at the tip of the short sword, stabbing towards Chen Feng’s chest with incredible speed. Simultaneously, a sharp, piercing sound erupted in the air as the Earthly Savage Beast also shot out a spike, aimed directly at Chen Feng’s shoulder.

The timing of the short sword’s thrust, the saber’s descent from above, and the spike’s launch were perfectly coordinated. If he blocked the saber overhead, he would inevitably be struck by the short sword and the spike. There were absolutely no blind spots among the three attacks.

Whether Chen Feng retreated or advanced, he would be hit by one of the weapons. It seemed these two had unleashed their ultimate moves right from the start! Chen Feng’s pupils contracted sharply.

If his Vortex power hadn't been completely depleted, he could have unleashed Ghost Burn to meet the overhead saber. Ghost Burn provided a period of invulnerability during the initial phase of leaping into the air. This meant that any attack whose power did not vastly exceed the caster’s ability could be warded off by the flames.

Since the user was airborne after casting Ghost Burn, he could easily evade the short sword below and the incoming spike. But now that his Overcharge state had ended and his Vortex power was exhausted, jumping into the air meant inviting a beating. Clang!

In that moment of crisis, Chen Feng’s rage flared. He did not dodge, instead raising his right hand to intercept the descending saber. The saber met the arm guard, transformed from Black Gold Iron, sparking intensely.

His left hand had already snatched the Nether Feather Sword from his water flask. He dared not use Vortex power with the Nether Feather Sword, lest he suffer a backlash. Relying purely on muscle strength, Chen Feng drove the Nether Feather Sword straight toward Moko’s short sword.

Having blocked the two main assaults, Chen Feng had no power left to defend against the spike shot by the Earthly Savage Beast. It pierced his chest, and with a Pfft!, a bloody hole was drilled through his right shoulder. When the Nether Feather Sword encountered the Battle Aura on Moko’s short sword, it reacted like a vampire drinking fresh blood; the dark crimson glow immediately intensified.

Moko instinctively felt his vision blur, and a powerful, overwhelming consciousness drilled straight into his mind. "Ah..." With a scream, the short sword fell from his grasp, and the entire man was skewered through by the Nether Feather Sword. This was the Nether Feather Sword’s first engagement in battle, and its devastating power was unexpectedly immense!

"Moko..." Dany was stunned that his companion was killed by a single sword strike from Chen Feng in the first exchange. His usually composed eyes turned bloodshot, and he muttered frantically, already condensing three small daggers before him. Simultaneously, the Earthly Savage Beast let out a low growl and unleashed a dozen spikes from its body.

Chen Feng had also not anticipated the Nether Feather Sword’s terrifying effect. After that single thrust, the opponent stood frozen like a puppet, motionless. It seemed that even if Chen Feng hadn't pierced him with the sword, Moko would have been paralyzed.

Likely, the moment Chen Feng drew the Nether Feather Sword, Moko's consciousness had been devoured by the killing intent imbued within the blade. Withdrawing the Nether Feather Sword, Chen Feng stepped forward, grabbed Moko’s corpse, and held it in front of him as a shield. Pffft!

Pffft! Pffft! Pffft!

A series of sounds rang out as Moko's body was instantly riddled with holes, turned into a pincushion by Dany's magic and the Earthly Savage Beast's spikes. "Take this!" Chen Feng roared, hurling Moko's corpse directly at Dany. Dany, being a magician, naturally lacked the quick reflexes of a Fighter.

Seeing the body fly toward him, he sidestepped, but before he could regain his balance, a red light flashed before his eyes, his mind reeled with a deafening clang, and he collapsed instantly, dead. The moment Chen Feng threw the corpse, he had already lunged behind it, closing the distance to Dany. The Nether Feather Sword struck out, piercing him clean through.

With Dany’s death, the Earthly Savage Beast instantly seemed to lose its soul, letting out a mournful roar before its bulky body crashed heavily to the ground. It appeared that when a master contracted to a magic beast died, the servant beast died with them. Panting heavily, Chen Feng felt a burning, fiery pain from the spike lodged in his right shoulder.

Gritting his teeth, he yanked the T7 spike out, and blood immediately jetted out like a fountain. He used some spring water from the Azure Cloud Spring to treat the wound, but then he heard a faint voice. "Indeed...

it is... a Divine Weapon... surpassing High-Grade Sacred Artifacts..." It turned out Grif had not died instantly from Chen Feng's successive heavy blows.

Now, seeing the Nether Feather Sword in Chen Feng's hand, his eyes showed absolute terror. "Divine Weapon?" Chen Feng coughed up a thread of blood and slowly approached Grif. "What Divine Weapon?" "The sword...

in your hand... is absolutely... a Divine Weapon...

surpassing High-Grade... Sacred Artifacts..." Before he could finish speaking, his head lolled to the side, and he was dead. Seeing that all his enemies had fallen by his hand, Chen Feng’s spirit could hold on no longer.

His legs gave out, and he sank into a deep slumber. This period of unconsciousness lasted a long time. When he awoke, the sky was full of stars; it was already deep into the night.

The wound pierced by the spike had scabbed over, nurtured by the medicinal properties of the Azure Cloud Spring. Due to severe blood loss, his head felt dizzy, and his right hand was too weak to lift his arm. It seemed he would be unable to exert force with his right arm for some time.

However, killing a First Rank Battle Master, a Sixth Rank Gold Elementalist, a Seventh Rank Fighter, and a Third Rank High-Grade Magical Beast—he reckoned the trade-off was worth it. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he slowly began to restore the Vortex power within his Dantian. Chen Feng had gained much from this battle.

First, he gained a clear understanding of continuous attacks. The reason he could kill the First Rank Battle Master Grif was primarily because his offensive movements were unbroken. This was very similar to the combo system in previous life video games, where combos involved linking moves together so tightly that the opponent had no time to block or counter.

The sequence he had executed just now was clearly different from a true combo; if Grif hadn't forcibly executed the Beast Battle Skill Tiger Roar Fist, causing his Battle Aura to momentarily stagnate, executing those moves so smoothly would have been extremely difficult. This point highlighted the power of combos. As long as his Vortex power was full, unleashing combos would surely be stronger than merely using attacks like Great Serpent Thrush or Eight Maidens.

However, executing combos required precise timing of strikes and careful gauging of the opponent’s condition, which related to combat experience and insight. It seemed that to grow stronger, he needed systematic study of the martial arts system. Only then could he discern the weaknesses between various techniques and attack at the most opportune moment.

He quietly drew the free-floating elements in the heavens and earth into an Dark Vortex power, merging them into his Dantian, allowing his body to slowly recover. Drip... A crisp sound echoed in his Dantian; another droplet of the Dark Vortex condensed.

After every life-and-death battle, his cultivation level perceptibly advanced, slowly refining itself. It was no wonder they said a delicate flower could not be nurtured in a greenhouse; only through trials could a hero be forged. Chen Feng stood up.

He was now full of energy, his Vortex power restored, and strength returned to his body, though the pain in his right shoulder made movement quite awkward. He looked around; dawn had broken. The ground was soaked in dried blood, which had permeated the bluestone floor, making it appear somewhat dark.

Chen Feng’s eyes turned toward the short sword that had fallen from Moko’s hand. The power of this weapon had truly shocked him; had it not been for the Nether Feather Sword, he might have been killed by it already. He picked up the short sword, concentrated his Vortex power in his palm, and immediately, a sword gleam shot out from the weapon.

"What a fine thing..." A spark of inspiration hit Chen Feng. "In King of Fighters, there are those who use short swords and daggers as weapons, like Leona and Ryuji Yamazaki, who hide their daggers with uncanny mystery. If I could master their techniques, this short sword would be an excellent choice." With that thought, he tucked the short sword into his water flask.

"These people must have accumulated quite a bit," Chen Feng mused, "perhaps they have some good items on them." He first walked over to Grif’s side. Grif’s clothing had been shredded during the fight, revealing what he carried in his inner pocket. There were some gold coins and the insignia of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Corps Vice-Captain, but Chen Feng cared little for these.

He had plenty of gold coins in his flask, and the mercenary insignia held no appeal for him. Suddenly, a thin booklet in Grif's inner pocket caught Chen Feng's attention. The booklet was ancient and worn, emanating a faint yellow hue from its cover, upon which three large characters were inscribed: "Tiger Roar Fist." "So that's the name of the fist technique he used just now," Chen Feng realized, finally knowing the technique's name.

He flipped to the first page, which read: "All martial artists in the world believe that reaching the Fighter rank means truly stepping into the ranks of the martial path. In reality, this idea is erroneous! Only upon reaching the Battle Master realm does one understand what it means to be a true martial artist!" "Does that mean only upon reaching the Battle Master realm does one truly enter the world of martial artists?" Chen Feng paused at this, but then understood: "Indeed.

Only at the Battle Master level can one cultivate the Heaven, Earth, Human, and Beast tiers of Battle Aura, and only at this level can one truly utilize Battle Skills!" (To be continued. To know what happens next, please log in to www**m for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)