The first day of the eighth month marked the official commencement of the annual Crimson Moon season, and on this very day, Chen Feng and Chen Zhen simultaneously returned to the village. From this day forward, the village would enter its busiest period—the autumn harvest—while simultaneously elevating its defenses to the highest state of alert. This specific time of year was historically when bandits were most rampant, driven by the desire to plunder the precious medicinal herbs harvested after the yields were gathered. Silverleaf City had long been renowned throughout the world for its abundance of medicinal materials, and the surrounding villages served as crucial primary sources. During this period, harvested herbs and fruits were transported in droves to Silverleaf City for processing into various common medicines, which were then distributed across the continent. The Silverleaf Small Village was one of the most important production sites feeding into Silverleaf City.

However, this year, Silverleaf Small Village had suffered the calamity of mountain bandits, severely impacting its defensive strength. Consequently, everyone was filled with palpable tension. Although they had put Garo and the others through a month of intensive special training, and each of them showed remarkably obvious progress, this improvement was largely confined to physical attributes like stamina, internal energy, and speed. As for genuine life-and-death combat, these young warriors had yet to experience it. Thus, no one dared to hold excessively high expectations for them. But in my view, as long as they could endure a few bloody battles, they should mature rapidly.

On the lawn, all the young, strong warriors stood with expressions a mixture of tension and excitement. Opposite them stood the Elders, equally arrayed and solemn.

"From this day forward, the village enters a state of full alert," Chen Feng boomed, standing in the center of the field. "But with our current defensive strength, we remain rather thin. Although our younger generation of warriors has undergone special training over the past month, just how much progress they’ve truly made, and whether they can handle the village’s defense duties, is something I have been eager to know. Today is the time to test the results of your special training. I hope you all perform well."

"Roar!" The young warriors let out a sky-shaking roar.

"Garo, step forward. I want to personally assess your strength," Chen Feng commanded.

"Yes!" Garo stepped out swiftly, stopping before Chen Feng.

The surrounding warriors automatically retreated a dozen meters. Only Garo and Chen Feng remained on the field. Everyone else watched the two men with extreme anxiety. Outside the immediate area, many villagers had gathered, all aware that Chen Feng was about to test the youths who had trained for a month. They had flocked to the perimeter of the lawn to cheer them on. A short distance away stood the Clan Head, Steward Chen Xi, the Clan Head’s wife, and Aunt Xia. They too were intently focused on the outcome of this assessment. Beside them were Mother, A-Bu’s mother, A-Da’s mother, as well as the children’s group, including Xiao Jin, the Young Master, and the Third Miss, all gazing nervously at the scene.

"Garo, take off the Ebony Armor," I shouted loudly to him.

"Yes!" Garo quickly stripped off the heavy Ebony Armor, left standing only in simple cloth garments.

"Your build has certainly thickened," Chen Feng remarked approvingly.

"..." Garo stood firm, gripping his twin axes. Even facing Big Brother Chen Feng, Garo showed no hint of fear or hesitation; instead, his face was alight with excitement and eagerness.

"Begin!" I stated clearly.

"Roar!" Almost as soon as my voice fell, Garo suddenly exploded into action. The Asura Battle Axe slashed out in a horizontal sweep toward Chen Feng.

"Hmph!" Chen Feng did not yield. His Horse-Slaying Saber flashed out like the wind, sweeping toward Garo’s attacking Asura Battle Axe with incredible speed.

Clang! With a resounding crash, Garo’s axe and Chen Feng’s blade rebounded from the impact instantly. However, both men were simultaneously pushed back several steps by the powerful recoil.

In truth, I could see that Chen Feng intended to gauge Garo’s strength, but Garo’s performance greatly astonished him. Based on that last exchange, Garo’s power appeared to be equal to Chen Feng’s.

"What immense strength," Chen Zhen muttered, his expression drastically changing; to meet Chen Feng’s strike head-on was incredible.

"Heh heh, it’s not just strength that has improved!" I said proudly. "Right now, aside from his battle aura, Garo’s strength and speed have reached the standard of an Early-Stage High-Rank Warrior. Underestimating him will lead to a serious downfall."

Roar! After being repelled several steps, Garo immediately halted. He then suddenly accelerated, charging forward, covering the distance to Chen Feng in the blink of an eye, swinging his axe down. Having worn the heavy Ebony Armor for so long, even while sleeping, had led to an astonishing reinforcement of Garo’s physique. To prepare for today's test, I had instructed Garo and the other young warriors to remove their Ebony Armor the day before Chen Feng’s return, allowing them to acclimate to the speed, strength, and reaction of their enhanced bodies. I clearly remember the looks of astonishment and elation on their faces when they shed the armor—they bounded and jumped in the courtyard, each as agile as a monkey. Afterwards, we ran through some drills focusing on techniques to prepare them for this assessment. Simply put, Garo and his peers possessed absolute self-confidence now.

This seemingly ordinary axe swing was actually derived from Uncle Lu's unique technique of severing a hundred leaf needles with a single blow. During their long training, every young warrior had grasped the essence of this move. Stripped to its core, it was merely an application of force: utilizing the astonishing weight of the Asura Battle Axe, employing a technique akin to flicking a bowl. The axe was sent out rapidly, and at the instant of contact with the target, the wrist and arm muscles, which were relaxed moments before, exerted explosive power. This swinging technique bore some similarity to a golf swing, maximizing the utilization of waist power, arm strength, and wrist strength. The entire movement flowed seamlessly, a single coherent action. Compared to a typical forceful thrust relying on full two-handed force, this smooth, momentum-driven chop or sweep generated significantly more destructive power—easily double that of standard attacks.

"Roar! Garo, go!" His comrades roared wildly when they saw Garo unleash his ultimate skill. The young warriors had absolute confidence in this move. It was the strongest offensive technique they had perfected during their month of special training. Seeing it finally executed filled everyone with uncontrollable excitement.

Clang! Roar! The axe strike looked unremarkable, but it was unbelievably fast. Chen Feng could only bring both sabers up to form a block.

Boom! With a sound like muffled thunder, Chen Feng’s robust frame was sent flying a great distance, exactly like a football kicked away, struck by Garo’s axe. However, Chen Feng, a veteran of countless battles, was not so easily felled. He executed several backward somersaults in mid-air before landing steadily. Even so, he appeared visibly distressed. The hands gripping his saber were trembling slightly, and his chest heaved rapidly. It was clear that Garo’s powerful blow had severely impacted Chen Feng.

"Damn it, when did Garo's strength become so immense?" Chen Zhen was stunned.

"Good! Such tremendous power," the surrounding warriors exclaimed in shock. They knew Chen Feng’s strength had reached the Mid-Stage High-Rank Warrior level. Yet, he was sent reeling by Garo's single axe blow. Did that mean Garo’s strength had surpassed the Mid-Stage High-Rank Warrior standard?

"How is this possible?" The Clan Head and Steward Chen Xi, watching from afar, were even more aghast. "A month ago, Garo’s strength was barely at the Mid-Stage Intermediate level. No matter how you train, he shouldn't have improved to this degree."

"What exactly did this Xiao Man do to them?" Chen Xi murmured.

In truth, they had all miscalculated Garo’s strength. While the destructive power Garo displayed had indeed surpassed Chen Feng’s moments ago, it didn't mean Garo’s raw strength truly exceeded Chen Feng’s. Garo's physique barely met the standard for an Early-Stage High-Rank Warrior, but his attacking technique allowed him to push his existing power to its absolute limit—the chopping skill derived from Uncle Lu. The young warriors had dubbed this technique ‘Ruin Strike.’ I don’t know where they got such a provincial name, but the greatest secret of the Ruin Strike was its ability to maximize the potential of the Asura Battle Axe’s chop. With Garo’s Early-Stage High-Rank physical foundation, a full-power chop using the Ruin Strike technique could deliver destructive force equivalent to a High-Rank Peak Warrior. Thus, the unsuspecting Chen Feng suffered a significant disadvantage.

Chen Feng on the field was equally shocked. He gazed at the Garo before him, then instinctively glanced towards Xiao Man standing at the edge of the field. A flicker of gravity crossed his eyes. It seemed Chen Feng had realized that the current Garo was no longer the same man he once was.

Encouraged by the victory of that single strike, Garo’s confidence soared. Amidst the cheers of his comrades, he launched himself forward again towards Chen Feng, executing another simple Ruin Strike, this time an upward slash from the lower left. In fact, this upward slash was the strongest offensive maneuver within the Ruin Strike repertoire. I had evolved this move based on modern golf swing mechanics. The upward trajectory from a lower angle allowed for the full extension of the waist’s power, further amplifying the force of the Ruin Strike, making this blow even more potent than the standard chop. But the most crucial difference was that the upward slash was fundamentally different from the ordinary chop—it was a significantly harder attack to defend against, possessing strong deceptive qualities and concealment. A slight misjudgment could easily lead to a hit. This was the terrifying core of the Upward Slash Ruin Strike.

"Hmph! That’s fast progress!" This time, Chen Feng recognized that Garo’s technique was vastly different from standard attacks. He naturally realized he couldn't meet this blow head-on.

He simply shifted his stance slightly. With a whoosh, a green silhouette flashed away from Garo’s attack in a burst of light and lightning.

Boom! Whoosh! Garo’s monumental blow only grazed Chen Feng’s afterimage.

As his attack missed, the whistling sound of a piercing counter-attack abruptly struck his ear.

"Ah! Such a fast counter!" Garo was greatly startled. He instantly twisted his wrist. Miraculously, the Asura Battle Axe shifted to block an attack from the side.

Ding! With a sharp chime, Garo didn't even have time to track Chen Feng’s form before several silver, gleaming afterimages furiously converged on his body's vital points from all directions.

"Roar!" Garo was shocked, rapidly whirling his axe, spinning it up and down. He could only parry and block Chen Feng’s lethal attacks at the critical moments purely based on superior instinct.

In that moment, ding, ding, dang, dang echoed relentlessly. The crowd could only see Chen Feng’s long saber enveloping Garo like a violent storm, while Garo rapidly spun his Asura Battle Axe, moving it up and down, always blocking Chen Feng’s fatal blows just in time.

"By Jove, Chen Feng is using his real skills!" Chen Zhen exclaimed, amazed. "His Quick Saber is so fast even I couldn't block it, yet this kid Garo managed to block over fifty strikes in a row."

"Naturally," Chen Kun boasted. "Handling weight with lightness, profound skill appearing clumsy—our Asura Battle Axe isn't just for offense."

The surrounding Elders also began to see the subtlety.

"This kid Garo is actually using his axe like a shield."

"He’s got quite a knack; isn't that both offense and defense combined?"

"Remarkable, this use for the axe is incredible."

The young warriors were beside themselves with excitement: "This axe technique evolved from Uncle Lu's Branch-Trimming Skill!"

"What! Did Uncle Lu teach you that?" The Elders were greatly surprised, and the image of the rugged Uncle Lu immediately came to everyone’s mind. "When did Uncle Lu become so formidable?"

"Well, how should I put it!" Chen Kun chuckled awkwardly. "Uncle Lu only taught us half of it. Later, Instructor Xiao Man made a few modifications, and with Garo’s additions, it became what it is now."

"Good heavens, what a group of unparalleled geniuses they are."

...............................

In fact, using the axe as a shield for defense was an impromptu idea that arose during wood trimming with Uncle Lu. The young warriors’ wrist and arm strength were significantly enhanced during this labor. The incredibly heavy Asura Battle Axe truly reached a state of "handling weight with lightness" in their hands. Coupled with the axe's massive size, it resembled a shield. If it could be used as one, perhaps it would be effective—this was just a thought. When I proposed it, the young warriors were overjoyed, and Garo, Chen Kun, and a few others independently explored and developed a special set of techniques for 'Axe-as-Shield,' which they quickly popularized. Unexpectedly, the results were quite good.

On the field, Chen Feng’s attacks continued relentlessly, but the defending Garo was already drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Although Garo’s Ruin Strike possessed astonishing power, against a master like Chen Feng, there was no opportunity for a direct confrontation. Moreover, Chen Feng’s speed was inherently extraordinary; his fluid, graceful footwork and shocking blade speed were far beyond what a warrior of Garo’s rank could counter. Although Garo’s speed had increased greatly due to the weighted training, he was still far behind Chen Feng. Furthermore, I knew Chen Feng hadn’t unleashed his true speed yet. After learning the fencing swordplay and footwork techniques, Chen Feng’s speed was almost on par with mine. If he fought at full capacity, Garo might not even manage to block a single move. The only reason he had lasted this long was because Chen Feng was intentionally probing the limits of Garo's capabilities. By now, Chen Feng had excavated almost everything Garo had to offer.

Clang! With a loud impact as one heavy saber strike landed squarely on Garo’s axe, Chen Feng seized the opportunity to leap out of striking range.

"Speed, power, and technique—he possesses all three!" Chen Feng praised. "It’s incredible that you’ve progressed this much in just one month; it is truly commendable."

"Hah!" Garo wheezed. "But I am still no match for Big Brother Chen Feng."

"You greedy fellow. You should be content with such massive progress," Chen Feng chided gently.

"Heh heh," Garo could only chuckle dryly, then cast a proud glance around the surroundings.

"Roar! Well done, Garo! To fight over a hundred exchanges with Big Brother Chen Feng is already quite impressive," the Elders cheered in unison.

"Garo, you must keep working hard; you will definitely defeat Big Brother Chen Feng someday," the young warriors cheered even more enthusiastically.

"Very well, I concede. Garo possesses the strength of an excellent warrior and officially becomes a member of the village defense team starting today." Chen Feng said this while looking at the other young warriors. "However, I do not know the strength levels of the rest of you."

"Roar! Let me fight you!" That fellow Chen Kun roared.

"Yes, let us also undergo Big Brother Chen Feng’s assessment, so you can know our strength," the other young warriors echoed, their fighting spirit soaring.

Sigh. Chen Feng broke out in a cold sweat. "Uh, that’s too much trouble," Chen Feng said with a strained laugh. "Garo, who was just tested, is the strongest among you. Therefore, the remaining assessment will be conducted by Chen Zhen, testing perhaps the weakest among you, A-Da."

"Ah!" The young warriors were all greatly surprised, but quickly, one by one, they became full of confidence and shouted, "A-Da, you have to do well!"

"Rest assured," A-Da stepped out quickly and stood before Chen Zhen.

"Hah! He actually has confidence!" Chen Zhen looked at the youth before him with some disbelief, trying to find something familiar in his demeanor from the past. However, what greeted him was a sharp and self-assured gaze.

"Goodness, when did this fellow become so confident?" The surrounding Elders whispered amongst themselves.

"Don't underestimate him. A-Da, who has persisted until now, is not the same as before," Chen Kun said gravely. "His strength has increased dramatically; just wait and see."

"A very fine gaze," Chen Zhen praised.

"Begin!" I announced loudly.

"Roar!" The instant my voice dropped, A-Da suddenly closed the distance, lunging towards Chen Zhen. He struck with a horizontal Ruin Strike slash towards Chen Zhen.

"Well met," Chen Zhen advanced rather than retreated. He wielded the same Asura Battle Axe, meeting A-Da's attack with an identical horizontal sweep.

Clang! With a loud bang, the two heavy Asuras smashed together.

Thump-thump-thump!!

At the moment of impact, both men were simultaneously jolted back several steps by the fierce recoil. In this first head-to-head clash, they ended in a draw.

"Hah! Unbelievable!"

"When did A-Da become so ferocious?"

"Such enormous strength!"

"It’s understandable that Garo improved rapidly, but how did A-Da also advance to this level?"

After that initial exchange, everyone could see that the current A-Da was completely transformed.

Roar! Hah! Pushed back, A-Da quickly stabilized himself. Then, just like Garo moments before, he charged wildly at Chen Zhen again, this time utilizing the Upward Slash Ruin Strike.

"Hah! Good momentum!" Chen Zhen did not shrink back; he countered with an aggressive, straight downward chop.

Clang! Another deafening crash. The two Asuras, crossing each other's paths vertically, collided once more.

However, this time, it was Chen Zhen who was sent flying. Of course, saying he was 'sent flying' was an exaggeration. Chen Zhen was merely lifted uncontrollably upward before executing a light backward somersault to land softly on the ground. But to any discerning eye, in that previous clash of strength, Chen Zhen had been completely suppressed by A-Da.