What? Scared? Qian Jin's eyes narrowed to slits, the pupils contracting to pinpricks, never changing again, relentlessly locked onto the ambusher on the rooftop, his body moving at high speed, freely evading the arrows.

Excellent! Qian Jin had never seen such an outstanding archer. Only in the last instant before releasing the shot did a faint trace of killing intent and lock-on emerge—truly possessing the traits of an archer operating in the shadows, executing a kill-in-one blow. Furthermore, his archery skill was almost identical to his own, both approaching the samidare volley technique. However, in these last few arrows, Qian Jin distinctly felt the opponent's arrow intent weakening. While the accuracy and speed remained the same, the threat was significantly diminished; a hint of panic was woven into the shafts.

Fwissh! Another sharp whistle of an arrow cut through the sky. As Qian Jin shifted his body to the side, he saw the archer on the rooftop relax his five fingers, lower the bow, and turn to leave. The barrage of arrows in the sky had ceased.

"Trying to leave..." Qian Jin's brow twitched. Archers were one of the most stealthy warrior types in this world. If this one slipped away now, finding him again would truly be difficult.

Crack! Crack-crack!

A powerful bow in hand! As Qian Jin charged forward at high speed, his body moving as if astride a steed, the string of the great bow in his hands vibrated, producing a series of tearing sounds through the air. Three sharp, heavy arrows shot skyward, spinning rapidly, carving three visible miniature whirlwinds in the darkness. Starlight and moonlight spilled onto his shoulders, frequently flashing with chilling glints.

The three heavy arrows did not follow straight lines in the air. Instead, they each soared high before swooping down like diving eagles, tracing arcs that were both graceful and deadly, accompanied by a rumbling sound as they cut the air, flying toward three different locations in a 'pin' formation.

"Come back here!" Qian Jin flipped his wrist; the Sheyue Bow returned to the Dou Jie (Battle Realm). His pupils, shrunk to needle-points, fixed upon the archer who had just tried to retreat but whose path was blocked by the three arrows, forcing him back to his firing stance.

In this brief sniper exchange, Qian Jin unleashed the full power of his Zhumo (Demon Slaying) battle strength. His Dou Xin (Battle Heart) drove his Dou Qi (Battle Energy) to spin frantically, boosting his speed to an incredible one hundred and ten thousand revolutions. Simultaneously, the one hundred and eight Sikou (Death Battle Apertures) within his body erupted with a formidable fifteen thousand revolutions under the impetus of the Di Huo Zhi Xin (Earth Fire Heart).

Boom! Hiss!

Impact! Full-speed charge! Arrows could only force the archer back temporarily, but if he harbored the thought of retreat, he would surely flee! Qian Jin disregarded the restriction that the Earth Fire Heart could only be activated three times a day for life preservation, channeling both overwhelming streams of power directly into his feet.

One step forward shattered the stone-brick floor. His already tattered shoes instantly let out a sizzling, burning sound under the intense heat of the Earth Fire Heart, turning into a pile of ash in a blink. Even the spot where the paving stones were crushed turned black from the superheated airflow, as if touched by scorching flame magic that had once lingered there.

Qian Jin executed his maximum speed sprint within the academy grounds. His body friction with the air sounded like a roaring train—hard enough to kick up a cloud of dust from the ground. The scenery on either side of his body flashed past, having long become a blur.

Two magic academy students who had just finished attending a dance suddenly felt a gale rush past them. The brims of the magic hats on their heads trembled backward violently from the strong wind.

"Did someone just pass by?" "No way? I didn't see anything, just a gust of wind..." "Am I seeing things?" "Probably? Otherwise, did a wraith just pass by..."

Qian Jin reached the base of the building, his eyes sweeping over the staircase in the hallway—going up from here would be far too slow! He looked up at the top floor, braced one hand against the first-floor window ledge, and shoved upward forcefully with both feet. Like a monkey leaping through trees, he vaulted onto the second-floor sill. His empty left hand braced again, and with a push from his legs, he lunged toward the third floor.

"What is that?" "A demonic ape..." "No way? Isn't this the academy? How could there be a forest demonic ape here?" "Why not? Look at the way it moves, it’s exactly like a demonic ape..." "How can there be a demonic ape in the academy? Hurry and notify the campus guard team..."

Whoosh! On the rooftop, the archer sent an arrow whistling down. The fierce energy of the arrow slammed toward him. Qian Jin’s heart pounded wildly; this archer seized opportunities with incredible precision, choosing exactly the moment his body was airborne to strike, putting him in an inescapable position.

Dou Jie, open for me! Qian Jin flipped his wrist and drew the Zhanmadao (Horse-Slaying Saber). The broad, unrestrained saber unleashed astonishing killing intent, erupting in a flash of cold light under the moonlight—like a massive python in the river or a flooded dragon emerging from the sea. A ferocious blade-light slashed across the sky, mercilessly swallowing the arrow within the light bursting with Dou Qi.

Bang! Crash!

Qian Jin slammed his foot onto the third-floor window ledge. The immense power of his foot pulverized the ledge into fragments, sending a rain of stone pieces crashing to the ground. His body shot high into the air, his Zhanmadao like a falling meteorite, drawing a long streak across the sky, completely enveloping the archer in the blade light.

Beneath the moonlight, illuminated by the faint gleam, Qian Jin finally saw the true appearance of the ambusher—a youth! Qian Jin’s heart lurched again; it was such a young boy, even younger than himself!

Nearly two meters tall, wielding a great bow taller than a man, his physique appeared that of an adult. However, his face betrayed his true age. Although cold and filled with icy sternness, his brows still held a trace of youthful immaturity.

This immaturity—it would only fade over time, or after experiencing countless events in life. Even the most ruthless assassin could not erase the youthfulness from their face.

His square cheeks were covered in a faint down visible to the naked eye, and those cold eyes flickered with an eerie red light. He clearly did not look like a normal human, but rather a Xuemai Zhanshen (Bloodline Battle Body)!

That’s right! This was a Bloodline Warrior! Or perhaps, a Bloodline Champion! Behemoth Bloodline Power, the Barbarians!

Qian Jin never expected that the one using the Divine Archery technique would be a Barbarian; this ambusher was actually a Behemoth Bloodline Champion of the Barbarians! Yes! That strong physique, those red eyes, and the faint layer of gray down on his body perfectly matched the image of the Behemoth Bloodline Champion described in the ancient notes of the Qian family ancestors.

A Behemoth Bloodline Champion among the Barbarians actually using Divine Archery? No! That wasn't Divine Archery! Qian Jin finally realized that what the archer had been using from the start was not the Divine Archery of the Yubi Bloodline Warrior families, but the specialized archery skill of the Barbarian's Ziwen (Purple-Patterned) Bloodline Champions!

The young Behemoth Champion stared at Qian Jin with icy eyes, lifted the massive battle-axe resting beside him, and unceremoniously swung it to meet the chopping blow of the Zhanmadao.

How could it be a Barbarian? He couldn't worry about that now! He had to capture him first! Qian Jin suddenly exerted strength in both arms, unifying the Xuezhan Qi Shi (Blood Battle Seven Forms). Countless tyrannical killing auras were added to the blade light, mixed with a sharp whistling sound, transforming into a lightning-fast, swimming dragon that rapidly descended.

Roar! The young Behemoth Champion threw back his head and roared. His muscles swelled again, and his Dou Qi made his body hair stand erect like steel needles. His battle-axe emitted a beast-like roar as it swung back in a counter-chop!

The Zhanmadao collided with the battle-axe. The rooftop exploded with the sound of dry thunder appearing from nowhere. Sparks of metal collision flew everywhere, shining like dazzling stars against the night sky.

The floorboards beneath the young Behemoth Champion’s feet could no longer withstand the brutal impact of the two forces colliding. With a deafening rumble, they collapsed. The imposing body of the Behemoth Champion immediately sank down, and the mighty battle-axe was forcibly sheared in half, the remaining half spinning rapidly in the air.

Pfft, pfft...

The severed axe head was still spinning. The hands of the young warrior gripping the axe handle looked as if they had been violently torn open by beast claws, resulting in two gashes several inches long running straight to the wrist, from which blood poured out incessantly.

The young Barbarian Behemoth Champion’s feet had just touched the ground when his chest shuddered slightly, and he spat out a spray of blood. His legs, like stone pillars, instantly buckled beneath him, and the joints in his shoulders gave a kaka-ka sound of dislocation.

Stones from the rooftop rained down onto the ground. Qian Jin stood like a heavenly god amidst the stone debris, holding the Zhanmadao, looking at the young Behemoth Champion whose eyes were no longer cold.

One strike! Merely one strike!

The young Barbarian Behemoth Champion stared at Qian Jin in shock, his peripheral vision fixed on the half-axe in his hand. That weapon was also a Dou Bing (Battle Weapon)! Yet it had been cleaved in half by the opponent’s single blow! Even more terrifying was the strength!

In this world, those capable of matching a Behemoth Bloodline Champion in terms of raw strength had always been limited to the Demon Race's Troll Warlocks and the True Policy Dynasty's Titan Bloodline Warriors!

Yet, the one before him was clearly just an ordinary person! In that single strike, both his arms had nearly been shattered by the opponent’s terrifying power.

"You don't have much time. When more people arrive, even if I wanted to let you go, others wouldn't allow it..." Qian Jin locked his Zhanmadao firmly onto the young Behemoth Champion. "Tell me your name, why you tried to kill me, and I will let you go immediately." "Loki? Lei," the young Behemoth Bloodline Champion coldly uttered his name.

"Loki? Royalty of the Barbarians in the past?" Qian Jin felt lucky. Barbarian customs dictated that the defeated party must state their name. He had recently encountered Lucifer Liushui of the Demon Race, and now he ran into a former royal lineage of the Barbarians.

Loki? Lei's shocked eyes flashed with cold surprise. The surname Loki was unknown even to many among the Barbarians. He hadn't expected that someone in the True Policy Dynasty would still remember it. Among the Behemoth Bloodline Champions of the Barbarians, there was once a branch called Loki, and they were indeed royalty.

"Truly surprising..." Qian Jin shook his head repeatedly. If he hadn't read the very ancient notes of the Qian family ancestors, he would never have known that Loki was once one of the royal surnames in Barbarian history.

In the history textbooks of the True Policy Dynasty, it was only mentioned that during Barbarian history, there was one instance of internal royal conflict, which was swiftly suppressed by the exceedingly wise Barbarian Emperor Petrock, who seemed divinely endowed.

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