John strained violently to pull his arm free from Qian Jin's grip, only to find that no matter how hard he pulled, Qian Jin’s arm was like an unmovable mountain; he couldn't even budge him an inch.

Did this brat possess barbarian blood? John took a deep, sharp breath. Could he not subdue a mere trainee today? So what if he was a warrior trainee from the High Conquest Academy? Unless he was a Bloodline Warrior! Otherwise, a first-year trainee could only possess brute strength, but how could that surpass mine?

Five Battles of Demon Subjugation! John’s hair instantly stood on end. His battle qi, mingled with the rage in his heart, erupted with savage energy, suddenly giving the surrounding commoners the feeling of being alone in a jungle confronting a fierce beast—as if a massive stone had settled upon their chests.

So powerful! Is this the strength of the City Guard Captain? The onlookers repeatedly swallowed, their mouths dry. Terrifying! Too terrifying! This young warrior is going to be unlucky!

The twenty-odd warriors surrounding the carriage curled their lips into faint smiles. The Captain was a warrior of the Five Battles of Demon Subjugation. If he hadn't been attached as an escort to the City Lord’s Second Madam, he would have long since taken a comfortable post as a garrison general in some remote backwater town like Oakland. This brat was definitely going to meet his doom today!

Five Battles of Demon Subjugation! John yanked his arm backward with sudden force, his free hand darting to grasp the hilt of the saber hanging at his waist. A gleaming blade-light instantly erupted from the sheath.

Chop off this brat’s arm! The Second Madam should reward me handsomely for this, right? A flicker of ruthlessness crossed John's pupils. Perhaps I could be promoted to Chief Escort?

Drawing steel? Qian Jin’s brow arched. His Battle Heart spun at high speed, instantly escalating his battle qi to the level of the One Battle of Demon Slaying, and he squeezed his hand tighter!

Crack! The leather armor fitted with inlaid metal plating buckled inward. A series of crisp snapping sounds echoed as John's arm bones fractured.

Pain! Intense pain! A searing agony far exceeding that of a saber cut or an axe blow! John’s face, moments before filled with fighting spirit, twisted instantaneously due to the pain, resembling an abstract oil painting captured by a master artist in a sudden burst of inspiration.

For a second, John suspected his arm hadn't been squeezed by a hand, but brutally smashed by a blunt object, like a heavy iron hammer!

What is this? Everyone’s scalp tingled, unable to believe what they were witnessing. The mighty Captain John had his arm crushed by a grip! Moreover, the crucial point was that this young man was publicly confronting the City Guard Captain on the street? Did he know what he was doing? Even if the surrounding warriors shot him dead on the spot, they would face no repercussions.

The surrounding guards, hearing the familiar sound of shattering bone, couldn't believe their eyes. How was this possible? How could this be! Captain John actually lost to a young warrior? Was this young warrior insane? Did he actually dare to strike? This was... suicide!

“Agh…” John let out a pained shriek, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He twisted his head toward the two crossbowmen not far away and roared, “What are you two still staring at? Kill him! Kill him right now! I will take full responsibility for everything!”

The two crossbowmen swiftly recovered from their shock. They were all veterans of the Human-Demon battlefields, long accustomed to death and maiming. Their eyes narrowed to slits, locking their crossbow bolts onto Qian Jin.

Kill me? Qian Jin’s pupils contracted as his Battle Heart consciousness whirred. He felt every subtle air current within the five-meter radius around his body, as if his body were covered in eyes. No sudden movement within that range could escape his awareness, including the fingers of the two crossbowmen resting on their firing mechanisms.

No movement of the fingers was needed; even the slightest tremor in the muscles of their fingers would instantly transmit through the air, revealing itself to his Battle Heart awareness.

The two crossbowmen felt a strange sensation surge through them, as if their fingers, and indeed their entire bodies, were enveloped in a specific field of energy. Any slight twitch of a tendon, and their opponent would immediately know it clearly.

A bizarre feeling! The two crossbowmen stared unmoving at Qian Jin, suppressed by this odd sensation to the point where they dared not loose their bolts.

“You two…” John trembled violently with pain and roared, “What are you waiting for? Hurry! Shoot him dead! Shoot him dead!” The two warriors exchanged a glance, fierce energy instantly filling their chests, and they gently raised their crossbows higher, aiming even more precisely at Qian Jin.

Boom! Boom! Two dull thuds sounded as the crossbow strings vibrated—a sound that shook the soul. Two bolts, capable of easily piercing leather or even iron armor on the battlefield, spun out at high velocity.

Want to kill me? Qian Jin’s eye twitched slightly, and he gave a gentle flick of his wrist. As effortlessly as a normal person waving a hand, John’s nearly two-hundred-pound body was lifted off the ground like a child’s rag doll. His body flew sideways through the air, colliding with one of the arrows!

Thud! Bang!

One arrow savagely pierced John’s iron-plated leather armor, and blood surged out from around the shaft. People stared in shock at Qian Jin, who remained motionless where he stood. The other arrow, propelled by the mechanism, was actually caught barehanded!

Using only his index and middle fingers, he securely clamped the arrow between them, creating a strange illusion that what he held was not a deadly projectile moving faster than the eye could track, but a child’s toy.

“This crossbow is using less than forty percent of its actual capability,” Qian Jin said, gently rotating the arrow in his hand. If this crossbow were in his possession, with a few minor adjustments and modifications, both its speed and penetration power could be increased by more than double.

“And this arrow…” Qian Jin shook his head with an expression of disdain. Arrows are meant to kill. If one can be caught barehanded simply by touching it, what purpose does it serve? If the arrow’s interior were slightly modified, the moment the shaft was touched, countless poisoned barbs would instantly spring out from within, like a hedgehog's quills, easily ensuring a successful ambush.

Crude crossbows, carelessly made arrows, and crossbowmen who only knew target practice… Plop. John’s body fell heavily to the ground with a groan of pain. Everyone stared blankly at the sequence of events that had just unfolded. Today’s affair was simply too far outside the norm—how could this happen?

John struggled to push himself up with one hand, but a searing pain shot through his chest. He looked down at his chest, his furious eyes filled with shock, which then faded into a look of dead gray resignation.

The arrow had struck his heart! In that very instant, as his body was thrown, his heart had smashed directly onto the shaft! Was it coincidence, or…? John slumped back onto the ground, his eyes fixed on Qian Jin, filled with incomprehension, shock, and doubt. How could this young man have such terrifying audacity?

Qian Jin didn’t spare a glance for the downed John. Killing him this time was certainly dangerous, but failing to do so would likely have created more trouble. He didn’t know this man, yet John insisted on provoking him.

A warrior suddenly snatched the whistle from his chest and blew it hard. The piercing sound, carrying a specific rhythm, carried outward.

Whistle code! Qian Jin frowned. Unless he killed everyone present, even shattering this whistle wouldn't stop others from continuing to blow it. This method of transmitting messages via whistle, much like flag signals, was a required course at the Warrior Academy.

Demon race! Come quickly!

Qian Jin remained rooted to the spot, a faint smile touching his lips as he watched the warrior blowing the whistle. If the whistle had signaled common bandits, he would face considerable trouble. But if it signaled the Demon Race? Then those rushing to the scene would not only be the City Guards, but warriors from the Torrent War Fortress as well.

Killing a Demon is the duty of every warrior. Even those not belonging to the City Guard—the Torrent War Fortress warriors—would rush over upon hearing the alarm. Furthermore, mages would also converge.

“Demon Race? Where is the Demon Race?” A murderous roar accompanied the rapid pounding of horse hooves. The general on horseback, clad in metal armor, shone like a sphere of light under the sun. His silver spear pulsed with dazzling layers of battle qi! Only beneath his helmet, a pair of deep blue eyes, like the sea, seemed to belong to the abyssal depths of hell!

Bloodline Battle Form! Bloodline Warrior! Nine Battles of Demon Slaying!

Qian Jin’s eye corners twitched violently, his pupils contracting to pinpricks. Among the City Generals of Torrent Flow City, there was actually a Bloodline Warrior! A Bloodline Warrior of the Nine Battles of Demon Slaying!

Snowman Bloodline Warrior! Qian Jin’s spirit lifted upon seeing the white down peeking out from under the armor—it was a rare Snowman Bloodline Warrior!

The icy spear, wrapped in bone-chilling battle qi, shot forth like lightning carved from the air. The surrounding onlookers could feel the frigid aura coating this single thrust! It gave people the sensation of suddenly stepping into a harsh, midwinter blizzard.

The thunderous impact of the warhorse’s hooves, the roar mixed with the gasps of the amazed commoners, brought the general rushing before Qian Jin in the blink of an eye.

The spear shook, and a simple Knight’s Thrust cut through the air with a cry like a wolf howling or an infant weeping.

Qian Jin felt the spear’s energy rush toward him; the killing intent arrived before the spear itself, causing his skin to tremble and react involuntarily. This was no simple thrust; the imposing aura accompanying it was terrifying! This charge cleverly incorporated the astonishment of everyone present—the spear thrust seemed to cause the heavens and earth to split, as if all the onlookers were joining him in a collective charge!

Qian Jin felt as if he weren't facing a single enemy, but that everyone on the entire street was arrayed against him.

The spear closed the distance! The general’s wrist constantly vibrated, causing the entire shaft to emit a strange, buzzing sound, like the roar of a dragon or the hiss of a snake. The great spear moved like a brush held by a master artist! The spear danced like dragons and snakes, powerful enough to break through a thousand armies!

The ground trembled slightly under the horse’s hooves. Though only one person attacked, it evoked the sense of life-and-death combat from the Human-Demon battlefields, and the sheer power of a Bloodline Warrior!

The wavering spear tip trembled up, down, left, and right, transforming into countless phantom tips, like a large tree blooming with hundreds or thousands of flowers overnight, leaving onlookers unsure if this strike was aimed at the neck, the waist, or the legs.

A thrust to the waist to break the body, a stab to the leg to cripple the man!

This was the true power of the great spear—one of the invincible weapons on the battlefield, capable of leveling cities!

Seeing this attack, everyone felt that even a fortress tower would be utterly demolished by this single thrust! Under such an assault, the only recourse was to dodge first, then counterattack!

But with such violent, overwhelming, and soul-shaking momentum, could one possibly evade it? Even if one dodged, what followed would be an endless chase by the long spear, a relentless pursuit until death.

Retreat? Qian Jin’s two eyebrows shot up high, like two battle sabers slanted across his eyelids, his brow radiating a sharpness known only to true blades!

Forged from the former glory of the Iron Mantis Bloodline, Qian Jin’s Battle Heart knew no retreat! Fight until utterly destroyed, never yield!

Jidu! Qian Jin flipped his wrist and snatched the ferociously tyrannical broad-bladed horse-chopping saber from his Battle Realm. His Battle Heart swept the air currents within a five-meter radius. He clearly felt the muscles in his neck and his heart region twitching repeatedly—a sensation he usually experienced when locked onto by an archer. In an instant, he knew this spear was aimed at the heart! As for the neck, that meant there was a hidden archer as well.

He was hiding on the roof of a house fifty meters away, concealed behind a chimney! The two had coordinated to create a nearly inescapable fatal situation!

Qian Jin ignored the incoming spear. He gripped the saber hilt with one hand and thrust the handle sharply downward. Simultaneously, his feet pounded the ground and he surged forward, causing the massive blade of the saber to carve a cold, crescent moon streak across the air, like one hanging in the deep night sky.

Seven Forms of Blood Battle! Trace of the Blood Moon! No defense, a tactic entirely trading life for life!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. The saber, mixed with battle qi and air currents, emitted sounds like ghosts wailing and children crying, faintly interwoven with the clash of metal and the sound of swords meeting.

Holding the saber in one hand, the stance positioned to the rear, the hand never leaving the grip—a mountain could be cleaved apart!

Qian Jin pushed back with his rear hand, presenting himself to the charging general as a lone soldier facing an army of thousands. The single slash unleashed an unprecedented, astonishing momentum, as if even a roaring tsunami would be mercilessly split open by the saber.

A clash of saber and spear, life hanging by a thread! Infinitely more perilous than a brawl of fists and feet! A great battle spear several meters long, coupled with the impact of the Nine Battles of Demon Slaying bloodline power, could shatter and disable a siege chariot on the battlefield; how much more so a human body?

Clang! Clang, clang, clang… Seeing this suicidal fighting style, the general’s heart leaped. He slightly retracted and released his spear, shifting the attack route of the great spear—adding three parts defense to the offense. As a City General and a Bloodline Warrior, his life was far more precious than that of an ordinary commoner.

A cold smile touched Qian Jin’s lips. On the battlefield, do you still have the luxury of valuing your own life above all else?

Isn't that courting death?

The saber and spear collided, sparking spectacular fireflies, resembling the celebratory magic flares released by academy mages. However, the chilling, aggressive intent radiating from the sparks was almost strong enough to manifest as a tangible force capable of inflicting harm!

Qian Jin shattered his opponent’s spear thrust with one strike. He followed through, pressing down with the full force of his battle saber. The general’s spear let out a grating creak, creak, creak sound. However, the warhorse could not withstand the impact of these two ferocious forces. With a tragic whinny, its front legs immediately buckled, kicking up clouds of dust, and blood spurted directly from its mouth, mixing with white foam to splatter the ground.

Snap! Whoosh!

A sharp whistle sounded in the air. The crossbowman hiding behind the chimney seized the instant after the warrior exerted his full strength—that brief moment when old power waned and new power had yet to arrive—and unleashed a fatal arrow.

“Want to kill me? You’re courting death!” The Earth Fire Heart, his Second Battle Heart, erupted completely at this moment. The saber left his hand, transforming into a silver dragon in the air, tearing through the air with a sound like a dragon’s roar, crushingly penetrating the chimney and slicing toward the crossbowman’s body.

Faster! Faster than lightning, faster than light, was this strike! The crossbowman didn't even have time to react. A sharp pain ripped through his abdomen. Staring at the flying debris before him and the bloom of blood in the air, his eyes widened until the corners burst, spraying blood. He gazed dumbly at Qian Jin, who was now empty-handed and holding the general’s spear, finally realizing his mistake!

Because of this mistake, he had lost his life!

The moment a warrior unleashes their full strength, their body, spirit, and battle qi enter a relatively weakened state. This was always the best opportunity for an archer to slay a powerful opponent! It now seemed that the target warrior had done this intentionally! Intentionally unleashing his supposed "full strength."

Because once an archer locks onto a target and launches an attack, they are fundamentally no different from a warrior. It is an all-out strike where essence, energy, and spirit are gathered; the instant it is released, the archer too experiences a moment of profound weakness.

The hunter, who was hiding in the shadows, had been turned into the prey by the prey… How laughable!

The crossbowman’s eyes were wide open, staring intently at Qian Jin. Even after death, his eyes remained fixed on Qian Jin, unmoving.

Seizing the spear? How was this possible? The fallen general’s eyes were wide with unbelievable shock. Snowman Bloodline Warriors possessed their unique aspect—what is a Snowman? Coldness! Unimaginable coldness! The battle qi of a Snowman Bloodline Warrior was like snow upon ice; upon collision with most warriors’ battle qi, it could instantly freeze the opponent's qi! The warriors themselves were extremely susceptible to frostbite!

Qian Jin grabbed the spear, which was now slightly bent and deformed, and exerted force with his arm. The spear instantly slipped from the general’s grasp, now under his complete control.

A Fifth-Grade Battle Weapon? Qian Jin slammed the spear down onto the ground! With a sharp crack, the bent battle weapon instantly straightened, just like it was originally. Only he knew the extent of the damage this spear had sustained; if he hadn't used the throwing knife just now, this spear would have snapped within ten more blows!

How could this be? How could this be happening? The general staggered backward repeatedly, the blood from his hands’ tiger mouths already frozen stiff by the icy battle qi. He stared blankly at Qian Jin.

I am a Nine Battles of Demon Slaying! How could this happen? Not only did I fail to freeze his Battle Qi—which was at the level of the One Battle of Demon Slaying—I couldn't even slow or slightly chill his battle qi! Could he be wearing a [Burning Star] Battle Artifact? But wasn't that artifact something only achievable by Demon Extermination Warriors and above? Unless he hailed from a major Bloodline family! Yet he clearly wasn't one! Just an ordinary warrior? Why is my battle qi…