Hoo—huff… Qian Jin let out a long, drawn-out breath. Experiencing the taste of death within the Endless World was not a new sensation, yet never before had it felt this profoundly real. The instant the bullet struck, he felt as if he were truly returning to the embrace of the stars; he had momentarily forgotten it was merely a spar.

“This is…?”

Qian Jin felt the Order Sequence within his Battle Core with astonishment. In the final moments while slaying the eleventh and twelfth opponents, he had once again shattered the Order Sequence of the Fen Jin Lian Zhan (Dividing Gold Consecutive Slashes), unleashing its ultimate destructive power, raising the total count of defeated opponents in the spar to twelve.

In such a short time, the Fen Jin Lian Zhan had reformed again, faster and more solid than it had that noon.

“Fen Jin Lian Zhan, it truly can be freely integrated with a weapon,” Qian Jin stared at his arms in surprise. Applying the technique to the Zhan Ma Dao (Horse-Slaying Saber) brought about a new transformation, one he couldn’t quite articulate, but the undeniable truth was that its power surpassed his bare-handed application!

“Even if I lost this round, I still need to go back.”

Qian Jin snatched his wizard hat and pulled it low over his face, stepping back into the Endless World.

Enlak’s Qi Chamber was certainly no longer the exquisitely decorated place it once was. After the massive battle, the floor was riddled with pits, and the walls bore scars from shattered weapons.

No repairs? Qian Jin stood stunned in the hall, observing the surroundings. For a powerhouse like Enlak, restoring such minor damage should have taken but a wave of his hand; yet, not a single thing had been mended.

The warriors who had just fought still stood in the room. Upon seeing them, Qian Jin instinctively began to rapidly circulate the energy in his Battle Core again.

“Relax, relax. It’s over, the match is done.” Enlak leaned against the wall with a languid expression. “Kid, you’re stronger than I imagined. Taking down twelve opponents…”

Qian Jin managed a stiff, cracked smile. In the end, wasn't he still eliminated by you? That recent fight was truly one he wished to forget.

With just a thought, the scene from the battle reappeared in Qian Jin’s mind: weapon strikes descended from every corner, from every angle, and everyone seemed utterly insane, fighting with desperate fury!

Never before! Qian Jin had hunted countless demonic beasts in the Western Mountains and survived numerous life-or-death battles, but he had never encountered a situation like today. Despite pushing forward constantly, he remained perpetually on the defensive, being beaten down by weapons striking from every direction—crack, crack, bang—smashing down upon his head.

A mob fight! For the first time, Qian Jin experienced the sheer madness of a group brawl. One against a hundred? That wasn't fighting one hundred; that was being attacked by one hundred.

“However, what puzzles me most is that you actually shattered a very special Battle Skill just now.” Enlak clicked his tongue repeatedly, looking at Qian Jin with unconcealed admiration. “That must have been a Saint-level Skill! You were truly willing to sacrifice it! At your age, you likely only had this one Skill mastered, right?”

Qian Jin opened his status screen and quickly scanned it: Unnamed Battle Skill, presumed Saint-level, First Stage Ten Levels Complete Mastery.

Ten Levels Complete Mastery! Qian Jin nodded slowly. He had intended to inquire about the Fen Jin Lian Zhan after winning, but since he had been defeated, it felt awkward to bring it up now.

“Alright! What questions do you have?” Enlak adjusted his posture, placing his hands on his knees, looking at Qian Jin with a broad stance. “The only pity is that you blew up a Battle Skill. If I had known, I shouldn’t have pushed you to that extent.”

“What? I can ask questions?” Qian Jin wondered if the mob attack had scrambled his brains. He had clearly lost the spar; how could he still be allowed to ask anything?

“Of course you can ask,” Enlak held up his right hand, spreading all five fingers wide, chuckling. “As long as you took down five, you were actually qualified. Did you really think you could defeat all hundred of my warriors just now?”

He’d been tricked!

Qian Jin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It turned out that this seemingly straightforward Uncle Enlak also knew how to play tricks! It wasn't just mysterious alchemists like Oulala, full of bizarre ideas, who were deceptive.

“From the very beginning, I never said you had to defeat everyone to qualify,” Enlak said with a sly grin. “You are a warrior, not a mindless butcher. Every fight is a microcosm of war—one against one, one against many, many against many. Is there a difference? It all results in one side beating the other down.”

“Fighting is war…”

Qian Jin carefully savored Enlak’s words. Many vague feelings and perspectives suddenly seemed to find a beacon of light. His thoughts on combat and warfare began to reconfigure in his mind.

“If you don’t understand the rules, how can you win?” Enlak snapped his fingers decisively. “Of course, if you are stronger than I am, you don’t need to understand the rules at all. In that case…”

“I make the rules,” Qian Jin finally understood. Uncle Enlak had gone through this elaborate exercise not only to let him experience being mobbed by countless enemies but, more importantly, to make him grasp a deeper understanding of what these so-called rules were.

“What are rules?” Enlak looked at Qian Jin. “You still don’t understand them well enough, otherwise, you could have taken down more of my men just now. Now, are you confident you can take down more of them?”

Qian Jin shook his head blankly. Although the Fen Jin Lian Zhan Order Sequence had been reborn in his Battle Core, against the situation just faced, he estimated he could still only manage twelve—that was his absolute limit. If things went wrong, he might not even manage twelve.

“That’s why…” Enlak drew out his syllable, stood up, and paced towards Qian Jin. “You still don't understand what I’m trying to tell you.”

Qian Jin frowned, staring at Enlak. Wasn't it that war is fighting, and the stronger party sets the rules?

“I’ll ask you one question.” Enlak raised his right index finger. “Are you strong, or is your Battle Core strong?”

Qian Jin stared at Enlak dumbfounded. He had never considered this question before. Usually, he just focused on diligently practicing his Qi, Battle Skills, and Battle Core, then using them in battle.

“Are you relying on your Battle Core to fight, or are you using your Battle Core to fight? Can you tell the difference?” Enlak wiggled his index finger. “You can’t.”

Qian Jin unclenched his fists and subconsciously tightened them, vaguely feeling like he had grasped something, yet utterly unable to articulate what it was.

Enlak stared silently at Qian Jin, saying no more.

One minute… two minutes… five minutes… ten minutes…

Qian Jin’s eyes flashed and he looked up abruptly. “I understand! You want me to realize that even if I can’t set the rules externally, I am still me! I should have the right to master myself! Therefore, my Battle Skill…”

“Should be mastered by you,” Enlak’s right index finger pointed sharply at Qian Jin. “That Battle Skill on your arm—does it truly only work on your arm? Perhaps you can’t have complete control initially, but you must try to take charge. People are alive; Battle Skills are also alive. You must make them follow you. Although the process will be difficult.”

Qian Jin felt a tingling numbness spread through his limbs from sheer excitement. Various ideas churned in his mind. If Uncle Enlak was right, then he had been far too rigid before. Since he could use his palm as a substitute for a blade or a sword, why hadn’t he ever considered transforming archery techniques into footwork, or something else entirely?

Lian Zhu Jian (Consecutive Arrow Volley)! Multiple arrows fired simultaneously, Chuan Yun Lie Ri (Piercing Clouds, Scorching Sun)! What if these were turned into punches and kicks?

Qian Jin took a deep breath into his lungs. His Battle Core slowly turned, selectively drawing out a portion of his Battle Qi to slowly arrange a very specific sequence—the archery technique of the Yi Yu family, warriors with the Divine Archer bloodline: Lian Zhu Jian!

Pain! A sharp, piercing pain! Qian Jin knew that such simulation must contain significant errors; he should calm down and explore it bit by bit. But if he couldn't test it once, he wouldn't feel satisfied.

He forcibly channeled the Battle Qi sequence into his arms. It felt like thousands of steel needles stabbing his flesh. The pain was so intense that even moving his arm felt like it could make him faint, let alone throwing a punch.

Thank goodness for Teacher Oulala! Qian Jin gasped for air, his eyes webbed with fine blood vessels. If not for years of being subjected to the effects of the Volcanic Potion, this wouldn't just be painful; his arm muscles would have already been torn apart by this improper Battle Qi sequence!

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz…

A sound like a taut bowstring resonated under the Qi sequence. In an instant, Qian Jin’s entire body resembled a fully drawn longbow. His shoulders shook ever so slightly, and the fists, already impatient, shot out! A series of fist shadows was left in the sky, like powerful arrows piercing the air with chih-chih sounds, rolling out in an onslaught.

Enlak crossed his arms over his chest, his eyebrows twitching repeatedly. The flurry of his fists was dense and rapid, shooting out like a barrage of arrows, so fast it was suffocating!

Fists like arrows, arms like the bowstring! The man resembled an entire unit of archers firing simultaneously; the arrows were so quick they induced a sense of suffocation.

The repeated vibrations from the Qi sequencing nearly twisted Qian Jin’s arm muscles out of shape, and the resulting pressure wave imposed a spiritual oppression.

In less than two seconds, Qian Jin felt as if a hundred years had passed. Beyond the pain, he could no longer feel his arms; they were entirely unresponsive to his command.

“So, it can be done this way.” Qian Jin looked down at his arms. How far would he need to train his body to withstand the Lian Zhu Jian, an archery technique that didn't inherently belong to close combat? To study Lian Zhu Jian? To modify it into a combat-suitable form?

Qian Jin shook his head inwardly. Modifying or creating Battle Skills required an immense accumulation of knowledge about techniques, and it wasn't something one person could achieve quickly.

Conquering these high-tier academies drew descendants from the major Bloodline Warrior families, not only to recruit retainers but also to learn newly developed Battle Skills.

While the combat prowess of ordinary warriors in any advanced military academy could not compare to Bloodline Warriors, their acumen for research and development was in no way inferior to that of the Bloodline Warriors.