A brief moment of stupefaction gave way to blazing anger—anger at being looked down upon by such a young warrior, which instantly ignited a furious burn in the hearts of the bandits. Several of them even instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons.

Bandits, especially those under the command of the Bandit King, possessed a wolf-like nature! Once this ferocity was provoked, it always erupted with terrifying power. Ba Huang Wusheng loved nothing more than seeing a pack of wolves roused to fury. This young man, with a single sentence, had ignited the rage of these wolf cubs. Interesting, truly interesting! This kid was not only skilled in combat, possessed that wolf spirit, but also carried a boldness rare in others.

“Since this young man invites you all to attack at once,” Ba Huang Wusheng murmured, lightly flicking his wrist, “then all of you shall attack him at once.”

Hearing Ba Huang Wusheng’s words, the bandits cast aside any hesitation. A sliver of doubt vanished from Beng Wuzui’s face, replaced by a fleeting sense of trepidation as he felt the scrutiny of the crowd.

Having just witnessed Qian Jin’s clean, swift battle, followed by a brutal, violent onslaught, Beng Wuzui lacked the confidence to win a one-on-one duel against him. That sheer momentum made facing him profoundly uncomfortable.

Looking at Qian Jin, Beng Wuzui even felt the same pressure he’d first experienced when confronting Ba Huang Wusheng—the Bandit King who had subdued him.

To feel such a strange emotion facing someone clearly inferior in strength—Beng Wuzui found the situation absurd, yet this absurd thought, like a flame fanned by oil, did not die out; instead, it burned ever brighter.

Although a dozen or so bandits loudly urged Beng Wuzui to step forward and fight Qian Jin one-on-one, deep down, they had no conviction either. Their plan was merely to let Beng Wuzui wear down Qian Jin’s strength first, ideally wounding him severely, allowing the rest to shamelessly engage in a war of attrition to exhaust the young man.

Now that Ba Huang Wusheng had decided on the pack-wolf tactic, their confidence soared, and they dispersed around the perimeter, readying their assault.

Wolves! A lone wolf is strong! A pack of wolves is stronger!

Ba Huang Wusheng knew this, the bandits knew this, and Qian Jin, who had dwelled in the Western Hills of the Endless World for so long, understood it even better.

The moment the bandits scattered, Qian Jin felt the sensation of being surrounded by a pack of wolves in the wilderness. Their positioning and encirclement mirrored that of wolves perfectly!

Pressure! Their combined efforts had finally forged an intangible pressure. Yes, this was the pressure he craved! Qian Jin scanned them excitedly. Combat training under Uncle Enlarke was good in every way, but its sole deficiency was the absence of true life-or-death stakes.

The bandits’ anger was fully ignited; they would show no mercy in their attacks! Qian Jin felt that after this desperate fight following his clash with Feng Liancikuang, the Way of the Warrior within him seemed like a seed beginning to sprout, growing rapidly. Every battle brought new insights.

Each engagement was like rich fertilizer, accelerating the growth of that nascent seed.

Whether it was defeating an easy opponent or being driven into the dirt by the Bandit King’s palm strike, every experience was being absorbed at this moment—not an advancement in Dou Qi, but an indescribable elevation of realm. This enhancement...

Qian Jin instinctively felt that it might even determine whether he could achieve sainthood in the future—a critically important key.

Why? Qian Jin didn't know, he only felt it instinctively. A warrior’s intuition was sometimes more accurate than a woman’s sixth sense, and Qian Jin had always trusted his warrior intuition, which was why he had deliberately goaded these bandits.

Pressure! More pressure was needed! Facing them one by one, Qian Jin felt that this meager sustenance wouldn't support his growth.

“Good! Very good!” Qian Jin stood his ground, motionless, his surging hot blood transforming into an overwhelming surge of heroic spirit. “All of you, attack me now! Let me see if the foremost bandit group outside the frontier is worth me staying here for five years just to exchange for my companion’s freedom!”

The brows of the dozen bandits tightened simultaneously, rage flickering repeatedly in their pupils. This was meant to be Ba Huang Wusheng assessing Qian Jin’s worth, yet this young man was… assessing the worth of the bandit group?

Tequiao Fei, having regained his composure and seeking to salvage his honor in a fit of rage, launched the first aggressive move!

Qian Jin was ecstatic inside. Bandits were bandits! They lacked the pretense of honor that warriors in academies possessed, where the side with more fighters always insisted the weaker side strike first!

Bandits didn't care about that! Winning was all that mattered!

As Teqiao Fei moved, the others followed suit. These dozen or so bandits had coordinated for over a decade, understanding each other intimately. Their simultaneous strikes unleashed explosive bursts of air pressure, multiplying tenfold, filling the air with whistling and cracking sounds, as if countless spells were descending.

The two Archmagi, who had been ambushed earlier, rapidly moved their fingers, instantly casting spells like Iron Armor to boost physical defense and Swift Feather to increase speed onto the bandits, further enhancing their power.

Ba Huang Wusheng watched the Archmagi’s covert assistance with a faint smile. It seemed this young man’s words truly annoyed these powerful figures, driving them into a frenzy in just a few sentences.

Men, demons, concubines!

The Bandit King’s subordinates, comprising warriors from various tribes, surged toward Qian Jin all at once.

The battle erupted suddenly! Teqiao Fei interlocked his ten fingers, his muscles swelling, swelling, swelling under the surge of Dou Qi! Then they contracted rapidly, becoming as solid as solidified steel! Resembling a massive war hammer, he brought it down toward Qian Jin’s head with a rumbling, space-rending whoosh.

I’ll smash you into the ground, you brat! Teqiao Fei no longer viewed this as a contest but as a fight to the death! Being treated like a child in the prior exchange had sent him into a complete fury.

With his opening move, Teqiao Fei unleashed the condensation of his fat through Dou Technique activation! Fat condensed into a war hammer! Fierce and overbearing! This was Teqiao Fei’s other trump card. Many people thought his body was like cotton candy, unaware of how overwhelmingly formidable he could be when driven.

Battle intent laced with killing intent? Wanting to smash me into the dirt with one punch? Qian Jin’s eyebrows locked together above his brow, and he swept his arm out to intercept the hammer-like fist.

Teqiao Fei’s wide eyes shone with delight. His punch wasn't intended to smash him into the ground; it was a feint! A distraction! Feifiste, the Wolf King bloodline warrior rushing in from the side, would teach this youngster the price of arrogance!

It worked, it drew him in! Teqiao Fei’s heart swelled with joy. This was the real difference between old warriors and young novices. This punch was designed to make the opponent misjudge him as being overly eager for revenge, drawing the opponent into confrontation.

At any other time, Teqiao Fei would have held back a fraction of power in this punch, just in case of unforeseen variables. Today, however, that concern was unnecessary. With a dozen people attacking simultaneously, even if Qian Jin blocked three strikes, the others would be upon him before he could counter.

This deluxe lineup of more than ten Golden Dou Hearts created an oppressive aura! Even the strangest young man would find it impossible to make accurate judgments when facing hostile intent erupting from all directions simultaneously.

The moment fist and palm met, Teqiao Fei felt his feet lift, a formidable force threatening to throw him backward, but his arm was seized by something.

He was grabbed? Teqiao Fei was startled. In a fight like this, how dared Qian Jin grab someone? His arm felt as solid as bedrock; how could it be grasped with such sharp pain? How had this kid trained his grip to be so strong? Before he could react, five fingers dug in like steel spikes into his arm.

Snatching the man, Qian Jin threw him backward without turning his head. The massive body whistled through the air, smashing directly toward the Wolf King bloodline warrior.

What—? The Wolf King bloodline warrior’s eyes widened. What the hell was this? If this were a life-or-death battle, he could simply cleave through this fat man and continue his assault. But now...?

The Wolf King bloodline warrior had no time to ponder. He reached out with both hands to try and halt Teqiao Fei, but a colossal brute force met his palms, feeling like trying to stop a rampaging wild ox.

What made the Wolf King warrior even more frustrated was that if it were a wild ox, he could simply exert force to crush it! But now? If he used full power, he would severely injure Teqiao Fei!

What kind of situation was this? The Wolf King bloodline warrior simply couldn't withstand the momentum, and he was pushed backward, stumbling away.

Ferdinand materialized before Qian Jin like a specter, his five fingers spread wide, unleashing a fierce storm that slammed into Qian Jin’s chest.

Bang! Hit! Ferdinand’s momentary joy vanished as a searing pain shot through his palm, as if he hadn't struck human flesh but rather the legendary Holy Artifact Shield. His wrist ached so badly it nearly fractured.

Wind Cloud Golden Body!

Ba Huang Wusheng’s smiling eyes widened with greater surprise. Ferdinand, at the seventh level of Golden Dou Heart, using his full-strength Mountain Splitting Palm Dou Technique, could leave a clear imprint on an iron shield, sufficient to shock anyone hiding behind it to death!

Yet, this full-force blow landed on Qian Jin, who appeared utterly unharmed, while Ferdinand’s expression attested to the immense pain he felt!

In that brief instant, all the bandits had converged on Qian Jin. Fists, kicks, palms, elbows, knees, and leg strikes erupted simultaneously from all directions, a sky-covering net enveloping Qian Jin’s head, lower back, chest, neck, groin, and other vital areas.

Taking advantage of the bandits' stunned moment after Ferdinand’s initial attack failed to have an effect, Qian Jin suddenly drew a deep breath into his lungs. The three orbs of Dou Qi within him spun rapidly, tightly arranging themselves into a tense sequence. His veins, muscles, and bones emitted sharp keng keng beng sounds as they were stimulated by the Dou Qi.

A fully drawn bow, ready to fire! In that instant, it felt as if hundreds of powerful bows were drawn simultaneously inside Qian Jin, their bowstrings vibrating with continuous keng keng sounds. His sharp eyes became exceptionally keen, even alight with a flicker of fanaticism, as he launched his counterattack on instinct!