?The young bandit’s shout had not fully left his lips when he suddenly realized the person struck by the piece of wood remained standing precisely where he was. Not only had he not been sent flying by the impact, but there wasn't even a flicker of pain or discomfort on his placid face.

“Fly?” Gan Jing raised his arm and tapped the thick wooden stake lightly with his index finger, producing a series of dudu sounds, much like a metal rod striking wood. “You wish to fly so much?”

The faces of the two young bandits shifted simultaneously. The force from the shaking impact against the stake hadn't hurt this man, nor had it managed to push him back? The sound of him tapping the wood clearly required immense power! If the power was sufficient, the finger delivering the tap should have been severely injured! Yet, he remained silent? Gan Jing suddenly gripped the wooden stake before him with both hands, his Battle Focus churning with high-speed Dou Qi, channeling the Wind and Cloud Golden Body directly into both arms. His ten fingers dug deep into the wood, and he abruptly pulled his arms apart to the sides.

Kacha-chaka! The piercing sound resembled bones fracturing, or perhaps the earth itself splitting! Under the pressure exerted by Gan Jing’s hands, the thick, sturdy wooden stake was violently torn apart! Cracks snaked along the length of the stake, spreading rapidly from Gan Jing’s side to the opposite end. In the blink of an eye, a whole stake was transformed into two pieces, irregularly cleaved as if by an axe, appearing bizarrely before the two young bandits.

My stars above! Are these… are these Barbarians? And among them, a warrior with the Behemoth bloodline? As the two young bandits lamented inwardly, they saw Gan Jing holding half of the wood in each hand, pulling them back behind him, and then… violently shoving them forward!

Wuwuwu! The quiet courtyard once again echoed with a deep, harsh roar of wind, louder than before! A faint undertone of war drums seemed to be mixed within the sound, slamming brutally into the chests of the two bandits.

Bang! Kacha-chaka… As the impact sounded, the snapping of bones immediately followed from their chests. The two young bandits were thrown backward, tumbling away, spitting mouthfuls of scarlet, blinding blood.

“I shall grant your wish,” Gan Jing, steadying the still-swaying pieces of wood, paced toward the young bandits who had been sent flying, now rolling on the ground, spitting blood and nursing broken bones. If he hadn't possessed the formidable defensive Dou Technique, the Wind and Cloud Golden Body, and if his reaction hadn't been quick enough, the one spitting blood and nursing broken bones on the ground now… would be him! There was no need for softness, no reason to hold back! Gan Jing quietly observed the two groaning bandits on the ground. “You wanted to fly; I have satisfied you. Now tell me, as a newcomer sent here for 'Training,' who should I seek out?” The two young bandits lay on the ground, groaning, staring blankly at Gan Jing. That burst of Dou Qi and impact force in that brief moment… This… Is this truly a newcomer? How can a newcomer be this arrogant? Aren't the new arrivals usually subjected to some initial ridicule?

“You won’t speak?” Gan Jing clasped his hands behind his back, not sparing a glance at the two groaning figures, and continued walking deeper into the training grounds. Bandit training? What a joke! Gan Jing shook his head lightly. He recalled 'Fei' mentioning that as long as one gained the approval of the Bandit Guide, the training could be concluded early. If that was the case, why waste time here continuing with this supposedly useless training? Gan Jing kept stepping forward. He had neither the time nor the inclination to hide somewhere, feigning weakness, waiting for others to step on him until he was crushed!

Gan Jing walked forward step by step, entering the depths of the Bandit King’s camp. Being a bandit wasn't his true ambition, and the training seemed utterly tedious. Since this place was one where brute strength determined everything, what more was there to say? Just fight!

Passing through the outermost ring of the earth stronghold, he entered a deeper courtyard. Four young bandits, wielding various weapons and clad in metal armor, were sparring and striking one another. Seeing Gan Jing, the four men’s eyes instantly lit up. This person is unfamiliar! So young; he must also be a bandit here for training, right? The four young bandits ceased their fight and simultaneously advanced toward Gan Jing, their metal battle boots striking the ground with a grating zheng zheng sound that made one’s scalp tingle.

“Are you the Bandit Guides?” Gan Jing did not slow his pace as he walked forward. “Do you wish to spar?” The four ill-intentioned bandits showed expressions of shocked bewilderment. Why isn't this brat afraid? Where is the timidity typical of newcomers?

“Newcomer, move aside! Clean up that equipment, or we really will have a match with you…” The tallest bandit, holding two iron hammers, stared directly into Gan Jing’s eyes, attempting to gauge the youth's true state from his expression during the exchange. If he saw even a sliver of fear in his eyes, he would attack immediately. Otherwise, he would reconsider.

“Then let us fight!” Gan Jing’s foot suddenly pivoted on the ground—like extinguishing a cigarette with the Unwavering Wind Step—his body tilting slightly forward, his whole form resembling a nimble leopard. The sound of his movement cutting through the air instantly interrupted the bandit’s speech. He appeared before the four bandits as if teleporting. Gan Jing thrust both hands forward, seizing the handle of the hammer held by the speaking bandit. With a sharp downward yank of his wrist, the bandit felt a searing pain shoot through his palm, as if chili powder had been liberally sprinkled onto a fresh wound.

Kacha! The bandit felt an immense force pulling both his shoulders downward, instantly wrenching them both out of their sockets. Tiny, crystal beads of cold sweat erupted on his forehead.

Before the other three bandits could react, Gan Jing casually tossed the heavy hammer behind him. The Battle Meridians in both his arms vibrated intensely, his Dou Qi instantly transforming into the taut string of a strong bow, launching his arms forward like arrows. Before the roaring sound of his body cleaving the air had ceased, a sound like a volley of arrows suddenly erupted. The four bandits felt as if they were ambushed by a hundred archers, with countless powerful arrows hurtling toward them, and they couldn't tell which one would arrive first.

Dou Technique! Chained Arrows!

The four bandits’ vision blurred; they tried to retreat but couldn't find a safe spot. Before any movement could manifest, a rapid, stormy barrage of metal clangs sounded. The immense piercing force, like a herd of charging wild oxen, tore through their metal armor and hammered deep into their bodies, sending all four of them flying high into the air.

Ding ding dong dong… The four bandits crashed back to the ground, sounding like dozens of iron pots simultaneously falling, creating a cascade of metallic collisions. Gan Jing slowly straightened up, hands behind his back, and continued walking forward.

The four bandits simultaneously spat mouthfuls of blood. They tried to move but found that at least ten ribs on each were broken. Looking down, their eyes were completely glazed over! The iron armor, capable of deflecting arrow strikes, was… was completely caved in! It looked as if dozens of blacksmiths, wielding heavy sledgehammers, had mindlessly pounded and hammered the armor—countless dents and depressions pressed tightly against their skin and bone.

Who… who is this newcomer? The four bandits were too stunned to speak, exchanging bewildered glances, trying to find an answer in each other's eyes. Did he not know what pain was? This was metal armor! He seemed to have used his fists just now… His fists were harder than metal armor?

Gan Jing continued moving forward. The training grounds, which looked vast from the outside, felt even larger upon entering personally. Passing through one small courtyard, he entered another. As the gate of this new courtyard opened, a flurry of swift, dull impacts whistling through the air rushed toward him.

Dozens of arrows instantly appeared in Gan Jing’s pupils! The arrowheads were not sharp points but small cylinders—the type used by the army for archery practice. Propelled by strong bows, even without sharp tips, the tremendous impact force was enough to snap wood—their attack was even more ruthless than the previous two batches of bandit trainees. The dozen archers listened to the pleasing vibration of their bowstrings, their pupils imagining the immediate sight of men with broken bones, screaming and groaning on the ground.

“Unqualified archers…” Gan Jing’s cold voice swept through, like a sudden cold current in summer, causing the temperature in the entire courtyard to plummet. He swept his left hand through the air in an arc—and every single incoming arrow fell directly into his hand.

“How is that possible?” The dozen archers shouted in astonishment, staring dumbly at the arrows Gan Jing held. He had simply drawn a line across the air, and every arrow was completely grasped in his palm?

“As an archer, the first thing you must achieve is to hide in the shadows, unseen by the opponent, and deliver the fatal blow at the most precise moment. Your attack… I sensed the locking presence at the gate before I even pushed it open. Failure compounded by failure.” Gan Jing spoke slowly, rotating his wrist lightly in the air. He drew out the Moon-Chasing Bow and tossed the dozen arrows carelessly to the ground. The fletching near his thigh swayed gently. The attention of the archers was instantly drawn to the arrows stuck in the dirt. These arrows had blunt, cylindrical heads. Usually, when practicing, they would smear the tips with white lime, and even then, they struggled to penetrate the straw targets. To stick them so deeply into the solid earth with a casual toss was even harder. What kind of wrist strength was that? And those were blunt-headed arrows!

“Today, I will teach you what archery is.” Gan Jing held the bow in his left hand and casually plucked several arrows from the ground with his right. Without even drawing the bow fully, he repeatedly vibrated his wrist against the bowstring. In an instant, the dozen arrows shot out like meteors, striking the bows held by everyone present.