Beneath the ancient boughs, Shi Yan dripped with sweat, his gaze as sharp as a honed blade fixed upon his left arm. Under his relentless watch, the limb was shrouded in a misty haze, tendrils of malevolent power coiling around it like restless spirits, stirring within him an overwhelming urge to lash out.

“Hoo! Hoo!”

Gasping deeply, he wrestled his inner ** under control. Slowly, Shi Yan drew his essence back from that arm, receding inch by inch into his lower abdomen. The limb gradually returned to normal, and the swirling white mist clinging to it flowed back along his meridians, retreating into the acupoints until it vanished entirely.

Leaning weakly against the trunk, Shi Yan’s face was ashen, his mind a storm of conflicting emotions.

This “Berserk” martial technique could catalyze the various negative powers latent within his acupoints. However, those powers inevitably corrupted his mind. The technique was a double-edged sword: while devastating against foes, it carried the risk of plunging him into a state devoid of reason. The might of “Berserk” was astonishing, yet dangerously volatile.

Yet, the memory of how effortlessly it shattered Kalu’s “Black Light Shield,” and the peculiar distress that flooded Kalu’s mind when the negative energies surged in, solidified Shi Yan’s resolve. He needed to master this wicked martial art across his entire body as quickly as possible. He yearned to know what transformation would occur if the negative powers residing in every single one of his acupoints were unleashed simultaneously.

He held a distinct feeling that once he fully grasped the first level of “Berserk,” his body would undergo a massive shift—his raw strength might easily surge one or twofold in an instant.

“Swish! Swish!” The sound of objects slicing through the void suddenly echoed from a distance.

Shi Yan frowned, stealthily drawing in his aura, even halting the flow of essence within his meridians. He watched the area below in silence.

Moments later, seven figures clad in gray robes and wearing stark white masks abruptly halted beneath the ancient tree where he perched, seemingly awaiting something.

On the shoulders of six of these gray-robed figures, a silver star emblem was embroidered; the seventh bore a silver crescent moon emblem.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz!” A strange sonic wave propagated from the woods ahead, sounding like a coded signal of communication.

Beneath the old tree, the tall, slender gray-robed figure bearing the silver crescent mark paused. A cold, malevolent gleam flashed in the eyes behind his mask. He listened for five seconds, then spoke in a chilling tone: “In the small valley twenty li away, the Dark Emissary has them pinned down. Follow me!”

The group of seven hurried past.

Ten heartbeats after they departed, Shi Yan tentatively poked his head out from the foliage. His face grim, he hesitated for a moment before leaping silently down from the tree and beginning to tail them stealthily.

…… ：The push for the new book is incredibly difficult. Little Ni sincerely hopes everyone can lend a hand. Seeking recommendation votes, seeking membership clicks—I beg of you!! E