Fen Tu Kuang Ge dazedly placed his hand on the back of his blade, his fighting spirit erupting once more and surging into the Zhanmadao. Immediately, the gleaming Zhanmadao let out a resonant hum! It was as if some metal object had violently struck the spine of the weapon, yet unlike the Erbu Spear, the Zhanmadao did not glow brilliantly from the impact of the fighting spirit. The palm Fen Tu Kuang Ge rested on the blade’s back was violently repelled, as if struck by an arcane missile, forcing his hand away from the steel.

“How could this be?” Fen Tu Kuang Ge stared at the Zhanmadao that had shaken off his hand, utterly shocked. “My fighting spirit... it felt like a warhorse charging at full speed only to slam into a solid wall.”

Qian Jin appeared completely unsurprised, tapping the Zhanmadao with his finger. “Truly first-rate Dou Bing must meet many requirements in various aspects. Regarding the conduction of fighting spirit, there are two basic and most crucial requirements. One is forward conduction; that is, the fighting spirit flowing from the user's hand should be as smooth as possible. The other is the blocking of fighting spirit. When you fight an opponent, what would happen if their fighting spirit met the Erbu Spear?”

Duan Feng Bu Er and Fen Tu Kuang Ge suddenly understood. “It would naturally be a true contest of our respective fighting spirits! But if a weapon puts significant effort into reverse conduction, it naturally forms the first barrier, blocking most of the opponent’s fighting spirit!”

“Precisely!” Qian Jin recalled the Zhanmadao back into his Dou Jie. “The finest Dou Bing doesn't just block fighting spirit; it has the inherent ability to dissipate it, much like a cone shape, which naturally disperses flowing water. However, this requires much more advanced forging techniques, which I haven't mastered yet. I can only modify the Erbu Spear to achieve the level of fighting spirit blocking seen in this Zhanmadao.”

The already quiet village instantly fell into a dead silence. For the first time, an expression of sheer stupefaction crossed the faces of Yi Feng Bu Er and Fen Tu Kuang Ge, their facial muscles twitching uncontrollably, looking as though they might choke to death from holding their breath. “You... you can forge Dou Bing?” Fen Tu Kuang Ge, hailing from a major aristocratic family, was even more shocked than Duan Feng Bu Er. “Are you... also a Forgemaster?”

“Something like that,” Qian Jin nodded. “I just haven't been certified by the Blacksmith Guild, but the Jidu Zhanmadao is something I forged myself.”

Forging Dou Bing! Fen Tu Kuang Ge looked at Qian Jin and felt, for the first time, that the world held such profound unfairness. Not yet nineteen, he was already a Demon Subduing Ninth War expert, an archer, and possessed a Dou Jie—and now, he was also a Forgemaster! Exactly! Countless warriors showed great respect to Forgemasters, yet this young man didn't need to show deference to any Forgemaster because he himself was one!

Fen Tu Kuang Ge struggled to compose himself. Having witnessed many grand scenes and powerful figures in the Fen Tu family, nothing had ever shocked him as much as today. Others might be remarkable for having one outstanding talent; he was only nineteen and already excelled in several! Perhaps in the future, he would become one of the rare Great Ear Forgemasters of the True Policy Dynasty?

“You are truly something else,” Fen Tu Kuang Ge managed, catching his breath and giving a thumbs-up. “If you learned alchemy next and became an Alchemist, I think I’d actually pass out.”

“About that... unfortunately... you might need to brace yourself to faint,” Duan Feng Bu Er, whose face was always smiling and nonchalant, managed to squeeze out a stiff smile toward Fen Tu Kuang Ge. “Qian Jin mentioned this to me once; he said he is an Alchemist himself... though I haven't actually seen him concoct anything...”

Fen Tu Kuang Ge stood there, mouth agape, staring blankly at Qian Jin, frozen as if a Great Magister had cast a potent Petrification spell upon him.

Fen Tu Kuang Ge felt like he was truly going mad. A Demon Subduing Warrior, an Alchemist, an Archer, a Forgemaster, and a Dou Jie! How could one person possess such boundless energy? Was this fellow even human?

“When we get back, I’ll adjust your saber for you if you like,” Qian Jin glanced at the weapon hanging at Fen Tu Kuang Ge’s waist. “A weapon forged from Eighth-Grade Refined Iron; the foundation the blacksmith used is quite good. With a few modifications, it can also become a Dou Bing.”

Fen Tu Kuang Ge was too stunned to speak. Creating a Dou Bing wasn't something even a Forgemaster could do on a whim. His own weapon had required his family to commission a Forgemaster for help. Yet, judging by Qian Jin’s tone, forging a Dou Bing didn’t seem like a monumental task! Did he possess a significant supply of rare metals?

“According to the map’s markings, I remember there should be a river nearby,” Qian Jin looked at the other two. “Let’s wash off the smell of blood first, and then we can see what the Demon Clan’s Dark Unit is up to.”

Fen Tu Kuang Ge nodded repeatedly after Duan Feng Bu Er turned around. Any Demon Clan member who joined the Dark Unit had taken the lives of at least a dozen people from the True Policy Dynasty, and as for how many Demon Drums they had claimed, only they knew.

Calling these individuals butchers and serial killers was no exaggeration; they possessed an almost innate craving for the scent of blood. If they didn't thoroughly eliminate the odors of intense battle, any attempt at stealth or concealment by the Dark Unit would be as obvious as walking naked down a busy street—guaranteed to attract attention. By the riverbank, Fen Tu Kuang Ge stripped off his clothes, revealing not only a robust physique but also a tapestry of scars of varying lengths crisscrossing his chest, back, arms, and legs. They overlapped in a horrifying display.

A shade of genuine respect entered Qian Jin’s eyes. To the layman, these scars looked terrifying; to a seasoned warrior, they revealed the true degree of danger endured. At least seven of those scars represented a razor-thin margin between life and death. For an ordinary warrior to possess the strength of a Demon Subduing Third War expert before turning nineteen, he had clearly paid for it with his life!

“So many scars, it really ruins the aesthetic,” Duan Feng Bu Er said after shedding his own clothes. Apart from a single sword puncture wound half an inch from his heart, there were no other marks. Yet, that single scar was enough to make the other two view him in a new light.

So close! Just a fraction of an inch! If Duan Feng Bu Er’s wound had shifted even slightly to the left, he would already be a corpse.

Qian Jin stripped completely and leaped into the river, leaving the two young men staring in stunned silence. They had expected the body of a Demon Subduing Ninth War expert to be marred by a scar pattern resembling a fishing net, but instead, the surface of his powerful muscles was smooth and gleaming, completely unblemished!

Fen Tu Kuang Ge simply leaned back and plunged into the water, saying nothing more. The shocks Qian Jin had delivered today were simply too numerous. Had he seen the sight of a completely unscarred body before, he would have been too terrified to believe it. But now? After the initial jolt, he felt nothing. Nothing at all.

Numbness! Fen Tu Kuang Ge had always believed that only pain reaching a certain threshold could induce numbness. He never imagined that someone could render him utterly numb just by telling him things, without even laying a hand on him. Even if someone announced right now that the current Emperor of the True Policy Dynasty was the illegitimate son of Lucifer, the Demon Clan Emperor, it wouldn't shock him nearly as much.

“If the Royal War Academy of the Divine Capital got wind of his records...” Fen Tu Kuang Ge raised an eyebrow, pondered, then shook his head with a wry smile. “Perhaps they would still care more about Bloodline Warriors? They might prefer to cultivate Qian Jin as a Forgemaster or an Alchemist?”

“That’s rather interesting,” Duan Feng Bu Er watched Qian Jin diligently washing the scent of blood from himself, chuckling softly. “I’m genuinely looking forward to the blissful and happy life at the Conquest War Academy now.” The night remained black.

The clouds still dominated the sky, and as they pressed against each other, the layers grew exceptionally thick, adding a damp, pre-rain atmosphere to the air.

Occasional howls of wild wolves echoed through the mountain forest, seemingly protesting the obscured moon.

For the Demon Clan, this was a damp season. Walking through the forest, every step crushed the fallen leaves and mud, forcing water out.

The three had been moving through this forest for two days, and based on the subtle traces they uncovered, they were slowly discerning the Dark Unit’s probable path of travel.

Judging by the erratic movements—sometimes east, sometimes west, then suddenly turning back—their true direction of travel was almost certainly toward the True Policy Dynasty!

Fen Tu Kuang Ge initially refused to believe Qian Jin’s assessment, but ultimately yielded under Qian Jin’s unwavering gaze. Though he couldn't fathom how Qian Jin could deduce the Dark Unit's path from such faint tracks, he still chose to trust this companion whose very presence exuded mystery.

After two days of tracking, Qian Jin confirmed one thing: the Dark Unit was definitely pursuing a single individual, either a person or a Demon Clan member! It wasn't some magical beast, a legendary Sacred Beast, or a strange ore deposit.

The clouds thickened further. Qian Jin lay quietly on the ground, completely buried beneath the wet, rotting, and foul-smelling leaves, silently awaiting the arrival of his quarry.

This forest was vast. Continuing to follow the tracks deep inside was inherently dangerous. The Demon Clan's Dark Unit members received rigorous, brutal training from childhood; rumors suggested their attrition rate was almost a death rate. Following too closely meant an easy exposure.

How powerful were the Seven Stars of the Dark Unit? Qian Jin didn't know, but he guessed that a Demon Subduing Ninth War expert would likely be insufficient against them. Rather than risk detection by tailing them, it was better to choose the best possible location and rely on luck!

Fen Tu Kuang Ge hunched his body, concealed beneath a massive boulder. The pungent leaves obscured much of his forward view while simultaneously hiding his body even more perfectly.