Chapter Fifty-Eight
Wind speed, humidity, temperature, light…
The current conditions were undeniably terrible. Even with a sniper rifle in hand, taking a shot would be extremely difficult. However, An Jiu’s status as one of the most outstanding snipers wasn’t solely due to the power of her weapon.
A face-to-face shot like this might very well end in mutual destruction. Mei Tingyuan, standing beside An Jiu, was so tense she nearly forgot to breathe.
Apart from the howling wind, everything seemed frozen.
An Jiu slowly adjusted the angle of her arrow.
Mei Tingyuan’s eyes widened in shock—because she realized An Jiu wasn’t aiming at the black-clad figure on the ancient pine at all!
Just as confusion set in, An Jiu suddenly released her fingers!
The bowstring hummed, the arrowhead tore through the fierce wind, and a glint of cold light flashed in the dark night.
At almost the same moment, the archer opposite also released his bowstring. His arrow was wrapped in a blinding blue light, streaking across like a bolt of lightning!
Even a ninth-rank Martial Arts Master’s Inner Force couldn’t materialize like that! The opponent was clearly a Transformation Realm Master!
Mei Tingyuan opened her mouth to scream, but the sound stuck in her throat—she couldn’t make a single noise. Then, to her horror, she saw An Jiu standing completely still, making no move to dodge!
An Jiu’s eyes were fixed on that blue light, her pupils reflecting its brilliance.
"Are you insane?! Dodge!"
As Mei Tingyuan’s shout rang out, the arrow grazed past An Jiu’s temple with a sharp whistle. The gust of wind it carried tore off her hood, and the arrow embedded itself into the rock wall behind her with a loud thud, sending fragments of stone flying.
The black-clad figure on the ancient pine had initially paid no attention to An Jiu’s seemingly misaimed and Inner Force-less arrow. But in the next instant, he was stunned to see the arrow gradually veer off course due to the valley winds—by the time it was five zhang away, the cold glint of its arrowhead was unmistakably aimed at his chest!
His thick brows furrowed, and he instantly moved. Despite his speed leaving no afterimage, the arrow still pierced through a corner of his mantle.
Standing atop the cliff, the black-clad man lifted his mantle and examined the hole left by the arrow, his eyes filled with unconcealed shock.
An Jiu looked up, sensing the man’s gaze from the opposite cliff. Their eyes met for a brief moment before the figure vanished into the night.
The side of her face, grazed by the arrow’s wind, burned with pain. Turning around, An Jiu saw the enemy’s arrow almost entirely buried in the rock wall, leaving only its black-feathered tail exposed.
"You’re bleeding on your face," Mei Tingyuan said, her voice trembling with a mix of excitement and fear.
Seeing that the battle on the opposite side was still raging while Mei Tingchun had already crawled over, trembling, An Jiu pulled out some Wound Medicine from her pocket. She rolled up half of her face covering, wiped away the blood, and applied the ointment.
"You’re really amazing," said a girl from the Lou family, her watery eyes fixed on An Jiu, her voice carrying a childish lilt. "I’m Lou Xiaowu."
Mei Tingyuan didn’t pay much attention, assuming she meant she was the fifth in her family. But then Lou Xiaowu added, "Nineteenth in the family."
Mei Tingyuan paused, her eyes flickering. "You called her ‘Second Sister’ earlier. Is your second sister strong? What’s her name?"
"My second sister is Lou Mingyue," Lou Xiaowu replied hesitantly. "But Second Sister told me not to reveal her strength."
Mei Tingyuan pressed her sword against Lou Xiaowu’s neck. "Tell me!"
"No!" Lou Xiaowu declared, looking utterly unyielding.
"Really won’t say?" Mei Tingyuan pushed the blade closer.Lou Xiaowu glared at her. "If you dare kill me, my second sister will avenge me!"
"What are you glaring at! Showing off your big eyes, huh?" Mei Tingyuan flicked her sword against Lou Xiaowu's head in displeasure. "How childish!"
On the opposite side, after Mei Tingchun joined the fray, Mei Tingjun untied the rope and drew his sword to enter the battle.
"Shi Si, go help them," Mei Tingyuan said, no longer teasing Lou Xiaowu.
An Jiu ignored her, sitting cross-legged to observe the fight.
Lou Xiaowu seemed very interested in An Jiu but didn’t dare get too close. Instead, she squatted about two feet away and clumsily struck up a conversation. "Your archery is amazing."
"..."
"Weren’t you scared just now?"
"..."
"I noticed you didn’t even gasp for breath."
"..."
"Why didn’t you use your Inner Force?"
"..."
"Oh, do you not have any Inner Force?"
"..."
"That can’t be right. Your Mental Strength is so strong, your Inner Force must be formidable too!"
"Do you know Mo Sigui?" An Jiu suddenly asked.
Delighted to get a response, Lou Xiaowu eagerly replied, "No, who is he?"
An Jiu said flatly, "You should get to know him. You two are the same kind of person."
"What kind?" Lou Xiaowu asked curiously.
Without even glancing at her, An Jiu uttered three words while watching the battle, "Annoying as hell."
Lou Xiaowu shot her a sidelong glance and thought to herself: What a sharp tongue! No dignity of a master at all! I’m not going to admire her anymore!
Seeing that An Jiu had fewer than ten arrows left in her quiver, Mei Tingyuan didn’t press her to act further. Instead, she nervously craned her neck to watch the fight.
The enemy, realizing they couldn’t gain the upper hand and that the opposing side still had an archery master in reserve, began retreating while fighting.
The terrain here was narrow, with the wooden plank walkway creaking ominously as if it might collapse at any moment. Given the danger, Mei Tingjun and the others didn’t press the attack when they saw the enemy retreating, deliberately leaving gaps for them to escape.
Once the enemy had withdrawn, the five of them steadied their breathing and leaped over one after another.
"Let’s go quickly," Mei Tingzhu said.
The group didn’t even stop to tend to their minor injuries before hurrying off.
As they sprinted, the howling wind carried Mei Tingzhu’s words: "Those people were highly skilled in Martial Arts—they didn’t seem like trial participants! I’ve heard the Emperor has always been wary of the Four Great Families. Could this be an attempt to eliminate us? To avoid further ambushes, we should stick together!"
Lou Mingyue was still displeased about being used earlier, but she couldn’t deny the logic in Mei Tingzhu’s words.
"That’s right, Second Sister. The archer who ambushed us from the opposite cliff was a Transformation Realm Master," Lou Xiaowu added.
If they encountered a Transformation Realm Master, even if all nine members of the Lou and Mei families joined forces, they could be annihilated in an instant.
At this thought, Lou Mingyue’s eyes flickered, her peripheral vision catching An Jiu at the rear of the group. She didn’t understand why An Jiu hadn’t used her Inner Force, but that tangible Mental Strength earlier was undoubtedly that of a Transformation Realm Master! Could the Mei family have been hiding a once-in-a-generation prodigy?
"Agreed!" Lou Mingyue said.
The winding plank walkway descended, and the group used their qinggong to race down. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they reached the foot of the mountain—only to be met with an unfathomable sight: a vast expanse of pitch-black darkness. The pagoda before them was utterly bewildering!Amidst the dense pine forest, at first glance, it appeared to be a rocky mountain. But upon closer inspection, the entire mountain had been carved into a colossal pagoda! The pagoda was divided into seven levels, utilizing natural caves that had been meticulously chiseled, with countless grottoes adorning its structure. At the very top stood a smaller pagoda atop the main one, its silhouette clearly visible against the vast night sky.
The nine of them stood in silence for a long moment before Lou Xiaowu sighed, "I originally thought the trial period was too long, but now it feels far too short!"
"This must cover at least six or seven acres, right?" Mei Tingchun murmured.
Mei Tingyuan urged, "Let's hurry. We’re early, but if others catch up, there’s bound to be another fight."
A heavy weight pressed on the others' hearts. The issue wasn’t just about finding the Heavenly Book Fragment—someone was deliberately plotting against them.
"If your guess is correct," Lou Mingyue withdrew her gaze, "do you still plan to go in? There will surely be ambushes inside."
The Mei clan exchanged glances, falling into silence.
Mei Tingjun said, "Inside or outside, the danger is the same!"
"So you’re suggesting we enter?" Lou Mingyue asked.
"If His Majesty truly wants to eliminate us, nowhere is safe. Inside, we might at least find places to hide. Out here, we’d be completely vulnerable," Mei Tingzhu reasoned.
Lou Mingyue turned to An Jiu. "On the plank road, I sensed this young lady’s mental strength surpasses that of martial arts masters. You are..."
As she spoke, a surge of powerful mental strength spread like a tidal wave, then gathered into a towering crest that crashed toward An Jiu. Even those standing nearby felt its oppressive force.
Yet, when the wave reached An Jiu, it sank like into a swamp, not even stirring a ripple.
"Such formidable pressure!" Mei Tingzhu exhaled slowly, a strange feeling rising in his heart. "So you’ve already reached the eighth rank."
Lou Xiaowu said proudly, "Of course! Second Sister is the strongest."
Mei Tingyuan snorted. "And yet, she couldn’t do anything to Shi Si."
An Jiu pondered silently. Judging by their reactions, it seemed mental strength could also be used to attack others! But why hadn’t she discovered this ability in her past life? Was it unique to this world?
In truth, An Jiu had guessed somewhat correctly. In her previous life, such an attack method didn’t exist, but her tempered mental strength gave her an advantage here.
An Jiu realized that after spending so long in Mei Jiu’s body, her sensitivity hadn’t diminished—it had instead greatly improved. Each time she suppressed Mei Jiu while controlling the body for other tasks, she felt exhausted, but after resting, she found herself growing stronger and more adept at controlling the body...
The most effective way to cultivate mental strength was through combat and dire circumstances. The more hardships one endured, the stronger their mental strength became. Thus, for martial artists, refining inner force was relatively easier than honing mental strength.
An Jiu already had an innate advantage in this regard. Suppressing Mei Jiu was like adding weight to her mental training—an opportunity ordinary people would never have.
But how exactly did one perform a mental attack?
An Jiu recalled the time she attacked the Old Madam in her sleep. Given the Old Madam’s reaction, her martial arts shouldn’t have been weak, yet she had been cornered by An Jiu’s dagger. That couldn’t have been solely due to being caught off guard.
Suddenly, Elder Qi’s words echoed in her mind: Mental strength can also be called fighting spirit, the will to battle... Having realized this, An Jiu suddenly focused all her attention and unleashed her killing intent. At the same time, her long sword left its sheath, pointing directly at Lou Mingyue's face.
The sword stopped, and An Jiu's murderous aura gradually dissipated, allowing the others to move their stiffened bodies again.
"I meant no offense," Lou Mingyue said, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "My apologies for earlier."
An Jiu sheathed her sword. Faced with the apology, she didn't know how to respond, so she remained silent. (To be continued...)
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