At the Canglang Martial Arts School.
Wang Jin saw Cao Rong in the distance, his bow fully drawn.
"Not good!"
His heart sank.
In the next moment, Wang Jin's figure exploded into motion, covering ten meters in a single step.
Swish
A constable's long blade was instantly snatched from his hand and now rested in Wang Jin's grip.
At the same time, Cao Rong released the bowstring.
Twang
The arrow split the air, leaving a long white trail as it shot straight toward Jiang Ning's face.
At a distance of less than two hundred meters, the arrow would reach Jiang Ning in about a quarter of a second.
Jiang Ning had no time to think. His blood and energy surged through his legs, and every muscle, bone, and tendon in his body erupted with full force. His internal organs were pushed to their limits, unleashing their full potential to support him.
"Faster!"
"Even faster!!"
As the arrow raced toward him, this was the only thought in Jiang Ning's mind.
Facing Cao Rong's arrow, he could only do his utmost to dodge. He was in no position to block it head-on.
An arrow capable of creating a sonic boom would tear through flesh and bone if it even grazed him, let alone if it struck directly.
On the other side, after seizing the blade, Wang Jin's body seemed to defy inertia as he instantly changed direction. Holding the long blade, he leaped into the air.
His gaze was fixed on the arrow speeding toward him.
Suddenly, five layers of internal force were stacked.
Hum
The blade, infused with immense internal force, vibrated incessantly.
"Break"
Wang Jin roared, and the blade in his hand slashed directly at the arrow's tip.
The air currents parted like water before Wang Jin.
Then, the moment the blade met the arrow's tip
Boom
A deafening explosion echoed in the air.
Wang Jin's body was flung backward by the arrow's impact, flying in the opposite direction of the arrow's trajectory.
The blade in his hand was now ruined, twisted beyond recognition.
Wang Jin's right arm, hidden beneath his robe, trembled slightly.
"The power of a single arrow is truly terrifying. As expected of Cao Rong, the prodigy of the Cao family! He's long since reached the seventh rank of martial arts, a master of tendon refinement!" Wang Jin thought, his heart filled with shock.
His arm felt weak, and his palm was numb.
He could sense that, at most, he could withstand two or three more arrows of this strength.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't need to block Cao Rong's arrows head-on. He could rely on evasion and use his internal force to redirect the arrows' momentum, deflecting them with minimal effort.
But now, that wasn't an option. Cao Rong had realized that Jiang Ning was Wang Jin's weakness. As long as Cao Rong aimed at Jiang Ning, Wang Jin had no choice but to block the arrows.
Wang Jin felt a bitter frustration he hadn't experienced in a long time.
He longed to charge forward and show Cao Rong his true strength.
With his mastery of the Canglang Blade Technique, which allowed him to stack five layers of internal force, Wang Jin believed he could dominate anyone at his level.
A single strike from him could decide the outcome of a battle.
But now, he could only entertain these thoughts in his mind.
Unless he abandoned Jiang Ning, he couldn't charge out of the school's gate.
On the other side, Cao Rong smiled. "As I thought, that insignificant Jiang Ning is your weakness, old man! I never expected you to value him so highly, even to the point of turning against my Cao family."
His eyes narrowed. "In that case, regardless of the reason, that boy cannot be allowed to live!"
He drew his bowstring taut once more, the arrow firmly locked onto Jiang Ning. A confident smile spread across his face.
Archery experts thrived in situations like this.
When the enemy had someone they were forced to protect, it meant they couldn't close the distance or evade. They had no choice but to face the arrows head-on.
In such a scenario, even if Wang Jin was a seventh-rank expert like himself, Cao Rong was confident he could hold his ground.
Even against a sixth-rank expert, Cao Rong would dare to fight.
With a weakness to exploit, an archer like him was practically invincible. He could attack relentlessly or target the weakness to prevent the enemy from pursuing.
The advantage was overwhelming.
Just then, a sudden sense of dread washed over Cao Rong. He felt as though the slightest movement would trigger a force capable of crushing him.
The next moment, Cao Rong shifted his gaze to a street below.
"Shen Congyun!!" His pupils contracted.
Then he saw the woman in green standing beside Shen Congyun, and his pupils shrank further. "Lin Qingyi!!"
"Why have these two deputy leaders of Wanhua Tower suddenly appeared? And why is Shen Congyun's energy locked onto me?"
Cao Rong's gaze fell on Shen Congyun's hand, where a green leaf was pinched between his fingers.
The leaf was enveloped in a white mist, and Cao Rong's pupils contracted once more.
"Internal breath!"
"This is... internal breath!!!"
At this moment, Cao Rong's heart was filled with shock.
As the prodigy of the Cao family, who had left Luoshui County to participate in the martial arts examination in Dongling City, Cao Rong recognized the internal breath enveloping the leaf in Shen Congyun's hand.
Internal breath, when attached to a leaf, could pierce stone and cut metal.
It could change direction mid-air, striking invisibly.
Cao Rong now understood that Shen Congyun's energy was locked onto him.
If he dared to release the arrow, Shen Congyun's leaf would shoot straight toward his face.
Internal breath was typically a hallmark of the fifth rank of martial arts.
Cao Rong knew that if Shen Congyun attacked, even a single leaf infused with internal breath could severely injure or even kill him.
This was Shen Congyun's way of warning him.
At the same time, Shen Congyun noticed Cao Rong's gaze and smiled faintly.
His lips moved slightly, and though no sound traveled through the air, his voice reached Cao Rong's ears.
"Cao Rong, how about giving me some face? Let the boy live, alright?"
Hearing this, Cao Rong's mind raced.
Then, he slowly relaxed the bowstring and lowered his bow.
"Since Deputy Leader Shen has spoken, I must give you this face!" Cao Rong laughed heartily.
He slung the bow over his back and leaped down from the roof, walking toward Shen Congyun.
On the other side, Lin Qingyi frowned at Shen Congyun.
"Are you sure about this? Intervening in Luoshui County's conflicts so abruptly violates the tower master's rules. You'll face punishment."
Shen Congyun smiled. "Qingyi, I've already considered the consequences before making this decision."
"I don't understand," Lin Qingyi shook her head. "How is a young, unranked martial artist worth this much to you?"
Shen Congyun chuckled. "There's nothing to understand. I just took a liking to the boy and felt sorry for him, so I decided to help."
"You're not the type to act on such whims," Lin Qingyi said, though she didn't press further.
Having worked with Shen Congyun for years, she knew his temperament. If he didn't want to explain, no amount of questioning would yield answers.
Still, her curiosity about Jiang Ning grew.
It was this curiosity that had led her to follow Shen Congyun out of Wanhua Tower.
She wanted to see what made Jiang Ning so special that Shen Congyun would break the tower's rules to support him.
The cost of this decision was enormous. Without a doubt, Shen Congyun would face severe consequences from the tower master.
Meanwhile, Cao Rong's mind was filled with confusion.
The sudden appearance of Shen Congyun and Lin Qingyi, the deputy leaders of Wanhua Tower, was completely unexpected.
Especially Shen Congyun's actions, which defied all logic.
Wanhua Tower was known for its neutrality, a principle that allowed it to spread across the nine provinces and thirty-six prefectures of the Great Xia Empire.
Shen Congyun's actions today violated this principle.
Cao Rong couldn't comprehend why Shen Congyun would intervene for such an insignificant young man, someone who seemed utterly unremarkable.
Then he thought of Wang Jin's earlier behavior.
"Could that boy be a hidden genius?"
A moment later, Cao Rong stood before Shen Congyun.
"Deputy Leader Shen! Deputy Leader Lin!" Cao Rong greeted them with a clasped fist.
Shen Congyun smiled. "Thank you for giving me some face, Brother Cao."
Cao Rong laughed as if the earlier tension had never existed.
He then said, "Since Brother Shen has spoken, how could I not oblige? But I am curious was it because of the person I was targeting that you intervened?"
Shen Congyun nodded slightly. "Indeed, it was for him."
"I see!" Cao Rong's expression showed understanding.
"Shall we go together, Brother Cao?" Shen Congyun asked.
"Of course!" Cao Rong agreed.
Then Cao Rong added, "I'm curious, Brother Shen, what is your relationship with that boy? Why go to such lengths for him?"
Shen Congyun smiled. He knew what Cao Rong was asking.
"It's nothing special. I just took a liking to him," Shen Congyun replied.
"Admirable!" Cao Rong said. "Brother Shen is truly a man of passion!"
He sighed softly and continued, "I was born into the Cao family, nurtured by its resources, but also bound by its responsibilities. I can't act as freely as you, Brother Shen."
Shen Congyun smiled again but said nothing more.
Lin Qingyi, the other deputy leader of Wanhua Tower, stood quietly beside Shen Congyun, observing in silence.
The three of them walked down the quiet street, heading toward the Canglang Martial Arts School.
The brief conflict had emptied the surrounding streets, with everyone hiding indoors to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Now that the commotion had subsided, they cautiously peeked out through cracks in their doors and windows.
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