Behind the leaves, the man in grey clothes stared in Lin Xiu's direction, then suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Big brother, why did you hit me?" The man in grey clothes rubbed his shoulder, looking puzzled.
"Your chance has come. Go ahead, take them down." The middle-aged man nodded towards Lin Xiu.
"Me?" The man in grey clothes pointed at himself, forcing a smile. Beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks. "Big brother, can I take back what I said?"
Having witnessed Lin Xiu's strength just now, the man in grey felt that if it were directed at him, with his 6 Star Dou Practitioner strength, he wouldn't stand a chance.
"Worthless."
Seeing his reaction, the middle-aged man became furious, pushed aside the leaves, and said, "Forget it, I'll do it myself. You just follow me!"
As soon as the words fell, the middle-aged man dashed out. He had been observing all along and knew that this was the best opportunity to strike now that Lin Xiu was injured.
...
"Brother Xiu, are you badly hurt?" Lin Dun stood awkwardly by the side, his eyes scanning Lin Xiu's blood-stained right arm, filled with concern.
"Go prepare dinner." Lin Xiu waved his hand, fully aware of his physical condition.
Although it looked miserable, it was only superficial wounds. The only serious issue was the kick he received earlier, which had affected his internal organs.
However, this wouldn't hinder his recovery to full strength by tomorrow after a night's rest.
Reflecting on the previous clash, Lin Xiu realized he had been reckless and overconfident. The gap between a Dou Practitioner and a Dou Master was still substantial.
"That person clearly didn't use his full strength, yet I went all out and still couldn't injure him."
Recalling the collision just now, Lin Xiu felt the opponent's Dou Qi was like a vast ocean, dispersing his own Dou Qi.
"Fortunately, I had previously added points to Constitution, otherwise, I might have been blown away by his Dou Qi, rather than being kicked away."
Because it was his first time facing a Dou Master, Lin Xiu wasn't sure how many stars the opponent's realm was.
Therefore, Lin Xiu speculated that with his Constitution at 20 points, his physical strength could approximate that of a 9 Star Dou Practitioner or a newly promoted 1 Star Dou Master.
"By adding points to Constitution before, I can alleviate physical fatigue. I've never had internal injuries before, so I'm not sure if it will work."
With this thought, and knowing he wasn't lacking Attribute Points, Lin Xiu decided to add a point to Constitution.
A cool sensation spread from his limbs to his whole body.
"It seems effective." Lin Xiu noticed that the fiery sensation and the throbbing pain in his body had reduced by half.
He added another point.
Immediately, Lin Xiu's Constitution reached 22, and the strange feeling in his body disappeared rapidly. Moreover, the pain in his previously torn arm also vanished.
"After adding points to Constitution, it seems to repair the body, alleviate fatigue, and resolved the injuries caused by tearing and collisions."
A hint of joy flashed in Lin Xiu's eyes. Although it couldn't restore Dou Qi, allowing the body to recover was also a form of counterattack.
Increasing Constitution can increase one's own strength.
If in the future his Constitution value exceeds 1000, could one punch kill a Dou Emperor?
Swish!
In the quiet forest, the sound of leaves rubbing against each other suddenly echoed, as if something was shuttling through.
Lin Xiu looked in the direction of the sound, and two running figures came into view.
"Brother Xiu, it's those people from before." Lin Dun hurried to Lin Xiu's side, his face filled with worry, interrupting their half-prepared dinner.
He had seen those people before and remembered the faces of a few them.
"Kid, are you surprised? I'll tell you the truth. I've been following you all the way." The middle-aged man's face was grim as he stood ten steps away from Lin Xiu.
"If you know what's good for you, hand over all valuable items on you and kneel down to die. We might spare you a complete corpse," said the man in the grey robe, with the backing of his elder brother, as he sneered.
Hearing their words, Lin Xiu suddenly realized why he had always felt watched before; it wasn't just his imagination.
"Brother Xiu, what should we do? You're injured. Maybe I should stay back and cover you while you escape," Lin Dun whispered, his eyes scanning the two men opposite them with vigilance.
"Run? Do you think that's possible?" The man in the grey robe smirked coldly.
"No need to run. Dealing with them will only take a moment or two," Lin Xiu remained remarkably composed, feeling little pressure from the two.
"Blatant arrogance! We saw the fight just now. You're injured and still trying to act tough," the man in the grey robe pointed at Lin Xiu, speaking rapidly.
"Then come and try," with a clang, Lin Xiu drew his sword, its tip pointing diagonally towards the ground.
The man in the grey robe shrank his neck and stepped back behind the middle-aged man. "Big brother, I provoked him. Anger clouds the mind. His internal injuries must be even worse."
"Get out of the way." Pushing aside the man in the grey robe, the middle-aged man was not interested in listening to his chatter. With a low growl, he lunged towards Lin Xiu.
Two daggers slid out from his sleeves, gripped by the middle-aged man.
Clang! Clang!
Weapons clashed as Lin Xiu engaged with his opponent. The middle-aged man was extremely cautious, maintaining a balanced offense and defense with each strike. Even when he saw Lin Xiu injured, he didn't let his guard down.
"Flying Flowers Through Leaves!"
Lin Xiu's wrist flicked, and the long sword spun out in a flurry of dazzling movements, simultaneously bewildering yet precise, slicing through the gaps of the daggers several times.
In a matter of breaths, the middle-aged man's face bore several shallow wounds from the sword, blood seeping out.
His eyes narrowed, seemingly angered by being wounded by a greenhorn. With a swift motion, he reversed his dagger, locking the long sword, and swiftly closed in on Lin Xiu's hand holding the sword.
Swish!
Facing the sweeping dagger, Lin Xiu released his grip on the sword, tilting his head back and watched the dagger glide above his nose.
With one hand braced on the ground, as the middle-aged man thrust the dagger towards him, Lin Xiu kicked out first.
"Mountain Breaker!"
With a low shout, Lin Xiu's foot, accompanied by a gust of wind, struck the middle-aged man's shoulder, causing him to stagger.
Retreating several steps to steady himself, the middle-aged man's eyes flashed with shock. He was taken aback by Lin Xiu's swift response.
His finishing technique was usually foolproof. With his strength as an 8 Star Dou Practitioner, he often found success against new Dou Masters once he seized the opportunity to close in.
This was the first time he had failed in his perfected finishing technique, and against a young opponent no less.
"The boss actually failed. It's a good thing I didn't intervene earlier," thought the man in the grey robe, feeling a shiver of fear, realizing he almost followed in Li Si's footsteps.
The sword fell to the ground, and Lin Xiu decided not to pick it up. He charged towards the middle-aged man in three quick steps, his palm emanating a deep rumble like thunder.
"Take my Thundering Palm!"
His palm shimmered with lightning, and as the middle-aged man sidestepped, the palm aimed at his chest struck his shoulder instead.
Cloth on his shoulder shattered, electric arcs danced and delved into his shoulder, causing his hair to stand on end.
"Was your previous injury a deception?" The middle-aged man noticed Lin Xiu's excellent condition, completely unlike someone who had internal injuries.
"The dead don't need to know so much," Lin Xiu said determinedly, ready to take down his opponent.
"A 5 Star Dou Practitioner, thinking he's got me figured out," the middle-aged man assessed Lin Xiu's strength from his Dou Qi.
He raised his hand to block Lin Xiu's kick, his right hand turned into a palm, his skin suddenly turning as red as blood, and he slapped towards Lin Xiu.
"Energize!"
Realizing he couldn't dodge, Lin Xiu raised his left hand, his arm swelling and stretching his clothes.
After taking a palm strike, Lin Xiu's left arm sank down, feeling a surge of cold energy entering his body. With a grunt, he struck again with his right hand, unleashing another Thundering Palm that hit the middle-aged man's chest.
Both men stepped back simultaneously. The middle-aged man spat out blood and stared at Lin Xiu for a second before turning and disappearing into the woods.
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