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A destiny ordained.
Li Guanyi looked at the starlight emerging in his palm. On the bronze tripod, the White Tiger Dharma Form had been fully invoked and could now leave the body. Replacing it, the Red Dragon Dharma Form was directly pressed onto the bronze tripod, unable to extend even a claw.
The tiny White Tiger Dharma Form raised its head and stepped proudly on the young man's shoulder.
Such power was not an illusion.
The first thought in Li Guanyi's mind was to go back immediately.
To let that Third Prince of the Tiele Country, who bore the Gray Wolf, also experience the power of the Dharma Form Martial Arts.
But he was, after all, exhausted at the moment.
He decided to rest and regain his strength, and return the next day.
As for the beautiful Shaking Light before him, Li Guanyi still held a strong vigilance in his heart.
There is no hatred without reason in the world, nor is there unprovoked kindness. To gain something, one must pay something in return. And as for the so-called Heavenly Mandate, Li Guanyi had already heard something similar. He inherently rejected the so-called fate laid before him, and so he replied:
"A destiny ordained, regrettably, I already have an engagement."
The young man's voice was composed and sincere.
"There was already an old gentleman named Siming who preempted it."
"Perhaps, you can go and have a word with old Mister Siming."
"See where I should go?"
I hope you two start arguing.
The silver-haired Shaking Light's voice remained calm, causing no ripples: "I am merely an assistant, not a guide. The path you take is chosen by you, not bestowed by anyone. And in accordance with ancient covenants, if you are to become the hero who discerns the chaotic world, I will be the one to assist you."
"If you were to become the monarch who ignites the flames of chaos, then it will be Breaking Army who seeks you out."
"Whether it is Shaking Light or Breaking Army, they are just different facets of the same star."
"The sovereign who discerns the chaotic world and the tyrant who ignites the flames of chaos can both be you."
Shaking Light stood up again and sat back by the campfire, quietly kneeling and bowing her head:
"Here lies a secret realm, completed five hundred years ago by my predecessor and the White Tiger Sect of that generation. It contains much knowledge of the stars and maxims. I will continue my studies here. You do not trust me, and I will not insist on accompanying you, but if you still need the guidance of the starlight, you can come seek me."
"I know that our paths will not be severed."
Li Guanyi, looking at the stars in the sky, responded without hesitation:
"The night has grown late, so now, I shall take my leave."
He put on his clothes, lifted the heavy Mo Blade, carried the Su Ni Bow and twelve arrows on his back, and quickly left. The hooded Shaking Light sat silently before the campfire, her eyes serene. The young man, who had been on the run for ten years, did not look back, and the silver-haired Shaking Light just watched the campfire in silence.
The two of them brushed past each other.
Sometime later, the sound of water in the brook once again became quiet.
Shaking Light reached out to take down the baked steamed bun, flipping through the book and slowly biting into the bun.
The sound of pages turning.
Crunch.
Shaking Light paused in her movement.
"......"
"So hard."
She turned to the other side.
Continued nibbling.
............
"Something's really wrong with this world, first it's Siming, and then this Shaking Light, the East Continent Stargazing School..." Li Guanyi walked swiftly outside the city at night. Whether their intentions were good or bad, it all meant one very clear thing.
Trouble.
The word most detested by a wanted man, a fugitive.
Li Guanyi raised his head to look at the night sky, the stars bright and dazzling.
He was tired of living life on the run.
Five days ago, he had already gone to the authorities to submit his official document for passing through.
Once he entered the realm, once he mastered the Xue Family's heritage, he would leave Chen Country. When leaving, he would write a farewell letter telling Old Mr. Xue everything about the secret realm of the Xue Family to repay the kindness, but not now, it was still somewhat unsafe.
What Heavenly Mandate, what Siming, had nothing to do with me.
Looking at the clear and beautiful night of this era, the young man's mood finally lightened as he walked briskly towards Guan Yi City. Guan Yi City had no curfew, but the city gates would still close. They would only open when the sky began to brighten at dawn. Li Guanyi planned to be there early to wait.
The night was too peaceful, so the sound carried particularly far.
On his way to Guan Yi City, suddenly, cries came through the wind, followed by a sound that made Li Guanyi's hairs stand on end.
The clear and crisp sound of steel rending the air.
The roar of blades!
Li Guanyi's pupils shrank, and he concealed himself behind a large tree. He pressed his right hand against the trunk, his Inner Qi circulating, and his body shot up over a meter high, scrambling up the tree in two or three motions, hiding among the leaves. His eyes, charged with the aura of the bronze tripod, enhanced his Pupil Power.
The White Tiger Dharma Form lay on his shoulder, also peering curiously in that direction, observing the distance. A Dharma Form possesses its own characteristics. Even without needing a high level of Martial Arts, it can still be effective.
The White Tiger Guard, ready to face enemies.
Wails came through the wind, not far from here: "No, help!"
"Help me!!"
From a high vantage point, Li Guanyi gazed into the distance and saw a burly elderly man get kicked away, his head bashed with the handle of a blade, blood flowing. A cart was overturned on the ground, vegetables scattered. Another person's wrist was twisted, and the leader looked somewhat like a scarecrow with a sack slung over a bamboo pole, his pancake face full of pockmarks.
Li Guanyi had a good memory and recognized who it was—
Qian Zheng.
A wanted criminal, on the run alongside Yue Qianfeng.
Li Guanyi recalled what the Ti Qi had mentioned that day. Qian Zheng, a squad leader of the border troops, turned into a deserter, leading over a dozen men in roving atrocities, brutal and merciless. Hands stained with the blood of over a dozen lives and guilty of defiling numerous women. In recent days, villagers going in and out of the city and hamlets have been warned not to travel alone.
At this moment, it was outside the city, an hour before dawn—the time when villagers would be transporting vegetables to market.
A squad leader of the border troops, a battle-hardened Entering Realm Martial Artist.
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Li Guanyi fell silent, and then he slid down from the tree, turned around and began to retreat quietly. An Entering Realm martial artist, leading a dozen people, wasn't an opponent that Li Guanyi, a teenager who had not yet entered the realm and was beaten by the Third Prince of the Tiele, could contend with. Of the thirty-six stratagems, retreat was supreme. He took a few steps, and the voices began to fade away.
"We're just poor people going to Guan Yi City to sell vegetables, please, sir, have mercy on us."
"Ni'er! Ni'er, run quickly!"
"Hahahaha, big brother, there's a pretty little girl here!"
"Good, good!"
"Old man, old lady, open your eyes and look at your daughter, hahaha."
The young man's steps slowed and came to a stop, the White Tiger Dharma Form on his shoulder hung its head as if in frustration and dejection. He looked up at the stars and pressed his lips together.
He would flip a Copper Coin—if it landed on heads, he'd turn around; if tails, he'd run away.
He took out a Copper Coin and flicked it into the air.
The Copper Coin spun.
It hadn't landed yet.
The young man had already grasped the Su Ni Bow and turned around, striding forward purposefully.
The temperament inherited from his previous life still churned within his soul, not so easily dissipated. A clan that only wished to farm the land, with the motto: "Don't make me bury you," had several reasons to leave now. The enemy was numerous and powerful, while he hadn't entered the realm, but there was one reason that sufficed for him to act.
He felt unsettled.
Fight first, do his utmost, and if he couldn't beat them, run!
Li Guanyi quickly climbed a tree with his bow, raised his hand to draw the bow and nock an arrow. The Su Ni Bow was silent as it stretched in the darkness, the arrow aimed at one man. Li Guanyi's heartbeat slowed, his fingers released, and the sound of the bowstring rang clear through the night air, like an eagle flapping its wings.
That man was reaching out for the girl when an arrow pierced his throat.
A wolf-fang arrow forged from fine steel, one tael of Silver each.
Given by the young miss.
A quiver of twenty.
The cost price, fifteen Silver.
The first tael of Silver!
A month's wages from the Huichun Hall gone.
In the night, blood spurted from the man's artery, silencing the surroundings momentarily. Qian Zheng, the leader who had come from the border troops, had eyes that instantly turned sharp. He rolled over, pulled out a Big Vine Shield from behind, while the other several, resembling common bandits, saw Li Guanyi steadily drawing his bow and shooting arrows, the sound of which was sharp as they cut through the air.
Two!
Three!
A Divine Shooter on the battlefield was an absolute nightmare. As his killing continued, the White Tiger Dharma Form began to transform, revitalizing its body, its fur bristled, and its eyes emitted a fierce glow as its breath grew heavy. Li Guanyi's mind cleared of all distractions, his arrows flew like rain.
Qian Zheng chopped down with his blade, splitting a spinning arrow.
But the broken front end of the arrow continued to fly forward.
He burst out his Inner Qi, turned, and with a snatch of his left hand, caught the arrow, yet he still felt a sting in his palm, his expression changing sharply, "This is a bow of immense strength, only a fine bow with a draw weight of at least three hundred taels could shoot such stable arrows."
There, his men planned to grab someone as a human shield.
But before they could, a shot through the throat had them clutching at their throats as they fell.
The speed was fast, the frequency high, the bow's resilience excellent, the arrow's center of gravity stable.
And the accuracy, exceedingly high.
It must be a noble son!
Guan Yi City, the Xue Family?!
Qian Zheng realized, bellowed, "He's in the tree to the southwest! Everybody charge, keep low, use your shields, don't take any hostages! This is a noble son from the Divine Bow Xue Family, with at least ten years of training, the arrows are extremely fast, your slightest sideways move could get you shot dead!!!"
"Quick, quick!!!"
The remaining men grabbed their shields and surrounded the tree.
Li Guanyi nocked another arrow to the bow, his Inner Qi circulating, and with a burst shot, the spinning arrow followed the Xue Family's archery technique that Xue Shuangtao taught him. Although it didn't pierce the bamboo shield due to its rotation, it was enough to unbalance an opponent, allowing the second arrow to pierce their throats.
Nineteen arrows, fifteen villains, all dead without exception.
The stench of blood was intense, only Qian Zheng, when arrows were shot, would shift the shield to dissipate the force, scattering the arrows. With a heavy charge, he slammed against the tree, bursting his Inner Qi, and broke it directly!
Li Guanyi lost his balance and leaped downwards.
Qian Zheng hid behind his shield, charging forward with his head down like a frenzied rhino.
Qian Zheng's eyes were red with fury.
At this moment, he could only hope that the Xue Family's noble son was not like the Divine Shooters from the border, proficient not only in archery.
Li Guanyi knocked the final arrow on the Su Ni Bow.
All the changes were like the day he fought the Third Prince of Tie Le.
But this time it was different.
The White Tiger Dharma Form raised its head and roared, the young man's temples flung back his black hair, as he leaped backwards and drew the bow. On the arrow, a golden breeze swirled, tinting his eyes with a faint luminance akin to that of the White Tiger.
The next moment, even the bow itself vibrated intensely.
The arrow tore through the air.
Like a golden thread.
It pierced straight through the bamboo shield in an instant.
Qian Zheng barely managed to dodge, but the arrow's speed was too fast; even an Entering Realm martial artist was penetrated in an instant, Inner Qi defense and all, the arrow shot through his left arm, tearing apart half of his shoulder with a golden wind, leaving only flesh and white bones, the force unceasingly rising into the sky.
Qian Zheng roared.
He drew his sword and amputated his own left arm, gasping heavily.
The Big Vine Shield that had shared life and death with him was now shattered. He felt a daze as if his own life was fragmenting like the shield. Gritting his teeth, he drew his blade, looking towards the Xue Family's noble son.
In the sky, the White Tiger Seven Stars had already risen to Central Heaven.
Then, he saw the young man opposite throw down the golden-strung War Bow on the ground.
And slowly draw out a weighty black War Blade.
Upon his body, a murderous intent resembling that of a veteran of Hundred Battles surged.