บท 15: The assassin leader
"Old Bai, attack the barrier," Lu Zhen instructed.
Yu Bai was a little surprised by the strength with which Lu Zhen threw the stone. It was comparable to the strength of a martial artist at the middle stage of the martial trainee level.
Although from Lu Zhen's aura, Yu Bai could tell that he had undoubtedly reached at least the martial trainee stage, he couldn't determine the exact stage he was at. While one could sense if a martial artist was strong or not from their aura, it was challenging to discern their precise level until they demonstrated their strength or through the purity of their qi in the early stage.
Yu Bai was quite astonished that Lu Zhen had achieved at least the middle stage of the martial trainee level in just a few days of practising martial arts. Nevertheless, he was delighted with his young master's progress.
"Yes, young master," Yu Bai responded respectfully as he lightly and slowly punched the barrier. Despite the seemingly simple and slow punch, a resounding "boom" filled the air when his fist met the barrier.
However, to lu zhen's surprise, the barrier remained still, without even a slight movement. Lu Zhen was puzzled, as a casual stone from him had caused ripples in the barrier, and Yu Bai's punch should have been strong enough to break it.
But Lu Zhen didn't have to wait long for an explanation. Suddenly, cracks appeared on the surface of the barrier, resembling delicate spiderwebs spreading rapidly across its entire expanse. The cracking sound intensified, resonating like the shattering of glass. The barrier's resistance was finally broken, and it shattered into countless pieces.
The fragments of the barrier flew in all directions, glittering in the sunlight like a breathtaking display of sparkling jewels. However, as the cracks fell down, they disappeared as if they were mere illusions. Lu Zhen touched the fragments, but to his disappointment, they passed through his hand before disappearing.
"It looks like the barrier isn't too powerful or complicated; it seems to be designed to cancel out sound," Lu Zhen thought, analysing the situation.
Lu Zhen felt it was natural; after all, the barrier takes a lot of resources to make. Even this simple barrier, which could barely block a martial trainee's attack, should have required quite a lot of resources to build. From the looks of things, they were quite determined to kill Jiang Xue, too bad they met Lu Zhen.
However, he thought of an important point just now – if the barrier blocked the outside world, then the assassin leader should still be nearby. After all, the barrier doesn't identify friend and foe and simply traps all who were inside the barrier. When he thought of that point, he felt chills run down his back.
As if his speculation turned true, a shadow flashed past Lu Zhen's eyes, heading straight for Jiang Xue. Both Yu Bai and Lu Zhen couldn't react in time as the assassin leader appeared from the shadows and slashed at Jiang Xue with precision.
"Shadowsword Dance."
The sword in the assassin leader's hand shattered into fragments, but instead of falling to the ground, they turned black and blended into the shadows, becoming invisible to the naked eye. As if defying gravity, the black fragments swarmed towards Jiang Xue, drawn to her like a moth to fire.
Jiang Xue felt chills, although she couldn't see the fragments. She knew that if she was hit, she would die. So she ran at full speed, attempting to dodge the attack, but the sea of fragments surrounded her, attacking her from all directions.
Once again, the barrier appeared in thin air, blocking the sea of fragments. Although the barrier stood firm, the bracelet hidden under her sleeve started to crack more and more, almost breaking. However, before it could completely break and shred Jiang Xue to mincemeat, the attack luckily ended.
The assassin was stunned when he saw that Jiang Xue could block his attack from a peak third-stage martial artist with this barrier.
"So, you can withstand my attack, huh? Then try this attack.."
The assassin leader wanted to say something; however, a punch directly came towards his face, making him stunned. The punch connected to the assassin's face, and his previously bruised face became even more bruised as Yu Bai struck him with full might.
Suddenly, Lu Zhen came from the side and tightly caught the assassin in a grip from behind, restraining his body.
"Attack, Old Bai."
Although Yu Bai was momentarily stunned, he complied with Lu Zhen's order.
"Hmph, how dare these brat, a mere martial trainee try to stop me."
The assassin thought as he tried to throw Lu Zhen out with the back of his hands; however, to his horror, he found that he couldn't even budge Lu Zhen in the slightest.
Lu Zhen's grip on the assassin leader tightened, and the assassin struggled in vain to free himself. He wanted to use more strength to break free, but before he could do anything, Yu Bai's fists came raining down like a torrent.
"Mammoth Mauler Strike."
Old Bai's fists struck the assassin repeatedly, creating afterimages as they pummelling him. The assassin could only watch with wide eyes as every fist landed on his body, mercilessly pummeling him. He couldn't move his body due to Lu Zhen's tight grip, leaving him completely vulnerable.
Helpless, the assassin could only watch as his body was utterly destroyed under the relentless barrage of blows. His consciousness wavered, and he succumbed to the overwhelming force of Lu Zhen and Yu Bai's attacks.
As for Lu Zhen, although he felt a slight rebound, it was nothing much considering his monstrously strong body. His physique had already reached an extraordinary level. After some time, he even gained an unexpected sense of joy as a system prompt appeared in the corner of his eyes.
[You have adapted.]
[Adaptability has levelled up from level 1 to 2.]
Lu Zhen felt content upon seeing this notification, sensing something inside him had changed. Though he didn't fully comprehend the change, his instinct told him it was a good thing, so he didn't dwell on it.
He shifted his focus to the man he had gripped. It was only then that he realised the man was already dead. Lu Zhen quickly let go of the lifeless body, and the once formidable assassin leader now lay defeated, motionless on the ground, his body battered and broken.
To make sure the assassin was dead, with a swift and precise motion, Lu Zhen used the simple sabre he had to ensure the assassin leader was truly dead by slicing his head. Satisfied with himself, he nodded to himself.
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