A glint of cold, lethal steel caught the sunlight, aimed directly at Yoriichi's neck.
In that absolute fraction of a microsecond, the terrifying disparity in cultivation realms became painfully clear. The incoming strike carried the dense, suffocating weight of solidified Dou Qi—the absolute hallmark of a Da Dou Shi. It moved faster than the wind, carrying a targeted, venomous bloodlust that would have instantly decapitated any normal student.
But Yoriichi was not normal.
Pushing his Transparent World vision and his physical reflexes to their absolute limits, Yoriichi didn't try to dodge. The attack was too wide, the kinetic field too oppressive. In the absolute meantime, he shoved the lacquered scabbard upward, simultaneously drawing the blade an inch to lock the incoming weapon between the metal and the wood.
CLANG!
An explosive shockwave of compressed air ruptured outward, shattering the bark of tree beside them.
The sheer physical force behind the unknown steel was monstrous. Yoriichi felt his arm bones groan under the immense pressure. Using every ounce of his three-star Dou Zhe kinetic force, he violently twisted his wrists, finally deflecting the assassin's blades just inches away from his jugular.
The redirected momentum sent Yoriichi skidding backward across the damp earth. His boots carved deep trenches into the soil before he finally managed to stabilize his body.
A sharp, metallic taste filled his mouth. He spat a single drop of dark blood onto the grass. The sheer vibratory shock of blocking a Da Dou Shi's strike had caused minor internal tearing in his meridians.
"Ning'er!"
Xiao Yu cried out, her face pale. She instantly rushed to his side, her azure whip uncoiling with a sharp snap as she worriedly and cautiously gazed at the intruder standing before them.
Standing on the edge of the crystal-clear pool was a man entirely cloaked in ragged black clothes. His face was wrapped in dark cloth, leaving only a pair of cruel, sunken eyes visible. In his hands, he held a pair of wickedly curved daggers coated in a sickening, dark-green Dou Qi.
The intruder stared at his daggers, then at the red-haired youth, his eyes practically bulging out of his skull. He was likely more shocked in this moment than he had been in his entire life. A mere student—a frail-looking Dou Zhe—had actually managed to accurately read and physically deflect his absolute, precision-assassination strike.
Yoriichi wiped the speck of blood from his chin, his crimson eyes locking onto the man.
'Movements completely devoid of wasted energy. The silent, lethal intent of a seasoned killer,' Yoriichi analyzed rapidly, sensing the dense, solidified armor of Dou Qi shimmering faintly beneath the man's dark clothes. 'And his aura... it is exactly at the Da Dou Shi realm. Likely at the mid-stage. Two entire major realms above my own.'
The intruder didn't waste any more time analyzing the anomaly. Shaking off his shock, he let out a raspy, venomous hiss. He pounced on them like a starved shadow, his twin daggers slashing in a chaotic, unpredictable flurry of green light.
Yoriichi stepped in front of his sister, his katana fully drawn.
What followed was a brief, brutal clash of steel. For several minutes, the tranquil cove of the Silver Veil Falls echoed with the deafening, high-speed ringing of metal upon metal.
Yoriichi's expression remained perfectly stoic, but internally, he was pushing his physical vessel to the absolute brink. He was using most of his kinetic force simply to parry the heavy, solidified strikes. The man wasn't even going all out; he was likely testing this strange youth, amused by the fact that a Dou Zhe could hold a blade against him for more than three seconds.
Xiao Yu, desperate to help her brother, cracked her whip from the flanks. Third Form: Fluid Dance!
Her azure whip snaked through the air, attempting to strike the assassin's blind spots. But the results were agonizingly ineffective. The moment the scaled leather struck the man's black clothes, a solid, crystal-like barrier of dark-green Dou Qi flared up. The whip merely bounced off, leaving nothing but shallow scratches on the solidified armor.
"Tch. Annoying fly," the assassin grunted, casually backhanding the whip away with a burst of Dou Qi that sent Xiao Yu stumbling backward.
Realizing that a prolonged battle of attrition was absolute suicide, Yoriichi aggressively parried a dual-dagger thrust and executed a rapid backward dash, putting a dozen paces between them.
He lowered his katana slightly in a defensive posture, heaving deep, controlled breaths to soothe his burning lungs. He needed to buy time to formulate a strategy.
"Fellow Daoist," Yoriichi spoke, his voice completely calm, betraying none of the physical exhaustion racking his body. "These trench forests are still officially under the jurisdiction of the Jia Nan Academy. I hope you can back off before the Law Enforcement Unit arrives, if you care for your life."
The unknown man paused, twirling his green daggers. Then, he threw his head back and laughed—a harsh, creepy, grating sound that chilled Xiao Yu to the bone.
"Hey, greenhouse flower," the assassin sneered, his voice raspy and cruel. "Do you think you know the world better than me, eh?"
He began slowly circling the siblings, his sunken eyes calculating their weaknesses, looking entirely like a starving beast enjoying the helpless panic of its feast.
"Do you really think those trash academy guards can cover this massive area and guard it for twenty-four hours continuously?" the man continued, mocking Yoriichi's threat. "Then you are dead wrong, boy. There are many blind spots and loopholes in their patrols. I've been living in them for months."
Yoriichi, still trying to buy time and strategize a way to pierce the Da Dou Shi armor, maintained his diplomatic facade.
"I do not know what you are talking about," Yoriichi told him calmly. "But you should know of the existence of the Death Spirit Tree at the academy's borders. You know the fate of criminals caught within these walls. Why waste time on useless killings that will only bring down the academy's wrath?"
Yoriichi narrowed his eyes slightly. "If you want, I can recommend you to a mercenary guild within the city. You can live a respectful life."
The man laughed again, louder this time, and spat a glob of dark phlegm onto the pristine grass.
"Such a delusional, sheltered youth you are," the assassin mocked, shaking his head. "Do you think I care a single silver coin about 'dignity' or a 'respectful life'? In this continent, the weak are meat, and the strong eat them. As long as you are ruthless and strong, you naturally gain respect through fear!"
The man's cruel gaze then slowly shifted away from Yoriichi, sliding over to Xiao Yu, who was panting heavily behind her brother. A vile, unmistakable gleam of lust ignited in the assassin's sunken eyes.
"Aye..." the man purred, licking his dry lips. "It has been a long, miserable time hiding in these trench forests from those bastards. I am getting a little hungry, and a little lonely."
Xiao Yu gritted her teeth, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her whip. She knew exactly what the degenerate scumbag wanted, and a fierce, burning desire to cut the man into a thousand pieces flared in her chest. She took a step forward to lash out.
But Yoriichi's left hand shot out, holding her wrist firmly. He didn't look back at her, his eyes locked onto the assassin.