The impact shook Da Xiong's arms. "UGHH!" he grunted. 'What the hell! This kid is strong!'
CLINK!
"No way! This kid overpowered Da Xiong!" someone else shouted.
Da Xiong stepped back, hoping to use his halberd's reach advantage and strike once he gained distance. But Wu Zhe saw through his plan, closing the gap before he could act. Unending strikes followed, each blow forcing Da Xiong onto the defensive, leaving him no choice but to only block.
CLINK!
"Impossible… Da Xiong is being overwhelmed. He can't even counter!"
CLANG!
'God damn… does this kid have endless stamina?!' Da Xiong cursed inwardly. Every strike of Wu Xhe came in rapid succession, smothering any chance he had to retaliate. It was as if the moment he blocked one attack, another immediately followed.
CLINK! CLINK!
"My god, this kid is relentless!" another man yelled.
Step by step, Wu Zhe drove him back until Da Xiong's back scraped the wall.
Wu Zhe was close enough to yank the halberd from Da Xiong's hands, and he did.
This kid's grip is so strong, he thought, gritting his teeth.
Da Xiong tried his hardest not to lose his hold on his halberd, but Wu Zhe was just too strong. Eventually, Da Xiong's grip gave way.
Grabbing the weapon by its shaft, he twisted it until the sharp end faced Da Xiong's neck. At the same time, the blade in Wu Zhe's right hand pressed firmly against the same spot, both edges carving a thin line of blood across his throat.
Da Xiong froze, trapped between two gleaming blades poised to decapitate him.
If Wu Zhe weren't surrounded by so many witnesses, he'd have gone through with it, and cleanly severed Da Xiong's head. That restraint saved him.
"STOP!" the receptionist shouted, her eyes wide in disbelief. Da Xiong, beaten by a kid… he couldn't even attack, only block against Huang Yan relentless onslaught!
Wu Zhe froze, though every inch of his body burned with the urge to slice the man's neck. He chose restraint. "I'm sorry… You couldn't find peace.." he said whispering to Da Xiong, his voice so low only he could hear.
'What…?' Da Xiong thought, his mind struggling to grasp the meaning behind Wu Zhe's words.
In truth, Wu Zhe hadn't even fought at full strength. He avoided using his Qi and he deliberately held back using his full power. During the duel with Da Xiong, he realized that even if he used just a fraction of his strength in a strike, Da Xiong would have died, even if he managed to block. But, Wu Zhe saw no need to do so.
Every face in the training ground was in utter shock, all their jaws dropped. A Tier-7 hunter bested in a completely one-sided duel, none of the men could believe what they had just witnessed.
"So, what's my rank?" Wu Zhe turned around and asked the receptionist calmly, not a trace of exhaustion in his voice, as if the fight hadn't tired him at all.
"Ahem… since you defeated Mr. Da Xiong, it'd be Tier-6, Iron Hunter…" the receptionist said, her voice trembling in disbelief.
She still couldn't believe Da Xiong had lost.
"Hah… apologies, kid. It seems I was wrong about you" Da Xiong said, shame in his voice. "Welcome to the Silver Claw..."
"Welcome to the Silver Claw, kid!" one of the men in the crowd chimed in, and soon everyone around joined in, rushing over to greet him wholeheartedly.
Some even ruffled his hair, while others clapped him on the shoulder and back as a welcome.
Wu Zhe stood there, annoyed, but remained silent and still, letting them have their moment.
"Ahem…" The receptionist cleared her throat, quieting the commotion.
"Please, everyone, give Sir Huang Yan some space." She said, and the crowd immediately listened and gave Wu Zhe some space.
"If you'll follow me, Sir Huang Yan."
Wu Zhe picked up the sword he had placed on the floor and started following her.
She suddenly stopped and gestured.
"This is our mission board. Most jobs are requests to eliminate monsters, but sometimes citizens commission specific jobs. On rare occasions, nobles or wealthy individuals also post special missions with higher rewards."
Scanning the board, one mission immediately caught Wu Zhe's attention.
[Rogue Cultivator Killing in the Outskirts of Xiongwei]
[Description: DO NOT ENGAGE. Only scout and report sightings of this rogue cultivator in the vicinity. Under no circumstances is engagement advised, wait until backup can be contacted.]
[Danger: Rogue Cultivator, likely at the early stage of Qi Practitioner.]
[Required Hunter Tier: 3]
[Reward: 1,000 gold]
"Hmm… what's this one about?" he asked.
The receptionist's expression darkened. "That case… it's very disturbing. A week ago, the Lady of the Jue family commissioned most of the guilds to search for a man. When our group took the lead alongside several other guilds, we inspected the area and… we found a horrific mess."
"What we found… were three of the bodies were so burnt we couldn't even identify them. And the other two… ha…" She sighed, her face paling, as if the memory itself was something she wished she could erase.
Wait… isn't that me? Wu Zhe thought, glancing at the reward. Then he noticed the danger level, Qi Practitioner. He could barely keep himself from laughing at the absurdity of his danger rating. Still, he saw where it could've made some sense, they must have assumed his secret technique was the power of someone at Qi Practitioner.
"Sorry… where was I? Right. We eventually identified them with their IDs." She swallowed hard. "What we know for sure is that the killer murdered six people, including a cultivator. From what we could tell, it was most likely a rogue cultivator…" She glanced at Wu Zhe, shivering. "Honestly… just knowing that strong of a rogue cultivator like that is still out there terrifies me. Someone with that kind of power, using it to commit murder, especially against mortals… it… it isn't right." She shook her head, trembling slightly at the thought of it.