Chapter One Hundred Fourteen: A Single Tree Does Not Make a Forest

“Snap…”

A compact crossbow shimmering with a pale blue glow was tossed at Lin Hao’s feet.

“What’s this supposed to mean?”

“Don’t you want revenge? With your current strength, it’s impossible in this lifetime. Your martial skills in actual combat lag far behind. Now, even your vitality and strength are inferior—you’re likely no match for him in a single move! How pitiful…”

“So this crossbow can help me? What do you want?” Though Lin Hao hated Xiao Nan and constantly sought ways to avenge his father’s death, he wasn’t foolish enough to trust just any stranger in black. He knew there was an ulterior motive.

“No need to doubt me. Your father worked with me before he died. I was grieved by his death too. Helping you is only right.”

“You are Li—”

“No need to say it aloud; you already know. Anyway, here’s the weapon. Take it with you during your training. We’ll create opportunities for you. You’ve seen that man’s swordsmanship and techniques. In close combat, you stand no chance. Even if we send someone to help you, it’s uncertain because he wields a chrysanthemum-patterned steel sword.”

Lin Hao understood the implication. A fine sword in the hands of an ordinary person might not mean much, but in the hands of a true master swordsman, it was like giving a tiger wings.

The chrysanthemum-patterned steel sword was truly a treasure.

Against such a blade, the so-called invulnerability of hardened flesh and steel bones could be surpassed and severed.

Of course, this merely balanced the advantage of physical toughness among martial artists.

In actual battle, speed, strength, and skill still determined the outcome.

For someone like Xiao Nan, having a deadly weapon meant you couldn’t simply rely on superior rank to crush him through offense and defense.

No one knew what tricks he might unleash with his swordsmanship.

That introduced too many uncertainties.

The best strategy, naturally, was to eliminate him silently with an unavoidable, unstoppable ranged attack.

That was to use one’s strengths to exploit the enemy’s weaknesses.

Lin Hao nodded in approval, lowered his gaze to the crossbow at his feet, bent down, and picked it up.

He then loaded a small arrow, aimed at a nearby marble rock formation, and pulled the trigger.

“Crack…”

The azure crossbow, barely larger than a palm, roared like thunder.

A fist-sized hole appeared in the distant rock, quickly spreading countless cracks until it shattered into rubble.

A light sparked in his eyes.

“This is the Moonbreaker Crossbow!”

…

“First in training, huh? Heh, I won’t allow anyone to snatch it from me. Has the old man said anything else?”

Li Shaohua, shirtless, climbed from the bed and washed his hands in a jade basin nearby.

His face was smooth and radiant like white jade, but his eyes gleamed faintly with golden-red light.

On the bed lay a young girl, naked, her body grotesquely twisted, her neck bent at an unnatural angle, bleeding from her eyes, her breath long gone.

The black-clad man lowered his head, avoiding looking at her, his voice flat and calm.

“The master only said oneI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.