Chapter 137: Bow Drawn Like a Full Moon, Arrow Swift as a Shooting Star

The sky outside the window gradually deepened into a void; there was neither moon nor starlight tonight. Xiao Nan checked the time and hurried his younger sister off to bed.

Returning to his bedroom, he picked up his longsword and leaped out of the courtyard. He had spent the entire day adapting to his surging physical strength, calming the restlessness in his heart. Balancing between grandiosity and leisure, he sought to harmonize his body and soul, to bring peace to his mind. Now, he felt ready to practice his swordplay. This sudden, explosive growth in power and the hardening of his flesh was, after all, an unfamiliar sensation. Whether it was unarmed combat or swordsmanship, he could not yet wield them with ease.

...

After running for about five minutes, he arrived at the grove of stunted trees where he often practiced. At night, the place felt profound and desolate. A cool breeze whistled softly through the treetops, inexplicably instilling a sense of tranquility.

He began by practicing his unarmed forms, running through everything he had mastered in his previous life—from Xingyi to Baji, Bagua to Taiji—performing each from start to finish. Only when he broke into a light sweat and felt his blood and qi coursing with vitality did he reach for his longsword.

He had not studied the sword in his past life and could not claim to have been fond of it. Yet, in this life—perhaps due to the innate talent of the little girl whose body he now inhabited—he found himself deeply passionate about swordsmanship, even more so than unarmed combat. With the sword in hand, he felt an intimate, blood-bound connection; the very air around him seemed to surge with excitement.

As the sword light cast a dense, sharp radiance and ripples of sword-silk spiraled out in all directions, he felt increasingly exhilarated. From "Green Silk Entwined" to "Slanting Drizzle," and then to "Fallen Flowers," nine sword blossoms bloomed and withered in succession, finally coalescing into a layered lotus throne. Then, the nine returned to one, and the sword vanished into shadow.

Overcome by a surge of pure joy, he could not help but let out a long cry, feeling the heaviness in his heart dissipate. His sword momentum suddenly turned fierce, and a spark of lightning manifested. Amidst a crackling sound, the blade cut through the dark night sky, causing a clamor in the stunted grove. Bird cries, insect chirps, and frog calls echoed one another, joining in a chorus of life that mirrored the vitality born from the lightning.

In the midst of this harmonious melody, a point of cold light emerged, silently piercing toward the center of Xiao Nan’s back.

*Whoosh...*

The sharp point tore through the air, the whistling sound of the wind following only after. Killing intent pervaded the area, and the grove fell deathly silent.

Xiao Nan’s eyes flashed with brilliance. The lightning-charged sword in his hand suddenly transformed into nine blossoms, spinning around his body. With a metallic chime, the cold light circled him three times. He deflected the cold arrow, ignoring the slight numbness in his wrist, and dropped low before leaping upward like a carp breaching the surface of a pond.

He landed and charged forward without looking back. His spirit, at the Fetal Breath realm, was like a full moon hanging in the sky, reflecting everything around him into his consciousness. He clearly sensed that while the arrow had come from behind with aggressive force, the source of the killing intent lay upon a tall tree about fifty meters to his front.

"A guided arrow. An arrow that never misses."

Realization dawned on Xiao Nan. He understood what kind of creature was ambushing him. The deep night, the moonless sky, the small grove, the expert archer, the hidden presence merging with the environment—all these clues coalesced. In a flash of lightning, an image surfaced in his mind: a figure with narrow, slanted eyes, a sharp chin, and pointed ears.

The creature was hooked onto a branch by one foot, swaying with the wind. The bow in its hand was drawn like a full moon, and its arrows were like meteors. Three cold beams streaked toward Xiao Nan, reaching him in an instant—one aimed at his brow, one at his heart, and the third at his lower dantian. One bow, three arrows; every shot was lethal.

Wait, there was a fourth...

It was a pitch-black arrow, slithering through the grass like a snake or a rat. It bypassed a dozen large trees and, nearly soundless, leaped from the ground behind Xiao Nan to strike the back of his head. The three arrows in front roared like thunder, while the one behind was like a viper hiding in the shadows, perfectly silent.

"Fine archery!"

Even in the midst of his anger at being attacked, Xiao Nan could not help but feel genuine admiration. His leaping form twisted like a braid amidst the shifting shadows of the branches. He shrank his neck, shifted his chest, arched his back, crouching and rising in turn. His body moved like a leaf caught in the wind—not necessarily with extreme speed, but with the grace of someone who had foreseen the future, narrowly avoiding all four death-dealing shafts.

Seeing the arrow from behind—the one that had missed—turn around with relentless intent to strike again, the calm, mirror-like state of Xiao Nan’s heart finally gave way to a sliver of fury. Five arrows in total, and yet, having failed to achieve his goal, the attacker dared to remain in place without fleeing.

"Does he look down on me?"

He could almost see the deep mockery in those emerald eyes.

His sword vibrated, manifesting nine floral shadows. As he surged forward like a gale, a streak of sword light, as illusory as it was real, slashed ahead. The branches and leaves of the great tree in front of him flew into pieces, and the grass along his path was pulverized into a wave of dust. His sword carved a long, crescent-shaped mark as it descended.

With Xiao Nan’s physique, covering fifty meters took only a few breaths. By the time he had parried the arrows and dodged the guided shot, he was already upon his opponent. His strike was like a flicker of light, a passing shadow.

The tall, slender figure’s eyes flashed with surprise. The pitch-black arrow that hadn't yet been released, along with the bow itself, were shattered in an instant. In his haste, the attacker leaned back to dodge, spinning and drifting away like a bird with a broken tail. Though his movement was ethereal and light, he was a fraction too late. Xiao Nan’s "Nine Returning to One" sword technique sliced through half of his body.

Blood sprayed as an arm was severed at the shoulder. The creature let out a shrill howl and leaped backward, scrambling like a nimble ape onto another tree. This time, he dared not delay, nor did he dare look back even once. In the dense canopy of the treetops, he hopped like a falling star, vanishing into the distance in a series of blurs.

Xiao Nan followed his sword, his body whipped up by the wind as he gave chase. His spirit locked onto the enemy, but he realized that despite losing an arm and half a shoulder, the creature was only running faster, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Consider yourself lucky."

Xiao Nan stopped, a rare trace of annoyance rising in his heart. "The frontal combat capability of these Tree Barbarians isn't particularly formidable, but their movement is far too agile and swift. Especially in the woods—they are a hundred times more nimble than monkeys."

Since he failed to kill him with one strike, there would naturally be no second chance. He returned to the place where the trees had been felled and crouched down. Looking at the greenish blood, which emitted a faint, fresh scent of vegetation, a shadow of unease settled over his heart.

He recalled something. During the trials, although Wang Yuanzhi and Su Yuqing had constantly praised him for his ability to defeat the strong while weak, for slaying the Wolf Barbarian priest, and for escaping unscathed from an elite Wolf Barbarian leader—calling his choices wise—they had never once denied the ferocity of Li Shaohua, who had managed to kill one and capture another of these Tree Barbarians.

At the time, Xiao Nan hadn't thought much of it, and even when Su Yuqing expressed concern, he had been full of confidence. Only now, having experienced it himself, did he understand just how difficult it was to kill these darlings of the forest. The challenge wasn't a lack of power, but the inability to land a blow. His speed was simply no match for theirs.