22: Chapter 22

22

In the resounding collision, the Blazing Firebird's figure swayed in the air. It hurriedly flapped its wings violently before barely managing to steady itself.

The dragon shadow Jiang Haojie had transformed into used the momentum to double back, pouncing once more toward the giant willow.

Although this Dragon-Shaped Phantom Art was only an elementary rank, and its mental cultivation level was inferior to the intermediate-rank "Universe Shift",

it granted the practitioner the ability to briefly transform into a dragon, integrating offense and defense into one.

Especially under a certain mysterious blessing, the power it erupted with was not inferior to the previous Lions Roar Technique.

In the distance, Qin Qinglan was already watching in a daze.

She had observed for a long time, yet she was completely unable to determine which system this mysterious person's Awakened ability belonged to.

At first, seeing his close-quarters combat style, he looked exactly like an enhancement-type Awakened who excelled in physical constitution. But after he transformed into a dragon shadow, everything became blurred and confusing.

His combat style was also vastly different from ordinary Physical Enhancers, revealing an indescribable ancient mystery and peculiarity in every move.

Just as Qin Qinglan's mind was reeling, the battle between Jiang Haojie, the Willow Demon, and the Blazing Firebird had reached a fever pitch.

The two monsters seemed to realize this enemy was troublesome. They actually cast aside their grievances and stood side-by-side, launching a wave-like offensive against Jiang Haojie simultaneously.

In an instant, the sky was filled with wildly dancing willow branches like poisonous pythons and whistling, falling blazing fireballs.

Facing this overwhelming joint attack, Jiang Haojie was ultimately unable to fully withstand it. The dragon shadow dissipated, revealing his original body.

He let out a muffled groan as a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and several more scorch marks and bloody gashes were added to his body.

Severe pain washed over him, but Jiang Haojie had no time to worry about it.

He forced himself to take a breath and once again circulated the "Universe Shift"

mental cultivation method.

The monsters' attacks surged in once more like a tide.

"Roar—!"

Another stone-shattering Lions Roar rang out, forcibly stalling the offensive for a split second.

Taking advantage of this gap, Jiang Haojie suppressed his churning blood, channeled all his remaining inner strength, and executed that incomparably fierce palm technique once again.

"First Form: Dragon's Wrath, Heaven's Regret!"

...

"Second Form: Soaring Dragon Piercing Clouds!"

...

"Third Form: Hidden Dragon Emerging from the Abyss!"

He struck out the first three forms of the Dragon Subduing Palm in succession. The fierce and overbearing palm power stacked layer upon layer, pouring onto the two monsters like a torrential storm, beating them until they screeched incessantly and their formation fell into chaos.

Both monsters were wounded, and the smell of blood instead provoked the ferocity in their bones.

They pounced toward Jiang Haojie again almost simultaneously—willow branches filled the sky, whipping down like iron flails, while fireballs shot out like a succession of arrows, burning the air until it distorted.

Jiang Haojie's figure didn't move; he only took a deep breath.

When the palm wind rose again, the dragon's roar did not come from outside his body, but instead vibrated out from every inch of his muscles and bones—low, thick, and causing the surrounding airflow to hiss.

The Blazing Firebird's wings suddenly lost their rhythm, and the old willow tree's branches also stiffened in mid-air for a moment.

For the first time, a look of shock that was almost human surfaced in their eyes—could this really be a power possessed by a human?

They could still barely manage to parry the first five palms; after five palms, the offensive pressed down like layers of a tide. They were left with nothing but pathetic blocking, unable to find even a gap to counterattack.

Fine sweat beaded on Jiang Haojie's forehead, and his face gradually turned pale.

He hadn't expected that by fully mobilizing this palm technique, the consumption of internal breath would be so surging, as if all the strength in his body was being drained dry.

In the distance, Qin Qinglan stared intently at that figure which remained upright despite the fierce attack, a trace of suspicion flitting through her heart.

So many distinctly different martial skills, such continuous and fierce power... Could he really be an "Ancient Martial Artist"?

But hadn't it long been decided that the path for Ancient Martial Artists was cut off and they were of no great use? Why was this person not only abnormally strong but also in possession of so many complete martial arts?

Could it be... the world was wrong?

While her thoughts were in disarray, Jiang Haojie's palm momentum rose once again.

"Eighth Form: Shocking a Hundred Miles!"

The dragon-shaped qi energy exploded resoundingly, causing the dust on the ground to swirl upward.

"Tenth Form: Twin Dragons Fetching Water!"

Two palm winds struck out crosswise, like a vicious dragon's claws, tearing through the willow tree's defense and leaving deep gashes at the base of the Blazing Firebird's wings.

By the time the eleventh palm landed, the two monsters already showed signs of defeat. Their bodies were covered in crisscrossing wounds, and their auras were in complete disarray.

They roared as they tried to counterattack, but the strange force carried within that human's palm wind could always penetrate their hardest defenses, causing their internal organs to churn.

They had never encountered this kind of fighting style—was this person special, or had the humans of today... all become this terrifying?

"Fourteenth Form: Loss with Sincerity!"

The palm energy was contained but not released, yet it burst with hidden force at the moment of contact, causing a fine crack to open in the willow tree's main trunk.

"Sixteenth Form: Walking on Hoarfrost, Ice is Coming!"

Cold air spread with the palm, causing the Blazing Firebird's flames to dim.

Jiang Haojie's face grew paler and paler, and his breathing became heavy.

He had originally thought the consumption of this palm technique was similar to the skills he used before, but only now did he realize that the further it went, each palm almost took away a layer of his strength.

But he couldn't stop—the ferocity of these two monsters had not faded. If a life-and-death struggle wasn't decided today, the one falling would be him.

With this thought, he gritted his teeth and pushed his internal breath to the limit.

The sixteenth form was struck out with full force. The air wave hit the two monsters like a giant hammer, and they flew backward several yards with a mournful cry, smashing through a patch of withered trees.

Jiang Haojie did not give them a chance to breathe.

He took a step forward, his sleeves billowing, and the opening move of the seventeenth form took shape along with a low shout—

"Ram Butting the Fence!"

Jiang Haojie thrust his palms forward violently. The qi energy swept out like a mad dragon, and a long dragon's roar seemed to echo between heaven and earth.

The final form exhausted all his strength. He stumbled and slumped to the ground, his chest heaving violently.

That majestic air wave slammed hard into the Blazing Firebird and the withered willow. Amidst their screeches, the two monsters exploded into a sky full of light spots, finally dissipating into nothingness.

Looking at the gradually calming battlefield, Jiang Haojie twitched the corners of his mouth, a weary smile appearing on his face.

This battle had almost emptied his trump cards. If there had been the slightest slip-up, the one turning into ashes right now would have been himself.

A crisp notification sound rang out in his mind.

[Task completed.

Reward: Eye of Discernment.

Note: This eye can see through the essence of all things.]

A glint of light flashed in the depths of Jiang Haojie's eyes.

The effort had finally paid off, but the price was truly heavy; at this moment, he had lost even the strength to lift a finger.

He steadied his mind and immersed his consciousness into the system space—the fall of two Tier 3 monsters should bring some decent loot.

Sure enough, two objects shimmering with faint light had appeared in the space.

One was a crimson scepter, the gem embedded at the top flowing with brilliance like solidified fire.

[Scarlet Flame Scepter: D-rank Dharma Tool.

Can increase the casting speed of fire-type abilities and store extra energy, giving the holder double the endurance.

Limited to fire-type Awakened use.]

Turning his gaze to the other side, he saw a thumb-sized glass bottle standing quietly in the void, the emerald liquid inside rippling slowly like a living thing.

***

Just as Jiang Haojie was wondering what this strange little bottle was, a segment of information suddenly surfaced before his eyes.

His pupils suddenly constricted, and his breathing hitched slightly.

[Healing Potion: D-rank Spiritual Liquid.

Can heal non-fatal injuries.

Note: Only produced after killing Tier 1 or higher plant-type monsters; effective on all living beings.]

He blinked, a wave of emotion surging in his heart.

This Martial God System could always bring unexpected surprises—slaying monsters could yield weapons, defeating strong enemies could obtain talent crystals, and now a Healing Potion had even appeared.

From now on, unless he was heavily injured and on the verge of death, he might never need to step foot into a medical clinic again; he could recover just by using a single drop of this shimmering liquid.

Just as he was planning to take out the potion for a closer look, a clear sound of clapping suddenly came from the forest.

Jiang Haojie abruptly looked up.

He saw a tall figure walking out from the distance. The black combat suit outlined her undulating curves, her long hair was tied into a sharp ponytail, and her features were like a blade tempered in frost and snow, beautiful enough to make one's heart skip a beat.

Even someone with Su Qingxue's appearance would seem slightly dim in front of this person.

Jiang Haojie's muscles quietly tensed, but he didn't show a hint of it on his face.

Using his sleeve as cover, he took the emerald little bottle from the system space, tilted his head back, and drank all the liquid inside.

The Healing Potion tasted much better than expected; it didn't have the bitterness of medicine, but instead carried a hint of subtle sweetness.

As the liquid slid down his throat, the wounds on Jiang Haojie's body began to heal at an incredible speed, as if invisible hands were rapidly weaving under his damaged skin.

Qin Qinglan stood not far away, keenly sensing the change in his aura.

A trace of surprise flashed in her eyes—for injuries to be restored in the blink of an eye was truly beyond common sense.

"What did you just drink?"

she couldn't help but ask.

Jiang Haojie turned his face, his gaze showing not the slightest softening because of her appearance, only cold vigilance: "None of your business."

"Don't misunderstand,"

Qin Qinglan immediately softened her tone, trying to dispel his hostility, "If I really had ill intentions, I wouldn't have appeared before you like this. My name is Qin Qinglan, a third-year student at Beichen Academy."

Jiang Haojie remained silent, but his gaze did not shift away from her.

At this very moment, several lines of clear information appeared out of thin air before his eyes:

**Name: Qin Qinglan

Age: Twenty-one

Level: Tier 3

Talent: SSS-rank

Ability: Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox (Mutated Variant)

Status: Peak**

His heart shook slightly.

This was the first time he had seen an Awakened with an SSS-rank talent with his own eyes; no wonder she could enter one of the Five Great Academies.

What surprised him even more was her mutated form—the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, an existence that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the legendary Five-Clawed Divine Dragon, far beyond what ordinary dragon bloodlines could compare to.

Seeing him staring at her, Qin Qinglan couldn't help but frown slightly.

If it weren't for the fact that there were no repulsive impurities in that gaze, she would have lashed out already.

Even so, such a direct stare still made her feel uncomfortable.

And Jiang Haojie's next words left her even more stunned.

"Understood. If there's nothing else, please help yourself."

Qin Qinglan had never been treated with such an impatient tone.

She took a breath and maintained a calm tone: "I really have no ill will. In fact, I want to invite you to join our team."

"Not interested."

Jiang Haojie shook his head bluntly, turned around and left, leaving her alone in the light and shadows of the forest.

It was a long time before Qin Qinglan recovered from her shock, and there was already no one in front of her.

She pursed her lips and eventually turned to leave.

From behind an ancient tree not far away, Jiang Haojie slowly walked out, cast an indifferent glance in the direction she had disappeared, and then continued heading deep into the forest.

The white fox was still his target, but now there was one more—finding plant-type monsters.

The effect shown by the potion was too amazing. If he could collect more materials, not only would he be free from worries about injuries in the future, but he could also sell them.

With such miraculous healing properties, wealth would be within reach, and purchasing a place for his parents to settle down would no longer be an unattainable dream.

Thinking of this, he quickened his pace.

...

At the same time, in another part of the Fallen Zone.

The fat guy once again lifted his wrist, the hands on the watch face moving silently. "It's already been thirty minutes," he muttered, "could it be that Qin Qinglan isn't coming?"

"If Qin Qinglan doesn't come soon, let's just go back."

A young voice rang out, carrying a bit of impatience.

"What's the rush? Can't even wait this little bit of time?"

A cold voice came from the side.

Everyone turned their heads and saw Qin Qinglan walking slowly from not far away.

She was dressed simply, her expression indifferent, yet she caused the originally restless atmosphere to quiet down.

"Qinglan!"

A young girl in a pale yellow dress had her eyes light up. She stepped forward quickly and affectionately took her arm, "You've finally arrived."

The corners of Qin Qinglan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a very faint smile: "I was held up by some trivial matters. Let's go; it's best if we can settle that matter today."

The five of them said no more and immediately set off to leave.

...

"Meow—!"

A black shadow pounced toward him without any warning.

Jiang Haojie slammed on the brakes, his right fist already swinging out instinctively.

This punch should have been a sure hit, yet it actually missed.

He looked up, but the space before him was empty; where was there even a trace of the black shadow?

What's going on?

Jiang Haojie's heart tightened.

The aura of that monster attacking just now was clearly real; how could it disappear into thin air?

"Meow!"

A vicious wind suddenly attacked from behind.

"Roar—!"

This time, Jiang Haojie didn't use his fist again.

His throat vibrated, and a violent sound wave erupted resoundingly, sweeping in all directions like an invisible raging tide.

That sneak attacker had clearly not expected this move. Before it could even react, it was violently blown away by the sound wave and crashed into a nearby dilapidated earthen wall.

Boom!

The wall shattered upon impact, and dust filled the air.