Chapter 37: The Hunt IV
Martial artists were excellent at controlling their emotions and intentions thanks to their superb mastery over inner breath.
Inner Breath was a mysterious and profound force, originating deep within the recesses of a martial artist’s brain. Its connection to the mind granted it a unique bond with moods and emotions, enabling practitioners to maintain an unparalleled level of control over their mental states.
However, this intricate application of Inner Breath—to regulate emotional fluctuations and maintain absolute mental clarity—was not within the reach of beginners. It required an advanced mastery that only martial artists at the level of martial grandmaster or Transcendent could hope to achieve.
To Luo Ling, however, this limitation didn’t apply.
He had reached the apex of the martial path, and his mastery over Inner Breath reached unparalleled heights, transcending the limitations that bound ordinary martial artists. He had uncovered every nuance and hidden intricacy of this profound force, leaving no secret unexplored.
Although he was starting over again after his reincarnation, his experience with the mental force would not go away.
Four drops of inner breath were drawn from his reserves, and his sensory dome sunk by two square meters. Luckily, Li Kai’s position was still within this new shrunken range.
Those four drops merged into a bigger drop and then stretched into a thin curtain of mental force which then proceeded to wrap around his head.
A bead of sweat dribbled from his forehead as this delicate manipulation of his inner breath tore at his mental stamina.
Luo Ling wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, his expression calm. Without hesitation, he raised his bow, the string creaking slightly as he pulled it taut. The tip of the arrow perfectly aligned with Li Kai’s figure.
His breathing slowed, each inhale and exhale measured and steady. Every muscle in his body was taut, ready to release the stored power in an instant. In this fleeting moment, the world around him seemed to fade, leaving only him, the arrow, and the hunter-turned-prey.
Li Kai showed no visible reaction. Even when the arrow was ready to be released, his expression didn’t change.
Luo Ling’s brows relaxed as his conjecture was proven true. The curtain of mental force successfully blocked his emotional fluctuations, preventing them from being sensed.
This also revealed the secrets of Li Kai’s apparent ability to see in the dark.
Luo Ling released his fingers, and the bowstring snapped back into place with a resonant twang. The arrow shot forward, cutting through the air with lethal precision.
“Guh!” Li Kai let out a surprised gasp as the arrow struck true, its razor-sharp tip slicing cleanly through his back and bursting out of his chest with sickening precision. A hole no wider than a pinky finger now punctured his torso, its edges rimmed with crimson. It was dead-center—exactly where his heart should have been.
Luo Ling didn’t look relaxed. Li Kai had not fallen despite the fatal damage he had taken.
The hunter rubbed his fingers around the edges of the hole in his chest, his brows pulled together as though he couldn’t believe he had been wounded.
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Another arrow was loaded onto the bow, and Luo Ling was readied his second shot.
The fact that Li Kai hadn’t dropped dead on the spot was a wonder, but the former martial transcendent shoved the thought aside. Whatever the reason, it could wait. Right now, his only concern was ensuring Li Kai stayed down—permanently.
With a sharp hum, the arrow leaped from the bowstring, cutting through the air like a predator on the hunt. In the blink of an eye, it tore through the hunter's neck, and its remaining momentum drove him staggering several steps backward.
Li Kai opened his mouth to scream yet no voice came save for a few throaty noises. Blood gushed out of that pinky-sized hole, drenching the shirt he wore red as a strong metallic scent filled the air.
The village fugitive stumbled a few steps and slumped on his ass, unable to keep his balance.
Just then, another arrow lodged deep into his skull, dragging his head back and pinning him against the tree stump behind.
Luo Ling narrowed his eyes, remaining hidden in the shadows. Despite two arrows embedded in the most lethal points of the human body, Li Kai still clung to life. His hands fumbled around the arrow lodged in his skull, desperately attempting to yank it free—but to no avail.
He found Li Kai's unnaturally strong vitality baffling. External martial arts didn’t bestow such resilience upon their practitioners—of that, he was certain. Otherwise, during their last encounter, Li Kai wouldn’t have been so easily overpowered by him.
So, what brought this change? And why did Li Kai appear dumber than he used to be? Was there a connection? Luo Ling’s guts told him there was one.
The rusted knife, still clutched tightly in Li Kai's fingers, glowed faintly with a red outline under the lingering effect of Weakness. Luo Ling's eyes narrowed, his suspicion growing as he studied the weapon from afar. There was something deeply unsettling about it. However, instead of recklessly approaching to inspect it up close, he maintained a safe distance, carefully observing for any further anomalies.
In the following minutes, Li Kai’s movements slowed down considerably. His body, though unnaturally resistant to pain and able to dismiss what should have been fatal wounds, was not immune to the effects of blood loss. The crimson tide steadily drained his strength, leaving him barely able to twitch his fingers.
No one knew the workings of human bodies better than marital artists. People who have reached the 3rd stage of Martial Master and completed the refinement of internal organs with their inner breath could remain alive even after they took an arrow to their heart.
As a martial transcendent in his previous life, Luo Ling had extensive experience with such abilities. Li Kai's strong vitality was nothing to write home about compared to many strange abilities he had seen in the past.
-~X~-
Luo Ling stepped forward cautiously, his every movement deliberate as he approached the fallen hunter. With a swift motion, he kicked the rusted knife out of Li Kai's limp grasp, sending it skidding across the ground.
The once-tenacious hunter lay in a growing pool of his own blood, his skin pale and lifeless. Luo Ling wouldn’t get close until he was absolutely certain. Only after the faintest flickers of vitality had drained from Li Kai's body did he step closer, his bow still in hand, ready for any last-ditch surprises.
The hunter whose existence threatened his peaceful life had been put down which meant he successfully achieved what he had set out to do that night.
Luo Ling collected the arrows he had already shot, and yanked out the one lodged into Li Kai’s skull, wiping away blood and gore sticking to the metal tip against his clothes before returning them to his quiver.
Just then, a glint of light snagged Luo Ling's attention. A few yards away, the discarded knife lay half-buried in the dirt, catching the dim moonlight like a forgotten relic. The rust clinging to its blade made it look worthless—a piece of trash no one would bother with. But Luo Ling knew better. His Weakness had marked that blade as Li Kai’s sole vulnerable point.
For all he knew, Li Kai’s extreme vitality and loss of intelligence might be related to this knife.
Luo Ling contemplated on whether he should pick it up or not. Strange relics often bring unforeseen troubles as they carry polluted mental force of their previous users. He was not curious enough to investigate the changes of Li Kai and there was no need for him to take such risks. The last thing he wanted was to have his newly congealed inner breath contaminated by some strange foreign intents.
Luo Ling's sharp gaze swept over his surroundings. Only when he was certain that no trace of his presence remained—no footprint, no disturbance— that could potentially guide someone to him did he slip into the night like a phantom.
