’Chen Shanhe... he has the way!’

’A way to push open the Divine Gate and enter the Divine Domain!’

As this speculation surfaced in his mind, Qin Fang’s heart began to pound uncontrollably.

This was a true path to the Extraordinary!

Of course, this was all contingent on his speculation being correct.

What if Xu Ran’s death really was just an accident? What if Chen Shanhe had truly coughed up blood from excessive grief, and his only reason for hunting him down was to avenge his apprentice?

Then, of course, everything would be different.

But with so many disclaimers laid out...

Qin Fang grew even more certain.

’My guess is right!’

He took a few deep breaths, calming his emotions.

’But Chen Shanhe won’t be easy to kill... Hidden Weapons are likely useless against him. Even though I’ve reached Huajin, his Body Protection Qi is truly astounding... and a Huajin’s Perception is even more incredible.’

Only by reaching the Huajin realm himself did he understand just how terrifying it was.

That state of ’illuminating one’s self, like Seeing God’ made one virtually unassailable in combat!

...Unless you could crush your opponent with overwhelming, head-on strength!

’I’ll probably have to rely on close-quarters combat... But the Ox Demon Mountain-Opening Fist and Gale Saber Technique I’ve practiced are only Low-grade Leaf Skills. It’s not that I can’t use them to fight, but Chen Shanhe has been immersed in the Huajin realm for years. He’s a Grandmaster of a boxing hall; who knows how many refined Leaf Skills he’s mastered. He might even have a Cultivation Technique specifically for the Huajin realm...’

Qin Fang’s brow furrowed.

Although he’d had epiphanies, they had mostly revealed only basic applications.

’It wasn’t false modesty, but he truly didn’t believe he was smart enough to casually create a Fist Technique that could compare to the Cultivation Techniques meticulously researched and refined by Martial Arts predecessors over countless generations.’

According to his master’s Root and Leaf Theory, when two people were in the same Realm, the role of Leaf Skills was immense.

Leaf Skills become more and more important in the later stages!

But his master hadn’t taught him any other Fist Techniques or anything of the sort before he left.

’Did my master not know any Fist Techniques of that caliber himself? Or was it because my main task was to break through to Huajin, and he was afraid teaching me would distract me and slow my progress?’

The reason was unknown, but it didn’t matter now.

The crucial question was, what now?

Qin Fang’s brow knitted together.

After a moment, he took a deep breath.

’Forget it. Win or lose, I’ll find out once we clash!’

’Besides, we’re both in the Huajin realm. Even if I can’t beat him, can’t I still escape?’

He was fairly confident in his ability to escape.

If worse came to worst, he still had Xile.

’I’ll have Xile hide nearby. If I’m truly outmatched, I’ll just hop on Xile and bolt... In terms of speed, there’s no way my opponent can keep up with Xile.’

...Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to escape that first day.

He was a man of action and immediately began his preparations.

’Poisonous Thorns can’t hurt you... so I’ll just use the poison directly!’

I’ll poison my blade for close-quarters combat!

He refused to believe that he couldn’t land a single scratch on him when fighting for his life.

Was such a method too insidious?

...Qin Fang came from the streets!

To him, any method that could take down an enemy and ensure his own survival was a good one.

Insidious?

...It’s just a shame this world doesn’t have massive freight carts, not that one could necessarily run down a Huajin Powerhouse... otherwise, he’d be looking for one right now!

He found a long saber and began to sharpen it. Once the blade was gleaming, he took out the Poison Gland and began to coat it with Bee Venom.

After some thought, he found some oxhide and fashioned a few needle bags... ’Reaching into my robes for a Poisonous Thorn every time is too slow and clumsy.’

...While a Huajin Martial Artist was unlikely to be killed by a Hidden Weapon, they were still great for creating a distraction.

After all, Hidden Weapons were Qin Fang’s specialty. He couldn’t just abandon them, even in close combat.

He strapped the needle bags to his arms, legs, and wrists, securing them in places that would allow him to draw a Poisonous Thorn with maximum speed, no matter his posture.

To keep from accidentally pricking himself, he lined the bottom of the bags with a thin layer of bamboo. As long as he didn’t press down too hard, even a needle as sharp as a Poisonous Thorn would have difficulty piercing the bamboo.

He moved around a bit. It felt fine. Qin Fang let out a sigh of relief.

’Time to begin.’

He called out to Xile and left his shelter.

First, he had to find his target.

...

He hadn’t expected it, but he made a discovery just as he reached the foot of Old Ox Back Mountain.

He heard voices conversing in the distance.

Qin Fang’s mind raced. ’I let three of them go last time. I figured they’d be back for me soon. Looks like they’re already here.’

With a thought, he whispered to Xile beside him, "Go hide. Don’t let anyone see you."

Xile was too large and would be easily spotted.

Xile let out a chuffing laugh, then turned and bolted up the mountain path, vanishing in moments.

Only then did Qin Fang dart toward the sound of the voices.

"We’ve been searching for two days... searched every damn inch, and we haven’t found so much as a ghost."

"I’m beat. We’ve been at this for two days and a night. This is no job for a man..."

Qin Fang soon spotted them. Three or four hundred meters ahead, a few men dressed in the attire of the True Martial Boxing Hall were walking toward him.

All of them looked exhausted.

They had clearly been searching for a long time.

They scanned their surroundings as they walked... clearly looking for any place a person could hide.

"Chen Wu, aren’t you supposed to be familiar with the terrain around here? So what the hell are all these places you’ve been leading us to?"