Chapter 203: Chapter 115: The Running Technique and Hundred-step Piercing Willow Arrow Skill Break Their Limits Again, Lin Luoxue and Company’s Final Frenzy

His vision had sharpened considerably—he could even see the cracks in the vines and the grain of the wood with perfect clarity.

The improvement was even greater than when his Twelve Forms Fist Eagle Form had reached Great Success.

[Skill: Hundred-step Piercing Willow Arrow Skill (Third Limit Break 2/3500) (Traits: Pursuit; No Distance; Meteor)]

[Meteor: At this level, your Archery Skills have reached the speed of thunder and lightning. With the bow drawn like a full moon, the arrow is loosed like a meteor. Before the sound of the bowstring reaches the ear, the arrowhead has already found its mark. A streak of gray-white light tears through the air, faster than lightning, too quick for the eye to follow. An ordinary Martial Artist will be struck the instant they hear the bowstring’s faint vibration, before they can even form a thought. Any attempt to block is utterly futile.]

"Meteor..."

Chu Fan whispered the name of the Trait, unable to hide the delighted surprise in his eyes.

He eagerly took a Purple Bamboo Arrow from his Quiver. The bow felt different as he drew it again—the string vibrated less, yet the force it returned felt more focused.

"WHOOSH—CHUK!"

Even without channeling his vital energy, the sound of the arrow slicing through the air was unusually brief, almost overlapping with the thud of it hitting the target.

On the tree trunk three hundred paces away, the new arrow hole had a smooth edge, as if it had been pierced by a sharp blade rather than chiseled out by an arrowhead.

Chu Fan had seen it clearly: as the arrow left the string, a thin, gray-white line had flashed through the air for an instant, so fast it seemed like an illusion.

’Such a fast arrow!’

His heart pounded. ’This Meteor Trait pushes the arrow’s initial velocity to the absolute limit.’

Even an ordinary Martial Artist who had undergone Mortal Transformation would be unable to react if caught off guard.

’If I were to furiously channel my vital energy and use a Black Kite Arrow...’

Chu Fan’s pupils constricted. He drew two arrows from his Quiver: one Purple Bamboo Arrow and one Black Kite Arrow.

He drew his bow and nocked the Purple Bamboo Arrow, firing it first.

The instant the first arrow left the string, the Black Kite Arrow was already nocked.

WHOOSH!

Leaving a crescent-shaped trail, the Black Kite Arrow caught up to the Purple Bamboo Arrow like a bolt of lightning and split it in two.

The pieces of the broken arrow landed on the blades of grass, bouncing twice.

"So fast!"

Chu Fan savored the sense of control that came with such speed. ’If I face Lin Luoxue, the Hall Master of the Punishment Hall, again, could she possibly catch this arrow?’

After putting away the Meteor Bow, Chu Fan walked lightly across the tips of the grass blades, moving quickly to retrieve his arrows.

The feeling of growing stronger was tangible and real, an intoxicating sensation.

He collected all the arrows and returned to his quarters at the Sub-Branch. After putting his bow, arrows, and saber back in his room, he slipped away from the Seven Stars Gang Sub-Branch unnoticed, blending into the bustling crowds of North City as he made his way to the black market.

It was time to find Old Limp in the black market.

’The Paperman is weak. I’ve already delayed for so many days; I can’t put it off any longer.’

’I have to get the information about the Moon Worship Sect to the Demon Suppression Bureau as soon as possible.’

’Any further delay could spell disaster!’

...

The black market of Cyan Yang Ancient City was hidden within the most chaotic ruins of North City.

The plaster on the walls of the alleyways within the ruins was mottled and covered in dark green moss. A sour stench rose from the sewage ditches in the corners.

Shadowy figures milled about in the gloom. Deals were conducted in hushed tones, and the sound of rustling robes drifted through the alleys. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The air was a mixture of the bitter scent of medicinal herbs, the tang of rusted metal, and the faint, almost imperceptible stench of blood.

Deep in one alley, two figures in wide black robes squatted in a corner, their faces completely hidden by their hoods.

A gray cloth was spread out before them, on which lay a hand-copied, string-bound book. The title, *Mountain-Splitting Fist*, was scrawled crookedly across the cover.

It was Fatty and Jiang Yuanfan.

Neither of them spoke, their eyes vigilantly scanning their surroundings from beneath their hoods.

Before long, another man in a black robe approached, squatted down, and began flipping through the Boxing Manual.

"It’s actually complete?"

The man’s voice was low and full of surprise. Most Martial Arts Manuals in the black market were incomplete; a full copy was a rare find.

"What’s the price?" the stranger asked.

Fatty answered in a pinched voice, "Thirty taels of silver. The price is firm."

"That expensive?" The man frowned.

"What do you mean, expensive? This has always been the price," Fatty huffed. "Thirty taels won’t even get you in the door of a Martial Arts Hall, and even if it did, you wouldn’t find a Boxing Manual this complete. Take a look at this *Mountain-Splitting Fist*—from Blood Nourishing to force generation, is a single thing missing?"

The man hesitated for a moment, then pulled thirty taels of silver from his robes and tossed them to Fatty.

Fatty shoved the silver at Jiang Yuanfan and gestured for the man to take the Boxing Manual.

Once the man was gone, the pair moved to another alley, where Fatty pulled another copy of *Mountain-Splitting Fist* from his robes and set it on the gray cloth.

In just half a day, they had already sold over a dozen copies.

Previously, Jiang Yuanfan’s entire fortune had been a mere three mace of silver—and Chu Fan had scammed it all from him, leaving him beaten and penniless.

Now, both of them were casually carrying several hundred taels of silver.

Chu Fan had obtained this *Mountain-Splitting Fist* from an Instructor of the Huang Family.

He had copied many himself, and he’d also put Fatty and Jiang Yuanfan to work transcribing them day and night.

The Fist Technique wasn’t particularly advanced, but its value lay in its completeness. For those who wished to learn Martial Arts but couldn’t afford to enter a Martial Arts Hall, it was a beacon of hope.

In that time, the two had secretly sold over a hundred copies. The money they’d earned was a fortune compared to what they used to have.

Even with the Seven Stars Gang in turmoil and security tight, the two couldn’t resist the temptation and had returned to the black market to try their luck.

"Fatty, that’s enough. Let’s go."

After selling a few more copies, Jiang Yuanfan tugged on Fatty’s sleeve, his voice tense.

He sensed something was wrong—several gazes had lingered on them for too long.

Fatty licked his dry lips and touched his chest—he still had the last three copies tucked inside his robes.

Though reluctant to leave, he nodded. "Alright, let’s pack it in!"

The two of them quickly folded the gray cloth, clutched their money pouches tight, and headed for the exit with their heads bowed.

They had only taken a few steps when both their hearts clenched.

Footsteps followed behind them, unhurried and steady, as if stuck to their heels.

At the mouth of a side alley, shadows flickered in and out of view.

They quickened their pace, and the footsteps behind them sped up as well.

Malice closed in from all sides like a cold, sticky spiderweb.

"W-we’re being followed!"

Fatty’s voice quivered, and the flesh beneath his black robe trembled.

Jiang Yuanfan’s palms began to sweat. They had both only just broken through to the Blood Nourishing Realm. They could handle ordinary folk, but in the black market, they were at the bottom of the food chain.