A first display of Talent.
Yan Jin was aware of Nie Li's piercing gaze and could understand the mindset of this spoiled child. To Nie Li, this was a test to see if Yan Jin was worth investing in, while simultaneously investigating his secrets. It was a good plan, but he had underestimated Yan Jin. 'It's time for this spoiled captain to meet some setbacks,' he thought.
He extended his hand toward the sky as if summoning something. The whole arena grew quiet. "What is he doing? Pretending to be mysterious?" Fu Shang muttered. Everyone was confused until a howling sound came from afar. Like a comet, the source of the sound flew at lightning speed towards Yan Jin, drawing the attention of the crowd.
"Did he call his weapon from his manor?" "What type of weapon is this?" The crowd murmured.
All three patriarchs, along with the captain, were surprised. Soul force was something you could only develop in the Blood Resonance Realm. A lucky individual with a soul-attuned bloodline might develop some soul force earlier, but usually only within 100 meters at most. Now they were even more confused. Was the technique used by Yan Jin soul force or not?
Yan Jin stabbed his bow into the floor of the arena, allowing it to stand on its own. "Guard Yan Yi, I will consider it your win if you can come within a 3-meter radius of me. As a matter of fact, I will consider it my loss if I move from this position," he said.
"For an archer, distance is paramount. He must have a way to keep Yan Yi away. What do you think, Grandfather?" Wei Shi asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"He is worth befriending," the city lord replied.
"Yan Yi! Kill him!" Yan Xin declared as the warrior ran incredibly fast toward Yan Jin.
Without moving the standing bow, Yan Jin fired more than a dozen arrows in succession, each coated in blood energy. Each arrow aimed at the feet of the running warrior. Yan Yi scoffed and dodged to the left as the first arrow arrived. Almost simultaneously, the second arrow reached his landing spot, prompting him to dodge back. The rest of the arrows came in succession, pushing him back to the exact position he started from.
As soon as he found a break, Yan Yi ran toward the bow again, this time using blood energy as a shield. The response was instantaneous. The first arrow knocked against the shield and was deflected like a pebble, drawing a grin from Yan Yi. The second and third arrows failed in succession, but the fourth arrow exploded on contact, blasting him back to his starting position.
The following arrows came in, exploding one after the other against the blood energy barrier, pushing Yan Yi back more and more.
Yan Jin stood tall and unwavering, a picture of calm amidst the swirling tension in the arena. His bow, an elegant black weapon almost as tall as he was, seemed to pulse with a life of its own, intricately patterned and emanating an aura of raw power. His long hair, braided and held together with a purple jade hairpin, flowed like a cascade of dark silk with every slight movement.
With a graceful, almost theatrical flourish, Yan Jin reached for his quiver. In one fluid motion, he drew an arrow, nocked it, and let it fly. The movement was so swift and seamless that it seemed like one continuous, effortless action. His fingers blurred as he unleashed a rapid succession of arrows, each one singing through the air with deadly precision. The crowd watched in awe as he performed this deadly ballet, arrows darting from his bow in a relentless, unending stream.
Yan Yi, on the other hand, was like a turtle caught in a storm of artillery fire. Clad in Yan family plated armor, he tried to advance, but every step was met with a barrage of arrows that forced him to retreat. He moved with all the speed he could muster, but it was as if he were wading through quicksand. He twisted and turned, but the arrows seemed to anticipate his every move, hemming him in, pushing him back.
Yan Jin's face remained serene, a slight smile playing on his lips as he continued his relentless onslaught. The elegance of his form, the precision of his aim, and the sheer volume of his firepower created a spectacle that left the audience breathless. He moved with a confidence that spoke of years of training and an unshakable belief in his abilities.
Yan Yi's frustration grew with each failed attempt to breach the invisible barrier Yan Jin had created with his arrows. His movements became more frantic, his strikes more desperate, but it was like fighting against an unstoppable tide. The arrows kept coming, faster and more precise,
The onlookers couldn't help but be captivated by the display. Yan Jin's mastery of archery was not just a demonstration of skill but a declaration of his dominance.
"Look at the speed of those arrows! How is he doing that?" whispered one astonished spectator.
"It's like he's controlling the battlefield with just his bow," another marveled.
"Yan Yi can't even get close. This isn't just archery; it's a whole new level of combat!" a voice from the crowd analyzed.
"Did you see that? He didn't even flinch when he drew his bow! His movements are so smooth, so confident!" an excited observer noted.
Yan Jin's mastery of archery was not just a demonstration of skill but a declaration of his dominance. The way he manipulated the battlefield, keeping Yan Yi at bay with nothing but his bow and arrows, was a sight to behold. The captain was the most shocked, he had expected a challenge enough to draw out Yan Jin's secrets but he couldn't help but be disappointed.
"I've never seen anything like this. He's making Yan Yi look like a novice!" Wei Shi commented, shaking his head in disbelief.
"This is insane! How can an archer control the fight like this?" a spectator exclaimed, eyes wide with amazement.
"He's too fast, too precise. Yan Yi doesn't stand a chance," Purple Spear Meng, grudgingly impressed.
The way he manipulated the battlefield, keeping Yan Yi at bay with nothing but his bow and arrows, was out of this world. It was clear to everyone present that Yan Jin was not just an archer; he was a force of nature, a master of his craft who could hold his own against any warrior, no matter how skilled.
As the battle continued, the gap between the two fighters became more apparent. Yan Yi, for all his strength and determination, was outmatched. Yan Jin's arrows seemed to be everywhere at once, a never-ending storm that battered Yan Yi from all sides. It was a display of pure, unadulterated power.
Yan Yi, unable to endure the relentless barrage any longer, felt his frustration boiling over. He was a peak Blood Purification cultivator of the Yan family, and now he was being toyed with by an archer. His pride and anger finally erupted. With a roar that echoed through the arena, Yan Yi unleashed his full cultivation. The air around him crackled with energy as he channeled his blood energy to its peak, his eyes blazing with fury as the shadow of a Snow dragon appeared .
"Enough!" he bellowed, the veins on his neck bulging. "Die!" he screamed, his voice filled with rage and desperation. In a blur of motion, he surged forward, leaping high into the air. His double-handed saber gleamed ominously as he brought it down in a powerful, arcing slash aimed directly at Yan Jin.
The crowd gasped collectively, the intensity of the moment gripping everyone. To the spectators, it seemed as if Yan Jin was about to be cleaved in two by the ferocious attack. But just as the saber was about to make contact, Yan Yi's eyes widened in shock and confusion. His blade passed through Yan Jin's form without resistance. Yan Jin vanished like a mirage, leaving only empty air behind.
"Why did he do that?" another voice wondered aloud, echoing the thoughts of many.
As Yan Yi's momentum carried him through, it became apparent to the crowd that he had gone mad, slashing at thin air with his saber. To them, there was no visible illusion—just Yan Yi seemingly attacking nothingness.
In the meantime, the real Yan Jin had already moved. With an elegance and fluidity that mesmerized the onlookers, he bent low to the ground. In one seamless motion, he drew an arrow from his quiver, the arrowhead scraping the stone floor in a circular motion as he drew it back. The movement created a faint, glowing circle of energy around him. The arrow seemed to pulse with power, humming with a lethal promise.
With perfect timing, Yan Jin released the arrow. It shot forward with blinding speed, a super arrow that cut through the air like a bolt of lightning. Yan Yi, still recovering from his wild strike, had barely a moment to react. The arrow clashed against his saber with a deafening clang. The sheer force of the impact shattered the blade, sending shards flying in all directions.
The arrow didn't stop there. It continued its deadly path, piercing through the shattered remnants of the saber and taking Yan Yi's left ear in the process. Blood spurted as the arrow continued its trajectory, flying off into the distance, completely out of sight.