Chapter 27: Encounter with the Masked Man Once More

But as a spectator, why are you not openly watching the performance from the sidelines, but instead lurking stealthily among the grass and trees, spying? Zhang Pu was not yet able to use certain supernatural abilities of the cultivation world, such as “spiritual search,” which allowed one to probe the surroundings with spiritual sense to discover what was hidden in the grass and trees. Yet, after cultivating for so long, he had developed senses far sharper than ordinary people. Though he had not yet achieved any form of psychic perception, he could nevertheless vaguely sense the subtle movements in the grass and trees along the path he walked.

His face betrayed displeasure at the spectators’ furtiveness. Still, Zhang Pu walked unhurriedly, thinking to himself: If these people don’t reveal themselves soon, I’ll be home in no time!

At this moment, he was the only person on the path. In a thicket at the edge of the road, five masked figures were gathered—not three as before, but five.

“Boss, it’s this student!”
The five whispered among themselves. The speaker was one of the masked men who had participated in the previous attack on Zhang Pu.

“Hm! I see how it is. None of you need to act; I’ll handle this alone. If I fail to strike him in one blow, we’ll leave immediately!” The leader of the masked men made his decision.

Indeed, the boss was no ordinary man. The other four masked figures marveled at his presence. To them, the student appeared unremarkable; if not for the previous defeat suffered by three masked men, they would never believe he was a formidable fighter. But their leader had discerned something more. From his cautious plan of retreat, they sensed that even he was somewhat wary of Zhang Pu—he’d already prepared a swift escape.

What kind of student was this, to inspire such dread? Some among them resolved to investigate Zhang Pu thoroughly afterward.

Just as Zhang Pu neared his residence, the leader of the masked men sprang into action—he rushed at Zhang Pu from behind with blistering speed, like something out of a martial arts novel.

At first, his movement was almost silent, but soon the hurried footsteps could no longer be concealed. He had not reached the pinnacle of light-footed mastery; continuous silence was impossible. His intention was to strike Zhang Pu quietly and retreat if his attack failed—he was wary of Zhang Pu. When first summoned, he had been full of confidence and even contempt: how could a student strike fear in the hearts of his companions? Ridiculous!

Yet, after observing Zhang Pu carefully from the shadows, using a certain technique he had learned, he realized Zhang Pu was anything but ordinary. Not just unusual, but so extraordinary that caution was essential.

Before the masked leader was within a few paces, Zhang Pu had already sensed his approach. In a flash, Zhang Pu could judge the hostile intent behind the attack. If they wanted a blitz, so be it.

Suddenly, Zhang Pu shrugged his shoulder, tossing a bag of medicinal herbs aside. Before the masked leader could strike, Zhang Pu’s Shadowless Hand was already in motion!

“What is—”
Such an uncanny fighting technique stunned the masked leader in an instant. He hadn’t even exchanged a single blow before being struck, though not in a vital spot; Zhang Pu’s strength was not overwhelming yet. Nevertheless, the leader was knocked back several steps.

He dared not pause—Zhang Pu sensed a faint aura of death approaching him.

“What is—”
Now it was Zhang Pu’s turn to be puzzled. In that brief moment, he perceived that the masked leader practiced a type of sinister art, not normal martial skills.

As the faint aura of death swept toward him, Zhang Pu was suddenly astonished—he felt his Eightfold Unity Art automatically activate within him, absorbing the deathly energy!

This Eightfold Unity Art, Zhang Pu knew, not only allowed him to absorb the spiritual energy necessary for cultivation, but could also draw in other types of energy—demonic, sinister, deathly, bestial, and so on. Spiritual energy could be directly converted into personal power, while the other energies, after being absorbed, would reside somewhere in his body; Zhang Pu knew that they required further refinement with special techniques to transform them into spiritual energy or, alternatively, to be used as offensive power against enemies.

Both methods required the right techniques, and after spending so long in various star realms of the cultivation world and achieving great accomplishments, Zhang Pu possessed the skills to refine and utilize these energies, or convert them into attacks.

Meanwhile, the masked leader realized that his attempt to harm Zhang Pu with the aura of death had been absorbed instead. This startled him immensely; feigning a move, he turned and fled in panic.

The masked leader’s sudden retreat was quite unexpected for Zhang Pu. As he had little interest in pursuing, he soon heard the sounds of others withdrawing through grass and trees.

Silence returned.

Yet Zhang Pu remained lost in his own puzzlement. He had not expected the Eightfold Unity Art to activate automatically, nor had he anticipated that the masked leader practiced some form of wicked cultivation. In this Qingwu region, Zhang Pu believed there were no other cultivators besides himself, but evidently, there were practitioners of demonic arts as well. Wasn’t that masked man just now one of them?

Though puzzled, Zhang Pu had no intention of chasing them. He believed that sooner or later, these people would seek him out again, once they felt confident. Zhang Pu was content to wait for them to come. If they lacked confidence, he cared even less.

He picked up his bag of herbs and returned to his dwelling.

Tonight, he had other matters to attend to.

After arriving home, Zhang Pu sorted the herbs—some for himself, some for Zeng Guoxing. Then, in his room, he arranged a medicinal array for absorption, laying out deer antler, epimedium, dodder, morinda, immortal grass, cistanche, eucommia, and other herbs to strengthen sinews and bones, and began to absorb their essence.