Chapter 289
Chapter 289 - Stage Three Inner Qi
Translator: BinBin
Editor: Vampirecat
Bang!
An explosion resounded. Qin Feng suddenly felt something blow up inside his body.
The excruciating pain that was choking him suddenly disappeared. Now, he felt a kind of indescribable pleasure—it seemed like the burden that had been pressuring his body and heart for 20 years was gone. His body felt as light as a feather, as if he could soar into the sky at any moment.
It felt like a raging ocean that had calmed down. It came with a violent and grand vehemence, and when it receded, it returned to a tranquil state as if nothing had happened before.
However, Qin Feng knew something had indeed happened, because he could truly feel his Inner Qi was stronger and deeper while his inner strength was more domineering and powerful.
This was a refreshing feeling, like spring bamboo up after rain, a thrilling experience as if he was reborn.
"Ding… Congratulations, Host Qin Feng, you've successfully raised your External Strength to Stage Four. You've been rewarded 2000 Hedonist Points.
"Ding… Congratulations, Host Qin Feng, you've successfully raised your Inner Qi to Stage Three. You've been rewarded 1000 Hedonist Points.
……
"Ding… New mission from Hedonist Sovereign System: Raise your Inner Qi to Stage Four.
"Time duration: Three months.
"If you succeed in clearing the quest, you'll be rewarded 2000 Hedonist Points. If you fail the quest, your Inner Qi will stop at Stage Three forever."
……
"F*ck, I should've blasted the little brat's brain out. You're going to die now anyway!" Silver Number 26 aimed his silver handgun at Qin Feng's head and pulled the trigger abruptly.
With a muffled "bang," the bullet turned into a streak of light and flew toward Qin Feng.
It was impossible for an ordinary person see the speed and course of a flying bullet. But now, the bullet in Qin Feng's eyes was flying as slow as a pebble thrown by an ordinary person. Its trajectory was imprinted clearly in Qin Feng's eyes; it was flying directly at his brain.
Shroom!
The corner of Qin Feng's mouth curled lightly; the aura around him suddenly thickened. Qin Feng then tapped on the floor using the tip of his foot and he darted out like an arrow released from a bowstring; he dashed forward like a bolt of lightning toward the villa where Silver Number 26 was.
Kaboom!
The huge metal frame toppled under Qin Feng's momentum and fell to the floor, raising a dust storm.
Qin Feng finished his movements within just a heartbeat. After Silver Number 26 fired, his countenance changed drastically. The scene of Qin Feng being headshot and his brain splashing in all directions didn't happen; he could only see the stage ravaged with dust and… that little brat was no longer in sight.
"He's coming! He's flying toward here!" yelled Bronze Number One. The astonishment in his eyes grew stronger and stronger.
There was nothing wrong with his description; Qin Feng was indeed flying.
He utilized the remnants of berserk power that remained in his body after his breakthrough. He jumped lightly and he'd already shot over a dozen meters above the ground. Within a blink of an eye, he'd landed on the top-floor deck.
Both of Qin Feng's legs landed on the deck's parapet; he looked down on the duo that was hiding behind the wall.
One was a bald Chinese man around 30 years old wearing a long white robe. He looked fixedly at Qin Feng with a grave expression. His outfit and appearance were reminiscent of a brawler monk.
The other person was a dark-skinned foreigner in black clothing. He was glaring at Qin Feng.
"We underestimated you, brat. Even if you've found us, the result is the same: you're gonna die." As an assassin, it was a disgrace for them to be discovered by their target.
This type of disgrace was even more severe for those top assassins in the Golden Assassin Crew. Silver Number 26 then waved his big hand, pulled out his gun, and roared, "Bronze Number One, let's attack him using formation A."
Bang!
Silver Number 26 was a highly skilled marksman. His shooting speed was incredibly fast; an ordinary person wouldn't be able react and wouldn't even know he was actually shooting. This was because he utilized the shooting skill Flick when he fired his gun. He'd swing his gun and aim at the target at the same time. After that, he'd use his fast reaction speed and do a pinpoint shot at the last tenth of a second.
Qin Feng moved; he disappeared in front of the duo again.
Seeing no blood on the parapet, Silver Number 26 knew he'd missed Qin Feng. When he realized he'd missed again, he became mad. He was a top assassin in Golden Assassin Crew's Silver Group; his bullets had never missed any of his targets until today. This was the fourth time he'd missed since he'd met Qin Feng and that mysterious woman.
"Brat, let me, Bronze Number One, meet you face to face. You dared to kill two dauntless warriors from my Bronze Group; today will be your demise!" As soon as Silver Number 26 fired, Bronze Number One made his move. His white robe shrieked loudly in the wind and his speed was as fast as a lightning bolt, casting an afterimage in one's eyes.
In a large garden behind the villa, Qin Feng stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He intentionally lured Bronze Number One here because this place was a better place for a fight.
Vroom!
A buzzing suddenly drifted over from the sky. From a small white dot, the figure of Bronze Number One grew larger and larger. Earlier, he was unarmed, but now a long staff gleaming with an icy aura had appeared in his hand. The staff revolved quickly like a helicopter's rotor blades above Bronze Number One's head, hurtling him toward Qin Feng.
A staff and a person, white robe and bald; Qin Feng suspected that this person was really a brawler monk from a temple.
"Brat, watch my staff!"
Bronze Number One gave out a loud battle cry as he landed. He tapped on the ground lightly and swung his long staff at Qin Feng's head.
Dang!
When the long staff neared the tip of Qin Feng's nose, Qin Feng waved his big hand and summoned a long sword with pale yellow glow. The Truesteel Sword clashed with the Phantom Staff, releasing a screeching sound that was deafening to one's ears.
"Orange Grade Spiritual Weapon." Bronze Number One's eyes were flashing brightly. He gazed at the shining Truesteel Sword in Qin Feng's hand and exclaimed, "So this was the reason why Number Five and Number Eight still couldn't defeat you even after they joined hands. It's because you own an Orange Grade Spiritual Weapon.
"The monk is going to take this Orange Grade treasure sword today!"
The long staff in Bronze Number One trembled suddenly; an enormous strength was then released from the staff, forcing Qin Feng to back three steps. At this moment, Bronze Number One leaped over Qin Feng's head, and with the Phantom Staff in his hand, he smashed it down ferociously.
Shroom shroom shroom!
It looked like an ordinary strike, but it drew a dozen staff shadows with murderous intent in mid-air. Each and every one of the staff shadows had enormous strength. If the strike landed on an ordinary person, it could easily shatter a person's bones and smashed him into a meat pulp in an instant.
If an External expert cultivated inner strength, he could release the strength at once but he needed to condense his inner strength before releasing it again.
On the other hand, if an Inner Qi expert cultivated inner strength, he could release the strength a dozen times in a single strike without needing to condense it again.
Looking at the gleaming staff shadows that covered the sky, Qin Feng knew the brawler monk in front of him was an Inner Qi expert. From the violent aura released by the staff shadows, Qin Feng deduced that the strength of this brawler monk was at least on par with Liang Zheng Wei, who was a Stage Four Inner Qi expert when Qin Feng met him.
Qin Feng was only a Stage Two External expert back then. After he completed the mission—acquiring Zhao Ling Xian's affection—and bought a basic sword skill, he'd successfully broken through to Stage One Inner Qi. Then he killed Liang Zheng Wei, who was Stage Four Inner Qi expert, with a single slash. Winning had just been an incredible stroke of luck for him at that time, but since Qin Feng was now a Stage Four External expert plus a Stage Three Inner Qi expert, he believed he could vanquish a Stage Four Inner Qi expert now.
Countless staff shadows were getting closer and the violent aura was becoming so strong that it pressured a person so badly he couldn't breathe. A triumphant grin crossed Bronze Number One's face as he imagined Qin Feng being crushed to a meat pulp by his attack.
Buzz!
Another buzzing echoed.
However, this time was the sound made by Qin Feng brandishing the Truesteel Sword.
He remained in his original place and waved his left hand so fast it formed dozens of phantom shadows. The Truesteel Sword in his hand moved like an illusion, drawing layers of orange-colored light above his head; the sword auras instantly collided with the staff shadows, causing a series of explosions.
"Stinking brat, you're an Inner Qi expert as well?" The countenance of Bronze Number One changed drastically as he refused to accept the fact.
He was now 35 years old and had just stepped into the realm of Stage Four Inner Qi. He could reach this stage in such a short time only because he stole the Phantom Staff and the Scroll of the Phantom Staff technique from his sect.
And now, Qin Feng was only around 20 years old but the sword aura he released was easily a match for his staff style. Bronze Number One wouldn't have been surprised if this kind of genius appeared in the provincial capital; but how could a genius martial artist appear in a small city like Acropolis City?
"Shouldn't an assassin investigate his target first before killing him? Isn't a little bit too late for you to realize the truth now?"
Qin Feng sneered; he suddenly leaped forward and came to Bronze Number One's side.
He hadn't drawn out his full potential yet, using only around 70% of his strength to test the strength of Bronze Number One. After Qin Feng was certain that his opponent was in the realm of Stage Four Inner Qi, Qin Feng had no more apprehensions about killing an expert of this stage again with his current strength.
The Truesteel Sword slashed down fiercely from above; it looked like a simple slash but it was filled with a strength that could topple mountains and overturn seas; the airstream around it splashed wide, causing a dozen explosions. Bronze Number One was frightened and planned to escape, but he realized his effort was futile—Qin Feng had cast his sword auras all over the place, blocking all the escape routes.
Bang!
A gunshot rang.
Qin Feng, who wanted to slash Bronze Number One, suddenly sheathed his sword and leaped backward, retreating a few meters away. On the ground where he'd just been, a bullet dug deeply into the soil.
Bang bang!
A hail of gunshots echoed.
Qin Feng realized Silver Number 26 kept shifting positions because the bullets came from different places each time. Qin Feng, who'd had the upper hand just now, couldn't do anything but only jump around to dodge the barrage of attacks from Silver Number 26.
"What a talented youngster; but unfortunately, you offended the Golden Assassin Crew and there's only one way out for you—die!" Seeing a nimble Qin Feng dodge all of Silver Number 26's attacks, a hint of admiration flashed across Bronze Number One's eyes.
Only now did he realize the true strength of Qin Feng. This person's speed was faster than his and his Inner Qi was stronger and deeper than his. Luckily the organization considered Qin Feng an extremely dangerous target and ordered him and Silver Number 26 to assassinate Qin Feng from both long range and close range; if not, Bronze Number One would already have been dead.
The gunshots rang out continuously; Silver Number 26 was sniping from a distance to obstruct Qin Feng's attack. Bronze Number One, on the other hand, was lurking around, waiting for the perfect moment to deal Qin Feng a fatal blow.