Crank. Crank. Crank… Thump.

  Bubai stared at the smiley face standing afar.

  Unlike the last two meet-and-greets, this one started in silence.

  There was no aggression, no boasts, no trash talk. Heck, there’s not even a twitch.

  All Bubai saw was just that creepy, unchanging smile.

  Standing here in silence like this was... really kinda awkward.

  “So, what are you after? Money? Fame? Being a monkey for everyone?”

  Smiley Du Ge’s only response was a simple: "Sah… I wonder."

  Watertight. No opening, no reaction. It was like punching cotton.

  But Bubai knew what’s underneath that smiling mask was anything but cotton.

  A guy that suddenly jumped up fifteen places in the ranking...

  No matter how anyone looks at it, they should know it’s not simple.

  The scariest part is that nobody saw it coming, not Bubai nor those dead under this foe’s poisonous hands.

  If his life was a story, the former fifth rank probably died as a nameless character, and this poison hand was a plot device that jumped out from nowhere.

  That’s the sort of prelude that would highlight how dangerous this guy is.

  This is the type that loves hiding and hiding...

  And when the time came to strike, what’s waiting is a decisive blow.

  The familiar taste of a predator.

  Now, two predators faced off. Life or death all comes down to this.

  “Begin.”

  The signal came, but the battlefield remained eerily calm.

  Seeing his foe not taking the initiative, Du Ge bowed his head as if in mock respect.

  His hands then slowly unfolded from his sleeves, and he broke out in a ninja run!

  Soundless footsteps carried the smiley face forward at a steady pace. Not fast, not slow.

  Shurikens fanned out in Bubai’s hand, ready to unleash their bite.

  But just when Du Ge came within twelve meters of Bubai, the smiley face braked in place and refolded his hands back into his sleeves.

  A foot edged forward and drew an unseen line on the obsidian-black ground.

  “Your range… ends here.”

  Does it really? Bubai gauged the distance and frowned inside.

  Bubai was sure he can definitely throw much harder and farther.

  But against fast, agile folks beyond that marked distance? His accuracy was as good as blind.

  So, this smiley face wasn’t wrong.

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  Anywhere beyond twelve meters was indeed outside of his effective range!

  This quiet hunter was quite perceptive to catch this clue within two battles.

  Seems not every challenger is the dumb type that just rushes up blindly with fists blazing.

  But if it’s not close combat, then…

  The hands in the sleeves unhurriedly unfolded once more, but each one now held a little knife.

  “See these knives?”

  Du Ge flipped the knives in his hands and held them out like needles. “Just a friendly warning. You don’t want to get scratched by them. One little cut can drop an elephant.”

  Bubai’s lips twitched.

  Really, bro? What kind of idiot tells the enemy that his weapons are poisonous like that?

  Sure, he gets it’s for the deterrent effect, but still…

  It really reeked of overconfidence—or perhaps something far more calculated. Bluffing? Misdirection?

  Who knows.

  Either way, he’ll just keep things simple and treat it like the rest: just don’t get hit.

  Bubai observed the foe still outside his effective range.

  Weapons are out, but the opponent’s skills were still unknown.

  So, Bubai held his ground and waited for that smiley face to engage.

  But to his dismay, Du Ge simply started walking around. Step by step, he drew a slow, wide arc.

  What in Merlin’s name was this smiley face up to?

  Bubai’s eyes followed his foe, watching him circle around like a viper coiling around its prey.

  When the viper slithered out of sight, Bubai didn’t even bother turning around. He didn’t need to.

  Though his sixth sense was jumbled by the masses, this predator’s line of sight still stood out like a lighthouse.

  Now, he offered up his open back to the other. Will the hunter bite the bait?

  But even when the viper went all the way from one side around to the other, nothing came his way.

  Instead, the only noticeable difference was that the ring had silently shrunk ever so slightly like a tightening noose.

  Bubai cast a cool glance at this patient, dangerous hunter. “Are you coming?”

  A light reply came back. “Sorry. Close combat’s not really my thing.”

  Bubai smiled. “Fine by me.”

  Before the words had even finished falling from his lips, the shurikens snapped forward, and his body launched right after them!

  Shots fired!

  Du Ge reacted like a viper, and the two little knives shot out!

  Shurikens and knives brushed past one another!

  Facing the spinning steel discs closing in, the smiley face’s body did a fancy, sideways flip like an acrobatic to let them whistle past by a mere hair’s breath.

  Mid-flip, the outer robe billowed, uncovering a line of similar blades strapped to his waist belt.

  Two more little knives were plucked out, and a burst of wind from his hands sent them blasting straight out!

  On the other end, the sprinting Bubai easily dipped away from the first two knives, but what greeted him instantly after were the twin streaks of silver!

  They came fast, too fast! It was almost like a bullet and seemed almost impossible to dodge!

  Dodging bullets like how it’s done in movies is definitely an insanely difficult feat, but nothing his inhuman physique and reflexes can’t handle!

  Bubai’s eyes narrowed. A straight trajectory. Predictable enough.

  His body twisted sideways to slip right through the gap between the two flying knives.

  While getting an up-close-and-personal view of the razor-thin edge zipping past his eyes, his Bubai tingle went off, and his eyes immediately snapped forward!

  His naked eyes captured nothing, yet his legs still instinctively kicked off and launched himself right into the air!

  The world turned upside down, and Bubai felt the sharp gust of wind raking past below.

  Here, his sharp eyes barely managed to capture the shape of the invisible arc thanks to his proximity to the dust particles mixed within…

  Wind Style: Air Blade!

  There’s no substance, but that’s a spell strong enough to leave deep gashes even on stone! Even fingers would be cut off if any mortal dared to stick their hands out!

  Bloody Merlin, what a nasty combo!

  Most outer disciples would’ve dropped dead from that!

  Even the average peak late-stage Qi refiners wouldn’t get away with just a simple scratch or two!

  Fortunately, his peak physical prowess let him evade everything without breaking a sweat, but... that wasn’t the end!

  During a fight, being stuck airborne was the worst place to be, and his foe took every advantage of that!

  Swish! Whoosh! Swoosh!

  Three more little knives bulleted over from three different angles, forming a triangle of death!

  Each shot was ingeniously aimed at what most mortals would consider blind spots!

  But want to hit him?! Dream on!

  A kunai slipped into one hand and was sent out to intercept last blade! Ding!

  The force from the incoming knife was too strong, and the kunai simply ricocheted off!

  But that was enough to deflect the course of that last shot! It’ll go wide. As for the other two?

  A large, dented blade was pulled out just in time to tank the bullets! Claaang! Deeeeng!

  The impacts rang out like a blacksmith’s forge, and the sheer force pushed him back up a bit, trapping him mid-air like a knock-up effect.

  And right at this moment when all hands were occupied and the world looked away...

  The wind stirred behind.

  Carrying the promise of death, a final shot found its way straight to Bubai’s heart from the back!