C2 The Blackclothed Bandits

The sky stretched endlessly, a perfect blue over the rolling fields of grass. Galloping across the vast prairie, one could feel an exhilarating sense of freedom. The cool breeze swept over, invigorating every pore, as if mind and spirit were soaring to new heights.

Luo Tongtian rode a sleek black stallion, charging forward with unrestrained passion. In this moment, he forgot the humiliation weighing on his heart, finding solace and joy in the embrace of nature.

Three horse trainers were busy selecting the wildest steeds from a herd of a hundred, each one undergoing individual training. Thirty guards from the General's Mansion followed closely, ensuring their safety.

The air was crisp, spirits were high, and both people and horses reveled in the harmony of the day.

Suddenly, a sharp arrow sliced through the air, shattering the peace as it struck a guard. A barrage of arrows followed, raining down relentlessly. The thirty guards barely had time to react before they were overwhelmed.

"Ha! These horses are ours now!" a mocking voice rang out. A large group of bandits, faces masked and clad in heavy armor, emerged. At the edge of the prairie, a dark line lingered quietly, waiting.

“Not good, it's the Black Bandits...” One horse trainer, sensing danger, tried to ride away, while two others reached for their signal flares. Unfortunately, they were struck down by arrows before they could act.

Although Tongtian practiced diligently every day, he had never truly faced a life-and-death battle, nor had he encountered such ruthless horse thieves before. Watching his companions fall one by one felt like a surreal nightmare.

“There’s another one over there!” a bandit shouted, aiming his bow at Tongtian.

“Leave one alive to find out more about that guy, Ning,” the leader ordered, raising his hand to stop the attack.

“Fine by me. That kid looks soft; capturing him alive could be fun later,” a rugged bandit with a scruffy beard said, eyeing Tongtian with a lecherous grin as he rode toward him.

“Damn it, stealing our horses and now this!” Tongtian was furious, seeing his friends killed and horses stolen, and now the bandits intended to humiliate him. Enraged, he grabbed the long knife from his back and swung it at the approaching bandit.

Unfortunately, he was up against a seasoned and brutal warrior, not some ordinary foe. The bandit, a third-level fighter, easily disarmed Tongtian, knocking the knife from his hand and capturing him alive.

At this moment, Luo Tongtian felt a surge of anger. His journey in life had been stagnant, filled with humiliation and ridicule. After much struggle, he finally decided to give up his pursuits to tend to horses, only to encounter these despicable bandits. It seemed as if his life was destined to be fraught with hardship and adversity.

Yet, he refused to surrender. He kept fighting, trying to land a blow on the formidable bandit, but his feeble punches only provoked more mocking laughter from his enemy. The bandit's relentless blows landed on him, causing immense pain. As his strength ebbed away, his muscles ached, and exhaustion overwhelmed him.

Just then, a familiar wave of weakness washed over him, bringing a sense of despair. However, something was different this time. Instead of draining him, the mysterious force seemed to bypass his body and flow directly into the bandit's arm, beginning to siphon his strength.

Faced with this sudden change, the bandit's arm started to tremble. The rapid loss of strength filled him with an inexplicable fear, prompting him to cry out for help. Initially, his fellow bandits had laughed and jeered when they saw him subdue Luo Tongtian with ease. But now, seeing him call for help, they were taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

At first, everyone thought the guy was just messing around. But when they saw his terrified expression and withered body, even the tough bandits were shocked. They all spurred their horses forward, some trying to help their comrade, others attacking Luo Tongtian. Yet, as soon as they touched the two, they hesitated, then began to tremble.

"What on earth is going on?"

The leader of this band of outlaws watched as a dozen of his men surrounded the frail-looking kid, shaking violently and growing weaker. He sensed something was seriously wrong.

"Didn't expect this brat to have any tricks up his sleeve. Watch how I take you down."

The leader paused only for a moment before his savage nature took over. He grabbed his nearly seven-foot-long saber and swung it fiercely at Luo Tongtian. With the combined strength of his powerful arms and the momentum of his horse, the wild blade gained immense destructive power. It easily severed a bandit's arm before landing between Luo Tongtian's chest and abdomen.

The leader knew the power of his strike well. He was confident that unless something unexpected happened, the frail kid would be sliced in two, left as a gruesome corpse.

As his broadsword sliced through layers of clothing and split the inner armor, it finally reached the skin, only to be met with an invisible force pulling at it. This force dispersed the blade’s power, halting its progress just three inches deep. Suddenly, with a metallic clang, the sword shattered into pieces, embedding themselves into the small leader's body.

Blood spurted as the leader screamed in agony, leaping off his horse to flee. As he ran, he shouted, "There's something supernatural about this guy!"

Luo Tongtian's expression was peculiar. Despite the blood pouring from his wounds, he seemed oblivious. Surrounding him were eleven formidable bandits, each trembling in a different stance, creating an oddly fascinating scene.

An unseen force absorbed all the bandits' strength, weaving it into a network of energy that poured into Luo Tongtian. A warm current flowed through him, filling a void deep within his body. The overwhelming weakness he felt began to fade as the energy permeated his muscles, causing them to swell and his strength to surge. The long-lost feeling of raw power returned to him once more.

"Roar!" With a powerful shout, Luo Tongtian channeled a surge of energy through his entire body, targeting the hidden pathways within. His once sluggish and heavy frame suddenly felt light and invigorated.

The journey of cultivation begins with physical refinement. Those who master this path possess immense strength, are impervious to weapons, have heightened senses, and quick thinking. Their overall abilities see significant improvement, earning them the title of warrior.

The first three levels of a warrior's training are Strength Condensation, Pathway Connection, and Skin Refinement. Initially, Luo Tongtian's adoptive father used a special technique to forcibly open seventeen pathways for him, allowing him to barely reach the second level of Pathway Connection.

Despite his efforts to increase the number of open pathways to over sixty, the human body contains tens of thousands of these channels. Even the main and primary branches number nearly three hundred. To advance to the third level, a warrior must open thirty-six main pathways and over seventy percent of the primary branches, a daunting task for him.

In all fairness, Luo Tongtian's talent for cultivation wasn't poor, but the mysterious and inexplicable weakness he felt was the real obstacle to his progress. However, with the energy support from eleven fellow warriors, that weakness was temporarily satiated. As their energy flowed into him, he gained control over it.

In the process of opening one's energy channels, most people must gather their strength and explore on their own, completing the task over a long period. However, Luo Tongtian had been at the Second Level Hercules stage for over six years, becoming intimately familiar with each of his energy channels. With powerful energy now supporting him, clearing these channels was as natural as water flowing downhill.

A series of soft, rapid popping sounds echoed, each representing an energy channel being cleared. This allowed the energy within his body to circulate freely, following the natural order, forming an increasingly perfect cycle. At this moment, Luo Tongtian was essentially borrowing the strength of eleven practitioners to help clear his channels. The weakest among them were at the Second Level Hercules stage, while the strongest had reached the Fourth Level Hercules stage.

The combined power of so many individuals was enough to shake the heavens and split mountains, their momentum truly awe-inspiring. Clearing Luo Tongtian's energy channels was a piece of cake with such overwhelming force.