Gu Fei focused intently, scanning left and right. He found nothing, felt no hint of killing intent. But that didn't mean Duan Shui Jian had left or wasn't watching him. Gu Fei knew Duan Shui Jian also possessed related knowledge; he knew professionals like Fei could intuitively sense someone's location. However, that sense was limited, certainly not comparable to a divine archer's range. Duan Shui Jian could easily conceal himself where Gu Fei couldn't sense him, silently observing.

Helpless, Gu Fei could only concentrate on his hearing, hoping to catch the faintest sound of Duan Shui Jian's movements. The forest floor was littered with枯枝断叶, making silent footsteps difficult.

"Moron, over here!!"

A sudden roar startled Gu Fei. Though Duan Shui Jian was an enemy, he wasn't the type to spew vulgarities. Surprised, Gu Fei looked toward the sound, realizing his mistake. This was Extremely Cold's private training ground. The sound came from a group setting up traps. Since they were fighting NPC monsters, they weren't worried about scaring them off with loud noises. The group was shouting instructions to each other without restraint. The earlier "moron" was their leader directing a team member's positioning.

The forest was anything but quiet, making it a pipe dream to hear Duan Shui Jian's footsteps.

Just as Gu Fei was at a loss, Shui Shen suddenly waved in that direction. The noisy group abruptly fell silent, nodded in response, and vanished.

Soon after, even the faintest, most distant sounds ceased. Gu Fei was taken aback, realizing Shui Shen had understood his difficulty and cleared the area for him. He quickly glanced at Shui Shen with gratitude.

Shui Shen seemed busy messaging, not noticing Gu Fei's thanks. Gu Fei stopped hesitating, refocused, and listened intently to his surroundings.

Silence! Not a single sound, a deathly stillness. Gu Fei was confident that in this environment, Duan Shui Jian couldn't make the slightest noise without being heard. He slowly closed his eyes, focusing all his energy on listening, not wanting even his vision to distract him.

"Snap!!!"

A sudden sound reached his ears. Gu Fei, in full listening mode, instantly pinpointed the direction. He opened his eyes without looking, raised his hand, and "whoosh," he teleported away. Then, his gaze swept around, expecting to find Duan Shui Jian, but instead, he saw a short arrow flying toward him.

The arrow was sudden. In his haste, Gu Fei didn't have time to block with his sword and could only dodge. But immediately, a second arrow targeted his new position. Gu Fei shifted again, twisting his body to evade. After three such turns, he saw short arrows whizzing past him one after another.

"Pfft!" The fourth arrow finally found its mark. Gu Fei's path was blocked by a tree, leaving him no choice but to collide with it if he turned again. This sudden obstruction disrupted his rhythm, while the opponent's remained steady. There was no disputing this hit.

Struck by the arrow, Gu Fei fell backward, his feet planted firmly on the ground. A fifth arrow grazed his face. Gu Fei used his hand to push off the ground, rebounding back and reversing his spin. But this time, the opponent's attack suddenly stopped.

Gu Fei didn't relax, immediately stepping behind the tree. The arrow had wounded him badly. Of the five arrows Duan Shui Jian had fired in succession, the fourth was a Snipe, timed perfectly to coincide with the tree's disruption of Gu Fei's rhythm...

"That guy!!" Behind the tree, Gu Fei pulled out bread and began eating. Instead of replenishing mana in battle, he was trying to restore health. This was a first in Gu Fei's PK career. He realized he couldn't underestimate Duan Shui Jian. In this forest, Duan Shui Jian had many advantages over him, almost as if Gu Fei was bullying an ordinary person with his kung fu.

Just now, the first "snap" wasn't Duan Shui Jian's location being revealed. He had sensed the sudden silence and used a stone to test the waters, luring Gu Fei to a position advantageous to him. The initial "snap" was Duan Shui Jian intentionally shooting an arrow into a tree.

As for Gu Fei's subsequent dodging, he didn't believe Duan Shui Jian was so divine as to have anticipated it all. But when Gu Fei's rhythm was disrupted, he immediately seized the opportunity to launch a Snipe. His ability to seize opportunities was truly admirable. In kung fu terms, Gu Fei had momentarily revealed a weakness, and Duan Shui Jian had instantly exploited it. It was a pity his attack power was limited. If his attack power was Gu Fei's level, that one opening would have determined Gu Fei's life or death.

So, although Gu Fei was behind the tree, safe and eating bread, he wasn't happy. He felt he had already lost a move. He could continue, but only because this was a game. In reality, he would be half-dead, bleeding out.

"Too bad..." Hidden somewhere, Duan Shui Jian also deeply regretted failing to kill Gu Fei. He had done everything he could. The fourth arrow had been a timely Snipe, and the fifth a Powerful Strike. Unfortunately, Gu Fei's reactions were too fast. He had even managed to evade the fifth arrow. And judging by his subsequent movements, Duan Shui Jian wouldn't have been able to hit him even with another arrow.

One arrow to bait the enemy, five in a row, and only one hit... Too terrifying... Duan Shui Jian realized that even with his advantages, taking down Gu Fei wouldn't be easy. A key point was that this was a game. In reality, if he had a gun...

Duan Shui Jian sighed, carefully removing the arrow quiver and refilling it with arrows, making no sound. He continued to watch Gu Fei, maintaining his distance. He knew that some martial artists, after reaching a certain level of kung fu, could sense those who were watching them. He hadn't expected this Qian Li Zui to have such cultivation at his young age. He wondered what his real name was; he shouldn't be an unknown.

What will he do next?

His previous attack should have revealed my approximate location. But since hiding, he hasn't glanced in this direction.

Could it be he didn't figure it out?

Impossible! Someone of that level couldn't possibly miss it, after five consecutive arrows.

He's not moving now, waiting for his teleport cooldown!

That's right, he's preparing to teleport into this area again, catching me off guard.

Duan Shui Jian nodded, confident in his deduction. If so... then he still had the upper hand. As long as he remained proactive, he would eventually defeat him.

Thinking this, a smile flickered across Duan Shui Jian's face. But it froze. He saw Gu Fei, not peeking out to observe like him, nor suddenly teleporting into the area as he'd expected. He simply walked out from behind the tree, very plainly, very normally.

"This..." The move took Duan Shui Jian by surprise. Attack? He asked himself. Gu Fei's position was excellent, but his blatant appearance suggested confidence, that he didn't consider his attacks a threat. Besides, if he hadn't been poorly positioned and almost crashed into the tree, even his Snipe would have been useless.

Time was short. In that moment of hesitation, Gu Fei closed the distance.

Attack or retreat??

Duan Shui Jian knew he couldn't wait any longer. If Gu Fei got closer, he risked entering his sensing range, where even a glance would reveal his location.

Then, if I don't look at him, I'll be fine?

Attacking is risky and would expose me.

Retreating, with Gu Fei's acute hearing and this forest environment, risked exposure.

Ultimately, he decided to stay hidden.

If he can't find me, he'll think I'm not here. If I'm exposed, I'll move immediately. There's no difference between that and moving now.

Duan Shui Jian made up his mind. He stopped observing Gu Fei, averted his gaze, and carefully shrank behind the tree.

Shui Shen, who had been silently observing, was amazed by Gu Fei's skill in dodging the arrows. He was also shocked by his reckless move of walking out from behind the tree. In Shui Shen's view, forest warfare was about being hidden while the enemy was exposed. Whoever was exposed first lost. That was Shui Shen's habit. If Gu Fei wasn't known as a great expert, Shui Shen would have already called him a "moron." But since it was Gu Fei doing this, Shui Shen couldn't rashly judge. When it came to fighting, this guy was surprisingly deep.

Shui Shen was preparing to continue watching with a humble and eager attitude when he saw Gu Fei waving the Dark Night Flowing Light Sword and shouting, "Duan Shui Jian, come out and fight me to the death!"

"I'll be damned!!!" Shui Shen threw his hand in Gu Fei's direction.

So that's his tactic!! Shui Shen was tearful. He clearly wasn't taking his opponent seriously, not treating him as a threat! As expected, this method wasn't something an average person could use. But the problem was that Gu Fei had looked quite flustered dodging the arrows! How could he be so confident now? He really was an expert!

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Ah, so close, almost missed the update again, thankfully I made it.

Also, I just found out today that the sixth group was disbanded sometime ago, I'm truly sorry. So a friend has kindly offered a new group, those who are homeless, looking for a home, join in~