If he tried to flee right now, the Martial Expert perched on the distant rooftop would spot him instantly.
Though Chen Feng wasn’t entirely sure what a "Martial Expert" was—whether it was a realm far surpassing a First-Rate Martial Artist—the sheer weight of the title spelled absolute doom for someone of his level. He couldn’t possibly fight a Martial Expert head-on.
His eyes darted to his system interface: 700 Investment Points remaining.
If I use these points properly right now, can I bridge the gap?
Without wasting another second, Chen Feng pulled up the system interface.
"System! Allocate 200 points into the Heavenly Eagle Transformation Technique!"
WHOOSH!
The moment the points were processed, Chen Feng’s mind plunged into a profound state of instant enlightenment.
It felt as though he had spent two rigorous, grueling two months meditating and training deep within the wind currents.
In those simulated months, he fully mastered Eagle Step and Skyfall Star Strike, deeply aligning his instincts with the Way of the Wind.
Eagle Step was an explosive movement technique.
By controlling the air beneath his feet and creating a concentrated burst of pressure, Chen Feng could launch himself forward at astonishing speed.
His movement could become so fast that an ordinary person’s eyes would struggle to follow him.
The technique wasn’t designed for long-distance leep.
It was an agility technique meant for sudden movements, dodging, closing distance, and changing positions in the blink of an eye.
Then there was Skyfall Strike.
This technique was meant to be combined with Eagle Step.
While moving at tremendous speed, Chen Feng could suddenly adjust his body in mid-air, shifting his posture and directing his momentum toward his opponent.
His fingers and toes became like the claws of an eagle.
With the force generated by Eagle Step behind him, a single strike could become far more powerful than a normal attack.
The two techniques complemented each other perfectly.
Eagle Step provided the speed.
Skyfall Strike turned that speed into killing power.
After experiencing the enlightenment, Chen Feng opened his eyes.
He could feel the air around him.
Even inside the stuffy room, where almost no wind was entering through the window, he could somehow sense the faintest movements of air against every part of his body.
It was an incredible sensation.
It was as though the wind itself had become another sense.
Chen Feng looked at his remaining Investment Points.
"Five hundred points..."
His gaze shifted toward his heavenly cleavar knife technique and wind spear technique.
"Now, put the 200 points into the Heavenly Cleaver Knife Technique!" he commanded mentally.
ZING!
Before the second wave of enlightenment could fully settle into his nervous system, the air in front of him violently distorted.
Chen Feng’s eyes snapped open. His instincts, sharpened by the wind, screamed a violent warning.
They’re already here!
Without a fraction of a second to think, his body moved on pure muscle memory. A razor-sharp, invisible edge sliced through the air directly toward his neck with lethal intent.
Throwing his weight violently to the left, Chen Feng twisted his torso in mid-air, narrowly dodging the decapitating blow.
The projectile zipped past the side of Chen Feng’s neck, biting deep into the wooden wall behind him and leaving a sharp, burning cut along his skin.
He didn’t even have the luxury of turning back to check what the weapon was. In a life-or-death battle, dwelling on the projectile was a luxury he couldn’t afford; his primary focus had to be keeping his footing.
The moment his boots connected with the splintered floorboards, he ignited the Eagle Step.
Compressing a fierce burst of wind pressure beneath his heels and driving strength through his toes, he launched himself sideways with explosive velocity, leaving a fading string of blurred afterimages in his wake.
As he neared the opposite wall, he seamlessly chained into the Skyfall Star Strike, twisting his torso mid-air to brake his momentum and land smoothly in a crouched stance.
Standing right by the shattered window frame was a shadowy figure clad in pitch-black assassin garb, a thick veil concealing their face.
The black-robed assassin stared at him, wide-eyed under his veil. "You actually dodged that? Let’s see you slip past this!"
Before Chen Feng could react, the assassin flicked his wrists. A flurry of objects whipped forward from within the deep folds of his dark garments.
Though Chen Feng couldn’t see the projectiles clearly in the dim light, the violent vibrations tearing through the air gave away their lethal speed and razor-sharp edge.
Utilizing Eagle Step once more, Chen Feng lunged sharply to the right. A clatter of metallic strikes rang out as several sharp, four-pronged steel spikes slammed into the spot where he had stood a second before.
He glanced back and narrowed his eyes. "Kunai? So you really are a ninja-style assassin."
The assassin looked slightly offended by the casual label.
With a swift motion, two sleek, heavy-bladed daggers snapped into his palms. The crossguard design and curved, lethal edge resembled miniature short-swords built for close-quarters butchery. Without a word, he lunged forward to close the distance.
Chen Feng prepared to execute another evasive dash, but right as he tried to shift his weight, a massive wave of information crashed violently into his brain.
DING!
The system was forcefully injecting the enlightenment phase of the Heavenly Cleaver Knife Technique directly into his nervous system. It didn’t care that he was locked in the middle of a brutal, blood-soaked combat scenario.
Suddenly, Chen Feng’s consciousness split. In his mind’s eye, a vast, desolate landscape appeared, featuring a towering, ferocious wolf beast.
In his hand, he held a heavy, perfectly balanced culinary cleaver designed with absolute precision.
The blade featured a thick spine, a razor-sharp straight edge, and a curved tip meant for effortless skinning and joint-dismantling.
In his mental projection, the beast lunged, and Chen Feng moved with the chilling, detached efficiency of a master butcher carving up a carcass.
Slice, sever, snap—every movement utilized supreme wrist flexibility to target soft connective tissue and vulnerable meridians, treating the monstrous beast like a mere cut of meat.
Snap out of it!
Chen Feng cursed internally, trying to fight the overwhelming mental simulation.
Reality crashed back in as the assassin’s gleaming blade closed the distance at terrifying speed.
Chen Feng twisted his body at the absolute last second, barely managing to contort his spine. The assassin’s blade missed his throat, but the second blade swept across his torso, tearing through his clothes and leaving a jagged, bleeding gash that stretched from his lower ribs all the way across his thigh.
A searing wave of agony flared through his lower body.
Stumbling, Chen Feng forced his trembling legs to execute another rushed Eagle Step, narrowly sliding away from a follow-up slash.
Yet, the mental enlightenment refused to let go.
The imagery in his mind shifted to the next phase: a frantic, rapid succession of cuts, preparing the target with the smooth, rhythmic precision of a chef preparing ingredients on a thick wooden block.
"Get out of my head!" Chen Feng mentally roared, sweating profusely as he fought to coordinate two entirely different realities at once.
Across from him, the assassin seized the opening.
Spotting Chen Feng’s distracted, wavering posture, he closed in like a ghost and delivered a brutal, heavy side-kick straight to Chen Feng’s ribs.
CRACK!
The force slammed Chen Feng backward, throwing him hard against the wooden partition.
He slid down to the floor, his vision spinning wildly.
The physical pain in his chest collided with the mental onslaught of the knife technique.
Bizarrely, because the Heavenly Cleaver Knife Technique was an intermediate-grade art rather than a sprawling high-grade one like the eagle transformation, his brain was absorbing its structural flow with terrifying speed.
While his Heavenly Eagle Transformation was still lagging at 5% mastery, his comprehension of the knife technique had skyrocketed past 11% in mere minutes under the pressure of mortal peril.
A metallic taste filled his mouth. Unable to suppress it any longer, Chen Feng leaned forward and violently vomited, bringing up a mix of acidic remnants from his earlier meal and a dark clot of blood.
The assassin walked forward step by step, his footsteps soft and deliberate, like a predator stalking a wounded beast that could no longer run. He raised his daggers, ready to deliver the final, clean execution stroke.
Chen Feng wiped his mouth with the back of his blood-stained hand.
He looked up, his chest heaving, and let out a breathless, mocking chuckle.
"This enlightenment is going to be the death for me."