Chapter 254: The New Bro Squad
Gan Salin ducked under an arrow, letting it whistle over his head until it smashed into a tree far behind. He coiled himself and sprang forward, his momentum carrying him over a fallen branch and into a roll, dodging a second arrow. The third found him in the shin, ricocheting off his ogre-leather armor and pushing him back.
Ouch! he exclaimed. Take this! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!
He split into three clones and attacked.
He didnt really split into three. He just imagined he didand, thanks to his Dao Seed of Insanity, so did Nauja.
Arrows of wind were loosed from her bow. The string twang continuously. Her arms blurred. Each of Salins clones was darting to the left and right, bobbing, weaving, and generally doing their best to dodge. They hid behind trees and bushes, crawled on the ground, climbed the canopy. The forest was riddled with arrows. The trees became sieves.
The first clone fell on Nauja from above while another sprang at her from below. She jumped backward, letting the air carry her as she let loose two arrows, piercing the clones and making them dissipate into thin air.
But this success came with a cost. A third clone jumped on her from behindthe real one, ready to dig his open fingers into her back. Five Star Grasp! he shouted triumphantly.
Suddenly, his face fell. A tremendous gust of wind erupted under his feet, so strong that it couldnt possibly have been just created. It had been lying there in wait for a while.
He flew up, spinning wildly.
Youre predictable, Gan! Nauja shouted, turning around in mid-air and releasing another hail of arrows. Each aimed at one of his limbs, arranged in such a way that he could not dodge.
Impossible! Im the very definition of the opposite! he cried out in protest. He tucked his head and limbs in his chest, becoming a ball that dodged most of the arrows, though some grazed him.
That was the trick with Naujas arrows. Just dodging them wasnt enough. You had to dodge them widely, or she could use her wind to redirect them mid-flight.
One of the grazing arrows drew blood.
Ha! Nauja shouted. I wi
Salin finally crashed into the canopy feet-first. He pushed against it to launch himself back towards Nauja, who did not react in time, thinking she had won. But Salins wound was nowhere to be seen. The blood dissipated mid-air.
Salin hadnt really been hit. He just thought he had. Because he was insane.
He reached the forest floor in a blink, mid-flight swiping at the face of Nauja, who barely dodged in time. He landed in a crouch and kicked her legs from under her, then predicted the angle at which she would dodge, grabbed her throat, turned, and smashed the back of her head against the dirt. He then remained over her, panting, his claw-like fingernails poised to strike.
Nauja lay on the ground with a shocked expression on her face. The crowd, nine men and women, cheered.
You cheated, she finally said, frowning.
How can I cheat in a spar?
You never used that skill before. You saved it for the public match.
Oh, I must have forgotten about it. Because, you know, Im insane.
She rolled her eyes, then threw his hand from her throat and rose on her butt. Salin, who was already standing, reached out with a smile. She smiled back as she grabbed his hand and used it to stand.
Nice fight, she said.
You did pretty well yourself.
The crowd cheered again, shouting, Gan Sa-lin! Gan Sa-lin! over and over again, while he smiled and waved at them.
For the record, Nauja said between the cheers, his score against me is one win, nine losses.
But I got the last one! he replied, beaming. If we had been really fighting, you would be dead.
No, because you would have already died nine times.
Im a canine. I have ten lives.
Thatsso wrong I cant even begin to explain it. Nauja gave up, sighing. You did win. Enjoy it while it lasts; next time, youre going down.
Im looking forward to it. He smiled again.
The two of them werent too far apart in strength. Thanks to this forest expedition, their levels had already risen to 92 and 110 for Salin and Nauja respectively. Both had the Seventh Ring Conqueror title, but Naujas Direct Descendant title only gave her an extra 15% efficacy in stats, while Salins combined titles of Planetary Frontrunner (10) and Planetary Torchbearer (10) gave him a 20% increase total.
As a result, Nauja remained stronger stat-wise, but Salin made up for it by having an extra Dao Root. He possessed the Dao Seed of Insanity, fused with the Dao Root of Resolve and not-yet-fused with the Dao Root of Loyalty. Nauja had the Dao Seed of Wind fused with the Dao Root of Archery, and she was actively looking for a second Dao Root to develop. She refused to be overtaken by Gan Salin!
Fat luck, sweetheart, he told her, reading her thoughts as they left the stage. Ive been through a lot of shit. Ive goet a Dao Root more, whether you like it or not.
Well see about that, she challenged him. This expedition is pushing me, too. Plus, if I could use my Sun Piercing Arrow, you would never win a spar.
It would have to hit me first.
Oh, it would.
Naujas strongest skill, Sun Piercing Arrow, was too dangerous to use in mock battles.
Speaking of, Im going to practice, she said. The sun wont pierce itself.
Alright. Im going to find Brock and tell him all about my victory. See you!
She rolled her eyes but walked away without a word. Salin, meanwhile, turned around and walked in another direction with a big grin on his face. He was in such a great mood that his posture was goofy; his torso was leaning backward, he took long steps, and had his hands clasped behind his head, not to mention the wide smile on his lips.
People nodded at him as he passed, offering him thumbs-up or handshakes.
Good job, bro! one man said.
You finally did it! Nice trick! a girl shouted at him.
Thanks, guys! I couldnt have done it without you! He could have certainly done it without them, but a winner needs to be gracious!
Tents and treehouses were at his sides as he paced through the camp area, heading for where their big bro was resting.
Once upon a time, it had been just the three of them touring the forest in search of ogres or easier prey. But Brock wasnt playing around. He guided them deeper and deeper into the forest, challenging anything they could defeat and escaping from anything they couldnt. They were risking their lives far more than Salin and Nauja expected, but they were on-board; this was why they had come here. To become stronger.
Of course, they werent the only ones around. The ogre territory was expansive, and many had the same idea as them, but nobody went at it with the same fervor as Brock. Nobody had a reason to risk their lives.
When their group ran into two people chased by an ogre, they quickly helped them defeat the beast. Then, somehow, Brock exhibited great charisma and convinced the two strangers to join his group so they could go after larger prey. A few fist-bumps and handshakes later, they started calling him big bro.
And he really was. Somehow, Brock turned out to be a brilliant team leader. He coordinated the five of them perfectly, arranging them in such a way that even a couple ogres at once was little trouble. Where their formation had deficiencies, Brock was always there to plug in the gap with his great personal strengthand he always knew the right thing to say to keep the morale sky-high.
They delved even deeper. Their levels kept rising. In the process, they ran into and assimilated two more groups, increasing their total strength to such a degree that the ogres no longer stood a chance, and Brock led them to scour the forest until they almost decimated the native ogre population. The weakest of them had gotten over a dozen levels, and the strongest, around three or four. And that was after only two days. This speed was unprecedented.
Plus, this wasnt how the cultivation world was supposed to work. The outer disciples were always looking for a chance to backstab each other in this forest for a few easy levels. Somehow, Brock seemed to gravitate to the perfect people, who joined them easily and were quickly bonded by brotherhood. Even Nauja, who was biased against cultivators from her barbarian days, had formed friendly relations with the others.
Salin was confident that, if something happened, every single member of their group would gladly lay down their lives to let their bros escape.
It was impressive, really. Much more difficult than it soundedotherwise, everyone would be doing this. It required extreme charisma, leadership, and strength.
And all that had been achieved by a five-month-old brorilla.
Sometimes, Salin suspected that Brock was a prodigy even greater than Jack. It made him feel inferiorand, even worse, his Dao of Loyalty was beginning to acclimate to Brocks leadership. That wasnt good. He could yield to Jack, but not to a monkey!
Oh well. If hes worth it, hes worth it.
Hey, big bro! he shouted, approaching Brock. The brorilla was lounging on a horizontal branch, letting three of his limbs hang down while his remaining hand held on to a banana hed gotten from god-knows-where.
Hearing Salins approach, Brock perked up. Bro, he said in greeting.
I just came to let you know I defeated Nauja in a spar!
Yes?
For sure, dude! I totally kicked her ass!
Brock smiled proudly. He put his banana down to give Salin a thumbs-up. Good job.
Salin felt a surge of pride at Brocks approval. Man, the Bro Dao is dangerous.
What about you? Are you training? he asked, jumping to the branch and taking a seat next to Brock. Or resting for our next hunting trip?
Training, Brock replied. No time. Big bro need me.
Dont overwork yourself, man. Jack prefers you being alive than strong.
Yes. But alive without strong is nothing.
Salin took a moment to digest that. I guess youre right. He shrugged. So, any progress? A new Dao Root, perhaps?
Brock shook his head. No. Difficult. But close.
Of course it is difficult! Only Lords have three roots, and theyve been cultivating for years, if not decades. Two is more than plenty.
Brock, again, disagreed. No. Two is few. Three is okay. Four is good. Big Bro perfect. I must perfect too, or I stay behind.
There was no self-pity in these words, no worry. When Brock claimed he would achieve four Dao Roots, he was simply stating a fact. Salin couldnt help but admire that.
Which ones do you have already? he asked. I was a scion once. I know stuff. Maybe I can help.
Bro. Very big. Then, work out. And he paused, trying to remember the word, tightness.
Thats not even a real word, big bro. Youre just shitting with me.
Brock winked.
Alright, well Maybe you could meditate on hard work? Or the Dao Root of the Staff, since you use a staff? Or stone? Or something to do with gorillas, trees, or bananas?
Brock shook his head. I no need help. I got this. I only say because you curious.
Salin had indeed been curious, which was why hed askedbut how did Brock know that!?
Man, big bro, how can you be so cool?
Brock pointed at his heart, then gave Salin a wide monkey grin. Heart!
The canine laughed. So did the brorilla. Then, Brock placed a hand steadily on Salins shoulder, looked him in the eyes with a confident smile, and said, Now, go. It is time. We hunt.
Yes, big bro! Salin replied immediately, jumping down and rushing to gather the others. He hoped everyone was well-rested. They were about to get even more levels! All of them!
And they called me mad Hihihi. Peak of the E-Grade, here we come!
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