22 First Blood Once More!-I Will Never Abandon My Work Again(The rabbit has arrived.)

At the foot of Heifeng Stronghold.

After Tang Xuan reached level 11, he selected the Hard Mode of the Heifeng Stronghold instance (levels 11–15, for 1–10 players) and entered.

“Halt! Who dares trespass here!”

The opening line was all too familiar. Tang Xuan’s gaze swept over the scene—over a dozen humanoid monsters, ranging in level from 5 to 7, acting as the bandit underlings of Heifeng Stronghold, all brandishing blades as they charged toward him.

It seemed there was little difference between this and the Normal Mode instance (levels 5–10, for 1–10 players).

With a flash of movement, Tang Xuan rushed forward. In a flurry of fists and kicks, he dispatched this wave of humanoid foes.

He pressed deeper into the stronghold, felling groups of enemies as he went.

He fought all the way to the checkpoint, where two level-15 elite bandit leaders, leading a throng of underlings, rushed to intercept him.

Up to this point, there was no change at all between the Hard Mode and the Normal Mode of the instance.

Tang Xuan slew the group and entered the checkpoint.

There, he was greeted by a familiar figure, the third chief of Heifeng Stronghold.

“Well, well, you’ve got some nerve! To come to Heifeng Stronghold and slaughter my men—do you have a death wish? Prepare to die!”

This third chief paused from his martial practice, displayed his lightness skill, and lunged at Tang Xuan.

This time, there was a subtle change in his lines.

But only a subtle one.

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Tang Xuan leapt to meet him, throwing two punches in succession.

The first, the Shaolin Arhat Fist, dealt over six thousand damage, severely wounding the third chief and leaving him at death’s door.

The next, a simple punch, finished off the now defenseless chief.

“Another Tiger Fang Blade,” Tang Xuan remarked with a slight smile as he examined the green equipment dropped by the third chief.

Previously, while leading the four women through two runs of the Normal Mode instance, the first boss had dropped a green Tiger Fang Blade, while the second time, he had dropped nothing at all.

This time, in Hard Mode—his first time clearing it—a green weapon had dropped once again.

At this point, Tang Xuan realized the true difference between Hard Mode and Normal Mode in this instance.

Up to the third chief—the level 20 boss—nothing had changed between the two difficulties.

But after defeating this boss, the Hard Mode instance did not end!

Tang Xuan turned his gaze toward the back of the stone plaza. At its far end stood the main hall of the bandit stronghold.

He walked across the plaza, pushed open the doors, and entered.

“Who goes there?”

“How dare you break into Heifeng Stronghold—you court death!”

“Invading Heifeng Stronghold all by yourself?”

Inside the hall, over a dozen bandit leaders were gathered, all level 15 elite monsters. Upon seeing Tang Xuan, they shouted in unison.

At their head stood the second chief of Heifeng Stronghold, whose level was marked only by “???”—an unknown value.

In “Great Wuxia,” if an opponent’s level exceeded the player’s by more than ten, their exact level would be obscured, replaced by three glaring red question marks.

When Tang Xuan was level 4, he could still see the level of the ten-level boss, the twin-headed centipede.

At level 8, he could discern the level 15 elite bandit leaders.

At level 10, he could just make out the level 20 third chief’s stats.

Now, facing the second chief, all he saw was a string of question marks.

This boss was on a whole other level.

The second chief was tall and gaunt, with a long, horse-like face—a stark contrast to the burly, fierce-eyed, black-bearded third chief outside.

The elite bandit leaders, all level 15, charged with blades raised. As elite monsters, they possessed inner power and sword skills.

But to the current Tang Xuan, they were nothing more than a few punches and kicks.

He threw himself into the fray, unleashing the Shaolin Arhat Fist. Each punch and kick claimed a life.

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One after another, blood-red numbers appeared.

Tang Xuan’s Arhat Fist now dealt a mighty 6902 attack power! Against these level 15 elites’ defenses, each blow inflicted over 6700 damage.

[Defeated level 15 elite monster, Heifeng Stronghold Leader. Gained 225 experience.]

…

Very soon, the elite bandit leaders lay dead at his feet.

The second chief, who had been watching with narrowed eyes, suddenly roared, “To fight your way here alone… you have some skill! Let me test your strength!”

Before the words had finished, he vanished in a blur, launching a lightning-fast assault at Tang Xuan!

With a metallic ring, he drew a short blade from his waist—its edge flashing as he slashed for Tang Xuan’s throat.

“What speed!” Tang Xuan was briefly startled; the second chief’s lightness skill was far superior to the third chief’s outside.

But with his Arhat Thousand-Pound Skill maxed out and all attributes vastly boosted, it was still not enough to threaten him.

He shifted aside in a flash, dodging with his base speed of 1190.

He struck out with a punch!

It was the Shaolin Arhat Fist—swift and fierce, the wind howling before his fist even landed, like an overwhelming tide!

The second chief, surprised that his strike had missed, was caught off guard; faced with the force of the Arhat Fist, he felt a crushing pressure on his chest and was deeply shaken.

He pushed his lightness skill to the limit, darting aside, but was still struck on the shoulder.

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