Chapter 218: Sunflower

As his speed slowed, Lei Zhan’s mobility and evasion skills plummeted. Coupled with the incessant demonic noises in the air, his ability to sense his surroundings was also impaired. Realizing the danger, he immediately activated his top-tier protective barrier to escape the battlefield.

The mysterious man’s flying needles continued to attack relentlessly. Taking advantage of Lei Zhan’s difficulty in moving and the constant sound of needles piercing the air, they steadily weakened the protective barrier surrounding him.

The flying needles were extremely lethal. After just a few rounds, the glow of Lei Zhan’s protective barrier dimmed significantly, becoming dangerously unstable.

“…”

Lei Zhan was shocked. He finally realized that his opponent was truly formidable. Fighting alone against a master with unparalleled martial skills was indeed unviable. He quickly accelerated and tried to retreat.

But!

The mysterious man’s attack frequency increased even further.

Having failed to defeat a player with his flying needle technique for the first time, his confidence was shaken, fueling his desire to avenge his defeat with the opponent’s blood.

Just then…

Kai Xin stepped in!

“Hmph!”

Seeing the mysterious man’s persistent attacks, Kai Xin finally lost his patience. A killing intent flashed in his eyes as he swiftly reached for something at his waist and swung it forward.

Swish! Swish!

Two streaks of light shot out one after another. Under the strong gravitational pull in the air, their already high speed increased even more as they entered the combat zone.

However, the accuracy of the two flying knives seemed strange…

One flew into the air several meters away from the mysterious man, while the other deviated significantly in height, as if the user hadn’t used flying knives for a long time and had completely missed the target.

Yet, as the first flying knife passed by seemingly without affecting the battle, the mysterious man, who had been hovering freely in the air, suddenly lost his balance. His movements froze, as if deprived of some force, and he plummeted downward—right into the path of the second flying knife coming from below.

The mysterious man hadn’t noticed these two flying knives at first. But the sudden break in the threads of his needles, along with these pinpoint-accurate flying knives, instantly filled him with a chilling sense of danger. His heart sank, and he couldn’t focus on dealing with Lei Zhan anymore. He quickly flicked his hands to knock away the flying knives approaching his chest, spun in midair, and landed steadily.

The moment he hit the ground, the mysterious man abruptly raised his head and stared intently at the young man slowly entering the combat zone…

For the second time!

This was the second time he had been forced to fall back to the ground from the air.

The first time was when the other party saved Xiao Bei; in the haste, he almost was pierced to the ground by the power transmitted through the silk threads. Just now, the other party actually saw through his Needle Transmission technique and recognized the silk threads hidden in the air…

He glanced around again. As expected, Lei Zhan took the opportunity to quickly withdraw from the battlefield as the other party had said, going to protect Xiao Bei, who was using internal energy to heal himself. Judging from how much trust the two had in this young man, it was clear that he was the strongest among the three… This was not hard to tell.

Thinking of this, the mysterious man frowned slightly, becoming serious once more, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He wondered if he should curse inwardly at having to encounter such top-tier experts in such a strange place. At that moment, Kai Xin had already entered the combat area, the region covered by the demonic sound. With his robes fluttering, he remained calm and composed, feeling the pressure coming from all directions and the oppressive heaviness in the air.

The Sunflower Manual and the Sunflower Aura truly lived up to their reputation.

Suddenly, the mysterious man frowned and said in surprise, “So you’re Kai Xin… The number one on the Masters List—truly living up to the reputation.”

“Too kind. You’re not bad either. Heir of the Sunflower Manual, your future achievements are boundless,” Kai Xin replied indifferently, showing no pride or excitement at being recognized.

“I didn’t expect to meet you here…”

The mysterious man seemed to become even more vigilant, muttering “Interesting” as he gathered all the scattered needles with his flying needles.

“I heard you went to Fox Cave alone and killed two experts from the Dragon List, along with over thirty top-tier experts. I want to see if you’ll force me to go all out.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lei Zhan and Xiao Bei nearby paled slightly: This guy had reached such a level yet still held back?

Hearing this, Kai Xin chuckled lightly…

“What are you laughing at?”

The mysterious man’s eyes flashed like lightning as he stared at Kai Xin, his tone suddenly turning cold. “Hmph! If it were me in Fox Cave, not a single one of those people would escape…”

Kai Xin’s expression remained unchanged. He was well aware of the power of the Sunflower Manual. In his past life, this guy had used his invincible Needle Transmission technique to slaughter countless experts from the Dragon and Phoenix Lists. This was because not many people knew how to sense directions through the wind or understood the intricacies of Needle Transmission, plus the disadvantages of fighting under the Sunflower Aura.

Lacking the desire to explain, Kai Xin simply said, “You’ll find out soon enough.” A provocative glint sparked the mysterious man’s anger, kicking off a duel between the two!

……
In battles between masters, just a few moves are enough to gauge the opponent’s strength.
The mysterious man’s flying needles were utterly ineffective against Happy; she could predict his attack trajectory the moment he raised his hand, stepping aside quickly or blocking them with her hands, like a reclusive expert untainted by the world. With each move, she made it impossible for the mysterious man to consider using flying needles against her.
The Sunflower Aura and flying needles were completely useless against her!
The same went for Happy’s flying knives!
With a single flick of his hand, the mysterious man sent the knives flying far away—his inferior skill with hidden weapons was utterly useless.
After exchanging a few attacks and confirming that long-range attacks couldn’t harm his opponent, the distance between them gradually shortened, filled with an increasingly tense and dangerous atmosphere.
Unconsciously, both decided to get closer to test their opponents up close…
Though Happy had a great reputation, the mysterious man was still very confident in himself. After all, under the Sunflower Aura, enemies within its range would be affected, forcing them to operate at less than 80% of their usual speed and strength.
The peerless martial art, the Sunflower Manual, was different from the True Dragon Ten Styles. It encompassed lightness skills, movement techniques, defense methods, combat moves, and mental training—almost everything! It could also be adapted according to individual circumstances, while the True Dragon Ten Styles were merely advanced combat techniques. The two were vastly different.
After mastering the Sunflower Manual, even without weapons, the mysterious man’s pale, muscular palms became as hard as steel, allowing him to evenly match Happy’s Jade Silkworm Hands.
Moreover, under the Sunflower Aura, the Sunflower Manual thrived, with speeds that shocked Happy—she quickly found herself at a defensive disadvantage.
Although the punches and palm strikes appeared gentle, they were merely a facade. A moment of carelessness would see those strikes strike like thunder, delivering powerful winds laced with fierce strength, making them hard to defend against.
If not for the fact that the Shadowless Swift Leg was itself an extremely fast offensive martial art, even if weakened, it could still keep up with the punches and kicks of the Sunflower Manual. And with Happy’s real experience fighting the successor of the Sunflower Manual, she would likely have been injured long ago.
Despite being at a disadvantage, Happy remained calm, maneuvering carefully through the complex flurry of palm strikes while engaging the mysterious man.
Bang! Bang!
Happy moved swiftly, blocking successfully and immediately seizing the opportunity to launch a series of rapid Shadowless Legs.
Whoa!
The mysterious man had to turn around to defend himself, but the repeated attacks quickly put him at a disadvantage again, forcing him to step back several meters.

The ice effect attached to the Jade Silkworm’s hands is also not easy to endure.