My Arts Evolve When Perfected

"Whoa—"

Jiang Qiu reined in his horse, dismounted, and helped Xiong up from the ground. Twenty-some Warriors, holding Cold Iron Spears, formed a circle around the two of them, their heads tilted up as they warily watched the hundred or so members of the Demon Race circling in the sky.

The few Warriors who had been on the ground moments ago had already been dealt with by the Demon Race. Fortunately, Xiong was a little farther away, and the last demon moving to execute him hadn’t been able to react in time.

"Uncle Xiong, are you alright?"

"I’m fine."

Xiong used Jiang Qiu’s shoulder to pull himself up. His chest heaved violently, and large clouds of white breath billowed from his mouth and nose. He didn’t look to be in good shape, but the muscles in his arms were still tensed.

’I never thought the one who came to save me would be Qiu...’

"Uncle Xiong, get on the horse first."

Jiang Qiu helped Xiong onto the Blue-Hoofed Horse he had ridden in on. When he glimpsed the gash on Xiong’s right arm, so deep the bone was visible, a chill suddenly swept through his heart, and his knuckles cracked.

He turned, looked up, and glanced at the Middle Tier One-eyed Snow Owl hovering high in the air. Their gazes clashed for a mere instant before his eyes fell again, locking onto the Northern Snow Lance plunged into the snow a hundred meters away.

’I have to get the Northern Snow Lance first. It’ll be easier to kill demons with it.’

’Damn it, I was in such a hurry I didn’t bring my Hunting Bow!’

"Qiu."

Hearing the shout, Jiang Qiu whipped his head around just in time to see a Cold Iron Spear being tossed from horseback. "Spear!"

THWACK.

The engraved shaft of the Cold Iron Spear slapped into the webbing between Jiang Qiu’s right thumb and forefinger with a powerful impact. He took a deep breath, held the spear at an angle like a lance, and his gaze shot out like the edge of a blade. "You all protect Uncle Xiong! I’m going for the Northern Snow Lance!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jiang Qiu shot forward like a wolf’s shadow. With every step, his heels kicked up huge plumes of white snow. He resembled a black crane racing across a frozen lake.

"Heh heh, going for the Northern Snow Lance? Die!"

The Middle Tier One-eyed Snow Owl pointed with its right claw, and the hundred or so members of the Demon Race dove like a meteor shower toward Jiang Qiu as he sprinted across the snow. Their bizarre, shrieking cries sounded like a demonic accompaniment. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

’I didn’t take the Northern Snow Lance precisely to bait the Chosen One from the North Snow Tribe.’

’If I had taken the Northern Snow Lance into the sky, the Chosen One obviously wouldn’t have stuck around. He would have rescued his man and left.’

’After all, to put it bluntly, the Northern Snow Lance is just a weapon. It holds more symbolic value than any real boost to combat power.’

’For most Chosen Ones, losing a weapon that only has symbolic value isn’t a huge deal. They know how to weigh their options.’

’But it seems this Chosen One from the North Snow Tribe is different. The fact that he dared to come and save someone shows he has a decent sense of belonging to his tribe—something rare in any tribe, one might say.’

’So by leaving the Northern Snow Lance on the ground, there’s a high probability he’ll try to retrieve it!’

With all these thoughts converging, the corners of the Middle Tier One-eyed Snow Owl’s beak curled up slightly. It could already envision the glorious achievement of leading a hundred demons to slay the North Snow Tribe’s Chosen One!

Ahahaha—

Ahahaha... hah?

The Middle Tier One-eyed Snow Owl’s pupil dilated, bulging out like a wide-open cow’s eye. Its sharp beak hung open, forgotten.

SWISH SWISH SWISH—

Down below, Jiang Qiu, still sprinting across the snow, swung his spear like a lance. An invisible Spear Intent parted the falling snow, and any demon that crossed his path became a broken-winged bird. Black blood sprayed everywhere, and a trail of bodies was left in his wake.

He cut one down every few steps, killing with each swing of his spear.

’Such incredibly precise killing techniques!’

"Someone who excels with polearms... could this be the Jiang Qiu that Lord Feng, the Celestial Chosen Demon, spoke of?!"

The Middle Tier One-eyed Snow Owl sucked in a sharp breath. A flicker of fear flashed in its eye, only to be replaced by boundless greed as its killing intent solidified into a cold gleam.

’The Celestial Chosen Demon, Feng, gave himself that name. He has bestowed great favors upon the many Demon Race members of Cold Heaven Cliff, bringing us many unprecedented Cultivation methods.’

’And he specifically mentioned one name—Jiang Qiu. He said he was likely a Chosen One from the Human Race, that his Talent for Spear Technique was astonishing, and that we should gather as much information about him as possible.’

’Chosen Ones all come from the same world, so it’s normal for them to know each other. But for the mysterious Lord Feng to place so much importance on a single Chosen One... that’s no simple matter.’

’Jiang Qiu must be carrying something incredible. If I kill him and bring him back to Lord Feng, I’ll surely achieve great merit and fame, and might even be personally mentored by Lord Feng!’

’Even though Feng himself only recently entered the Initial Tier, his abilities are too immense. Setting aside his status, even I, a Middle Tier, might not dare to cross him.’

’As a Celestial Chosen Demon, Feng is destined to reach a Realm that no other member of the Demon Race can. When that time comes, he will surely promote those who have served him well.’

’Maybe I could even take the position of the One-eyed Snow Owl Clan’s chief!’

’And have my name placed second on the Cold Heaven Stele!’

"All of you, get out of the way! I’ll handle him!"

With a sharp cry, the Middle Tier One-eyed Snow Owl dove from the sky. Its crimson eye was filled with greedy killing intent, and its outstretched claws sliced through the drifting snow like blades!

Hearing the whistling wind overhead, Jiang Qiu abruptly turned his head. With a flick of his wrist, he thrust the spear upward, his eyes as cold as an icy abyss, perfectly reflecting the One-eyed Snow Owl’s savage face.

SCREEE—

CLANG—

A pair of sharp claws scraped across Jiang Qiu’s Chest Armor, sending out orange-yellow sparks. The sharp Cold Iron Spear thrust out with precision, forcing the One-eyed Snow Owl to retract its feet and clamp them around the spear shaft. Its posture was awkward, its eye filled with shock.

WHAM!

The muscles in Jiang Qiu’s arms bulged as he fiercely flung the bird-man aside. The spearhead tore through the palm of its claw, splattering black blood.

FLAP, FLAP...

The Middle Tier One-eyed Snow Owl beat its great wings. The exchange with Jiang Qiu lasted but an instant as it skimmed past him over the snow and ascended once more, shocking the dozens of surviving demons into staring wide-eyed. "Big Brother attacked personally and couldn’t even hurt that guy!"

"His iron armor is too tough, and that guy’s spear is vicious!"

Hearing the discussion among his subordinates, the Middle Tier One-eyed Snow Owl, having readjusted its posture, still felt a lingering fear. Seeing Jiang Qiu about to reach the Northern Snow Lance, it shouted, "Wear him down until he’s exhausted! He’s wearing Heavy Armor; there’s no way he can hold out long enough to kill all of you!

And any of you who survive will share in the great merit of slaying a Chosen One and have your names inscribed on the Cold Heaven Stele!"

At these words, a rush of hot blood filled the demons’ hearts. Howling and shrieking, they charged forward again, and another round of fighting began.

But Jiang Qiu was clad in Heavy Armor, and their claws couldn’t penetrate his body at all. Those that tried to knock him over were not as agile; he would simply roll and get back to his feet, resuming his sprint.

But if one of them was careless for a moment and had an opening exploited, a single stab would send them tumbling into the snow, never to rise again.

The Demon Race had originally numbered over a hundred, but in the blink of an eye, only half remained. By now, Jiang Qiu had also pulled out the Northern Snow Lance. With the spear in his left hand and the lance in his right, a sliver of icy killing intent radiated from beneath his helmet.

"Damn it, this Chosen One is too tough! We can’t chew through him!"

Hovering in the air, the Middle Tier One-eyed Snow Owl bared its teeth and clenched its claws. Its single eye turned toward the twenty-some Human Race Warriors. It let out a sinister laugh. "First, kill all the Blue-Hoofed Horses! You’ll all have to walk back! Then I’ll summon the rest of the demons from Cold Heaven Cliff, wait for you to tire out, and then strike to annihilate you all at once!"