"I hide neither my name nor my title. I am Qin Ming, Lord of Cloud Mist City. If you two intend to disrupt the peace here, you’ll have to step over me first," Qin Ming declared, his voice low and steady.

  "A mere Lord of a backwater city dares to stand in my way? Come and meet your death," Lie Wa sneered, lunging directly at Qin Ming.

  "Stubborn fool."

  Qin Ming was no pushover. As one of the few Class-rank powerhouses in Cloud Mist City, he held the rare class of Fighter—a martial artist who relied on his body rather than weapons.

  Seeing Lie Wa close the distance, his sharp wolf claws slicing through the air like daggers and emitting a weeping whistle, Qin Ming clenched his fists. Combat Qi surged around his arms, glowing like a rainbow.

  BOOM!

  The two clashed, and a shockwave of Combat Qi exploded in mid-air.

  Qin Ming’s fists were like heavy cannons. The Qi roaring around his knuckles punched through Lie Wa’s claw defense, smashing heavily into the crook of the wolf-man's arms.

  In an instant, Lie Wa’s center was left wide open.

  Qin Ming pulled back a fist and driven it toward Lie Wa’s chest. If this punch connected—even with Lie Wa’s enhanced defense from partial beastification—it would snap several ribs and rupture his internal organs.

  But Lie Pa didn't give him that chance.

  The Wolf Hunter Clan hadn't survived and thrived solely on their tracking skills. Equal to their reputation as hunters was their mastery of Combined Assault. This was why they always operated in pairs. Any Wolf Hunter confident enough to operate alone was a terrifying entity who had reached the pinnacle of strength.

  Facing Lie Pa’s flanking attack, Qin Ming was forced to retract his fist to defend himself.

  Trading injuries was absolutely the wrong strategy here. Qin Ming had no confidence in matching the recovery rate and stamina of these semi-beasts.

  "Die, human."

  The moment Lie Pa forced Qin Ming back, Lie Wa blurred, reappearing at a devilishly tricky angle to cut off Qin Ming’s retreat. Their coordination was seamless, as if they shared a single mind.

  "Windstrider, activate!"

  Qin Ming scoffed, channeling his Combat Qi instantly into the Windstrider Boots on his feet.

  [Windstrider: Active Skill. Moderately increases the user's Agility for 3 minutes. Cooldown: 12 hours.]

  In a split second, Qin Ming felt his body become lighter. A surge of power flowed into his legs, allowing him to burst with speed far exceeding his previous limits.

  "It truly is miraculous."

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  Qin Ming stomped the air, his body shooting backward instantly.

  Lie Wa swiped at empty air, staring at Qin Ming in disbelief.

  "I didn't expect you to have that kind of burst speed. It must consume a lot of Combat Qi," Lie Pa sneered from the side.

  "That is none of your concern." Qin Ming knew Windstrider only lasted three minutes. He couldn't drag this out.

  Sub-human races like the Wolf Hunters could not equip Skill Crystals when they advanced in rank. To compensate, nature gave them Beastification—granting them massive stamina reserves and physical stats far superior to humans of the same level.

  Even with the equipment from Kael’s shop, Qin Ming could only fight them to a draw while outnumbered.

  "End this quickly, Lie Wa. We still have a mission," Lie Pa said. His body suddenly expanded, initiating full Beastification.

  "Finally," Lie Wa’s eyes flashed with a dangerous light as his body also began to bulk up.

  However, their massive, beast-like forms didn't slow them down. On the contrary, the explosion of strength elevated their speed to a new tier.

  Lie Pa and Lie Wa moved like two tornadoes in the dark night, circling Qin Ming at high speed.

  THUD!

  In a momentary lapse of concentration, Lie Wa struck like a bolt of lightning from the darkness. Lie Pa followed instantly, his massive fist firing like a cannonball into Qin Ming’s chest.

  BOOM!

  Qin Ming groaned as the heavy blow launched him through the air. He smashed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

  "Damn it! Thank the gods for the Refined Chainmail."

  Qin Ming waved his hand to clear the dust and staggered to his feet. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Through his torn clothes, the glint of the chainmail was visible. Without it, he wouldn't just be bleeding slightly—his internal organs would have been shattered.

  "Oh? City Lord Qin, what are you doing down there in the middle of the night?"

  A calm, indifferent voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

  Qin Ming’s heart skipped a beat. The voice sounded familiar, but he still spun around, fully on guard.

  "Manager... Manager Kael? Why are you here?"

  When the figure came into view, Qin Ming was stunned. This was one of the last people he expected to see on a battlefield.

  Kael looked at Qin Ming calmly, while Shier, standing beside him, stared at the City Lord with curiosity.

  Because of the sudden Beast Tide, Kael and Shier hadn't finished their meal at the Cloud Drunk Restaurant before leaving. The restaurant owner, knowing better than to ask for payment during a siege, had waived the bill.

  On their walk back to the shop, they happened to see Qin Ming fall from the sky.

  "I..."

  Before Qin Ming could explain, Shier’s face suddenly changed. She spoke in a panic, "Manager, someone is coming. This aura... it's the Wolf Hunters."

  "We wore out iron shoes searching for you in vain, only to find you right here without effort."

  The fully beastified Lie Pa and Lie Wa landed nearby. Shier’s Moon Spirit Cat aura was like a lighthouse in the dark to them.

  As for the young man beside her? He had no aura at all—just a commoner. It seemed the "powerful expert" protecting her wasn't here.

  "Since both targets are here, let's finish this in one go," Lie Wa shouted arrogantly, a wolf-like howl rising in his throat.

  "Manager, watch out!" Qin Ming immediately grabbed a Might Pill and a Wind Speed Pill, shoving them into his mouth.

  He then charged at the two Wolf Hunters.

  Earlier, he had wanted to test his own limits and gear, so he hadn't used the pills. Now, as the medicine dissolved, a terrifying power erupted within him, and his speed skyrocketed.

  Kael watched the two massive humanoid wolves pouncing toward them. Their beast eyes glowed with ghostly light, their fangs were white and sharp, and their claws promised death.

  No one would doubt their lethality.

  "Manager, dodge!" Shier instinctively tried to pull Kael back.

  "Oh, right. It's these guys." Kael ignored Shier’s tug. He punched his own palm as if remembering something.

  The Thousand-Mechanism Sphere appeared in his hand instantly, transforming into a long spear.

  BANG!

  Kael stomped the ground, leaving a clear footprint in the stone pavement.

  His not-so-tall figure soared into the air. Despite moving after Qin Ming, his speed was so great that he overtook the City Lord instantly, appearing directly in front of Lie Pa and Lie Wa.

  Compared to the two hulking, beastified Wolf Hunters, Kael looked like a fragile child standing next to giants.