As Zhu Bufan ran at full speed, he saw the main forces, and his eyes instantly lit up. He raised his hands, waving them over his head, and repeatedly yelled for help. At this moment, Zhu Bufan's clothes were in tatters, his robe almost entirely reduced to rags, filled with holes of various sizes. The strips of cloth fluttered up, down, left, and right in the whistling cold wind.

He looked as pitiful as one can be.

"Prepare the bows and arrows!"

The middle-aged man shouted loudly while raising the crimson large bow that was placed beside him.

This large bow was almost the same height as the middle-aged man. The bow body was crimson, as if soaked in blood, exuding a strong aura of death. The bowstring was as thick as a child's little finger, semi-transparent, and seemed to be made from some kind of animal tendons.

The middle-aged man pulled out a feathered arrow, its arrowhead meticulously carved, extremely sharp, and the barbed design made it even more frightening.

He nocked the arrow and drew the bow, as if exerting no force at all, pulling the entire crimson bow into a perfect round shape.

Whoosh...

As the feathered arrow shot out, it instantly disappeared from sight, leaving only a faint golden trail that flashed across mid-air.

Though Zhu Bufan knew he wasn't the target of this shot, facing the incoming arrow, he couldn't be sure if he was being targeted.

Feeling the terrifying power of this arrow, Zhu Bufan knew that if it hit, even if he survived, he'd be severely injured.

Whoosh...

A gust of wind flashed past Zhu Bufan's scalp, and he felt a coolness on his face.

Touched his cheek, which stung intensely. The feathered arrow had almost grazed his face. Zhu Bufan was secretly alarmed: "If it had been a few centimeters inward, it would have pierced my head completely, and I'd be dead."

Glancing at the middle-aged man who fired the shot, Zhu Bufan wondered why, with no enmity between them, the man would unleash such killing intent at first sight, giving him a major warning.

Roar...

A terrible scream came from behind Zhu Bufan, making Zhu Yuheng turn back abruptly.

He saw the fastest running buffalo with a feathered arrow inserted into its head, blood gushing from the wound, and it fell heavily without much struggle.

The other buffalo seemed frightened, slowed down, and with the formidable presence of dozens of Zhu Family warriors nearby, they had to halt, nostrils flaring, stepping restlessly in place!

Meanwhile, Zhu Bufan took advantage of the gap to slip into the Zhu Family's ranks, arriving straight onto Zhu Jusheng and the others' sled.

"Release..."

Seeing Zhu Bufan safely back on the sled, the middle-aged man shouted again. Then, dozens of arrows rained down on the four buffalo.

Whizz, whizz, whizz...

The thick hides of the buffalo were at their best display, deflecting nearly all arrows plummeting from the sky.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man frowned slightly but then nocked another arrow. The buffalo, hesitating initially, screamed in unison when they saw the huge bow drawn again. They rapidly turned and bolted into the distance.

"Run? Think you can escape?"

The middle-aged man snorted, and the nearly full-drawn bow suddenly released. The feathered arrow drew a subtle arc in mid-air, then firmly struck a buffalo's rear skull.

Roar, roar, roar...

With another buffalo shot dead, the remaining buffalo finally panicked. Roaring continuously, they fled at top speed into the distance.

"Feng, quick, drink some water!" Zhu Wei, who cultivated Fire Familiar Inner Qi, filled the kettle with snow, then held it with both hands, activating the Inner Qi Cultivation Method. Before long, rolling hot tea could be prepared.

"Feng, what happened that day? How did you manage to escape?" Zhu Yun asked with great curiosity.

Facing the group's curiosity, Zhu Bufan smiled slightly, tidying his clothes. He fabricated a story, saying he accidentally fell into an ice crevice while escaping, which saved him.

Zhu Yun and Zhu Wei believed Zhu Bufan's understated tale, but Zhu Jusheng and Zhu Zi were skeptical. However, Zhu Bufan smiled inwardly; he only needed a story. Whether they believed him or not didn't matter.

"Oh, by the way, how about you all? Any gains?" Standing on the sled, Zhu Bufan tidied his clothes, smiling as he asked.

"You've seen. Although the gains were decent, compared to the other groups, we're still at a significant disadvantage, especially against Zhu Wu's group who hunted an Eighth Rank peak Wild Beast!" Zhu Jusheng said solemnly, looking at Zhu Wu not far away.

Zhu Wu was indeed a remarkable talent, reaching the peak of Ninth Rank during this trial. Attaining the Ninth Rank peak at fifteen was indeed rare.

"All the rewards have been issued to them! Humph, so eager, who knows what secrets are behind it!" Zhu Jusheng snorted.

Hearing this, Zhu Bufan's heart moved, and he scanned Zhu Wu with all his perception.

Watching Zhu Wu, who didn't restrain his aura, Zhu Bufan clearly sensed that though Zhu Wu's aura was strong, reaching the Ninth Rank peak, it was extremely turbid, indicating he had recently broken through and hadn't stabilized. Moreover, he didn't advance through his own cultivation—more like he had consumed an Elixir!

"It's the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill!"

Zhu Bufan's observant eye noticed the jade-like glow on Zhu Wu's skin, and his body constantly emitted a unique fresh scent. This was clearly the phenomenon seen after Cleansing Meridians and removing toxins and impurities from the body.

Zhu Bufan had undergone this himself and could naturally discern it.

"I suspected something was odd; so that's the reason!" Zhu Bufan quietly said to himself, realizing now that he felt something was off about Zhu Wu, not due to his post-advancement aura but because of his current observations.

Zhu Bufan shook his head slightly; Zhu Jusheng couldn't discern the schemes, but Zhu Bufan could perceive them clearly.

This trial gave Zhu Bufan a very clear understanding of the real power of Wild Beasts, usually surpassing martial artists of the same rank. And this gap didn't narrow with advancement; rather it became more noticeable. An Eighth Rank Late Stage Wild Beast was enough to kill a Ninth Rank Early Stage martial artist.

Thus, even though Zhu Wu's group was relatively the strongest, thinking they could kill an Eighth Rank Wild Beast was fantasy—impossible without help.

Zhu Bufan could guess that someone arranged for the Eighth Rank Wild Beast to be sent secretly to Zhu Wu's group, helping them obtain the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill.

However, even aware of the truth, Zhu Bufan lacked evidence to expose it directly, as it might backfire.

Moreover, it was crucial for him to keep a low profile while returning to the Zhu Family in the You State. Zhu Bufan didn't intend to become a prominent figure.

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