Walking the Ten Thousand Daos

Chapter 11: Morale

Bang! Lu Shan and Li Qi collided.

Li Qi immediately felt a wave of soreness spread through his shoulder. It was nothing like the devastation he had anticipated, the other party hadn’t even budged!

His skin was so tough that touch had already become dull, yet that impact still left him weak and numb.

What was even more terrifying was that he could see the progress bar of his Bull Strength Art suddenly accelerate, from 8% to 25%!

Just that single clash had shaved nearly 20% off its duration!

Li Qi was stunned. Lu Shan is this strong?

If he were truly this powerful, then the Wave-Breaking Gang would’ve been wiped out long ago, how could it have held on until now?

But then, he noticed something else.

There were two progress bars on Lu Shan as well.

“Formation Enhancement: 84%.”

“Charging: 56%.”

The "Charging" bar was rapidly rising and was about to hit full.

Li Qi, ignoring the soreness in his body, forcefully gathered another breath and rammed Lu Shan with a vicious headbutt.

Lu Shan hadn’t expected Li Qi to recover so quickly, and was forced to adjust his stance, retreating under the force of the headbutt.

Li Qi noticed that the "Charging" bar had been interrupted and exhaled in relief.

However, another bar “Attack: 100%” instantly filled up, giving him no time to react!

Lu Shan’s punch came crashing down, landing squarely on Li Qi’s nose.

Thanks to his thick skin, Li Qi didn’t feel any pain.

No pain but blood flowed.

As nosebleed trickled down, the haulers' faces lit up with glee. Cheers erupted, and the dread in their hearts eased significantly.

After this, Li Qi immediately noticed the "Formation Enhancement: 84%" drop to 78%.

It had regressed!?

That’s possible?

Li Qi instantly understood, it was morale!

Whether it was the formation, the group charge, or all the movements and tactics tonight, there was an underlying air of military discipline throughout.

Sixth Uncle and the others might not recognize this “military wind,” but he had watched military parades more than once, and understood the essence of strict orders and obedience. He could tell the difference between a rabble and a trained military unit.

This formation, wherever Lu Shan had picked it up from, it definitely had some military roots.

If morale was the key...

Then Li Qi ignored his bleeding nose, performed a donkey roll to escape Lu Shan’s range, and lunged at a Strong-Force Gang hauler caught in the formation.

With a single punch, he caved the man’s head into his chest. Thump! A crisp, dreadful sound.

Lu Shan immediately realized what Li Qi was trying to do.

“You dare!?” he roared, charging forward to stop him.

But at the same time, his heart was shaken. How does this guy have such sharp insight? How did he identify the formation’s weakness at a glance?! He’s just a hauler, where did he get such experience!?

But Li Qi, relying on his thick skin, tanked another punch. Though it hurt and left a bruise, he feigned complete indifference. He seized another hauler, lifted him, and ripped his head off.

The blood-drenched spine and the fading scream in the darkness spread terror like wildfire.

“Jie jie jie!” Li Qi’s eyes bulged as he let out a twisted laugh, took a bloody bite, and let crimson ooze all over his clothes, looking utterly deranged.

His nostrils exhaled twin jets of white breath. His skin was crimson. Paired with that grotesque grin, he resembled a demonic beast.

There was nothing human about him anymore.

Lu Shan’s “Formation Enhancement” bar instantly jumped to 97%.

Clearly, he too sensed that the formation was about to collapse and he panicked.

“You bastard! Die!!” He grabbed a rock from the ground, held it like a weapon, and rushed toward Li Qi, trying to salvage the morale.

But this time, Li Qi didn’t dodge.

He ran straight into him.

Li Qi made no effort to evade. The rock smashed into him head-on, a full-powered strike from Lu Shan, carrying nearly 2,000 jin of force. Even with Bull Strength’s thick skin, it cracked Li Qi’s head open, blood flowing, stars flashing in his eyes. He nearly lost consciousness.

As for the rock, it shattered on impact, splinters embedding into his skin.

This blow had done real damage.

But he endured it, forcing himself to stay conscious, letting out a beast-like roar. He took the hit in exchange for the chance to bite down on Lu Shan’s nose and rip off a piece!

“Ahhhhhh!!” Even the famously sturdy Big Strong Shan couldn’t help but scream in agony.

The other haulers were so horrified by the scene that their courage shattered. Whatever morale they’d had vanished. Some even broke and began to flee in a blind panic.

“Get back here! Running now is certain death!” Lu Shan shouted in pain, trying to rally them.

But that shout gave Li Qi his chance, he smashed a fist into Lu Shan’s head.

Lu Shan reacted quickly, twisting his head to the side. The punch landed on his shoulder, staggering him and forcing him to crouch slightly.

But that was enough, the formation fell apart completely.

Li Qi watched the enhancement status reach 100% and then vanish.

Every hauler felt the invisible string tying them together suddenly snap.

With that, they completely lost their will to fight, scattering like startled birds, rolling and crawling in every direction.

Lu Shan’s formation buff dissolved instantly.

He had barely been able to match Bull Strength Art before but now, without the formation, he reverted to his normal strength, unable to even break through Li Qi’s defenses.

Yet he did not submit.

Grabbing a club, he let out a furious roar. Even without a formation, he charged at Li Qi with the desperation of a deathmatch.

Such fighting spirit was utterly unbefitting of a mere hauler.

Li Qi didn’t fear him. Now that the buff had expired, the man was no match for him.

But once they engaged, Li Qi’s eyes flew wide with shock as he was slammed to the ground!

Lu Shan’s attacks were fast, vicious, and disciplined. It was clear he had received formal training. Though not as strong as Li Qi, his moves were wide, fierce, and deadly.

Li Qi had power and resilience but he lacked technique. For the moment, he couldn’t gain the upper hand.

He tried to block and counter, but always came up short, getting hit instead.

Only his tough hide kept him safe, Lu Shan simply couldn’t deal damage.

In the end, martial arts can’t match spell techniques.

But when Lu Shan once again blocked a strike and tried to counter, Li Qi suddenly switched tactics mid-move. Empowered by brute force, he caught Lu Shan off guard and slammed him into the ground with a suplex!

Li Qi immediately followed up with a knife-hand strike, aiming to knock him out and end this farce once and for all.

But Lu Shan flipped upright with a carp flip, dodging it like before.

Yet even he was rattled.

Li Qi had been clumsy before, how is he suddenly using technique!?

He had no idea why.

Only Li Qi himself knew. He had begun learning, observing the progress bars on his opponent mid-fight!

As long as he could strike during the middle of a charging bar, he could preempt the enemy’s move.

In other words, he was now learning to interrupt casting!

(Chapter End)