Chapter 12: I Can Level Up by Killing You

Actually, this chapter was originally titled: *There is an Impulse Called "I Can Level Up by Killing You," But What You Don't Know Is That the Other Side Feels the Same...*

Hua Xiong had already lost his title as the number one brave general of the Xiliang Army, but his pride demanded that he challenge the enemy. Even if his opponent was Lu Bu, he dared to raise his blade.

[A pity... I was once so obsessed with the title of Xiliang's number one brave general that I couldn't pull myself away. Now that I have witnessed Lu Bu's martial prowess, it is too late; I have already passed my optimal period for advancement. Now, I must fight with my life!] Hua Xiong's eyes narrowed. He could feel that barrier. Just one more step—if he could take just one more step, he would be qualified to challenge again!

No matter how fierce the opponent's momentum was, Hua Xiong still laughed wildly, "Another one comes to his death!"

"Traitorous general, die!" Pan Feng bellowed.

The momentum, which was nearly a notch stronger than his own, did not intimidate Hua Xiong. One must stand on the line between life and death to break through. Having passed his prime window for advancement, the only way to take another step was to perceive life and death on the battlefield!

"Die!" Hua Xiong roared. A burst of red light erupted from his body, slamming heavily against Pan Feng's great axe.

*Boom!* With a thunderous roar, a large crater was blasted out where the two horses met. Hua Xiong felt a searing heat in the webbing of his thumb. His eyes flashed with ferocity as he stared fixedly at Pan Feng; he had the sensation that killing this man would allow him to level up!

Similarly, Pan Feng received much less of the counterattack, but after parrying the blow and turning his horse, he also felt the impulse that killing his opponent would trigger a level up.

Both men felt a surge of heat in their hearts. They both understood what "one more step" meant. The way they looked at each other shifted into the gaze of a predator looking at its prey, though heaven only knew who was the hunter and who was the prey.

*Boom!* Another roar, followed immediately by a sonic boom. In these few seconds, they had clashed dozens of times. Hua Xiong had already sustained a bloody gash from Pan Feng's axe-wind stretching from his left shoulder to his right waist. In these brief seconds, he could clearly feel his progress. He could guarantee that if he slaughtered the opponent, he would absolutely level up!

"One strike to decide the victor!" Pan Feng said coldly. For some reason, his faithful steed, which had always been perfectly in sync with him, was acting sluggish this time. However, he didn't intend to dwell on it. One strike—as long as it was one strike, he could kill Hua Xiong. And with one more strike, he could step into that god-like realm!

Hua Xiong did not respond; he merely gripped his blade tightly. The red light on his body intensified, even appearing to boil slightly.

"Kill!" Hua Xiong let out a violent roar and charged toward Pan Feng with the resolve to die. Meanwhile, Pan Feng approached with a cold sneer, prepared to decapitate Hua Xiong.

At the exact moment they collided, the Green-Maned Horse, which had been so perfectly synchronized with Pan Feng, became a "bad teammate" of the Three Kingdoms era. Its legs suddenly went weak, and it stumbled. Hua Xiong took the opportunity to thrust his blade, decapitating Pan Feng in one motion.

Turning his horse around, Hua Xiong looked coldly at Pan Feng. The aura around him began to boil and burn. Killing the opponent had indeed triggered a level up; the massive wound on his chest and abdomen quickly scabbed over and grew new flesh.

Slowly, the sensation subsided. The once purely ferocious Hua Xiong became almost like an ordinary man, yet when one met his eyes, it felt like staring into the eyes of a raging tiger.

"Is this the power of a higher level?" A clear layer of blade-light manifested on Hua Xiong's great saber. With a swing, a massive blade of fire accompanied by a sonic boom flew toward the allied camp's main tent. "No wonder Lu Bu said that even against tens of thousands, whether they stay or go is merely a matter of a single word. He wasn't joking."

*Boom.* With a massive crash, the gates of the military camp were blown away.

"Listen, allied forces! I am Hua Xiong, the vanguard under Chancellor Dong! Surrender immediately, or I shall charge in and leave none alive!" Hua Xiong took a deep breath and bellowed toward the allied camp. This time, he could guarantee his voice would carry for dozens of miles!

"Report!" By the time the messenger entered, everyone in the main tent knew the situation. With a voice as loud as Hua Xiong's, everyone knew the man had won.

"General Pan was cut down in a few exchanges by Hua Xiong, who then shattered the camp gates from a hundred meters away with a single strike!" the messenger said, his face pale with terror.

"What!" This time, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, the Xiahou brothers, and Yuan Shao all stood up. They understood the magnitude of such power. To shatter a camp gate from a hundred meters away with one move—that was already the final stage of a martial artist.

Because of this, Yuan Shao felt foolish. If he had known Hua Xiong was this fierce, he shouldn't have drugged Pan Feng's horse; perhaps Pan Feng could have held out for a few more moves and wounded Hua Xiong. Now that Pan Feng was dead, who was going to deal with such an expert!

What Yuan Shao did not know was that if he hadn't drugged the horse, he would currently be facing a Pan Feng capable of projecting internal energy.

Soon, after a flurry of whispers, everyone understood Hua Xiong's current level. He could be described as one of the world's top experts—an existence who, if in a bad mood, could single-handedly wipe out ten or twenty thousand men.

"Who dares to face Hua Xiong!" Yuan Shao asked loudly. As a result, everyone lowered their heads in silence. That was a top-tier expert capable of projecting internal energy! Going up there was suicide!

"If my generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou were here, why should I fear Hua Xiong!" Yuan Shao barked, though he was only saying it for show. At this point in time, Yan Liang and Wen Chou were only at the level Pan Feng and Hua Xiong had just been; fighting the current Hua Xiong would be nothing more than delivering themselves as sacrifices. Hua Xiong was destined to be a standard supporting character!

"Elder Brother!" the Xiahou brothers called out softly, but they were held back by Cao Cao. This was not the time for reckless bravery; Hua Xiong was so fierce that if they failed, the loss would be catastrophic.

"Second Master! Holy crap!" Just as Chen Xi was about to restrain Guan Yu to prevent him from charging, Guan Yu stood up.

"This humble one is willing to go!" Guan Yu said proudly.

Yuan Shao looked at Liu Bei. Seeing Liu Bei nod, he felt no grudge against him. If Liu Bei went up and died, it wouldn't be good to blame it on Yuan Shao. But since Liu Bei was willing, Yuan Shao was happy to have someone else take the bullet.

Cao Cao stared at Guan Yu's large beard with an envious expression, wondering how skilled Guan Yu's handiwork was. But judging solely by that beard, if Cao Cao went up to offer a toast, it might just turn into a funeral toast.

"Please, drink this cup before you go," Cao Cao said with a smile.

"Set the wine aside; I shall return shortly!" Guan Yu said with great arrogance.

Well, having stayed with Guan Yu for so long, Chen Xi understood that Guan Yu wasn't very good at speaking and often offended people. However, with this tone and expression, to others, he appeared utterly full of pride. If he killed Hua Xiong later, there would be nothing to say—he would have earned the right to be so arrogant. But if he were killed by Hua Xiong, his current arrogance would be nothing but a joke.

"Alliance Leader, would you like to go out and see? My second brother will surely defeat Hua Xiong!" After saying this, Liu Bei bowed and walked out of the tent. The current Liu Bei was a minor warlord in his own right and possessed some prestige, so naturally, the crowd followed him out—not to mention Cao Cao, who carried a wine cup.

And so, Guan Yu rode his Xiliang horse, strolling leisurely toward the camp gates, unlike the others who, upon exiting, would have increased their speed to the point of nearly breaking the sound barrier.

(End of Chapter)