The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 429 The Bandit Trial
The area between northern and eastern Mongolia has always been a major target of bandits. Bandits of all sizes wreaked havoc in this region like swarms of wasps, frequently rushing into the grasslands, targeting small tribes, and committing massacres and plunder, leaving no survivors wherever they went.

It is estimated that Temujin will only be able to deal with these guys after he has pacified the various tribes on the grassland. However, the bandits are always cunning and vigilant. Before the army could even arrive, they immediately disappeared without a trace, which is quite troublesome.

But these people's good days ended prematurely. In the last two months, the bandits of the eastern grasslands have been slaughtered, and the bandits of the northern grasslands have been terrified.

No matter how fast their horses are, they can't compare to the Akhal-Teke. With Guo Jing's riding skills and the little red horse, he could easily catch them with no way to escape.

A group of bandits was seen fleeing for their lives. This was a well-known band of bandits from the northern desert. Originally, there were more than two hundred of them, but now only about twenty remained. They were desperately trying to escape on horseback, with a red shadow relentlessly pursuing them from behind.

Seeing that escape was impossible and that the distance they had created would only get closer when they encountered the Ferghana horse, a dozen or so bandits steeled their hearts, turned their horses around, and tried to stop Guo Jing, who was already within arm's reach.

Guo Jing wore a simple set of armor, with only two breastplates on his chest and back, and a ring of scale armor around his waist. He brandished a spear and engaged in close combat with the dozen or so bandits.

Guo Jing had indeed learned spear techniques, and Quan Jinfa's scale rod was actually derived from spear techniques, but it was a method used by martial arts practitioners. He was good at using a short spear at close range, but in mounted combat, there weren't that many moves. Sweeping and thrusting were the main tactics, and it was all about whose spear was faster and more ruthless.

Guo Jing brandished his spear, and with a single sweep, he knocked two bandits off their horses. He was originally strong, and with Wu Chengyu's guidance, he had just reached the second level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill. His iron spear was like a heavy hammer and axe, and those hit by it suffered broken tendons and bones.

The other bandits were also in a bloodthirsty frenzy. Seeing their companion fall from his horse, they became extremely vicious and swung their sabers at him.

Before they could even get close, Guo Jing's twelve-foot-long iron spear, which weighed over twenty pounds, seemed as light as a feather and moved at an astonishing speed. With the simplest straight thrust, he stabbed several times in an instant. No matter how these bandits, who could dodge and maneuver on horseback, had their throats pierced by the spear.

With immense strength and lightning-fast attacks, these bandits didn't even have a chance to clash with Guo Jing's weapons. More than a dozen of them fell from their horses and died, completely powerless to fight back.

The slight delay allowed the fleeing bandits to create some distance. Guo Jing, whose face still showed signs of immaturity, exuded a murderous aura. He calmly took down the heavy bow from his back. It was a three-stone bow, which would have been a bit too much for his age, but it was just right for him now.

His archery skills were learned from Jebe, and now his arm strength has surpassed Jebe's. When it comes to eagle archers on the grassland, he is the most respected.

Guo Jing drew his bow three times in succession, each time releasing three arrows at the same time. Nine arrows flew out rapidly in a row, shooting fast and flying even faster, like meteors falling to the ground. As soon as he released the bowstring, the arrows had already struck the bandits in the back of the horse a hundred meters away.

At this point, only the last leader of the bandits remained. This guy was known for his ruthlessness among the bandits of the northern desert, and it was said that his martial arts skills were even better than those of the Swift Blade King. Seeing that he could neither run away nor hide, he finally stopped running, turned his horse around, and charged towards Guo Jing.

"You little bastard, even without those few people helping you, I'm not afraid of you one-on-one."

Guo Jing did not choose to shoot any more arrows, waiting for the bandit leader to engage in close combat. The bandit leader stopped running and wanted to fight to the death, which suited Guo Jing's wishes perfectly.

Every time Wu Chengyu ordered him to kill bandits, he would first let him know what heinous things these bandits had done, and he had already sentenced them to death in his heart.

Do not kill the innocent, but you must eradicate evil completely. This is Wu Chengyu's teaching to Guo Jing.

The bandit wielded dual swords. He had roamed the northern deserts for many years and was an excellent horseman. However, he was no match for this young upstart. When the two horses drew near, he chose to fight on foot. He first stepped onto the horse's back, leaped into the air, and crossed his dual swords, desperately slashing at Guo Jing.

Guo Jing's combat experience was now vastly different from before. He used the length of the spear to lift it with one hand and thrust it straight into the bandit leader's heart.

The bandit leader was still in the air, and before he could get close to Guo Jing, he saw the spear already piercing towards him. In his panic, he used both of his swords to slash at the spear, and at the same time used the force to float backward. Although he got rid of the spear, the force of the spear made his arms sore and numb.

'Where did this little beast come from? His strength is so great! I used the momentum of my horse to leap into the air and slashed with both swords, but he actually knocked me back with one arm!' The bandit leader cursed inwardly, but he dared not be careless. At this moment, the slightest hesitation would cost him his life.

He exerted force with both legs and charged straight at Guo Jing, who had also jumped off his horse. Just now, the longer spear was more advantageous, but if he got within a foot of Guo Jing, the twelve-foot spear would not be very convenient, and then it would be more dangerous.

But to his surprise, just as he was about to approach, Guo Jing threw down his spear, reached for his waist with both hands, and then put on two brass knuckles.

This is also Wu Chengyu's teaching: when facing the enemy, one must be good at using different weapons, and must be able to adapt to different situations and respond accordingly.

Even if Guo Jing used a spear, he could defeat the bandits, but he would have to constantly create space and expend more effort. Why bother?

Since they had dismounted to fight, and the spear was a bit inconvenient, they immediately switched to the most convenient method. In fact, Guo Jing's best skill was his fists.

Facing the bandit leader's longsword, Guo Jing showed no fear. His brass knuckles, forged from fine steel, sparked as they clashed against the blade. He launched a series of attacks, landing several punches on the bandit leader, breaking several bones in the process. Just then, the bandit leader's eyes flashed, and he threw his single-edged sword at Guo Jing with his left hand. Simultaneously, he flicked his sleeve, seemingly about to launch a hidden weapon. However, Guo Jing had encountered countless similar situations over the past few months and knew that these bandits always had a trump card.

Just as the bandit leader's knife flew out, Guo Jing took a step forward, twice as fast as before, and at the same time kicked out with his right leg. With his toes slightly raised, he generated power from his waist and swung his lower leg to kick the bandit leader in the groin.

Before the bandit leader could even throw his hidden weapon, he only had time to let out a scream as he unconsciously bent over, his head sticking out. Guo Jing raised his right hand, forming a fist, and smashed it straight into the bandit leader's head.

Now the bandit leader no longer had to endure the excruciating pain in his groin. His skull shattered, and before he could struggle, he stopped breathing.

At that moment, five horses caught up from behind. They were Wu Chengyu and four of the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan. Their horses were not as good as Guo Jing's little red horse, and they had to clean up the battlefield, which was why they lagged behind. However, they now had absolute confidence in Guo Jing.

Horse King God Han Baoju was running in the lead. When he saw Guo Jing's last two moves, even though he was riding a horse, the muscles in his buttocks involuntarily tensed up. He exclaimed, "What a perfect groin kick!"

Upon seeing his masters, Guo Jing, who had just been filled with murderous intent, scratched his head and said with a simple and honest expression, "Third Master, Fourth Master, Fifth Master, Sixth Master, Martial Master, and this Unyielding Heaven-Turning Seal, but I haven't mastered it yet."

Several masters carefully examined Guo Jing, knowing he was unharmed. Wu Chengyu said, "The 'Unblocking and Unpardoning Heaven-Turning Seal' isn't that simple. Technique, strength control, and mental focus are all indispensable. You'll have a lot to practice in the future. Why don't you go and touch the corpse? Killing someone and not touching the corpse deserves no food."

Guo Jing stopped arguing and excitedly ran to the bodies of the bandits he had just killed. Before getting close to each corpse, he used his dagger to stab the victim in the heart and throat. This was not taught by Wu Chengyu, but rather a habit he had developed after suffering losses before.

Wu Chengyu and the other four heroes looked at Guo Jing's figure and smiled at each other.

Half a year has passed since Hua Zheng first brought the experts recruited by Temujin to test Wu Chengyu. Counting the time, it has been more than nine months since Wu Chengyu and Temujin made a one-year agreement, and the one-year deadline is not far away.

For more than nine months, Wu Chengyu did everything he could to cultivate Guo Jing, and it wasn't just about teaching him martial arts.

First, Temujin was unwilling to give up and kept recruiting experts. He came twice more, but now Temujin could not recruit any truly top-notch experts.

Of the three tests, only the old Mongolian man who appeared the first time could be considered a first-rate expert. However, the old man was cunning and never made a move. The others were all intimidated by Wu Chengyu.

Each time, one or two notorious villains would be casually killed by Wu Chengyu, while the rest would obediently serve as Guo Jing's sparring partners, and they would have to come up with some new tricks. These people might not be highly skilled in martial arts, but they had been in the martial arts world for many years and all had some special methods.

When Guo Jing fought against them, he was always at a disadvantage at the beginning and needed Wu Chengyu's help. But later, he gradually became able to see through his opponents' schemes and grew step by step.

Just as Wu Chengyu had predicted, Guo Jing was only a little slow-witted, but he was clear-headed and had inner beauty. He would suffer a loss once, but he would never suffer a second time.

Just like that bandit leader, Guo Jing would take immediate precautions against the slightest unusual movement, and even strike first.

Later, Temujin also learned of Wu Chengyu's prowess and stopped sending people to test him. Instead, his reputation for being ruthless and unpredictable resounded once again on the Mongolian grasslands.

Seeing that Guo Jing had mastered the stance training, Wu Chengyu began to teach Guo Jing the Big Dipper Technique and the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill.

With the foundation laid by the Quanzhen internal energy cultivation method, Guo Jing practiced his skills while walking, sitting, and lying down. He quickly mastered the Beidou Dafa and, within two months, converted all of his Quanzhen internal energy into Jiuyin internal energy on his own.

As for the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, because Wu Chengyu laid such a good foundation for Guo Jing, this martial art actually relies the most on talent, especially physical talent. Guo Jing mastered the first level in just two months and quickly broke through to the second level.

By this point, Wu Chengyu had achieved his goal, and Guo Jing only needed to continue his cultivation step by step.

Therefore, Wu Chengyu brought Guo Jing to the northern and eastern deserts, letting him kill bandits alone. Only in real battles could this boy truly grow up.

The Seven Heroes of Jiangnan were worried, so they sent four of them along. Guo Jing was injured quite a bit at first, but they didn't take action unless it was a life-or-death crisis.

By now, the bandits of the Eastern Desert have been wiped out, and only a handful of bandits remain in the Northern Desert. It's no longer worth wasting time on them. Wu Chengyu's trial of Guo Jing has finally come to an end.

(End of this chapter)