I maxed out the Scholar talent at the start, but I want to be a Warrior.

The sound of horses' hooves thundered.

Three barbarian warhorses charged side by side into the mountain path, their hooves crushing the gravel and raising a cloud of dust.

The lead cavalryman held up his scimitar, the blade flashing briefly in the morning light.

Gu Chang'an did not move.

The spear was held horizontally in front of him, its tip slightly lowered, like a lurking snake.

The first horse charged within three zhang (approximately 10 meters) –

The gun is fired.

Fast as lightning.

The spear tip pierced the horse's neck from the side and exited from the other side.

The warhorse let out a miserable neigh, its front hooves buckled, and it collapsed to the ground, horse and rider alike.

The cavalryman was thrown off, rolled twice on the ground, his neck covered in blood, and then lay still.

The second horse followed closely behind.

Gu Chang'an drew his spear and swept it horizontally, the shaft striking the horse's leg—with a crack, the horse's leg broke.

The cavalryman was thrown from his horse, but before he could land, Gu Chang'an pierced his chest with a spear.

The third horse.

The cavalrymen were terrified and desperately pulled on the reins, trying to turn the horse around.

But the mountain path was too narrow, and horses were squeezing up from behind, leaving no way to retreat.

Gu Chang'an did not give him a chance.

The spear was thrust forward, its tip piercing the cavalryman's armpit and flying away.

Three tricks.

Three lives.

It took less than three breaths.

The barbarian cavalrymen in the mountain path were all stunned for a moment.

Batur sat on his horse, squinting his eyes.

He saw it.

Those three shots were fast, accurate, and ruthless.

The marksmanship was flawless, with each shot aimed directly at a vital point.

This is not the marksmanship of an ordinary border resident.

"A master," Batur murmured in a barbarian language.

His adjutant behind him nodded, his expression somewhat grim.

"But his stamina isn't what it used to be," Batur added. "He's starting to pant."

indeed.

Gu Chang'an leaned on his gun, his chest rising and falling slightly.

Three Guns may seem relaxed, but his body can't keep up with his explosive power at his peak.

His arm was trembling slightly, and with each shot, his expression seemed to be that he was enduring something.

Batur figured it out.

"Take turns attacking," he commanded in a barbarian language, "to wear him down."

Five cavalrymen charged out of the ranks, lined up in a row, two zhang apart, and charged in turn.

The first rider charged forward, but Gu Chang'an knocked him off his horse with a single spear thrust.

The second rider followed closely behind. Gu Chang'an dodged the curved blade to the side, and the tip of his spear pierced through the horse's belly, causing the warhorse to crash to the ground.

Third rider, fourth rider, fifth rider—

Gu Chang'an shot them all down one by one.

But his breathing became increasingly labored.

Gu Cheng crouched in the woods, activating his full detection, and discovered his uncle's status bar on the screen—

【顾长安】【体质：86（上限）/ 83（当前）】【力量：90（上限）/ 86+1】【状态：心魔未消（战力衰减30%）、体力：78%】

Gu Cheng clenched his fists.

Another wave of cavalry charged forward. Gu Chang'an parried a blow, his spear trembling, and he took a half-step back.

His face was pale, and his forehead was covered in sweat.

[Gu Chang'an] [Status: Inner demons not yet subsided (combat power reduced by 30%), Stamina: 58%

My physical strength is declining rapidly.

Batur sat on his horse, watching all of this coldly.

He's not in a hurry.

A tiger that's about to die doesn't need him to do anything.

Once this person is exhausted, he can finish him off with a single blow.

Gu Cheng's heart was beating faster and faster.

My uncle won't last much longer.

He turned his head and glanced at the archers in the woods to his left—the young men were pale, but their hands were steady, gripping their bows tightly and nocking arrows.

They were waiting for his instructions.

Gu Cheng gritted his teeth and turned his attention back to the battlefield.

Another wave of cavalry charged forward.

Gu Chang'an blocked the first blow, the second blow, and the third blow—

It didn't block it.

The scimitar sliced ​​across the outside of his left arm, making a cut.

Blood flowed down the gun barrel.

Gu Chang'an grunted, but did not back down.

He swung his spear backhand and pierced the cavalryman's throat.

Gu Cheng's fingernails dug into the tree bark.

Can't wait any longer.

But Batur still didn't go.

He was like a snake coiled in the shadows, waiting for its prey to fall down on its own.

Sudden--

Batur charged forward on his horse.

He charged toward Gu Chang'an, wielding a curved sword.

coming.

Gu Cheng suddenly stood up.

"Archers, prepare!"

Several strong young men simultaneously drew their bows.

"Old man," Batur said in broken Chinese.

Gu Chang'an remained silent.

He pointed the gun at Batur's throat.

Batur sneered and raised his scimitar—

hack.

The blade's wind was sharp and carried a brute force.

Gu Chang'an raised his gun to parry—the gun and the curved blade collided, producing a piercing metallic scraping sound.

Gu Chang'an took a step back.

Batur followed up with a second strike.

This time the blade slashed to the right—Gu Chang'an dodged to the side, the blade grazing his shoulder, leaving another bloody gash.

Gu Chang'an did not hesitate.

With a flick of the spear tip, it thrust straight at Batur's left shoulder.

fast.

This shot was faster than any shot before it.

Batur had not expected Gu Chang'an to be such a skilled marksman.

He saw the tip of the gun, instinctively turned to the side, and simultaneously raised his left arm to block—

The tip of the spear struck the arm guard on his left arm.

"ah--!"

Batur roared, his scimitar slipped from his hand, and he staggered two steps to the right. His left arm was soaked in blood, and his entire arm was trembling uncontrollably.

[Barbarian Centurion Batul] [Strength: 68→57] [Status: Old wound in left arm torn open, combat power drastically reduced]

57.

Strength dropped from 68 to 57.

Gu Cheng stared at the number and let out a long sigh.

This is a sure thing. Right now, my uncle has not only closed the gap in strength, but has even surpassed him.

Gu Chang'an did not give Batur a chance to catch his breath.

Long spear forward—

The spear tip pierced Batur's throat in an instant.

……

Corpses and fallen warhorses lay scattered along the mountain path, the stench of blood permeating the morning breeze.

The remaining cavalry began to flee.

The sound of horses' hooves gradually faded into the distance.

The mountain path became quiet.

Gu Chang'an leaned on his gun, panting heavily.

His vision blurred, and something felt churning inside him; each breath felt like needles pricking his chest. But he held on.

The tip of the gun did not tremble.

Only when the sound of the barbarian horses' hooves completely disappeared did he slowly lower his gun, lean against the mountain wall, and close his eyes.

"uncle!"

Gu Cheng ran out of the woods.

He ran to Gu Chang'an's side and saw the bloody wounds on his uncle's left arm and right shoulder, and his expression changed instantly.

"I'm fine." Gu Chang'an opened his eyes, his voice very soft. "Just some superficial wounds."

Gu Cheng remained silent.

He squatted down, tore off a corner of his clothes, and used it to bandage his uncle's wound.

Gu Chang'an did not refuse.

Gu Cheng hesitated for a moment before deciding to reveal his skills.

"Uncle," he lowered his voice, "I have actually awakened two literati skills."

Gu Chang'an raised an eyebrow slightly.

"One is the Flying Knife, which you saw last night. The other..." Gu Cheng paused, "is called Detection. It can see the opponent's condition, injuries, power fluctuations, and even observe the number and strength of enemies from a great distance."

He highlighted the key information he had gleaned from the battle: Batur's old left arm injury, his strength rating, and the rate at which his stamina was being depleted.

After listening, Gu Chang'an remained silent for a long time.

A mountain breeze blew by, carrying with it the smell of blood.

"Investigate..." he repeated the word under his breath, then looked up, his gaze turning serious.

"Don't tell anyone about this skill."

Gu Cheng looked at him.

"Among those favored by heaven, only one in ten thousand will awaken a unique combat skill." Gu Chang'an's voice was very low. "What does a unique combat skill mean? It means that others don't have it, only you do. This kind of thing is a life-saving trump card on the battlefield. Your detection—it's amazing, you can easily know other people's combat strength and status."

He paused.

"You can let people know about the flying knife technique. Probe it, but keep it to yourself. Just tell everyone that you've only awakened one combat skill."

Gu Cheng nodded.

Gu Chang'an looked at him, her gaze softening slightly, and added:

"As far as I know, there is currently no combat skill that can reveal an individual's attribute values. Everyone can only roughly know what level they have reached. But you can detect other people's attribute values. This skill is too overpowered. Whether it's an enemy or an ally, no one wants their abilities to be known by others in detail."

……

In the mountain path, the able-bodied men were clearing the battlefield—finishing off enemies, moving corpses, collecting weapons, and picking up arrows.

Gu Cheng also started searching through the corpses.

When he turned to the side of Batur's black warhorse, he noticed the saddlebags on its back.

In addition to dry food and a water bag, there was also a heavy cloth bag in the satchel.

He opened it and saw—

A fist-sized, irregularly shaped, pitted and uneven golden stone—a gold nugget.

Gu Cheng was stunned for a moment; this thing was valuable.

He glanced at the screen instinctively—

A line of text popped up on the screen:

[Rechargeable item detected: Gold Nugget] [Recharge?]

Gu Cheng stared at the line of text and hesitated for a moment.

Limit-breaking points can increase the attribute cap. His current strength cap is 48, and with the limit-breaking point he already has, he's just 1 point away from reaching 50—once he reaches 50, he can awaken his warrior skill.

This... allows you to top up your account.

This means I have the opportunity to become a soldier.

I've already spent the money!

He glanced around—the able-bodied men were busy moving corpses and collecting weapons, and no one noticed him.

"top up."

[Limit Break Points +2] [Current Limit Break Points: 3]

Without hesitation, he directly added two points to his power level.

[Strength cap: 48→50]

The power limit has been exceeded 50.

Although his current strength has recovered to 25, which is still a long way from 50, the door has been opened. As long as he starts practicing martial arts and his strength rises to 50, he can awaken his warrior skills.

Gu Cheng stood up as if nothing had happened.

Nobody knows what just happened.

……