Three Kingdoms, Myth

Lü Bu led the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, their imposing presence emanating a mix of golden sharpness and the searing heat of flames. A massive halberd, over five hundred meters long, sliced through the defensive cloud energy of Xiangyang's guards before they had time to react. With a single strike, hundreds of defenders were either killed or incapacitated.

After piercing through Xiangyang's defenses, the remaining force of the strike shattered the city gate. The Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, along with the veteran soldiers led by Sun Ce, surged through the northern gate of Xiangyang, slaughtering all in their path as they made their way directly to Liu Biao's residence.

"Kill!" Sun Ce, with bloodshot eyes, charged at the forefront. He was utterly shocked by Lü Bu's god-like power—not just his martial prowess, but also his command in battle. Thirty li outside Xiangyang, Lü Bu had shattered the ranks of the old general Wang Wei's troops within just a quarter of an hour, cutting them apart and routing them completely.

Lü Bu then charged ahead, with the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry following his lead. Abandoning the chance to claim any immediate glory, they raced toward the city gate with unmatched speed. Before Xiangyang's defenders could fully react, Lü Bu's attack slammed into the city's protective barrier, shattering it before it could fully form. He then cleaved through the cloud energy that had begun to coalesce. The residual force of his strike demolished the city gate right before Sun Ce's eyes.

Sun Ce was left in complete awe. Lü Bu's actions were unbelievably bold, utterly reckless. Originally, Zhou Yu had estimated that it would take a siege of one or two years to break Xiangyang, yet the city fell in just one strike.

"Kill!" Sun Ce saw the hope of avenging his father. The residence of Liu Biao, Governor of Jingzhou, was right before him.

"Hahahaha!" Lü Bu unleashed his power with abandon.

Since his defeat at Hulao Pass, a blemish had marred Lü Bu's spirit. Although he had cleansed himself of that shame, he soon encountered the massive armies of Li Jue and Guo Si, where even the mightiest individual was but a joke. Lü Bu faced defeat once more, but it was a defeat with honor. He had charged alone into Guo Si's army, grievously wounding him and nearly killing him before the enemy formations closed in, forcing Lü Bu to retreat.

That brush with death, that moment of charging through thousands of enemies with unrivaled courage, had mended Lü Bu's heart. His nearly flawless martial spirit was cleansed, and he realized he didn't need to chase after the strengths of others—whether it was Zhang Fei's brute strength, Guan Yu's explosive power, or Zhao Yun's inhuman speed. He needed none of these. He was Lü Bu; he didn't need to pursue these things!

Lü Bu's confidence grew as he killed a Jingzhou general with one strike. He no longer needed explosive techniques; Lü Bu only needed to remain steady. With each strike, he was confident in his ability to suppress any enemy, whether it was Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, or Zhao Yun. Lü Bu had gained enough clarity to trust that he could kill any opponent before him.

As Sun Ce fought fiercely, slaying the guards around him, he finally broke into the Governor's residence in Jingzhou, only to be blocked by a general leading troops. However, driven by his deep-seated vendetta, Sun Ce fiercely suppressed his opponent, showing no sign of weakness despite his young age. His rage even seemed to fuel a slight transformation in his aura.

"Hurry, escort the Governor and Strategist away! Order the counties to resist at every turn, retreat to Jiangling!" The man who blocked Sun Ce shouted after forcing him back. Even now, Liu Biao's headache was so severe that he couldn't manage his affairs, and the other high officials in Xiangyang were equally incapacitated.

"Get out of my way!" Sun Ce roared, wielding the ancient Ding Blade his father had left him. He hacked down the soldiers beside him. In the midst of the slaughter, Sun Ce felt a transformation within himself. His speed increased, his strength grew, and his reactions sharpened. He even began to faintly sense the flow of cloud energy. Throughout the battle, Sun Ce never felt fatigued. The more he fought, the more powerful he became.

Sun Ce couldn't see the changes in himself, but his opponent, Wen Pin, could see everything clearly. He understood that the young man before him was close to reaching the final stage of a warrior's journey, perhaps just a step away from breaking through the final barrier.

At that moment, a golden radiance enveloped Sun Ce, with wisps of golden mist emanating from his body. As he continued to fight, the golden glow around him grew stronger.

In that instant, Sun Ce looked like a deity, wrapped in golden light that refined his body and began to open the path between his physical form and the energy of heaven and earth, drawing him closer to the level of internal energy projection.

This can't go on! If this continues, this kid might kill me and break through. We absolutely cannot let him achieve this breakthrough to internal energy projection. In our current situation, Jingzhou can barely handle one Lü Bu; if we have to face another Sun Bofu, it will be the end of us! Wen Pin thought, roaring as he thrust his spear at Sun Ce's waist.

"Ugh!" Wen Pin spat out a mouthful of blood. Sun Ce didn't dodge or block but took the hit head-on. Simultaneously, Sun Ce swung his ancient Ding Blade at Wen Pin, who barely managed to dodge, but the extended blade aura still tore through Wen Pin's armor, leaving him severely injured. Wen Pin's loyal steed, which had followed him for years, was sliced in half by the blow.

"Zhongye, retreat! Let me take care of him!" At that moment, a red-faced warrior charged in from behind, riding a chestnut horse. With a swing of his blade, he forced Sun Ce back and launched a flurry of attacks.

"He's yours, Wen Chang!" Wen Pin shouted as he was carried away, managing to stem the bleeding from his deadly wound with his internal energy. He would likely recover within ten days.

"Get out of here!" Wei Yan roared, not turning back. Although his words were fierce, he knew that in terms of skill, he and Sun Ce were evenly matched. But in such a situation, what mattered most was momentum. His strikes were powerful and lethal, keeping Sun Ce on the defensive.

Despite Wei Yan's efforts to suppress the seventeen-year-old Sun Ce, killing him was out of the question, even though Sun Ce had a wound in his abdomen. As the fight dragged on, Sun Ce grew stronger with each counterattack, his power visibly increasing as he neared the final stage of a warrior's journey.

This is bad! Wei Yan thought. He had no desire to die for Liu Biao. Though he was a Jingzhou native, Liu Biao's heavy favoring of scholars over warriors had left Wei Yan disillusioned. He had little interest in serving a lord who didn't respect him. He had only intervened because he was familiar with Wen Pin; otherwise, he would have fled.

Summoning all his strength, Wei Yan delivered a powerful strike that forced Sun Ce back. In this confined space, Wei Yan dared not use any of his more destructive techniques. The massive slash that Lü Bu had unleashed earlier still haunted his mind. He had no desire to draw Lü Bu's attention. At least he knew that without the power of someone like Huang Zhong, challenging Lü Bu would be a death sentence!