Thick clouds shrouded the entire sky, their edges adorned with a halo of red and blue, appearing exceptionally enchanting.

Beneath the clouds, atop a tall ridge of a roof, lay two dark figures, one large and one small.

In front of the roof was a vast courtyard, with every row of houses lit up, extending seven or eight sections from front to back.

The two figures remained motionless, almost completely blending into the darkness, with only their gleaming eyes betraying their identities as martial artists.

A cool night breeze blew by, making Arthur feel comfortable from the inside out, the burning pain of the day long gone.

Since practicing "Danyang Spirit Refinement," Arthur felt as if he had been living in purgatory these days.

The martial arts of the continent emphasized gradual progress, channeling the qi of the world through different meridians into the body. Except for a very small part retained in the dantian within the body, the qi would be exhaled again, refining the body of the martial artist in this cycle of inhalation and exhalation.

However, "Danyang Spirit Refinement" took a different approach, fiercely drawing qi into the body without easily exhaling it, but instead, stimulating it to violently circulate and collide within all the meridians of the body until it was exhausted.

The process of drawing qi to the dantian and then fiercely spreading it throughout the body was like spreading a raging fire from the abdomen to all parts of the body. Moreover, this invisible and untouchable fire caused an internal pain that was unbearable for ordinary people.

Every time Arthur activated "Danyang Spirit Refinement," it was like committing suicide, requiring tremendous courage. After each practice, he would be soaked in a large pool of sweat.

The huge pain brought equally significant gains. In just over half a month of practice, he could already feel a thin stream of qi circulating in his body, whereas the general Xuan-level martial arts often took three months to generate a sense of qi in the body.

"Did I hear you've been practicing 'Danyang Spirit Refinement'?"

Immersed in the painful memories of his practice, Arthur was suddenly poked hard, and lying beside him was the short Tony. Compared to the initial disdain, Tony's impression of Arthur had greatly improved.

Not knowing how to respond, Arthur simply nodded in acknowledgment.

"Brother warns you not to be deceived by Kaines and Randal. It's best to give up early. That thing is not meant for humans to practice. The pain you're feeling now is just the beginning. The pain of burning from the inside will get worse as you progress."

"Do you also know about 'Danyang Spirit Refinement'?" Arthur looked at Tony with a puzzled gaze.

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Tony gave a mysterious smile, "You're not the first guinea pig for those two. The brothers who were fooled by them either couldn't stand the pain and gave up voluntarily or exploded during advancement. Despite your rapid progress now, this method won't get you to the rank of a war general."

Arthur smiled bitterly, "It's too late for you to persuade me now. Since I've already decided, even if it means death, I will continue!"

Tony, hitting a dead end, merely smirked and said, "Didn't expect you to be so stubborn. No wonder those two guys took a liking to you," then stopped bothering with Arthur.

Arthur, however, leaned in closer, "Tony, what are we going to do next?"

Tony, annoyed, glanced at Arthur, "I don't know why Kaines asked me to bring you, a drag. Just keep watch here; I'm going to stab Tristy a couple of times for revenge for Harg and the others."

"And then?"

"What do you mean, 'and then'?"

"After you've stabbed Tristy?"

"Have you gone stupid staying with the orcs?" Tony hit Arthur on the head, "Do I need to teach you this? Of course, we run!"

Arthur, with his mouth agape, stared at Tony like he was an idiot.

"What are you looking at? Don't you get it? If you run slow and get caught by the assassin, don't blame me for not warning you!"

Suddenly, Arthur seemed to understand, "I now realize why Captain Kaines asked me to follow you. It's not that I've become stupid in the orc camp; it's that you're too naive!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're going to assassinate Tristy. The assassins won't let it go easily, and a full-scale war will surely break out. If Captain Kaines wanted to start a war with the assassins now, why would he send us two?"

Tony blinked, "You seem to have a point." But then frowned, "But to avenge Harg and the others without drawing fire upon ourselves, that's a bit tricky."

Arthur smirked lightly, "I have a plan."

"You have a plan?" Tony looked at Arthur skeptically.

"Humph," Arthur snorted disdainfully, "If you don't believe me, forget it. After all, this mission was given to you by the captain, not to me."

Tony poked Arthur again, "Oh, getting cocky? Out with it; I believe you're full of cunning ideas!"

"I'll tell you, but I have a condition. After I help you avenge Harg and the others, you have to teach me some thief skills."

"If you really have a way to deal with those bastards from 'Blood Stab,' not just thief skills, I can even teach you my most proud 'Shadow Stealth' technique."

"Are you serious?" Arthur's eyes immediately sparkled. He knew that although Tony's direct combat strength was not strong, his ability to move and survive on the battlefield was extremely powerful, relying on this mid-tier earth-grade technique.

"When have I ever not kept my word?" Tony replied, before quickly adding, "But if you can't learn it, don't blame me. You know, being a thief requires talent, not just anyone can become one."

Arthur rolled his eyes, probably interpreting Tony's real thoughts.

"Since they're playing dirty, we'll play dirty too. Among the three mercenary groups in Huaores City, with all the friction between us and 'Blood Stab,' we can't let 'Wild Wolf Fox' sit back and enjoy the show, right?"

Tony looked at Arthur sideways, "You want to create friction between 'Blood Stab' and 'Wild Wolf Fox'? I warn you, the leader of Wild Wolf Fox, Valerio, is a real old fox. Don't outsmart yourself and bring trouble upon us."

"Don't worry, if we do this..." Arthur whispered into Tony's ear.

Tony looked at Arthur in surprise, "You're not big, but how come you have so many cunning ideas?"

A fleeting expression of pain crossed Arthur's eyes, "In the orc camp, human slaves faced death at any moment. Every day, they had to rack their brains to find ways to survive, even if it meant deceiving their companions or pleasing the orcs. Before you attacked that lion's camp, there were fifty-seven human slaves like me. My survival was not just due to luck."

Hardships foster growth.

At this moment, looking at Arthur, who still wore a smile on his face, Tony seemed to finally recognize this prematurely matured child.