Chapter 18: Flowing Like Water, Combat Flow

Fang Zhen, long spear in hand, burst out from behind the large tree where he was hiding, just as he had before. Without a word, he charged.

He was only four or five meters away when the goblins finally noticed him.

But it was too late.

Fang Zhen thrust with his spear, piercing through a goblin’s back and out its chest.

He then flung the goblin’s corpse off his spear and, with a powerful swing, brought the weapon around in a wide arc, smashing it down on another goblin’s head.

The goblin shrieked, trying to dodge.

A sudden flash of insight struck Fang Zhen. He adjusted the spear’s trajectory in mid-air, and as if by fate, it smashed squarely onto the head of the goblin as it tried to dodge sideways.

The momentum and the sharp spearhead shattered the goblin’s skull. It let out a wretched cry and collapsed.

Fang Zhen had taken down two goblins. The remaining three finally reacted. One of them shrieked, wielding a long, noticeably sharper dagger, and launched itself at Fang Zhen in a desperate, flying lunge.

At that moment, Fang Zhen entered a peculiar state.

His Spirit was intensely focused, yet he felt no tension. Completely immersed in the battle, his mind was free of distracting thoughts. It was as if he could see everything happening at once and make the perfect response.

Fang Zhen pulled his spear back, then thrust it out again.

He used almost no force, simply holding the spear steady in the goblin’s path.

The pouncing goblin was only mid-air when it saw the spearhead waiting for it.

Terror filled the goblin’s face, but suspended in mid-air, it had no way to change course. It was as if the creature was actively throwing itself onto the spear.

PFFT!

Effortlessly, Fang Zhen let the enemy come to him, impaling the lunging goblin.

With a flick of his spear, he sent the goblin’s corpse flying.

’That’s three.’

Seeing their companion’s grisly death, the two remaining goblins didn’t flee. Their fighting spirit remained high. They let out furious shrieks and charged at Fang Zhen.

One goblin wielded a shortsword, longer than a dagger. It was sharp and well-maintained—a high-quality weapon, a far cry from the usual rusty daggers.

The other goblin was even more robust, clad in leather armor. Its weapon was also different from the others: a small, double-bladed Hand Axe. The axe head gleamed, looking razor-sharp. ’I don’t know if my riot gear can even block a blow from that,’ Fang Zhen wondered.

Fang Zhen’s mind was a sea of tranquility, utterly free of distractions.

As the two goblins charged, Fang Zhen took a step back, but he kept his spearhead leveled at them.

The spear was over two meters long, and combined with Fang Zhen’s reach, it kept the goblins at a safe distance. No matter how they tried, they couldn’t close the gap.

The two goblins were clearly wary of the sharp spear and hesitated to advance against its point.

Fang Zhen took another step back, and the goblins pressed forward. He retreated again, and they pressed forward again.

Fang Zhen began to move his left leg back once more. The goblins, conditioned by the rhythm, assumed he was about to retreat again and started to close in.

But this time, it was a feint.

He had only feigned a backward step. Abruptly, he reversed his momentum, shifting his center of gravity forward and lunging with a powerful thrust.

The goblin with the shortsword didn’t react in time.

Fang Zhen’s previous retreats had been a deliberate deception, meant to make the goblins expect him to fall back and to create a false opening.

The goblin’s combat intelligence was low, and it had fallen for the trap completely.

Now, Fang Zhen sprang his trap. He abruptly reversed his retreat into a forward lunge. The unsuspecting, sword-wielding goblin was still stepping forward and walked right into the attack, closing the distance to the spearhead in an instant.

PFFT!

Meeting little resistance, the spearhead tore through the goblin’s throat and exited the nape of its neck.

The goblin dropped its shortsword. Its hands clutched at the spear shaft, its face a mask of shock.

Fang Zhen retracted his spear, and the goblin collapsed.

Fang Zhen’s eyes sharpened as he turned to the last remaining goblin in leather armor.

The goblin in leather armor, clutching its Hand Axe, clearly sensed something was wrong. It shrieked, its eyes darting about nervously.

Fang Zhen instantly read the goblin’s emotions.

For a split second, it was torn—should it give in to its fear and flee, or should it continue to fight Fang Zhen?

’An opening!’ Seizing the moment, Fang Zhen swept his spear sideways, using the spearhead like a blade to slash at the armored goblin’s face.

Caught in its indecision, the goblin’s reactions were slow. It was completely defenseless as the spearhead slashed across its face.

Purple blood immediately streamed down its face.

The goblin shrieked in pain, one of its eyes sliced open, its face a mask of blood.

Fang Zhen pulled his spear back slightly, then thrust it forward again, aiming for the armored goblin’s chest.

The spearhead struck the leather armor, which did offer some resistance. Fang Zhen felt the tip hit something hard, and it even slipped slightly.

But the armor’s protection was no match for the spear’s sharpness.

The spearhead tore through the leather and plunged inside.

The armored, axe-wielding goblin shrieked and, in a sudden, vicious frenzy, flung its Hand Axe. The weapon flew, spinning, straight at Fang Zhen.

Though startled, Fang Zhen’s reflexes were lightning-fast. He let go of his spear and threw himself to the side.

The spinning Hand Axe missed him, flying a short distance before landing in the stream.

A flash of anger crossed Fang Zhen’s face.

He drew his scimitar with his right hand and charged, bringing the blade down hard on the armored goblin.

With the long spear still embedded in its chest, the goblin had no energy to dodge. Fang Zhen’s slash sent it to the ground, where it lay motionless.

Fang Zhen grabbed the spear’s shaft, gave it a vicious twist inside the goblin’s body, and then pulled it out.

By the stream, no enemies remained.

Only then did Fang Zhen snap out of that peculiar combat state, returning to his usual self.

Looking at the results of the battle, Fang Zhen was amazed.

’Whoa, what was that just now? Did I enter the legendary "flow state"?’

’Every move felt like it was guided by a higher power. Could this be what they call talent?’

Fang Zhen felt that the fight had been as smooth as flowing water, an exhilarating and deeply satisfying experience. The feeling, the state he was in—it was incredible.

He didn’t know if it was innate talent or if he had simply entered a "flow state," brought on by a perfect balance of moderate difficulty and intense focus.

All he knew was that the experience of fighting like that was both fluid and exciting, filling him with an indescribable sense of pleasure.

’Perhaps I’ve always had a natural talent for this, but just never had the chance to discover it back in the city.’

He didn’t feel tired at all. In fact, he felt a rush of excitement, as if he were just hitting his stride.

Fang Zhen could clearly feel himself growing through real combat, improving both his mentality and his skills.

In the beginning, just assassinating a single goblin had made his heart pound. Now, after such a short time, he was already finding joy in battle.

He let out a hearty laugh, pulled his spear from the armored goblin’s chest, and without pausing to rest, strode quickly toward the Goblin Camp.

By the stream, Fang Zhen had now killed nine goblins. He figured there couldn’t be many of the green-skinned monsters left in their camp.

His confidence soaring, Fang Zhen prepared to charge the camp head-on!