No. 46 slowly lowered his leg after the failed kick.

There was no surprise in his movements, only silence.

Then, beneath the mask, a faint chuckle escaped.

"...Good."

He folded his arms behind his back and looked directly at Asher.

"It seems your instincts are excellent."

Asher remained in a fighting stance, his expression calm.

"You attacked without warning."

"I did."

No. 46 answered without the slightest hint of guilt.

"It was a test."

"A test?"

"You are about to enter the headquarters of the Reaper Guild."

His voice became colder.

The masked man looked at Asher and said in his emotionless voice,

"I cannot allow some weakling to enter the headquarters. So now, we are going to have a little spar."

He paused for a moment before continuing,

"You can go all out. I am a Master who has already attained Mastery over the Wind Element. I will not die even if you fight with the intent to kill in close combat."

Asher simply looked at No. 46 with a calm expression before replying,

"Okay."

He then remained where he was, making no move to attack. Instead, he quietly waited for No. 46 to make the first move.

No. 46 looked at Asher for a moment before saying,

"You are quite a cautious one, I see."

The next moment, he disappeared from his position.

Whoosh!

His figure appeared directly in front of Asher at a frightening speed, his fist already flying toward Asher’s face.

Asher’s expression did not change.

The instant No. 46’s fist entered his range of vision, Asher tilted his head slightly to the side.

Whoosh!

The punch grazed past his cheek, stirring a gust of wind that sent a few strands of his hair fluttering.

Asher did not try to retreat or create any distance between them.

Instead, he ducked down and, without the slightest hesitation, thrust his right hand straight toward No. 46’s throat.

The attack was clean.

There was not a single unnecessary movement.

No. 46 noticed Asher’s hand shooting toward his throat, and his eyes narrowed slightly beneath the mask.

Instead of backing away, he twisted his upper body just enough for Asher’s strike to brush past his neck.

At the same time, his left hand shot forward like lightning, aiming to seize Asher’s wrist.

However, Asher had already anticipated the counter.

The moment his attack missed, he immediately withdrew his arm before No. 46 could grab it and took half a step backward, resetting his stance.

The two separated once again.

Asher looked at No. 46 and thought,

’If I could go all out, he would already be dead. But sadly, I can’t kill him right now and turn him into a vessel. I don’t know the Wind Element, so even if I extracted his memories, learned the coordinates of the headquarters, and teleported there myself, I might be exposed the moment I entered.

Furthermore, I don’t know whether the headquarters has any way of detecting when one of its members dies. Masters are not like lower-ranked cultivators, who can be easily replaced if one of them falls. Losing a Master would certainly attract attention.’

Asher discarded those useless thoughts and focused his full attention on No. 46 standing before him.

Without any further delay, Asher shot straight toward No. 46 at a frightening speed.

The distance between them disappeared in an instant.

No. 46 did not retreat.

Instead, he also stepped forward and threw a straight punch toward Asher’s chest.

Asher did not dodge.

He simply twisted his body slightly, allowing the punch to narrowly miss him. At the same time, he threw his own fist straight toward No. 46’s ribs.

No. 46 reacted immediately.

He lowered his elbow and blocked the punch.

Bang!

A dull sound echoed through the forest.

After Asher’s punch was blocked by No. 46’s elbow, Asher immediately lowered his body and swept his leg toward No. 46’s ankle.

No. 46 jumped back to dodge Asher’s leg as it swept toward his ankle.

But before No. 46 could even land on the ground, Asher pushed off the ground with all his strength and rushed toward him.

The next moment, Asher appeared directly beneath No. 46.

Without any hesitation, he threw a punch straight toward No. 46’s abdomen.

Since No. 46 was still in midair, he had no way to dodge.

He could only cross both of his arms in front of him to block the attack.

Bang!

A dull sound echoed through the forest.

The force of the punch sent No. 46 flying backward before he finally landed on the ground several meters away.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he slid backward for a few more meters before coming to a stop.

No. 46 looked at Asher and gave a slight nod.

"Good."

"You immediately took advantage of the moment I was unable to change my direction in midair."

"Your battle instincts are quite sharp."

Asher did not reply.

Asher did not waste any time.

The moment No. 46 regained his footing, Asher rushed toward him once again at a frightening speed.

The distance between them disappeared in an instant.

No. 46 also stepped forward without any hesitation.

The next moment—

Bang!

Their fists collided head-on.

A powerful shockwave spread through the surrounding forest.

Neither of them took a single step back.

Asher then moved back, creating some distance between them.

The next moment, No. 46 attacked the left side of Asher’s head with his fist.

Asher immediately raised his left hand and redirected the trajectory of the incoming punch. At the same time, he threw his right fist straight toward No. 46.

However, No. 46 reacted just as quickly and blocked the punch with his free hand.

But Asher did not stop there.

Without the slightest delay, he immediately followed up with a straight kick aimed at No. 46’s stomach.

No. 46’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He immediately lowered his free hand and caught Asher’s leg just before it could reach his stomach.

However, the moment his hand grabbed Asher’s leg, Asher twisted his body.